X\'\ INTRODUCTION. 



" dition be charjred with the double miflion of 

 ** fcarching after M. de la Peroufe, agreeably to 

 " the documents, inllruclions, and orders that 

 " may be given them, and, at the fame time, of 

 " making inquiries relative to the fcicnccs and 

 " to commerce, taking every meafure, independ- 

 " ently of the fearch after M. de la Peroufe, ot 

 " even after having met with him or procured 

 u intelligence of him, to render this expedition 

 ,l ufeful to navigation, to commerce, and to the 

 '* arts and fcicnccs.'* 



Compared with the original, by us the 

 Prcfident and Secretaries of the Na- 

 tional AiTcmbly. At Paris, this 24th 

 of February 1791. 

 (Signed) Dcport, Prcfident. 



Liore', 



J 



Secretaries* 

 Boussion, 



From my carlicft youth I had applied myfclf 

 to the ftudy of tiatural hiftory: convinced that it 

 is in the great book of Nature that her produc- 

 tions fhould be ftudicd, and a jufl idea formed 



of 



