OF LA PEROUSE. 83 



{hat which is felt at a fraall diftance in the 

 interior of the country, is far lefs violent, as I 

 had occalion to remark in fome excurfions which 

 I made to places at different diftances from the 

 town. 



The clouds with which the fummit of the 

 mountains is then covered are naturally produced 

 by that great mafs of air, which, after having im- 

 bibed a quantity of water from the vaft ocean 

 which it has juft been agitating, rifes in order 

 to clear this fummit, where the difference of the 

 temperature makes appear under the form of 

 clouds the water that it can no longer keep in 

 a ftate of diffolution. 



The bifcayan * of the Eiperance, which by the 

 force of the wind had broke adrift during the 

 night from the fiern of that fhip, was loft. To 

 replace it, a whale-boat was purchafed from an 

 American vefTel. 



Although the fouth-eaft wind continued to 

 blow with impetuofity, I went out into the 

 environs of the town, where I found great 

 quantities of the fpecies of chironia, defignated 

 under the names of trinervia and linoides. The 

 gorteria filiarh was alfo growing at the foot of 



* A bifcayoH is a long, narrow boat, very fharp at each end, and 

 calculated for going through a fwell. It derives its name from 

 the province of Bifcay, on the coaft of which it is in general ufe, 

 and there called barca longa, T. 



g % thefe 



