368 HISTORY OF MAURITIUS. 
Cape of Good Hope, discovered that he had not placed Cape False enough to the 
south. 
“ M. d’Apres having executed his commission respecting the Isles of France and 
Bourbon, set sail in the ship the Treize Cantons, the Glorieux having been detained 
by the Governor of the Isle of France for the service of the colonies, to take a sur¬ 
vey of Madagascar and the coast of Africa. 
In the year 1754, M. d’Apres rendered a signal service to navigation. Till 
that period the French, in their passage from the Isles of France and Bourbon 
to India, had conceived an insuperable dread of the Archipelago which extends from 
the north to the north-east of Madagascar; nor had any of them attempted to pass 
it, though it would have shortened the voyage upwards of three hundred leagues. 
M. de la Bourdonnais had indeed, in the year 1742, made some attempt to determine 
the possibility of this passage; but the war which took place soon after, obliged him 
to occupy himself with other objects. 
“ Admiral Boscawen, in 1748, had the courage to attempt this passage with a 
fleet of twenty-six ships; but the French seamen were contented to admire his spirit, 
without following his example. M. d’Apres was the first Frenchman who ventured 
to pursue the same course as the English Admiral. He also dissipated the appre¬ 
hensions of navigators, by giving a description of the islands and dangers which are 
met with in that Archipelago. 
“ His health being exhausted by so many voyages, and such*a succession of labo¬ 
rious occupations, he stood in need of repose, and his sole occupation was in giving 
his work every improvement which subsequent experience and reflection enabled 
him to do. Th’e instructions which he published in 1766, by order of the Minister 
of Marine, for ships bound from Europe to the East Indies, was rewarded by the 
favour of the Court, and the riband of the Order of the King. In 1775, a new 
edition of the Neptune Oriental appeared under the auspices of his Majesty, who 
was pleased to permit it to be dedicated to him. 
We shall content ourselves with transcribing what was written on the death 
of M. d’Apres, by Mr. Dalrymple, so well known in this country, in Europe, and 
in India, for his superior knowledge of maritime geography. 
■* M. d’Apres was not one of those men which are seen every day: Very few 
4 indeed have advanced so far in that branch of science to which he devoted his 
