1 



INTSODUCTION- 



Thofe who depart froiB the lile o£ France 

 for India, in the fine feafon, fleer towards 

 the northermoft point of Madagafcar, and 

 pafling afterwards between the fiats of Pa- 

 trom and the Amirantes, crofs the Line in 

 the fiftieth degree of longitude. Meeting 

 with the weftern monfoon on the north fide 

 of it, they traverfe the Maldives, between 

 Keloe and Shewliparj and then approach- 

 ing Cochin, the reft of the voyage is no- 

 thing but mere coafling, 



VeiTels which fet out, in the bad feafon, 

 from the Ille of France for Pond 1 cherry, are 

 obliged to purfiie a much longer and more 

 indire£t eourfe. They go in queft of the 

 variable winds as far as the tliirty-fixth de- 

 gree of fouth latitude, and then fteer in fuch 

 a direction as to be able to cut the Equinoc- 

 tial in the eighty-fourth degree of longi- 

 tude- 



' If a more perfed knowledge of that ar- 

 chipelago 



