OP LA PEROUSE. 23I 



we had on board a machine, of the invention of 

 Dr. Poifibnnier, a phylician: this diicovery could 

 be of no fervice to us, for to ale it required a. 

 great deal of fuel, and when a fhip is in want of 

 water, fhe generally runs fhort of wood. 



At ten o'clock in the morning of the 9th we 

 got fight of the ArfaTides, and ftood directly in 

 for Cape Nepean. Thele iflands, discovered by 

 Surville, a Captain in the fervice of the ci-devant 

 French Eaft India Company, were fince feen by 

 Lieutenant Shortland, who having imagined that 

 he had made a new difcovery, gave them the 

 name of New Georgia. 



At noon, our latitude by obfervation was 8 

 52' fouth, our longitude being 154 38' eaft. 

 The neareft coaft then bore eaft by north, diftant 

 three myriameters. 



About half pafl four o'clock we difcovered 

 the rock called the Eddyftone, a myriameter 

 and a half to the north-weft. At a diftance we 

 took it, like Shortland, for a fhip under fail. 

 The illufton was the greater, as it is nearly the 

 colour of a fhip's /ails : a few fhrubs crowned its 

 lummit. 



The iliores of the Arfac'ides oppofite to this 

 rock are fteep, and covered with large trees to 

 their very top. 



Several fires, lighted on the mountains, ap- 

 prized us that they were inhabited. 



a 4 Our 



