



OP LA PEROUSE. fay 



watering ; the only ftream of frefh water that 

 he had met with would have fcarcely fufheed 

 for the daily confumption of our fhips. He had 

 difcovered, behind the point of the main land 

 that lay to the eaft north-caft, a good anchor- 

 age, with not fo great a depth of water as there 

 was in that which we occupied. 



At this Archipelago terminates the difcovery 

 of Nuyts. We were aftonifhed at the precifion 

 with which its latitude had been fettled by 

 that navigator, at a period when afironomical 

 inftruments were yet very imperfect. I mud 

 make the fame remark refpecling every part of 

 this country which was difcovered by Lcuwin. 



For fome days the winds blew from the north- 

 ward of eaft in the morning, and from the fouth 

 in the afternoon. The fands being ftrongly heated 

 by the rays of the fun, occafion this diurnal 

 variation. Thcfe forts of winds kept the atmo- 

 fpheric air in equilrbrio ; and indeed the mer- 

 cury in the barometer commonly flood at 28 

 inches 3 or 4 lines. 



On the 1 6th, the weather was very favour- 

 able, and a boat was fent in fearch of Citizen 

 Riche. Thatnaturalilt, enraptured with the rich- 

 nefs and novelty of the productions of this 

 country, which, till now, had not been viiited 

 by any obferver, had, no doubt, forgotten himlelf 

 in the contemplation of their beauty, and very 

 p f 2 f on 



