58 TRAVELS IN 
deceptions are lefs ludicrous, as they deferve 
to be condemned. They tend to propagate 
ignorance among the Indolent inhabitants of 
the banks of the Seine, who, when they fa- 
crifice their money to gratify vain curiofity, 
ought alfo to make it contribute towards their 
inflru£tion. 
We had been only three months in the bay, 
and I had already made myfelf acquainted 
with all the environs. I had been fo attentive 
to my main objed, that even in that fliort 
fpace of time I had formed a large and va- 
luable colledtion of birds, fliells, infeds, ma- 
drepores, &c. But a fatal event, which took 
place foon after, had nearly deprived me of 
all the fruits of my labour, my rcfearches, and 
my fatiguing excurfions. 
An exprefs which we received over land 
from the Governor, informed us that Mr. 
Suffrein, after the affair of St. Jago, had ar- 
rived at the Cape, and that another French 
fquadron was hourly expeded. This exprefs 
brought an order at the fame time to the 
Held-IVoltemaadcy the vcffel which had car- 
ried me from Europe, to depart immediately 
for Ceylon, to which place ihe was bound. 
My 
