OP LA PER0USE. 4.2* 



was not the only danger we had to apprehend ; 

 we might alfo become the prey of a large fhark 

 that kept a few yards aftern of us. We had 

 feen him from daybreak, prowling round our 

 ihips, and he had followed our boat as if he 

 longed to have a fnap at one of us. The chap- 

 lain of the Recherche fell into the water, and 

 was on the point of being devoured by this ani- 

 mal, when fortunately the coxiwain of the boat 

 refcued him from the danger. 



Some failors, belonging to the Efperance, 

 when walking on the rocks, killed, 1 with their 

 Hicks, a great many feals of different colours ; 

 there were fome white, fome of a more or lets 

 dark gray, and others brown, approaching a 

 black ; however, they were all of the fame fpecies, 

 delignated by Buffon under the name of petit 

 jyhoque ; their flefh was found very good to eat. 



The iflot on which we now were is compoftd 

 of a beautiful granite, where quartz, feltpar, and 

 mica predominate ; this laft is found in lamina 

 of a blackith colour ; I alfo remarked fome fpi- 

 cul<e of black fchorl, but in a very fmall quan- 

 tity ; this granite was expofed to full view, in fe- 

 veral places. The mould, which had accumulated 

 in the lefs fteep fpots, was covered with fhrubs, 

 fo clofe to each other that I could not penetrate 

 through them without much difficulty. I here 

 gathered a beautiful fpecies of kpto/permum, re- 

 markable 



