334 
HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
He remarked its bay, as well as the islets which are at the entrance of it. This 
ship steered to the north-east and east-north-east, and afterwards to north-north¬ 
east, to the Equinoctial line, which it crossed in 73 0 20' of our longitude: from 
thence taking a north-west course, on the 31st of January, at ten A. M. and being, 
according to reckoning, in i° 55' north latitude, and 7i 0 48' longitude, he saw the 
Maidive Islands north-north-west by west. He passed between them and arrived 
at Bombay. 
“ On leaving the Isle Praslin , which is to the north-east of the Isle Make, M. 
Roslan being anxious to know, on this side, the extent of the bank on which these 
isles are situated, found that it continued ten leagues to the north-east: from this 
position he steered to the east, running the parallel of 4 0 ; on which the old charts 
mark the island of Sept Freres , and that of Trois Freres. Notwithstanding the 
difference caused by the accidental currents, which run sometimes towards the 
south, and at other times towards the north, the two corvettes maintained the sup¬ 
posed latitude of these islands, sufficiently to be assured that they are not on the 
parallel of 66° of longitude. The course of M. Picault, on his passage to the Isle 
Mahe> in 1744, confirms this truth: if, on the other hand, it is considered that the 
Amirantes are placed on the old charts about 2 0 more north than those which have 
been seen by M. du Roslan, it may be presumed that there is a similar difference 
respecting the Sept Freres and the Trois Freres. 
u As his orders pressed his return to the Isle of France, he could not run the 
same latitude more to the east, and accordingly took his course south-east by south, 
and south-south-east, in order to make Diego Garcia. On the 2d of March, he 
saw land at eleven P. M. at the distance of a league and an half ; but without be¬ 
ing able to find any soundings. Having manoeuvred during the whole night to keep 
the land in sight, they neared it at break of day, and perceived three islands, each 
•of them encompassed with a chain of rocks, which extend about a quarter of a league 
off the coast. They are very low, but covered with very lofty cocoa-trees, and 
other wood of inferior height. The two first are about a league and one-third in 
•circumference. The third, which appeared to consist of several islets separted from 
each other, but connected, as it were, by breakers, was supposed to be about two 
leagues in length; nor is there any reason to conjecture that the channels of these 
■isles admit of a passage. 
" As the sun was very near the zenith, M„ du Roslan observed the meridian 
