Retrospect of French Literature—Biography. 
by Bougainville, on account of the cry 
uttered by them. ‘hey are a people of 
a dark complexion, who cover their bo- 
dies with different colours, and spoil their 
teeth by the use of betel and lime. 
“The expedition arrived on the 17th 
of July, at Port Carteret, in New Ire- 
land; and this place being much nearer 
the line, than any other they had hitherto 
visited, they there discovered a great 
number of new productions. Riche, as 
usual, has described many of the ani- 
mals and shells, objects which are so 
much the more precious, as we have hi- 
therto had but a few of the testaceous 
species of the torrid zone figured by 
Adanson, and some executed with litle 
fidelity by D’Argenville. 
Leaving Port Carteret on the 24th of 
July, they passed along the coast. of 
New Ireland, and again arrived on the 
28th at the Admiralty Isles. The re- 
searches made by them, to discover the 
wreck of La Pérouse’s squadron, were 
in vain, They communicated freely with 
the inhabitants, who seemed good and 
peaceable: they even entered into an 
amicable traffic, and for that purpose re- 
paired on board the French vessels ; but 
no instrument, and no article whatso- 
ever, of European manufacture, was 
discovered in their possession. The only 
vestment worn by these islanders, con- 
sists of a species of shell, called bulla 
ovum, with which they covered or adorn- 
eda certain part, and it was considered 
as a greatinstance of immodesty to throw 
it aside; in short, it produced the same 
sensation among them as a woman guing 
naked in public would do among us. 
“ Having passed through several clus- 
ters of islands situate to the west, on the 
21st. of August they doubled the north- 
western cape of New Guinea, with a 
view of reaching Amboyna, where, after 
a variety of disagreeable incidents, cur 
naturalist arrived on the 6th of Novem- 
ber, 1792. This island, so celebrated by 
turalists, ts considered as the chief esta-. 
blishment appertaining to the Dutch 
in the Moluccas. 
“‘ Here Riche and his companions, 
without permitting themselves to be de- 
terred, either by the burning heat of the 
climate, or 2 thousand other difficulties, 
made several successful excursions. His 
journal contains a variety of observations, 
relative to the marine animals of Am- 
boyna; he presents a complete anato- 
mical description of the (ca‘ao) buceros, 
hitherto. wanting to naturalists, as well 
699 
as of a new species of tortoise, called 
Lestudo Ambovensis. ) 
They took their departure from Am- 
boyna on the 13th of October, after 2 
stay of twenty-eight days, with a view of 
surveying the continent of New Holland, 
and more especially of reconnoitring 
the coasts which are supposed to have 
joined the land discovered by Nuyts in 
1672, to the-shotes of Van Diemen, 
This geographical taskwas commenced at 
Cape Lewin, or the Cape of Lyons, the 
most westerly point of Nuyts’s discove- 
ries, where they arrived on the Sth of 
December. They kept in with the land 
as cluse as possible; and on the 9th found 
themselves.n the most critical position of 
any that had occurred during the whole 
voyage; for a violent gale of wind @m- 
bayed them within a reef of rocks, where 
they, however, found a good anchorage, 
and there they remained several days.” 
It was during the period they were 
anchored there, that Riche had nearly 
become the victim of his zeal for disco- 
very. He had gone ashore on the 14th 
of December, at ten o’clock in the morn- 
ing, with several officers of the Espéranece, 
as well as his colleagues, Labilardierc, 
and Ventenat. ‘They dispersed, as usual, 
after having agreed to meet about sun- 
set, at the boat. At the appointed pe- 
riod, however, Riche did not make his 
appearance, and they waited for bira 
during the space of two hours with the 
most painful inquietude. But at length, 
night having arrived, his companions 
were obliged to return to the vessel, 
leaving a good fire, provisions, clothes, 
his fowling-piece, and a few words in 
writing, behind them, on the beack. 
-Laignet and Lagrandiere went on shore 
early next morning in quest of the natu- 
ralist, but repaired on board again at 
two o'clock, without having proved suc- 
cessful. At four, twelve men set out 
with a view of making a fresh effort to 
discover him ; but they soon despaired of 
success, in consequence of finding his 
handkerchief and one of his pistols on the 
beach, whence they supposed that he hac 
failen a prey to the savages. As this at- 
tempt was to be the last, provisions for 
two days had been stowed in the boat, anit 
the commander of the expedition had*or- 
dered guns to be discharged, and fires 
works to be exhibited, during the whole 
of the night, with a view of preserving the 
life of the unfortunate naturalist. 
But the water being by this time 
nearly expended, and the people begi:: 
= 
“mug 
