HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
33* 
i( The island Galega was section the7th of July, 1758, by the Ruby snow, in its 
passage from the Isle of France to India. As the course of this vessel appears to me 
nearly direct, I have placed this island in 54° 55' longitude, and in io° 30' latitude. 
“ The frigate Le Choiseul commanded by M. le Flock de la Carriere, in its 
passage from the Isle de Bourbon to Pondicherry, perceived this island on the 17th 
of August, 1768 ; and although this navigator then reckoned that he was but five 
leagues more to the west, the soundings that he afterwards took, on the south-east 
part of the bank which surrounds the Isle Make , and others which are to the east of 
it, made him suspect that the Isle Galega is fifteen or twenty leagues more to the 
west than I had marked it. But as M. de la Carriere had no knowledge of the Isle 
Make , and that he was equally ignorant where the bank was situated which he had 
sounded, I have not thought proper to place it more than 35' more to the west 
than my first determination, and in more than io° 27' latitude. 
« The Portuguese charts, on the faith of Alexo da Mota, places this isle in 9 0 30', 
which is 57' more to the north than its real position. Such are the errors of the old 
voyagers. 
During the night from the 18th to the 19th September, 1771, M. de Kerguelen, 
who commanded the store ships, la Fortune and le Gros Ventre , found himself over 
a bank in thirty fathom water, with a rocky bottom; in the succeeding moment he 
found but twenty fathom, and the bottom continuing to diminish, he anchored in 
sixteen fathom. On the return of light he saw no land; and having got under way, 
driving to the north-west, he found from thirteen to twenty-eight fathom ; but after 
having made two leagues, he on a sudden got out of soundings. While he was at 
anchor, he remarked that the sea broke very much at the distance of a league to 
east-north-east; but such was the state of the weather, and the agitation of the sea* 
that he did not venture to send his canoe to take soundings. He reckons that this 
bank, which he named the bank de la Fortune , extended three leagues from south-east 
to north-west; and, according to his observation, it was situate in 7 0 30' latitude* 
and in 54 0 58' longitude. 
“ I have placed the bank of Saint Michel in 8° 55' latitude, according to the 
observation of the la Digue store-ship in 1768, and in 57 0 30' longitude, according 
to the reduction which I have made of her track in going from the Isle of France 
to the Isle Mahe. 
* 6 The south part of Saya de Malha , is traced according to the navigation and 
U u 2 
