HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
339 
« In this state of uncertainty, you must take care not to reach, during the night, 
the latitude of 25 0 45', which is that of the south part of Madagascar : however 
that coast has no soundings off shore, but to the west of Cape Saint Mary. 
“ When it is designed to touch at Fort Dauphin, situated in 25 0 5' latitude, it 
will be proper to near the land in 24 0 , or at least in 24 0 30', in order not to miss it 
from the rapidity of the currents, which run towards the south, as much as 48', or 
sixteen leagues in twenty-four hours. To avoid therefore the effects of it, during 
the night, on approaching Fort Dauphin, if the weather should be sufficiently 
favourable, and there should be a sandy bottom, the best way would be to cast 
anchor; but if the breeze is too strong, the ship must remain under sail. 
“ When you make the land in 24 0 , you will perceive a chain of very high moun¬ 
tains; and in 24 0 15'to 18', you will see a mountain in the form of a sugar-loaf, 
blended with lesser ones on the sea side. Then sailing along the shore at the dis¬ 
tance of a league and an half, you will perceive, across the isles Saint Luce, some 
small rocky banks off the shore, situate between 24 0 35' and 24 0 45'; and continuing 
to range along the coast at the same distance, you will perceive a point to the 
south-west by west, which will appear at first to be insulated, and represents two 
mountains more flat than round. Several navigators have erroneously taken it for 
the point d’liapere; that which succeeds, with summits also more flat than round, 
is not that object, but the third that is afterwards seen, whose pointed summits serve 
as distinctive landmarks, is the point cL'Itapere. 
t( On approaching the second point, and sailing along the coast at the distance of 
a league, I perceived some shoals, the most distant of which appeared to me to be 
three quarters of a league from the shore ; and to avoid them, it is necessary to keep 
at the distance of a league and an half. 
" The rock d’ltapere, which is very discoverable by its breakers, is the most 
give, will be susceptible of modification, since it will be sufficient to keep yourself from twenty to 
twenty-five leagues to windward of the places where you may wish to land, to prevent the greatest 
error of that approximation, and not eighty leagues, as I propose in this example. 
“ The success of marine clocks, or time pieces, which on the frigate la Flore, commanded by M. 
de Verdun de la Crenne, Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, have never failed to give the longitude 
with a precision altogether astonishing, encourages the expectation that the longitude will at length 
be discovered, by this method, which is the most expeditious, since the error has never exceeded 
20' in six weeks.” 
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