XXX INTHOBETCTIOir. 



the moft violent winds. This bafm, known 

 under the name of ^rou Fanfaron^ \% three 

 hundred fathoms in length. In breadth it 

 is fixty fathoms^ and the mean depth of the 

 water does not exceed ten feet. It was 

 neceflTary, therefore, to make it twenty feet 

 deep, in order that it might be capable of 

 receiving the largeft veffels, as fully loaded 

 as pofTible. To efftdl this, nothing was re* 

 quifite but to remove fome fand- banks ; 

 and two machines, in lefs than fix ycars^ 

 were able to clear away forty-Eve thou- 

 fand cubic fathoms of fand which encum- 

 bered the bafin. But this was not the moft 

 cmbarraJIing part of the labour. The en- 

 trance of the bafm was lTiut up by a coral 

 bank, to get rid of which appeared to be a 

 work of great expence and diificulty. Thb 

 obftacle, however, did not difcoura^e M. de 

 TromeHn. After a judicious examinatioa 

 of its extent, and taking a number of found- 

 ings 



