OP LA PEROUSE. i$9 



Hot to thrive the worfe for the humidity commu- 

 nicated to them by the fea. It was obvious that 

 their branches, by natural inclination, had fpread 

 on that fide. Among the plants that I met with 

 for the firft time was a lingular fpecies of limodo- 

 rum, of which I had a drawing made : 1 alfo ga- 

 thered feveral ferns, and a beautiful fpecies of 

 glycine, remarkable for its flowers, which were of 

 a bright red. 



This iflot afforded us no frefh water, although 

 feveral forfaken huts attefted that it had been in- 

 habited by favages. , 



Two officers belonging to our lnip (Cretin and 

 Dauribeau) had fet off at fix o'clock in the 

 morning to go and reconnoitre the coaft which 

 lay to the eaflward of us ; they there faw feveral 

 bays, the greatefr. extent of which was from north- 

 weft to fouth-eaft. They alfo remarked various 

 coves, which formed fo many harbours : a ftifT 

 breeze impeded their progrefs, and prevented 

 them from advancing very far into them. Seve- 

 ral fires perceived at a little distance from the 

 ihore determined them to land there ; and fcarcely 

 had they entered the woods before they met with 

 four natives occupied in keeping up three fraaU 

 fires, near which they were fitting. Thefe favages 

 immediately fled, infpite of all theiigns of friend- 

 fhip that were made to them, leaving behind the 

 lobfters and other fhell-flfh which they were broil- 

 ing 



