OF LA PEROUSE. 6j 



then their two hind feet, which they drew to- 

 gether in the form of fins, ferved them as a 

 point of fupport on the water, the furface of 

 which was to them what a vaft plain is to an 

 active quadruped. 



We fell rather to leeward of the entrance of 

 Table Bay, which gave us little hopes of reach- 

 ing the anchorage in the courfe of the day. 



We could have wifhed for a finer day to 

 make the land ; for there fell a great deal of rain, 

 and the fhore was often concealed from us by a 

 thick fog. 



About feven o'clock in the evening we were 

 a myriameter and a half from the mountain of 

 Hout Bay, which bore from us weft 3 45' north ; 

 the pitch of the Cape north by weft ; and the 

 Lion's Head weft 3 north. 



Near this point of bearing we founded in 130 

 fathoms water, over a bottom of coral. 



The fea was extraordinarily phofphoric during 

 the whole night, which we paffed at a little dif- 

 tance from the coaft. I remarked a vaft quan- 

 tity of luminous points in all the places where 

 the water was agitated : this phofphorefcence 

 differs from that which is commonly obferved at 

 fea only by its being more intenfe, owing to a 

 greater number of phofphoric globules. Thefe 

 little bodies are, as I have already faid, much 

 more numerous near the coafts than in the open 



F 2- Tea, 



