WORKS ISSUED BY 
 
 C!je |[?afiluyt 0oci(t}), 
 
 THE VOYAGE 
 
 OP 
 
 FRANgOIS LEGUAT, j '^ erf 
 
 VOL. T. 
 
 No. LXXXIL 
 
SKELETON Of LEGUATS SOLITAIRE. 
 PEZOPHAPS SOLITARIA. m the 
 Museum nf Zuolojly Canvbrid^e. 
 
THE VOYAGE 
 
 OF 
 
 FRANCOIS LEGUAT 
 
 OF BRESSE 
 
 TO 
 
 RODRIGUEZ, MAURITIUS, JAVA, AND THE 
 CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 
 
 TRANSCRIBED FROM THE FIRST ENGLISH EDITION. 
 
 ♦Ciiitrti anti saiinotatctJ 
 
 BY 
 
 CAPTAIN PASFIELD OLIVER, 
 
 LITE BOXAL JkBTILLEBT. 
 
 " <S( forte itecesse est 
 Indiciis moiisfrare receiifiliis ahdila rerum. 
 
 VOL. I. 
 
 LONDON: 
 PRINTED FOR THE HAKLUYT SOCIETY, 
 
 4, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, W.C. 
 
 H.DCCC.XCI. 
 
LSllv 
 V. ( 
 
 COUNCIL 
 
 THE HAKLUYT SOCIE'rV. 
 
 CLEMENTS R. M.VRKHAAI. Esq., C.B., F.R.S., Prusident. 
 
 Majou-General Sib HENRY RAWrjNSON, K.C.B., D.O.L., LT..P., F.K.S. 
 
 ASSOCIE ExEAIfGEU DE L'iNSTITnT DE FRANCE, ViCK-PrESI I) KNT. 
 
 Lord ABERDARB, G.C.B., F.R.S., r.\TE Phes. R G.S. 
 
 S. E. B. BOUVERIE-PUSEY, Esq. 
 
 WALTER DE GRAY BIRCH, Esq., F.S.A. 
 
 Rear- Admiral LINDESAY BRINE. 
 
 ROBERT BROWN, Esq., M.A., Ph.D. 
 
 The RroHT Hon. Sib MOUNTSTUART E. GRANT DUI'F, G. C.S.I. 
 
 ALBERT GRAY, Esq. 
 
 F. H. H. GUILLEMARD, Esq. 
 
 R. H. MAJOR, Esq., F.S.A. 
 
 E. a. PETHERICK, Esq. 
 
 LoBD ARTHUR RUSSELL. 
 
 ERNEST SATOW, Esq., CM.G., Ministkh Resident in Uruguay. 
 
 S. W. SILVER, Esq. 
 
 COUTTS TROTTER, Esq. 
 
 Prof. E. B. TYLOR, D.C.L. 
 
 Captain Sir J. SYDNEY WEBB, K.O.M.G. 
 
 Captain W. J. L. WHARTON R.N. 
 
 E. DELMAR MORGAN, Uonoraby Pbcrktahv, 
 
 •■^1.'^S30 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAOB 
 
 Table of Contents . . . . vii 
 
 List of Illustrations and Maps . . , viii 
 
 Editor's Preface ..... ix 
 
 Bibliography . . . . . xv 
 
 Introduction ..... xvii 
 
 Chronology of Events . . . . Ivi 
 
 Addenda et Corrigenda . . ... Ix 
 
 Dedicatory Letter to Herr Christian Bongart. Dutch 
 
 Edition ..... Ixii 
 
 Table of Contents in Headings of Chafters. Dutch 
 
 Edition . . . . Ixiii 
 
 ENGLISH EDITION. 
 
 Title of Original English Edition 
 
 Letter of Dedication to the Duke of Kent 
 
 Author's Preface . . . . 
 
 Ixix 
 Ixxi 
 Ixxv 
 
 First Part. 
 
 Voyage and Adventures of Leguat and his Companions until 
 
 their departure from the Island of Rodriguez . 
 Autobiographical Monument inscribed by the Author 
 
 I 
 
 127 
 
 o -t o o 
 
Vlll CONTENTS. 
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS. 
 
 Frontispiece: Skeleton of hegnai^s Solitaire, Pczniihaps Solitaria 
 Chart of Island uf Rodriguez, by Capt. Wliarton, ll.N., 1874' . xvii 
 Frontispiece of Origincal French Edition, facsimile . . Ixix 
 
 To face Title of orujinal English Edition. 
 
 Paut I. 
 
 Ciirte de I'Isle de Diego Ruys ou Diego Rodrigo, facsimile 
 
 L'Islo de Bourbon or ISIascareiias, facsimile . 
 
 View of Rodriguez, looking south, by E. Higgins, 1843^ 
 
 Chart of Mathurin Bay, by Capf.. Wliarton, R.N., 18741 
 
 View of Port Mathurin, looking west, by E. liiggius, 1843^ 
 
 Plan de I'llabitation, facsimile 
 
 lie Solitaire, or the Solitary-Bird, facsimile . 
 
 PalaJornis exsul, from The Ilns^ 
 
 1 
 
 41 
 4u 
 
 48 
 50 
 04 
 80 
 86 
 
 1 Reduced from Admiralty Charts. 
 
 2 From lithograph in The Dodo and its Kindred, V)y Str'ckland ai d 
 Melville. 
 
 3 For dtscription, see Appendix B, p. 387 et s </. 
 
EDITOR'S PREFACE. 
 
 In the following story of the remarkable adventures 
 and sufferings endured by Francois Leguat, events 
 are narrated which belong to a period considerably 
 later than that of any other travels or voyages 
 treated of in former pubhcations undertaken by the 
 Hakkiyt Society ; nevertheless, the date of the per- 
 sonal record follows somewhat closely U]ion the time 
 of the latter portion of William Hedges' diary,' to 
 which, indeed, it forms a not altogether unfitting 
 sequel, by affording information regarding the system 
 of Dutch administration and colonisation in the East 
 Indies, and at the Cape, towards the end of the 
 seventeenth century, and by giving a graphic 
 sketch of the circumstances of French Huguenot 
 emigration from Europe to South Africa at that 
 epoch. The chief modern scientific interest, how- 
 ever, in Leguat's description undoubtedly hinges 
 upon the circumstantial delineation which he gives 
 of the curious bird-fauna then extant in the Mas- 
 carene Islands, the subsequent destruction of which 
 has rendered the personal observations of the philo- 
 sophic Huguenot invaluable to naturalists, marked 
 as they are by such evident simplicity and veracity. 
 
 • The hist entry in Wni. Hedges' diary is (hited 1G88, luul 
 Letruat's narrative cununences in 1680. 
 
X EDITOkS PREFACE. 
 
 It is now the pleasurable duty of the Editor to 
 ackno^vledge and place on record, in the commence- 
 meut of this volume, the kindness and ready assist- 
 ance which he has met with in every branch of his 
 inquiries from numerous literary and scientific 
 friends during its preparation. First and foremost, 
 it is to M. James Jackson, the well-known librarian 
 of the Soci^te de Geographie; that the Editor owes 
 his acquaintance Avith the early French editions of 
 the Huguenot author. To the researches of M. J. 
 Codine, of the same Society, are due the more exact 
 knowledge, which geographers possess, as to the 
 approximate date of discovery of the several Mas- 
 carene Islands, on which subject most erroneous 
 views had previously been entertained. It is re- 
 grettable that want of space has compelled the 
 abridgment of M. Codine's admirable reasoning on 
 this subject.^ M. Sauzier's discovery and repro- 
 duction of the rare Du Quesne Memoire^ have con- 
 tributed largely to the better comprehension of 
 several of Leguat's allusions, although there is yet 
 reason to doubt whether the particular Memoire 
 from which the quotations were taken has been 
 absolutely identified. Several of M. Eugene Muller's 
 notes have been utilised by permission of the anno- 
 tator, and the clues afforded by the Appendix of 
 the small edition of Leguat's book, republished by 
 the Librarian of the Arsenal at Paris, have been 
 found most suggestive. Naturally, the contribu- 
 
 1 Vide Appendix A, p. 308. 
 ^ ]'iif(' Introduction, ivfra. 
 
EDITORS PREFACE. xi 
 
 tions of M. Alph. Milne-Edwards to the Anrmles 
 des Sciences Natiirelles^ and other periodical scientific 
 journals have been largely used for the elucidation 
 of the natural history of Kodriguez ; it would be 
 impossible to illustrate any work on the Mascarene 
 Islands without incurring a heavy debt to this cele- 
 brated naturalist. M. Gabriel Marcel, of the Bib- 
 liotheque Nationale, has taken an infinity of pains 
 in answering, most minutely and categorically, 
 numerous and somewhat pertinacious questions, 
 which have been addressed to him by the Editor 
 on various points, bibliographical and geographical, 
 in connection with this publication, thereby aiding 
 largely towards its correctness. M. A. Bouquet de 
 la Grye, the French Hydrographer, most courteously 
 enabled the Editor to obtain an accurate transcript 
 of the Abbe Pingre's original manuscript journal at 
 Rodriguez, hitherto unpublished, which has proved 
 most useful in elucidating certain doubtful points. 
 Mr. R. W. Shufeldt, of the Smithsonian Institution 
 (Washington, U.S.), has readily permitted the re- 
 production of his clever restoration of the Giant bird 
 of Mauritius, whose existence, however, is still pro- 
 blematical ; and Mr. Van Kampen has been good 
 enough to revise whatever passages have been 
 translated from the Dutch of Valentyn by Mrs. 
 Salmon. The thanks of the Hakluyt Society are 
 due to all the above foreign contributors to their 
 work, as well as the Editor's personal gratitude for 
 their very sympathetic help and encouragement. 
 1 Vide Aiipcudix B, p. 320. 
 
XII EDITORS PREFACE. 
 
 Having, as in duty bound, first of all made his 
 too inadequate acknowledgments of what he owes 
 to his friendly helpers across the seas, the Editor 
 must now proceed to offer his no less sincere thanks 
 to those of his own countrymen who have communi- 
 cated so freely to him the results of their patient 
 investigations of all branches of science treated of 
 in the following notes. 
 
 Pre-eminent among zoologists and ornithologists, 
 the Professor of Zoology at Cambridge (where Strick- 
 land and Melville's collection finds an honoured 
 position), and his brother, Sir E. Newton (to whose 
 indefatigable explorations the world owes the re- 
 habilitation of Dodo, Solitaire, Aphanapteryx, and 
 their congeners), have furnished far more material 
 for notes and explanatory illustration of Leguat's 
 text than the Editor has been able to treat properly 
 or satisfactorily within the space at his command. 
 Moreover, the learned Professor and his brother 
 have taken much personal trouble to secure for the 
 Editor, not only access to the rich store of osteolo- 
 gical remains of the Mascarene birds in the museum 
 (which, by the way, is constantly acquiring fresh 
 trouvailles from the cave earths of Rodriguez and 
 Mauritius), but also a photograph^ of the skeleton of 
 the bird which has conduced to render Leguat's 
 name immortal. These scientists, so profoundly 
 skilled in the subject of most enticing interest in 
 Leguat's history, have also assisted the Editor by 
 
 1 The photograph taken for Mr. Bidwell in Novenil)er 1881), 
 has been reproduced by Messrs. Morgan and Kidd, of Richiuoud. 
 
EDITORS PRIiFACE. Xlll 
 
 their critical perusal ot his proof-sheets, so far as 
 they concern their special department. 
 
 Whilst the avi-fauna of the IMascarenes has re- 
 ceived such close attention from Professor Alfred 
 Newton and Sir Edward Newton, the flora of Rod- 
 riguez has heen subjected to keen examination and 
 classification by Professor Isaac Bayley Balfour, of 
 Edinburgh ; and in the report to the Royal Society, 
 which resulted from his visit to the island in con- 
 nection with the Transit Expedition of 1874, the 
 Editor has been able to find all he could possibly 
 desire in the task of identifying the plants men- 
 tioned with much naivete by the Huguenot writer 
 two hundred years ago. Mr. J. G. Baker, F.R.S., 
 and Mr. Scott Elliot, of Kew, have also aided the 
 Editor by suggestive advice in the difficult and un- 
 accomplished problem of ascertaining the identity of 
 a certain poison-tree of Mauritius, mentioned as 
 causing disastrous eflects on the old traveller. Pro- 
 fessor Gunther, likewise, has readily given all in- 
 formation asked of him with regard to the wonder- 
 ful tortoises of the same islands ; whilst Professors 
 J. Legge, Sir Thomas Wade, and K. Douglas have 
 courteously proffered helpful suggestions as to 
 Leguat's rather confused ideas of the Chinese 
 philosophers. 
 
 Dr. R. Rost, of the India Office, has rendered 
 most important assistance to the Editor by per- 
 mitting him to consult the various books of travel 
 in the Library, which could not easily be elsewhere 
 obtained. Indeed, his cordiality and kind advice 
 
xiv editor's pueface. 
 
 have helped tlie Editor not a Uttle. It may not 
 be out of place also here to record the very great 
 boon which the London Library has proved itself to 
 be for any writer who resides out of town, and at a 
 distance from the British Museum, when engaged 
 on a work requiring constant references. 
 
 The secretary of the Hakluyt Society has oblig- 
 ingly revised, suppressed, altered, and added to 
 many of the Editor's original notes throughout the 
 first part. Whilst thanking him for his efforts to 
 secure additional correctness by his revision, the 
 Editor is reluctantly compelled to dissent from some 
 of the conclusions arrived at and published by his 
 coadjutor, especially in those notes on the Banyan, 
 the Pandanus, and the Pepper, wherein Mr. Delmar 
 Morgan differs from the opinion formed after per- 
 sonal observation by that expert botanist. Professor 
 Bayley Balfour.^ Finally, the revision of the second 
 part by Mr. Clements B. Markham, and his timely 
 correction of a very important mis-statement in the 
 first part, deserves the hearty recognition and thanks 
 of the Editor. Mr. Wm. Griggs, by his admirable 
 facsimile reproductions of the original plates, has 
 largely contributed to the complete illustration of 
 
 the text. 
 
 S. Pasfield Oliver. 
 
 Moray House, Stokes Bay, Gosport. 
 IG May 1891. 
 
 ^ Vide pp. 6.5, 67, 103, 104, etc. The entire list of the numerous 
 notes furnished by Mr. Delmar Morgan is given in the Index. 
 The Supplementary Note on the Dugong is especially valuable. 
 
BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
 
 AcosTA, Joseph. — Ilistoire naturelle et raoralle des hides, tant Orien- 
 
 talles qu'Occidentalles, etc. . . . traduite en francjois par Robert 
 
 Regnault Cauxois. Pari.?, 1598. 
 Aleman, Mateo. — Tlie Life of Guzman d'Alfarache, done into English 
 
 from the new French version. 1708. 
 Amyot, J. — Plutarch's Lives ; see North. 
 Aristoteles. — Opera omnia. Edition of Du Val. 1599. 
 Benjamin, Rabbi, of Tudela. — Travels through Europe, Asia, and 
 
 Africa. 1160-1173. Purchas, ii. 
 BkzE, Theodore, et Clement Marot. — Pseaumes de David. 1580. 
 BocHART, Samuel. — Hierozoicon. 1G92. 
 BossuET, J. B., Eveque de Meaux. — Exposition de la foi Catholique. 
 
 1671. 
 BouLLAYE-LE-Gouz, Sieur de la. — Voyages et Observations. 1657. 
 Cadamusto, Aloysio. — Navigationes Cadamusti, in the Novus Orbis 
 
 of Grynaeus. 1532. 
 C^SAR, Julius. — Commentarii de Bello Gallico. 50 B.C. 
 Chamberlain, Dr. E. — Present State of England. 1687. 
 Choisy, Abb6 de. — Journal du Voyage de Siam. 1687. 
 Cicero, Marcus TuUius. — Epistolge. 50 b.c. 
 CoMTE, Pere Louis de la. — Nouveaux Memoires sur r6tat present de la 
 
 Chine. 1701. 
 Confucius, Disciples of, b.c. 479. 
 
 Corneille, Th.— Dictionnaire des Arts et des Sciences. 1640. 
 CORNEILLE, Pierre. — Le Cid. 1636. 
 
 David, Pseaumes de. — Protestant version of, by Marot et Beze. 1580. 
 Delon. — Relation de Voyage. 1685. 
 
 DioDORUs SicuLUS. — Bi)8a.(o0^)ctj. (Time of Augustus, 50 B.C.) 
 DioscoRiDES. — Fragmenta. 
 
 Du Quesne, Marquis Henri. — Projet de Rt'publique a Pile Eden. 1689. 
 Flacourt, de. — Voyage a Madagascar. 1658. 
 Fournier, p. George. — Hydrographie. 1667. 
 GoDEAU, M. de. — Poesie. 
 
 Grtn^eus. — Novus Orbis Region um et I nsularuni veteribus incog. 1532. 
 Herodotus. — Ilistoria. b.c. 450. 
 Hervagius. — Novus Orbis. 1537. 
 Hoangti-Xao. (Time of Confucius, B.C. 480.) 
 
XVI BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
 
 HoRATIUS Flaccus, Q.— Camiina, -'Ad Virgiliin»." B.C. "0. 
 
 Jeremias. — lianientationes. B.C. 600. 
 
 Lambarde, William.— Perambulation of Kent. 1570. 
 
 Mabillon, J.— Musffiiun ItaUcum. 1687. 
 
 Marot, Clement, et Theodore Beze. — Pseaumes de David. 1580. 
 
 Matth.eus. — Evanf^elium Auctore Matthsei. 
 
 Mela, Pomponius.— Cosmographi Geographia. a.d. 600. 
 
 MoLTkRE, J. B. P. de.— (Euvres. 1GG7. 
 
 MoNTFAtrcON, Doni. B. de. — Palseographia Grseca. 1707. 
 
 Morgan, Sylvanus. — Sphere of Gentry. 
 
 Moses. — Libri Mosis. 
 
 North, Sir Thomas. — Amyot's version of Plutarch's Lives translated 
 
 into English. 1657. Vide Amyot. 
 Olearius, Adam. — Voyages and Travels. 1662. 
 OviDlus Naso, p. — Opera. Cuippingii Ed. 1683. 
 Paulus. — Episto^ae. 
 
 Plinius, C, Secundua, or Major. — Encyclopsedia. De'phin Ed. 1685. 
 Pltjtarchus. — Biographia. .See North. 
 PoixCY, L. de, et C. Rochefort. — Vide Rochefort. 
 Pomponius. — Vide Mela. 
 Procopius. — De Bello Vandalico. 
 
 QuiNTUS CURTIUS, Rufus.— De rebus gestis Alexandri magni. 
 Rochefort, Cesar de (Poincy, L. de, et).— Histoire naturd'e et 
 
 morale des iles Antilles. 1665, 1667. 
 RoNDELET, Gal. — Libri de piscibus marinis. 1554. 
 SiMOND, Pierre. — Les Pseaumes de David. (1710 ?) 
 SoLlNUS, C. J. — Plinianse Polyhistoria Exercitationes. 
 Solomon. — Ecclesiasticus, et Proverbia. 
 
 Tachard Pere Guy. — Voyage de Siam des Peres Jt^suites. 1686. 
 Tavernier, Jean Baptista, Baron d'Aubonne. Les six Voyages. 1678. 
 Urfe, Honore d'. — Astree. 
 Vacca.— MSS. Vide Montfaucon. 
 
 Vartomannus PATRicius.--Navigatio: Novus Orbis. See Ilervagius. 
 ViRGiLius, Publius Maro.— ^neis. B.C. 21. 
 Willughby, Franciscus.— Ornithologife Libri. 1676. 
 
 l^i.B.—Oidij icorks alluded to in original edition of Legnat's Voyage are 
 included in above Bibliography. 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Five or six years before the deaths of Cardinal 
 RicheHeu and his sovereign, Louis XIII — that is, 
 about the year 1G37-38 — Francois Leguat appears 
 to have been born in Bresse, a small province (re- 
 presented at the present day by the department of 
 Ain, on the Savoyard frontier) between the con- 
 fluent streams of the Khone and Saone rivers. Our 
 author's ancestor, Pierre le Guat, is mentioned as 
 the Seigneur of la Fougere, in the Histoire de 
 Bresse et de Biigey, by Samuel Guichenon,^ Of his 
 early days little is known ; but, according to his 
 own account, Avhen over fifty years of age, he was 
 driven into exile, in consequence of the revocation 
 of the Edict of Nantes (1685), and with many 
 others took refuge in Holland in the year 1689. 
 At this time the Marquis Henri du Quesne, son of 
 the celebrated naval commander of that name, was 
 projecting, under the sanction of the States-General 
 and the directors of the Dutch East India Company, 
 
 ^ The avras of le guat fougere are given in the Indice 
 Armorial, as : " d'azur a une fasce d'or, a iin Lyon passant de 
 mesn)e en clief, & 3 estoiles aiissi d'or, en pointe. " Guiohenon 
 writes : " Je n'ay point veu de plus ancien Seigneur de la Fougere 
 que Pierre le Guat, Seci'etaire de Charles Due de Savoye vivant 
 en I'an 1511 & 1534, qui fit bastir la maison & en acquit le 
 fief." (Vide Histoire de Bresse et de Bugei/, par Samuel Guiohenon, 
 Seigneur de Painesnyt, Lyon, 1650, p. 51.) 
 
 h 
 
XVI 11 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 tlie establishment of a colony of French Protestant 
 refugees hi the island of Mascaregne, now known as 
 Tie de la Reunion. The Marquis had previously ])ub- 
 lished' a glowing description of this island (which 
 he proposed to name Eden), the largest of the group 
 discovered by the Portuguese in the preceding cen- 
 tury, but as 3'et imperfectly explored and vaguely 
 marked as Las Mascarenhas in the old maps and 
 portulans ; so that many refugees were desirous of 
 becoming colonists in the new paradise of the 
 southern hemisphere, and two ships were chartered 
 for the purpose of taking possession of this hitherto 
 supposed uninhabited island, to one of which Leguat 
 was officially appointed as major. 
 
 On learning, however, later, that a French 
 squadron^ was under orders to sail for this island 
 (which had, indeed, been re-annexed in 1674 by 
 M. de la Haye, the French Viccroi des Indes, for 
 the French East India Company), the Marquis du 
 Quesne suspended the preparations for his abortive 
 scheme, following the precise injunctions of his 
 father, never to take up arms against the French 
 Government, and, instead, contented himself with 
 fitting out a small frigate, La Ilirondelle, whose 
 
 ^ Vide Un Projet de RcpuhUqtie d, Vile tV Eden {VUe Bourbon) 
 en 1089, par Le Marquis Henri du Quesne. Reimpression d'uu 
 ouvrage disparu, par Th. Sauzicr, Paris, 1887. 
 
 2 A squadi'on of six ships, commanded by M. du Qucsne- 
 Guiton, left I'Orient de Port Louis, on the 24th February 1 690, 
 for the East Indies ; but not for Mascaregne. The Father 
 Tachard, often (pioted by Leguat, was a passenger for Siain in one 
 of tlic ships. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xix 
 
 commander was directed to reconnoitre the islands 
 of the group, and to take possession of whatever 
 island was found unoccupied and suitable for 
 colonisation. This change of plan does not seem to 
 have been communicated to the small band of 
 adventurers who embarked as emigrants under the 
 idea that they were to be landed on the Isle of 
 Eden, the terrestrial paradise of their anticipations, 
 and the small expedition finally left Texel on the 
 10th July 1G91. 
 
 The commander of the Hirondelle, M. Valleau, 
 whom Leguat charges with the basest treachery, 
 having professedly discovered at the Cape that 
 Mascaregne had been formally annexed by the 
 French Compagnie des Indes Orientales (who had 
 placed M. Vaubolon there as governor), passed by 
 this delightful island, which, in truth, fully justified 
 the praises and descriptions of the Marquis, tanta- 
 lising the scurvy-stricken colonists by the enchanting 
 prospect it exhibited to their eyes, and continuing 
 his voyage to the eastward, anchored off the smaller 
 island of Rodriguez^ ; and here, on the 1st May 
 1691, Leguat landed with eight of his fellow- 
 adventurers, somewhat disappointed with the un- 
 expected change in their programme, but sufficiently 
 pleased with the place to decide that they would 
 remain for two years and see how fortune might 
 
 ^ In the official colonial reports this island is now always styled 
 Rodrigucs, but in the Admiralty charts and sailing directions it 
 preserves the name Rodriguez, and this latter nomenclature is 
 adopted in the present work. 
 
 h 2 
 
XX INTJIODUCTION. 
 
 favour them. The Ilinniddlc shortly afterwards 
 sailed for Mauritius, having landed arms, utensils, 
 seeds, and provisions, in addition to the private 
 stock of supplies and necessaries which each colonist 
 had provided for himself. 
 
 It is the record of tlie careful personal and detailed 
 observations, made by Leguat on the then existent 
 fauna and flora of the island, during this period of 
 seclusion from the world, that has rendered the 
 simple story of the Huguenot exile so deeply inte- 
 resting to naturalists of the present day ; and, 
 consequently, in the following notes and appendices 
 which accompany the text of the original transla- 
 tion, the confirmation of Leguat's remarks upon the 
 appearance and habits of the remarkable birds and 
 animals, now altogether extinct, by the late inves- 
 tigations of modern men of science, has been 
 especially dwelt upon ; for the veracity of the main 
 facts recorded in this charming narrative of adven- 
 ture has been fully established in the most notable 
 particulars by eminent authorities in Europe.^ 
 
 ^ " Telle est I'idee que Leguat nous donne du Solitaire ; il en 
 parle non seulementcomme temoin oculaire, niais comme uu obser- 
 vateur qui s'ctoit attache particulierement et long-terns ji etudier 
 les mccurs et les habitudes de cet oiseau ; et en cffct, sa relation, 
 quoique gat^e en quelqucs endroits par des idees fabuleuses,* 
 coutient neanmoins plus de details historiques sur le Solitaire que 
 
 * " Par example, au sujet du premier accouplemcnt des jeunes 
 solitaires, oii son imagination prevenuelui a fait voir les fornialites 
 d'une C8[)cce de niariage ; au suject do la piorrc dc Tcstoniac, etc." 
 — As it happens, this so-called fabulous story of the stone has been 
 fully confirmed. 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXI 
 
 After a residence of two long years' duration in 
 Rodriguez, the settlers, wearied with discontent 
 and hopeless of assistance, constructed a boat, in 
 which they succeeded in reaching Mauritius after 
 a most hazardous voyage. Unfortunately, they 
 had only escaped from one evil to fall into 
 greater trouble, for the avarice of the governor 
 of the Dutch convict establishment caused them 
 to be treated with the utmost cruelty and 
 injustice. They were imprisoned on an exposed 
 rocky islet at a long distance from the shore, and in 
 attempting to escape, one of their number perished 
 miserably. At last the survivors, who had contrived 
 to send news of their sad plight to Europe, were 
 transmitted, still in confinement, to Batavia, where 
 they disembarked, in December 1696, only to be 
 again thrown into prison. After examination, how- 
 ever, before the Dutch Council their innocence was 
 established, but they were unable to obtain the 
 slightest redress for the pain and suffering they had 
 endured, or compensation for the losses they had 
 sustained. It was not until March 1698, after the 
 proclamation of the Peace of Ryswick, that Leguat 
 and two others, the sole survivors of the orio-inal 
 party, landed at Flushing. 
 
 At this period crowds of French refugees were 
 
 je n'cu trouve dans iin foiile d'ecrits siir dcs oiseaux plus iL'^onerale- 
 ment et plus auciennement couuiis. On parlc de rautruche depuis 
 trcnte siecles, ct Ton ignore anjourd"hui combieu elle pond d'ojufs, 
 et conibien elle est de terns a les couver." (Le Solitaire. Art. par 
 M. de Gueuau de Montbeillard, Histoire Nahirelle par Leclerc de 
 BvJ'on, par C S. Sonnini. An. JX.) 
 
XXU INTllOUUCTIOX. 
 
 streaming over to Britain, and it is interesting to 
 hear what a friend of Leguat, writing at this period 
 (1G97-1G98), says on this suhject. M. Henri de 
 Valhourg Misson (not Maxiniilien ]\Iisson, whose 
 connection with Leguat will afterwards be discussed) 
 writes : 
 
 " The French Protestants that flud into Enf/land are so 
 spread over the whole Country, that it is impossible to be 
 certain or so much as guess at their Number. Besides the 
 eleven Regiments which are wholly made up of them, there are 
 some in all the other Troops. A vast many of both Sexes 
 are gone into Service in various English Families ; so that 
 there is scarce any considerable House, where you may not 
 find some of our Nation. Many have set np Manufactures 
 in the Country and Churches at the same time : Abundance 
 went to Scotland and Ireland, to Jersey and Garnsei/. At 
 present there are Two and twenty French Churclies in 
 London, and about a Hundred Ministers, that are in the I'ay 
 of the State, witliout reckoning those that are avriv'd at otlior 
 Means of subsisting." (M. Misson's Memoirs and Observations 
 in his Travels over England (1()97-'J8). "Written originally in 
 French, and translated by Mr. Ozell, 1719.) 
 
 Among others of his compatriots Leguat now 
 migrated from Holland to England, where he seems 
 to have settled for the remainder of liiu life. He 
 was about sixty years old, but it was not until 1708, 
 when he was a septuagenarian, that the manuscript 
 of his Relation was printed and })ublished in London, 
 in French and English simultaneously, whilst a 
 French edition was published in Amsterdam,^ and 
 
 ' Original French Title : — " Voyages et aventures de Francois 
 Leguat et de ses compagnons en deux isles desertes dcs Indes 
 Orientales. Avec la relation dcs choses les plus renianjuables 
 
 iju'ils out obsfrvc'es (laiis lisle MiUirico, a Uatavia, iiu Cap (1<' 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXlll 
 
 a Dutch version was printed at Utrecht in quarto} 
 These original editions were soon followed by Ger- 
 man translations printed at Frankfort and Leipsic in 
 1709, another French edition was produced in Lon- 
 don in 1720, and an abridged edition appeared later 
 in ] 792. [There was another abstract translation 
 published under the title of The French Itohinson^^ 
 
 Bou Esperance, dans I'isle de Sainte Helene, et eu d'autres 
 endroits de leur route. Le tout enrichi de cartes et de 
 figures." (Two vols., 12uio. Loudon and Aiusterdaui, Mortier, 
 1708.) 
 
 1 Original Dutch Title : — " De gevaarlyke en zeldzame Reyzcu 
 van den Hecre FrauQois Leguat. Met zyn byhebbend Gezelschap 
 Naar twee Onbewoonde Oostiudische Eylanden. Gedaan zedcrt 
 den jare 1690, tot 1698 toe. Behelzende een naukeurig verhaal van 
 hunne scheepstocht ; hun tweejaarig verblijf op hot Eylaudt 
 liodrigue, en hoe wonderlyk zy daar af gekoraen ziju. Als mecde 
 De wreede mishandelingen door den Gouverneur van Mauritius j 
 lum driejaarig bauuissenient op een Rots in Zee ; en hoe zy door 
 ordre der Compagnie V Amsterdam, buyten verwagting, daar 
 afgehaald en naar Batavia gevoerd wierden. Uyt bet Fraus in't 
 Neerduyts overgebragt. En met noodige Landkaartcn en 
 verdere Figuuren voorzien. Te Utrecht. By Willem Broedelet, 
 Boekverkoper op den Dam, 1708." 
 
 Translation : — " The perilous and wonderful voyages of Herr 
 Francois Leguat and his companions to two uninhabited East 
 Indian Islands, made between the years 1690 and 1698, containing 
 a minute account of their voyage, of their two years' stay on the 
 Island of Rodrigue, and of the wonderful escape from it. Like- 
 wise, of the cruel ill-treatment by the Governor of Mauritius, of their 
 banishment during three years on a rock in the sea, and how they 
 were unexpectedly fetched away by order of the Company at 
 Amsterdam and taken to Batavia. Translated from the Freucii 
 into Dutch. With the necessary maps and other illustra- 
 tions." 
 
 ^ German abstract. — Der Franzosiche Robinson, oder F. L.'s 
 Reisen und Begebcnheiten in Bibliothek der Robinsone, 1805, 
 
XXJV INTllODUCTJUN. 
 
 and one^ was prepared but never published in 
 184G.] 
 
 The book was well received, and reviewed favour- 
 ably by the literary journals of the day, so that its 
 publication brought its author into notice, and 
 Leguat became acquainted with Baron Haller^ and 
 other scientists of that day ; among others who thus 
 came to know him was Dr. Sloane, the secretary of 
 the Royal Society. The adventurous traveller 
 remained in exile in England, and, from a contem- 
 porary notice in the Blhliotheque Britannique,^ it 
 appears that he attained the great age of ninety-six 
 years before he died at or near London in September 
 1735. 
 
 According to M. Eyries,^ in the Blofji'aphic 
 Uniuerselle, the narrative of Leguat's voyage was 
 
 1 "One of these adventurers (Huguenots or refugee Protestants 
 of France), M. Leguat, has left a narrative of their sojourn on the 
 island, which, after relieving of its excessive prolixity, I purpose 
 publishing under a separate form." (^Entj/laad's Colonial Empire, 
 vol. i, by C. Pridhanj, 1846.) 
 
 2 Baron Albert de Haller, a well-known anatomist, botanist, 
 and almost universal genius, was born at Berne, 1708, came to 
 England in 1727, so he could only have known Leguat when tlie 
 latter was in his extreme old age, nearly a nonagenarian. 
 
 ^ Blhliotheque Britannique, ou Hintoire des Ouvmffes des savans 
 de la Grande Breta</ne pour les mois de Juillet, Aout et Septemhre, 
 1735, tome v. Under heading " Nouvelles Litteraires": — "Mr. 
 Leguat est mort ici au commencement du mois de Septembre, 
 age de nonantc & six ans & aint conserve jusqu'tl la fin une grande 
 liberte de corps d'esprit. C'est le meme qui publia en 1706, 
 la Relation d'un Voyage, dont voici le titre " 
 
 4 M. Jean Baptiste Benoit Eyries, author of the Abre(/e des 
 V<>i/a;/es Modcrneii. See Biographie Uniuerstlle, Ancienne et 
 Mij<lerne,U)]ne xiii. Paris, 1811). 
 
INTllODUCTION. XXV 
 
 generally supposed to have been published by a 
 certain unfrocked Benedictine monk, named Frederic 
 Auguste Gabillon. This person was an ingenious 
 literary adventurer, who, having completed his 
 studies in Paris, joined the order of the Theatins, 
 but soon, repenting the sacrifice of his liberty, 
 escaped from his convent and fled to Holland, where 
 he shortly after professed the reformed religion. 
 Being without resources, he worked at compilations 
 for booksellers, but getting into debt went over to 
 England, where he took the name of Jean Leclerc (a 
 noted journalist) and imposed on several persons of 
 distinction/ It is certainly possible that this rene- 
 gade may have imposed on the simple-minded 
 
 ^ " ]\Iais ii propos de Mr. Le Clerc, vous ne serez pas faclie, quo 
 je vons raconte uiie avaiiture ou il a quelque pai't, saus qii'il lo 
 sachc. Vous avez pafle autrefois dans vos N'ouveWs du Si-. 
 (iahUlon, Thcatin, venu de France en Hollande, au sujct d'un 
 Livre, ou il pretend expliquer les -motifs de sa Conversion. Mais 
 vous n'avez pas, je pense, juge a propos de parler de celui qu'il 
 fit I'aunee j^assee centre Mr. Le Clerc. Vous savez qu'il avoit 
 taclie de le dedier chez vous a diverses personnes, qui I'avoient 
 refuse. Mais vous ne savez pas, qu'il a eu la hardiesse de le dedier 
 ici (Londres) a Mr. le Due. . . .* dont il a surpris Fhonuetete. 
 Pen de temps aprcs voyant que cela ne reussissoit pas a son gre, il a 
 change de batterie. II est alle voir quelques Theologiens Anglois 
 dc cette Ville, qui ne connoissent Mi'. Le Clerc que de re[)utation, 
 ct leur a dit qu'il etoit ce meme Mr. Le Clerc sur quoi on lui 
 a fait civilite. . . . On a, de plus, dit, qu'il avoit contracte 
 des dettes, & attrape un Libraire, chez qu'il a pris des Livres 
 il credit " (^Xouvelles de la RepMique des Lettres, op. cit.) 
 
 * Possibly the Duke of Kent, to whom Lcguat's English edition 
 was dedicated. 
 
XXVI INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Leguat ; and, indeed, President Bouhier (as 
 evidenced by a note in his handwriting in his own 
 copy of Leguat's book) was of opinion that Leguat 
 owed to Gabillon Ics fails alteres and the digres- 
 sions on the advantao-es and disadvantaofes of 
 marriage, which are so prominent in our author's 
 work. Baron Haller, who, as already mentioned, 
 knew him personally, always declared that Leguat 
 was a frank and sincere man ; nevertheless, M. 
 Bruzen de la Martiniere, also a contemporary, in 
 his Geogrcvpliical Dictionary, does not scruple to 
 class Leguat's Voyage among "the fabulous travels 
 which have no more reality than the dreams of a 
 fevered brain". Ever since, this very inaccurate judg- 
 ment has not seldom been held by many. On the 
 other hand, the observations of Leguat have been 
 amply confirmed by the evidence of his contemporaries 
 and of voyagers who followed in his footsteps ; while 
 recent investigation has proved the general correct- 
 ness of his observations in a remarkable degree. 
 
 M. Jacques Bernard (the successor of Pierre Bayle), 
 in his continuation of Bayle's NouvcUes de la Repuh- 
 lique dcs Lettres, for December 1707, noticed Leguat's 
 volume when first published, and made the following 
 critical remarks on its authorship : 
 
 "The Preface of this Book is not by the Author of the 
 Work. He who has composed it maligns various persons 
 of merit, some of whom will jierhaps scorn to notice his 
 insulting expressions, and others will not fail to retaliate oa 
 the first opportunity. I (M. Jacques liernard) have already 
 leceived from two separate sources a Memoir and a Letter 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXVll 
 
 against this Preface. But as tliey concern personal quarrels 
 in which the Public has no interest, I have not thought fit 
 to insert them in my Eeview, especially the Memoir, in which 
 the attacks of the Author are warmly repulsed. I have al- 
 ready, elsewhere, advertised that, if T cared to utilise all 
 the writings which concern the personal disputes of Authors, 
 I should have room for nothing else. I repeat my notice 
 again, that unless the iMemoirs sent to me contain something 
 useful to the Public, I cannot publish them. 
 
 " A person very well informed on all subjects of which the 
 narrative is given in this book of travels tells me that there 
 are some facts exaggerated, that some essential points have 
 been omitted, and that some others are inserted which are 
 absolutely false. In this last class may be placed a certain 
 argument of some length on the advantages and disadvan- 
 tages of marriage, which is, to my taste, the most uninteresting 
 reading in the whole book ; the fictitious columns on which 
 were engraved the names of the voyagers, said to have been 
 left in the Island of Bodru/ue, and the Epitaph on Sieur 
 Isaac Boyer, which may be said to be both ridiculous and 
 slightly fanatical. It is asserted that the author blames 
 without reason the design which the voyagers had in leaving 
 the spot where they were wasting their youth miserably in 
 idleness. It is said that he has had little consideration for a 
 distinguished family (Be'nelle ?) in attributing to one of its 
 members frivolous schemes which he most assuredly never 
 advanced. In short we are told that the whole Book is a 
 tissue of rubbish (fatras), which so obscures the real adven- 
 tures that it is necessary to recast it altogether in order to 
 correct it, which someone will, perhaps, be able to do some 
 day. 
 
 " It is astonishing that a stranger's hand should thus have 
 disfigured a Voyage which was perfectly capable of attracting 
 interest by the mere recital of the actual adventures, of which 
 it could have been composed. Those who have met with 
 some of the persons mentioned in it know that it was not 
 necessary to exaggerate these adventures to render them 
 
XXviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 interesting, as they were sufliciently so in themselves. We 
 shall give a very short extract from it, in wliich we shall try 
 to disentangle the truth from the false as much as we 
 possibly can. . . . 
 
 " In spite of some additions, made in various places of this 
 Voyage, which consist mostly of reflections, which it is easy 
 to distinguish, the reading of it is most agreeable." 
 
 "In fact," writes M. Tli. Sauzier' : — " Casimir 
 Freschot (a laborious writer, translator and compiler, 
 1G7G-1716), the anonymous author of Remarques 
 Historiques et Critiques, etc., wiiom Leguat, without 
 naming, indicates and severely vilifies in his preface, 
 tells us that this self-same preface- had been com- 
 posed by one well-known Maximilien Misson, 
 and that the work had been drawn up by Paul 
 Benelle of' Metz." (Vide, Noiivelle Relation de la 
 Ville et Rejniblique de Venise. Utrecht, 1709.) 
 At the same time, M. Sauzier informs us, there 
 appears under the name of Leguat, in the 
 Catalogue General des Livres composant la Bihlio- 
 theque du Departement de la Marine (Paris, 1840), 
 the following note : " The Preface is by Maximilien 
 Misson ; the work has been Avritten by Paul B... of 
 Metz." 
 
 Nevertheless, Maximilien Misson apparently refers 
 to this work on Venice in his preface to the fourth 
 
 ^ See Un Projet de Rc'puhlique, p. 23. 
 
 " " Monsieur Misson, Autheur d'un Voyage d'ltalie, ajant pris 
 roccasion d'un nouveau voyage de Fran9ois Legaut, qui .s'cst im- 
 prime pour y faire uue preface s'y est terriblemeut dechainc coutrc 
 I'Autheur d'un autre voyage de meme nature qui avoit otc ro- 
 niarquer quelqucs bevues qu'il avoit faites dans Ic sieu. ..." 
 (pp. 221-95). 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXIX 
 
 edition of his New Voyage to Italy, 1714, wherein he 
 states : — 
 
 " Some Time ago, a friend of mine wrote me word from 
 Holland, that a certain Priest of the Romish Sect^ had pub- 
 lislied a French Translation of a little Italian Book, which is 
 a small Abstract of the Lives of the Doges of Venice ; and that 
 this Man takes an Occasion to speak undecently of the worthy 
 Mr. Amclot and of Us, because of certain Truths that we have 
 both Written with some Freedom, concerning that Country. 
 ]f that Book happens to come into England, and it should 
 fall into our Hands, we may perhaps consider it a little, and 
 say something more particular of it in some other Place. But 
 since it seems to be condenin'd to the Scombri of Horace 
 and Martial ; and none of those that pubb'sh Journals of 
 Litterature, having yet vouchsafed to mention it, I may 
 very well say of the Censures of this Author, what the same 
 Martial said of the despicable Verses of a certain Diaidus ; 
 without giving myself the Trouble of refuting him any other 
 Way. 
 
 Versiculos in me narrant scripsisse Diatdum; at 
 Kon scribit cujus Carynina nemo legit. 
 
 I will then content myself with adding a Word concerning 
 the Book of Mr. Leguat (A good and honest CJentleman) in'^ 
 which they assure me that the Priest speaks much otherwise 
 than he ought to do. It seems, say they, that he grounds his 
 unjust Liberty upon the Account he has seen of Mr. Lcguat's 
 Book, in the Journal that is intituled, Nouvelks de la Edpuh- 
 lique des Lcttrcs ; in which the Author of the said NouvcUes 
 uses very ill, without any Eeason, both Mr. Leguat, and the 
 Eelation he has published. 
 
 " These sort of Journals ought not to be turn'd into Defa- 
 matory Libels, no more than Sermons. The Journals of Paris 
 Amsterdam, Leijjsiek, Trevoux, nor any of the Rest, have 
 
 ^ Cashnir Freschot. 
 
 " Tills should probably read " of which", judyiug from the con- 
 
 text. 
 
XXX INTRODUCTION. 
 
 nothing in 'em but what is civil ; and the good Bepuhlielc of 
 letters, is not at all pleas'd with Reading such slandering 
 Kcios. It would be a strange Thing indeed, that the most 
 innocent and commendable Persons should be inevitably 
 expos'd to the Mercy of malicious Preachers and Journalists, 
 of the like Character, because their Sati/rs generally go unpun- 
 ish'd. Some Reasons which are not necessary for me to explain 
 here, oblige me to say here in favour of Mr. Lcrjuat, that 
 the Relation he has published, is faithful and true ; as 
 reasonable Persons also agree that it contains many Circum- 
 stances which are very extraordinary and worth Relating ; I 
 am equally certain of both. The Objections that are made 
 against an Epitaph, and two other small Particulars of that 
 Nature, in his Book, are fit only to shew the Inconsideration 
 of those that make 'em, as well as their great Unkindness. 
 As it has often happen'd, that the Writer of the abovesaid 
 Nonvelles has ridicnl'd some Books of which he has made 
 Extracts, so he took a Fancy (judging of others by himself) 
 that Mr. Leguat was pleased to play upon the Ahhot de 
 Choisy, in quoting some Words out of one of his Books. But 
 he ought not to give such a traducing Turn to Mr. Leguafs 
 Conduct, which has been very innocent. I know upon his 
 secret and sincere Protestation, that he never had the least 
 Intention, in his mentioning the deserving Gentleman I just 
 now nam'd, to say any Thing that cou'd be taken in a disad- 
 vantageous Sense, and might derogate from the great Esteem 
 he has for him." 
 
 Now, it is noticeable that Maximillen Misson does 
 not, in the above quoted extract, deny the author- 
 ship of Leguat's preface attributed to him ; whereas 
 in a few pages afterwards he takes the trouble to 
 disclaim the authorship of another work fathered 
 upon him, although he acknowledges to some share 
 in its production : — 
 
 " The Authors of the Journal of Trevoiix, have been mis- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXI 
 
 iiiform'd concerning another Fact, of which I shall take 
 Notice here, since I have an Opportunity of doing it. I 
 declare that the Book, which they mention, Page 323, of 
 their Third Volume, and which is attributed to me, aslthey 
 say, by the general Consent, is none of my Works. I had 
 some Share in the Edition that was made of that Rhap- 
 sody. . . ." 
 
 M. Misson evidently thought that M. Bernard 
 had a grudge against him, for he adds : — 
 
 " He of whom we have already spoken, who writes (or did 
 write not long ago) la suite dcs Nouvellcs de la Rdpiihliquc dcs 
 Lcttres (of which the Famous Mr. Bayle was the first contriver, 
 and who always has sought after every Opportunity of dis- 
 obliging, by a Miserable Return of Revenge, a Person who 
 never gave him the least Offence whatsoever .... he 
 affected to Advertise the Publick (or those that read his 
 Nouvellcs) that I was the Person whom Father Montfaitcon 
 attack'd and contradicted ; for truly, this Father points at me 
 without mentioning my Name." 
 
 Maximilien Misson, who was a Huguenot by birth, 
 and a refugee in England subsequent to the revoca- 
 tion of the Edict of Nantes, was notable for his 
 extreme fanaticism and Protestant zeal. He is best 
 known by his Nouveau Voyage cVItalie, to which 
 Addison added his remarks. The Benedictine 
 monk, Pere Freschot, in his Remarques histori- 
 ques (Cologne, 1705), had exposed with vigour 
 the rude jokes in which Misson had indulged 
 against the Romish Church, and, writes M. Weiss, 
 " Misson replied to him most bitterly in his preface 
 to the Voyage of Francois Leguat, of which he was 
 the real editor, and not Gabillon, as President 
 Bouhier had supposed ; and Freschot replied to 
 
XXX 11 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 liiin with sharp retorts in the Nouvelle Relation de 
 la viUe de Venise.'' (Vide VExamen Critique des 
 dictionnaires, par M. Barbier, torn. V^, p. 355, 
 1820.) 
 
 It indeed seems from the above, as well as from 
 the internal evidence afforded by comparing many 
 interpolations in the text of Leguat's narrative 
 with parallel allusions in Misson's previous works, 
 that either Misson must have been the compiler 
 and collaborateur of Leguat's book, or Leguat 
 must have repeatedly referred to Misson's publi- 
 cations. In the notes subjoined to the text 
 several of these passages are brought to the 
 attention of the reader ; but, on the otlier hand, 
 M. Th. Sauzier, whose careful examination of 
 the subject entitles his opinion to be received 
 with the greatest respect, seems to consider that 
 the assertion, that Leguat was not the author of 
 the whole work bearing his name, is without any 
 foundation. M. Sauzier argues that the notice 
 above quoted from the Bihliotheque Britannique 
 establishes a perfectly clear and precise statement 
 in an authoritative work,^ published at the very 
 
 ^ La Bihliotheque Britannique, ou Histoire des Savants de la 
 Grande Bretagne (La Haye, 1733-47), 25 vols., in 8vo. It is a 
 continuation of the Bihliotheque Anglaise comnienced in 1717 by 
 Michel de la Roche. The writers in it were well-qualified authors, 
 whose knowledge of English literature was considerable ; their 
 names are given in the Historie cVun Voyage Littth-aire, fait 
 en M.DCC.xxxiii, par Charles Etienne Jordan (La Haye, 1735), 
 p. 159 : — " II parut pendant mon Sejour a Londres, un nouveau 
 Journal sous le Titre de Bihliotheque Britanniqtie. II y a toute 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXlll 
 
 time of Leguat's death, that our centenarian, who 
 had preserved to the last liis great freedom of mind 
 and body, was indeed the very author of the book 
 in question. " For besides," he writes, " what 
 credence can be placed in this Freschot, the very 
 same who is so abused in the preface of Leguat, 
 and who, without furnishin any proof, tells us that 
 neither the preface nor the work are written by that 
 traveller ? " Had he not some interest in attri- 
 buting this preface to Maximilien Misson, who, 
 in 1691, had published, like himself, a work 
 upon Italy : Nouvecm Voyage en Italie f As 
 to the note inserted in the Cataloa:ue of the 
 Marine Library, M. Sauzier is under the impres- 
 sion that it is merely a reproduction of what 
 Freschot said. " The son of a merchant of Metz, 
 Bcnelle was one of the seven adventurers, the com- 
 panions in misfortune of Leguat, the only one whom 
 he, from some motive of which we are not informed, 
 has designated by initials (see page G). Benelle 
 returned into Holland in 1698 with Leguat and 
 Jacques de la Caze. The last proceeded to settle in 
 America ; Leguat proceeded to England, and 
 Benelle lived at Amsterdam, where he died in 1746. 
 Jean Beckmann, in his Histoire litteraire des 
 Voyages, published at Gcittingen in 1808-10, 
 writes : — 
 
 appai'ance que ce Journal aura ua heureux succes : les Auteura 
 sont Gcnsde Morite, & qui cntcudent tons parfaitement I'Anglois : 
 Messieurs Stahlin, Bernard, le Missy, le Mr. Duval, & le Sa\^ant 
 Mr. Darmigcaux, aussi M. Blanfort." 
 
 C 
 
XXXIV INTRODUCTION. 
 
 " ' The truth of the Narrative of Leguat can be established 
 by a valuable testimony : He names Paul B..., one of his two 
 companions who returned with him, in 1698, to Flushing. 
 A descendant of this B. is the wife of Councillor Von I\Iartens, 
 to whom I owe the following information : — Paul Benelle 
 was with his father, when they were obliged to quit France 
 on account of their religion ; they betook themselves to 
 Amsterdam, where, at the age of twenty years, Paul decided 
 to make the voyage to Eden, which du Quesne had depicted 
 in so charming a fashion. After eight years he came back to his 
 father at Amsterdam. There he lived, after having contracted 
 two marriages, until 1746 [tliat is, eleven years after Leguat's 
 death], that is to say, until the age of 70 years. He has 
 acknowledged the truth of Leguat's story, altliough, indeed, he 
 was not precisely his friend. This Benelle has also left a 
 journal, which probably yet remains in the hands of the heirs 
 of Pierre Benelle, his grandson, deceased a short time ago at 
 Amsterdam. Can this manuscript be published ? ' 
 
 " Thus, Benelle, who died eleven years after 
 Leguat — Benelle, the very same to whom has been 
 attributed the authorship of Leguat's Adventures, 
 who was not precisely the friend of Leguat, has 
 formally acknowledged that Leguat was undoubtedly 
 the author of that work. 
 
 " Any doubt is no longer possible ; the French 
 Esquire, Leguat of la Fougere, the chief of the 
 expedition of the Hironddle, the exile of the desert 
 islands Rodriguez and Marianne, is the self-same 
 individual who has published The Voyages and 
 Adventures of Fixuigois Leguat and of his Com- 
 panions." 
 
 Nevertheless, M. Sauzier's arguments, forcible as 
 they are, will not convince other critics who hold to 
 their opinion that Leguat's MS. was largely mani- 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXV 
 
 pulated by M. Misson, who not impossibly may have 
 been assisted in the Enghsh translation by Ozell. 
 
 An abstract of Leguat's narrative was published 
 by M. Charles Grant, Viscount de Vaux, in his well- 
 known History of Mauritius,^ compiled from the 
 papers of his father, Baron Grant. He writes : — 
 
 " N.B. — As the extract from Le Guat, on the Island of 
 Eodriguez, may perhaps be found long, I think proper to 
 explain my motives on the subject, 
 
 " The residence of Le Guat, and his companions in that 
 island being the sole event which furnishes us a sort of 
 historical description, it was necessary to mention it, By 
 attachment to truth and justice, I could not do better than to 
 let the author speak himself; knowing that this manner, 
 which has been adopted by Anacharsis, &c., offers more 
 interest to the reader. However, it has cost me more labour 
 than if I had written the whole in my own way ; because I 
 have been obliged to correct the style, and to shorten it in 
 every part, which seems to me tedious, prolix, and often 
 of erroneous systems ; besides he places Rodriguez at two 
 hundred leagues from Mauritius, whereas, it is not half, as 
 
 I make him say I wish the knowledge I present 
 
 of this island may be sufficiently convincing of the advan- 
 tages which may be reaped from it, that it should no longer 
 remain useless to humanity." 
 
 An abbreviated version of Leguat's adventures 
 has lately been published with the annotations of 
 M. Eugene Muller, the Librarian of tlie Arsenal at 
 Paris, in the series of Voyages brought out by M. 
 
 ' The History of Maitritms, or the Isle of France, and the neigh- 
 bouring Islands. From their first discovery to the present time, 
 composed principally from the papers and memoirs of Baron 
 Grant, who resided twenty years in the island. By his son, Charles 
 Grunt, Viscount de Vaux. (Loudon, 1801.) 
 
 C 2 
 
XXXVl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Dre3-fous.^ M. Muller has kindly permitted the 
 Editor of the following reprint to make full use of 
 his notes, many of which have been thus utilised to 
 the great advantage of the members of the Society. 
 
 By far the most valuable contribution, however, 
 to the literarij and bibliographical history of 
 Leguat's work is the lately published brochure,^ 
 by M. Th. Sauzier of the Paris Geographical 
 Society; including the reprint of what is perhaps an 
 ahrege of Marquis du Quesne's remarkable pamphlet, 
 till lately only known by the extracts quoted in 
 Leguat's narrative. M. Sauzier 's arguments, which 
 are not indisputable, have already been quoted above 
 as proving the authorship and veracity of the 
 philosophic and pious refugee. A translation of dn 
 Quesne's original scheme for colonising Reunion was 
 to have been included at the end of this present 
 reprint, but want of space prevents its appearance. 
 
 The interest attaching to Leguat's narrative, as 
 before observed, centres (apart from its simple and 
 picturesque originality and charming style in which 
 the touching story of adventure is told) in the 
 important details of the natural history of Ilodri- 
 
 1 Aventures de Frangois Leguat et de ses compagnons en Deux 
 Iks Dcsertes des Fndes Orientales (1650-1G98). Publiecs et amio- 
 t^es par Eugene Muller. Paris. Bibliotheque d'Aveiitures et de 
 Voyages. (Maurice Dreyfous.) 
 
 2 Un Frojet de Repuhlique ct Vile d'Fden {Vile Bourbon) en 
 1G89, par Le Marquis Henri du Quesne. Reimpression d'lin 
 ouvrage disparu, publie en 1689, intitule Eecueil do quclciucs 
 memoires servans d'instruction pour Fetablissement de I'isle d'Eden. 
 Precede d'une notice par Th. Sauzier. (Paris, Librairie Ancienne 
 et Moderne de E. Du fosse.) 
 
INTKODUCTION. XXXVll 
 
 guez which are contained therein. Before touching 
 on this portion of the work, therefore, a few words 
 on the island of Rodriguez may well find a place. 
 
 The small island of Rodriguez, although but a 
 poor dependency of the colony of Mauritius, has 
 considerable interest, both for naturalists and geo- 
 graphers, yet it seldom receives much attention 
 either at home or abroad, and it is only occasionally 
 that the general public hears of its existence. Years 
 ago, however, when the road round the Cape to 
 the East Indies was first opened to navigators, this 
 island was regarded as one of the ports of call, until 
 the colonisation of Mauritius rendered the more 
 important island a safer harbour of refuge, and a 
 better haven for refit and refreshment. 
 
 Rodriguez, or Diego Rais, lies about 330 miles to 
 the eastward of Mauritius, of which island it is a 
 dependency, and is the third island of importance 
 in the Mascarene archipelago. It is ten miles long, 
 in an east-north-east and west- south-west direction, 
 and four miles broad, with an area of about forty- 
 three square miles. 
 
 An extensive coral reef encircles the island, vary- 
 ing much as to its distance from the shore. At the 
 south-eastern point of the island it is only twenty 
 yards from the shore ; from the western end it ex- 
 tends four-and-a-half miles in a southerly, two-and- 
 a-quarter miles in a westerly, and four miles in a 
 northerly direction. The history of the discovery 
 of this island will be found in the Appendix (p. 308), 
 which deals with the earliest voyagers who touched 
 
XXXVIU INTRODUCTION. 
 
 at the Mascarene Islands. It may be mentioned 
 here, however, that on the 25th of June 1G38, 
 the St. Alexis of Dieppe, commanded by Captain 
 Alonso Goubert of Dieppe, came up with the island 
 of Diego Ruiz, " lying in twenty degrees of south 
 latitude, about forty leagues from Madagascar," as 
 this was the first French ship that ever visited the 
 Mascarene islands. " We landed," writes rran9ois 
 Cauche of Rouen,^ "and set uj) the arms of France 
 on the trunk of a tree, our ship keeping out at sea, 
 not being able to anchor by reason of the depth ; 
 so that as soon as the King's Arms -were fix'd, those 
 who had done it, returned aboard in the boat, as 
 they went." 
 
 After the departure of Leguat and his comrades 
 in 1693, some English officers appeai^ed to have 
 stayed for a while and surveyed Port Mathurin in 
 1706 or 1707 ; as is stated in a report made by M. 
 de Parat, Governor of He Bourbon in 1712 to the 
 Minister of Marine in France, in answer to a request 
 for information as to the capabilities of Rodriguez. 
 Port Mathurin (now designated by this denomina- 
 tion for the first time) was described as being diflicult 
 to enter, but available for the anchorage of vessels 
 of thirty guns ; and it was further stated that, apart 
 from the quantity of tortoises found there, the island 
 was of no use to the French East India Company. 
 
 1 A Voyage to Madagascar and the adjacent Islands and Coast of 
 Africk, by Francis Cauche. English translation of 1710, p. 4, by 
 Capt. Stevens, after the lielations vdritahles et ciirieuses de Visle de 
 Madagascar, etc., par Le Sieur Morisot. (Paris, 1657.) 
 
INTRODUCTION. XXXIX 
 
 In 1725, says M. d'Avezac, the Government of 
 Bourbon, under the President of Council, M. Des- 
 forges Boucher, decided to take possession of 
 Bodriguez in the name of Louis XV, and a vessel 
 was despatched thither, whose officers made a 
 geodetic survey of the island, the original map of 
 which is said still to exist in manuscript at the 
 Depot of Charts, in the Manne Office at Paris.^ 
 The curious Relation de Vile Bodrigue,^ found by M. 
 Bouillard among the archives of the lie de France 
 at the Marine Office in Paris, dates from this period, 
 as it follow^s the Proceedings of the Council, which 
 ordained the project of settling the island of Diego 
 Rui/s, as Rodriguez was then named ; although, on 
 this occasion, M. Th. Sauzier states that the name 
 of He Marianne was given by the French visitors 
 to the island. '^ A superintendent and guard were 
 established on the island from this date, as it is 
 mentioned that the guard-house of the French 
 superintendent in the bay of the Ouen Valley was 
 entrusted in the year 1740 to a negro family. 
 
 Thirteen years afterwards (1748), Admiral 
 Boscawen, who so boldly led his squadron across 
 the locality, supposed to be occupied by the reefs 
 of Cargados Carayos (see Chart, p. 308), examined 
 the capacity of the roadstead at Bodriguez for the 
 
 ^ Vide " Note sur File Eodrigne apres le depart du Legnat," par 
 Eugene Muller. 
 
 2 Vide Appendix B. 
 
 3 M. Sauzier adds : " Coincidence bizarre, tliis name of the Mari- 
 anne is still applied to the rock on which Lcguot was imprisoned 
 after escaping from Kodrigiiez." 
 
xl INTRODUCTION. 
 
 accommodation of shipping ; and it must have been 
 previous to 1756 that a regular establishment ^vas 
 formed for the preservation of turtles to supply 
 the He . de France and Bourbon with such fresh 
 provision. 
 
 " This fishery", wrote Mr. Charles F. Noble^ (allud- 
 ing to the sea-turtles), in that year, 1756, "is 
 thought so useful at jMauritius, that they have 
 always a sergeant's party on that little island of 
 Rodriguez, who collect all the fish they can, for the 
 boats that are sent to bring them at certani times, 
 and the ships that generally touched there on their 
 w^ay to Mauritius. There is, also, a particular spot 
 of ground inclosed here, for keeping and breeding 
 land tortoises for the same purposes." 
 
 It was in the year 1671, that, on Thursday, 28th 
 of May, the first scientific observer, Abbe Pingro, 
 accompanied by his assistant, M. Thuillier — " un 
 jeune homme tres verse dans la haute geometrie, 
 et initio dans la theorie et dans la pratique de I'as- 
 tronomie" — set foot on shore in the isle desiree of 
 Kodriguez. The expedition had left L'Orient in 
 January, on board the French East India Com- 
 pany's ship Le Comte cV Argenson, arriving at Mau- 
 ritius on the 7th of May, where the news of the 
 capture of Pondicherry had just reached, M. Le 
 Gentil had embarked two months previously at 
 Port Louis for the above-named Indian port, which 
 
 1 Vidt " Some Remarks made at the French Islands of Mauritius 
 and Bnurbon, 1755, by Cliarles F. Noble, to Governor Pigot at 
 Madras." (Dah-ymple's Oriental Ropositori/.) 
 
INTRODUCTION. xli 
 
 he was not destined to enter on this voyage. These 
 scientists had been dispatched by the French 
 Academy, under the auspices of the Cardinal de 
 Luynes and Mons. Le Monier, to observe the transit 
 of Venus on the 6th of June 1761. Pingre sailed 
 from Mauritius on the 9th of May, and was, tliere- 
 fore, three weeks in getting to Rodriguez from Port 
 Louis in the corvette La Mignonne, a dead beat to 
 windward, reaching as far south as 28" 30'. The 
 astronomical party remained at Rodriguez until the 
 8th of September, on which date the Mignonne took 
 them back to Mauritius. Pingre's journal has never 
 been published, for its interest was overshadowed by 
 the voluminous quartos of Le Gentil. The astrono- 
 mical details duly appeared in the Histoire de 
 VAcademie (1761, p. 102) and iWmozVes (1 761, pp. 
 415, 985). Pingre planted his observatory on the 
 traditional site of Leguat's settlement, and it is 
 interesting to note his opinion of our adventurer 
 and the current judgment of contemporary opinion 
 at that period, presumably at Mauritius, as well as 
 in France. For doubtless Pingre, before starting, 
 Avould have taken an interest in ascertaining all 
 reliable information regarding the small islet where 
 he proposed to take his observations. He writes : 
 
 "I made my observations in the 'enfoncement nomme de 
 rran9ois Leguat', on the northern side of the island, at the 
 spot marked A on the plan, in 19° 40' 40" latitude, and 80° 51' 
 30'' long. The name which this locality bears has been given to 
 it in memory of Francois Leguat, a Bourguignois gentleman 
 Avho, having left France for the sake of religion, in 1089 
 
xlii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 betook himself to Holland, where he embarked the following 
 year on the ship Hirondellc. He intended, in company with 
 several other French refugees, to found the nursery of a new 
 colony, either at Bourbon Island, which he believed had been 
 abandoned by the French, or at llodriguez. In fact, they disem- 
 barked at Rodriguez, to the number of eight, on the 10th 
 of May 1691; they established their abode in the aforesaid 
 locality, and remained there until the 31st of May 1693, 
 when, tired of their solitude, they abandoned themselves to 
 the sea in a kind of boat which they had constructed for the 
 purpose. A stiff breeze occurred, and was taken by them 
 for a storm ; they, nevertheless, arrived safe and sound at 
 Mauritius, on the eighth of the following month. Lcs 
 Voyages ct Aventnres de Frangois Le<juat have been printed 
 in two vols, in 12°, at Amsterdam, in 1708. This work i-)asse 
 four un tissu de fables ; fen ay troiiv6 heaiicouj) moinsqueje 
 ne my attendois. We find in the narrative of Leguat a 
 plan of Rodriguez, which does not at all resemble that island. 
 [Compare maps, pp. xvii, 1.] That which I give here is 
 the result of a journey which we have made — M. Thuillier 
 and myself — around the island ; we have traversed many 
 times nearly all the northern coast line. As the sight of 
 M. Thuillier is far better than mine, I have let him take 
 nearly all the angles. The triangles which we have formed 
 round the island have been connected with a base which 
 we laid out in our enfonccmcnt de Francois Leguat, and 
 which measures four hundred and eight toises (eight 
 hundred and three yards) " 
 
 The taking of Rodriguez by the English under 
 Captain Kempenfelt prevented the astronomers 
 completing their survey of the island. 
 
 We get a glimpse of the little colony from the 
 
 Abbe's journal. He says : — 
 
 " The island of Rodriguez is generally inhabited only by a 
 French ofiiccr, who commands a dozen or fifteen blacks, 
 whose principal occupation is to catcli the tortoises in the 
 
INTRODUCTION. xHii 
 
 different parts of the island ; they collect these tortoises in a 
 park, and send them to the Isle de France on the corvettes, 
 which they dispatch from time to time for this cargo. These 
 blacks, natives of Madagascar or from India, are, the most 
 part, slaves of the Company ; there are, nevertheless, some 
 free men. The work of these is paid for at the price agreed 
 when they are hired. There was, besides, at TJodrignez, when 
 I arrived there, a surgeon and a corporal of tlie island, both 
 Enropeans. The commandant can have with him his family 
 and his slaves, if he has any. Such was the colony of 
 Eodriguez in 1761. When the Governor of the Isle de 
 France sends a corvette to load up with tortoises, he sends 
 at the same time a provision of rice, sufficing for the main- 
 tenance of the colony. For its defence, M. de Puvigne had 
 erected on the sea-coast a battery of six pieces of ordnance, 
 two prs.^ Most of these cannons had belonged to French ships. 
 As Eodriguez is only kept in order to obtain its tortoises 
 one would think it unnecessary to place it in a state of 
 defence. One would hardly imagine that it would enter 
 into the minds of the English to form there a base from 
 which they could attack the Isle of France to more advan- 
 tage. . . . All those who live at Piodriguez make jirofession 
 of being Christians ; but each one after his own fashion. 
 This one may eat of everything, because the Capuchin 
 priests who instructed him had represented that the 
 distinction of victual customary in his country had resulted 
 from superstition. Another would abstain from eating beef, 
 because his conversion had been effected by the ministry of 
 other missionaries, more accommodating to the opinions of the 
 people. They called these FauHst-ChrisHans, being baptised l)y 
 those who belong to the Church of Saint Paul at Pondicherry. 
 The others were named Capuchin-Christians. Public worship 
 at Rodriguez was reduced to ringing the AngcJus every day, 
 which no one said. Besides, the Commandant insisted on his 
 slaves attending prayers offered by a slave who had never 
 
 ^ T .e., two-pounder guus. 
 
xliv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 been baptised. There was neitlier church nor chapel, and 
 there had never been anything of that kind there. Fran9ois 
 Leguat and his companions served God, in their manner, with 
 greater exactitude than has been observed by the Catholics 
 ever since they have been established in this island. There is, 
 nevertheless, at liodriguez a cemetery, consecrated by some 
 chaplain of a ship, who has wished to leave this monument of 
 the visit of a minister of the true Church to this neglected 
 island. At the same time, I am assured that this neglect 
 ought not to be imputed to the zealous missionaries, who till 
 the ground, otherwise almost uncullivated, of Bourbon, and 
 of the Isle of France " 
 
 To commemorate the observations of the Transit 
 of Venus expedition under Pingre, Le Monnier pro- 
 j)Osed placing the Solitaire among the southern 
 constellation/ " but, being a better astronomer than 
 ornithologist, he, inadvertently," says Dr. Hamel,^ 
 
 1 This constellation, says !Mr. Kuobel, is a small one cribbed 
 from Libra and Virgo. The boundaries of it for the present epoch 
 lie between Eight ascension 14 hours and 14 hours 40 minutes, 
 and within the parallels of 15° and 25° of South declination. 
 Devoid of bright stars. 
 
 " J'ai observe la plus grande partie de ces Etoiles a mes deux 
 quarts-dc-cercles muraux, & la figure de la constellation du Solitaire 
 (oiseau des ludcs & des Philippines) a et^ preserve en memoire 
 du vo^'age en I'ile llodrigue, ra'ayaut dte fournu par Mrs. Pingre 
 et Brisson ; voyezle tome ii de rOrnithologic ; cettc constellation 
 sera voisine du Corbeau <fe de I'Hydre sur nos planispheres <fe 
 globes celestes." (Memoire sur une Nouvelle ConsteUation, par M. le 
 Monnier, lu 21 Aout 1776; M6m.de VAcademie Royal e, 1770, 
 p. 562, pi. xvii.) 
 
 2 See Pamphlet by Dr. Haniel, entitled "Der Dodo, die Einsicdier 
 und der erdichtete Nazarvogel", Bulletin Phys. -math. -Acad., St. 
 Petersburg, vol. viii, Nos. 5, 6, 1846. Quoted by Strickland 
 and Melville in their postscript to their monograph on the Dodo, 
 p. 64. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlv 
 
 " gave this honour not to the DicUne bird of Rodri- 
 guez, but to the Solitary Thrush of the PhiHppines 
 {Monticola eremita), figured by Brisson, voL ii, pi. 28, 
 f. 1, instead of copying Leguat's figure as he might 
 have done." 
 
 Kempenfelt surveyed Port Mathurin the same 
 year, by order of Admiral Cornish, who was then 
 cruising about the Mascarene Islands. A landing 
 was efi!ected on the island,^ but the mortality among 
 the crews of the ships was so excessive that they 
 very soon re-embarked. 
 
 In August 17G4, the administration of the Mas- 
 carene Islands passed into the Jiands of the King, 
 Louis XV ; and in 17G8, M. Dumas, the Governor 
 of the Islands, deported M. Rivalz de Saint-Antoine, 
 a member of Council of the Isle of France to Rodri- 
 guez, for having protested against the arbitrary 
 proceedings of the military administration. How- 
 ever, the exile of M. de St. Antoine did not exceed 
 a year, after which interval he was released on the 
 recall of M. Dumas to France. For forty years now 
 the little island enjoyed peace and tranquillity ; only 
 
 1 " Upon the whole, if we consider the Httle trust that is 
 to be put in shaves, which forms the chief strength of the island, 
 their small force, besides the stony shoar which would render their 
 batteries scarce tenable, and, I may add, the terror of the English 
 arms, it may be presumed, that had our fleet under Admiral 
 Cornish, which cruised off Rodriguez in 1761, been ordered to 
 attack this island [Bourbon], it would have met with an easy 
 conquest, and a veiy important one, as it may justlj' be reckoned 
 a very healthy, pleasant, and profitable island." (Dalrymple's 
 Oriental liepositor?/, lor. cif.) 
 
xlvi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the tortoises and turtles suffered deportation to the 
 hospitals of Bourbon and Mauritius ; but Abbd 
 Pingre's surmise as to the improbability of the 
 English ever finding the advantage of holding 
 Hodriguez as an entrepot, from which to organise an 
 attack on Mauritius, was destined to be put to proof 
 most decisively. As a preparatory measure to the 
 project of capturing the He de France and the He 
 Bonaparte (now Keunion), as the He de Bourbon 
 had been then lately renamed, Vice-Admiral Bertie, 
 commanding the Cape naval station, entrusted 
 Captain Rowley^ with the strict blockade of the 
 Mascarene Islands in 1809 ; and early in that year a 
 small advanced force of 200 Indian troops, accom- 
 panied by 200 of the 56th Foot, under Lieut. -Col. 
 Keating, embarked from Bombay and occupied 
 Hodriguez, on the 4th of August, where a depot 
 w^as established for the supply of the cruisers 
 blockading the islands, and a small fort was erected. 
 From Hodriguez an expeditionary force of 3G8 
 officers and men, with 100 bluejackets and 136 
 marines from the squadron, proceeded in September 
 to the He Bourbon, and captured the insignificant 
 w^orks at St. Paul's, where a landing was effected 
 and the shipping burnt ; but the island was not 
 occupied, and Colonel Keating retreated his force 
 to Hodriguez, where preparations were continued 
 for the attack on Mauritius, and the force in the 
 British place d'armes at Hodriguez w^as augmented 
 by 1,700 Europeans and about 1,800 Sepoys. This 
 1 Afterwards Admiral Sir J. Rowley. 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlvil 
 
 expedition was detained on the island until the 3rd 
 of July 1810, when another attack was made in 
 force on Bourbon, which was now taken and pro- 
 perly occupied, whilst a closer blockade of Mauritius 
 was effected. 
 
 In November, Vice-Admiral Bertie having arrived 
 at Rodriguez, a division of troops from Madras 
 joined the convoy from Bengal, when the united 
 expedition sailed from Rodriguez, under General 
 Abercrombie, whose troops, being landed at Cape 
 Malheureux, accomplished the easy conquest of the 
 He de France by the 3rd of December, on which 
 date the capitulation was signed. 
 
 Subsequent to the capture of the Mascarene 
 Islands by the British, Rodriguez long remained 
 little heard of and unnoticed by the outside world. 
 The open-boat voyage of Francois Leguat, which by 
 many had been regarded as an improbable feat of 
 navigation, in spite of the sneer of the Abbe Pingre, 
 has, notwithstanding, been repeated more than once. 
 M. Th, Sauzier records the fact that, about 1825, 
 Captain Doret, who later became a Rear-Admiral 
 and Governor of Reunion, and later a member of 
 the French Senate, left Rodriguez in an open boat, 
 accompanied by a few sailors, and reached Mauritius, 
 where he succeeded in obtaining assistance and rescue 
 for the remainder of the crew of his ship which had 
 been wrecked on the reefs outside the island. 
 
 The interest in Rodriguez after the connnence- 
 ment of the present century was felt only by 
 scientific naturalists, who now began to appreciate 
 
xlviii INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the loss sustained by the world through the total 
 destruction and extinction of original fauna and 
 flora in various countries throughout the world. 
 
 In Mauritius a Society of Natural History had 
 been formed by Mr. Telfair, Dr. Lyall, and Professor 
 Bojer, on the foundation of an older Societe d'Eniu- 
 lation, when Sir Charles Colville was Governor 
 in ]829. In the following year, the secretary of 
 this Society, M. Desjardins, obtained certain bones 
 encrusted with stalaofmite, which had been found 
 many years before (about 1789) in one of the caves of 
 Kodriguez ; and this find a^^pears to have induced 
 Mr. Telfair to urge Colonel Dawkins and M. Eudes, 
 who were then at Rodriguez, to make further search 
 for the bones of Didine birds. M. Eudes succeeded 
 in digging up in the large cavern various bones, in- 
 cludincr some of a larsje kind of bird which no lono;er 
 existed in the island. A bird of so large a size as 
 that indicated by the bones had never been seen in 
 the island by M. Gory, who had resided there for 
 the last forty years, i.e., since 1790. It may be 
 here remarked that Pingr^ had remarked with 
 regard to the Solitaire, in 1761, that M. de Puvigne 
 had assured him that these birds were not even then 
 totally extinct, but that they had become extremely 
 rare, and were only to be found in the most inacces- 
 sible parts of the island.^ It would therefore be 
 
 ^ " Les solitaires ctoieut communes a. Rodrigue du temps do 
 Francois Leguat. M. de. Puvigne m'a assui'e que la race n'en etoit 
 pas encore detruite, mais ils se sont retires dans les endroits de 
 risle les plusinaccessibles." (Pingre, Journal, MS., fol. 178.) 
 
INTRODUCTION. xlix 
 
 during the period between 1760-1790 that the final 
 disappearance of the species may have taken place. 
 The next excavations were made by Capt. Kelly, 
 R.N., of H.M.S. Conway, at the request of Mr. 
 Cunninghame, in 1845, but the search was unsuc- 
 cessful. The bones procured by M, Telfair were 
 exhibited by M. Cuvier in Paris, and subsequently 
 compared by Messrs. Strickland and Melville wdth 
 the remains of the Dodo in the Ashmolean Museum 
 at Oxford. The reconstruction of the ideal skeleton 
 from these fragments showed that the species to 
 W'hich they belonged was unquestionably allied to, 
 though not identical with, the Dodo, and it was 
 rightly assumed that they belonged to the species 
 described and figured by Leguat as the Solitaire. 
 It was also discovered by these eminent naturalists 
 that the points of agreement between these two 
 extinct birds are ''shared in common ivith the Pigeons, 
 and exist in no other known species of hirer. A 
 triumph of ornithological diagnosis. 
 
 The coral reefs round Rodriguez have ever been a 
 source of danger to seamen navigating those seas, 
 especially on the homeward route. In 1843, two 
 vessels were "wrecked upon the Quatre-vingt Brisans 
 at the S. W. extremity of the island, where the waves 
 break at a great distance from the shore. ^ The 
 
 1 "The Qtceen Victoria, 715 tons, which left Bombay on the 
 11th March 1843^ bound foi* Liverpool, struck on the south- west 
 reefs, off Rodrigucs, during a gale of wind, on the morning of the 
 7th of April, and became a total wreck. The commander, Cap- 
 tain Black, most of the passengers, and several of the crew were 
 
 d 
 
1 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Queen Victoria and the Oxford, East Indiamen, were 
 totally lost ; and Mr. Higgin, of Liverpool, who was 
 a passenger by the former of these ships, during his 
 enforced stay on the island for six weeks, was 
 enabled to make some observations on the natural 
 history of the island, which assisted Mr. Strickland, 
 the President of the Ashraolean Society, and Dr. 
 Melville, his coadjutor, in their magnificent mono- 
 graph on the Dodo and its kindred, towards their 
 investigation of the structure and habits of the 
 Solitaire, which was named Pezophaps solitarius; 
 a smaller species, Pezoj^hcqys minor, was determined 
 in 1852. In 1859 the Nassur Sultan, another East 
 Indian liner, was lost ; and it may be noted as a 
 fact that in each case of wreck the vessel is 
 reported to have struck at fifteen miles S.W., 
 although, from subsequent examination, it has been 
 
 saved, but Mr. R. Plunkett, a passenger, and nine seamen were 
 drowned in a hasty attempt to reach the shore. The survivors 
 were hospitably entertained in the island of Eodrigues for thirty- 
 six days, until they obtained a passage to Bourbon, the governor of 
 which place forwarded them to Mauritius." {Asiatic Journal, 
 vol. i, p. 662; 1843.) 
 
 "At 4, on the morning of 1st September 1843, the East-India 
 packet ship, Oa^ford, Captain Marshall, on her passage from Cal- 
 cutta to London, while under a press of sail, struck on a ledge of 
 rocks off the island of Rodrigues, and shortly after became a total 
 wreck. The crew and passengers having taken to the boats, were 
 picked up by a Glasgow vessel and landed at Mauritius. The 
 loss of this vessel and of the Queen Victoria is attributed to an 
 error in the Admiralty Charts, in which this reef of rocks is 
 laid down as extending only five miles, whereas it extends from 
 fifteen to sixteen miles." (Asiatic Journal, vol. ii, p. 326 ; 
 184.3-44.) 
 
INTRODUCTION. U 
 
 found that no reefs extend more than five or six 
 miles from land. 
 
 It was not until 1864 that Mr. E. Newton, then 
 Auditor-General in Mauritius, visited Rodriguez, 
 and obtained some more bones ; and in the two 
 following years a large quantity of bones was 
 obtained by Mr. Jenner, for Mr. Edward Newton, 
 and forwarded to Cambridge, where Professor 
 Alfred Newton, his brother, and himself succeeded 
 in making an admirable, though not altogether 
 perfect, restoration of the skeleton of the long 
 lost Solitaire, the photograph of which appears in 
 the frontispiece. The extraordinary fidelity of 
 Leguat's account of the bird was confirmed in 
 almost every point. The very singular knob on 
 the wing, caused by injuries received in fighting, 
 fully bore out the accuracy of Leguat as to the 
 pugnacity of these most curious birds, which seem 
 to have fought by buffeting with their pinions like 
 pigeons. 
 
 When, in the year 1874, the British Government 
 dispatched an expedition to observe the Transit of 
 Venus at Rodriguez, by the request of the Royal 
 Society some naturalists were sent to accompany the 
 astronomers. Dr. Balfour as botanist and geologist, 
 Mr. Gulliver, zoologist, and Mr. Slater, especially 
 deputed to examine the remains of extinct animals 
 in the caves. ^ The results of these investigations were 
 
 ^ The Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Societi/,vo]. 1G8, 
 1879, reporting on the collections from Rodriguez, include 7'he 
 Physical Features of Rodriguez by Is. B. Balfour, Sc.U.; find 
 
 (/2 
 
Hi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 published in tlie Philoso2)hical Transactions of the 
 Royal Society. Professor Balfour succeeded in 
 identifying the most characteristic of the plants 
 described by Leguat, and his notes form the most 
 interesting commentary possible on Leguat's faithful 
 delineation of the productions of his island home. 
 
 One more ocean vo^^age of recent date in an open 
 boat deserves recording ; and it is to be hoped that 
 it is the last of its kind, for surely the Government 
 will insist on better provision being ensured for this 
 most unfortunate poverty-stricken little colony. 
 
 At present the whole budget of the island barely 
 exceeds some five hundred pounds p6?r annum, from 
 M'liich the impecuniosity of the dependent islet can 
 be judged. 
 
 On the 15th of April 1886, a very severe cyclone 
 struck the island, which lies in the very track of 
 the so-called Mauritius hurricanes, during which a 
 colonial schooner was lost, adding the cost of main- 
 tenance of the shipwrecked captain and crew to the 
 debt of the inhabitants. This cyclone, which occa- 
 sioned the severest hurricane hitherto experienced 
 by those longest in the colony, besides causing 
 great damage to crops and property, was followed 
 by p.n almost continual drought. The state of 
 
 reports of proceedings of the Naturalists, viz. : Petrology, by N. 
 S, Maskelyne, F.R.S. ; Botany, MM. Balfour, Mitten, Crorabie, 
 Berkeley, and Dickie; Zonlofiy, Extinct Fauna, Bone Caves, by 
 Mr. Slater ; Birdu, by Dr. Giinther and E. Newton ; Osteology of 
 the Solitaire, by E. Newton and J. W. Clark ; Reptiles, by Dr. 
 Giinther; Ii'eeent Fawn, by Dr.(i!iinther, MM-Sharjic, Smitli, Miers, 
 Butler, Waterhouse, (ilrubo, Gulliver, Briiggeniann, and others. 
 
INTRODUCTION. \ liii 
 
 affairs began to assume a very alarming aspect 
 towards the month of Aiio'ust, when it became 
 evident that the crops would fail. Nor w^as it a 
 vain surmise. The beans harvest w\as not one-third 
 of what it had been on previous years ; whilst, as 
 regards the sweet potatoes, manioc, and maize, which, 
 with rice, form the staple food of the Creoles and 
 Indians, hardly any could be raised. The stock of im- 
 ported rice in the island being nearly exhausted at the 
 beginning of September, and the ship expected with 
 supplies being late, a meeting of the principal inha- 
 bitants was called together at the Town Hall, at 
 which it was resolved that a boat should be sent to 
 Mauritius, distant 330 miles, to ask for immediate 
 relief. The Government pinnace Victoria, being 
 then unfit for sea, another private boat, belonging 
 to the Civil Commissioner, was fitted up. The 
 Government pilot, Mr. Vandorous, consented to take 
 charge of the expedition, assisted by Sergeant 
 Aston, and two Creoles, Geneve and Prudence, all 
 volunteers. The boat left on the llth of Septem- 
 ber, and reached Mauritius after a three days' 
 passage, during which they experienced some heavy 
 seas and w^eather, which made the journey one of 
 some little danger for an open boat. The Govern- 
 ment of Mauritius, which was, surel}^, remiss in not 
 having foreseen and anticipated the scarcity, de- 
 spatched a tug with 350 bags of rice only for a 
 population of 1,700 souls. This su])ply was soon 
 exhausted, and it was not until the 21st December 
 that a cargo of 1 ,C00 bags of rice reached i)Oor Hodri- 
 
liv INTRODUCTION. 
 
 guez, to be sold (at what price, we may ask ?) to the 
 very patient and helpless islanders. "For this act of 
 grace," naively adds the magistrate, " the Governor 
 cannot be too much thanked." This adventure of 
 an open boat proceeding 300 miles across the Indian 
 Ocean, in the track of Frangois Leguat's desperate 
 voyage two hundred years before, led in fact to the 
 present republication of his Relation, which may well 
 be read again with profit by those wdio care for 
 true tales of days gone by. 
 
 We can hardly conclude better than by quoting 
 the testimony of a learned man of science who has 
 carefully investigated Leguat's narrative, and com- 
 pared his written description with the materials 
 available after the lapse of two centuries. 
 
 " From Leguat's worl^ we find," writes Professor Schlegel, 
 " that he was a man of true refinement and much reading, 
 that he possessed to a high degree the earnestness and piety 
 which characterised the fervent Protestants of the time, and 
 that, by his scientific disposition and imperturbable faith, as 
 well as by his oppression and persecution of several kinds, 
 together with his ripe age, he had obtained that unchange- 
 able calmness of mind with which he felt so happy at 
 Eodriguez that, had he not been compelled, he would have 
 never left that resting-place." 
 
 " As to his love of truth, we find the contents of his work 
 corroborated by what he says in his preface : ' La simple 
 Verite toute nue et la Singularite de nos Avantures sont le 
 corps et Tame de ma Kelation.' " 
 
 The simple and pure faith in the Bible inculcated 
 by the Huguenot religion is conspicuous in Leguat's 
 pathetic story. Wc find the word ''Providence' on 
 
INTRODUCTION. Iv 
 
 the first and last pages of his book, and it was this 
 reliance on divine support which upheld his equani- 
 mity during long years of trying exile. It will be 
 consolatory to remember that he survived these 
 hardships, so nobly borne, when he was considerably 
 beyond the prime of life, for a period of over another 
 quarter of a century — in a foreign country, certainl}/-, 
 but at all events, during his old age, in security, 
 comfort, and peace. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS 
 MENTIONED OR REFERRED TO. 
 
 1506. Island of S** ApoUonia possibly first sighted. 
 Feb. 9, 1507. Cirae and Sta Apollonia first visited by Diogo Fernandes 
 
 Pereira. 
 1509. The name of Don Galopes given to island afterwards 
 
 known as Rodriguez. 
 1512. The Mascarene archipelago rediscovered and named by 
 
 Mascarenhas. 
 1523. Death of Tope Hadrianus VI. 
 1527. Mascarenhas and S Apollonia marked on chart of 
 
 Weimar. 
 1545. Portuguese settlement on an island south of Madagascar. 
 1570. Lambarde's account of Queen Mary at Greenwich. 
 Sept.20,lo98. Edict of Nantes. Dutch settle in S'a Apollonia, and 
 
 Mauritius. 
 1613. An English ship, the "Pearl," visits S. Apollonia, and 
 
 Captain Castleton names it "England's Forest". 
 1630." Sta Apollonia named He de la Perle. 
 
 1638. Franfois Leguat born. . Insurrection of Scotch Coven- 
 
 anters against Government of King Charles. 
 
 1639. Dutch settlement formed on Mauritius under Pieter de 
 
 Goyer, who was succeeded by Adriaan van der Stel. 
 1613. Pronis takes possession of Llascareigne. 
 
 1649. Mascareigne or Bourbon formally taken possession of by 
 
 Le Bourg under orders of De Flacourt, and the arms 
 of France affixed to a tree. 
 
 1650. Maximilian de Jong, Dutch Governor at Mauritius. 
 1653. De Flacourt erects a pillar on coast of Madagascar. 
 1659. Adriaan Nieuland, Governor at Mauritius. 
 
 1664. King of France concedes Madagascar and Mascarene 
 Islands to French East Indian Company. Dirk 
 Janzsoon Smient, Governor of Mauritius. 
 
 1668. George Frederick Wreede, Governor of ^Mauritius. 
 
 16G9. Sieur Dubois visits Bourbon. 
 
 1671. M. Jacob de la Haye, Viceroy of the Indies, visits 
 Bourbon, Hubert Hugo, Governor ot Mauritius. 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS. Ivii 
 
 1674, M. de la Haye revisits Bourbon. 
 1677. Isaac Lamotius, Governor of Mauritius. 
 1685. Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. 
 
 1688. Fort Spielwyk erected at Ban tana. First Huguenots 
 
 leave the Netherlands for South Africa. 
 
 1689. Arrival of Huguenots at Cape of Good Hope. 
 Mari^uis Henri Du Quesne publishes " Mcmoires" ou 
 
 Eden. 
 Apr. 26, „ King William III issues a declaration inviting French 
 
 Protestants to England. 
 Aug. 6, „ Francois Legnat passes from France into Holland. 
 
 ,, Equipment of La Drvitc, to which Leguat is appointed 
 
 Major. 
 ,, La Droite and consort, disarmed. 
 16'J0. The Frigate SicaUoio, commanded by Captain Anthony 
 Vallcau, fitted out. 
 Leguat and nine companions, the adventurers, embark 
 as passengers. 
 July 10, ,, The Swallow leaves Amsterdam. 
 
 13, „ Arrival in Texel road. 
 Sept. 4, ,, Swalloiv leaves Texel with convoy of 24 sail, English and 
 Dutch. 
 18, „ Escajie from shipwreck off Schetland Isles. 
 Oct. 22, „ Arrival at Canary Islands. 
 
 29, „ Arrival at Cape de Verde Island. 
 31, „ Island of Salt. 
 Nov. 6, ,, Leave Salt Island. 
 
 20, „ [Revolt of Pere Hyacinthe in Bourbon]. 
 Dec. 27, ,, Tristan d'Acuniia. 
 Jan. 13,1691. Sight Robben Island. 
 26, „ Anchor in Table Bay. 
 Feb. 13, ,, Dei^art from Cape of Good Hope. 
 Mar. 15, ,, Great storm encountered. 
 Apr. 3, ,, Isle of Eden sighted. 
 
 15, „ Death of John Pagni, one of the adveuturei's. 
 25, „ Diego Ruys sighted. 
 
 May 1, ,, Leguat lands on Diego-Rodrigo. 
 
 16, „ Capt. Valleau leaves Peter Thomas and takes away 
 
 Jacques Guiguer and Pierrot, deserts the adventurers. 
 1692. Roelof Diodati, Governor of Mauritius. 
 „ Adventurers employed in building a boat. 
 Apr. 19, 1693. First attempt to leave the island unsuccessful. The boat 
 
 strikes on a rock. 
 May 8, ,, Death of Isaac Boycr. 
 
Jan. 
 
 15, 
 
 1694. 
 
 
 18, 
 
 )) 
 
 Feb. 
 
 
 )' 
 
 Mar. 
 
 15. 
 
 1 )) 
 
 Oct. 
 
 
 n 
 
 Feb. 
 
 9, 
 21, 
 
 1695. 
 
 Mar. 
 
 8, 
 
 >J 
 
 Iviii CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS. 
 
 May 21,1693. Re-embarcation of remaining adventurers. Final de- 
 parture from Rodriguez. 
 
 28, ,, A storm encountered. 
 
 29, „ Arrival on a small bay of Isle Maurice. 
 June „ Rest at Black River. 
 
 July ,, Visit of the Governor to Black River, 
 
 Adventurers proceed in their boat to North- West Port. 
 „ Carry their belongings to Flac, and thence by boat to 
 
 S.E. port 
 ,, Made prisoners and confined to their hut. 
 Seized by soldiers and put in the Stombs. 
 Examined, and put under guard. 
 
 Transported to a rocky islet at entrance of Grand Port. 
 Arrival of the Dutch ship, the Perseverance. 
 Marriage of Governor Uiodati. Leguat brought to main 
 
 land. 
 Tremendous hurricane causes a vast amount of damage. 
 Testard brought ashore in irons and placed in the Stombs. 
 Leguat and Testard sent back to the rocky islet. 
 Fire at Fort Fredrik Hendrik. 
 
 Arrival of two English ships at North-West Haven. 
 Jan. 10, 1696. Testard attempts to escape and is drowned. 
 „ Escape of La Case, and his capture on shore. 
 „ All the prisoners brought on shore. 
 Sept. 6, ,, Arrival of the Suracig, with orders to take the adven- 
 turers to Batavia. 
 
 29, ,, Departure from Mauritius. 
 
 Dec. 15, „ Arrival in Batavia. Adventurers put into prison. 
 
 16, ,, Examination before the Council. 
 
 ,, Expedition against Grigriquas by Ensign Schryver. 
 Feb. 14, 1697. Adventurers detained and enlisted as soldiers. 
 May 24, ,, Dutch shij)s wrecked in Table Bay. 
 Aug. „ Leguat and companions ordered to prepare for departure 
 
 to Holland. 
 Sept. 11, ,, Treaty of Peace, signed at Ryswick, between France, 
 
 England, Spain, and Holland, ratified by King 
 
 William at Loo, 15th. 
 ,, Death of the Sieur de la Haye. 
 Oct. „ Placaat issued by Governor Van der Stel as to trade 
 
 with Hottentots. 
 Nov. 28, ,, The Holland fleet of seventeen ships leaves Batavia. 
 
 30, ,, Arrival at Bantam. 
 Dec. 6, „ Leave Bantam. 
 
 17, ,, Leave Straits of Sunda 
 
CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE OF EVENTS. lix 
 
 Jan. 1698. Sight Isle Robben, but driven to sea by a storm, 
 
 Feb. 12, „ -Anchor in Table Bay. 
 
 Mar. 8, ,, Leave Table Bay, homeward bound. 
 
 Easter Day,, Arrival at St. Helena. 
 
 Apr. 26, „ Leave St. Helena. 
 
 May ,, Pass near Ascension, do not sight it. 
 
 Pass the Line. 
 June ,, Sight coast of Ireland. 
 
 Off Dungesby Head, Scotland. 
 June 28, „ Arrive at Flushing. 
 
 1701. Le Sieur Luillier's Voyage. 
 Mar. 8, 1702. Death of King William lO ; Accession of Q. Anne. 
 
 „ Last elephant killed in Cape fiats. Voyage of Mackles- 
 field Frigate. 
 
 1705. Abraham Mommer Van de Velde, Governor of Mauritius, 
 
 1707. Leguat in England dedicates his book to Duke of Kent. 
 Oct. 7, 1708. Publication of first edition of Leguat's Voyages. 
 Valeutyn's visit to the Cape. 
 
 1710. The Dutch evacuate Mauritius. 
 
 1715. Dufresne takes possession of Mauritius for the French. 
 
 1725. Order in Council to occupy Diego Rays. 
 
 1730. " Relation de ITle Rodrigue." 
 Sept. 1735. Francois Leguat dies in London. 
 
 1760. Pingre at Rodriguez. Kempenfeldt's occupation. 
 
 1763. Admiral Stavorinus at Batavia. 
 
 1769. Bernardin de St. Pierre in the He de France. 
 
 1773. M. de Pag^s visits the Cape. 
 
 1774. Sonnerat visits the Cape. 
 
 1810. Mauritius and Bourbon captured by the English. 
 
 1814. Bourbon ceded to the French and renamed He de la 
 
 Reunion. 
 1843. Wreck of the Queen Victoria at Rodriguez. 
 1874. Transit of Venus Expedition. 
 Sep. 11, 1886. Open boat voyage from Rodriguez to Mauritius. 
 
ADDENDA ET COrJilGENDA. 
 
 p. 5, note 2, for "Andrian VI" read "Adrian VI". 
 
 P. 6, line 16 and note 2. "Jean Ptif/ni, thirty Years old, a Convert and 
 Patrician of lioan." Add to note, "In the above passage is a curious mis- 
 translation. The original text is: — 'Jean Pagni, age de 30 ans, Proselyte, & 
 Praticien a Rouen,' i.e., a Convert and Practitioner (of law) at Rouen." 
 
 P. 16, note 1, line 2, /or "ce font" read "ce sont". 
 
 P. 21, note 2. Add, "Froger and Moore mention the Pelican under this 
 name, saying it is of the size and colour of a Goose. Le Maire describes it as 
 twice as big as a Swan, with a bill a cubit long, and with a craw wliich lies 
 under its throat like a bag, adding, he swallows fish entire though as large as 
 a middling carp. Cf. Froger's Voya(/e au Mer du Sud: Moore's Travch into 
 the Inland parts of Africa: Le Maire's Voyaye to the Canary Isles; quoted in 
 A new general Collection of Voyages and Travels, by Astley, 1745. Vol. ii, 
 p. 356." 
 
 P. 22, note 2. After "Eugfene Muller", add "op. cit., p. 28." 
 
 P. 23, note 1. Add, "In the Dutch Edition, the taste of the Hollanders has 
 been consulted by substituting for M. Godeau's elegant lines the metrical 
 Dutch version of the well-known verses in the 104th Psalm, beginning at the 
 24th verse: — ' Lord how manifold are thy works, in wisdom hast thou made 
 
 them all There go the ships, and there is that Leviathan ; whom thou 
 
 hast made to take his pastime therein.' " 
 
 P. 26, note, line 7, fur "the Challewjcr in 1874" read "the Challenger 
 touched here in 1874". 
 
 Pp. 38-39. Note on Tramontane, for " II ne plus pouvoir", read " II ne plus 
 pouvoit". 
 
 P. 39, lines 13, 14. Add below, note, "Sweet Odour of Land. M. de 
 Cossigny, who was Governor of the Isle of France in 1791, and (according to 
 Grant) 'a man full of knowledge and i)hihuitliropy', states in his Voyage a 
 Canton (1799) : — ' On approaching the I-sle of France, you must keep to 
 windward, because the port, which is frequented by the larger vessels, is to 
 leeward: when the wind is not violent, the air is embalmed with the perfumes 
 of flowers, with which the trees of the island are covered. The same odours 
 are perceived along the island of Ceylon, when the winds blow from the land. 
 This effect was falsely attributed to the cinnamon tree, which forms a part uf 
 the forests of this island, as its flowers have a foetid smell. The effluvia from 
 the laud are carried by the winds very far to sea ; and sometimes produce 
 very sudden and unexpected eSects. I saw one of this kind, which is not 
 very uncommon. A German soldier, a passenger on board of our vessel, about 
 
ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. 1x1 
 
 seven or eight and twenty years old, died suddenly in sight of the little isle 
 of Rodriguez, and about a hundred leagues distant from the Isle of France, 
 He had some slight symptoms of the scurvy, but he was not on the sick-list, 
 nor did he appear to have any unfavourable symptoms.' (Baron Grant's 
 History of Mauritius, p. 516.)" 
 
 P. 36, line 10, " Idreas of Yirgil.''^ .i4c/cZ below, in note. "See Virgil's 
 jEneid. i, 50 ct scq." 
 
 P. 45. Quotation ends at " bird" in note 2. 
 
 P. 53, line 9, "the Parrots". Add note, "In original, ' les Perroquets': 
 vide infra, pp. 84, 336, 337, 345." 
 
 P. CO. After " monsoon", add "(more correctly the south-east trade wind)". 
 
 P. 65, note 3. After " 360)." Ddc from "But" to "small plum". Insert 
 " Vide Pref.. p. xiv." 
 
 P. 66, line 14 from top, " South east monsoon" should read "South-east 
 Trade wind". Note 1, dele '^{vide note on p. 65)", 
 
 P. 70, note 2. After " locality", add " ( Vide Gigantic Land Tortoises, by 
 Dr. A. Giinther, p. 2)". Instead of " suiiplementary note", read " E, vide infra, 
 pp. 376, 377", 
 
 P. 77. After " See Appendix", adel " C, p. 352 ct scq." 
 
 P. 78, note 1, "pour faire le moulinet", add, "Sir Walter Scott, when 
 describing the bout with quarter staves between tlie Miller and Gweth at 
 Ashby de-la- Zouche, writes: 'The Miller, on the otlier hand, holding his 
 quarter-staff by the middle, and making it flourish round his head after the 
 fashion which the French coil faire le moulinet, exclaimed boastfully.' " 
 
 P. 79. For " Plate, No. x", read " Frontispiece". 
 
 P, 80, line 14. " Marri;ige." Add below, note, " Vide supra, p. xx." 
 
 P. 81, note 3. After "Lcr/uati", add "or Miscrythuis leguati. Vide Encij, 
 Brit., Art. 'Birds'." 
 
 P. 82, note 5. After " Part ii" ctdd " Appendix B. pp. 326, 329", 
 
 P. 104. After "in our text", add "Vide Preface, p. xiv". Add "Note 4. 
 ' Vacoa. This word is not improbably derived from " Macarcqueau" , the French 
 name of the Pandanu.s, after the Malay name md-l-arhi-lccrio.' Vide Voi/ayc of 
 Piirard de Laval, vol. ii. Part ii, p. 369 ; Hakluyt edition." 
 
 1 P. 36. The famous Ida^as of Vinjil on the storm are expressed in that 
 poet's inimitable description in the 1st Book of the ^Eneid. Virgil represents 
 Neptune as possessed of absolute power over all the waters below the firma- 
 ment, the imj>erium jjclagi, which authority had fallen to his share on the 
 death of Saturn. His elder brother Jupiter ruled over all the powers of the 
 air, and JEolus, the ruler of the storm-clouds, was an inferior deity, whose 
 control of the winds was regulated by fixed meteorological laws {ccrto feederc), 
 and he lets loose the winds, by striking with his spear the volcanic Stromboli 
 only at the order of Juno, Jovis et soror ct conjux. 
 
DEDICATION OF THE DUTCH EDITION. 
 
 TO HEERE CHEISTIAAN BONGART, 
 
 DOCTOR AND ADVOCATE OF CIVIL AND CRIMINAL LAW. 
 
 TT is needless to tell one wJio habitually finds his ajiiuscment 
 in the study of hooks and in its sweet plecmires, that the 
 acquaintance ivith reliable and truthful travellers and their 
 memoirs brings with it great enjoyment and idility. I make 
 hold to affirm that this knovdedge, hoivever much it may he 
 undervalued by the ignorant, will never sink so low in the eyes 
 of those intent on sensible occupations as to be despised; at 
 least not, when ivith the useful and the agreeable it brings to 
 light facts hitherto unknoion, or when it keeps up the attention 
 hy cuo'ious yet true revelations. Hoioever this may be, I fatter 
 myself not to obtrude in respect of either of these p)oints, and tctke 
 the liberty of dedicating to you this short Voyagc,heeause the dis- 
 coveries, unimportant as they may seem at first sight, are sure 
 to attract the attention of geographers, and because the perilous 
 yet happy issues of these people ivho tvere nearly lost deserve so 
 much attention and pity, that no one will regret the time spent 
 in reading and investigating them. Even should I he wrong 
 in this respect I shall he content to have testified to the world 
 our intimate friendship and the esteem and respect with ivhich 
 
 I remain, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Your obedient Servant, 
 
 W. BROEDELET. 
 
 Utrecht, the 12th April 1708. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM DUTCH 
 EDITION. 
 
 First Chapter. 
 
 Departure of the Author from France to Holland and why. How 
 he performed the journey. Difficulties caused by a French 
 Squadron. He embarks on a small vessel to follow the said 
 Squadron. What persons accompany him and their com- 
 mission. Departure from Amsterdam and arrival at Texel. 
 When they sailed thence and what course they kept. Their 
 experiences off Schetland.i Arrival at the Canary Islands. 
 What kinds of fish and fowl they met with on their way. 
 Description of Salt Island, and the animals found there. 
 The Island of Bouavista. Ceremony on crossing the Line. 
 The Island of Tristan. Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope . 1-33 
 
 Second Charter. 
 
 Departure from the Cape for the Island of Mauritius. Fearful 
 storm. Unexpected arrival and description of the Island of 
 Eden. The fruit that grows there. The animals and birds 
 on it. The Commander does not wish to land; and proceeds 
 to the Island of Diego-Rmjs. Arrival there. Landing and 
 date ....... .34-50 
 
 Third Chapter. 
 
 What names the said Island has, and its latitude and longitude. 
 Our Author settles on it with his comrades, and where they 
 erect their huts. The Captain takes away two of his men, 
 weighs anchor, and departs. They begin sowing and its 
 results ........ 50-67 
 
 Fourth Chapter. 
 Further dpscription of the Island, Dicgo-Rin/s^ or Txodrigue. Its 
 healthy air ; mountains, brooks, valleys, valuable trees ; 
 
 1 " Hitland," in orig. 
 
Ixiv TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM DUTCH EDITION. 
 
 especially of the Palm-tree and Latanier, and how wine is 
 tapped from it. The Paretuvier, or Kasta. The Stiukwood. 
 The Purslain, etc. ...... 57-70 
 
 Fifth Chapter. 
 
 What quadrupeds are found on the Island Rodrigue ; and espe- 
 cially of the Land-Tortoise and its nutritious qualities. What 
 food the sea provides, namely, the Sea-Turtle ; the Lamenting 
 or sea-cow, and how to catch it. Extraordinarily great Eels. 
 Oysters. Pleasant fishing, and of what kind of fish . . 70-77 
 
 Sixth Chapter. 
 
 Of the birds that live on the Island of Rodrigue, esjiecially of the 
 Solitaire, or Lone-one, as well as a few curious facts about it. 
 Of the Bitterns, Pigeons, Frigates, Fowls, Straw-Tails, 
 Wood-hens, and several others. Parrots. Eats of very great 
 size. Of the Salt, Yellow Amber, and the Ambergris that is 
 found there ....... 77-87 
 
 Seventh Chapter. 
 
 The Author proceeds to describe the four draw-backs of the 
 Island Rodrigue. First, the small and great Flies. Secondly, 
 the Rats and Landcrabs. Thirdly, the Yearly Hurricane ; 
 and fourthly, the Caterpillars. Further, he speaks of the 
 Reqnin, or Sea-hound, and of the Reniora, or Sea-Lamprey . 87-98 
 
 Eighth Chapter. 
 
 The occupations of the inhabitants of this new AV^orld, intellectual 
 and otherwise. Why they did not choose a Preacher and 
 found a Church. In passing he gives a description of the 
 Pavilion tree. What sort of games they played there. They 
 begin to despair and make a vessel, to cross in it over to 
 the island Mauritius in case the Marquis du Quesne should 
 not come to them at the end of two years. How they man- 
 aged to build it ..... . 98-108 
 
 Ninth Chapter. 
 
 The inhabitants of Rodrigue bring their vessel into the water. 
 They victual it, and what with. What they use in place of 
 a Compass. The day of sailing fixed. They set sail. Kun 
 aground. How they save themselves. Isaac IJoyer dies. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS FKOM DUTCH EDITION. Ixv 
 
 Epitaph ill his honour. Our Author objects to sail a socoud 
 time. His objections over-ruled, and how. Takes leave of 
 the said Island and bestows a benediction on it. [End of 
 Parti.] 108-137 
 
 (PART II.) 
 Tenth Chapter. 
 
 They set sail for the second time. Are cauglit in a severe storm 
 on the eiglith day. Arrive at il/nM?v7/u.s. Repair to the house 
 of the Governor. Find there their Ship's Barber and their 
 companion, Jaii Andre Gniguer, who had been taken from 
 them. Practical joke of the skipper. Jan cle la Haye sells 
 his Silversmith's tools and with them, but without being 
 aware of it, apiece of Ainhei-gris. How they got into trouble 
 about this. The Governor has their little vessel burnt, throw- 
 ing them into prison, confiscates their goods and finally sends 
 them to a Rock in the Sea .... 139- 160 
 
 Eleventh Chapter. 
 
 The Author and his companions on the Rock. He describes their 
 expeiiences. He falls ill and requests to be taken back 
 ashore, but this is refused. He begs for some fresh meat, 
 which is also refused. La Case and Testanl begin to suffer 
 from tlie same illness. A Dutch sliip is sighted in the Road. 
 Bt**le and La Haye go to ]\Iauritius and lodge a complaint 
 with the Officers of tlie ship, in the presence of the Governor. 
 They are sent back with fearful threats. Tlie said officers 
 visit them on their Rock, but dare not take them off. The 
 Governor is married and allows our Author to come to 
 INIauritius, on the occasion, but does not grant him an inter- 
 view. Finally he is sent back to the Rock again . lGO-172 
 
 Twelfth Chapter. 
 
 To raise their fallen spirits our exiles set to making hats. How 
 they won the favour of the people through this. The inhabi- 
 tants of Mauritius sometimes, Avithout the knowledge of the 
 Governor, send some fresli food to the Rock. They hit upon 
 a curious way of catching fish, and where. They catch a Sea- 
 Snake of more than sixty pounds and how they endanger 
 their lives through this. Description of the so-named birds 
 
 e 
 
Ixvi TABLE OF CO^'TENTS FROM DUTCH EDITION. 
 
 Ferret and Pluto. Our exiles resolve to rig out a little boat 
 for the second time. What were their materials and how they 
 obtained them. They finish it and find it good. Rare fore- 
 sight of the Author and his companions on seeing a certain fire 
 on Afnuritius. Two English Ships come up the North-west 
 road of Mauritius. One of the Captains wishes to take off 
 our prisoners at any cost, because he is short of men on board, 
 but ill weather intervened .... 172-183 
 
 TlIIUTEENTII ClIArTER. 
 
 The Author relates the further consequences of the undertaking 
 of Mr. Tcstard, and how it failed the first time. He starts a 
 second time by night without saying a word, and why. How 
 this attempt resulted. Mr. La Cuse follows him in his track, 
 gets safely over, gets into the bush ; is caught and brought 
 before the Governor. The Governor sends for the others 
 from the Rock. A Dutch Ship comes to Manritiun, with 
 orders to bring our Author with his companions to Datavia. 
 They present a Request to the Ship's Council' and why. 
 What Diodati made them undergo before they left. . 183-191 
 
 Fourteenth Chapter. 
 Description of the Island Mauritius. Its latitude and longitude. 
 Wherefore so named. The Fort. What trees are found there. 
 Of the AnaiKis and Bananas. The Slroiiihoom and its poison. 
 What suffering our Author once had from it. Remarkable 
 forest. Malignity of the Apes. Where they fetch their daily 
 food for the fort, and what it consists of. Of the cows, horses. 
 Of the birds and especially of the Giant-hirds.'^ What kind 
 of vermin is found there and what kinds not. Of the storm- 
 winds, fair weather, etc. ..... 195-215 
 
 Fifteenth Chapter. 
 
 Departure from Mauritius and arrival at Batavin. They are given 
 over as prisoners, thrown into prison and examined the next 
 day. They are set free, except La Case, and forced to enlist 
 as Soldiers in the service of the Company. On further news 
 coming fi'om Mauritius., La Case is also set free by the 
 Council. They ask restitution of their goods, but are put off. 
 Receive orders from the Gentral to depart for Holland and 
 there demand justice. La IJaye dies , . . 215-220 
 
 1 Sc/nijiaraad. - lltnsvo(jel. 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM DUTCH EDITION. Ixvii 
 
 Sixteenth Ciiai'ter. 
 
 Description of Batavia ; its buil(liiifi;s, canals, streets, tiie Fort, 
 also the Chnrclies. The Suburb. Its canals, gard-^ns, and 
 Houses of DamJ)oo. Where the Ants live. The Road of 
 Batavia, and its fine prospect. Abundance of rice. Fertility 
 of Vineyards. What is the most usual drink. Of the Bitcl 
 and nuts of the A reca. Of Manriaa. Tame and wild Oxen. 
 Chinese pigs. Of the birds, Avild beasts and especially of 
 the Crocodile. Of the Snakes. Remarkable Ape. Curious 
 Lizard ....... 220-236 
 
 Seventeenth Chapter. 
 
 The Author describes the inhabitants of Batavia and what nations 
 are represented there. Further account of the Government. 
 Magnificence and splendour of the General and his Avife. 
 Wealth of the Iidiabitants, and especially of the Chinese. 
 What taxes they pay the Company. Proverbs or Sentences 
 from the Golden Book of Hoangti-Xao, one of the Ixxii best 
 disciples of the wise King Confucius. How the Chinese eat. 
 Their dress. Splendour and ceremony at their weddings. 
 Their Carnival of six weeks, and what they do. Water-feast. 
 Burial of their dead. Pagodes or Temples and their service. 
 Of the native Javans and their deadly weapon. How they run 
 aniuk and the damage they cause. Of the Javan women ; 
 their amorous ways, dress, etc. Errors of Verlomannns about 
 the Smaragd found by Tavernier .... 236-270 
 
 Eighteenth Chapter. 
 
 Departure from Batavia. Learn on the voyage the conclusion of 
 the peace of Rljswljkse. Their joy thereat. Arrival at the 
 Cape. Expect a storm, which comes to pass. Description of 
 the Cape. Ilobben Island and wherefore so named. The 
 Fort. The village itself. The Company's Gardens. Tiie 
 Governor's house. The Colony named Drakcsteyn. Of the 
 fields and vineyards. What animals are found there, especially 
 of the Rhinoceros. Of the birds. Of the oxen. How men 
 trap the lions. Prices of the cows, meat, tobacco, soap, and 
 brandy-wine. Of the Hottentots. They sell all their cattle 
 to the Company and at what price. The knowledge they have 
 of medicinal herbs and how they use them. Their courtship. 
 The religion of the negroes at the Cojyc . . . 270-298 
 
 e 2 
 
Ixviii TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM DUTCH EDITION. 
 
 The Nineteenth on Last Chapter. 
 
 Departure from the Cape, and arrival at Sinte Helena. Descrip- 
 tion of that Island. What fruits and trees grow, also what 
 cattle and birds are found there. Departure from Sinte 
 Helena. Ascension Island' and its situation. They pass the 
 Line. What dangers they meet and through what neglect. 
 Dense mist and what it brought. Arrival at ]'l:ssin(/(n . 298-304: 
 
 1 Ilemclvaarts Eyland. 
 
\ 
 
A N e w 
 
 VOYAGE 
 
 TO THE 
 
 EAST-INDIES 
 
 BY 
 
 FRANCIS LEGUAT 
 
 AND 
 
 His Companions. 
 
 Containing their 
 
 ADVENTURES In Tivo Dcsart Islands, 
 
 And an Account of the most Remarkable 
 Things in Maurice Island, Batavia, at the 
 Cape of Good Hope, the Island of St. He- 
 lena, and other Places in their Way to and 
 from the Desart Isles. 
 
 Adorn'd with MAPS and FIGURES 
 
 LONDON: 
 
 Printed for R. Bonwickc, W. Freeman, Tim. Goodivin, 
 
 F. Walthoe, M. IVotion, S. Manship, F. Nicholson, B. Tooke, 
 
 R. Parker, and R. Smith. MDCCVIII. 
 
To the Most Honourable 
 
 H E N R Y,^ 
 MAKQUESS OF KENT. 
 
 Earl of Harrold, and Viscount Godcrich, Lord Chamberlain 
 of Her Majesty's Household, Lord Lieutenant of the 
 County of Hereford, and one of the Lords of Her 
 Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council. 
 
 My Lord, 
 
 rW^HE only Excuse the Translator of this Voyage has to 
 vialce Your Lordship, for presuming to put your Name 
 hcfore it, is that he found it in the Original, and hop'd your 
 LordshijJ, who has distinguish' d yourself hy your Humanity 
 and Love of the Belles lettres, ivill lie as well pic as' d to see it in 
 an English, as in a French Dress. The Original, 'tis true, 
 has the advantage of being hnoiun to more Nations, and the 
 spreading your Lordship's Fame, was a Justice the Language 
 of our Enemies oto'd to the many high Qualities that have 
 
 1 Henry Grey, or de Grey, Duke of Kent, succeeded to the title in 
 1702, and in the third year of Queen Anne was made Lord-Chamber- 
 lain of her Household, Lord- Lieutenant of the county of Hereford, and 
 a Privy-Councillor. In December 1706 he was created Marquis of 
 Kent, Earl of Harold, and Viscount Goodiich, and in the year 1710, 
 on resigning his office of Lord-Chambcrlain, he was advanced to the 
 dignity of Duke of Kent. {Tlie Peerage of England^ 1710, p. 165.) 
 
 Nichols, in his Literary Anecdotes (iv, 577), mentions that the 
 Rev. John Laurence dedicated a treatise on the " Usefulness of the 
 Barometer" to him ; and the same author mentions him in connection 
 with Koger Cotes, professor of astronomy and experimental philosophy 
 at Cambridge, who was tutor to his sons, Anthony, Earl of Harold, and 
 Lord Henry de Grey. {Ibid., ii, 127.) — Note by E. Delmar Morgan. 
 
Ixxii LETTER OE DEDICATION TO TIIK DUKE OF KENT. 
 
 p/ac'd you in oiu of the first Posts of the British Empire, aiul 
 one of the nearest to Her Majesties Sacred Person and Favour. 
 J coud not have forgiv'n my self, if any Foreigner shoiid 
 hare shewn more Respect for your Lordship than an English- 
 man, or if a traveller in rude and desolate Islands should be 
 more amhitious of your Protection, than one who has had the 
 honour at other times to frequent the delicious Plains of 
 Parnassus, a Region that is immediately under your Lord- 
 ships Government, and that has visibly flourish' d., since yoit 
 have condescended to make it a part of your Care, which is 
 otherwise more nobly em2')loyd for the Service of the best of 
 Princes, and the best of Cou7iiries. Let it be said, my Lord ; 
 Notwithstanding our unhaj^py Divisions} against which all 
 your Lordship)' s moderate Councels have vigorously declard, 
 and endeavour d to unite us cdl in our Duty to Her Majesty, 
 and Peace among our selves; but Division is so natural to 
 Manlcind, that tvho can hope to see an end of it in his Time ? 
 We find the solitary Inhabitants of Rodrigo had their Debates 
 and Disputes; and 7 Men united by common Interest, and 
 common Danger, were divided by their Passions. 
 
 May Your Lordship's eminent Worth cdways meet with the 
 Prosperity it deserves, may it never be wrong'd by Jealousy, 
 nor reached by Envy, too Common in this degenerate Age, to 
 the prejudice of the most Heroick Virtue. Iliis my Lord will 
 abvays be the hearty Prayer of, 
 
 Your Lordship's most Humble, 
 most obedient, 
 
 and most Devoted Servant. 
 
 ' Tliis is, apparently, in allusion to the part taken by the Marquess 
 of Kent in the recent Union of the rarlianients of England and Scot- 
 land, and to the Tory opposition encountered by the Whig Cabinet of 
 Queen Anne to which he belonged, 'ihe IScotti&h Estates sat for the 
 last time in March 1707, and the Union was effected five months before 
 this dedication was printed. 
 
 iSlaxiniilian Misson in his pri'face to the Ncu- V(>ii(i[i'' to Ttalij, 
 
LETTEPt OF DEDICATION TO THE DUKE OF KENT. Ixxiii 
 
 translated into English by himself, also alludes to the rival factions 
 of Whigs and Tories, a few years later : — " If the Peace has given any 
 (^alm to our Isles after the bloody Conflicts they have had with our 
 GREAT neighbour, it has left us involved in such Dissentions and 
 intestine Animosities that they deprive us of an entire Happiness ; and 
 these lamentable Misunderstandings seem so to inflame the ]\[inds, 
 that the most moderate Persons can hardly himier themselves from 
 Listing under one of the Banners of this sad Discord. One is even 
 look'd upon by the Generality of the People as not being in the 
 Fashion when he does not take upon himself, and with Warmth too, 
 one of these factious Names which my Pen declines to set down, of W. 
 or of T.'' It may be noticed that Misson here speaks of himself as a 
 British subject, alluding to " o«r Isles''. In a note he explains the 
 origin of the terms Whig and Tory. 
 
 The signature of the anonymous translator is omitted. In the French 
 edition the dedicatory epistle bears the signature of Francois Leguat, 
 with the date — '• Le 7. Octobre, A Londres, 1707." Of course, it 
 differs considerably from the above wording of the English translator, 
 who distinctly aA'ows himself to be an Englishman. In the French 
 edition the author requests that His Highness will be pleased to grant 
 his generous and powerful protection in the most flourishing Island of 
 the world, where good Providence has happily led him, and where, 
 he adds, he shall never cease to offer his wishes for His Highness' 
 abundant and eternal prosperity, etc. It has not been considered 
 necessary to give this letter in extenso. The arms, crest, supporters, 
 motto, and heraldic insignia of the Marquess are figured in the French 
 but not in the English version. 
 
THE 
 
 AUTHOR'S PREFACE.^ 
 
 JET wlio will say what they please against Prefaces, for 
 ■^ luy })art I always read tlieni with Profit. To deprive 
 one's self of so necessary a Thing, is to leave off a good 
 fashion at the peril of Eeason and Instruction ; lie that 
 exposes a Work to the Multitude, brings himself into such 
 great Danger, let his Design be ever so just, and the execu- 
 tion of it ever so perfect, that in Prudence he ought to 
 neglect nothing to prepare the minds of his Readers, and 
 prevent the ill-effects of Ignorance and Malice ; But if the 
 Author do's this for his own Advantage, the Readers also in 
 my Opinion benefit by it ; for by this he smooths the way 
 for them. He enlightens them, and makes several things 
 easy, in which otherwise they would find a great deal of 
 Dilttculty. Be it as it will, I beg the favour of you, 
 courteous and just Reader, to suffer me to Discourse with 
 you a little before you turn to the Relation of my Adven- 
 tures, which I am about to present to you. 
 
 When the Companions of my Fortune and my self em- 
 bark'd aboard our Ship the " Sivalloid" at Amsterdam, 
 abundance of our Friends attended us to the Water-side, 
 and when they took their leave of us, they cry'd as long as 
 they could see us ; " Pray let us hear from you, send us all 
 the Keivs you can, and fill your Letters ivith the -particidar 
 Circuiistanccs of your Adventures." From that very Minute 
 
 1 According to INI. Eyries, tlic actual editor aud author of Lognat's 
 narrative was an ex-Benedictine monk nanicil (iabillon. S.c note, 
 p. Ixxxviii, and introductioDo 
 
Ixxvi authok's pkefack. 
 
 I forni'd to myself the design of giving them Satisfaction. 
 lUit you will find when you have read my History, that my 
 Design could not be executed. After my return, I could 
 neither refuse them the demand they made of seeing my 
 Journal, nor excuse my self from answering a hundred 
 Questions they ask'd concerning things which I had not 
 inserted in it, but which were, however, still in my IMemory. 
 I have met no Body ever since who has not been very In- 
 quisitive, and I have endeavour'd to satisfie the curiosity of 
 my Friends to the utmost of my Power. Tho' if I may be 
 so free, I have met with Persons who have been so Impor- 
 tunate, that they became troublesome with their Inquiries. 
 
 To save my self answering an infinite number of Ques- 
 tions, and being continually teaz'd by the like importunity, 
 it one day came into my mind that the best way to do it 
 would be to write down a Eelatiou of my Voyage and 
 Adventures, and to shew it to those of my Friends and 
 Acquaintance who desir'd to see it. Accordingly I wrote 
 these 3fcmoirs, they were presently seen in the World, and 
 I fancy'd I saw in the looks of those that had read them, 
 when they returned them, an air of Content, which I took 
 for a very good Omen, and was pleas'd with it. I perceiv'd 
 they interested themselves in every thing that had happen'd 
 to Me, and some of them went so far as to say, ' Print them} 
 fear nothinr/, the Booh v.nJl he very Entertaining : A Man 
 shou'd be Modest, hut not a Covmrd. There is something in 
 them very extraordinary and singular, loith which all the 
 World will he i^lcasd. Talce your Friends words for it, and 
 ■puhlish them.' Tiius did they perswade me. To which they 
 added one thing that weigh'd very mucli with me, and lielp'd 
 to overcoine the repugnance I had to Print them ; which 
 was their naming to me a great number of false Voyages, 
 and some of them ill-enough related, which, however, went 
 
 1 " S<nnc said, ' John, print it ! ' others xaiil ' Xot so.' 
 Sonic sditi, ' // niif/ht do </i>o(l,' others said, ' A'o.' ' " 
 
 (.Io!in Hiiiiyan's Apolofjy, IHTO.) 
 
author's pkeface. Ixxvii 
 
 off. Indeed, said I to my self, there's such a one, and such 
 a one (I can scarce forbear naniinj^- fifteen or twenty), such a 
 one, and such a one, have had tlie Impudence to impose on 
 the Publick, and their ridiculous Falsities have been very 
 well receiv'd. Why therefore is it not lawful for an honest 
 Man to tell tilings which are true, and of which some use 
 may be made. Wretched Eomauces, and ill-contriv'd Fables, 
 find a Vent; why may not my true Eomance have as favour- 
 able a fate ? 
 
 I expect the Critical Header shou'd say here, " there's a 
 manner of expressing things": A Story well told, is read 
 with Pleasure, tho' 'tis even a little Eomantick or Trivial in 
 its self. People are now more earnest than ever for perfec- 
 tion of Language. As for Example, the little Nothings of 
 the Abbot of Choisy^ in the Voyage to Siam, have an incom- 
 parable Grace in them, and please much more than many 
 other things made of more precious Materials. " Wc cast 
 Anchor." " We made ready to Sail" " The Wind took 
 Courage." " liohin is dead." " We said Ilass." " We 
 Vomited." Tho' they are poor Words any where else, yet 
 in his Book, which is half compos'd of them, they are 
 Sentences, and the worth of them is not to be told. His 
 Phrases are so fine, so pretty, that we should be more in 
 love with them, than with Discoveries. And what then can 
 you hope for, you a Country Gentleman who relate your 
 Affairs grosso modo, and speak plainly without gloss or dis- 
 guise, what you have seen, or what you have heard: You 
 are in the wrong to imagine your History, tho' true, singular, 
 nay even moral, and as political as you please, can enter 
 into Comparison with a Book that is well Written. 
 
 1 Journal du Voyage dc Siam fait en 1685-86 {^f. I'Ahhe Choisy), par 
 M. L. D. C. 4to. Taris, 1687. Leguat here writes ironically, but his 
 sarcasm is not undeserved ; for instance, the " Robin '' here referred to 
 is a sheep — '' uu mouton fanieux entre les moutons" — and more than a 
 I)age is occupied in telling how he was cooked, eaten, and discussed at 
 table. 
 
Ixxviii autiiok's pkeface. 
 
 I own all this, I am no Polite Author, nor indeeil any at 
 all. Neither did I ever believe I cou'd ever set up for one, 
 till I was as it were forc'd to give way to Importunity, wliicli 
 lasted five or six years. ^Tis true, and most true, that I am 
 very far from having the Abbot Ghoisi/'s rare Talent. His 
 Delicacy is without doubt extream. He writes politely, 
 and the fine simplicity of his, "Faster approaches": "His 
 Calth quite flat." "1 see nothing hut Water." "The same 
 Song.'" "To tell yoiL nothing is a oicw Ragov," which pleases 
 and Charms, tho' I must indeed own, I have not been able 
 to relish it. Perhaps it may be too high season'd for me. 
 Simple and naked Truth, and the singularity of our 
 Adventures, are the Body and Soul of my Eelation. But 
 since the Prince of Roman Eloquence^ has commended Cwsar 
 (or the Author of his Commentaries) for writing without 
 Artifices or Ornament, I hope I shall also find Men of a 
 moderate Taste, who without lessening the extraordinary 
 value of the Abbot of Choisg's admirable Simplicity, will 
 readily bear with mine tho' Common. 
 
 There's deceit in this Simplicity, so very simple ; and 'tis 
 very well known the Inhabitants of the Repuhlick of letters, 
 as well as those of the Friperie,'^ make use of several sorts of 
 LifThts^: I know also that a Latin Cloak is as Convenient as 
 Venerable, and often proves a great help to such as have 
 nothing to say, and yet would raise Admiration ; and that 
 the politeness of a gay gallant Stile, and the Convenience of 
 Rimes are a good cover for many Authors : Jtivenal and 
 Boileau are in the Paght to rail at whom they please, as long 
 
 1 This Prince of Roman eloquence was Cicero, who wrote as follows: 
 " Cajsar has likewise some commentaries or short memoirs of his own 
 transactions, and such as merit the highest approbation ; for they are 
 simple, correct, and elegant, and divested of all the ornaments of 
 language, so as to appear (if 1 may be allowed the expression) in a kind 
 of undress." (Cicero, in BriUo, c. 74.) 
 
 " " A Place in l*ari.s where Second-hand and other Cloaths are suld." 
 
 •'' In orig. : "lustres," i.e., glass or polish. 
 
author's preface. Ixxix 
 
 as they rail in Verse ; and the most Scoundrel Rimers find 
 also their Account in their Songs and Lampoons. If my 
 Voyage was written in Hebreio, I am very well asour'd it 
 wou'd at least succeed as well as that of Eabhi Benjamin^ 
 And if it was only in Latin interlarded with Greek, a la 
 Montfauconne^ with a word or two of Arahich to relish it a 
 little, I should without doubt have at least Admirers, if I 
 wanted Readers. For who with impunity, and even with 
 Success, would publish a hundred useless sorts of insipid 
 Literature, a hundred Copies of things that have been said 
 again and again by others, a hundred Lyes and Invectives ? 
 if they had not been in Latin, or in Verse, they wou'd never 
 have gone off as they did. 
 
 There's a certain Eeverend Father^ of our Acquaintance 
 whose Book is full of Faults, of things ill Chosen, of shock- 
 ing Eepetitions, of Trifles, of Pedantick Insolence, of 
 Injurious and ill-grounded Contradictions ; but then 'tis all 
 in Latin. This Learned Doctor endeavours to give the 
 World a Eelation of his Voyage, in imitation of Father 
 Alalillon,^ whose Scholar he is ; and M'hose Novelty consisting 
 
 1 Rabbi Benjamin, the son of Jonas of Tudela. Travels througli 
 Europe, Asia, from Spain to China, 1160-73. From the Latin of 
 Montanus ; vide Purclias' rU(jrinies^ vol. ii. 
 
 2 Dom. Bernard de Montfaucon, a distinguished savant and Greek 
 scholar, who after taking part in two campaigns under Turenne became 
 a monk of Saint-Benoit at Toulouse in 1675. He died, aged 87 years, 
 in 1741. 
 
 3 According to Bernard this author was Casimir Freschot, the 
 anonymous author of llemarqnes Historiques et Critiques, etc., but the 
 context further on appears to refer to Mabillon or Montfaucon. 
 
 * Jean Mabillon was a learned writer and Benedictine monk of the 
 Congregation of St. Maur, born in 1632, a few years senior therefore 
 to Leguat. Mabillon visited the principal Libraries of Italy in IG85 
 with Michel Germain, and brought back 3,000 volumes and manu- 
 scripts for the King's Library. He published an account of his 
 travels, and published the Musxtim Italicum and many works of deep 
 research. Ho died, aged 75 years, in 1707. (Weiss, Bitxiraplnc 
 Uu'ivcrsclk.) 
 
Ixxx autiiok's preface. 
 
 wholly ill Catalogues of Bulls and Decretals, and of otlier 
 8i)ecies of base allays, which have been a hundred times 
 examined, and a hundred times confuted with a Manuscript 
 of poor Vacca} which till now was despis'd by every Body : 
 What cou'd he do ? He cou'd write tolerably in Latin, add 
 Iihapsodies to his TriHes, and give them a Latin Pass-port, 
 and a Latin Dress. 
 
 But had he not done better if lie had written in his o\vn 
 1'ongue, Judiciously, Civilly, Wisely, and Briefly ? Or 
 rather if he had not written at all. What had the Turha 
 Eruditorum,- which he explains so ill, and yet with so much 
 Pomp and Variety, to do with his Journal ? There's but 
 very little in it that deserves to be publish'd ; and that that 
 
 1 " I have borrowed much, and that not contemptible, from Writers I 
 lighted on, that have not been made publick, the chiefest whereof is 
 Fhciainius Vacca, a Roman Carver. This ]\lan collected many Obser- 
 va'ions of his own and Friends on Roman Moniuneiits found in his 
 Time, and before it, and presented them to Anastasius Simonetta of 
 Pcrngino, who was compiling a very accurate Work of the Roman 
 Antiquities. 
 
 '■^ Flaminius^ Observations being in no Order, but intermixed as they 
 happened to occur .... I thought fit to translate his Papers. . . 
 FLambtius was a noble Roman Carver, whose Skill is visible in many 
 Works to be seen in Roman Churches and Homes. He flourish'd in the 
 sixteenth Century and seems to have lived to the seventeenth. His 
 Tomb is tu be seen in the Church of Santa Maria Rotunda.^' (The 
 Travels of the learned Father Montfancon from Paris thro' Italy, 16D8. 
 Made Engli-h. London, 1712, p. 111.) 
 
 2 " This is the place where I designed taentertain my Reader for some 
 Time, with certain Passages of the Relation that D. Bernard de Mont- 
 faucon (a Benedictine Monk) has published of his Travels in Italy, 
 under the Title of Diariiim, etc. But since he makes a Show of a 
 Dissertation, with a Sort of Ostentation to the Eyes of the Tnrba 
 Erudltornm, whom he jn-etends to iuform, after a decisive JMaiiiier, 
 concerning the famous Manuscript which is kept fo prt ciously in the 
 Treasury of St. Mark.'" (Max. Misson, Pref., Voyage to Italij.) 
 
 "... And as I have formerly api^lied myself with Care to search 
 after those things which have been the Occasion of his Publishing a 
 Volume by the Title of ralxo(jrai>hia Graica, etc. . . ." (Ibid.) 
 
AUTIIOll'S PREFACE. Ixxxi 
 
 is, may lie found in Mess. Trcvoux^ and elsewhere. Who 
 is coucern'd in his German Quarrel,^ and his Chimerical 
 Triumph about *S^^. Mark's Gospel,^ being written in Latin 
 with the Apostles own Hand. If this Fantastick Monk had 
 told his Reasons modestly; if he had not with as much 
 Rudeness as Injustice, offended those who never thought 
 anything of him, good or ill, and who are in a con- 
 dition to Chastize when they think fit, he had been more 
 Excusable. 
 
 As for jNIe then, I write in French,* and in plain French, 
 not aspiring to any higher degree of beauty of Stile, than 
 what is necessary to be understood, nor to any Supernatural 
 Language. I must desire the Reader to remember, that it 
 
 1 " Without retracting what I have just now said of the Journal of 
 TrcvoHX, the Rivertml Falhers that compose it, will give me Leave to 
 
 make some Reflections here upon their Article of Tome iv This 
 
 Journal is now (1714) made at Paris by some learned Jesnites under 
 the Title of Histoirc dcs Sciences cV dcs hcaux Artsy (Maximilien Misson's 
 Preface to fourth edition, New Voyage to Italy.) 
 
 2 ]\labilloii's Querelle d'Allemande — his dispute with Pere (iermain as 
 to the rules of criticism as applied to the authenticity of manuscript 
 characters may perhaps here be alluded to. 
 
 3 " Hence we proceeded to see the Manuscript of the Gospel of St. 
 Mark, which is kept in a Cupboard hard by, and we viewed it to 
 Content with D. Leitli or Galterms, the Library Keeper. . . . The 
 characters, tho' scarce legible, are infallibly Latin. ... It is generally 
 said to be St. Mark's writing. I do not remember to have ever seen 
 any Manuscript that seems to be of greater Antiquity than this. But 
 that this Book is writ in Latin is plainly made out by tlie story I shall 
 now relate. . . . The letter of Emperor Charles the IVth will inform 
 you that he received from the Patriarchal Church of Aquilcia two 
 Quires of the Holy Gospel of St. Mark, written with his own Hand, 
 which are in this Cathedral." . . . (Montfaucon's Journry tliroiu/h 
 Italy, pp. 73-75.) 
 
 * " As for their Quotations from the Greek and Latin Poets, wiiich 
 several offer to introduce in great Numbers, into their Writings, there 
 are but very few of them to be found in these Letters.^'' (IM. Misson, /. r.) 
 
 " As I am far from having a perfect Knowledge of the Juiylish 
 Tongue. . . ." {llii</.) 
 
 f 
 
Ixxxii AUTIIOU'S PREFACE. 
 
 cannot be expected that a Dcsart Island should furnish nie 
 with such ample Matter, as Travellers commonly meet with 
 in the inhabited Countries which they Visit. I found 
 neither Cities nor Temples, nor Palaces, nor Cabinets of 
 Rarities, nor Antique Monuments, nor Academies, nor Lib- 
 raries, nor People, on whose Peligion, Language, Govern- 
 ment, Manners and Customs, I might make Observations. 
 1 liavc .^aid already, and I say it again, that all that can 
 make this small Treatise, which I have been encourag'd to 
 present you with, any way valuable, is in the first place, the 
 particularity and variety of the Facts and Adventures. To 
 dwell two years in a Desart; to be sav'd by a Mii-acle ; to 
 fall from Cliaryhdis upon Scylla} as the ancient I*roverb 
 says ; to suffer a thousand Miseries for three years together 
 on a dry Pock, by an unheard of Persecution; to be deliver'd 
 contrary to Appearance and Hope, and with such strange 
 Circumstances, must certainly have something very Singular 
 in it. What is Secondly valuable in this Pelation, is the 
 pure and simple truth of all I have related. It never 
 enter'd into my Thoughts to adorn my History, to exag- 
 gerate any thing at the expence of that Truth, which I have 
 always Pespected. And I will add for your Satisfaction, 
 that there are living- Witnesses of every thing I have re- 
 ported. Among the things which those that have Travell'd 
 last in the Countries that are known and describ'd, report, 
 'tis unavoidable but there must be something which the 
 first Travellers make no mention of; Be it as it will with 
 respect to my self, when I talk of the Cape of Good Hope, 
 Baiavia, and other Places treated of in other Voyages, I 
 speak of those things that I thought worth observing, with- 
 out troubling myself whether others have made any mention 
 
 1 " liicidis in Scyllam cnpiciis vitare CharyJidiiii" (Alcxcuidrels, lib. v, 
 3()1, by Philippe Gaultier. 13th century.) 
 
 '^ In orig. : " deux Temoins," i.e., MM. Paul Bc'uelle, at Amsterdam, 
 and Jacques dc La Case, in America. (Vid)' ante, p. xxxiii, ct post^ 
 p. 892.) 
 
author's pkeface. Ixxxiii 
 
 of them before me or not.^ If on those occasions I make 
 some Eemarks which have not entirely the grace of Novelty, 
 it will he some amends for that Deficiency, that they will 
 doubtless be accompany'd with new Circumstances: For 
 when did it happen that Men who are not Copyists, but Eye- 
 witnesses and Judges of things, spoke of the same Subject 
 in the same manner ? 
 
 I shall conclude with making some Eeflection on three 
 Difficulties that have been started to me. For, Dear Eeader, 
 I will dissemble nothing with you, nor neglect anything to 
 satisfie you. 
 
 I. 'Tis said I have too many Digressions. 
 
 Upon this I desire you to consider two things, I confess 
 that in writing these Memoirs, the same thought came often 
 into my Head, as it did in the Abbot of Choisij's, of whom 
 we have more than once spoken. / am sorry (says he from 
 time to time) that the Matter did not iircsent it self as I would 
 have had it — / give ivhat I have— I ivish I had somethiny 
 more pleasant to tell you. The truth is, I frequently find my 
 self in the same case ; My Desart Islands did not furnisli me 
 with variety enough, and I confess I was sometimes oblig'd 
 to go a little out of the way for it. 
 
 Nevertheless if you do me Justice, I hope you will 
 approve of the second Answer that I have to make. The 
 true character of a good Relation, in my Opinion consists in 
 containing the Eemarkable things which the Traveller saw 
 or heard, or which happen'd to him, and in such a manner, 
 that the Eeader may be as well inform'd of it, as if he had 
 Travell'd himself, and had been an Eye-Witness of all that 
 had happen\l. Granting this to be true, the Traveller ought 
 to Communicate every thing that came to his Knowledge ; 
 his Conversations, Discourses, Adventures, Eeflections, pro- 
 
 ' For example, Lcguat follows very clof-ely Dapper's previous de- 
 scription of the Hottentots. ( Vide infra^ p. 289.) 
 
Ixxxiv author's preface. 
 
 vided tliey have so much relation to the Voyage, that they 
 cou'd not be learnt vvitliout it. On the contrary, the best 
 and most agreeable thought will come in very Mai a propos, 
 in a Eelation of this Nature, if 'tis uot, as one may say 
 born in the Voyage, and do's not properly and independently 
 belong to it. Pursuant to this Idea, I might report at 
 length, and keep still in my character of a Traveller, all the 
 long Discourse upon the Subject of Women : All that is 
 taken out of the Golden Sente7ices, all that is said on the 
 Eights of Mankind, and almost every thing else which I 
 have spoken of, that seems to go from the Subject, 
 
 II. Some advis'd me to put my Name to those Memoirs 
 and others were of Opinion that I shou'd not do 
 it. The latter grounded theirs on a Principle of 
 Humility or Modesty, as the thing explains it self : 
 And the former pretend that every ]\Ian who affirms 
 Fact, is obliged to make himself known. 
 
 I am entirely of their Sentiments. I believe that who- 
 ever speaks as a Witness, ought, as we say in French, to 
 decline"^ his Name, and to omit nothing that may serve to 
 convince the Eeader of his Candour, and the most exact 
 truth of all he says. As to my self in particular, I own 
 I never had any Opinion at all of a Voyage, without the 
 Authors Name to it ; nor even of the Pielation of a Voyager 
 of an indifferent Peputation, tho^ he puts his Name to his 
 Work, if he do's not also produce Witnesses, especially if 
 he comes from a far Country. Who do's not know the Dis- 
 position of all Men ? A Traveller of an ordinary Character 
 fur Fidelity, and one who has no Witnesses to prove what 
 he aflirms to be true, is under a great Temptation when he 
 conceals his Name to lace his History a little, to render it 
 the more agreeable. And we have so many proofs of this 
 Truth, that no body can doubt of its being true. 
 1 In oiig. : " decliucr," i.e., to state. 
 
author's preface. Ixxxv 
 
 I therefore conclude again, that those who tell the World 
 any thing that is Eare, and that they saw in very remote 
 Countries, are nnder an indispensable necessity to let the 
 Publick know clearly, and distinctly who they are, and even 
 to insinuate without Affectation, all the Particularities which 
 are proper to acquire Credit. From whence it naturally 
 follows, that tlie Authors of Eelations which have no Name 
 to them, are almost always Eogues and Cheats wlio impose 
 on the Publick, and generally propose some base end to 
 themselves by it. 
 
 Such a one most certainly is the Author^ of a Wretched 
 Book that appeared two years agoe, under the Title of 
 Hidoriccd and Critical Remarks, made in a Journal from 
 Italy to Holland, in the year 1704. Containing the Manners 
 of Carniola. This Impudent Anonymous Author, whom we 
 know, and who forg'd his Collection of Fables according to 
 his common Practice, had no other view, besides a little vile 
 and shameful Profit ; but to insult against all the rules of 
 Justice, a Person- whom he ought to Honour, and one who 
 has spar'd him too long; 'tis fit sometimes that certain 
 Eascalls should have a mark set upon them, and that the 
 World should know their Villainous Tricks, of which there 
 are very few Persons that wou'd be sensible, if they were 
 not told them.^ 
 
 III. It has also been said to me, when I was once like to 
 die of a cruel Scurvy, at another time persecuted 
 by an Army of Eats ; when I have been expos'd to 
 the fury of the Tempests and Hurricanes, or have 
 been the Sport of a little Tyrant ; ' Why did you 
 engage yourself in such an Enterprise ? did not you 
 know that there is nothing more uncertain, nor 
 
 1 Casimir Freschot. ( Vide supra, p. xxviii.) 
 
 2 Max. INIisson. {Vide iiuj)ra, pp. xxviii, xxxi.) 
 
 3 The whole of this paragraph betrays the hand of Missou. 
 
Ixxxvi author's preface. 
 
 more difficult, than Settlements in the New Worhl, 
 notwithstanding the fine Colours in which tlie 
 l)articular Interests of some Persons will have 
 them Painted ? Cou'd you be ignorant of the 
 great Labour, and the great Danger that attend 
 the execution of such Projects as these ? ' 
 
 In a M'ord, My Pieason was this : After having been 
 furc'd to leave my Native Country, with so many Thousands 
 of my Brethren, to abandon my small Inheritance, and to 
 forsake for ever, according to all outward appearance, those 
 Persons that were dear to me, without finding in the New 
 Country, to which I first Transported my self, that sufficient 
 Eelief which my present Necessity demanded, I gave my 
 self up entirely to Providence, and determin'd humbly and 
 patiently to make use of the Means that offer'd for me, 
 perhaps to preserve my Life. Weary of the bustle of the 
 World, and fatigu'd with the Troubles I had endur'd in it, I 
 quitted Variety and Tumult without any regret, and at an 
 Age already advanc'd beyond its Prime, I thought I wou'd 
 endeavour to live in a Place where I might be free from the 
 common and frequent Dangers to which I was expos'd. I 
 had nothing to lose, and therefore risk'd nothing, tlio' I had 
 a great deal to hope, at least that I might find that delicious 
 Repose which I never knew ; but for the two years that I 
 remain'd in the Desart Island, where I had without doubt 
 finish'd my Course, if the wicked mau^ who carry'd us thither 
 had not betray'd us, and ruin'd the Design that had been 
 form'd in Holland, 
 
 After all, I breath'd an admirable Air there, without the 
 least alteration of my Health. I liv'd like a Prince at ease, 
 and in abundance without Bread, and without Servants. I 
 had there been liich without Diamonds, and without Gold 
 as well as without Ambition. I had tasted a secret and 
 
 1 Captain Vallcau, 
 
author's preface. Ixxxvii 
 
 exquisite Pleasure, aucl conteut in beiug deliver'd from an 
 infinity of Temptations to Sin, to wliich Men are liable in 
 otlier I'laces. Collected in my self, 1 had seen there by 
 serious Eeflection, as plain as if it was \Yithin reach of my 
 Hand or Eye ; what NofJiinr/s the Inhabitants of this 
 wretched World admire; of this World, I say, where Art 
 almost always destroys^ Nature under pretence of adorning 
 it ; Where Artifice worse than Art, Hypocrisy, Fraud, 
 Superstition and Eapine exercise a Tyrannical Empire over 
 Mankind ; where in short, every thing is Error, Vanity, 
 Disorder, Corruption, Malice and ISrisery.^ 
 
 1 cannot help adding here by w^ay of Advance, that what- 
 ever inconveniences might have attended a longer stay in 
 this Island, I had never left it, had I not been forc'd to do 
 it : And nothing but the boisterous Humour, the wild 
 Precipitation, and the rash attempt of Seven, in that, 
 Inconsiderate young Men, cou'd have constrain'd me to have 
 abandon'd that sweet Abode. 
 
 What do I say, — No, 'twas not Man but Providence that 
 conducted me thither, and that brought me thence. 'Twas 
 
 1 " Too nicely Jonson knew the critic's part, 
 
 Nature in him was almost lost in Art." {W. Collins. 1750.) 
 
 2 "These few lines suffice, we believe," writes M. Eugene Muller, 
 " to characterise the author and the principal hero of the narrative 
 about to be related. We here recognise one of those pure but rigid 
 individualities which have so often been engendered by the pious spirit 
 of enquiry amidst the fires of intolerant persecution." " Francois 
 Leguat personifies in all his austerity, imposing yet simple, those 
 puritans of France, who, obliged by conviction to profess the primitive 
 failh, openly repudiate with energy all practices both civil and 
 religious, which according to their ideas are incompatible with ancient 
 Christian simplicity. Absolutely humble before God, and full of 
 charity towards their neighbours, they do not regard as vain the 
 examples of putting away all vanities given by the Divine Saviour ; 
 but freed by the renouncement of the world, they obtain from the 
 divine revelation th*; great pre(!ept of human equality. A strange 
 and bizarre type, and we cannot lielp adding, not without a semblance 
 of the ridiculous." 
 
Ixxxviii author's preface. 
 
 Providonce that conducted me safely thro' so many Dangers, 
 and lias happily transported me from my Desart Isles, to 
 this vast Powerful and Glorious Island of Great Britain, 
 where the charity of the Generous Iiiliabitauts lias liuld out 
 its Hand to me, and fix'd my Pepose as much as it can be 
 fix'd in this lower World.^ 
 
 1 This preface, according to Jacquis Bernard, the successor of Bayle, 
 •was not written by Leguat, but liy ]\Iaxiniilitn Misson. See Intro- 
 duction and Notice by IM. Ih. Sauzier tlierein quoted. 
 
 Fredi'-ric Auguste Gabillon, to whom President Boubier (quoted by 
 M. Eyries) attributes this vohmie, was born at Paris in the 17th 
 century. After completing his studies, he joined the reh"gious order of 
 tiie Thkitiim, but soon repenting of the sacrifice of his Uberty, he left 
 their convent and fled to Holland, where he shortly after openly 
 abjured his vows and professed the reformed religion. Being without 
 resources, he worked at compilations for booksellers, but getting into 
 debt, he went over to England, and took the name of Jean Leclcrc, a 
 well-known publicist of Holland, thereby imposing on various persons 
 of distinction. The end of the adventurer's career is not very certain 
 according to Moreri's Dictionary. It is, therefore, possible that this 
 refugee was employed by Leguat as an amanuensis or copyist, but 
 there is little doubt that M. Bernard was right, and the President 
 Bouhier wrong in his surmise. Let the reader only compare Leguat'a 
 preface with that of IMisson's New Voyage to Italy (fourth edition), 
 and he cannot fail to be convinced of the identity of the original 
 autlior. Take, for instance, the first paragraph as to the uses of 
 Prefaces in general. Misson begins: — " Joseph Pamelius, an Ingenious 
 Man, has composed some Dialogues, in one of which he declaims 
 mightily against* Prefaces in general ; but particularly against those 
 
 who make 'em " Ibis opening, the tirade against false 
 
 Voyages, and his excuses for publishing his book, have a most won- 
 derful similarity of language and reasoning with the earlier portions of 
 the preface to Leguat's book. 
 
 * That is to say : Prefaces are useless to those ouUj vho vrrer rend 
 'cm ; and are resoh'd to stand fast in their Re prone lies <i>i<l PnjiK/lccs. 
 It is in vain to speak to the Deaf or write to the Blind. 
 
THE 
 
 VOYAGE AND ADVENTURES 
 
 OF 
 
 FRANCIS LEGUAT, 
 
 A GENTLEMAN OF BRKSSE.* 
 
 The State of the Affairs of Religion in France, obliging me 
 to seek after some means to leave the Kingdom, I made use 
 of that which Providence furnish'd me with, to pass into 
 Holland, where I arriv'd the 6th of August 1689. 
 
 1 had scarce begun to taste the Sweetness of that precious 
 Liberty, which I found in my abode there, and which I had 
 been deprived of four whole years, ever since the Revocation 
 of the Edict of Nants^ in 1685, wdien I understood that tlie 
 
 ' Francois Leguat, of the Province of Bourgogne, brought up in the 
 Province of Bresse, a small district now represented by the dej^artment 
 of Ain. 
 
 2 The Edict of Nantes, -which put a temporary end to the reh'gious 
 struggles in France, and assured liberty of belief and safety in worship 
 to the Calvinists, was decreed in 1598. 
 
 Louis XIV, under the influence of IMadame de Maintenon, having 
 determined for political reasons to re-establish the unity of the Catholic 
 religion throughout his dominions, proceeded by all the means in his 
 power, moral and physical, by cruel persecution, and especially by what 
 were known as dragoiuiadef!, to enforce his arbitrary acts of despotism ; 
 and finally revoked the Edict of Nantes, eighty-seven years after its 
 original promulgation. 
 
 In spite of rigorous prohibitions against emigration, numerous Pro- 
 testants followed their pastors into exile, and sought in other countries 
 that freedom of conscience denied to them at home. It has been calcu- 
 lated that at least some three hundred thousand Huguenots passed across 
 the frontiers and left France, so that some provinces were deprived of 
 nearly a third of their inhabitants, and many French industries were 
 seriously injured. 
 
 Holland, England, and Prussia Avere the countries which were most 
 benefited by this wholesale emigration, and in fact, at Londou, a whole 
 suburb (Spitalfields) was peopled by the foreign weavers ; whilst at 
 
 li 
 
THE MARQUIS DU QUESNE. [1689. 
 
 j\rarquis du Qucsne^ was by the good Pleasure, and under tlie 
 Protection of my Lords the States General, and Messieurs the 
 Directors of the East Tnclia Company, making Preparations 
 for a Settlement in the Island of Mascarcgnc. To this Pur- 
 pose two great Ships were equipp'd at Amsterdam, aboard 
 which all the French Protestants, who were willing to be of 
 this Colony, were receiv'd gratis. The Description of this 
 Island,- which was made publick at that time, and the. name 
 
 Berlin several industries were first established by the Protestant fugi- 
 tives. More than twelve thousand soldiers and six hundred officers 
 carried to foreign flags an implacable resentment and sentiments of 
 vengeance against their mother-country. 
 
 1 " Henry and Abraham, the two sons of the great Duquesne, both 
 Protestants like their father, the most remarkable of naval commanders 
 in France during the seventeenth century ; and, having already dis- 
 tinguished themselves under his command, they were, like him, excepted 
 from the rigours of the law pronounced against their co-religionists at 
 the time of the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. On the death of 
 their father, in 1688, being given to understand that they would be 
 subjected to persecution, they quitted France. Anticipating the 
 persecutions to which the Calvinists would be subjected, and uneasy as 
 regards the future of his children, he resolved to prepare a safe refuge 
 for them by purchasing the property of Aubonne, near Berne, of which 
 municipality the burgesses granted him the freedom. On liearing of 
 this, Louis XIV asked him his reason for so doing. " Sire," said he, 
 " I have been desirous of securing a property of which I cannot be 
 deprived by the will of a master." It was to this estate of Aubonne 
 that his sons retired ; but, previous to his death, he made them swear 
 that, whatever happened, they should never take up arms against 
 France : an oath which they scrupulously kept. Henri Duquesne, the 
 elder of the two brotliurs, promoter of the expedition which Leguat 
 here mentions, and which was rendered abortive, never more went to sea, 
 but gave himself up entirely to theological studies, and, in 1718, he 
 published a volume, entitled Reflexions sur V EucTiarhtie. The nephew 
 Duquesne Guiton, with a Dutch squadron, made an expedition to the East 
 Indies, of which the journal was published in 1721." (I-}u(/eiic Afulkr.) 
 
 2 Recncil de Quelcjues Meiuoires seriHins (P Instruction pour I'Etahlisse- 
 vient de I'hle d'Eden. A Amsterdam. M.DC.i.xxxix. (See Introduction, 
 and Appendix at end of volume.) M. MuUer believed all trace of 
 this rare document had been lost ; he has since found a copy in the 
 Library of the Arsenal, and another copy has lately been reprinted by 
 M. Sauzier. 
 
1689-] THE ISLE OF EDEN. 3 
 
 of Edev} that was given it on account of its Excellency, made 
 me conceive so good an Opinion of it that I was tempted to 
 give it a Visit, resolving to end my Days there in Peace, and 
 out of the Care and Confusion of the World, if I found 'twas 
 but in some measure so Pleasant and Commodious as 'twas 
 describ'd to be. 
 
 'Twas so easie for a Man to enter himself in this Colony ; 
 and the Idea. I had of the Quiet and Pleasure I hop'd to 
 enjoy in this lovely Island was such, that I got over all the 
 Obstacles which lay in my way. I offer'd myself to the 
 Gentlemen who were concerned in the Enterprize. They 
 receiv'd me very favourably, and honour'd me with the Post, 
 
 1 The island in the Indian Ocean, now known as Heiinioi}, the largest 
 of the Mascarene Islands, was first named St. Appollonia as early as 
 1527. It was subsequentlj' called England's Forest by the British, 
 and Mascaregiie by the French in 1613. In 1630 we find it written of 
 as He de la Perle. INI. de Flacourt gave it the name of Bourhon in 1649, 
 since which date various names have at different times been applied to 
 it, such as Eden, as in the narrative of M. du Quesne ; He Bonaparte, 
 under the first Republic and Empire ; and finally the present name. 
 Reunion. 
 
 On the return of M. de la Ilaye, the viceroy of the Indies, to 
 France, in 1674-75, he advised the French king to send out an ex- 
 pedition with proper officials to take possession of the Island of 
 Bourbon, as it was then called. Accordingly, M. de Vauboulon was 
 despatched there by the Government with a suitable escort, and 
 appointed Governor for the King and the Company {French East Indian 
 Cowpany), and Cliief Justice of the Island of Bourbon. 
 
 M. de Vauboulon took with him a certain Capuchin monk of Quimper, 
 as chaplain, and appointed him Cure of St. Paul. Whether Governor 
 de Vauboulon abused the powers confided in him or not does not clearly 
 appear from the records, but, judging from the conduct of the Dutch 
 Governor of the neighbouring island, the probabilities are that he did ; 
 for, anyhow, a revolution took place on the 20th December 1690, when 
 the rebels, headed by Pere Ilyacinthe, the Capuchin, deposed M. de 
 Vauboulon, and kept him in prison until he died in confinement at 
 St. Denis, in August 1692, the Sieur Firelin being installed as Com- 
 missioner for the Company by the Cure, who, having accomplished his 
 coup d'etat, retired to his parish at St. Paul. 
 
 n 2 
 
4 PROJECTED COLONY. [1689. 
 
 or rather Name, of Major of tlie biggest of the two Ships, 
 ■which was call'd La Droile. 
 
 All Things necessary being aboard, and the Masters ready 
 to set sail, waiting only for a fair Wind, we understood that 
 the French King, who had formerly taken Possession of this 
 Isle, had sent a Squadron of seven Men of War that way. 
 The Uncertainty we were in of the Design of that little Fleet, 
 and a just Fear grounded on some advices lately come from 
 France, were such powerful Motives with Mr. da Qucsnc} that 
 he disarm'd the two Ships, and disembark'd the Goods and 
 Necessaries, being afraid to expose so many poor Wretches, 
 who were already miserable enough, to Danger ; the greatest 
 part of them being Women, and other Persons who cou'd not 
 defend themselves. But that he might fully inform himself 
 of the Design of that Squadron, if there was such a one, he 
 resolv'd to set out a little Frigat, and send her away upon 
 Discovery. Some Persons were chosen to go aboard her, and 
 they had Orders given them concerning the design of the 
 Voyage : The substance of which was : 
 
 1. To visit the Islands that lie in the Way to the Cape of 
 
 good Hope ; particularly, those of Martin Yas, and 
 Tristan. 
 
 2. Afterwards to pass the Cape of good Hope, to learn, if it 
 
 was possible, more certain News of the Isle of Eden, 
 and the Design of the French Squadron, which was 
 said to be at Sea. 
 
 3. To take Possession of the Isle of Mascaregne, in the 
 
 Name of the said Marquis, who was authorizM to 
 enter upon it, in case there were no French there. 
 
 4. If it cou'd be done without running any considerable 
 
 liisk, to proceed as far as the Island of Diego Bugs, 
 which the French call Rodrigue. 
 
 ' The great Duquesne had made his children swear not to take up 
 arras against France, and, therefore, his son wished to prevent the possi- 
 bility of any aggressive action on the part of the Dutch vessels. 
 
l6S9.] DESIGN OF THE VOYAGE. 5 
 
 5. If tliat Island was found to be sufficiently provided 
 
 with Things necessary for Settlement, and the Sub- 
 sistance of those that would live there, then to take 
 Possession of it, in the Name of the said Marquis. 
 
 6. To send the Ship back, after unloading the Things that 
 
 were for the use of the Colony, that intended to 
 settle in this new World. 
 
 7. And lastly, to take an exact Account of the Isle, where 
 
 those that were left behind staid in expectation of 
 the rest of the Colony, who were to come after, in 
 two Years Time at Farthest, and then to possess 
 themselves of the Isle of Eden, under tlie Protection, 
 and by tlie Assistance of Messieurs of the Company. 
 
 This Project^ being thus form'd, all Hands were set to 
 work to forward the Execution of it ; and 'twas done with 
 so much Warmth and Expedition, that the Ship was soon 
 ready to put to Sea. Care was taken to provide (svery 
 Thing necessary for such an Enterprise ; and the Vessel was 
 so little, and so good a Sailer, that she was nam'd the 
 Swallow. Her Flag had Mons. du Quesne's Arms in it, with 
 this Device, " Libcrtas sine Licentia" ; which was us'd by 
 that wise Pope Adrian VI.- Our little Frigate was mounted 
 with six Guns, and had ten Seamen, commanded by Antlwny 
 Vallcau, of the Isle of like. When 'twas ready to sail, 
 several of the Passengers, whose Names had been enroil'd 
 for this Service, shrunk back and chang'd their Opinion ; 
 which was the occasion of the small Number that embark'd; 
 for the first Complement that design'd to go in her were five 
 
 ^ This project is fully describcil in despatches in the Cape archives. 
 
 2 "They never fail at Utrecht, to shew Strangers the House of Pope 
 Andrian VI, Son of one nam'd Florent Boijen, a Brewer in that City; 
 
 and I think, the best Man that ever bore the Name of Pope 
 
 However, though Adrian oppos'd Lvther, several Bigots of that Co //;o- 
 lick Religion believ'd they had found out that he favour'd him." — 
 (Maxiniihan Misson, New Fo^o^/' /o //«///, vol. i, pp. 66-67). lladria- 
 nus VI, died 1523. 
 
6 THE ADVENTURERS. [169O. 
 
 and twenty. The Ten who continu'd in their Kesolution to 
 the last were : 
 
 Paid Be — Ic,^ twenty Years old, a Merchant's son of 
 
 Mdz. 
 Jacques de la Case, thirty Years old, a Merchant's Son of 
 
 Nerac, who had been an Officer in the Elector of 
 
 Brandcnhurgli s Army. 
 Jean Testard, a Druggist, twenty-six Years old, a ]\Ier- 
 
 chant's Son of St. Qnintin in Picardy. 
 Isaac Boycr, a IMerchant, about twenty-seven Years old, 
 
 Son of an Apothecary near Nerac. 
 Jean de la Haye, a Silversmith of Eoan, twenty-three 
 
 Years old. 
 Jacques Guiguer, twenty Years old, a ]\Icrcliant's Son of 
 
 Lyons. 
 Jean Pagni^^ thirty Years old, a Convert and Patrician of 
 
 Pioan. 
 Robert Anselin, eighteen Years old, a Miller's Son of 
 
 Picardy. 
 Pierrot, twelve Years old, of Poa7i. 
 And Francis Leguat, Esq., above fifty Years of Age, of the 
 
 Province of Burgundy, who was put over the rest. 
 
 Tho' it cou'd not but be a very great Trouble to us to see 
 our selves depriv'd of fifteen of our Companions, when we 
 least expected it, and look'd on them as Persons destin'd to 
 the same Eortune as we were, who perhaps might be a Com- 
 fort and Help to us: Yet we cheerfully resign'd our selves 
 into the Hands of Providence, and parted from Amsterdam 
 the 10th of July IGOO. The loth we arriv'd: in Texel Road, 
 where we lay till the fourth of September following. We 
 then set Sail, in company of 24 Ships, English and Dutcli. 
 We bent our Course Northward, by favour of an East South- 
 
 1 Paid Bciidle (or Bennclle, according to M. i\Iuller). 
 
 ^ Jean Pagni died in April, 1G91, on board, off Diego Ruys I. 
 
jg -j THE FAMOUS THULE. 
 
 Ea* Wind. Which miM our Sails to our Hearts conteut ; 
 but the next Night it choppd about, aud heeame contrary : 
 there rose also a Tempest, which, however, did us uo more 
 hurt thau to make us pay the usual Tribute to the Sea The 
 14th the Wind shiftius to the South-west, our Adnural hrd 
 a Gun, to make us keep our Way Northward. Ihe next 
 Day we spy'd the Isles of Sdidlaud. in the height of 2J deg. 
 40 min The 18th we made those Isles, aud our Ship 
 doubled the Cape, but with much difficulty; the Man that 
 was at the Helm, and had not ,,erceiVd that our Vessel was 
 carry'd away by a rapid Current, was surpriz'd when he saw 
 a flat Kock. which was not above a Foot under Water, and 
 but seven or eight Fathonr distant from us ; he cry d out so 
 terribly, that we were all frightened, and every Man began 
 strip in hopes of swinnning to the Island; but the Water 
 was deep enough at the side of the Eock for our poor little 
 Frigat to pass, and we had the good Fortune to escape 
 lipino- Ship-wreck'd. 
 
 S^ch as have been as far as this End of the World says 
 an ancient Author, as far as the famous TMlc. have a Eight 
 to Lye with Impunity, and to make themse ves be believ d 
 without fear of being reprehended; and certainly the 
 Number of those that make use of this Privilege is very 
 <,reat conformable to an old Proverb of ours, A Dean mcnhr 
 :« ;«»« de Loin ,-A good Lyer ought to come a great way. 
 Las for us, we shall say nothing but exact Truth, no more 
 thau if we had never been as far as Tlmlc 
 
 This Island makes us still afraid as often as we think of 
 it and as we were all of us busie endeavouring to preserve 
 «„ selves from this new Danger, one of our Seamen spy d 
 a French Privateer' bearing down upon us with all the Sail 
 she could make. We went to Prayers, and prepard to 
 defend our selves ; but we were so happy as to escape tin 
 Enemy also; for after we had doubled the Cape, we found 
 
 ..II, ," n l"»nfpli term for a corsair. 
 
 1 In oviginal " un copre , a iKitcii itrui 
 
8 Tin-; CANAIiY ISLANDS. [169O. 
 
 slie cou'd not gain upon us ; however, she pursu'd us six 
 Hours, till Night coming on we lost sight of her, and ran 
 back the false Course we had kept to escape him. We were 
 all of us conviiic'd by this double Deliverance the same Day, 
 that we had been under the singular Protection of the 
 Almighty, and we render'd the Thanks that were due to his 
 Divine Favour. 
 
 The 22d we took a sort of Curlew by hand, for it came 
 and perch'd upon our Sails : abundance of Purs ["AUoucttcs 
 dc Mer^'] follow'd us, flying about our Ship. 
 
 The 28th an innumerable Army of Porpuses past by us ; 
 at which Sight we were very well pleas'd ; they seem'd to us 
 to march really along in order of Battel, and they leap'd up 
 and down by turns, still keeping their Pianks; they approacli'd 
 so near to us that we struck one ; we darted at him with a 
 Trident, fasten'd at the End of a Pope : when they are 
 wounded thev grow weak, through loss of Blood, and then 
 may be easily taken up : The blood of these Animals is hot ; 
 they bear their Young in their Bellies like Whales, Laman- 
 tines, and some other Fisli ; the inside of their Body is very 
 like that of a Hog, but the Flesh is Oily and has an ill 
 taste. 
 
 The 6tli of October we spy'd a Squadron of 13 great Dutcli 
 Men of War, of which one gave us chase ; for, not knowing 
 what she was, we made the best of our way from her ; wlien 
 she came up to us, she hung out her Colours ; we did the 
 same, and then we both continu'd our several Courses. 
 
 The 22d we discover'd the Canary Islands^ by Moonlight, 
 and fell in with the Trade-Winds, which never left us ; or, 
 rather, which we never left till we came in the 9th Degree. 
 By our Account we were 50 Leagues to tlie Wind-ward of 
 Palma, between Forlevcntura and the Grand Canaries. 
 
 ' Tlie archipelago of the Canaries is situated near the polar limit of 
 the north-east trade winds, the prevailing breeze setting from the 
 north-east to north. 
 
1690.] FLYING FISH. 9 
 
 We coasted along the Island Fortevcntura, with a Larboard 
 Tack, a whole Day, and in the Evening, about Sun-set we 
 perceiv'd the Grand Canaries ; we past by it in the Night 
 without meeting with any Sliip, tho' commonly they are to 
 be met with thereabouts, especially Turks ; they post them- 
 selves there to lie in wait for tlie Ships that come out loaden 
 with Wines, in hopes of picking up some of them. 
 
 The 28th we were in the height of 24 deg. 29 min. and 
 saw a vast Number of flying Fish about us. I observM one 
 of them very exactly ; 'twas about 10 Inches long ; there are 
 few larger, and abundance shorter : Its Back was of a liusset- 
 brown Colour, speckled with blue Spots, inclining to a 
 greenish, with a little black amongst it. Its naked Belly 
 was black, and blue, and its Sides cover'd with little Scales 
 of dark red. Its long Wings or Fins were brown, with Sea- 
 green Spots upon them. The young Ones are of a light grey, 
 and their Tail the same. Its Eye is great and rais'd ; the 
 Sight of it large and blue, the rest black. The Prickles upon 
 the Head of it are of a greyisli Colour, and like a sort of 
 very rough Chagreen. 
 
 Our Books represent this Fish^ after another manner ; and 
 I doubt not but there are some of them of different sorts of 
 Figures ; for Nature varies in every thing. The Irish Horses 
 are not of a like make with those of Friseland, nor Kentish 
 Cows like Middlesex, tho' those two Counties are contijiu- 
 ous ; much less are they like those of Iseland, which have 
 no Horns. And, without going out of our own Species, 
 
 1 "When, for instance, he (Leguat) obtained the first flying-fish, he 
 examined, described, represented, and compared them with the repre- 
 sentations of other authors, discovering at once that there exists among 
 these animals two forms, those now called Dactijloptrrus and Exucnlus. 
 He appends, for this reason, to his drawing the copies of three figures 
 of these fish taken from other works, and on that of Olearius makes 
 the true observation that it had probably been drawn from a dried 
 specimen, and was therefore inaccurate ; for he says, * quand ces ani- 
 mnux-la vicnvent a #r scchcr, it est difficile <Ccn observer la veritable 
 forme."' (Professor Schlegel, Ibis, 186G, p. 151.) 
 
10 SANSON MATIIUKIN. [169O. 
 
 one Man is a Negro, another a Dutch Man, and another a 
 Chinese. 
 
 To return to our Fish. A certain Naturalist calls that 
 ■which is niark'd A, a Sea-Swallow, and attributes a great 
 many Properties to it, which I shall not repeat. That which 
 I have mark'd B, is called a Mullet, in Sanson Mathurins^ 
 Journal; he was a famous Pilot in the Mediterranean, oxvi^i 
 us'd to see them in the Gidph of Lyons and elsewhere. The 
 3rd, mark'd C, was taken from the K. of Denmark's Cabinet, 
 where I have some reason to believe 'tis not exactly design'd : 
 For when these Animals grow dry, 'tis a hard matter to 
 observe their true Form. There are some of them that 
 have four Wings. Those we eat tasted something like a 
 Herring. 
 
 These poor little Creatures, that may be taken for an 
 Emblem of perpetual Fear, are continually flying and rising to 
 save themselves; they are very often caught in the Ship's 
 Sails: they fly as long as there remains any Moisture in their 
 Wings ; which, as soon as they are dry, turn to Fins again ; 
 and they are forc'd to take again to the water, or else, their 
 Fright is always so great, they would fly to the End of the 
 World. 
 
 The Efforts they make to become rather Inhabitants of 
 the Air than of the Water, is to avoid the Persecution of the 
 Goldfish and the Bonita's, who are at eternal War With them. 
 But these wretched Animals fly from one Peril, and are 
 immediately overtaken by another; for the cruel Birds are 
 their irreconcilable Enemies, and always on the watch in 
 great Flocks to devour them, as soon as they enter the new 
 Element, where they thought they shou'd find an Asylum 
 from their Foes of the Sea. The Porpoises make the same 
 War upon the Goldfish, as tlie latter do on the Flying Fish : 
 and all tliis gives us a true Image of human Life ; which is 
 
 1 Sanson Mathurin, after whom, probably, Port Matliuriii, in Rod- 
 riguez, was named. 
 
1690.] ISLES OF CAPE VERD. 11 
 
 nothing but continual Dangers, and in which tlie Weak 
 commonly fall a Victim to tlie Strong. 
 
 Our Ship wanting Balast, we put into the Island of Salt, 
 one of the Isles of Cape Vcrcl^ wliich we disco ver'd the 29th 
 of October, and arriv'd the next Day in the Eoad, where we 
 cast Anchor in a Creek to the Southward of the Island, in 
 eight Fathom Water. A great Number of Sea-Birds carne 
 to visit our Vessel, and perching on our Yards, let us take 
 them by hand : we eat some of them, but we did not like 
 them. We caught Fools, Frigates, Longtails, and other 
 Birds. Perhaps I shall have room to speak of these Animals 
 hereafter. We had a Swallow ever since w^e came from the 
 Canaries, which we let go every Morning, and it return'd to 
 us at Night ; 'twas kill'd here by an Accident. 
 
 The 31st we went ashoar, early in the Morning, with our 
 Arms and Dogs to hunt ; we found presently a prodigious 
 Quantity of Goats ; we cou'd easily see them, tho' at a great 
 distance, for the Island is extreamly dry, without Tree or 
 Bush, producing nothing but a sort of short Grass, at least 
 in the greatest part of what we saw : we kill'd some of them, 
 and left 'em on a Bank, to take them with us Mdien we came 
 back, for we went farther into the Island, and search'd about 
 two or three Hours for fresh Water, but all that we met 
 with was brackish ; by which means we were almost dead 
 with Thirst. The Sun shines very hot in this Isle, and 
 there being no Shade, the Heat was very troublesome to us ; 
 we therefore return'd to our Goats, and thence to the Sea- 
 side, where we arriv'd about Sun-set. When we came back 
 
 1 The Cape Verde islands are a group of fourteen islands, situated 
 about 320 miles west of Cape Verde. Sal island is the north-eastern- 
 most of the islands ; it is seventeen miles long, north and south, and about 
 five miles broad, with rocky shores and mountains, the most northern of 
 which — Pico Martinez — is 1,340 feet high. The only production of this 
 island is salt, which is now brought to the sea-coast on tramways. 
 South Bay or Torte Santa INIaria, where Leguat landed, is the only 
 iidiabited settlement on the island. 
 
12 LACK OF WATER. [169O. 
 
 ■\ve found tliere a very handsome Horse, of a reddish hay 
 Cohjur, Ids Main and Tail trailing on the ground ; 'twas, 
 fierce, and never had any Horse a better Shape, nor a more 
 magnificent Chest : he ran away immediately, and let us see 
 that his Heels were good. I know not what Name to give to 
 another Animal which we also saw, but were not so jiear it ; 
 I believe 'twas a sort of Cat, but one of our Company would 
 have it to be a Fo.x : And 1 am mistaken, if he is more 
 happy in his Conjecture than the Translators of the rsalms^ 
 into French, when they make David say, His Enemies should 
 he a Prey to Foxes. We found most of our Companions 
 ashoar catching Turtles, we went along with them up into 
 another part of the Country and digg'd, in hopes of meeting 
 with fresh "Water, but all our Labour was in vain, Night 
 came upon us, and we slept on the Sand, it being a Star-light 
 .Night. Nor were we less weaken'd by Hunger and Thirst, 
 than tir'd with Hunting. As we lay all of us in a sound 
 sleep, we were on a sudden vvaken'd by the braying Musick 
 of a Rustick Eegiment of Asses, of which we cou'd not rid 
 our selves, but by braying as they did, und liring twice or 
 thrice a Fuzee at them ; but they had scarce turn'd their 
 Backs upon us, when another Troop of the same Beasts 
 entertain'd us with the same Song : They were accompany'd 
 by above five hundred Goats, which surrounding us, we cou'd 
 sleep no longer : At last these Animals retir'd, and we 
 imagin'd if we follow'd them, they might perhaps lead us to 
 some hidden Spring. As we believ'd, it happen'd, part of 
 them descended into a little Pit, where there was Water, 
 which they drank : AVe rejoyc'd all of us, as if we had found 
 a Treasure ; but this Water was also salt. These Beasts 
 having been forc'd to drink of it from their Births, 'tis now 
 become customary to them. 
 
 ' Allusion to verse 1 1 of Psalm Ixiii : " Tradrntnr hi manns rjladli . partes 
 viiljiiitm crunl" (" That tlicy may be a portion for foxes"). {I\Iulkr.) 
 Prol ably version by Marot and cle Beze. 
 
1690.] HAKD FARE. 13 
 
 Day broke, and Hunger still pressing us, we had a mind 
 to roast a Leg of a Goat, I dare not say of a Kid, 'tis too 
 honourable a Term for it, and I am sorry that ever I should 
 call these Beasts Goats. For want of Wood, we heap'd 
 Asses and Horse Dung together, made a Piramid of it, like 
 one of Dutch turfs, hung Pieces of Flesh on Strings, and turn- 
 ing 'em round by a good Fire, our Meat was soon ready. 
 But, alas, such Meat, such a Taste, sucli a Smell, that I can 
 scarce forbear vomiting when I think of it. There's no 
 Sawce like a good Stomach. Every Man's teeth went to 
 work, we tore it to pieces, chaw'd it as well as we cou'd, and 
 down it went without Water. 'Tis probable tlie Eeader will 
 say here, we were in the wrong to amuse ourselves in this 
 Eascally Island, whereas we might have gone aboard and 
 have eat and drank our fill : He must therefore know. That 
 the Seamen who had set us ashoar, were return'd with their 
 Long-boat to the Ship, and, whether we wou'd or not, we 
 were oblig'd to stay till they came for Vis : They cou'd not 
 think that we far'd so ill ; they saw us making good Cheer 
 by a good Fire, afar off, and did not doubt we were very well 
 at our ease. At last they brought the Boat for us about 
 Noon, and we returned to our Swallow. 
 
 The Isle of Salt is not eight Leagues about, 'tis so call'd, 
 because Ships go thither to load Salt, which is there excellent 
 in its kind, and in abundance, lying in the crevises of the 
 Ptocks, on the South Coast of the Island. 'Tis made with- 
 out Art by the Sea and the Sun. Here also Sailors come to 
 turn the Turtle, a Term us'd by them for killing it, because 
 they turn the Turtle on its Back when they catch it ; 
 all the Shear is cover'd with these Animals, especially in 
 the Season, wlien they lay their Eggs. We turn'd some of 
 these stupid and slow Creatures, and amongst the rest, two 
 which, according to the guess of the Skillful, weigh'd 500 
 Pound each. We Carry'd all that was good of them aboard 
 with us. 
 
It willughby's flamantes. [1690. 
 
 There is nothing more to be said of the Isle of Salt. AVe 
 found some Coio-dunri there, but could see no Coics ; and all 
 the Birds we met with were Sparrows, they are like ours 
 except in their size, for they are not half so big. 
 
 We must not forget the fine Shells that are spread over all 
 the Coast, tlie variety of them is Charming, and I never saw 
 any in any other Place so beautiful as here ; they are certainly 
 the work of an excellent Workman. The shineing of the 
 Enameling, the mixture and diversity of the Colours, the 
 Form, the Delicacy, the Symmetry, every thing Charms, 
 and raises in us a just Admiration of the Great Creator. I 
 was bound for the Indies, the Antipodes, I did not know 
 whether ; for Desert Islands from whence I thought I should 
 never return : And my Head being full of such Thoughts, I 
 could not amuse my self to gather Shells ; but had I touch'd 
 at this Island when I came back, I should certainly have 
 furnish'd my self plentifully with them. 
 
 I must own, now it comes into my Mind, I was sorry that 
 as I walkt about the Island, I could not meet with any of 
 those great and beautiful Birds call'd Flamans, from Flam- 
 hoyans (Flaminc), wliich by relation of Voyagers, are tlie 
 most considerable of the Place. 'Twas not only a simple 
 desire to see these Birds ; the greatest Pleasure I propos'd 
 to my self by it, was to compare the different draughts I had 
 of them with the Original ; For all that have describ'd them, 
 except J\lr. Willourjhhy, at least all the Authors (and they are 
 not a few in number), whicli I have seen who have spoke of 
 them, make the beak of these Birds like a Spatula or a Spoon, 
 whereas Mr. Willonfjhhj designs tliem with a sharp Beak. 
 
 This curious Naturalist adds, that he believes these Birds 
 had the name of Flamantes^ given them, rather on account 
 
 1 "On y voit beaucoup de ^ros & de menu detail, & particulicrcnicnt 
 des boucs : les Isles du Mai, de Bonne- vuii & du Sel, en fournissant 
 assez pour charger des vaisseaux qu'on envoie an Bresil. 
 
 " 11 n'y a pas une moindre abondance de volatiles, comrne de poules de 
 Barbaric, perdrix. cailles. alouettcp, & une sorte d'oiseaux que Ics For- 
 
1690.] VIOLENT WIIIRUYINDS. 15 
 
 of some of their Feathers, whose colour is like that of flaming 
 Fire, than because they were originally of Flanders. And 
 certainly our learned Author is in the Eight ; for 'tis most 
 sure that such Fleminrjs as these are as great Strangers in 
 Flanders, as in England. 
 
 The Uh of Novcml. we wcigh'd Anchor, the Wind being 
 fair, and sail'd towards the Isle of Martin- Vas, according to 
 our Orders. 
 
 The "ith the Wind continuing still fair, we saw and 
 doubled the Island Bonavid, which is as bad as the Isle of 
 Salt; 'tis longer and more Mountainous. We could see no 
 more Trees on this Island than we had done on the other. 
 
 The 11^//. we the first time made tryal of one of those 
 short but troublesom Tempests, which the Seamen call 
 Gusts,'^ and we had 'em from time to time afterwards till we 
 crost the Line. These are a sort of violent Whirlwinds 
 mingled with Eain, which rises at once, but do's not com- 
 monly last above a quarter of an Hour. We always prepare 
 to receive them ; for we- can spy the Gusts afar off : we im- 
 mediately furl our Top-sails, which otherwise wou'd be 
 carry 'd away, and the Masts broken. 
 
 tugais appellent Flamencos, qui ont sur le corps des plumes blanches, & 
 qui sont de la grosseur d'uii eigne, ou d'une cigogne. On y trouvc 
 encore des poules communes, de paons, des herons, quantite de tour- 
 terelles & de lapins." (/'•« Voiage des Hollamlo}^.) 
 
 " Not less exact are his observations on the birds which, at that 
 time, were represented under the name of Flamans. He says, indeed, 
 tliat the numerous authors whom he had consulted, except Willughby, 
 attributed to these birds the bill of a Spoonbill ; and, in fact, the name 
 of Flamants was at that time generally given to large, red INIarsh-birds. 
 The true Flamhnjo was figured by Willughby, while many others, 
 Rochefort for instance, whom Leguat respectfully quotes, described 
 and figured the red Spoonbill of America {Platalea ajaja) uuder the 
 name of Flamnnt:' (Schlegcl, Ibis, 1866, p. 151.) 
 
 Franciscus Willughby, Oniilholopiee Lihri ires, in qiiihis Aves omiies 
 Jiactenus co(jnilx in mctlwdnm. nnturis sids convenioitem describiintur (Lon- 
 don, 1676). 
 
 1 '' Grains" in French edition, i.e., squalls. 
 
16 WATRY DRAGONS. [169O. 
 
 "When the "Wind is too stronfj we lower all our Sails, or 
 carry as little as we can. While this Tempest lasts, the Sea 
 is in an extream agitation, and seems to be all on Fire. 
 These Gusts often happen several times in the same Day, 
 during which the Ships Crew is ev'ry Man hard put to it ; a 
 Calm commonly succeeds in a very little wliile after the 
 Storm. We also escap'd several watry Dragons,^ and on the 
 V2th the Wind ceas'd in the height of 7 Deg. 15 Min. 
 
 At Night we caught a Bird something like a Woodcock,, 
 which flew about our Ship all day long ; The Mariners kill'd 
 her not so much for the pleasure of eating her, tho' that was 
 worth their while, as to revenge lier driving away four 
 Swallows which had follow'd us some time, and every Morn- 
 ing and Night entertain'd us with Musick the more agree- 
 able, because it puts us in mind of the dear Laud, which is 
 so well belov'd by all Men that are sailing in the middle of 
 . the vast Ocean. 
 
 The 13^/^ an hour after Day-liglit we met with a furious 
 Gust, which brouglit our ^Nfain-top-mast by the Board, having 
 broke the Iron Hoop that bound it. I observe this only be- 
 cause all oar Crew were very much amaz'd at it. 
 
 The I'ith we saw a prodigious number of Gold-fish and 
 Bonitas, of which I have spoken. These Fish being well 
 enough known, I did not describe them ; but since I liave 
 occasion to speak of 'em again, I have a great mind to tell 
 what sort of Fisli those were that I saw. 
 
 The Gold-fish"^ of America, of which Mr. de Roche- 
 
 1 " C'estun de ces gros tourbillons que lesMariniers appellant Trompes, 
 Pompes ou Dragons d'eau. Ce font comme de longs Tubes ou Cylindres 
 formez de vapeurs ^paisses, lesquelles touchent les nues d'une de leurs 
 extr^niitez, & de Tautre la Mer, qui paroit boiiillouner tout autour." 
 ( Voyage de Siain, p. 49.) 
 
 2 " In his observations on the dorade honito, he (Leguat) quotes" (says 
 Schlegel) "Rochefort and llondeletius, the last of whom he subsequently 
 takes to task severely (p. 89, English edition), and on this occasion it 
 ajjpears that, at the time of liis return, he took an interest in natural, 
 
1690.] THE 150NITA. 17 
 
 fort^ writes, liave sliarp Heads, I know nothing of sucli Gold- 
 fish as these; those that I saw had a round flatish Snout, that 
 gives them a certain Pliysiognomy, in wliich I did not take 
 much delight. Neither do I believe that any Body values this 
 Fish for the beauty of its shape, but that of its Colours are 
 admirable : There are two sorts of Gold-fish, that which I have 
 giv'n tlie Figure of, is enammel'd on its Back, with speckles 
 of a blewish Green on a black Ground : Its Belly is of a 
 bright Silver Colour, its Tail and Fins as if gilded with fine 
 Gold ; Nothing can be more bright and shining when 'tis in 
 its Element, or before it begins to Mortifie, which it does pre- 
 sently when 'tis out of it : ^Tis four or five foot long, and not 
 thicker than a Salmon.^ Bondelet calls it the Sea-Bream, our 
 ]\Tariners told me, that the other Species of the Gold-fish 
 differs from this only in that its Jaw sticks out a little more, 
 and that its Speckles are a beautiful Azure on a Golden 
 Ground. The flesh of this Fisli is firm, and tasts very 
 well. 
 
 The Bonita is generally three or four Foot long, very thick 
 and Fleshy, its Back is cover'd with a little Scale, so thin, 
 that one can scarce perceive it ; 'tis of a Slate colour, and a 
 little upon the Green in some Places. Its Belly is of a grey 
 Pearl colour, and turns brown near the Back ; four streaks of 
 a yellowish colour begin at the side of its Head, run along 
 the Body almost at a Parallel distance, and join at tlie Tail, 
 which is not unlike that of a Makarel. Its Eye is large and 
 lively, resembling a Jet-stone set in a Silver Eing. I have 
 
 history ; for he inserts, for comparison, the figure of a honito, wliich 
 one of his friends had draAvn and couununicated to him from an ex- 
 ample, caught in 1702, on the coast of Kent" (Ibis, 1866, p. 151). The 
 French word is " lorade", nowadays commonly called "Dolphins" by 
 misapplication. N.B. — Dorades and bonitos are very different kinds of 
 fishes. 
 
 1 Histoirc uidurcUe ct morale cks Iks Ant/llcs, par L. de Poincy et C. 
 de Rocliefort (Uottcri?am, 1665). 
 
 - Kondolet ((»al.), Lihr/ <Jr jn'scihiix m<triiii^ (1554-55, Lugduni). 
 
 C * 
 
18 THE GERMON. [169O. 
 
 design'd the Shape uf its Body, and the Disposition of its 
 P'ins. Near the Tail of it, there are six little things like 
 square Fins on the Back of it not an inch High, and over 
 against thein under its Belly there are seven. 
 
 As I was writing this, a Friend of mine, who is always 
 admiring the Divine Wonders of Nature, and very nicely 
 considers them ; told me that he had measur'd and design'd 
 a Bonita Mhich was taken in the year 1702 near Rtjc, on 
 tlie Kentish Shoar, and which diii'er'd in several things from 
 that I have been speaking of. The Keader will, I doubt not, 
 be pleas'd to see the Billet which my Friend wrote me on 
 this Subject, when he sent me the draught of this Bonita. 
 
 "The Fish which in the Indian Sea is call'd Bonita, is 
 known on the Coasts of France, and particularly between 
 the Loire and the Garonne, by the name of Gcrmon. It very 
 rarely enters the Channel, which I note en imsmnt is quite 
 contrary to the Makarel ; for the Coasts of Normandy, 
 especially the Bessin^ and Costcntin are full of them ; whereas 
 they are never, or very rarely, seen about Rochclle. The 
 German or Bonita of our Seas, is certainly a Fish of the 
 same Species with the Bonitas you saw in your Voyages, but 
 the Species varies a little, a thing that may be observ'd in 
 all sorts of Animals, as soon as we change the Country, as 
 you have your self taken notice. The last Bonita which I 
 saw, and which was taken near Bye in tlie beginning of 
 June 1702 was just three Foot long, and its Body propor- 
 tionably greater than that which you design'd in the Figure 
 you shew'd me ; for thrice the breadth of it where 'twas 
 broadest, made compleatly its length. I send you an exact 
 draught of it. At the first view one would think that this 
 
 1 " Besain and Costeidin.'' " Costentlii = Cotentin, the large Norman 
 peninsula, the only peninsula in France, which now forms the depart- 
 ment of La Manclie. Besnin is the name of a small district, not now 
 marked on any map, Avhose principal town is Port-en-Bessin, not far 
 ficm Bayeux, Calvados.'' {fJalirki Marc I.) 
 
1690.] TRADE WINDS. 19 
 
 Fish did not open its Mouth very wide, but there's a secret 
 help for that, and it opens it as far as the place mark'd a. 
 Its Teeth above and below are so little, so short, and so 
 weak, that one wou'd think they were only made for Scratch- 
 ing : Its Tongue is broad, blackish, and hard at the Eoot, 
 but soft and a little reddish at the Tip. Its Eye is a good 
 Inch Diameter : Tlie Sight like very white and transparent 
 Chrystal, and the Circle that surrounds it, is more Brilliant 
 than pollish'd Gold. 
 
 " The colour of this Fish is the same with that of which 
 you have giv'u us a Description, tho' it has no Scales on its 
 Back, it has nothing but a smooth Skin on its Back and 
 Belly, and on its Side between the Tail and the Fins near 
 the Gills, there's a scaly List two Inches broad, the Scales so 
 little and so fine, that they are scarce perceptible : Its two 
 Fins, if I may call them so, which are mark'd B, are bony 
 and immoveable. In the narrowest part of its Tail, there's 
 a knot on each side, out of which grows a little hairy Tuft 
 that is not above an Inch and a half long. 
 
 " Whereas your Fisli has but six of those little Fins which 
 you have represented in your Draught, to be upon the Back 
 toward the Tail, and seven under it; this has nine above 
 and eight below, c.c, Shews where the Gills are which open 
 one another very easily. And d.d., is like a great Scale, 
 which cannot be but very little lifted up all about it.' 
 
 The Trade-winds^ having left us in the 9th Degree, we had 
 nothing after tliat but Gusts and Calms till we came to the 
 Line, no sooner was one gone, but another came. The Heat 
 was not excessive, we cou'd very well bear our Night-gowns 
 all Night long. 
 
 We crost the Line the 2od of Novcmhcr, and were oblig'd 
 to undergoe the impertinent Ceremony of Bivptism, at least 
 
 1 Soinetinies the nortli-cast and south-east trade winds meet, gene- 
 rally somewhere about the meridian of 28^, or 33^ -west, where a vessel 
 may, by chauce, pass in a squall froua one trade to the other. 
 
 c2 
 
20 AN ANCIENT CUSTOM. [169O. 
 
 all those who had not assisted at the same Festival before, 
 or would not buy themselves ofT for a piece of ^loncy. 
 
 'Tis an ancient Custom, and will not be abolish'd without 
 difficulty ; 'tis also sometimes done when we pass the Tvo- 
 picks. I shall in a few words report how this fine Ceremony 
 was perforni'd in our Vessel. One of the Seamen who had 
 past the Line before, drest himself in Eags, with a beard and 
 Hair of Hards of Hemp, and black'd his face with Soot and 
 Oil mix'd together. Thus Equip'd, holding a Sea-Chart in 
 one Hand, and a Cutlass in the other, with a Pot full of 
 blacking Stuff standing by him, he presented himself upon 
 Deck attended by his Suffragans, drest as whimsically as 
 himself, and arm'd with Grid-Irons, Stoves, Kettles, and little 
 Bells ; with which rare Instruments they made a sort of 
 Musick, the goodness of which may be easily imagin'd. 
 
 They cali'd those that were to be initiated into these Rites 
 and Mysteries one after another, and having made them sit 
 down on the edge of a Tub full of Water, they oblig'd them 
 to put one Hand on the Chart, and promise that on the like 
 Occasion they wou'd do to others what was at that time done 
 to them. Then they gave them a mark in the Forehead 
 with the stuff out of the Pot, wetted their faces with Sea- 
 water, and askt them if they wou'd give the Crew any thing 
 to drink, promising them they wou'd in such case let them go 
 without doing any further Pennance. Those that gave were 
 presently discharg'd, and some avoided this unpleasant Prx- 
 ludium to what was to follow, by giving 'em something 
 Extraordinary : It cost me but a Crown to have the same 
 Privilege with the Latter. As for those who paid nothing 
 they were thrown into the Tub of Water over Head and 
 Ears, and then wash'd and scrub'd every where with the 
 Ships P>allast ; and I believe this scrubbing and wash- 
 ino; lasted much longer than those who were so treated 
 desir'd. 
 
 Our Frigat and Boat having never past the Line, they were 
 
1690.] TROPICK OF CAPRICORN. 21 
 
 subjected, to the same Law. The Captain was oblig'd to give 
 something to save the Beakhead of his Ship, the Seamen 
 alledging, 'twas their Eight to cut off the Boats Nose else. 
 The Money the Men got by it, was laid np to be spent on the 
 wdiole Crew when opportunity offer'd. Every Nation prac- 
 tices this ridiculous Custom after a different Manner. 
 
 We kept on a straight course towards the Isles of Martin 
 Vas^ which are in 20 Degrees South Latitude, and we bad 
 the Captain put in there, that we might go a-shoar and visit 
 them according to our Orders. He having no design to touch 
 there, reply'd, That the Kound-top of our Fore-Mast was half 
 broken, and we should have a great deal of trouble to make 
 those Islands, because we must go near the Wind, and tack 
 all the Way: lie therefore chang'd his Course, notwith- 
 standing all our Entreaties to the contrary, and the Contempt 
 we shew'd for his false and trivial Seasons. Thus we made 
 the Cape of the Island of Tristan d'Acugna, which is in 37 
 Deg. of South Latitude. 
 
 The lOth of Dcmnlcr we past the Tropick of Capricorn, 
 and enter'd the Southern Temperate Zone. 
 
 The loth we were visited by several Birds, there were 
 abundance of those which are call'd Great Gullets, and which 
 rather shou^l have the name of great Craws,^ on account of 
 their great hanging Breasts. They are almost as big as a 
 Goose, are very tall, but neither handsom nor good to eat; their 
 Flesh being tough, and having a strange Tast. Their Heads 
 are big, their Beaks long and sharp, their Bodies white, their 
 
 1 Trinidad and Martin Vas form a small but remarkable group of 
 rocky islets uear the usual track of sailing vessels bound for the Cape, 
 in lat. 20° 30' S., long. 2T 21' \V. The Martin Vas rocks lie twenty- 
 six miles from Trinidad ; they are three in number, and the largest is 
 visible thirty miles off. 
 
 2 In the print of the French edition it is named Grand Gosicr, a well- 
 known French name for a pelican ; but Leguat's figure, entitled The 
 Great Throat, seems to represent a heron of some kind. It is impossible 
 to specify the bird. 
 
22 MONSIGNOH DE GODEAU. [169O. 
 
 Wings brown or russet, their Neck sometimes short, some- 
 times long, according as they please, either to stretch it out 
 or shrink it up. 'Tis a melancholy Bird that passes whole 
 days on the brink of a Eock, hanging its Head over into the 
 Sea, like a Fisherman with a Line to catch little Fish. 
 Though the figure of this Creature was not at first sight very 
 pleasing to us, they v/ere however very welcome, because we 
 were weary of seeing nothing but Water, and the least new 
 Objects diverted us. Like their Highnesses in those little 
 out-of-the-way Courts where no Company comes to interrupt 
 their Solitude ; or like the Nuns who are so greedy of Society 
 in their Solitary Convents. 
 
 The 11 til we heard the Seamen cry a Whale,^ another 
 ]\Lirine Pleasure ; every Body rose immediately to pay our 
 Compliment to the Eminency of a great black-Back, which 
 swam up and down slowly about our ship. 
 
 A Moment after we saw fifteen or twenty more, which put 
 me in mind of what i\Ir. de Godeaic- says elegantly in his 
 Poems : — 
 
 1 There are two distinct families of Cetaceans. The first, Odonto- 
 ceti, or toothed whales, include the spouting whales, which subsist on 
 fish and sepias, representing the carnivorous class, exemplified by the 
 sperm-whales, porpoises, and dolphins. The second division comprises 
 the whalebone whales, as the rorquals and myxticcUs, the true or right 
 whales, provided with filameiits of whalebone. 
 
 The whales seen by Leguat were probably the sperm-whales, the 
 largest and most valuable of the southern whales. These are gregarious, 
 and are found in parties, termed by whalers "schools" or "pods", 
 according to the size of the association. 
 
 - ''^ Mon.slgnor Goileau, a witty prelate, and an hahitue of the Hotel de 
 Rambouillet, who was one of the first members of the French Academy. 
 It is related that he owed the bishopric of Grasse to the irresistible 
 habit of punning possessed by Richelieu. Godeau having written a 
 paraphrase of the canticle, Bcnedicite omnia opera, presented it to the 
 Cardinal, who was so pleased with it, that, after having read it over 
 again in the presence of the autlior, he said to him : ' You offer me the 
 lienediction, I offer you in return {(jrdces, thanks) Grasse.' '' {Ewjene 
 Midler.) 
 
iCgO.] ALOYSIO CADAMUSTO. 23 
 
 " Thou, for tlie Beauty of the Uuiverse, 
 With Mousters various in their Forms 
 Hast Peopled all the Liquid Plains ; 
 And wil'st that all within the spatious Deep, 
 To the huge Whales shou'd Homage pay 
 Who look like floating Rocks upon the Sea." ^ 
 
 Indeed sncli as have no more Experience of the Sea than 
 honest Aloysio Gadamusto^ had, and all his Ships Crew 
 iniao-ine, that these huge Beasts seek after to devour them. 
 This celebrated Voyager in the I Chapter of the History of 
 his Navigation tells us, they were all very much afraid of a 
 terrible Monster, whose Fins were like the Sails of a Wind- 
 mill, which came down upon them, but they escap'd that 
 Danger, by clapping all their Sails to, and flying faster than 
 tlie Monster could pursue them. As for us, we were so far 
 from being afraid, that we were extreamly delighted to see 
 those Colosses play in the Waves with as much agility, as a 
 Bird flies in the Air. One of these Whales^ was much bigger 
 than any of the rest, and lookt like a little Isle with a little 
 Mountain in it, on the surface of the smooth Ocean. 
 
 1 question whether that prodigious half of a Jaw which is 
 
 1 " Pour la beaute de I'LJuivers, 
 
 De Monstres en formes divers 
 
 Tu peuplas les humides plaines ; 
 
 Et voulus qu'en leur vaste enclos, 
 Tons rendissent liommage a ces lourdes Baleincs 
 Qu'on prend pour des (3cueils sur la face des flots." 
 
 2 Voyages of Cadaraosto and Pedro de Cintra, in the Portuguese 
 service, 14:54-1463, in the collection of voyages by Vicenza, 1507. 
 
 3 Compare Milton (1GG5), Paradise Lost, Book vii : — 
 
 " . . . . these leviathan, 
 Hugest of living creatures, on the deep, 
 Stretch'd like a promontory, sleeps or swims, 
 And seems a moving land.'' 
 
 When a solitary or lone sperm-wliale is observed it almost invariably 
 proves to be an old bull. When two or more schools of whales coalesce 
 and form a very large assemblage, this is technically distinguished as a 
 " body of whales". 
 
24 PATRICIUS VAUTOMANNI. [169O. 
 
 thought worthy to be fasten'd to the Wall of the Pallace of 
 Si. James's in London, belong'd to an Animal of a more 
 Monstrous size.^ Our Seamen who had Patricius Vartomanni's 
 Eelation,^ cou'd not help laughing when they read what that 
 famous Author writes of Whales that piss'd, as high as the 
 Clouds. 
 
 But if they had read Pliny and Soliims, venerable for their 
 Antiquity, with their Whales 960 Foot long, their inclination 
 to Laugh, had been cliaug'd into a mortal Fright, for fear of 
 being all swallow'd, Ship, Anchors, Sails, Masts, Men, and 
 Goods : For tho' those that are commonly call'd Naturalists, 
 have for a long time us'd themselves to affirm, that Jonas 
 cou'd not be swallow'd by a Whale, because the Throat of 
 these Animals is so straight, that hardly a Pilcher can go 
 down it ; yet every Body do's not believe what they say, as 
 a matter beyond all Dispute. There are few Men who have 
 themselves Dissected Whales, and have seen with their own 
 Eyes what sort of Throats they have ; besides, we must con- 
 sider there are several different kinds of these Marine 
 Monsters, And as I cannot refuse believing P. George 
 Fournier,^ a very curious Man, and very knowing in every 
 thing which belongs to the Sea, who assures us in liis Ilydro- 
 f/rajjhy, that two Men were found in the Belly of a Whale 
 that was thrown a-shoar at Valcntia, on the Coast of Spain, 
 a Jaw of which is preserv'd in the Escurial, so I am satisfi'd 
 a Whale of the size Solinus speaks of, wou'd have swallow'd 
 us up as easily, as they do Sack and Loaches in England. 
 
 1 In INIax. ]\lisson's i\lannn\i and Ohsrrvalions in his travels over 
 England, 1G97, translated by Mr. Ozell, 1719, p. 359 :— 
 
 " Whale.] In one of the Courts of St. James's Palace, there is the 
 llib of a Whale twenty feet long. Jonaa would certainly have had 
 Elbow-room enough in the Belly of such a Fish, if the Monster's Throat 
 (or the Gate of the House) was proportionable to the rest; that Point 
 s to be exainin'd." 
 
 2 Navifjalio Vartomaimi ; see Novus Oi-his of Ilorvagius, 1537. 
 
 3 irii(lrv(jraphie, par M. George Fournicr, Paris, 1GG7. 
 
1690.] SAMUEL BOCHAKT. ' 25 
 
 Signior Cadamusto says that his Leviathan was bigger than 
 the Whale, but the Dispute concerning the Whale and the 
 Leviathan, is about a word only ; for the Animal that in all 
 Languages is call'd a Whale, is the biggest of all Fish, and 
 even of all Animals. And from thence Mr. Bochart^ writes 
 (Phal. Vol. II. Book I. Chap. I.) that the word Baleine or 
 Whale is a Syriaque word, which signifies Lord of Fishes. 
 
 1 cou'd willingly say one word more on this Article, to 
 confute the Error of those who imagine the Whale-bone which 
 Women use in tlieir Stays and Gowns, is taken out of the 
 Tail and Fins of this Fish ; for what I say, I know very well, 
 and that is, the Whale-bone we speak of is never found any 
 where but in the Mouth of several kinds of these Animals 
 which have no Teeth : Enough of this, 'tis time to keep on 
 our way, and that I may not be accus'd here of loving Digres- 
 sions, I shall say nothing of the Battel between the Sword- 
 fish and the Whale, which our Mariners told us of, tho' ib 
 cou'd not properly be call'd a Digression, and the thing is 
 curious enough, much more so than the fighting of Cocks, or 
 that of Dogs and Bears, in which whole Nations take 
 delight. 
 
 The 21s^ w^e again met with abundance of Whales, and 
 there was one which I believe scratch'd her self against our 
 Ship,2 but so rudely, that she was flead with it; she found 
 some Fracture which rub'd off the Skin, for when she was 
 at a Distance from us, we perceiv'd she was all bloody, and 
 her scratching had giv'n our Vessel a little shake. 
 
 ^ nierozoicon sive Bipartitum opus de Animalibus S. Scri2)tui\'e, Gcofjr. 
 Sacra, sen Phahcj ct Canaan, 3tia editio, Samuel Bochartus, 3 vol. in 2, 
 fol., Lugduui Batavorum, 1092. Bulxna is derived from <pa\\aiva. 
 
 2 A male sperm-whale of the largest size, and probably the guardian 
 of a " school'', rushed repeatedly at an American whaling ship, the 
 Essex, and stove in the planking of her starboard bow, in 1820. — This 
 Avas a case of assault, which, however, there is nothing to show that 
 Leguafs was. The whale that "scratched" herself against his ship was 
 more likely trying to divest itself of barnacles, with wliich, like most 
 whales, especially in the South Seas, it was probably beset. 
 
26 TRISTAN D'ACUNHA. [169O. 
 
 Arriving in the lieight of the Isle Tristan we sail'd East- 
 loanl to endeavour to gain it, but we cou'd not succeed 
 because of the Fogs and hazy Weather, which we had for 
 five or six days ; we lay by all that while, that we might not 
 go beyond it, nor come too near it. The Weather not clear- 
 ing up, we were afraid of losing our time there, and resolv'd 
 to take hold of the opportunity of a fair Wind which then 
 presented, and might bring us in a few days to the Cape of 
 Good Hope ; But we had not kept on our Course thither six 
 Hours, before the Wind shifted again, and was in our Teeth, 
 which oblig'd the Captain to tell us, he must make a new 
 effort to put into the Isle of Tristan} His pretended design 
 succeeded in some sort, we saw that Island Thursday the 
 21th of Dccemhcr, about six in the Morning, and coasted it 
 from the North, to the South and by East, but we cou'd find 
 no place to cast Anchor, we were always Sounding, but 
 never reach'd the Bottom. 
 
 We perceiv'd plainly enough that the Captain's Chart was 
 false, because there was a Bay mark'd to be in that part 
 which we saw, where there certainly was none at all ; and 
 having no intention that we should land there, he wou'd 
 have perswaded us the Isle was inaccessible : But we were 
 sure Ships had formerly anchor'd there, and were confirm'd 
 in that Opinion by a good Chart of the Sieur Tcstard's, where 
 a Bay was mark'd in another place to the Westward, and it 
 represented the Coasts that were before us, to be, as indeed 
 they were, very high and steep. 
 
 > The Tristan d'Acunha Isles are three in number : Tristan, the 
 largest, to the north-east; Inaccessible, the westernmost and smallest; 
 Nightingale Island, to the south. The N.W. extremity of Tristan, 
 near the settlement, is in lat. 37° 2' S., long. 12° 18' W. The people 
 now living in the village on Tristan form a very interesting community 
 in what is called Falmouth Bay. The Duke of Edinburgh landed here 
 ia 18G7, the Challenger in 1874. It is dangerous to range along the 
 margin of the island nearer than two miles, on account of the baffling 
 eddies, which leave a ship in the onset influence of the swell. 
 
1690.] WHALES AND SRA-WOLFS. 27 
 
 We observ'd a little Island to the SoiUhumrd, but we did 
 not come near it. That Coast of the Isle of Tristan which 
 we saw, was about two Leagues long ; it seem'd to be ex- 
 treamly agreeable, tho' very steep, as I have said ; and tho' 
 we had Mists from time to time, which depriv'd us in part 
 of the sight of it, and sometimes hid it all entirely from us, 
 yet we could see the Hills from the top to the bottom, were 
 adorn'd witli the most beautiful verdure in the World, and 
 we saw the Sun with Pleasure thro' tall and straight Trees, 
 with which the tops of the IMountains were cover'd. Birds 
 were every where flying about, the running Waters flow'd 
 abundantly in several places, from Bason to Bason, making 
 admirable Cascades ; and from the foot of the Hills, to which 
 they rapidly rowPd, they fell precipitately, into the Sea. All 
 the different Beauties of this charming Prospect, made us 
 more desirous to have a nearer view of it, and refresh our 
 selves in so delicious a Place ; but we desir'd it in vain. 
 
 The Sea was almost cover'd with Whales and Sea- Wolfs, 
 which swam to the very Shoar of the Isle playing with the 
 Water, and some of them ran against our Prigat ; about 
 which Hew a great number of Sea-fowl of several kinds, some 
 as big as our Geese, others no bigger than Ducks. The sight 
 of them fill'd us with new Joy, as did every thing that 
 brought the much desir'd Land to our Remembrance : 'Twas 
 to no purpose for us to flatter our selves with hopes of 
 Landing on the lovely Isle that lay before us, and perhaps 
 we might have stay'd there too long if we had. There was 
 the greater likelihood of it, inasmuch as our Healths were 
 very much impair'd, the most Vigorous finding his Strength 
 extreamly decay'd, but we cou'd discover neither Bay nor 
 Port, our Captain not having done all that was in his Power 
 to search after one : We durst not stay near the Shoar in the 
 Night-time ; besides, we were too much expos'd to violent 
 gusts of Wind which blew off Land from between the 
 Mountains, so we pursu'd our Voyage towards the Cape. 
 
28 VACHE MARINE. [169I. 
 
 In the Night the Wind rose so high, that all our Hands 
 found business enough to employ them. The Waves flew 
 up to the top of our ]\Iasts, and there fell so much Water 
 upon Deck, that our young Lad had been drown'd if he had 
 not been very nimbly assisted.' 
 
 On Ncw-Ycars-Day, 1691, we were entertain'd with the 
 sight of a Sea-Cow, of a russet Colour ; sometimes her whole 
 Head, and sometimes above half her Body appear'd above 
 Water; she was thick and round, and seem'd to be more bulky 
 than the bigest of our Cows.^ Her Eye was large, her Teeth 
 or Tusks long, and her Muzzle swell'd out a little : One of 
 our Mariners assur'd us, this Animal had Feet the same as 
 you see in this Figure. 
 
 The 11 ^7i and 12th we saw abundance of Birds as big as 
 Partridges, and very near of the same Colour, which our 
 Ships Crew call'd by the Name of Grissards^ or grey Birds : 
 There were several other sorts, and all of them different from 
 those of our Continent. You may imagine these new Objects 
 were not disagreeable to us ; but what pleas'd us most was, 
 that they were a certain sign of our being near Land. 
 
 1 The figure given by Leguat's publishers of the Vache Murine is all 
 but identical with tliat figured by Pere Taohard, who writes of it: — " On 
 voit dans les grandes Rivieres un Animal monstrueux, qu'on apelle 
 Vache-^Maiine, & qui cgale le Rhinoceros en grandeur, sa chair ou pour 
 mieux dire son lard est bon a manger, & le gout en est fort agreable. 
 J'en ay mis icy la figure.'' {Voyage de Siam, iiv. ii, p. 89.) 
 
 There is much confusion as to the synonyme of so-called sea- 
 elephants, sea-lions, sea-bears, sea-leopards, sea-wolves, etc., which 
 names have been more or less misapplied to all seals with ears, so that 
 it is impossible to form any conjecture as to what tins '•'■Vachc marine" 
 was. The figure given by Legnat is clearly meant to rt^preseut a 
 hippopotamus ; but he could not have met with a hippopotamus at 
 sea I All we can say is, that it was probably not one of the sea-wolves 
 he found at Tristan d'Acunha. 
 
 2 " Des grisets ce sont oyseaux gros comme Pigeons qui vivent de 
 pesche, ils setitcnt trop le marescage" (de Flacourt). " Grisaard"' seems 
 to be any grey sea-bird. Leguat, doubtless, met with " Cape Pigeons", 
 but he would hardly call them " Griasards'': more likely ^^Pintades". 
 
1 69 1.] ISLE ROBBEN. 29 
 
 The Idth in the Evening we saw and knew the Cape of 
 Good Hope, but lost sight of it again in a great Fog, which 
 rose on a sudden, and oblig'd us to ke3p to Sea all that 
 Night. 
 
 The next day we drew near and saw the Isle Bohhcn} 
 which is at the entrance of the Port. This little Island is 
 flat, and has no Dwellings upon it hut some Hutts where 
 the LiniG-hiirncrs live, when they are sent thither to make 
 it. 
 
 All of us had a long while earnestly desir'd to arrive at 
 the Cape, for we all wanted Eefreshment extreamly, being 
 almost eaten up with the Scurvy, and the Grapes beginning to 
 ripen, the Season, was very favourable to us. After having 
 Coasted along the Cape two days, sometimes with a Larboard, 
 and sometimes with a Starboard Tack, because of the con- 
 trary Wind and Current, we at last enter'd the Bay the 2&th 
 of January 1691 and cast Anchor about four in the After- 
 noon. 
 
 Tho' this seems to be an admirable Bay, its vast Bason being 
 enclos'd on one side by a ridge of Mountains, and on the 
 other by a long tract of Earth, which seems instead of a Mole 
 for it. 'Tis however very often dangerous to ride in, the 
 
 1 Robben (so called from the seals which used to inhabit it) or 
 Penguin Island lies five miles N.E. from Green Point, at the entrance 
 to Table Bay, and three miles from Blaauwberg beacli, the northern 
 boundary of" the bay. A constantly northern current sets out between 
 llobben Island and the mainland: added to which the wind blows 
 with great violence from the S.E. In dark or hazy weather many 
 ships have sailed right upon Green Point, without seeing land, whilst 
 their masts were seen over the fog from the elevated ground, so it is a 
 prudent course 'for a stranger not to beat into the bay in thick 
 weather, but to keep off until it is clearer. 
 
 " On laisse sur la gauche en entrant unelsle asscz basse nomm6e I'Isle 
 Robin, au milieu de laquelle les Hollandois ont arbore leur Pavilion, lis 
 y relegucnt ceux du pais, & meme ceux des Iiides qu'ils veulent punir 
 de banissement & les obligent d'y travailler a la chaux, qu'ils font des 
 coquillages, que la Mer y jotte." {Pcre Tachurd, 1G8G.) 
 
30 CABO TORMENTADO. [169I. 
 
 reason of which is, partly for tliat one of those Mountains 
 Avhich oup;ht always to be a shelter to it, is sometimes, and 
 even frequently a fatal Source of those impetuous Gusts, that 
 presently put all the Ships into a terrible Disorder ; besides, 
 the Sea-winds are very furious, they blow with a frightful 
 force, and the Anchorage not being very good, Ships are in 
 great danger of running a-shoar, or oversetting, and no ]>oats 
 are then suffer'd to come off to them. This bad Mountain is 
 near the Point of the Cape, and call'd the Devil's Mountain, 
 on account of the mischief it do's. 'Twas in the year 1493 
 that Jjcirtholomeiu Diaz^ was sent by John II, King oi Portugal 
 to discover this Cape ; but he says, the dreadful Winds that 
 always blow there, hinder'd him from Landing, and for that 
 Reason he gave the Place the Name of Tormcntado, the 
 Tempestuous. The story adds, the King reply'd they shou'd 
 not be so soon discourag'd, and that he wou'd himself give 
 that Land the Name of the Cape of Good Hope? 
 
 1 A Portuguese expedition under Bartholomew Dias was despatched 
 by King John II, from Lisbon, in 1487, along the west and south 
 coasts of Africa, to find a route to the Indies, and successfully reached the 
 Cape, named Caho 7 or/H('?(<o.s-o. afterwards Cabo de Boa Esperanoa, which 
 name, some say, was given it instead of Agesingue, its proper designa- 
 tion, because that was the farthest the Portuguese King hoped to 
 extend his explorations and conquests, or because this Cape gave expec- 
 tation of better countries and discoveries beyond it. (TFe/w.) 
 
 2 Tiie southern promontory of Africa, commonly called the Cape of 
 Good Ilojoe, is a i)eiiinsula twenty-eight miles in length, composed of 
 a vast mass of mountainous and rocky land. The north end of this 
 promontory forms the west side of Table Bay, on the south coast of 
 which stands Cape Town, having near it, on the west, the Lion's Moun- 
 tain, 2,180 feet high ; at two miles from it, to the south, the Table Moun- 
 tain, 3,550 feet, eastward of which is the Devil's Berg, 3,270 feet, and 
 other elevations. 
 
 The Cape, on approaching, either from the east or west, has the 
 appearance of a large island. Of all the land the most remarkable 
 feature is Table Mountain, which appears to have a fiat, level summit 
 with perpendicular sides. It is composed of a sandstone and quartzose 
 rock resting on a granite base. 
 
 When the S.E. wind blows at t'ne Cape, a remarkable phenomenon 
 
169 1.] TABLE MOUNTAIN. 31 
 
 There are two other Mountains near the Devil's, one call'd 
 the Lyon's Mountain; for that when we see it from the Bay, 
 some Men fansie it looks like a Lyon Coucliant. On the top 
 of it there's always a Guard, and ten pieces of Canon : And 
 wlien any Ships are discover'd at Sea, notice of it is giv'n to 
 the Port. 
 
 The other Mountain is call'd the Tahle Monniain, and with 
 good reason : for its Summit being cut off Horizontally, it 
 naturally enough represents the figure of a Table. There's 
 a little Lake or Pond at the top of it, which supplies part of 
 the cultivated Lauds in the bottom with Water: We had 
 several Charts, and took several views of the Bay, but this^ 
 seem'd to us to be the best. 
 
 We found four Ships there, two Dutch (the Black Lion and 
 the Mountain of China), one English, and one Danish. Our 
 Guns being still in the Hold, we coii'd not Salute them at 
 first according to Custom. 'Twas the next day before they 
 were ready, and when fir'd, it had been better we had let it 
 alone, unless we cou'd have come off more luckily ; though, 
 as it happen^l, 'twas well it was no worse ; for one of our 
 Guns which was loaden witli Ball ever since we came from 
 the Tc.rel, and had not been discharg'd, was forgotten to be 
 loaden, and being fir'd struck the Wall of the Fort, after 
 
 attends it, in tliat a dense, continuous mantle of cloud rests upon the 
 summits, and pouring down the precipitous sides like a cataract, dissolves 
 in vapour at about 1,000 feet. This majestic white cap is called by the 
 inliabitants " the table-cloth", and by the French La perruque (cf. 
 Findlay, op. cit., p. 211). 
 
 1 Vide Voyage de Siam, des Pens Jesuites, cnvoycz par le Roy aux hides 
 tV a la Chine. Avcc Icurs Observations Astronomiques, cllmrs Rentarqnes 
 de Physique^ de Gcocjrapliie, d'J/ydrograph/e S,- d'llistoire. A Paris, 
 M.DC.LXXXvi.,7)«r Gny Tachard de la Compagnie de Jesus. Plate of La 
 Baye du Cap de Bonne Esperance, p. 62, qto. edition; p. 53, 12mo 
 edition, 1G87. C. Vermeiden fecit. The only difference between Tacbard's 
 charts and tliat in Leguat's volume is the difference of size, with the in- 
 sertion of four ships and the omission of four large fish, me:\nt perhaps 
 for wlialcs, in the Jesuit's drawing. 
 
32 A VIOLENT 8ALUTATI0X. [ 1*^9 1- 
 
 having past llivougli tlic middle of tliirty Persons, and hnisli'd 
 a little the Beard of the Serjeant, who return'd ns our r.ullet. 
 We were chid for our Nej,digence, and that was all. I 
 remember to have read in Zcunhnrd's^ Description of the 
 County of Kent in England, a like violent Salutation of a 
 Bullet which was sliot thro' the Palace of Greenwich, and 
 whistl'd in the First Queen Mdnjs Ears. Kings don't love 
 such sort of Honours, and our Serjeant was of the same mind 
 with Kings. 
 
 The next day we went to deliver our Letters to the 
 Governour,- who check'd us for the Blunder we had made in 
 entring the Port, and indeed we deserv'd it. However, lie 
 receiv'd us very civilly out of respect to the Treaty^ Monsieur 
 
 1 Lambard's Peramhidation of Kent, 1576, p. 339, " One accident 
 more touching this house, and then an ende ; it hapened in the reigne 
 of Qticene Marie, that the Master of a Ship, passing by whilest the 
 Court lay there, and meaning (as the manner and dutie is) with saile 
 and shot to honour the Princes presence unadvisedly gaue fyre to a 
 peice charged with a pellet in sted of a tampion, the which ligliting on 
 the Palaice wall, ranne through one of the priuie lodginges, and did no 
 further harnie." 
 
 2 Herr Simon van der Stel was Commctndcuv at the Cape from 1G79 
 to October 1691, when he was promoted Governor and, in 1692, 
 Gonrvcrifur en Extraordinaar Raad, till 1C99, when he retired to Con- 
 stantia. Ilerr Willem Pat was the Militaire Hoofd at the Castle from 
 1689-93. 
 
 3 A few Fi ench refugees took service with the Dutch in South Africa 
 before 1 685, when the Company decided to send out a French pastor and 
 some Huguenots as colonists, providing free passages ami farms without 
 payment as inducements, in order to improve the cultivation of vines and 
 olives at the Cape. In 1688 several parties of French emigrants were 
 dispatched from Holland, whom the Commander, van der Stel, received 
 and treated kindly ; but, in 1689, when these French settlers requested 
 permission to establish a separate church at Drakenstein, he, being 
 anxious to blend the nationalities, contested their right. He therefore 
 viewed with pleasure the project of the Marquis da Quesne for drawing 
 French emigrants to the Island of Mascaregne, as thereby the propor- 
 tion of French refugees introduced into Cape Colony would be lessened. 
 {Cape Quarterly lirr/eir, vol. i, p. 385.) 
 
1 69 1.] • REMEDY FOR SCURVY. 33 
 
 du Quesne bad made with Messieurs the Directors of the East- 
 India Company, from whom we also brought Letters of 
 Eecommendation. We afterwards made the necessary 
 Inquiries for the prosecution of our Voyage, particularly if 
 the French had again taken possession of the Island of 
 Mascaref/ne, and if there was any news of their Squadron at 
 the Ca2W ? But we cou'd meet with no certain account of 
 eitlier the one or the other. 
 
 Some told us, the Squadron of Seven Men of War had put 
 three hundred Men a-shoar there, in their way to the Indies: 
 Others said, the French who were driv'n out of ^'i«w?, bad 
 seiz'd the Isle. And others assur'd us, that Squadron never 
 touch'd there, and that there were only a few Families at 
 Mascarcyne, who had dwelt there a long time. These Reports 
 being all different, were of no use to us. All agreed, that 
 nothing cou'd compare with the Island of Mascaregne for 
 Beauty and Fertility. That Corn, Grapes, and every thing 
 else proper for the Nourishment of Man, grew there in 
 abundance, and almost without Cultivating. This made us 
 resolve to depart with all convenient speed for Maiiriee Isle 
 which is not far from that of Mascaregne or Eden. We might 
 expect there to be better inform 'd of things, and enabled to 
 concert our Measures better, to follow the Orders that were 
 giv'n us in Holland. 
 
 Those of us that were sickest Landed at the Cape, as soon 
 as we arriv'd, to cure our selves of the Scurvy, staying at 
 Land being the only true and sovereign Eemedy for that 
 Distemper. 
 
 The Grapes were just beginning to grow ripe when we 
 came there (which was an excellent Refreshment for our 
 selves, and our Ships Crew :) We stay'd three Weeks at the 
 Cape, as well to recover our Health, as to refit our Ship. 
 Since my design is to speak more largely of the Cape of 
 Good Ho'pc in the sequel of this Relation, and to give an ac- 
 count of what Remarkable things I saw there in my Return, 
 
 D 
 
34 CAPE AGULHAS. [169I. 
 
 I shall not tU'taiu llio Reader any longer about it now, our 
 good Sivalloiv having been refresh'd as well as we, and all 
 our Company being in a good state of Health, we weigh'd 
 Anchor the 13/A of Feb. 1691, after three Weeks resta-shoar. 
 We Saluted the Fort with five Guns, and so set Sail, tho' the 
 Wind was not quite fair for us. After having tack'd to and 
 again some time, we went on in a straight Course to double 
 Cape Needles^ ; we came into 40 Degrees, and the Wind 
 continu'd changeable till the loth of March, when we had all 
 the Prognosticks that fore-run a terrible Tempest. 
 
 The Wind became Impetuous in a very little time, and the 
 Sea foaming and lifting up its Waves, form'd Mountains that 
 seem'd higher than our Masts : the Air appcar'd to be all on 
 fire, Lightnings struck us almost blind, and the Waves rowl'd 
 dreadfully in upon us. But our Crew were most of all 
 torrify'd at the sight of St. Ulme's^ Fire, which stuck to our 
 
 ' During the Southern summer, October to April, the p.assage round 
 tiie Cape is a simple and easy one to make, the track lying within the 
 region of the anti-trade winds. The chief difficulties are the strong 
 gales which are encountered further to the south, at this season, than 
 they are in winter, when they occur near the latitude of Cape Colony. 
 Besides the adverse winds in the summer near the Cape, there is the 
 Agulhas current to be encountered, setting to the west along the edge 
 of the Agulhas bank. To avoid this a high latitude should be chosen, 
 and the parallel recommended to run down the easting as far as the 
 longitude of eastern Madagascar, is that between lats. 38° and 40°. 
 After reaching longitude 54° or 55°, turning northward, the route carries 
 between Mauritius and Reunion. This track, which was known and 
 used from early time, has been named by tlie French " the Boscawen 
 passage", in consequence of Admiral Boscawen, with a convoy of 
 twenty-six sail, making a quick passage by this route in 1748. 
 
 All that part of Africa of which Cape Agulhas is the southernmost 
 point is surrounded by a bank of soundings, which is called the bank of 
 Agulhas. This bank begins at 32° 30' of S. lat., near the coast, in 
 long. 29° E., and continually increases its breadth to the southwestward, 
 till it exceeds 185 miles, then, extending north-west, it contracts to the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and finally terminates near St. Helena Bay. 
 (^Fiiiilldy.) 
 
 2 " Dans I'une de ces Travades parurcnt deux diverscs fois sur les 
 mats, sur les vergues & sur le canon de notre Naviro, de ces petits feux 
 
l6gi.] TERRIBLE STORM. 35 
 
 Masts : Our Ship was so little, that People were amaz'd at 
 the sight of it at the Cape, and 'twas now driv'n along with 
 inconceiveable swiftness : All things were in Confusion, and 
 horrible Disorder. Our Tackling broke, our Chests, our 
 Arms, Beds, the Mariners and Passengers were tumbled Pell- 
 mell, from one side to t'other: The Heavens which appear'd 
 at first to us to be all on fire, were now hid from our Eyes by 
 black Clouds, from whose profound depths issu'd such Tor- 
 rents of Water, as threatened to overwhelm tliose that handled 
 the Eopes with present Destruction. 
 
 Our Deck was always a Foot deep in Water, for the Sea 
 threw it in faster than it cou'd run out ; and it added to our 
 Terrors, that no body there had ever seen the like before, so 
 extraordinary was this Storm ; the same Wind encreas'd still 
 to a certain Point : after M'hich all the others blew succes- 
 sively, and sometimes mingled together with equal fury to 
 make Sport with our poor little Vessel, which this ]\Iinute 
 tliey tost up to the Skyes, and the next sunk down to the 
 Earth. During the ten hours that this Tempest lasted, all' 
 the Winds conspir'd to make an entire toui' of the Compass ; 
 and it being impossible to handle the Ropes and Sails to 
 work the Ship regularly, we were all that while oblig'd to 
 abandon our selves to the caprice and fury of the Waves. 
 
 At last the Storm decreas'd by little and little, we re- 
 covered Hope in the midst of Despair, and heartily Congratu- 
 lated one another on our common Deliverance, each of us 
 feeling a secret Joy, which none can be sensible of, that has 
 not escap'd tlie like Danger, and been deliver'd out of so 
 great and so just a Fright. We therefore return'd thanks 
 
 de figure piramidale, que les Portugais appellent le feu de saint Telme 
 & nou pas Saint Helme. Quelques IVIatelots les regardent comrae I'aine 
 du Saint de ce nom, qu'ils invoquent alors de toutes leurs forces, les 
 
 mains jointes & avec beaucouji d'autres marques de respect 
 
 Ce sont ces momes feux que les Payens adoroient autrefois sous le nom 
 de Castor & de Pollux ; & il est siirjirenant que cette superstition se soit 
 ainsi introduite parmy les Chretiens." {Voyage de Siam, 1686.) 
 
 D 2 
 
o6 DAVID AND VIRGIL. [169I. 
 
 to him, that had proservM us in the midst of it thro' his in- 
 finite IMercy. 
 
 When we were a little come to our selves, we lookt upon 
 those dreadful Billows which threaten'd still to swallow us 
 wp, as if they only play'd with us, and concluded that the 
 Tempest in which we had been, couM be nothing less than a 
 Hurricane. We found a true and lively Description of it in 
 the CVII Psalm, which we read with great Pleasure and 
 Admiration, as we did also the XXIX. 
 
 Let who will boast of the famous Idceas of Virgil on the 
 same Subject : What he says, do's not come up to the 
 Sublime of these two Psalms. And, indeed, all the Places 
 admir'd by the Pedants in tlie Greek and Latin Poets, are 
 but Trifles, in Comparison with the Magnificent and Inimit- 
 able Canticles of David. 
 
 We Discours'd a long time on the terrible and almost in- 
 credible effects of the IMatter of Air, which is in appearance 
 so soft, so weak, so light, so invisible, and like to nothing, 
 and which in the impetuous Agitations of these Whirl-winds, 
 tear up the greatest Trees by the Pioots, break Ships to 
 pieces, throw down Houses, and in a few Minutes cause such 
 great Disorders. 
 
 What's most to be admir'd in it, is, that the surest Presage 
 of a Hurricane^ (an Indian Word which we have adopted) 
 
 1 ^'Ourofjan". The winds and weather between the Cape and the 
 meridians of Madagascar or Mauritius are certainly very peculiar, being 
 a sort of debatable ground between the trades and the anti-trades, 
 a region alternately affected by both. 
 
 Lieut. ;3ridet, Director of the Observatory at St. Denis, Reunion, 
 attributes the rotatory gales or cyclones, which are encountered as far 
 south as lat. 40°, to the recurving of those true cyclones which com- 
 mence in the northern margin of the trade winds. These cyclones turn 
 from left to right, like all others in the southern hemisphere, but 
 with an angular velocity less than that of the cyclones of the torrid 
 zone. 
 
 These extra tropical gales, which are most violent from May to 
 August, invariably travel to the eastward. They last from one to 
 
1 69 1.] TEUE PHILOSOPHY. 37 
 
 is a perfect Calm ; tlie Sea puts on a deceitful Mien, she 
 smooths all her Furrows, and leaves not the least wrinkle 
 on her Brows, but looks on you with a gay and smiling 
 Air. 
 
 I wish those Gentlemen whom we call Philosophers, 
 wou'd shew us distinctly the secret Springs of these several 
 wonderful Movements ; instead of filling their famous Writ- 
 ings with their little superficial Eeasons, which are almost 
 always false. True sages humbly confess that Nature has 
 her unsearchable Depths, and that to speak properly, all 
 these are things Divine. They acknowledge also, that one 
 of the greatest Sciences of true Philosophy, is not to be 
 ignorant of ones Ignorance. 
 
 It has been thought that the Eain is salt when the Hurri- 
 cane is at the height; several Voyagers have written as 
 ' much, but tho' I will not positively deny tlie matter of fact, 
 I am very apt to believe they confound the sprinklings of 
 the Waves with the Pain : If 'tis said that the Eain has 
 been found to be Salt a-shoar, in the middle of certain 
 Islands, I answer in the first place, that I doubt it, and add, 
 that tlie same Whirl-winds that lift up the greatest Vessels, 
 may also raise up great quantities of those broken Waves, 
 and scatter them to a vast distance, in these Isles or other 
 Places far from the Sea, where, falling down in drops, they 
 may easily be mistaken for Eain. 
 
 I shall say one word only of St. Elmcs Fire, which I saw 
 sticking to our Masts when the Storm was at the strongest, 
 because I did not make any particular Observation of that 
 
 seven days, and travel at the rate of from four to twenty miles an hour. 
 These storms are generally limited within a few degrees to the latitude 
 of 40". 
 
 Tlie gales most to be dreaded are those which are preceded by heavy 
 blaok clouds, rising from the N.W. and W., sometimes with lightning. 
 The old Dutch commanders were directed by the East India Company 
 to wear and shorten sail when this occurred, as a gale might be ex- 
 pected. 
 
38 THE TRAMONTANE LOST. [169I. 
 
 Phsenomena. I saw it but by chance, and my Mind was 
 then so employ'd about things of another Nature, that it had 
 no time for matters of Curiosity. I observ'd a Body of 
 blewish Liglit, as it were curl round one of our Masts, and I 
 did not look to see if there was any more ; what makes me 
 believe there was but one, is, our Seamen were frighted at 
 the sight of it ; Whereas, had there been two, these poor 
 Wretches wou'd have taken it for a Happy Omen. 'Twas 
 without doubt according to this Idit-a, that the Name of one 
 of these two Fires only, is not mention'd by St. Paul speak- 
 ing of the Ship he was in, but of both together : I say of 
 both, because two was then spoken of. The two Children 
 that came out of the same Womb with Hcllen and Clytenc- 
 nestra, the two Eggs of Liecla, which some have transform'd 
 into the Constellation of Gemini, and others adore under 
 their Primitive Name of Castor and Pollux, as Gods of the 
 Sea, because they support Pirates : But I know there some- 
 times appear four or five together, and perhaps more. As 
 for Monsieur St. Elmc succeeding Monsieur St. Castor, and 
 Monsieur St. Pollux, 'tis a question that I leave to some 
 Seraphick Doctor to decide how it came about. 
 
 The M of April we saw Land, great News ! What it was 
 we cou'd not tell, for we had lost our Tramontane^; Never- 
 theless we flatter'd ourselves W'ith Hopes that 'twas the Isle 
 of Eden ; and we made JMerry with the thoughts of setting 
 foot on the Land we so much desir'd as design'd for the 
 
 1 Tramonlana or TresmonUuDe ■= the Pole Star, thus alluJcd to in a 
 document among the Ashburnham MSS. : — 
 
 " La tresmontaine est de tel guise 
 Qu'ele est el firmament asisse 
 Oil ele luist ct rellambie 
 Li maronier qui vont en Frise 
 En Gressc, en Acre, ou en Vcuise. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Pour bise, ne pour autre afaire 
 Ne laist sen dout servise a faire, 
 La tiesmontaigne clere et pure 
 
l6gi.] M. DELON^S ACCOUNT. 39 
 
 place of our Habitation. The Wind seem'd to have a spirit 
 of Contradiction, and wou'd not let ns approach it, however, 
 we disputed that Matter so effectually with it, that, in spite 
 of its Obstinacy, we drew so near it as to perceive, after a 
 strict Examination, 'twas the same we sought after, and had 
 now found with equal Surprize and Joy. 
 
 We discover'd several lieauties in this admirable Country, 
 from the place where we stopt to view it : All that part of it 
 which presented it self to our View appear'd to be a Level, 
 with Mountains rising in the Middle ; and we cou'd easily 
 discern the agreeable mixture of Woods, Eivers and Valleys 
 enamell'd with a charming Verdure : If our Sight was per- 
 fectly well pleas'd, our Smell was no less ; for the Air was 
 perfum'd with a Delicious Odour that ascended from the 
 Isle, and that plainly arose from the abundance of Limons 
 and Oranges which grow there. This sweet Odour struck us 
 all alike, when we came at a certain distance from the Island : 
 some agreeably complain'd, that the Perfume hinder'd them 
 from sleeping, others said they were so embalm'd with it, 
 that 'twas as much a Eefreshment to them, as if they had 
 been fifteen days a-shoar. 
 
 The Account^ which Monsieur Du Qucsnc order'd to be 
 publish'd of this Island, has not this Particular, but Mr. 
 Bdonr did not forget it ; and he even writes, that he believes 
 
 Les inaroniers par son esclaire 
 Jete souvent hors de contraire 
 Et de chemin les asseure." 
 {Lais umlils, M. F. Michel, Paris, 183G, quoted by Wm. Chaiiell 
 ill Nature, June 15, 187G.) 
 
 Pcrdre la lYamontniic, equivalent to lose reckoning. " 11 ne jilus 
 pouvoir s'aider de la boussole a cause d'agitation du vaisseau" (Littre). 
 In fact, they knocked about so much that the compass-bearings could 
 not be depended on. 
 
 1 llde ante, p. 2, and Appendix. 
 
 2 Flelation de Voyage, par ]\I. Dellon, 2 vols, in 12, Paris, 1G85. M. 
 Dellon Avrites: " For the rest, there is neither Serpent nor Scorpion, or 
 any otiicr reptiles or Venomous Insects to be found in this Island, the 
 
40 AN AMIAULE COUNTltV. [169I. 
 
 the Keason why there are no Serpents, Eats, nor Venomous 
 Insects in that Isle, is, because the great number of Odori- 
 ferous Flowers with which it is cover'd, are Poyson to those 
 Animals, which he says he has experienc'd. We cou'd not 
 help praising this Paradise, all of us extoll'd it but the Cap- 
 tain, who affected to speak the quite contrary, whatever 
 Disposition he then shew'd to it, and however positive his 
 Orders were to Land on that Island, he never intended it ; 
 and 'twas pure chance that brought him so near it, for he 
 thought he was above forty Leagues off" when we discover'd 
 it. He seem'd to be amaz'd when the Pilot told him he 
 spy'd Land, and believ'd 'twas that we sought after. I shall 
 not pretend here to give this Man's secret Reasons for wluit 
 he did, because I know nothing but by Conjecture, and be- 
 sides, 'tis not to our purpose, be it one way or t'other. (Alas, 
 I can hardly hold my Pen in my Hand to say it) ; this Cheat, 
 this Pascal, took hold of the weak Condition we were in, 
 drew farther off" from the Island by little and little, and 
 sail'd directly to Dirrjo-Ru ijs. His Ships Crew were all at 
 his Disposal, and we, the Passengers, being all Sick, cou'd 
 not pretend to force him to execute his Commission. 'Tis 
 easie to imagine how we were surpriz'd and troubled. 
 
 As for the Description of this Amiable Country., since I 
 was not so happy as to visit it my self, which the Eeader 
 has expected I should do from the beginning of the Voyage: 
 I believe he will not be displeas'd, if I have recourse to a 
 means to procure it for him that will in a great measure 
 make amends for my disappointing him. To this end I will 
 abridge the Pelatiou^ of the most Pemarkable Parities of this 
 
 goodness of it being such, as to be quite contrary to these Creatures, as 
 it has been found by several Experiiuei'ts which the French have made 
 upon Kats." {A VoycKje to the East Jiuiies, 1698, p. 12.) 
 
 ' " Now that I have compared Leguat's extracts from I)u Quesne 
 with the tract found and reprinted by ]\I. Sauzier in 18.S7, I feel very 
 doubtful whetlier M. Sauzier lias got hold of the right thing. I don't 
 doubt that his prize is the work of du Quesne, but it reads like an 
 
~J^om. -Z" '^a^ ■ ^2.- 
 
1 69 1.] A TEEKESTKIAL PARADISE. 41 
 
 Island, which Monsieur du Qucsne made publick before our 
 departure from Holland. 'Tis true, this Eelation may be 
 suspected by those who think 'twas his Interest to pre- 
 possess the WorkI with an advantageous Opinion of the new 
 .World which he was ooinnr to Inhabit: But to this I shall 
 first reply that IMonsieur da Qucsne was so very far from 
 adding to the truth, that he wou'd not suffer any thing to be 
 inserted in the Book he order'd to be Publish'd, which had 
 the least air of Exaggeration : And in the next place I add 
 that at Maurice Island, Batavia and the Gape, I can my self 
 Witness, every Body allow'd there was nothing in that Eela- 
 tion, which was not exactly conformable to Truth. 
 
 " This Island was at first calPd Mascarcnas, by the Portu- 
 guese, who took Possession of it in the Reign of their King 
 John IV,^ in the Year 1545. M. de Flacour set up the 
 Standard of France there, one hundred and eight Years 
 afterwards, in the Name of Lewis XIV. now reigning, and 
 gave it the Illustrious Name of Bourhon. What he wrote 
 concerning it is to be seen. He put the Arms of France on 
 the very Monument where he found those of Portugcd, having 
 done the same at Madagascar. 
 
 " 1 believe the French have as good as abandon'd this little 
 Island. Others that have since landed there, have found it 
 to be so excellent and so beautiful, that they look'd upon it 
 as a Terrestrial Paradise, and gave it the fine Name of Fden ; 
 that is. The Country of Delight.'"^ 
 
 The Eelation out of which I have taken this Abstract 
 
 ahriiUimriit of some book which Legnat had before him. If Leguat had 
 had only the tract which M. Sauzier found he would never have inserted 
 so many particulars which it does not contain." — N. 
 
 1 Thi.s is an error of du Quesne ; it should be John III. In 16(51 
 M. de Flacourt described Bourbon, and gave a map showing the rivers 
 and the volcano. The rivers are named and the habitation of the 
 French settlers is shown at St. Paul. M. du Qucsne evidently drew 
 upon M. Flacourt's account for his description of IMascaregne. 
 
 '^ De Flacourt wrote : '' Ce seroit auec juste raison que Ton pourroit 
 appellor cette isle un Paradis terrestre." 
 
42 ISLE OF EDEN. [169I. 
 
 says, no Body ever went (|uite thro' the Island, which was 
 for want of good Information. The Map I have plac'd here, 
 was taken from a Description given by Persons that visited 
 it all over, and liv'd there several Years. 
 
 Monsieur du Quesne adds, " Be it as it will, 'tis certain the 
 Isle of Eden is of a sufficient Extent, to contain easily along 
 Descent of Generations, of whatever Colony will settle 
 there. 
 
 " 'Tis most true, sai/s uur Author, That Voyagers have not 
 made mention of any Country where the Air is more healthy 
 than in this Isle ; which is a very important Article. ^Tis 
 well known abundance of sick People have gone ashoar 
 there, and have recover'd their Health in a very little time. 
 The same have those said, who have remain'd there much 
 longer; tho' they wanted several Conveniencies, and were 
 but too much expos'd sometimes to the Sun, and sometimes 
 to the Dew. The Sky is clear ; the Exhalations of tho 
 Earth, as well as those of the Aromatick Plants and Flowers, 
 with which 'tis cover'd, perfume the Air, and they breath'd 
 in a Balmy Spirit equally wholesome and agreeable. 
 
 " This charming Isle^ lies between 21 and 22 deg. of S. 
 Latitude, and has one Advantage in common with other 
 Countries near the Line, that the Heats are temper'd by 
 certain cool and regular Breezes, which Providence, admir- 
 able in all its Ways, has so dispos'd to render these Countries 
 more Commodious for Habitation. 
 
 " The abundance of Springs tliat are found in this Isle, is 
 
 ^ lieuniou, as the island is now called, is situated in lat. 20" 51', long. 
 65° 26' (SV. Denis). It was captured by the British in 1810, but 
 restored to France by the treaty of Paris in 1815, and is now an im- 
 portant colony of the Republic. It is I08 miles in circumference, and 
 48 miles long, east and west, by ?A miles broad, north and south. The 
 island is a mass of volcanic mountains, the ridges rising to a height of 
 10,169 feet between the extinct crater cirques, whilst an active volcano 
 forms the extremity of the island, whose summit is 8,613 feet in height. 
 Its area contains about 610,000 acres, of which nearly one-third is cul- 
 tivated. 
 
1 69 1.] Du quesne's relation. 43 
 
 one of its Rarities. The Water is clear and wholesome, and 
 some of it Purgative. From these Springs flow Rivulets, 
 and even some Rivers, which water all the Plains, and are so 
 full of Fish, that Voyagers affirm, Those ivlio for'd them find 
 it so sliypery, they can hardly stand for the Numhcr of Fish^ 
 There are several Lakes, and one among the rest, so plentiful 
 of Springs, that seven great Rivulets run out of it into a vast 
 and rich Plain. 
 
 " There is no venomous Creature upon it, neither in the 
 Water, neither on the dry Land ; whereas almost all other 
 hot Countries are full of Snakes, and such sort of Animals, 
 whose Sting or Bite is dangerous, if not mortal. The same 
 thing is aflirm'd of tlie Plants and Fruits here. 
 
 "I shall say nothing of the admirahle Shells that are 
 pick'd up on the Sea shoar, nor of the Coral and Ambergreese 
 that are found here, tho' they are both valuable and useful 
 Things. But I must declare tliat the Sea is full of Fish, and 
 that its Turtles only wou'd abundantly and deliciously subsist 
 the Inhabitants. The Land Turtles are also some of the 
 Riches of the Island. There are vast Numbers of them : Their 
 Flesh- is very delicate ; the Fat better than Butter or the best 
 Oil, for all sorts of Sawces. Some of the Sea turtles weigh 
 above 500 Pound weight. The Land Turtles are not so big ; 
 but the great ones carry a Man with more ease than a ]\Ian 
 can carry them. This Oil of Turtle, for 'tis a sort of Fat, 
 which do's not congeal as other Fat do's, is an excellent 
 Remedy in several Distempers. 
 
 " The Forrests are not so thick but one may easily go thro' 
 them, and tlie Shade do's not hinder the Fruit from ripening. 
 There is abundance of Cedars, of P^bony, and Timber for 
 Carpenter's use, I'alm-Trees, Fig-Trees, Plantanes, Oranges, 
 
 ^ " Les estangs & riuiores y fourniillent de poissons, il n'i a ni cro- 
 codilles dans icelles, ni serpens nuisibles k I'honune, ni insectos facheu- 
 ses, ainsi (^ue dans les autres iles, ni piilces, ni mouches, ni niousquitcs 
 picquantes, ni fourniis, ni rats, ni souris." {Dc FLacourl, 1661.) 
 
44 A FRUITFUL ISLAND. [169I. 
 
 Limons, etc. We might name 20 other different kinds of 
 Trees that bear Fruit good to eat, and th.e variety of their 
 Tastes are enough to content those of all Men. Aloes, Indigo, 
 Sugar Canes, Cotton, Ananas, Bananas, Tobacco, Potatoes, 
 Pumpkins, Land and Water Melons, Cucumbers, Charibbean 
 Cabages, Beans, Artichokes, a certain sort of Pease, and a 
 hundred other Plants. Fruits or Roots of this nature grow 
 naturally every where. 'Tis experienc'd that Indian Corn, 
 Millet, Rice, Wheat, Barley, and Oats grow very well there, 
 and that one may have above one Crop a Year of all these 
 several sorts of Grains. People have had the Curiosity to 
 sow some of each sort of our Pulse and Garden Herbs (which 
 I shall not particularise, for fear of being tiresome), and they 
 all came up to a wonder. The reason is, 'tis an excellent 
 Soil, and the Father of Nature has render'd it admirably 
 fruitful. Since we find very good Grapes there, we have 
 reason to believe one may have very good Wine ; and, ' no 
 doubt, might with the same success raise any of tlie Fruit- 
 trees peculiar to our Continent. 
 
 " The black Cattle,^ Hogs and Goats, that were formerly 
 left there by the Portuguese, are so multiply'd that we meet 
 with them in Droves in the Forrests; and one may reason- 
 ably expect that Dear, Sheep, and all Animals that we find 
 any where else, in the same Climate, wou'd in the same 
 manner succeed there. 
 
 " The Fowl that are most plenty in this Island, are Part- 
 ridges, Doves, Ducks, Wood-Pigeons, Woodcocks, Quales, 
 Black-Birds, Puets, Thrushes, Geese, Coots, Ducks, Bitterns, 
 I'arrots, Herons, Peacocks,^ Fools, Frigats, Sparrows, and 
 
 ' "En cette annee mil six cens quarante-neuf, i'y ay fait passer 
 quatre genisses et un toreau, afin d'y multiplier. Et eu I'annee mil six 
 cens cinquante-quatre, i'y en ay enuoye aiitant, lesquelles on trouua 
 qu'elles estoient nmltipliees jusques a plus de trente." {De FUtamrt.) 
 
 2 "In the English translation tlie word ' Geants' is here given as 
 'peacocks', as though it had been '■paons'; but at p. 171 by 'giants'"' 
 {Strickland). " Les oiseaux de terre sont : le solitaire (comma une 
 
1691-] BIRDS MOUNTED ON STILTS. 45 
 
 abundances of other small Birds, as also Birds of Prey, and 
 other Birds. There are Batts whose^ Bodies are bigger than 
 a Hen's, and the Flesh of them very pleasant to eat, when a 
 Man gets over that Aversion to 'em which is begot by 
 Prejudice. The Parrots are also excellent Food. The Pea- 
 cocks are great Birds mounted upon Stilts ; they frequent 
 Lakes and Rivers, and their Flesh tastes much like that of a 
 Bittern. The Partridges are all grey, and half as little again 
 as ours. The Males of the Sparrows have red Breasts,- and 
 when they make Love, redder tlian ordinary. But these 
 little Animals, which, like Flowers and Butter-flies, seem to 
 be made only to embellish Nature, multiply so fast, that, to 
 say the Truth, tliey are troublesome. They come in Clouds, 
 and carry away the Corn that is sown, if great Care is not 
 taken of it ; which is doubtless an Inconvenience ; but a 
 little Gunpowder soon frightens 'em away. There are also 
 Caterpillars and Flyes, which are a little vexatious. And 
 lastly (for we must say all we can, if we wou'd give a true 
 and entire Idea of Things) those dreadful Tempests, that are 
 
 grosse oie), blanc, avec noir a I'extremite des ailes et de la queue, on 
 il y a des pluuies pareilles a celles de I'autruche, col long, bee de 
 becasse, mais plus gros, pieds de poule d'liide, se prennont H la course 
 et voUent peu. C'est un des meilleurs gibiers de Tile. Les oiseaux 
 bleus, gros comme les precedents, avec bee et pieds rouges, faits comnie 
 pieds de poules, ne volant pas mais courant tres-vite." (Dubois, 1G69, 
 quoted by Maillard, p. 10.) 
 
 1 Collet rouge, or flying fox, is a large species of bat, Ptcrojms 
 Edwardsii. Some specimens measure over three feet from tip to tip of 
 the wings. " II y a aussi beaucoup de tortues de terre et de mer, et des 
 chauve-souris, grosses comme despetits chats." [Dubois.) 
 
 2 These " Sparrows with red breasts" belonged to a species of weaver- 
 bird, Foudia Bruante {P. L. S. Miiller), of which Sir Edward Newton 
 says {Trans. Norfolk and Noru: Natural Soc, iv, p. 54^) that "it was 
 described in the last century by Buffon and figured by Daubertiu. The 
 specimen which provided the description and figure no longer exists, so 
 far as I can ascertain. 1 have never heard of anyone now living who 
 has ever seen an example of the bird. Its place on the island is now 
 taken by the kindred species, Foudia Madayascariensis, introduced from 
 Madagascar." See Appendix for list of Bourbon birds. 
 
46 MOT.IKnE'S STRANGE REASTS. . [169I. 
 
 known by the Name of Hurricanes, are a dismal Article. 
 However, we are assur'd they are much less violent tlian 
 those of America; and, after all, do not last above four and 
 twenty Hours. Besides, these terrible Tempests never happen 
 but once a Year, and tliere are infallible ways of providing 
 against them : to which we may add, that for one bad Day there 
 are three hundred and sixty-four wonderfully fair ones. And 
 this Consideration is very comfortable. Wise Men, who have 
 had a little Experience of the World, and travell'd a little, 
 know that no perfect happiness is to be expected in it, neither 
 under the Line nor under the Poles. Every Thing has its 
 For and Against, and the best is but the least l.)ad. All 
 that can be done therefore on this Occasion, as well as in 
 others, is to take the Balance and weigh Things before we 
 determine what to do. If some Inconveniencies in our Eden 
 trouble you, says ]\Ir. dii Qncsnc, Put the Catterpillars, the 
 Flyes and the Sparrows of this Isle, together with one 
 Hurricane a Year, in one Scale, and add Health, Liberty, Safety, 
 Abundance, and Peace. To counterbalance these three sorts 
 of little troublesome Animals, put all those strange Beasts 
 that our famous 3foli^re calls Harpagons/ rurgons,-j\Iacratous, 
 Mascarils,^ Metaplirasts,'* Trissotins,^ Town-Fops, all the Eace 
 of Misers, Cheats, Coxcombs, and Blockheads, add to that 
 Dragons and Beetles, Cellar-Eats, Barn-Eats, Slavery, 
 Poverty, Alarms, and a thousand Miseries, and see MiiicVi 
 Scale is the heaviest !" 
 
 I must again declare, 'twas to our great Eegret, that we 
 saw our selves leaving this Island behind us, this charming 
 Island, so much desir'd by us. We were so weak and so 
 troubled, that we consented to what we could not help ; and 
 
 1 Harpagon, the miser in L'Avare, by Moliere (1667). 
 
 2 Purgon, the conventional doctor in Le Mulade'Imagina'ire. 
 
 3 Mascardk, the sham marquis in Lcs Precieuses Ridicules, by Molifcre 
 (1G59). 
 
 * Mi'taphrast, a critic, Vantexir qui VexpUqm. 
 
 '• Tri.ssotiu, a bcl c^iprit in Les Fcnaues SavanUs, by ]\Ioliore (1672). 
 
RateM'p 46. 
 
 -^-r. 
 
 
 _3*,j:^^^rfi.*c««4*u 3 
 
 A»^ 
 
 !>^-^^v^ 
 
 
 
 i::^;;"-^ -= 
 
 ■J3S:.,r 
 
 EnglisKBaiy 
 
 The Peak. Waterfall Glen . Port Mathunn Castle Hill Oyster Bay. 
 
 Friar's Hood . 
 
 Diaiuond Island . 
 
 ESLAMB (^w ]l.(0)Bmi[iS¥E^< 
 
 LOOKING SOUTH 
 dvstoAt 'betM'&ot' 2 A 3 mUcs 
 
1 69 1.] DIEGO RUYS. 47 
 
 the Commander of our Swalloiu endeavour'd to persuade us 
 he wou'd carry us to a Place every whit as good as that of 
 which we were so fond. 'Twas but one liundred and fifty 
 Leagues from this IsLand, but the Wind was so contrary, 
 that we were forc'd to tack to and again for a Month 
 together. 
 
 Poor John Pagni, one of our Companions, dy'd between 
 tlie Isle we had found, and that we were seeking. He cou'd 
 no longer resist the Violence of the Scurv}^ and the Oppression 
 that tormented him. 
 
 On Saturday Morning, the 25th of Aiiril 1691, Old Stile, 
 we spy'd Land, which was the little Island Diego Bii/ijs, where 
 our Captain resolvM to carry us ; we came very near it, by 
 the Eastern Point sailing Southward. It appear'd to us to 
 be difficult of access, it being surrounded with Pocks call'd 
 Shelves,'^ which run very far out into the Sea. AVe did not 
 at first perceive either Port, or Bay, or any Place where we 
 might land. In the Evening we sounded and met with 
 the Bottom, three Leagues from Shoar. We cast Anchor, 
 'twas a Calm, and we stay'd there till IMonday the 27th. for 
 what reason I know not. That and the next day we spent 
 in examining the outside of the Isle as much as we cou'd, 
 to endeavour to discover some Place that was accessible. 
 The 28th, about four in the Afternoon, we perceiv'd an 
 Opening, which seem'd proper for our Design : But the 
 Night following we were driv'n out to Sea, and beat there 
 till the next Day. About 11 a Clock in the Forenoon a 
 Calm took us, and brought us into great Danger ; for a rapid 
 Current plainly carry 'd us among Rocks, that run out above 
 a League into the Sea. We were so near that there was no 
 
 1 Shelves, the coral reefs -which encircle the island. " Brisaiis^'' in the 
 French edition, rocks on which the sea breaks in heavy surf. Glorious 
 old John Dryden used the word shelves: 
 
 "Three ships were liurried by the southern blast 
 And ou the secret shelves with fury cast." {.Eneiil, i, 154.) 
 
4<S A LITTLE NEAV WORLD. [169I. 
 
 likelihood of avoiding them, when by the special ]\Iercy of 
 Heaven there sprang up a brisk and fair Wind that drove us 
 back. We then made the Gape towards the North Point, and 
 at Noon the Captain put out his Boat to seek for a Place to 
 enter. In the Evening we sail'd towards the Northeast Point, 
 and the Boat gave us a Signal that it had found out good 
 Anchorage : We were then on the liock in eight Fathom 
 Water only, w-hich oblig'd us to be always sounding. We 
 cast Anchor in nine Fathom, a sandy Mud at Bottom ; our 
 Ship was tow'd along by the Boat ; We lay there till the 
 next Day, when we intended to look out for a better Place. 
 Accordingly, early in the Morning, the 30th of April, we 
 cast Anchor in nine Fathom Water, a good Bottom of Ouzy 
 Sand, and shelter'd from the East and South-East Winds, 
 which blow always in that Country. 
 
 The Island afar off, and near at hand, appear'd to us very 
 lovely : The Captain, who had his Reasons for not landing us 
 at Tristan or Mascaregna, desir'd nothing better than to 
 leave us at Bodrigo, and with that Design he highly extoll'd 
 the Beauty and Advantages of this Island ; and indeed this 
 ■ little new World seera'd full of Delights and Charms. 'Tis 
 true we did not see so many Birds flying about as at Tristan, 
 and our Boacl was not so perfum'd with the Odours of the 
 neighbouring Shoar as at Eden, from whence we had been 
 come about a Month. But we cou'd not thence conclude 
 there were no Birds in the New Island, nor no Flowers to 
 send up grateful Sweets. Besides, the Face of it was ex- 
 treamly Fair, We cou'd hardly take our Eyes off from the 
 little Mountains, of which it almost entirely consists, they 
 are so richly spread with great and tall Trees. The Eivers 
 that we saw run from them water'd Valleys, whose Fertility 
 we cou'd not doubt of ; and, after having run thro' a beautiful 
 Level, they fell into the Sea, even before our Eyes. Their 
 Banks were adorn'd with Forrests ; and some of us, at the 
 
AT MO RIM BAY X ^ ^^g^rp^-'' ' ^ "' 
 
 P" Venus C«,«.n'yLHt 19" 40^ 23: S._ Loug 63! 26.16' EYo/'Grrmmrfi^ 
 5m/.- of lO CibUt or I Soa Hiie. 
 
 
 « 
 
 ^ 
 
 i 
 
 ■ --£-; ;i,,.«MS- . jaa-^'ay li-jn mssii . i n-'-= . - li 
 
1 69 1.] FIRST EXPLOKATIONS. 49 
 
 sight of this Lovely Isle, call'd to mind the famous Lignon,'^ 
 and those several enchanted Places, so agreeably describ'd 
 by Mr. d' Urf6 in his Eomance ; But our Thoughts were im- 
 mediately carry'd away by other Contemplations. We 
 admir'd the secret and wonderful Ways of Providence, 
 which, after having permitted us to be ruin'd at home, had 
 brought us thence by many Miracles, and now dry'd up all 
 our Tears, by the sight of the Earthly Paradise it presented 
 to our view ; where, if we wou'd, w^e might be rich, free and 
 happy ; if contemning vain Riches, we wou'd employ the 
 peaceable Life that was offer'd to us, to glorifie God and save 
 our Souls. 
 
 We were all of us more busyM with these sweet INIedita- 
 tions, than possess'd with Transports of Joy, when the Boat 
 was put out again, and we were ask'd who wou'd go ashoar ? 
 Upon which every one rose up hastily, tlio' there was not 
 one but was sick. All my Companions got into the Boat, 
 but seeing it was full, I made no great haste after them. I 
 was older by much than any of them, and consequently more 
 Master of my self ; and being full of I know not what, 
 mixtures of Grief and Joy, I spent the rest of the Day in 
 profound Silence. 
 
 In the Evening the Captain return'd, and told me Wonders 
 of the Country, which he exaggerated much beyond the 
 Truth, as I had time enough to discover. He talk'd to me 
 of Animals and Emits that were never seen in that Island. 
 'Tis true, he brought back several sorts of great and good 
 Birds : I experienc'd the Truth of that by making an agree- 
 
 1 A small stream iu the department of Loire, which, taking its rise 
 in the hills of Forez, flows through Boen and by the family chateau of 
 the celebrated d'Urfe (who has there placed the scene oi his romance 
 PAstree), and enters the river Loire near Feurs. It is not surprising to 
 find Leguat quoting this romance, first published in the reign of Henri 
 IV, for it continued a popular book down to the days of J. J. Rousseau 
 (born in 1712), with whom it was a favourite volume during his youth. 
 (Note in Eugene MuUer's version of LajitaVs Voijaije, p. GO.) 
 
50 OUR POOR SETTLEMENT. [169I. 
 
 able Meal on this new and uiikiKiwn 1 )isli. The next day (tlio 
 1st of May 1G91) I follow'd my Cuni])anions, and went aslioar. 
 
 Tiiis Isle, which is call'd either Dicgo-Rodrigo, or Diego- 
 Ruys, or Rodrigo, is situated in nineteen Degrees of South 
 Latitude. 'Tis about twenty J\liles {licucs) in Circuit. Its 
 Length from East to West, and its Shape, are as may be 
 seen in the Map. 
 
 We seated our selves near the Sea, on the North North- 
 West Shoar, in a lovely Valley, by the side of a great Brook, 
 the Water of which was clear and good. We went all over the 
 Island, and chose this Place as the most convenient, and that 
 which Providence design'd for us, by conducting us first to it. 
 
 I have observ'd that every one to whom I have told my 
 Adventures, have had a great Curiosity to know the Disposi- 
 tion of our little Habitations ; 'tis for that reason I now lay 
 down a Plan of them. For l)y my own Experience, I know 
 very well that when the Reader by this means conceives any 
 Idea of the Places where Things happen'd, he is the more 
 concern'd about the Things themselves. 
 
 Let him therefore cast his Eyes on the Map I set before 
 him, he will see I distinguish it from the General Plan of 
 the Island, because Things cou'd not have been so distinctly 
 marked there. I desire he wou'd pardon my deficiency in 
 Designing, which I profess not to understand, I give him 
 what I have, and I can do no more. As I have made but 
 an imperfect Pielation of Things, so I have drawn but an 
 imperfect Design, in this small Delineation of our poor 
 Settlement. And I hope my Defects will not be found to 
 be so great, but he may himself easily supply them. 
 
 The little Eiver he sees, comes from the middle of the 
 Island, and at four or five thousand common Paces below 
 our Cabbins, it forms several Cascades, falling from Pock 
 to Pock, and several Pasons {ct napes d'cau), that wou'd 
 adorn a Prince's Garden. In a hot and dry Time it 
 receives very little Water from its Fountain ; But in all 
 
FlaUlV'pSO. 
 
 E.Hig-g-m 3e] C.D.MS LilKo^j. 
 
 ip(o)ii^.ir ffii^^miuiEii,^^ 
 
 (ro dri&uez.) 
 
 loihinQ we:t. 
 
1 69 1.] CHARLES II AND THE ROYAL OAK, 51 
 
 Times the Tide fills it to the Brink of the Banks. The little 
 Space which I have mark'd towards the Left, and at the 
 Mouth of it, is low (h'ound, which the Sea covers as often 
 as it rises. This side of the Water is in general lower than 
 the other, and subject to frequent Inundations by the Floods 
 in HurricancthwQ. 
 
 Peter Thomas, one of our Pilots, of whom I have made 
 mention, chose to inhabit a little Island forni'd by the l\iver. 
 He built his Cahbin there, and made a little Garden with a 
 double Bridge. Pie was a very pretty Lad, and us'd to perch 
 upon a Tree in an Inundation ; which brings to my Eeniem- 
 brance the glorious Monarch Charles II when he was 
 mounted up in the famous Oak at Boscobel^ whose Eelicks 
 are Venerable to this Day. But whereas that King durst not 
 say a Word, or only Whisper to Captain Sans-Soucy^^ the 
 Companion of his Fortune, Master Peter TJwmas^ play'd on 
 
 1 After the battle of Worcester Charles heard, at the house of John 
 Penderell, near the Boscobel A\'ood, that Colonel Careless was hiding 
 in the vicinity. At his suggestion the prince passed the third day of 
 his wanderings in concealment with Colonel Careless, among the 
 branches of an oak tree, which was called the Royal Oak, and remained 
 standing as late as the middle of the last century, when it was men- 
 tioned by Dr. Stukeley in his Itbierarlum Ctirhmun, published in 1776. 
 
 The reference to the Oak of Boscobel seems a favourite allusion of 
 Max. IMisson, who in his New Voyage to Italy writes : " Tliis is no ill 
 Thought ; and puts me in ]\liud of some of our Friends in London, who 
 have precious Snuff-Boxes, made of the Royal-Oak known as Boscobel." 
 
 ^ " The Name of the Captain that accompany 'd the King in the Oak 
 at Boscobel was Careless, an English Word which signifies Negligence, 
 or without Care. But the King thought fit to change his Name from 
 Careless to Carlos." (See Sylvanus INIorgan's Sj)heres of Gentry, and 
 Dr. Chamberlain's Present State of England, vol. i, ch, 4.)— Note by 
 the editor of the original edition. The translator has retained the 
 French equivalent for Careless — Sans-souci — in the text as it stands ia 
 the French edition. 
 
 3 This Peter Thomas is not mentioned in the list of Leguat's com- 
 panions on p. C (siij)ra). lie appears to have been one of the crew of 
 the ship, and to l)ave made up his mind to remain at Rodriguez at the 
 last moment when the ship sailed. See note in MuUer's 1883 edition, 
 p. 71, and p. 55 infra. 
 
 e2 
 
52 THE SETTLEMENT AND ITS INHABITANTS. [169I. 
 
 the Flute, or sung, or chatter'd freely with his Friends. He 
 was the Only Man of the Company that snioak'd Tobacco : 
 He was also a IVfariner. When his Tobacco was gone he 
 smoak'd Leaves. 
 
 The next Cabbin to the Isle on the Eight-hand towards 
 the Sea, was J\Ir. de la Hcnjc's. He was a Silversmith, and 
 had built a Forge, so that he was oblig'd to make his House 
 a little bigger than the rest. La Haye was always singing of 
 Psalms, whether he w-as at work or walking. 
 
 The Cabbins were ten or twelve Foot square, some more 
 some less, according to the Fansie of the Pniilder. The Walls 
 were made of the Trunks of Plantanes,^ and the broad Leaves 
 of the same Tree serv'd to cover them. The Dotts about 
 every Cabbin shew where the Pallisado's stood, which en- 
 clos'd our Gardens. The Doors are also mark'd by the void 
 Spaces. 
 
 The Plan shews at what distance these Hutts {maison- 
 ettes) were one from the other. 
 
 Near poor la Haye's, on the same side of the Eiver, and 
 not far from the Water, was the Stadt-House [Hotel-de- 
 ville), or, if you please, the Place of Rendezvous for our 
 Eepublick, whose chief Councils concern'd the Affairs of 
 the Kitchen. This Edifice was about twice as big as the 
 others, and Rohcrt Anselin lay in it. 'Twas there we 
 prepar'd the Sawces for our Dishes, but we eat under a 
 tall and great Tree, on the Bank of the Rivulet, over- 
 against the Door of that Cabbin. This Tree afforded us 
 & very fine Shade, and defended us from the burning 
 Rays of the Sun. 'Twas in the Trunk of this Tree, which 
 was very hard, that we cut a sort of a Nich, to leave there 
 the Memorial and Monuments, of which I shall speak 
 hereafter. On the other side of the Water, opposite to the 
 Common Hall (Hotel) was the Common Garden: 'Twas 
 fifty or sixty Foot Square, and the Pallisado's that encom- 
 ^ PiU 111 -trees ; see infra, note on p. 63. 
 
i6gi.] THEIR HUTS and cabins. 53 
 
 pass'd it of a Man's height and very close : Insomuch that 
 the least Turtles cou'd not go between them. For that, 
 as may be imagin'd, was the only reason which oblig'd us 
 to enclose our Gardens. 
 
 But let us re-pass the Bridge, and come back to Francis 
 Lcgunt, the Author of this Eelation's Cabbin ; you see 'twas 
 between two Parterres, and upheld by a great Tree, which 
 also cover'd it on the side of the Sea, This Tree^ bore a 
 Fruit something like an Olive ; and the Parrots lov'd the 
 Nuts of it mightily. 
 
 A little lower and nearer the Water on the same side of 
 tlie Brook, stood Mr. de la Case's Lodge. This brave Man, 
 who is now in America, had been an Officer in the Brandcn- 
 hurgh Troops, and knew already what it was to live in Tents. 
 He was a Man of good Presence, Ingenious, full of Honour, 
 Courage and Wit. 
 
 On the other side of the Rivulet between the Islet and 
 the great Garden, was the Cabbin of poor Mr. Testard, whose 
 sad Destiny we shall see in a short time. He was a stout 
 {hrave) Man, and one whom I very much regretted the loss 
 of. 
 
 Mess. B—lc^ and Boyer liv'd together, and built their 
 Hutt a little farther from the Brook, and nearer the Sea. 
 The Reader will find a true Picture of honest Isaac Boycr in 
 his Epitaph ; for I must tell him before hand, that this dear 
 Comx^anion of our first Adventures, laid his Bones in Rodrigo. 
 And since I have giv'n a Character of those whom I have 
 
 spoken of, I shall add concerning Mr. B Ic (who is, 
 
 thanks be to God, now alive and in Health), that we all lov'd 
 
 1 From this tree, cous'dered by Professor Balfour to be the so-called 
 " Bois d'olive" [Elxodcmlron orioitalc), exudes an enormous quan- 
 tity of gum in the form of tears, which soon harden and form large 
 masses in the crevices of the stem or on tlie ground around. It is tlie 
 most frequently met with of all the trees in the island. {Phil. Trans. ^ 
 vol. dxviii, p. 334.) 
 
 2 M. Bouelle; vide ante, p. G; also Introduction. 
 
54 COLONISTS OF GOOD BIRTH. [169I. 
 
 liiiii for tlie good Qualities M-itli which he is adoniM. I 
 observ'd with pleasure in tliis young Man (for he was not 
 above twenty years old) an honest and upright Soul, good 
 iiatur'd and lively : He had by his Studies acquir'd more 
 Knowledge, than the generality of Mankind can pretend to. 
 He was always Gay, and in good Humour,^ and 'twas chiefly 
 owing to his faculty of Invention and Address, that we built 
 the rare Vessel, of which we shall say more hereafter ; as 
 also that we Manufactur'd certain little Hatts, which were 
 very great Comforts to us in our great Distresses. To con- 
 clude, I must inform the Header, en ixissant, that except P. 
 Thomas and B. Ansclin, ISfen of mean Fortunes, all the rest 
 of our Friends were not driv'n out of Europe by Misery, nor 
 did they desperately cast themselves on Desert Islands, 
 because they knew not where to set their foot in the "World. 
 They were Men of good Families, and of no contemptible 
 Estates ; but Mr. du Qucsne's Colony made such a noise (& 
 qu'ils 4taient j'eunes, sains 8f gaillards), that having no ties 
 of Families or Affair's to detain them, they had a mind to 
 make this Voyage. 
 
 I believ'd, Reader, you wou'd be better pleas'd with the 
 Continuation of our Adventures, after I had given you some 
 light into the Characters and Circumstances of the Adven- 
 turers. 
 
 You see Trees scatter'd up and down in our little Town, 
 they are Eemainders of a much greater Number, which we 
 thought fit to fell, and 'twas no hard matter to do it ; for the 
 Ground is extreandy light, and the Koots were easily taken 
 up : I don't doubt, you Laugli to hear us talk of our little 
 Town, but what I pray you was the famous Borne in its 
 beginning ? Had there been "Women amongst us, 100 years 
 hence, instead of seven Hutts, one might have reckon'd seven 
 Parishes. 
 
 1 " II etoit toujours gai, tovijours obligeant, & du racilleur naturel 
 du monde." B6iiclie was living at Amsterdam wlicn this was written. 
 (See Introduction.) 
 
1 69 1.] DEI'AKTUHE OF THE SHIP. 55 
 
 "When we had finish'd our Preparations fur building our 
 little Houses, the Captain who stay'd fifteen days in the 
 Road weigh'd Anchor, after having deliver'd us the greatest 
 part of the Necessaries we brought for a Settlement, and 
 taken fresh Provisions Aboard. We sent Letters by him to 
 our Friends in Holland, wlierein we had set out his Panegy- 
 rick as he deserv'd, but he was not such a Fool as to deliver 
 them, as we understood afterwards, and, indeed, as we ex- 
 pected from him. What he left us was chiefly — 
 
 Biskets, Fuzees,^ and other i\rms, Powder and Bullets, 
 Tools for Husbandry and building our Cabbius, as Saws, 
 Hatchets, Nails, Hammers, and Sheers, Household-stuff, a 
 Turn-broach, Fishing-Nets and Lines ; in short, every thing 
 except Drugs, which I believe, the Captain rather forgot, 
 than maliciously kept from us : Besides this, every Man had 
 his particular Goods, Necessaries and Provisions. 
 
 Peter Thomas, whom I have mention'd, having quarrell'd 
 with the Captain, and fearing to return with him, resolv'd to 
 stay in the Island, and that wou'd have made up the loss of 
 one of our Companions who dy'd at Sea near Mascarcgnc, if the 
 Captain, the Night before he left us, had not taken away two 
 of our Company {Jacques Gavjucr and Pierrot) so that we had 
 but eight left. 
 
 When the Ship was gone, and each of us were well re^ 
 cover'd of the Fatigues of the Sea, we made the tour of the 
 Island to see whether we cou'd discover any better Place to 
 settle in, than that where we first Arriv'd ; but we found 
 'twas much the same all over it, and even tho' there were 
 about twenty several sorts of level Land, and almost as Com- 
 modious as Ours, yet we met with none that was not some- 
 what Inferior to it in Beauty and in Goodness ; so that we 
 resolv'd to stay in the place where we first sat down. 
 
 As soon as we had clear'd the Earth as much as was neces- 
 sary for Tillage, we dug it^ and sow'd our Grain. We had 
 
 1 Fusee, a small, light musket or firelock, commonly written " fusil". 
 
56 TILLAGE AND IIOKTICULTUKE. [169I. 
 
 abundance, and of all sorts ; but that which we brouglit from 
 Holland, was spoiPd by the Air of the Sea, we having forgot 
 to put it into Earthen Pots, and Seal them down well. We 
 furnish'd our selves with other Seed at the Cape of Good 
 Ho'pe. Only five Seeds of Ordinary, and as many of Water- 
 Melons came up ; three of Succory,^ three of Wheat, some 
 Artichokes, Purslain, Turnips, Mustard, Gilly-tlowers and 
 Clover-grass. The Gilly-flowers rose high, but they did 
 not blow, and at last they all perisli'd. 
 
 The Turnips did the same, and were entirely destroy 'd liy 
 the Worms before we cou'd eat them. The Melons which I 
 call Land, to distinguish them from IFa^f?'- Melons, came up 
 almost without Culture in abundance, prodigiously Large, and 
 excellently well tasted. I do not believe there can be better 
 anywhere, and we found by Experience they had this rare 
 Quality, that tho' one did eat of them a little to Excess, no 
 Inconvenience happen'd afterwards. 
 
 We put 'em into all our Sauces, and they were admirable 
 in all ; We might have had them all the year long, but we 
 observ'd that those which came up in the Winter, that is, 
 when 'twas not so hot as at other times, towards the Months 
 of June, and July, were a great deal better than the others. 
 
 We thought at first we must expose them to the Sun, as 
 we do in France, but we soon found they wou'd thrive better 
 in the Shade, which we may suppose is caus'd by the diil'er- 
 ence of the Climate and Soil. 
 
 Among our five Plants of Water-Melons, there were two 
 sorts, Eed and White ; the first were the best. The Pind 
 was Green, and the inside Ped ; they are very Pefreshing, 
 and never do any hurt no more than the others : They are 
 so full of Water, that one may easily go without Drink when 
 they are eaten : Sometimes they were so big, that all Eight 
 of us cou'd hardly eat up one of them. 
 
 I Or chicory (C, intyhns)^ extensively used fur adultertatiiig coffee. 
 
l6gi.] DEGENERATE PLANTS. 57 
 
 These several kinds of IMelons grew without taking Pains 
 about them, as I have said already, and produc'd Fruit in 
 great Abundance. When we mingled a little Ashes with 
 the Earth in the Place where they were Sown, it made 'em 
 grow and fructifie extraordinarily, and the Fruit was more 
 than ordinarily delicate. We had great hopes of our Arti- 
 chokes. We cou'd almost see them grow. They spread very 
 much, but they yielded very little P'ruit. Indeed we cou'd 
 not be sure that the Seed was true Articlioke Seed, tho' it 
 had the figure of it, and the Plant was like that of an Arti- 
 choke. We brought it from the Cape of Good Hope, without 
 knowing what it was. We did our utmost to make the sides 
 of it whiten, but to no purpose, tho' we were not ignorant of 
 the several ways of doing it. And we had as bad Success 
 with the Succoury {Chicorde) : It came up to a wonder, 
 so did the Purslain and the Mustard-Seed ; but do what 
 we cou'd, we cou'd never take off its bitterness. Of three 
 Grains of Wheat that came up, we cou'd preserve tut one 
 Plant : It had above 200 Ears, and we were full of Hopes 
 that it wou'd come to something, but it produc'd only a 
 sort of Tares,^ which very much troubled us, as you may 
 imagine ; because we found our selves deprived of the 
 I'leasure of eating Bread. 
 
 However we shou'd not from hence conclude, that Wheat 
 Corn will always turn to Tares here, since in Enrope such 
 like Degenerations are often to be met with. And if our 
 young Men instead of precipitately sowing all our Seed in 
 one Place, and in one Day, had kept some for other Soils, 
 and other Seasons, perhaps we might have had an ample 
 Harvest, and better luck with all our other Grain. 
 
 The Air is very clear and liealthy at Rodrigo, and none of 
 us having been ill all the while we liv'd there, is a very good 
 proof of it, considering the great difference of the Climate 
 
 ' Professor Balfour suggests that tliis grain was not wheat, but might 
 have been millet. [Phil. Trans. ^ vol. clxviii, p. oOi.) 
 
58 CLIMATE. UMBRAGEOUS TREES. [169I. 
 
 and Food. He who dy'd just as wc were about to leave it, 
 as I sliall relate in the sequel of these Memoirs, was perfectly 
 born down by the violence of Fatigue. 
 
 Tlie Sky is always fair and serene, and the heats of the 
 Summer very Moderate ; because precisely at Eight a Clock 
 in tlie Morning there rises every day a little North-East 
 or North-AVest Wind, which agreeably cools the Air, and 
 tempering the hottest Season, causes a perpetual Spring all 
 the year round, and a continual Autunni, no part of it 
 deserving the Name of Winter, insomuch that one may bath 
 one's self at any time. The Nights are cool and refreshing ; 
 it seldom Rains, at least we saw no Kain, except for four or 
 live "Weeks after tlie Hurricane ; that is, in January and 
 February} There fall great Dews, and frequently, whicli 
 serve instead of Show'rs. As for Thunder,^ whicli is so 
 formidable in our Eiiropc, and in several otlier parts of the 
 AVorld, I believe it was never heard in this Island. 
 
 'Tis as I have hinted, compos'd of lovely Hills, cover'd all 
 with fine Trees, wliose perpetual Verdure is entirely Charm- 
 ing. These Trees are very rarely entangled {de hroussailles) 
 one in another by the nearness and thickness of their 
 Branches. They naturally form Ally's to defend us from 
 the Sun's Heat ; and the Prospect is every where adorn'd by 
 the sight of the Sea, thro' the Boughs which are almost in 
 all riaces open enough, to admit a View of the vast Ocean 
 between them. 
 
 At tlie foot of these Hills are Valleys, the Soil of which 
 is the most excellent in the World, as we may easily con- 
 ceive, if we consider it consists chiefly of rotten Trees; 
 whose Matter being reduc'd to dust, is driven by the Floods 
 
 1 " Une heure apres que I'eau est tonibee, on peut se proniener 
 comme a I'ordinaire." Omitted by translator after word February. 
 The translator frequently makes sueh omissions. 
 
 •^ Thunder is rarely heard tiirougliout the regions of the trade- 
 winds. 
 
169 1.] UXFATLING WATER-SUPPLY. 59 
 
 down the Hills. This Mould is very light, and produces 
 almost without Cultivating. It abounds in fruitful Juices. 
 
 The Valleys are cover'd with Palm-Trees, Plantanes 
 {Lataniers), Ebony's, and several other sorts of Trees ; 
 the Beauty of whose Leaves and Branches may compare 
 with that of the finest of our European Trees. In the low 
 parts of these Valleys we frequently meet with Rivulets of 
 fresh Water, whose Springs are all in the middle of the 
 Island. These pure Streams are never dry, and so conve- 
 niently dispos'd for watering all this little Country, that 
 nothing can be more Commodious. What pity 'tis that a 
 Place so Delicious in all things, shou'd be useless to the 
 Inhabitants of the World. I insist the more on these 
 charming Eivulets, because tliere are a great many Islands 
 that have none ; and 'tis doubly a wonder to find so many 
 here, and all so happily distributed. 
 
 Several of the other Piivulets besides that near which 
 as I have said we built our Cabbins, form {dcs Naiies cO) 
 Cascades by falling from the top of Bocks : I reckon'd seven 
 Basons, and as many Cascades all together, and all form'd 
 by the same Biver.^ 
 
 There are abundance of Eels in these Bivers, some of 
 
 1 The reviewer of Legaat's book in the Nouvdies ilc la Repuhlique 
 dcs Lettns, for December 1707 (p. 611), calls attention to the very- 
 small rainfall being insufficient to supply the sources of the streams. 
 This circumstance, and the fact of the remoteness of the island from any 
 continent, would apparently, he adds, disprove the theory of those wiio 
 maintain that aU springs are dependent on rainfal?, for tht dews, 
 though frequent, would not supply enough moisture for these perennial 
 rivulets. Recent accounts give a somewhat different account of the 
 climate. "The island," says Prof. Ba!foc:r, "is comparatively dry, 
 the soil is parched and arid, and during tho ^varm season n'&ny of the 
 streams are dried up. But the size of the watcr-cuurses .and tho 
 enormous boulders filling their beds imlicute large torrents in the 
 rainy season. In some places, issuing from the clay, springs occur, of 
 which tiie water is brackish, has a very disngreeable taste, and is 
 slightly tepid, but has no smell. As a rule tlie WAtcr of the st^eart^fc^ is 
 
60 ETERNAL VERDURE. [169I. 
 
 them very l)ig, and all excelleutly well tasted. We have 
 taken some so Monstrous, (I am afraid to tell it) that two 
 ]\Ien cou'd hardly carry home one of them ; 'tis easie to 
 catch them, for you can scarce put your Bait into the 
 Water, before the Fish bite. This Water is seldom deep, 
 and being very Transparent, we cou'd easily see these huge 
 Eels creeping at the bottom ; and if we pleas'd, might have 
 taken tliem with a Harping-Iron (harpoon) : We have some- 
 times shot them with a Fuzee^ and Hare-shot. 
 
 The Valleys I am talking of, Water'd and made fertile by 
 these little IJivers, extend themselves Insensibly as we draw 
 nearer the Sea, and form a Level, which in some Places is 
 two Miles^ broad, and two long. The Soil of these little 
 Plains is excellent eight or ten foot deep, and there those 
 great and tall Trees grow, between which one may walk at 
 ease, and find such refreshing coolness in their shade at 
 Noon ; so sweet, so healthy, that 'twou'd give Life to tiiose 
 that are dying. Their spreading and tufty Tops, which are 
 almost all of an equal height, joyn together like so many 
 Canopy's and Umbrello's, and jointly make a Cieling of an 
 eternal Verdure, supported by natural Pillars, which raise 
 and nourish them. This is certainly the Workmanship of a 
 Divine Architect. 
 
 What is more Eemarkable, is the greatest part of the 
 
 good and safe to drink, but that of some rivers, notably the river 
 Sauniatre, is most unpalatable, and apt to cause slight catharsis. 
 
 "The climate is much like that of INlauritius, where the average annual 
 temperature is 78^ Fahr. During the north-west monsoon, from 
 November to April, the weather is wet and warm, and frequently in 
 the first montihs of the year the island is visited by severe hurricanes. 
 From May to October the south-cast monsoon prevails, and then the 
 weather is cool and dry. 
 
 " The rainfall is exceedingly irregular, the Iiills being hardly high 
 enough, aud not sufficiently wooded, to arrest clouds ; hence, also, fogs 
 are rare." (Philosojihiial Tro.usactions, vol. clxviii, p. 292.) 
 
 ' Cf. p. 55. 
 
 " In original, " twT> thousand paces'". The l)i*eadth of these level 
 valleys U^M^ the sea would, therefore, be one mile, not two, as in text. 
 
1 69 1.] PALM-TREES. 61 
 
 Trees of this little Eden, ai'c not less useful or necessary for 
 the Conveniences of Life, than pleasant to the Eyes or the 
 Mind. For Example, the several sorts of Palm-Trees and 
 Plantanes are Admirable Magazines of Necessaries for those 
 Sages, who Believe and Practise what St. Paul says. The 
 Fruit of them is excellent, and the Water which the Trunks 
 of these Trees yield, and which runs from its Spring without 
 Preparation, is a kindly and delicious Liquor ; some of the 
 Leaves are good to eat, others serve instead of Silk or Linen. 
 There are abundance of these wonderful Trees all over our 
 Isle. Perhaps the Eeader may expect that I shou'd explain 
 my self a little on this Head. 
 
 I shall not undertake to give a Description of Palm-trees 
 and Plantanes {Lataniers), a Thousand and a Thousand 
 Men having written of them, and I know there are above 
 thirty^ several sorts of them : Neither shall I enlarge in the 
 Description of those I am speaking of, but give a small 
 Ida^a of them, for the sake of such as do not know what 
 sort of Trees these are. 
 
 Our Palm-trees are commonly thirty or forty Foot high ; 
 their Trunk is straight, and without Leaves, but 'tis cover'd 
 with a sort of prickly Scales, whose prickles stand out a 
 little : Some have a smoother Bark than others. On the top 
 of the Trunks grow those Boughs of Palm, of which no Man 
 ever saw a lively Picture. These Boughs form a great 
 Knot (bouquet), and fall down all about it in Plumes : Below 
 these Boughs, or rather below the Trunk from which they 
 grow, are produc'd long Bunches, each Fruit or Grain (est 
 rerd) as big as a Hens Egg, and of the same shape, known 
 by the Name of Dates? 
 
 1 Botanists have now distinguished considerably more than a thou- 
 sand species of palms, divided, according to Sir J. Hooker, into 1.32 
 genera. 
 
 ^ It is a difficult matter to decide what particular species of palm is 
 referred to by Leguat. Prof. Is. Bayley Balfour, who visited Rodri- 
 guez with the Ti-ansit of Venus expedition (187-4-5), made a special 
 
fi2 PALM WINE. [169 1. 
 
 In the center of this great Knot {bouquet), and at tlie 
 Summet of the Trunk, is what we call the Cabbidge. One 
 cannot see it, being hidden by the Boughs that rise a little 
 all about it. This Summet consists of tender Leaves, which 
 closely embrace each other, joyn together, and form a Mass 
 something like that of a Cabbage Lettice, or common Cab- 
 bage ; 'tis about two Foot high if tlie Tree is large, and of 
 the same bigness with the Trunk. The large outside Leaves 
 of this Mass are white, soft, pliable, and as strong as Buff, 
 \vhicli it resembles. They will serve also for Linen, Satin, 
 for Napkins, Table Cloths, and anything what you please. 
 The Membrana or inside leaves are tender and brittle, like 
 the Heart of a Lettice : They are good to eat raw, and 
 tast like a Filberd ; but we made an admirable Eagout of 
 them when we Fricasi'd them with the Fat and Liver of a 
 Turtle. We put them also in our Soops. 
 
 We come now to the Liquor, or rather the Nectar of the 
 Isle of Rodrigo. 'Tis call'd Palm- Wine all over the Indies : 
 There are two ways of drawing out the Juice. We make a 
 hole in the Trunk of the Tree at about a Mans height, as 
 big as ones two Fists. We presently put a Pot or other 
 
 ptudy of the botany of this island. He says that Leguat i:)robably 
 inchuled in his description two kinds of ])&\m—Dict]i()spcrma album, 
 now very abundant in the ishand, and Hi/(iphorhe Vrrschaffclfii. Part of 
 liis remarks wouhl apjjly to one of tlicse and part to the other, while 
 his allusions to the fruit as big as a hen's egg, and the prickly scales 
 ou the trunk, would agree well with neither. " As pointing Iq this 
 direction, I think,'' says Balfour, " we may take his remark, 'some have 
 a smoother bark than others,' for tlie bark IfynjiJiorhe Vtrschafl'vltii is 
 much smoother than that of Dicti/osperrn<t alhuni,." 
 
 This palm, Ihjojihorhe VersdiaffcUii, called Palmiste marron {i.e., wild 
 Palmiste) by the Creoles, grows to a height of 25-30 feet and is spread 
 over the whole island, but never occurs on the coralline limestone. It 
 begins with a stem 6-12 ins. diameter at the base, bulging after a few 
 feet, reaching 12-24 ins. in the middle, thence contracting upwards. 
 If the tree be lofty, there may be a second i^entricosity. (Cf. Pldlo- 
 .'iojihiad I'runs. of the Royal Society, vol. clxviii, p. 375 .tcqij. ; Flora 
 of Manritivs ami the Seychelles, by J. G. Baker, F.L.S.,1877, p. 383.) 
 
1 69 1.] THE LATANIER. 63 
 
 Vessel there to receive the delicious Liqnor, which runs out 
 fast enough, otherwise we dig (creusions) the Cabbage, and 
 make a little Cistern at its Head. We need only go twice or 
 thrice a Day, and draw this rare Wine at the Fountain Head, 
 and we may be abundantly supply'd with it. The Wine of 
 the Trunk, and that of the Cabbage, are in my Opinion 
 of an equal goodness. 
 
 But those who wou'd be good Husbands of their Trees 
 (for as for us we were lavish enough of them), the first way 
 is the best, because after the Cabbage has yielded its Liquor 
 for about a Month, it Withers, and the Tree decays and dies. 
 'Tis the same thing if jon tear off the Cabbage, when its 
 Head and Brain are gone it dies almost suddenly. 
 
 Whereas if you only pierce its Side, the Tree do's not die, 
 provided the Wound is not too deep ; but the Liquor will 
 not run out at that Hole above four Days : The wounded 
 Tree must afterwards have time to recover. I do not know 
 what is done elsewhere, but I can tell by Experience what I 
 have said here, we having made trial of it daily for two 
 years together. The Bark of this Tree is very hard, 'tis an 
 Inch thick, Porous and Tender in the Inside. If one make 
 the Hole on the side of the Trunk too wide, there is reason 
 to fear 'twill weaken the Tree there^ and that then the next 
 Hurricane will break it. 
 
 The Plantane^ (Latanicr) is a sort of Palm-tree, and the 
 Arborists place it in the same Class. Our Plantanes have a 
 
 ^ The word " Latanier" in the original has been throughout the 
 narrative mistranslated " plantane". It is evidently the fau-palni 
 {Latania Verachaffeltii) that Leguat is describing here. Prof. Balfour 
 says it is found in every part of the island, where it is put to a variety 
 of uses. The wood is very hard and durable, of a rich mottled bhick 
 appearance, and used for building huts, though now this is interdicted, 
 as the trees are becoming more scarce. The leaves are chiefly used 
 for thatching huts, and are also made into baskets. The fibres of 
 the petiole form a very excellent material for cordage, and the reti- 
 culum is also put to various uses. (Cf. l^liil. Trans., vol. clxviii. p. .'574.) 
 
64 VARIOUS USES OF THE I'ALM. [169I. 
 
 straight Trunk, which seems to be form'd of large Eings at an 
 equal Distance, They have no such prickly Scales as I have 
 talkt of. At the top of the Trunk is a Cabbage, very like 
 to that I have describ'd. At the foot of this Cabbage 
 instead of Palm Boughs are broad Leaves, with Stalks about 
 six or seven Foot long : These Leaves are strong and thick, 
 and like a Fan when 'tis open ; the Sticks of which come a 
 little out of the Circumference, and are pointed at the end. 
 Some of these Leaves are eight Foot Diameter, insomuch 
 that they serv'd to make rare Coverings for our Cabbins. 
 We cut 'em out into little pieces, and made Hatts and 
 Umbrello's (parasols) of them. The Stalk is four Inches 
 broad, an Inch thick and a little roundish at the sides ; at the 
 bottom where it joyns to the Tree, it widens, and grows like a 
 flat Shell which sticks to the Trunk, and in part embraces it. 
 This wide and hollow Plate {patte) is sometimes above a 
 Foot Diameter, and of the thickness of a Crown-Piece. We 
 made use of it for Dishes, Plates and Sawcers. The first 
 Piind of the Stalk serv'd us instead of Popes, and the Fibres 
 of the second made good Thread to Sow with. One might 
 have wove Stuffs with it, had it been prepar'd. 
 
 We could not perceive any difference in the Tast, or in any 
 other qualities {entrc le vin) of the Palm-tree or Plantane. This 
 Li(|uor is whitish like white Whey, and so sweet, that no 
 other sweetness, if I may judge of it, can compare to it: 
 The newer it is, the more agreeable. In three or four days 
 it begins to turn Sowre, and in seven or eight, 'tis as sharp 
 as the strongest Vinegar without changing its Colour. 
 
 The Dates of the Plantane {Latanicr) are bigger than 
 those of the Palm-tree. Having abundance of better things 
 to feed on, Fish and Flesh, Fruits, etc., we left the Dates for 
 the Turtles and other Birds, particularly the Solitaries, of 
 which we shall hereafter make mention. 
 
 About the Cabbage of the Plantane, near the bottom of it 
 
PXATNT DE X' HAE ITAT Io:Nr 
 
 loTti.I. ^ag ■ G^ , 
 
 l^D IE S 
 
1 69 1.] PEPPER AND DRIFT COCOS. 65 
 
 and between the Stalks of its broad Leaves, is a sort of 
 Cotton of a Linion Colour, wliicli all thro' India is known by 
 the name of Ctqwc} We made very good Quilts {matdas) of it. 
 It may be Wove, and Manufactur'd for all the Uses that 
 Cotton is put to : Perhaps we might have thought of making 
 a sort of stuff, both of the Capoc and the Fibers of our Plan- 
 tane Leaves ; but we had Stuff enough of our own to serve a 
 long time, and the Air is so mild, so sweet, that we did not 
 make much use of our Cloaths. Happy for us had we sav'd 
 them ; for the time when the Persecution of a New giv'n of 
 God} whom we shall speak of expos'd us to a thousand 
 Miseries on the fatal Rock, whither that wicked Man banish'd 
 us. 
 
 There are several other kinds of Trees in this Island, 
 which yield tolerable Pruit. Those tliat bear a sort of 
 Pepper,^ are not a little like Plum-trees of a moderate size : 
 Their Leaves are much like that of the Jessamine ; they bear 
 their Fruit in little Bunches, and it did very well in our 
 Sauces. 
 
 The Sea having thrown us up some Cocos which began to 
 bud, we planted some of that Fruit some Months after our 
 Arrival, and when we left the Place, the Trees were four 
 Foot high. 
 
 I leave it to the Pieader to guess how these Cocoes,* some 
 
 1 Capoc^ a sort of cotton so fine and so short that it cannot be spun. 
 It is used in the East Indies to line palanquins, and to make beds, 
 mattresses, cushions, pillows, etc. (Rees' Cyclopedia.) 
 
 2 A play on the name of Diodati, or Deodate, the Governor in 
 IMauritius, who subsequently persecuted and imprisoned Leguat. 
 
 3 Professor Balfour supposes this plant to have been either Capsicum 
 frutescenSy abundant everywhere in the island, or C. cordiforme, not 
 common (I. c, pp. 303, SCO). But it seems scarcely probable that 
 Lcguat's pepper was a capsicum, which bears a long, pod-like fruit or 
 seed, whereas he compares that of his plant to a small plum. 
 
 * A few trees of Cocos nucifcra occur in the compound of Government 
 House at Port Mathurin. Leguat's remark that the cocoa-nuts thrown 
 up on his island came from St. Brandon, bettor known as the Cargados 
 
 F 
 
G6 isLK OF >;te. bhande. [169 1. 
 
 of wliicli wfii^ird live or six roiiiul, can be tlirown on tlie 
 Coasts of Rodrifjo, and come lliree or fonr score Leaones by 
 Sea Avitliont Corrupting. For we are very certain tliey come 
 from tlie Isle of Ste. Brande, wliich is to the Windward, to 
 the North-East of Ours, and at least as far off as I have 
 said.^ 
 
 The Sea brings in nothing but from that side, from 
 whence we may conclude, there are certain Currents which 
 contribute very much togetlicr with the Wind and Tide 
 to throw abundance of things on the Coast." AVc may 
 therefore suppose, these Fruits were blown off from the 
 
 (i.arajos, in lat. 1G° 25' south, .in<l between long. 50" and G0° east, is 
 (lillicult to reconcile with the circumstance of the prevailing south-east 
 monsoon setting the current in an opposite direction, i.e., towards this 
 group from Rodriguez. There are, however, more singular instances 
 of drift on record, e.g., the Keeling Islands, whose flora is almost 
 wholly derived from islands in the Indian Archipelago, though the 
 direction of the winds and currents would hardly seem to render such 
 a thing possible. Compare Darwin's remarks on this sulijcct in Voyage 
 of the Beagle, vol. iii, p. 542, and Chamisso, in Kotzebue's first voyage 
 (vol. iii, p. 155). 
 
 ^ Here our author is in error ; the Cargados Garajos {vide note on 
 p. G5) are to the north-vestu ard of Rodriguez, and about 300 miles distant 
 from it. These islets, of which there are said to be sixteen in number, 
 lie off a dangerous bank of coral sand. It was with reference to their 
 position that an acrimonious controversy raged, towards the end of the 
 last century, between the Abbe Rochon and I\I. d'Apres de INIanevil- 
 lette, a well-known hydrographer, the Abbe having placed St. Brandon 
 fifty leagues to the eastward of Cargados Garajos. Later surveyors 
 have, however, succeeded in establishing their identity. According to 
 Sir E. Belcher, who visited the group in 184G, the fishermen there have 
 a way of calling every white stone above water a St. Brandon. Tlie 
 southernmost of these isles, Coco Island, owes its name to its having 
 been formerly covered with these trees, of which only two remained 
 in a perishing condition at the time of his visit. St. Brandon is noted 
 for the beautiful scarlet coral, the TnUfora munica. (Cf. Findlay's 
 \Sailing Directions for the Indian Ocean, p. 454 ; Pike's Snh-tropical 
 Eambles, pp. 423-4; Voyages a Madagas^car, par Alexis Rochon, 1802, 
 tome i, ch. xlvi.) 
 
 2 " Dans la saison de I'Ouragan, on pourroit dire que le tourbillon 
 anroit enleve ces fruits dans I'isle de Ste. Brande." 
 
 
169I.] THE BANYAN OK SACKED KASTA. 
 
 67 
 
 Isle of Stc. Brande, very far into the Sea ; and from thence 
 brought to us by the Tide and the Currents. 
 
 There's a wonderful fine Tree at Eodrigo, whose Branches 
 are so round, and so tliick, 'tis impossible for the Sun-Beams 
 to penetrate thro' it : Some of these Trees are so big, that 
 two or three hundred People may stand under them, and be 
 shelter'd from the Snn or the Weather.^ 
 
 The vast Extent of it is occasioned thus. Some of the 
 great Branches naturally tend downwards, and reachinn' the 
 Ground take lioot, and become new Trunks themselves, 
 which make a sort of little Forest. 
 
 The first time I saw this Tree, I remember I had read in 
 some Voyages, that they are to be met with every where in the 
 Indies, and in the Continent and Isles of America. I do not 
 tliink there's any of them in Europe. The Eastern Idolaters 
 have a great Respect for them, and commonly build their 
 Pagods under them. 
 
 1 There can be little doubt that Leguat's description and the authors 
 he cites point to the banyan {Fiais indica). Jts great height and the 
 vast area it covers with its interlacing branches, the curious way these 
 liaveof taking root and forming new stems, are all characteristic of this 
 remarkable tree, which has been a favourite theme of writers in prose 
 and verse in all ages, from the days of Pliny to our own times. 
 
 But, though indigenous to India, Southern Persia, and Ceylon, the 
 banyan is foreign to the INIascarene flora, ^^'e may suppose, there- 
 fore, either that it was formerly extant and has become extinct in 
 Rodriguez, or that Leguat referred to some other species of Ficus. 
 Balfuur describes two— F. consimilis aLd F. ruhra—ioimd by him on 
 that island, where they are both common, but adds that neither of 
 them is the one described by Leguat. Baker mentions these and 
 several other species in his Flora of Mauritius (pp. 28o seqq.), and Sir 
 Henry Barkly informs the writer that there is a large tree of F. con- 
 siniilis in Seychelles, and that the bats feed on its fruit precisely as 
 Leguat describes at Rodriguez ; but the size of the leaves and fruit is 
 much smaller than his species. {Phil. Tran,., I. c, p. 3G8 ; Balfour's 
 Timhcr-Trees of India, p. 117 ; Helmsley's Vcfjctation of Dicqo Garcia, 
 in /,/«». .Sor. ./o;//-«o/, vol. xxii. p. .S34.) 
 
 F 2 
 
08 EALLY NOTICES OF THE BANYAN; [169I. 
 
 La Boulayc Ic Gonz writes,^ that tliis sacred Tree is call'd 
 Kastciy and that the Indians say, 'tis cherisli'd l)y the Saints ; 
 hocause their God Pan diverts himself witli playing upon the 
 Flute, under the shade of its broad Leaves. 
 
 The same Author adds, that no Man dares pull off one of 
 tliosc Leaves for fear of dyiuL,^ within tlie year ; and refers 
 liis Eeader to what Jhrodolus and Qmnius Onrtius have said 
 on the same Subject. Tavcrnicr'^ also speaks of it, and tells 
 us the Persians call it Lull, but that tlie Franhs liave giv'n 
 it the Name of the Banians Tree ; because the Penitents of 
 .the Faqnors and Banians dress their ]\Ieat, and pay their 
 Devotions under this Tree. Mr. de Eochcfort calls it Farc- 
 
 1 Lot Voijarjes tt Observations dn Skiir tie In Bonllayc-Lc-Gnuz^ ctc.^ 
 J'aiis, 1653, 2nd ed., 1657. This author, whose tour in Ireland in 
 1644 was edited in Englisli by Crokcr in 1837, was born in the early 
 part of the seventeenth century. He travelled extensively in the East, 
 and died in Persia in 1668. The genuineness and impartiality of his 
 remarks on men and things earned for him the reputation of "a very 
 honest fellow". The passage in his above-mentioned work referring 
 to the banyan-tree is in chapter xvii (pp. 183 seq. of 1st edit.). He 
 figures the tree with a native Indian seated below, a cow and a pagoda, 
 while above is a quaint rcjoresentation of the sun. He mentions camp- 
 ing several times under its shade while on the journey from Surat to 
 (loa, and remarks that Rama or Brahma taught the Indians to venerate 
 it. The followers of this divinity, however, mingling superstition 
 with their worship, declared that anyone plucking its leaves would die 
 Avithin the year. Milton described it as follows : — 
 
 ". ... there soon they chose 
 The fig-tree, not that kind for fruit rcnown'il. 
 But such as at this day to Indians known 
 In Malabar or Deccan spreads her arms, 
 Branching so broad and long, that in the ground 
 The bended twigs take root and daughters grow 
 About the mother tree, a pillar'd shade 
 High overarch'd, and echoing walls between." 
 
 {Paradise Lost, Book ix.) 
 
 2 Cf. Tavcrnier's Persian Voyarjcs^ Book v, ch. xxiii, 1682 cd., vol. i, 
 p. 614. This traveller also figures tlie banyan, stating that the Ter- 
 sians call it Lul, the Portuguese " arbre de Keys", and the French 
 " I'arbre des Banianes". 
 
1 69 1.] ITS LEAVES AND FKUIT. THE STINKWOOD. 69 
 
 tuvier^ in his Natural History of the Antilles,^ and says, its 
 Leaves are broad, thick and long, without saying any thing of 
 tlie Fruit : And the two Voyagers before mention'd, tell us 
 nothing either of the Fruit or of the Leaves. 
 
 The Rodrigo Kastas^ (for I ought to keep the Indian Name 
 at least in the Indies) bear Leaves as broad as one's ITaml, 
 pretty thick, and somewliat like that of a Lilach or a Heart 
 in shape, they are softer than Satin to touch. Their Flower 
 is white, and smells well : Tlicir Fruit is red and round, and 
 as big as a black Damask rium. Their Skin is hard, and 
 within it is a thin S(.'-ed, a little like that of a Fig. The 
 Fruit is not prejudicial to Health, but 'tis insipid. Tlie ]>atts 
 commonly feed upon it, and mulcitudes of them nest in the 
 tufted Branches of this Tree. 
 
 The Wood of all the Trees in this Island, is generally hard. 
 We made this Observation in building our Cabbins ; The 
 Timber we us'd about them, in a few Weeks after 'twas cut, 
 wou'd be full of Worms, till to prevent that Inconvenience, 
 we let it lie three Weeks in the Sea, and then the Worm 
 never came into it. 
 
 There is a Tree we call the Nastij Tree,* because it stunk : 
 
 1 I.c.i Pah'tuvier, the mangrove, a very different tree. 
 
 '^ The title of this rare book is given on page 17, suj)ra. 
 
 3 The name Kasta, to which Legiuit, following La 15oiillaye-Le- 
 (ionz, attributes an Indian origin, is Portuguese, meaning no more 
 than our word "caste", which is derived from it. Of course, the caste- 
 tree would not be an inaiipropriate name for the Ficris rcligiosa, which 
 has always been an object of superstitious reverence among the Hindus. 
 (Cf. Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable; Yule's Anglo-Indian 
 Glossary.) 
 
 ■* Prof. Balfour has no doubt but that the tree referred to by Leguat 
 as the "nasty tree" is Ckrudciidron laciiiiatKm, the Puis caliri of the 
 Creoles, a small tree easily recognised by its disagreeable odour, which 
 has occasioned its popular name. The wood is very white and close- 
 grained, but is not put to great use, save for burning, probably on 
 account of the odour. Some have thought that Leguat referred to 
 the l>ois puant (luitidia Maiiritiana Lam.), but the odour of that tree, 
 though exceedingly objectionable, is only apparent when the sun shines 
 
70 LAXD TURTLES. [169I. 
 
 'Tis the best Wood of all for Carpenters use, but 'twas of no 
 Service to us ; for it stinks so, that it makes all the Places 
 about it smell of it, and the Smell is very Offensive. 
 
 We did not find in this Island any Plant, Tree, Shrub, 
 or Herb, which grows naturally in any part of Europe, that 
 was known to us, except Purslain,^ which is small and green, 
 There's plenty of it in some Places of the Valleys, and that 
 which we sow'd haviufr brou<][ht some of the Seed from the 
 Cape, came up exactly like the Purslain of the Island. 
 
 We saw no four-footed Creatures, but Eats, Lizards, and 
 Land-Turtles,2 of which there are different sorts. I have 
 
 upon it, and is evanescent, and not at all like the persistent odour which 
 the Bois cabri emits. (Balfour, in Phil. Trans., vol. clxviii, p. 3G4, and 
 Plate xxxii ; and cf. Baker, /. c, pp. 255 and 120.) 
 
 1 Purtulaca oleracea^ Creole name Pourpier, is common in waste 
 ground, and especially abundant on the barren ground towards the west 
 of the island. {Balfour, I. c, p. 328.) 
 
 '^ According to Admiral Kempenfeldt, who visited Rodriguez in 1761, 
 the land-turtle was tlio best production of the island. Small vessels 
 were constantly employed in transporting them by thousands to INIauri- 
 tius for the service of the hospital. The principal objects of interest 
 in Rodriguez then were : First, the house of the Superintendent 
 appointed by the Governor of Mauritius to direct the cultivation of the 
 gardens and to overlook the park of land-turtles ; secondly, the park for 
 the land-turtles, which is on the sea-shore, facing the house. As long 
 as Rodriguez was in the hands of the French, these tortoises were pro- 
 tected. {History of Maurithis, etc., by C. Grant, Viscount de Vaux, 
 1801, pp. 100-101.) " But early in the present century the work of exter- 
 mination ajijicars to have been accomplished,'' remarks Dr. Gliiithcr, 
 "and there IS at present of the Rodriguez tortoise not a single living- 
 example in the island or in any other locality. 
 
 " In 1874 the Presidents of the Royal and Geographical Societies 
 addressed a memorial to the Governor of Mauritius, Sir Arthur Gordon, 
 requesting him to preserve the last remnants of the nearly extinct race 
 of Mascarene tortoises, which still survive in the island of Aldabra. 
 
 "Among the bones collected by the naturalist of the Transit of 
 Venus Expedition, 1874-5, some, far exceeding in size the majoiity 
 of their kind, are not rare, and prove that the Rodriguez tortoise was 
 quite equal in bulk to Tesiudo clephantina, many individuals having 
 had a carapace four and a half feet long." (A. Giinther, in Pliil. Trans., 
 I. c, pp. 452 st'jq. See Api»endix and supplementary note.) 
 
1691.] LAND TURTLES. 71 
 
 seen oiie^ that vvcighVl one hundred pound, and had Flesh 
 enough about it, to feed a good number of Men. This 
 Flesh is very wholsom, and tasts something like INIutton, 
 but 'tis more delicate : The Fat is extreamly white, and 
 never Congeals nor rises in your Stomach, eat as nuicli as 
 you will of it. We all unanimously agreed, 'twas better 
 than the best Butter in Europe. To anoint one's self with 
 this Oil, is an excellent llemedy for Surfeits, Colds, Cramps 
 and several other Distempers. The Liver of this Animal is 
 extraordinarily delicate," 'tis so Delicious that one may say of 
 it, it always carries its own Sauce with it, dress it how you 
 will 
 
 The Bones of these Turtles are Massy ; I mean they have 
 no Marrow in them. Every one knows, that these Animals 
 in general are hatch'd of Eggs. The Land-Turtles lay theirs 
 in the Sand, and cover them,^ that they may be hatch'd' : The 
 Scale of it, or rather the Shell, is soft, and the Substance 
 within good to eat. There are such plenty of Land-Turtles 
 in this Isle, that sometimes you see two or three thousand of 
 them in a Flock ; so that one may go above a luindred Faces 
 on their Backs ; or, to speak more properly on their Cara- 
 paccn, without setting foot to the Ground, They meet to- 
 gether in the Evening in shady Places, and lie so close, that 
 one wou'd think those Places were pav'd with them. Tliere 's 
 one thing very odd among them ; they always place Sentinels 
 at some Distance from their Troop, at the four corners of 
 their Camp, to which the Sentinels turn their Backs, and 
 
 1 lu orig. : " J'en ai vu qui pesent," etc. 
 
 2 '' Et fort gros h. proportion de I'aiiiuial ; car une tortue qui n'a que 
 quinze livres de chair, a le foye de cinq j\ six livres," omitted in trans- 
 lation. 
 
 3 In orig. : " & Ics en couvrGut, pour Ics faire oclorre doucenieiit au 
 Soioii." 
 
 4 " Ces (uufs sunt ronds on t jus sens, conunc des billes de billard, 
 et de la grosseur dcs uouls de poules," omitted in translation. 
 
72 SEA TURTLES. [169I. 
 
 look with the Eyes, as if they were on the Watch. This we 
 have always observ'd of them ; and this Mystery seems the 
 more difficult to be comprehended, for that these Creatures 
 are uncapable to defend themselves, or to fly. 
 
 We have also great plenty of Sea-Turtles here : Their 
 Flesh tasts like Beef, that of the Breast is admirable. The 
 fat is as good as Yeal ]\Iarrow, but being green, it has some- 
 thing the Air of an Ointment, which at first renders it 
 Nauseous. This fat is not only delicate, but wholsom, and 
 purges gently. The Indians make use of it as a Soveraign 
 Uemedy in the Venereal Disease.^ 
 
 The Sea-Turtles are prodigious big, we have seen some 
 that weigli'd above 500 Bound. When we wou'd take them, 
 we turnM them on their Backs by strengtli of Arms, or with 
 Leavers ; and when they are overturn'd, ^tis impossible for 
 them to get up again. They lay their Eggs in sandy Blaces 
 near the Sea, and always in the Night-time ; they make a 
 hole about three Foot deep, and a Foot broad for that pur- 
 pose: The greatest of them will lay near two hundred in less 
 than two Hours. They cover them with Sand, and in six 
 Weeks time the Sun hatches them : As soon as they are 
 hatch'd, all these little Animals which are not so big as a 
 Chicken, just coming out of the Shell, go directly to the Sea, 
 do what you will to hinder them ; they are generally hatch'd 
 in an Hour's time. We have often, to divert our selves, 
 carry'd some of them a quarter of a League off on the Moun- 
 tain, and as soon as we put them on the Ground, they imme- 
 diately went directly to the Sea. They then go faster tlian 
 when they are grown bigger. 
 
 The Fools, the Frigats, and several other Birds which lie 
 in wait for them upon Trees, destroy abundance of them 
 when they are so young ; insomuch, that hardly ten in a 
 
 1 " Quand on a mange de cette graisse (voudra-t-on bien que je 
 le disc ?) Tcau qu'on rend est d'uu verd d'emcraudc adinirable," 
 omitted by translator. 
 
1 69 1.] PRODIGIOUS NUMBERS OF EGGS. 73 
 
 Hundred of them are sav'd. Yet there are such prodigious 
 Numbers, that 'twou'd have amaz'd one if we had not cou- 
 sider'd, every Turtle lays two thousand Eggs a year at times, 
 that they have multiply'd thus from the beginning of the 
 World, and perhaps have not met with any Destroyers but 
 our selves. 
 
 Their Eggs are not quite so good to eat, as those of the 
 Land-Turtles, neither is their Flesh so Delicate. They are 
 of the same shape, and the white both of the one and the 
 other cannot without a great deal of difficulty be changed ; 
 but in length of time it changes so entirely, that it turns 
 quite yellow,^ The Liver of the Sea-Turtle hath not at all the 
 Tast of that of the Land ; besides, 'tis very unwholsome, it 
 smells offensive like bad Oil- : ^Tis Hank, and rises in the 
 Stomach a good while after it is eaten. 
 
 These Animals feed upon Weeds at the bottom of the Sea, 
 and never come a-shoar but to Lay. And I must observe 
 here, en passant, that before that time they couple for nine 
 days together without Disjunction. 
 
 Their Fat remains Liquid when 'tis melted, and tasts 
 Admirably, as well as that of the Land-Turtles. It may be 
 made use of in all sorts of Sauces, either for Flesh or Fish. 
 
 The Turtle is a dull, heavy sort of a Creature.^ It can live 
 without eating a whole Month, provided 'tis discharg'd of the 
 burthen of its Eggs, and you water it from time to time with 
 some Pails of Sea- Water. 
 
 ^ In orig. : " et le blauc des uns et des autres ne sc cuit que tres 
 difiicilement; et meme ^ la longue il se dissipe absoluincnt de sorte qii'il 
 nc reste proprement que le jaune." The translator's rendering of this 
 passage is nonsense. 
 
 '^ " Ou une espece de sauvagin,'' omitted in translation. " Sauvagin" 
 is applied to the smell of wliale-blubber, 
 
 3 In original : " La Tortue a le sang froid." This evidently applies 
 to the actual temperature of the blood, and not to the phlegmatic dis- 
 position of the animal, as the translator makes it appear : later ou Leguat 
 distinguishes the Lamentin as iiaving hot blood. {Infra, p. 74.) 
 
74 THE LAMENTIX. [169I. 
 
 The Lamentins/ which other Nations call Manati, that is 
 having Hands, abound in the Sea about this Isle, appearing 
 often in numerous Troops. Its Head is extreamly like that 
 of a Hog, whatever is said in Mr. Corncille's" Bidionar!/ of 
 Arts aiid Sciences; for in the Article of this Fish, of the 
 difference of Palm-Trees, and several other things that have 
 fallen within my Knowledge ; he is apt to erre frequently 
 and grosly, as is the least imperfect Dictionary that ever 
 was. He borrows the Heads of an Ox, of a Mole, of a Horse 
 and a Hog, to Compose that of a Lamantin ; and in this case 
 falls into the same Confusion, which happens to all that 
 undertake to describe things they never saw, and have no 
 distinct Idxa of. As for my self, I have seen, and carefully 
 and nearly examin'd several ; wherefore I say again, that not 
 only I, but my Companions also found the Head of a Lamen- 
 tin was altogether very like that of a Hog, excepting that its 
 Snout was not so sharp. 
 
 1 This animal was evidently the Ilalicore diigoncj^ now extinct in the 
 ISIixscarene waters, an innocuous herbivore, without fear of man, easily 
 captured, and therefore soon extirpated by the sailors in want of fresh 
 meat. (See supplementary note.) 
 
 *' Where is the Rhytina of Behrings' Island ? Absolutely abolislu d 
 from the face of the earth ! Where are the Manatees that played in the 
 waters of the Antilles ? . . . Where are the Dugongs of Kodriguoz, 
 so charmingly described by Leguat ? Vanished! Whei'C are the Sea- 
 elephants of Ascension, Tristan d'Acunha and the Crozettes? So hunted 
 down that it is not worth a skipper's while to seek them ! Where are 
 the countless and mighty Otaries that Peron found in Bass's Straits? 
 Kot there assuredly ! . . . Surely it is time to stop such wanton, 
 such short-sighted destruction." (Professor Newton ou " Extermination 
 of Marine Mammalia", Nature, December 11, 1873, p. 112 ; Matumalia, 
 Recent and Extinct, by A. W. Scott, Sydney, pp. 52 et scej.) 
 
 2 This M. Corneille was Thomas, the younger brother of Pierre, the 
 great Corneille. He composed this Dictionnalre den Arts et des Sciences 
 at the request of the French Academy, as a supplementary work to 
 the Academy's Dictionary. The article on Lamentins, by Thos. Cor- 
 neille, was solely concerned with the American Lamentin, and not with 
 the Dugong described by Leguat. (MuUer's note ou p. 92 of modern 
 French ed.) 
 
l6g\.] AN EXTRAORDINARY NURSE. 75 
 
 The greatest of them are about twenty Foot long, and 
 have no other Fins but the Tail and two Paws. The Body 
 is pretty big down to the middle, and a little below it, the 
 Tail has this in rarticular with the Whales^ ; that its 
 breadth is Horizontal, when the Animal lies on its Belly. 
 The Blood of this Creature is hot, its Skin is Black, very 
 rough and hard, with some Hairs, but so few, they arc 
 scarce perceivable. Its Eyes are small, and it has two holes 
 which it opens and shuts, and for that reason may be call'd 
 (its) Gills and its Ears. Because it often draws in its Tongue, 
 which is not very great, several have assur'd me it has none. 
 It has Hind-Teeth," and even Tusks like a Boar, but no 
 Fore-Teeth : Its Jaws are hard enough to bite Grass,^ its 
 Flesh is excellent, and tasts something like the best Veal : 
 'Tis very wholsom ]\Ieat. 
 
 The Female has Tets like Women's ; Some say it brings 
 forth two young ones at a time, and gives them ]\lilk 
 together, carrying them both at its Breast with its two 
 things like Hands'^ : But since I have never seen it hold but 
 one, I encline to believe it bears no more at once. 
 
 I never saw tliis extraordinary Nurse,^ without remem- 
 bring with double Beason my own Condition, tliat of an 
 
 1 This reniaikiible order of aquatic mammalia, now known as Sircnia, 
 was formerly classed with Cetacca, with walruses and seals by others, 
 and even witli elephants by Ue Blain villa. (See supplementary note.) 
 
 2 In orig. : " II a des dents machelieres," i.e., molars. 
 
 3 lu orig. : "pour arracher et pour brouter I'hei'be." 
 ■» In orig. : •' avec ses deux especes de mains." 
 
 ^ This habit of the female Laiuciiliii, described by Leguat, conlirms 
 the opinion, before mentioned, that it is the Ilalicore Dikjoikj. When 
 the female Dugong is nursing her young one, she carries it un one 
 flipper and takes care to keep the head of her offspring, as well as her own, 
 well above the surface of the water, thus presenting a strangely human 
 aspect. These creatures are most affectionate, and if one of a pair be 
 captured, the other falls an easy piey, as it refuses to leave the dead 
 body of its companion. Some of these animals attain to a length of 
 over seven feet in Ceylon. (Sec Sir Emerson Tenneut's Ccjlon, 2in\ 
 edit., ii, pp. 557 ct sc'i.) 
 
76 FRESH AND SEA- WATER EELS. [169I. 
 
 Exile, and that Passage of the l*rophet Jeremy, \i\ his Lamenta- 
 tions, where he there Complains thus. Even the Sea-Monsters^ 
 draw out the Breast, they give such to their youny ones ; (hut) the 
 Dauyhter of my People is become cruel like the Ostriches in the 
 Wilderness. (Lamentations, iv, 3.) 
 
 This Fish is very easily taken, it feeds in Herds like 
 Sheep, about three or four foot under "Water ; and when we 
 came among them did not fly, so that we might take which 
 we wou'd of them, by either Shooting them,^ or falling upDu 
 them two or three at a time upon one without Arms, and 
 pulling it a-shoar by main force. We sometimes found 
 three or four hundred together feeding on the Weeds at the 
 bottom of the Water, and they are so far from being Wild, 
 that they wou'd often let us handle them to feel which was 
 fattest. We put a Eope about its Tail, and so hale it a- 
 shoar. We never took the greatest of them, because we 
 cou'd not master them so easily, and they might perhaps 
 have mastered us : Besides, their Flesh is not so Delicate as 
 that of the little ones. 
 
 Their Lard is firm and excellent, no body that ever saw 
 and tasted the Flesh, took it for any thing but Butchers 
 Meat. This poor Animal dies as soon as it has lost a little 
 Blood. We discover'd that they were to be met witli in 
 these Seas, by finding one dead on the Shear some Months 
 after our Arrival on the Island. We did not observe that 
 this Creature ever came to Land : We imagin'd it might be 
 thrown there, for I do not take it to be Ampliibious. 
 
 We found several other sorts of Fish, and all dil'lerent 
 from those of Europe, except Oysters and Eels. 
 
 We easily caught Sea-Eels with a line, as well as Fresh- 
 Water. Between the Shelves,^ and the dry Land, there 
 
 1 The Hulicore Uihcrnacnli was well known to the Jews, as its lidliital 
 was in the Red Sea, on the coral reefs, described by Klippell. See 
 Tristram's Natural Hist, of the BUile, pp. 41, lo2. 
 
 ^ In orig. : "Ic tirer ;i bout touchant avec un fusil." 
 
 3 In orig. : '* brisans," reefs. 
 
1 69 1.] THE SOLITAIRE. 77 
 
 are certain spaces of Ground which are cover'd when tlie 
 Tide is in, and dry when 'tis out. In this Extent there arc 
 Ditches or sorts of Eeservatories, which the Sea has dug, and 
 wliich remain always full of Water, and also full of Fish. 'Tis 
 tliere tliat we fish'd with Ease and I'leasure ; for the Water 
 being very clear, we cou'd see the Fish catch greedily after 
 the Bait ; and sometimes there wou'd be a kind of Eattel 
 about it, who shou'd bite first; insomuch that we might 
 catch abundance in a very little time. 
 
 The fishing with a Net is not less Diverting, for we had 
 the pleasure of taking a great number of Fish, whose Variety 
 was very agreeable. 
 
 About a thousand Paces from our Lodges there was a Creek, 
 which was full of Sea-Water (at high tide), and at its entrance 
 we cast our Net ; so that when the Sea went out, abundance of 
 Fish remain'd dry, and we took up what we pleas'd, letting 
 the rest go, as long as there was Water enough to carry them. 
 
 We had also another Creek on the other side of our Cab- 
 bins, and full of Oysters, sticking to the Rocks. We went 
 often to Breakfast there, and brought some home, with which 
 we made an excellent Ragout with Palm-Tree-Cabbages and 
 Turtles fat. 
 
 Of all the Birds in the Island, the most Remarkable is 
 that which goes by the Name of the Solitanj,^ because 'tis 
 very seldom seen in Company, tho' there are abundance of 
 them. The Feathers of the Males are of a brown, grey 
 Colour : The Feet and Beak are like a Turkeys, but a little 
 more crooked. They have scarce any Tail, but their Hind- 
 part cover'd with Feathers is Roundisli, like the Crupper of 
 a Horse, they are taller tlian Turkeys. Their Neck is 
 straight, and a little longer in proportion than a Turkeys, 
 wlien it lifts up his Head. Its Eye is black and lively, and 
 its Head without Comb or Cop.^ Tliey never ily, their Wings 
 
 1 Sec Appendix. 
 
 '^ In oi'ig. : " sans crc'te ni huupe." 
 
78 THE SOLITAIRE. [169I. 
 
 are too little to support the weiglit of their Bodies ; they 
 serve only to beat themselves, and flutter^ when they call one 
 another. They will whirl about^ for twenty or thirty times 
 together on the same side, during the space of four or five 
 Minutes : The Motions of their Wings makes then a noise 
 very like that of a Rattle ; and one may hear it two hundred 
 Paces off. The Bone of their Wing grows greater towards 
 the Extremity, and forms a little round Mass under the 
 Feathers, as big as a jMusket Ball : That and its Beak are 
 the chief Defence of this Bird. 'Tis very hard to catch it 
 in the Woods, but easie in open Places, because we run faster 
 than they, and sometimes we approach them without much 
 Trouble. From March to Scpteiiibcr they are extremely fat, 
 and tast admirably well, especially while they are young, 
 some of the Males weigh forty five Pound. 
 
 The Females are wonderfully beautiful, some fair, some 
 brown ; I call them fair, because they are of the colour of fair 
 Hair: They have a sort of Peak like a Widow's cap^ upon 
 their Breasts, which is of a dun Colour. No one Feather is 
 stragling from the other all over their Bodies, they being very 
 careful to adjust themselves, and make them all even with 
 their Beaks. The Feathers on their Thighs are round like 
 shells at the end, and being there very thick, have an 
 agreeable effect : They have two Piisings on tlieir Craws,^ and 
 tlie Feathers are whiter there than the rest, which livelily 
 Picpresents the fine Neck of a Beautiful Woman. They 
 walk with so much Stateliness and good Grace, that one can- 
 not help admiring and loving them ; l)y which means their 
 fine Mein {i.e., mien) often saves their Lives. 
 
 Tho' these Birds will sometimes very familiarly come up 
 
 1 In orig. : " poiu* faire le moiilinet.'' 
 
 '^ In oiig. : " lis font avec vitesse vingt ou trcnte pirouettes tout de 
 suite, dii merae cote, pendant rcspaco de quatre ou ciuq niiiuites." 
 
 3 In orig. : "bandeau." 
 
 ■• Craw — Dutch Kraof/, Swed. Krtifrd, Germ. Kntfjen — the crop of 
 fowls. 
 
l6gi.] A STONE IN THE GIZARD. 79 
 
 near enough to one, when we do not run after them, yet they 
 will never grow Tame : As soon as they arc caught they 
 shed Tears without Crying, and (obstinately) refuse all man- 
 ner of Sustenance till they die. 
 
 We find in the Gizards of both Male and Female a 
 brown Stone, of the bigness of a Hens Egg,^ 'tis somewhat 
 rough, flat on one side, and round on the other, heavy and 
 liard. We believe this Stone was there when they were 
 hatcli'd, for let them be never so young, you met with it 
 always. They have never but one of 'em, and besides, the 
 l*assage from the Craw to the Gizard is so narrow, that a 
 like Mass of half the bigness cou'd not pass. It serv'd to 
 whet our Knives, lietter than any other Stone whatsoever. 
 
 When these r)irds build their Nests, they choose a clean 
 Place, gather together some Palm-Leaves for that purpose, 
 and heap them up a foot and a half high from the Ground, 
 on which they sit. They never lay but one Egg, which is 
 much bigger than that of a Goose. The Male and Female 
 both cover- it in their turns, and the young is not hatch'd 
 till at seven Weeks end : All the while they are sitting 
 upon it, or are bringing up their young one, which is not 
 able to provide for its self in several Months,^ they will 
 not suffer any other Bird of their Species to come within 
 two hundred yards round of the Place : But what is very 
 singular, is. The Males will never drive away the Females, 
 only when he perceives one he makes a noise with his 
 Wings to call the Female, and she drives the unwelcome 
 Stranger away, not leaving it till 'tis without her Bounds. 
 The Female do's the same as to the Males, whom she leaves 
 to tlie Male, and he drives them away. We have obscrv'd 
 this several times, and I afftrm it to be true. 
 
 The Combats between them on this occasion last some- 
 
 1 See Appendix, and Plate No. .\. 
 
 2 In orig. : "le convent.'' 
 
 ^ In orig. : " qu'apres plusieiirs niois." 
 
80 COMBATS AND MARRIAGE. [1691. 
 
 times pretty long, because the Stranger only turns about, and 
 do's not fly directly from the Nest : However, the others do 
 not forsake it, till they have quite driv'n it out of their Limits. 
 After these Birds have rais'd their young One, and left it to 
 its self, they are always together, which the other Birds are 
 not, and tho' they happen to mingle with other Birds of the 
 same Species, these two Companions never disunite.^ We 
 have often remark'd, that some days after the young one 
 leaves the Nest, a Company of thirty or forty brings another 
 young one to it ; and the new fledg'd Bird with its Father 
 and Mother joyning with the Band, march to some bye Place. 
 "We frequently follow'd them, and found that afterwards the 
 old ones went each their way alone, or in Couples, and left 
 the two young ones together, which we call'd a Marriage. 
 
 Tliis Particularity has something in it which looks a little 
 Fabulous, nevertheless, M'hat I say is sincere Truth, and what 
 1 have more than once observe with Care and Pleasure : 
 neither cou'd I forbear to entertain my ]\Iind with several 
 Peflections on this Occasion. I sent Mankind to learn of the 
 Beasts. I commended my SulUarics for marrying young (a 
 piece of Wisdom practis'd by our Jeius) for satisfying Nature 
 in a proper time ; and when she wants to be satisfy 'd accord- 
 ing to the state of the same Nature, and conformable to the 
 intention of the Creator. I admir'd the Happiness of these 
 innocent and faithful Pairs, who liv'd so peaceably in con- 
 stant Love : I said to my self, if our Pride and Extravagance 
 were restrain'd, if Men were or had been as wise as these 
 Birds, to say all at once, they wou'd marry as these Birds do, 
 without any other Pomp or Ceremony, without Contracts or 
 Jointures, without Portions or Settlements,^ without subjec- 
 tion to any Laws, and without any Offence, with which 
 
 1 " INIais ils demeurent toujours vinis et compagnons quoiqu'ils ailleiit 
 quelquefois se meler parmi d'autrcs de lour esp5ce," oinitted iu trans- 
 lation. 
 
 2 In orig : " Sans Mien sans Tien." 
 
J-cm . I . \Pao . o S 
 
1 69 1.] WOOD HENS. 81 
 
 Nature wou'd be most pleased, and the Common-Wealth 
 most benefited ; for Divine and Human La^vs, are ouly 
 Precautions against the disorders of ^Mankind. Know, kind 
 IJeader, that my chief Employment in this Desart Island was 
 thinking, and suffer me therefore sometimes to speak my 
 Thoughts. I have already giv'n you notice, that you were 
 not to expect a Dissertation on the Antiquity of Greek 
 Accents, nor on Manuscripts of our Eden, nor on the Medals 
 found there, any more than Descriptions of its Amphitheaters, 
 Palaces and Temples. 
 
 Our Wood-hens^ are fat all the year round, and of a most 
 delicate Tast. Their Colour is always of a bright Gray, and 
 there's very little difference in the Plnmage between the two 
 Sexes. They hide their Nests so well, that Ave cou'd not find 
 'em out, and consequently did not tast their Eggs. They 
 have a red List^ about their Eyes, their Beaks are straight 
 and pointed, near two Inches long, and red also. They 
 cannot fly, their fat makes 'em too heavy for it. If you 
 offer them any thing that's red,^ they are so angry they will 
 fly at you to catch it out of your Hand, and in the heat of 
 the Coml)at, we had an opportunity to take them with ease. 
 We had abundance of Bitterns,'* as big and as good as 
 
 1 In orig. " Gelinotes", an extinct form of EaUidie, closely allied 
 to the Aplianaptnyx of Mauritius. Cf. Recherches mr la faune ancienne 
 des tics Mascarcignes, par Alph. Milne Edwards in Ann. des Sc not. Zool., 
 6me serie, t. xix, art. 3, and, by the same author, Siir les affiniten 
 zoologiques de VAphmmpteryx, etc.., op. c, x, 325. 
 
 2 In orig.: " ourlet rouge autour." Anglo-Saxon List; Iccl. listi or 
 fillet ; a list of cloth is the outer edi.e or border. 
 
 Cf. Shakespeare, " Gartered with a red and blue list." (Taming of 
 the Shnir^ iii, 2.) 
 
 3 M. Milne Edwards proposes the name ErytJirotnachits, i.e., " Hostile 
 to red,'' for th's genus, and lias named the species here described after 
 our author, E. Lcgiiati. 15ut ]\Iessrs. Giinther and Newton prefer 
 looking upon the Kodriguez bird as a smaller species of Aphanapteryx, 
 and to treat of it as A. Lcguati. Cf. Fhil. Trans., op. c, p. 431. Vide App. 
 
 ■* In orig. '' Butors''. The bitterns mentioned seem to have been 
 night-herons, Nycttcorux megacephulus. This night-heron was clearly 
 
 G 
 
82 PIGEONS AXD TROPIC RIPDS. [169I. 
 
 Capons ; they are more familiar, and more easily to be caught 
 than Woodhens. 
 
 The Pigeons^ here are somewhat less than onrs, and all of 
 a Slate colour, fat and good. They pearch and build their 
 Nests upon Trees ; they are easily taken, being so Tame, that 
 we have had fifty about our Table to Pick up the ]\Ielon- 
 Seeds which we threw them, and they lik'd mightily. We 
 took them when we pleas'd, and ty'd little Eags to their 
 Thighs of several Colours, that we might know them again if 
 we let them loose. They never miss'd attending us at our 
 Meals, and we call'd them our Chickens. They never built 
 tlieir Nests in the Isle, but in the little Islets- that are 
 near it. We suppos'd 'twas to avoid the ^persecution of 
 the Pats, of which there are vast Numbers in this Island, 
 as I shall report in the Sequel of this Pelation. The 
 Eats never pass into the Islets. The Fools,^ the Frigats* 
 and perhaps some other Sea-Birds who live upon Fish only, 
 build their Nests on Trees ; but^ there are some other 
 
 "of much more cursorial habits", write Messrs. Giinther and Newton, 
 " than its congeners, chasing rather terrestrial animals (lizards) than 
 aquatic.'' [Phil. Trans., I. c, 43G.) 
 
 " The effect of the prolonged isolation on the two vertebrate-hunt- 
 ing birds of Rodriguez, the owl and the night-heron, was precisely the 
 same. Without losing the power of flight, they became brevipeunate ; but 
 the increased development of the legs compensated for the reduction of 
 this power, and enabled the one to destroy animals of larger size when 
 the smaller kinds become scarcer, and the other to chase its swift - 
 running prey." {rhilosopliical Trunmcl'ions, op. c, p. 43G.) 
 
 ' Cohimha rodcricana. This pigeon, now extinct, was probably of 
 the genus Erythroena, being of a slate colour {(m/om), and not the 
 Turtur picturatiis of Madagascar, Reunion, and Mauritius, as suggested 
 by M. Milne Edwards. {E. N.) 
 
 2 These islets all received names subsequently. See p. ^Q, infra, and 
 a later account of Rodriguez (1730), Ann. dcs Sc. nat. Zool. (6), ii, art. 4. 
 
 3 The "Booby", probably Sida piscalor, a species of gaunet.; but cf. 
 Alph. Milne Edwards, in Ann. des So. nat. Zool., Gme serie, t. ii, art. 4. 
 
 * " Les Paille-en -queue," omitted in translation. See next page. 
 8 In orig : " les ferrets et quelques autres." These birds are de- 
 scribed later, in Tart II. 
 
1691.] "fools" and "frigates", 83 
 
 Birds tliat sit on the Land, in the same Isles where the 
 Pigeons nest. All these Birds have a rank Taste, which is 
 not agreeable; to make amends their Eggs are very good. 
 The Fools come ev'ry Night, and Eoost in the Island ; 
 and the Frigats which are larger, and so call'd because 
 tliey are light, and admirable Sailers,^ lie in wait for 
 tlieni on the top of the Trees, from whence they flounce 
 down upon them like Falcons on their Prey, not to kill 
 them, but make them bring up the Fish that is in their 
 Craw, which the Fool as soon as it is thus struck, is forc'd 
 to do. The Frigat catches it always before it conies to the 
 Ground. The Fool cries, and sometimes is very unwilling 
 to part with its Prog, but the Frigat who is a bolder and 
 stronger Bird, laughs at its Cries, mounts into the Air, and 
 down l>e flounces again upon it, seizes upon the Throat, and 
 do's so till he has compell'd it to obey. 
 
 The Frigat- is blackish, and about the bigness of a Duck. 
 Its Wings are very large, 'tis a sort of Bird of Prey ; for it 
 has Talons, and its Beak which is above half a Foot lono;, is 
 a little crooked at the end. The old ones of the Males, have 
 a kind of red Flesh like a Comb under its Neck, as our 
 Cocks have. The Fools are so call'd because they incon- 
 siderately come about Ships, Perch on the Ropes, and 
 innocently suffer themselves to be easily taken. Their 
 Simplicity is so great, that they judge of others by them- 
 selves, and do not take Men to be Mischievous Creatures. 
 Their Backs are of a Chesnut Colour, their Bellies whitish, 
 their Beaks sharp, four Inches long, and big towards the 
 Head, a little indented at the Edges. Their legs are short, 
 their feet like those of a Duck, and of a pale Yellow. 
 
 There's another sort of Bird^ as big as a Pigeon all over 
 
 1 In orig. : " bous Voiliers." 
 
 2 The Frigate, or inan-of-war bird {TacJu/pefes aqiiila, or T. iiiiiwr). 
 
 3 Lc PaiUc-en-qucue, the Tropic bird {Phavthon candidus) ; according 
 to Miluc Edwards, P. Phcenicurus and P. Jhivirostris. These birds are 
 
 G 2 
 
84 GREEN AND BLUE PAIJROTS. [169I. 
 
 white, its Beak is short and strong, it has a Feather at its 
 Tail a Foot and a lialf long, from whence it takes its Name 
 being call'd Straw-Tail. These Birds made a pleasant War 
 npon us, or rather upon our Bonnets ; they often came 
 behind us, and caught 'em off our Heads before we were 
 aware of it : This they did so frequently that we were forc'd 
 to carry Sticks in our hands to defend our selves. We pre- 
 vented them sometimes, when we discover'd them by their 
 shadow before us : we then struck them in the Moment they 
 were about to strike us. We cou'd never find out of wh.at use 
 the Bonnets were to them, nor what they did with tliose 
 they took from us. 
 
 I shall speak of tlie Tag and the Pluto in Maurice Island. 
 There's but one sort of small Birds^ at Rodrigo, they are not 
 much unlike Canary Birds ; we never heard them sing, tho' 
 they are so familiar, that they will place themselves on a 
 Book wliich you hold in your hand. 
 
 There are abundance of green and blew Barrets,- they are 
 
 still very abundant in those regions {Ann. des. Sc. vat. ZooL, op. cit., 
 6nie surie, xix, art. 3, and 6ine serie, ii, art. 4). Another red-taileJ 
 species {Phaethon riihricauda) breeds on Round Island, near Mauritius. 
 
 1 Two indigenous species of small birds were collected by Sir E. 
 Newton on Rodriguez in 18G4r. These were de.=;cribed by him as 
 Frmdia flavicans and Drymxca rodcrlcana, and specimens of both were 
 brought home by the naturalists of the Transit of Venus Exiieditioii 
 in 1874. Sir E. Newton identifies Leguat's small birds with Foiulia 
 Jfavicfin.s, but notices that they had " a very pleasant song", in contra- 
 diction to his statement that "we never heard them sing". M. jMilne 
 Edwards, however, laying more stress on Leguat's words, is of opinion 
 that his small birds were neither Fondia^/favicans nor Dnjmicca rodiricana, 
 and that these may have been of more recent introduction. Leguat's 
 canaries, he thinks, have shared the fate of the solitaries and wood- 
 hens— z.i?., become extinct. (Cf. P. Z. S., 1865, p. 47 ; Ild.t, 1865, pp. 
 147 et .feq. ; Phil. Trans., I. c, p. 459 ; A7m. des Sc. not: Zool. (5), xix, 
 art. 3, and (6). ii, art. 4.) 
 
 2 M. Milne Edwards has shown, in a memoir publisiied some years 
 ago, that there were great parrots at Rodriguez of a species winch neither 
 exists there nor in any other part of the globe. These were distinct 
 from Acjapornis cana and Palieornis cxsul, and furnish additional proof 
 
iKs.IST't.FJ VII. 
 
 J.G.ITeulemaaG. liik . 
 
 US.'H Ilinhuii !mp 
 
 PAL^OR'NiS EXSUL 
 
1691] FLYING FOXES. 85 
 
 of a midling and equal bigness ; when they are young, their 
 Flesh is as good as that of young Pigeons. 
 
 There are Purrs^ and a few Swallows.^ 
 
 The Batts^ fly there by day as well as other Birds ; they 
 are as big as a good Hen, and each wing is near two Foot 
 long. They never Perch, but hang by their Feet to the 
 Boughs of Trees, with their Head downwards, and their 
 Wings being supply'd with several Hooks, they do not easily 
 fall tho' they are struck.'* When you see them at a Distance, 
 hanging thus wrapt up in their Wings, you wou'd take them 
 rather for Fruit than Birds. The Butch whom I knew at 
 Maurice Island, made a rare Dish with them, aad preferr'd it 
 to the most Delicate Wild-Fowl. Every Man has his Tast ; 
 As for us, we found something in these Batts that we did 
 not like, and having a great many things that were much 
 
 of changes having taken place in the fauna of that island. See his 
 Manoire snr tin P!<ittacas fossUe de Vile de Rodrujue {Psittacns rodcri- 
 caiiiis) in Ann. dcs Sc. nut. Zool. (5), viii, 145. The parrots, however, 
 referred to in our text were of moderate size, and may probably have 
 been Palxomin exid, of which a living specimen was seen in the island by 
 Mr. Slater in 1874. (Cf. Phil. Trans. R. S., I. c, pp. 430 and 459.) 
 
 1 Purrs, probably a species of saudpipei', or perhaps small plovers, for 
 Leguat could not distinguish them. 
 
 2 In orig. : "II y a des alloilettes de mer et des Becassines. Nous 
 u'avons vu que tres-peu d'hirondelles." 
 
 3 Flying-foxes, Ptcropus Edwardsii. Pingre, who touched at Rod- 
 riguez in 1761, during his voyage for the observation of the Transit 
 of Venus, gives some interesting details on these flying-foxes. Those 
 he saw were the size of a pigeon, but longer ; the head like that of 
 a fox ; the skin reddish, darker on the head and neck than on the rest 
 of the body ; the wings dark grey ; when extended they may have 
 measured a foot or a foot and a half. These animals are still extant 
 at Rodriguez, but no materials have hitherto been accessible for their 
 identification. INI. IMilne Edwards is inclined to think they are not 
 Ptcropm Edwardsii, a much larger species inhabiting Madagascar, nor 
 Pteroptts vithjaris of the island of ]\Iauritius, also a larger type. {.Inn. 
 des Sc. nat. Zool.., 5me serie, xix, art. 3.) 
 
 * " Ellcsdemeureuttoujours attacht'es par quclque crochet," omitted 
 by translator. 
 
86 EXTRAOliDlXAKY LIZAKDS. [169I. 
 
 Letter, at least in our Opinion, we never eat an}- of these 
 filthy Creatures. Tliey carry their young about with them^; 
 We observ'd they had always two. 
 
 The Palmtrees and Plantanes are always loaden with 
 Lizards^ about a foot long, the Beauty of which is very 
 Extraordinary ; some of them are blue, some black, some 
 green, some red, some grey, and the colour of each the most 
 lively and bright of any of its kind. Their common Food is 
 the Fruit of the Palm-Trees. They are not mischievous, and 
 so Tame, that they often come and eat the Melons on our 
 Tables, and in our Presence, and even in our Ilands^ ; they 
 serve for Prey to some Birds, especially the Bitterns. "When 
 we beat 'em down from the Trees with a Pole, these Birds 
 wou'd come and devour them before us, tho' we did our 
 utmost to hinder them; and when we offer'd to oppose them, 
 they came on still after their Prey, and still follow'd us when 
 we endeavour'd to defend them. 
 
 There's another sort of Nocturnal Lizards* of a grayish 
 
 ' " & ne les abandonnent que lors qu'ils peuvent voler,'' omitted by 
 translator. 
 
 2 Possibly, Dr. Glinther thinks, a species of J^hclsinna, a genus well 
 represented in the- Mascarene region. (Phil. Trans., I. c, p. 454.) 
 
 3 The fact of there being lizards at Rodriguez is another proof of its 
 being zoologically distinct from Hindustan, for though several kinds 
 of these reptiles are found in Ceylon, there are none in the adjacent 
 continent. With reference to the tameness of lizards. Sir E. Tennent 
 relates the following anecdote : " In an officer's quarters, a gecko had 
 been taught to come daily to the dinner-table, and always made ita 
 appearance along with the dessert. The family were absent for some 
 months while the house underwent repairs ; but on the return of its 
 old friends, at their first dinner, the little lizard made its entrance as 
 usual as soon as the cloth had been removed." (Sir E. Tennent's 
 Ceylon, i, 18G.) 
 
 * Probably, according to the authority quoted above (n. 2), the species 
 of which Mr. Slater collected, with remains of the solitaire and tortoise, 
 several bones. He recognised them as the remains of a lizard, possibly 
 belonging to the family of Skinks. In Dr. Giiutlier'a opinion it is a 
 geckoid lizard, which cannot be separated from the genus Gecko. He 
 concurs iu the proposal of Mr. Slater to name it, after Sir E. Newton, 
 Gecko Newtonii. (Ibid.) 
 
l6gi.] AMBER AND AMBEEGKIS. 87 
 
 Colour, and very ngly ; tliey are as big and as long as ones 
 Arm, their Flesh is not very bad, they love Plantanes. We 
 found Salt enough in holes on the Eocks upon our Coasts^ 
 and had the Island been full of Inhabitants, they might have 
 been supply'd there. The Waves throw up the Sea-water 
 in their Agitation, and the Sun, that admirable Workman of 
 all the Metamorphoses of Nature, turns it into Salt. The 
 Sea brings yellow Amber and Ambergreece.^ We found a 
 great piece of the latter, which we did nut know, and wliich 
 prov'd the cause of all the Misfortunes that happen'd to us 
 afterwards, as will be related in the sequel of this History. 
 AVe found also abundance of a sort of black Bitumen, to 
 which we gave the name of Amber, but 1 believe 'tis pro- 
 perly Jet. 
 
 There's a certain admirable Flower^ in this Island, which 
 I shou'"d prefer to S2}anish Jessamine, 'tis as white as a Lily, 
 and shap'd something like common Jessamine. It grows 
 particularly out of the Trunks of rotten Trees, when they 
 
 1 "La mer apporte de raiubro jauue, & de I'ambre gris." Tlie 
 Arabic term Amber was first given to the remarkable secretion formed 
 in the iutestines of the spermaceti whale, and subsequently to the 
 fossilised gum now generally known by that term. These two sub- 
 stances, both mysterious products of the sea, were, in the seventeenth 
 century, distinguished only by their colour as nmhre fjris and amhre 
 jaune. Ben Jonson asks — 
 
 " Why do you smell of anibergrise, 
 
 Of which was formed Neptune's niece ?" 
 
 (^Neptune's Triumph.) 
 \Vhilst Milton speaks of game — 
 
 "In pastry built, or from the spit or boiled 
 Gris-amber steam'd." 
 
 {Paradise llcfjaiiicd.) 
 2 A marked feature in the Flora, Trofepsor Balfour states (op. ciL, 
 p. 30t), is the paucity of Orchu/accfe. Only four species have been 
 determined ; a fifth, a species of Angrsecum, was found, but in too im- 
 perfect a state for identification. Professor Balfour knows of no plant 
 on the island answering to Leguat'a description, and can only sui>pose it 
 to refer to some speoies of orchid, which has now passed away. A sweet- 
 smelling orchid, Angnecumfrar/rans, is found in the Mascarcne Islands. 
 
88 LITTLE ISLANDS. [169I. 
 
 are almost reJuc'd to the Substance of Mould. The Odour 
 of this Flower, strikes one agreeably at a hundred Paces 
 distance. 
 
 The Air of this Isle will not suffer Lice or Fleas, as one 
 may be assur'd by Experience after such a Voyage as ours. 
 Neither were we troubled by any stinging Flies, nor other 
 Insects that are so troublesoni in the Night, or rather so 
 intolerable, in other Places. 
 
 In those little Islands^ before-mention'd where the Pigeons 
 build, there are an infinite number of Sea-Fowl ; their Flesh 
 (is) not pleasant to the Taste, nor very wholesom, but their 
 Eggs are very good. There's such abundance of these 
 Birds,^ that when they rise, the Sky is even darken'd by 
 them. 
 
 They hatch on the Sand, and so near one another that they 
 touch, tho' of different Kinds. These poor Creatures are so 
 Tame, and so little Diffident, that they will not rise tho' you 
 are almost upon them. They lay three times a year, and but 
 one Egg at a time, like the Solitaries ; which is the more 
 Remarkable, for that if I am not Mistaken, we have no 
 Example of any thing like it among our Eiwojjcan Birds. I 
 shall add one very particular thing which I observ'd in some 
 of these Birds in 3Iaurice Island, when I come to treat of 
 that Isle. 
 
 Thus have I related the most considerable Observations 
 we made in and about the Island of Rodriyo. I must now, 
 
 ^ These little islets are noticeable both in Leguat's sketch map and 
 tlie Admiralty charts, facsimiles of -which have been given for com- 
 parison. It will be seen that these islets extend from Booby Island 
 (55 feet) on the north, round the west side of the island within the 
 reefs to Port South-East, Crab Island being the highest of them 
 (150 feet). Their names. Booby, Pierrot, and Frigate, etc., indicate 
 their being the homes of land-birds and sea-fowl. It is not easy to 
 identify any particular islet in Leguat's map. 
 
 2 Probably terns, several species of whicli bi'eed on the islets round 
 Rodriguez. (Cf. Phil. Trans., I. c, pp. 463 et seq.) 
 
1691.] TROUBLESOME VERMIN. 89 
 
 to give the Eeader a true Idxa of the Place, take notice of 
 the disagreeable and inconvenient things in it : I shall 
 begin with what we first saw. As soon as we Landed, we 
 were surrounded by a prodigious Number of certain little 
 Flies which cover'd us. 'Twas in vain to kill them, for after 
 you had bruis'd ten Thousand of them to pieces, they wou'd 
 be no more mist, than ten drops of Water in the Sea. 'Tis 
 true, these little Creatures did not sting ; all the Inconveni- 
 ence they put us to was a little tickling when they touch'd 
 our Faces. They retire to the Trees as soon as the Sun is 
 down, and leave tliem when it Ilises. They always seek 
 shelter, and the mild cooling Breeze ; and after we had 
 fell'd the Trees about the Place where we built our Cabins, 
 it expos'd them so much to the Wind, that it drove 'em to 
 the Woods, and delivered all the extent of our Habitations 
 entirely from them. But we met with them every where 
 when we walkt out into the Island. 
 
 There's also a kind of great Flies which do not fear the 
 Wind as the others do, and are very Troublesom. Their 
 Bellies are fall of Worms, which they lay on our Meat, and 
 sometimes let 'em fall as they fly along, so that those Pro- 
 visions quickly tainted, when, instead of leaving them open 
 to the Air, we wrapt them up in Linen. The only means 
 we found out to cure this Evil, was to dip them in Sea- 
 Water from time to time. The Nerves or Fibres of the 
 Stalks of our Plantane-Leaves wou'd have made an excellent 
 fine Trellis which those Flies cou'd not Penetrate, and with 
 which we might have made a Safe to secure our Meat, but 
 we did not think of that Macliine. 
 
 The Pats were our second Plague, they are like those in 
 Uia'ope, are very Numerous, and very Troublesome. 
 
 They did not only eat the Seed we sow'd, but came into our 
 Cabbins, and nibbled everything they found there. I am 
 apt to doubt whether Mr. dc liochcfort was well inform'd 
 when he wrote there were no Pats in the American Islands 
 
90 DESTRUCTION OF RATS. [169I. 
 
 before our Discoveries there' ; for I have often found in the 
 EeJation of Voyagers that they met with prodigious quanti- 
 ties in Desert and unknown Islands. It's not impossible 
 that some Ship might have touch'd, or been cast away there ; 
 but let our IModern Philosophers say what they will, I have 
 very good reason to believe, that Eats as well as other kind 
 of Vermin are engender'd sometimes by Corruption, tho' they 
 are also brought forth by the common way of Generation. 
 If 'tis the good pleasure of God, the Great Master of the 
 Universe, that it shou'd be so, what shou'd hinder Eats being 
 found in those Islands where never any vessel was 1^ 
 
 Whereas the Americans have Adders which are naturally 
 bent to exterminate this Villanous Eace, as also Cats and 
 Dogs that are taught to make War upon them, we had 
 nothing to assist us but Owls^ and Traps. We soon banish'd 
 them from our Quarters, by the help of the latter ; however 
 we must own, that a new Multitude sometimes return'd, 
 and found us new Work to clear them. The most ready and 
 sure way of getting rid of great Numbers of them, wou'd be 
 to lay poyson'd Meat for them ; the Island not being very 
 big, this wou'd soon have a very good Effect ; and nothing 
 could come of it that we needed apprehend, if it ha^^pen'd 
 before the Isle was well setled. 
 
 1 De lloclifort, in speaking of the various inconveiiiences to be met 
 witli in the Antilles, says that it was only after ships began frequenting 
 these islands that ra^s multiplied to such an extent as to injure the 
 crops and vegetables ; previously they were unknown to the Caraib 
 Indians. (Ilistoire Natunlle dcs Iks Antilles, L. de Poincy et C. de 
 lloclifort, 2ud edit., 18G5, p. 277.) 
 
 2 The rats were probably of recent introduction. Vessels had 
 touched at the island before Leguat's time on their way to India. 
 
 3 The owls of Rodriguez are now extinct, but some bones found in 
 one of its caves by Sir E. Newton in 187'J: attest Leguat's veracity. 
 These bones belong to two species, for one of which M. Alph. Milne 
 Edwards proposes the name of Slrlx [Allutie) murivora; of the other 
 only one bone, a tibia, having been produced for examination, no 
 specific name could be given. {Ann. dcs Sc. nat. Zool. (5), xix, art. 3.) 
 
1 69 1.] DICK whittington's cat. 91 
 
 The several Inconveniences occasion'd by these Animals 
 when they come thus by Armies, render Credible what is 
 said of that young English Adventurer (Eichard Whittington, 
 in the year 1397) who made his Fortune by a Cat whicli he 
 carry'd out of his Country by chance, and which he pre- 
 sented to a Lord in some Island in the Indies. This little 
 Prince charm 'd with the Cat's admirable Hunting, liberally 
 Rewarded him M'ho brought it ; and who having set a high 
 Price upon it, return'd Pich to London, and became Lord 
 Mayor. He is often to be seen painted with his Cat in his 
 Mayors Habit, and serves for one of the Signs in that City. 
 
 The Land-Crabs^ were our next Enemies. 'Tis impossible 
 to destroy them, there's such a prodigious quantity of them 
 in the low Grounds, and 'tis very difficult to get them out 
 of their Holes.^ Their Burroughs are very broad, and have 
 several Entrances ; they never go far from them, standing 
 always upon their Guard. 
 
 They tore up our Plants in our Gardens day and Night, 
 and if we shut up the Plants in a sort of a Cage in hopes of 
 saving them, if they were not far off, they wou'd dig under 
 Ground from their Burroughs to the Plants, and tear them 
 up under the Cage. The back Scale or Shell of this Crab is 
 of a dirty Pusset Colour, is almost round, and about four 
 Inches Diameter. They march directly with eight Claws or 
 Paws, about four Inches from the Ground, and have two 
 that are indented of an unequal Bigness, as we know all 
 sorts of Crabs have, the Pight Claw or Paw being bigger and 
 
 1 The land crabs described in our text appear to be allied or identical 
 with Birgus htro, which Darwin observed in the Keeling Islands. He 
 speaks of their burrowing habits and of their being provided with 
 "very strong and heavy pincers", with which they crack the cocoa- 
 nuts [Vuijiujc of the Bcayh', ii'i, p. 651). Messrs. Gulliver and Slater col- 
 lected 189 specimens of crustaccte at Rodriguez, repi'eseuting thirty- 
 five species. (Phil. Trans., I. c, p. 485.) 
 
 2 "Elles se logent en terre, & creuseut, jusqu'a ce qu'elles aycnt 
 trouv^ de I'eau," omitted by translator. 
 
92 LAXD-CRABS. [169I. 
 
 Stronger than the rest. You cannot see the Mouth of one 
 of them when it goes along, because it is downwards, but its 
 Eyes are much like those of the Crabs in France and Fug- 
 land, are a good Inch one above another on the Brink, and 
 without the Shell. 
 
 "When one approaches it, it presently retires ; but when 
 we throw Stones after it, 'twill always run after the Stones, 
 by which it is easily struck ; 'tis dangerous venturing to be 
 pinch'd l)y it. This Animal often cleans its Hole, and after 
 having made a little heap of the Ordures it finds there, it 
 carries them out by Pressing them against its Belly with its 
 Claws. This it do's often, and with so much nimbleness, 
 that it soon removes what is Troublesom to it. Its Flesh is 
 pretty good, and tasts something like Eiver-Crabs. 
 
 A little before and after the Full-Moons in July and 
 Aur/nst, these Crabs march by Millions, from all ])arts of the 
 Island to the Sea. We never met w'ith one but what was 
 laden with Eggs. "VVe might then have destroy 'd great 
 quantities of them with ease, for they go in prodigious 
 Troops, and being far from their Burrouglis, have no place 
 of Iletreat. We have sometimes kill'd above three Thousand 
 in an Evening with Sticks, yet we cou'd not perceive the 
 next Day, that their Number was at all Diminish'd. The 
 Second year of our abode in tliis Isle, we thought of a way 
 to rid our selves of them, in some measure ; which was, by 
 Sowing abundance of Seed in the places where they most 
 Inhabited ; that finding Occupation enough at Home, they 
 might save our Plants, which if they had time to grow to 
 any bigness, were out of danger. This lielpt us a little, and 
 we were so cautious as to Sow those Plants which we were 
 willing to Cultivate, in Places they did not frequent, as well 
 in our Gardens, as in Hills far from the Pivers where the 
 bottom was Rock. 
 
 One of our Companions who at all ventures had brought 
 two great Chests of Merchandise with him, which were in 
 
1 69 1.] KOBBER-CEABS. 93 
 
 demand in India, and also a good quantity of loiiis d'ors, hut 
 was at least as Diffident as Kich, was pleasantly caught by 
 one of these little Beasts. His Pistoles were in several 
 Purses ; and we observ'd, if he went at any time a little way 
 from his Cabbin, he took them along with him. He never 
 fail'd to hide them every Night before he went to Bed, in 
 the safest place he cou'd think of; but as cunning as he was 
 he found one that was as cunning as he, and was bubbled^ 
 by a Thief, he did not think of, I mean, some Crab or Eat 
 that took away one of his Purses from him ; which being of 
 Leather,^ was no doubt very agreeable to the Bobbers Tast. 
 The next day we perceiv'd he was Chagrin, and search'd for 
 something with great Application ; we prest him to tell 
 what he had lost, and at last through Importunity, or 
 hoping we wou'd help him in finding it, he told us the whole 
 truth of the Matter. Tho' we cou'd not forbear Laughing a 
 little, we however went about with him to seek it, but all 
 our seeking signify'd nothing, and the Person Rob'd was 
 forced to comfort himself for the Bobbery. 'Tis true, he ever 
 after made War^ upon the whole Nation of Crabs, and we 
 assisted him in it. He never kill'd one without giving him 
 some blows after he w^as dead. 
 
 The Sea-Crabs are much better* than the Land, and the 
 Flesh easier to Digest. 
 
 There's also another sort which I am inform'd goes by the 
 
 1 To bubble, i.r.^ to cheat, from It. hiihhola, a hoopoe; in orig. 
 ^•■fut la dupe", from the Frtnch for the same bird, from some tra- 
 dition of the habits of that bird of which we are ignorant. A familiar 
 instance of the use of the noun is the " South Sea bubble." Cf. Wedg- 
 wood's Diet, of Eng. Etijmolocjy ; Nares' Glossary. 
 
 2 In orig. : " dont le cuir etant un peu gras," etc. 
 
 ' In orig.: "II est vrai qu'il eut une permanente rancune contre 
 toute la nation des crabes, et que dans la guerre que nous leur faisons 
 souvent, il n'en tua jamais aucune," etc. 
 
 ■* " Et beaucoup plus grosses, . . . et la chair en est aisee a digerer." 
 
94 ANNUAL HURRICANES. [169T, 
 
 Name of Tourlouroiix^ in the Antilles, and are very like the 
 first Crabs I spoke of, but somewhat less. They dwell 
 l>etwcen the Sea and the Land like true Amphibious Creatures, 
 as they are ; insomuch that the Sea twice a Day fills their 
 Holes with Water, and they are continually at work to keep 
 'em clean. 
 
 The Hurricanes- which we were terrify'd with every year, 
 in the !Month of January or February, as I have already 
 noted, is also a dreadful Enemy. "We felt its rude Attacks 
 twice. This furious Wind rises commonly after fair Weather, 
 and even after a great Calm ; and its greatest Violence lasts 
 at least an Hour. We then saw several huge Trees torn up 
 by the IJoots in a ]\Iomont, and our Cabbins utterly over- 
 whelm'd. The Sea Kaging and Foaming roar'd so, that it 
 frighted us ; and lifting up its foaming Waves like Mountains, 
 da.shed 'em against the Coasts with so much Impetuosity, 
 that it seem'd as if Nature was in such Convulsions, as wou'd 
 soon reduce her to her Original Chaos. Heaven and Earth 
 mingled, a thick Darkness involv'd the Sky, and the Clouds 
 breaking discharg'd a Deluge of Eain, like that which 
 immerg'd the first World. Our fair and fruitful Valleys 
 were immediately drown'd, and look'd like a new Ocean. 
 The Torrent overwhelm'd every thing that lay in its way ; 
 and I believe if this Violence had lasted three Hours, 
 
 » De Roclifoit, in lii.s work on the Antilles (p. 253), mentions three 
 kinds of crabs under this name, apjilying it in iiarticular to the smallest 
 of the three. These crabs have a red shell with a black spot on it, are 
 agreeable to the taste, but, being small and producing dysentery, are 
 not in much request. 
 
 2 In original : " ouragan ' (cf. p. 36, supra). Rodriguez lies ri^ilit in 
 the paths of the cyclones which traverse the southern Indian Ocean. 
 'J"h>'re is no positive law for their tracks, but, from the averages 
 observed, it seems that they nearly all pass from E.X.E. to W.S.W,, 
 but, from longitude 8U° E. westward and wiien approaching tlie Masca- 
 rene group, they have a tendency to curve southward, frequently backing 
 to E.S.E. when they reach the southern tropic. 
 
 Dr. Meldrum has notici-d that when the Rlascarene Islands suffer from 
 drought the Indian Ocean is almost free from liurricanes. 
 
1 69 1.] CATERPILLAPvS AND SCOEPIOXS. 95 
 
 tliere was not a Tree in the Island tliat conld have resisted it. 
 The Beasts by a natural Instinct of Gracious and wise Provi- 
 dence, foresaw these Storms before they happen'd, and sav'd 
 themselves in the Cavities of the Monntains ; but the next 
 Day they appear'd abroad as before, for the "Weather return'd 
 to be as fair and clear as ever. The last Hurricane we felt 
 at Eodrigo, was much more terrible than the first. In the 
 midsfc of its greatest Fury, there was a sudden and profound 
 Calm, not the least Noise was heard, and we believ'd all was 
 over, when immediately the Storm return'd with more 
 Violence than ever. It entirely destroy'd all our Gardens ; 
 for tlie force of the Wind rais'd up the Waters of the Sea, 
 and blew about ev'ry where a deluge of Salt Water that 
 burnt up or kill'd all our j)lants. But it doing no hurt to the 
 Soil at bottom, as soon as we got out of the Holes of the 
 Hocks to which we fled we sow'd more Plants, and they 
 came up as before. 
 
 In fine, The fourth and last Enemy we had to Combat 
 with, were little green Caterpillars, which always come after 
 a Hurricane, and are certainly one of its secret Productions. 
 These Insects troubled us very much, from the Month of 
 February, to that of April ; for they eat up our Melons, not 
 leaving a Leaf on the Trees. Experience taught us the way 
 to prevent it, which was by covering 'em all Night, and un- 
 covering them in the IVIorning ; Glass Bells wou'd have been 
 a good Buckler for them. These Vermin did not touch our 
 Succory, nor our Purslain ; and we may therefore reasonably 
 conclude, that there are several sorts of other Herbs and 
 Plants which they will not meddle with, as not being to 
 their Gust.^ 
 
 In some Places we met w'ith little Scorpions, especially on 
 the Plantanes ; but we did not find that they were any way 
 dangerous, because we were several times stung b}- tliem, 
 
 1 '> Gust", Lat. ffitsttis, relish, taste ; cf. Shakespeare, " Allay the 
 yiisl he hath in . . .'' Tvxlfth Nicjht^ ii, 3. 
 
96 SHARKS. [169 1. 
 
 without any Inconvenience afterwards. It only caus'd a 
 little Pain for a Moment or two, like the prick of a Pin. 
 
 When we bath'd our selves in the Sea, or when we were 
 obli<,''d to walk in our Fishing, we were often surrounded 
 with a great Troop of Sharks, among which some were very 
 great, yet we were never attack'd by them. And when we 
 were on that fatal Pock of the Isle Maurice, which I shall 
 say more of hereafter, I have a hundred times seen a great 
 Pack of Dogs follow a Stag into the Sea, and Swim after 
 him in places where were abundance of Sharks; yet they 
 never did tliem any hurt, any more than they did us when 
 we were Bathing. Let the Reader therefore judge, whether 
 this is .such a Voracious Animal as 'tis represented to be, or 
 whetlier the Sharks in these Seas are different from those in 
 others. Tlie lielations of such as have made Voyages to 
 America, and several other parts of tlie World, tell us 
 unanimously, that the Sharks in those Seas are extreamly 
 dangerous and ravenous, and several Persons speak as if they 
 had been Eye-Witnesses of it ; wherefore 'tis most reason- 
 able to conclude, that all tlie Sharks are not of the same 
 kind.^ Th'is Fish is commonly fifteen or sixteen Foot long ; 
 its ]\Iouth is so made, that it must necessarily turn upon its 
 Pack to swallow its Prey, or must thrust half its Head out 
 of Water ; it has several rows of Teeth, wliich are extreamly 
 .sliarp, and like those of a Saw. I was told at Bcdavia, and 
 elsewhere, that the Prain of a Shark had a Virtue in it, 
 which made Womens Pains in Child-Bed not so racking to 
 them, as they generally are ; but we cou'd not try the 
 Experiment in our Island. Some say, the little Fish which 
 we call Succet,^ or the Shark's Pilot, is his Guide, but that's 
 
 ' All the known species (140) of sharks except four arc carnivorous. 
 Those observeil l)y Le<,Miat had doubtless ceased to be dangerous to 
 man, owing to the abundance of animal food round the island. Forty 
 years later we read a very different account of them ; far from being 
 harndesa, they were then extremely aggressive and of great size. 
 {(innihcr, /. r., p. 315 ; Ann. Sc. nnt. Zool. ((i), ii, art. 4.) 
 
 * Sucking-fish, Erheneis remora. 
 
l6gi.] THE SUCKING FISH. 97 
 
 a Chimera, which Father Tachard} has very well Coufuted. 
 This Succet which is reasonably enough thought to be the 
 Ithemora, those good Men of old (who are venerably call'd 
 Antients,^ and who often did not know very well what 
 they said) have render'd so famous and formidable. This 
 Succet, I say, has on its Head, and on the forepart of its 
 Neck a grisly Membrane flat, & in Folds by which it sticks 
 fast to the Back of the Sharks and Sea-Dogs, and sometimes 
 to inanimate things as Wood ; for we have seen it stick to 
 the Deck of the Ship witli its Belly upwards.^ There are at 
 least two sorts of them, different in Bigness and Colour, but 
 shap'd alike ; they have no Scales, and their Skin is as 
 slick and slippery as an Eel's. Those of the biggest sort 
 are two or three Foot long ; the colour of their Backs is a 
 greenish Brown, which towards the Belly turns whitish. The 
 others are not longer than Herrings, hardly so long. Their 
 Snouts are shorter, and not so dark Coloured. The Flesh of 
 both the one and the other is not firm, but 'tis not ill 
 tasted. They are very well provided with Fins, and are 
 thin and long ; so that they dart into the Sea like an Arrow 
 out of a Bow. Their Teeth are a little round at the end, 
 and so short, they are scarce perceptible. 'Tis most certain 
 that these Fish often stick to the Ships in the Water, and 
 
 ' Fere Guy Tacbard. See Voyage de Siayn des Feres Je'suitcs, Amster- 
 dam, 1687-9, liv. i, p. 41. 
 
 2 Our author is probably referring to Aristotle and Pliny, who 
 described the Echeneis and attributed to this little fish the power of 
 fastening itself to vessels, and so arresting their course. Thus, it was 
 alleged, Antony's ship was delayed getting into action at the battle of 
 Actium (cf. Rondelet, Liire des Poissous, p. 313). Teu different kinds 
 of sucking-fish are known, of which Echiiicis remora and E. naucrates 
 are the most common. (See Giinther's Sttidij of Fishes, y>. 400.) An 
 excellent specimen of this remarkable fish may be seen at the South 
 Kensington Natural History INIuseum. Our author confuses the sucking- 
 fii<h with Naucrates ductor, the pilot fish, which is said to follow large 
 sharks. 
 
 3 In orig. : " quand il est tout sortant de I'eau," omitted by trans- 
 lator. 
 
 H 
 
1»8 HOW WE PASSED OUR TIME. [169I. 
 
 wlien tliey do it in n p;reat Xiiinlicr, they doubtless hinder 
 her Course, because slu^ cannot run so lightly over the 
 Waves. I was the more willing to speak of this Animal at 
 large, for that others have not done it; and I cannot help 
 saying, en passant, that I sometimes wonder at the mighty 
 Reputation the Famous Rondelct acquir'd ; for I never con- 
 sulted him concerning any thing within my Knowledge, but 
 1 found him very false and very dry.^ 
 
 All our Employment as long as we staid in this Island was 
 very Insignificant, as may be easily imagined ; however, we 
 cou'd not live without doing something. The looking after 
 our Cabins, and Cultivating our Gardens, took up one part of 
 our Time, "Walking, another. "We frequently went to the 
 South of the Island, either in crossing it, or going about it ; 
 there's no Place upon it but we Visited very nicely ; none 
 of the Mountains or Hills are without "Verdure, tho' they are 
 very full of Rocks. The bottom which is Rock, is spread 
 with two, three or four foot Earth, and amongst the Stones 
 where there's no appearance of Earth, great Trees tall and 
 straight grow, which at a distance gives one a better Idmi of 
 the Island than it deserves, because one wou'd think it was 
 compos'd of a Soil universally E.xcellent. 
 
 One may go every where all over it with ease, there being 
 
 ' Our author is rather too severe in his criticism. Rondelct was 
 Doctor Regent in Medicine at the University of Montpellior, and 
 published several important works on natural history. He was a good 
 observer, a diligent student, and a skilful anatomist. The work by 
 which he is best known is that on fishes, entitled Dc Piscilius marivis 
 lihri xviii, tM (/nihus ritve jnscium imar/iiics expositce siait. Lyon, 1554. 
 It was translated into French and published in 1558. This edition is 
 illustrated by numerous woodcuts, evidently executed by a skilful 
 artist, and drawn witii great fidelity to nature. Wi'h the exception of 
 a few that Rondelct could only havo known by hearsay, tliey may be 
 recognized at the present day. The original work is dedicated to 
 Cardinal Tournou, whom the author accompanied on his travels in the 
 capacity of physician. Rondelct died in 156G at the age of 59. {Bio- 
 (jraph'te UnivcrsclU.) 
 
l6gi.] A BOUNTEOUS PROVIDENCE. 99 
 
 few or no parts of it, which are not very Accessible, and no 
 Place but affords abundantly Meat and Drink, Go where 
 you will, and if you see no Game, you need only strike 
 against a Tree, or cry out as hard as you can, and Game will 
 immediately offer it self of all sorts, which you may knock 
 down with a Stick or Stone. 'Twas Chance made us experi- 
 ence this, because when we walkt out together and wander'd 
 in the Woods, if any one of us lost Company with the rest, 
 we were forc'd to cry aloud to let him know where we were, 
 that he might come to us. We were then amaz'd to see 
 what quantities of Birds flew out, and ran up and down from 
 all parts about us ; Providence as it were bid us Kill and 
 Eat,'^ and we had nothing to do but to fire a Fuzee, and roast 
 what we kill'd to provide a Feast ; Turtles are to be met with 
 every where. The Air is so sweet and so temperate, that 
 one might lye down boldly under the Canopy of the Sky ; 
 but if we pleas'd, might at any time make a sort of Hutt 
 immediately with five or six Plantane-Leaves which we have 
 spoken of. 
 
 To return to our Employments, and the manner of spend- 
 ing our tedious Hours, I shall add without Boasting, that we 
 had every day our exercises of Devotion. On Sundays we 
 did as far as we cou'd what is practised in our French 
 Churches, for we had the Bible entire with us ; some Hymns, 
 a large Commentary on the Testament, and several Sermons 
 upon the Old EocJc, which were sensible Discourses. If we 
 had believ'd we shou'd spend the rest of our Days there, or 
 at least stay some longer time than we did, or intended, what 
 shou'd have hinder'd the Wisest among us from taking upon 
 him the Ministerial Office ; and that these two or three 
 meeting together, and in the Name of God, shou'd not have 
 form'd a true Church, and have received those particular Con- 
 solations which are participated in the Holy Communions. 
 
 1 The Acts X, 13 : " And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter ; kill, 
 and eat." 
 
 II 2 
 
100 EVANGELICAL DOCTRINE. [169I. 
 
 I often tliouglit of proposing it to my Companions; Init on 
 one liaml, I saw they were all dispos'd to endeavour suddenly, 
 at the liazard of their Lives, to return into the inhabited 
 World. On the other I had reason to fear there wou'd be 
 thought .some kind of Affectation in that Design, which 
 they wou'd not have been pleas'd with. For in the Reflec- 
 tions we sometimes made upon Religion, we were always on 
 our CJuard in an extraordinary manner, least Ave shou'd fall 
 into any Practice, or have any Ida-a which tended in the 
 least to Superstition, the most dangerous and most fatal I'est 
 of Christianity. We were so happy, as to be united all in 
 the same Spirit, without the false Wisdom of the SagcH, and 
 that Pernicious knowledge of the Learned, tlie Di.sputers 
 and Timovators of this Age, which have caus'd so many 
 wicked Sects, and other Disorders in the Christian World, 
 The Errors of the Roman CatholicJcs and some others in the 
 matter of the necessity of Baptism, ought to be a Lesson to 
 us, not to fall into the like Mistake, in the use of the other 
 Sacrament, the Practice of which by the common consent of 
 all the Christians this day alive is not in it self necessary. 
 We found a great Comfort in our selves, in keeping closely 
 to that Pure and Primitive Evangelical Doctrine, which all 
 Divines without exception say, contains the Soul and Essence 
 of saving Faith, without entring into any Inquiries, which had 
 the least appearance of Unprofitableness or Curiosity, We 
 delighted in, and often Repeated Passages out of the Scrip- 
 ture, and these offer'd themselves to our Remembrance. All 
 that I projwse to you is to Inoio Jesvs Christ, and him Crvci- 
 fyd. This is eternal Life to know thee, the only true God, and 
 Jcsns Christ whom thou hast sent. If thou covfcsscst the Lord 
 Jesus with thy Mouth, and believe in thy Heart that God has 
 raisd him from the Dead, thou shall he Sav'd. Whoever believes 
 in me, has eternal Life. Whoever calls upon the Name of the 
 Lord shall be sav'd. I have declar'd unto you all the Counsel 
 (f God, to wit, Bejjeiitance toivards God, and Faith in Jesus 
 
1 69 1.] RELIGIOUS REFLECTIONS, 101 
 
 Christ. The Bdigmi that is Fare and without Sjwt towards 
 our God and, Father, is to visit the Orphans and IVidows in 
 their IVihulations, and to avoid the Defilemc7its of the World, 
 kc,} We were free from the accidental Theology of Contro- 
 versies, from Chimerical and Heretical Idxas, which we 
 look'd upon, as if they had never been ; from all Superstitious 
 Fooleries, from all vain, impertinent rash Thoughts, which 
 are as Pernicious to the Soul, as they are unreasonable ; and 
 had a delicious Taste of the excellency of simple and pure 
 lieligion. We abhorr'd as the sacred Writers did, those 
 IMakers or Botchers^ of Eeligion, who accommodate the 
 Doctrine and Worship of Christianity to their own fancies, 
 pretending to be more wise than Wisdom it self. We ador'd 
 God the Creator in purity and simplicity of Heart. We 
 worship'd Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the 
 Terms and Rules of Eevelation, without valuing our selves 
 on foolish Explanations, or endeavouring to unfold the sacred 
 Mysteries, which by the confession of all INIen are neces- 
 sarily, and will always be hidden from mortal Men, and 
 impenitrable to Human Eye ; or they wou'd cease to be 
 Mystci'ics. We thus invok'd the Almighty with Joy and 
 Confidence, (doing good as far as we cou'd) by the Medita- 
 tion^ of our Redeemer and Saviour Jesus Christ, the way, 
 the Truth and the Life. In these happy Dispositions we 
 look'd on Death, not as a Terror, but as the Messenger of 
 glad Tidings. 
 
 Besides those great Walks, or rather those little Journeys 
 we us'd to take, we never mist w'alking out in the Evening, 
 in the Neighbourhood of our Habitations. We had one 
 Walk among others on the Sea-shoar to the left of our Rivulet, 
 
 1 1 Cor. ii, 2 ; St. John xvii, 3 ; Rom. x, 9 ; St. John vi, 47 ; Acts 
 ii, 21 ; Kom. x, 13 ; Acts xx, 27 and 21 ; St. James i, 27. 
 
 2 In orig. : " accomodeurs". Botchers, /.c, bunglers, probably derived 
 from the Mantuan pucciu^ a slop, mess, or puddle. Hence It. pozza, a 
 bungling piece of work. 
 
 3 In orig. : " la Mediation.'' 
 
102 A NATURAL AVENUE. [169I. 
 
 and 'twas a very lovely one. 'Twas an avenue to it form'd 
 by Nature, as straight as if it had been planted by a Line at 
 a parallel Distance, from the Sea ; and about twelve hun- 
 dred I'aces long, which is exactly the length of the Mall at 
 London, in the fine Park at St. James's} We might have 
 lengthen'd it to seven or eight Miles if we wou'd, and upon 
 firm Ground, which was a perfect Level. We had on one 
 side of this delicious Walk a View of the vast extended 
 Ocean, and heard the confus'd murmur^ of the Waves break- 
 ing against the Eocks, about a League off, so that 'twas not 
 loud enough to disturb our Conversation ; it only threw us 
 often into Contemplations, to which we gave our selves up 
 witli the greater Pleasure, because we had not much to say 
 to one another. On the other side (inland) our Prospect was 
 agreeably bounded by charming Hills, and the Valleys which 
 reach'd to it were like a fine Orchard in the sweet and rich 
 Seasons of Autumn. 
 
 Among the great number and variety of Trees in this 
 Island planted by Nature, there is one which is wonderful 
 and worthy our particular Observation, for its Beauty, Big- 
 ness,Poundness,and the rare Symmetry of its exact Branches ; 
 the ends of which are every where very much tufted, and 
 its Leaves so great and thick, that they fall down almost to 
 the Ground all about it ; so that come which way you will 
 at this Tree, you can perceive but a small part of its 
 Trunk, and that at the bottom of it; and sometimes you 
 can see nothing at all of it.^ 
 
 ' This paragraph seems to indicate an interpolation by Max. Misson. 
 Tlie site of Lcguat's settlement was on the north-north-west shore 
 (vide ante, p. 50), and was well known in 17G0 as " Icufoiicement de 
 Frnu(;ois Le(jnai'\ It is now occupied by the small town known as Port 
 Mathurin. 
 
 * In orig. : " le flux, on reflux perpetucl venant a se rompre contre 
 Its Hrizans qui 6toieut a une lieiie de Ui, fasoit un murmure confus." 
 
 •' At p. i;5() of vol. i of the French edition of Leguat's voyage, this 
 wonderful tree is figured in a Avay to puzzle botanists were it not for 
 
1 69 1.] PANDANUS OE SCREW-PINE. 103 
 
 It being as one may imagine, all sliady in the middle, the 
 Branches are within-side like dry Poles, which seem to be 
 
 the accompanying descriptive text. The title on the plate i.s as follows : 
 " Pavilion Arbre, nouvellemeut decouvert." Leguat's Pavilion has 
 been identified with the screw-pine, growing in abundance everywhere 
 on this island from the sea-shore to the highest points. Prof. Balfour 
 writes {Phil. Trans., vol. cxlviii, p. 3 12) : " Every visitor to Rodriguez will 
 be struck at once by the peculiar features impressed on the landscape 
 by the prevalence of screw-pints. They are indeed the physiognomic 
 plants, and far outstrip in numbers any other species ; but it is re- 
 markable that, though individually so numerous, specifically the family is 
 not rich, there being only two sjiecies of Pandanus on the island — P. 
 heterocarpns and P. tcnnifoJius^ both peculiar and very distinct from 
 any other of the indigenous Mascarene forms. Three other specimens 
 have been registered by various authorities ; they are P. odoratiss'unus, 
 P. vtilis, and P. innricatns." 
 
 P. Ileterocarjms, the species to which Leguat's tree may be referred, 
 is very variable, and the popular names indicate this — Vacoa cale rouge, 
 V. cale blanc, V. sac, V. poteau, V. parasol, and V. male, arg all applied 
 to it according to its habit of growth, and the various uses to which its 
 leaves and branches are put by the Creoles. When on sites exposed to 
 the wind it has a stunted habit, the branches are few, thick, and 
 short, and the leaves also are short and erect. la such situations 
 it is known as the V(Woa cale, and the inhabitants make a distinc- 
 tion between two varieties according as the head, peduncle, and 
 united parts are red or ai-e greenish yellow or yellow. The former 
 they style rmige, the latter hlauc. If the tree grows in suitable soil 
 or in a sheltered position where it has room to develop its branches 
 properly, then it forms a dense and compact dome, and the branches 
 droop downwards so far as almost to conceal the stem, and it 
 is then known as Vacoa parasol. When in any situation the tree 
 develops a trunk of a good size, and is allowed to grow until 
 the wood is hard and firm to the centre, and is capable of being 
 used as a post for a house, then the tree is called V. potcan. The 
 name V. sac is given to the young plants when the leaves are long and 
 broad, and may be made into bags such as are used in Mauritius for 
 sugar. V. male is of course the male tree, known by the inhabitants as 
 not bearing fruit. 
 
 F. teniii/oUits (Vacoa chevron) is a much smaller plant, with narrow 
 delicate leaves and a few large druped fruits. It is easily distinguished 
 from the foregoing, and is confined to the higher parts of the island 
 and the upper parts of the valleys. (Balfour, op. cif., p. 379.) 
 
 In the large palm-house in the Kew Gardens there is a fine specimen 
 
lU4 PANDANUS OR SCREW-PINE. [169I. 
 
 the work of a Carpenter, and set tliere to bear up the 
 I'lumes or Branches which are quite about it, and thus 
 make a sort of Cage or Tent of the Tree. 'Tis true, the 
 greatest beauty of this Tent, is in its charming Outside, 
 though the coolness and shelter of the inside have also their 
 Charms ; 'twas unhappy that its Fruit was not good to eat. 
 Those of us who had the Curiosity to eat it, found it Sour, 
 and knew by Experience, that M'as all the hurt that was in 
 it. It has the smell of a very fine Quince ; 'tis a sort of a 
 Grape, the Seeds of which are close and all together. It 
 lookt at a distance like the Fruit of the Ananas. For 
 which reason we us'd to call these Trees Ananas ; tho' there's 
 a great difference between the two Plants. As for me, I was 
 for calling it the Pavilion or Tent. The Leaves are of an 
 admirable Green, and the Stalks of them are so short, that 
 one wou'd think they grew immediately to the Wood. The 
 greatest are four or five Inches broad, sharp at the end and 
 about fifteen inches long. They form a great Bunch, and here 
 and there one may see the Grapes, which are of divers 
 Colours, according as they are more or less liipe. I have 
 often taken I'leasure to Survey these natural Palaces, and 
 was equally ravish'd with its largeness and singular beauty. 
 We sometimes play'd at Chess, at Trictrac,^ at Drafts, at 
 Bowls and at Scales.^ Hunting and Fishing were so easie to 
 
 of P. odoratiHuhnus^ which lias flowered aud fruited this year (1890). 
 The fruits, two in number, liang from the topmost branches, and bear 
 a cloKe resemblance to pine-apjjles, while the peculiar development of 
 the long, straggling branches, stout enough for posts or rafters, sur- 
 mounted by a tuft of leaves growing directly from the wood, and the 
 pendulous roots from the main trunk, present a remarkable appearance, 
 ani are worth comparing with the description in our text. 
 
 ' Tric-trac, a game somewhat like backgammon. 
 
 ■■^ In orig. : " Quilles", i.e., ninejiins. A variation of this game, called 
 "quilles an baton", is played with seven bits of wood set upon end, and 
 a stick ; the player tries to knock over as many as he can each throw. 
 This latter may probably have been the game played by Leguat and 
 his companions. 
 
1692.] DEPAIITURE DECIDED ON. 105 
 
 US, that it took away from tlie Pleasure. We often delighted 
 our selves iu teaching the Parrots^ to speak, there being a 
 vast number of them. We carry 'd one to Maurice Isle, which 
 talk'd French and Dutch. 
 
 We shall soon see that all the last year of our abode 
 here, we were employ'd in building the fine Bark, of which we 
 must speak in the Sequel of these Memoirs. If any one 
 .desires to know how we lighted our Cabbins when 'twas 
 dark, or the Places we were then in, I must acquaint him 
 that we brought Lamps with us ; and instead of Oil, made 
 use of Turtles fat, which as I said before, never Congeal'd. 
 We lighted our Fires with Burning-Glasses. 
 
 The Eeader finding we had Abundance of Variety of Flesh 
 and Fish, Eoasted and Boil'd, Soops, Piagouts, Herbs, Boots, 
 excellent Melons, other Fruits, Palm-Wine, clear and fresh 
 Water, do's not apprehend the poor Adventurers in Rodrigo 
 were in any danger of Starving. 
 
 But since he's so kind as to consern himself a little in their 
 extraordinary manner of Living, I assure him they made 
 very good Cheer without Surfeits, Indigestion, Diseases, and 
 thanks be to God without Bread. The Captain had left them 
 two great Barrels of Bisket,^ but they seldom made use of it, 
 except 'twas in Soops or Broth, and often they quite forgot 
 it. When we had stay'd above a year in our new Island, 
 we began to wonder we saw no Ship come ; for to say truth, 
 some of us were not a little tir'd. They regretted the loss 
 of their Youth, and were troubled to think they shou'd per- 
 haps be oblig'd to pass the best part of their Lives in a 
 strange Solitude, and intolerable Idleness. After several 
 Deliberations, 'twas at last almost unanimously agreed, that 
 when we had stay'd two whole years in expectation of Ncivs 
 from Mr. Du Qitesne, which we at first resolv\l to do, then if 
 none came, we wou'd do our utmost to get to Maurice Island, 
 
 1 Vide ante, p. 83 ; Phil. Tr., loc. cU., p. 429. 
 '^ Vide ante, p. 55. 
 
]0G A DIFFICULT ENTERrRISE. [^^92-93. 
 
 wliicli belongVl to the Dutch, Avliere ^ve might eniLtirk to go 
 wlicre we |»leas'd, tlicre being a Governor, and Ships coming 
 every year from the Cape of Good Hope. This Isle is above 
 one hundred and sixty Leagues from Bodri(jo,Q, great way for 
 us to make ; but we consider'd the Wind^ blew generally one 
 way, and that fair for that Island ; wherefore we put all 
 hands to Work to build a Bark as well as we cou'd, and if 
 tliere was any liklihood we might make use of it, we wou'd 
 convey our selves thither in it,^ after having implor'd the 
 assistance of him, who Commands the Winds and the 
 Seas. 
 
 This Enterprize appear'd very difficult, even to those that 
 Projected it ; but however, it did not seem to be wholly 
 impossible. We were to build a pretty big Boat, but we had 
 no Skilful Workmen, and few Tools ; we had neither Pitch 
 nor Tar, nor Cordage, nor Anchor, nor Compass, nor a 
 hundred other Necessaries, and near two hundred Leagues^ by 
 Sea was a great Voyage. The Wisest of us saw a thousand 
 other Difficulties, and were afraid our Design cou'd never 
 succeed. Hut those that projected it, were fix'd in it ; and 
 'twas agreed upon, that we shou'd prepare to put it in 
 Execution, and by way of Diversion, to undertake the build- 
 ing of a Bark, tho' we lost our Labour. No sooner said than 
 done. And all eight of us without serving any Apprentice- 
 ship, became Carpenters, Smiths, Pope-makers, Mariners, 
 and generally every thing that was necessary for us to be. 
 In tliis Undertaking necessity was a Law to us, it supply'd 
 all our Defects. Everyone propos'd what he thought wou'd 
 be most proper and advantageous, and we went all chear- 
 fiilly to Work, having a good Understanding one with an- 
 other, as 'twas our Common Interest. 
 
 ' The trade wind ; vide infra. 
 
 2 In orig. : "dnns cctte petite nrche." 
 
 3 Ro<lrigucz lies 350 iiiiles to the eastward of Mauritius. {Vide 
 Findlay, op. rit., p. 512.) 
 
1692-93-] HOW WE BUILT THE BOAT. 107 
 
 Among other Instruments we had a great Saw and a little 
 one, with which we began to saw Boards, and very happily 
 made use of a Beam of Oak^ which the Sea had sometime 
 before thrown on our Coasts. If the Curious Eeader 
 demands by way of Parenthesis, from whence that Beam 
 came, I must answer, that truly I cannot tell.^ Let it come 
 from whence it will, we had it, the Sea brought it to us, and 
 we us'd it for the Purpose I tell him. We saw'd out some 
 good Boards, but the great Saw breaking thrice, and being 
 handled by unskilful Persons, the greater part of those 
 Boards were of an unequal thickness, and Consequently not 
 very good to the Eye, nor indeed fit for Use. 
 
 Our Bark was twenty Foot long at the Keel, six broad, and 
 four deep, we rounded it at both ends. We had some 
 Nails, but John de la Haye who was a Silver-Smith, had 
 some Forge-Tools and other Instruments, helpt us to more ; 
 he mended our Saw for us several times. For Calking we 
 made use of old Linen ; and instead of Pitch and Tar, 
 mingled Jet^ with Gumms which we found on the Trees in 
 Plenty, and temper'd it with Oil of Turtle. We work'd up 
 several sorts of Eopes with the Threads or Fibres of the 
 Stalks of the Plantane-Leaves ; which Eopes were strong 
 enough, but not very Supple, and were proper only for fix'd 
 work, but were always frizing'* out and untwisting when we 
 employ'd 'em about running Work. Instead of an Anchor, 
 we provided our selves with a piece of Eock, which weigh'd 
 
 1 " Taillee en quarre & longue de soixante pieds," omitted by trans- 
 lator. 
 
 2 It subsequently transpired that an English ship had been wrecked 
 in this vicinity previous to the arrival of Leguat. Captain Valleau 
 heard of this on his reaching IMauritius after leaving Leguat, and he 
 returned tofiearch for this wi'eck, from which, evidently, this oak timber 
 had drifted. ( Vide ivfra, Part II.) 
 
 3 " Dont j'ai parl6," omitted by translator. Leguat is referring to 
 bitumen, which he has mentioned above. Cf. supra, p. 87. 
 
 ' From the Ft. /riser, to curl. In the orig. the word used is s'erailkr, 
 to fray. 
 
108 PREPARATIONS. [1693. 
 
 one liundred and fifty pound Weight, and we made a Sail as 
 well as we could. 
 
 Every Man was Industrious as it lay in his Power to be, 
 to carry on this Work, and the two years being almost 
 expir'd, we were so forward in it, that the Bark was Lanch'd, 
 no one of us sparing his Labour^ on this Occasion. 
 
 As for Provisions we dry'd^ Lamentins Flesh, we fill'd the 
 Barrels we had for that use with Fresh Water ; the little 
 Biskit that was left us we put aboard, and supply'd ourselves 
 with Land and Water INIelons. The latter wou'd keep a 
 long time ; \Miat I have said is true, we began the building 
 our Boat knowing we had no Compass,^ and so we finish'd 
 it ; but every Body seeking for something Useful towards 
 supplying its Place, one of us found a little Solar Quadrant 
 of Loadstone'' which cost him three Pence at Amsterdam ; 
 
 1 In orig. : " ?i force de bras et d'epaules." 
 
 2 In orig. : "nous fimes houcanery From this word comes our word 
 " buccaneer", 
 
 3 Maximilian Misson, supposed by some to have written Leguat's pre- 
 face, and to have translated his Voyage, in his New Voi/age to llali/, 
 1637, observes, vol. i, p. 6iO, that " the city of Amalpliis boasts of 
 having given birth to Flavio Gioia, as being the Inventor of the Com- 
 pass (in the year 1300), upon which M"" INIagnati cites the following 
 Verse of Panormita : ' Prima dedit Nautis usum jNIagnetis Amalphis'." 
 But Father Fournier, the author of a learned work on navigation en- 
 titled llijilroijraplda, shews (p. 399), by the verses which he takes out of 
 the Poet Guyot ("Auteur du Roman r[u'il iutitula la Bililc de GmjuV'), 
 who lived one hundred years before Gioia was born (at the end of tlie 
 twelfth century), that the use of the Boimole, then called Marinette^ 
 was known in France at that time : — 
 
 " Icelle Estoille ne se muet 
 Un Art font qui mentir ne puet 
 Par vertu de la Marinette, 
 Une pierre laide & uoirette 
 Oil le fer volontiers se ioint,'' &c, 
 
 * In orig. : " un petit quadran solaire aimantd," a sun-dial with a com- 
 pass to allow of adjustment. The one mentioned by Loguat apjiears to 
 have been a toy pocket-dial. Such instruments were much in use iu 
 the latter part of the 17th and beginning of tlie 18th century, before 
 
1 693-] CORAL REEFS. 109 
 
 and tlio^ 'twas not good we were glad he had found it, hoping 
 to reap some Benefit by it. 
 
 When the Bark was in the Water, we were all surpris'd to 
 find she did not obey the Eudder, and that to turn it we 
 mnst make use of an Oar. 
 
 Ilie day of our Departure, was fix'd to be Saturdmj the 
 19th of April 1G93. The Moon being then near at the Full, 
 the Sea wou'd be high, and consequently the easier to pass 
 above the Shelves. The Eeason why we did not choose the 
 time wlien the Moon wou'd be quite at the Full was, because 
 we wou'd have as much as we cou'd of her Light. 
 
 These Shelves of which I have often spoken,^ are (to inform, 
 en passant, those who do not understand the Term) Rocks 
 rising up in the Sea like a sort of Wall,'^ with which the 
 
 clocks and watches took their place. In the collection at the S. Ken- 
 sington Museum there are several of tliat period ; one in particular of 
 French make, with the hours and names of cities engraved on it, might 
 serve to illustrate our text. 
 
 ^ Cf. supro, p. 47, and note, //). 
 
 2 The island of Rodriguez is bound to the north, the south, and the 
 west with chains or reefs of rocks, nearly even with the water's edge 
 on which are scattered the rocky islets mentioned above at page 88. 
 This bank or wall, as the text says, extends a league and a half from 
 the coast, and the north-east side is the least dangerous, as the reef 
 recedes sufficiently here to admit of ranging along the isle on that side. 
 (Grant's Ilistonj of Mauritius, p. 310.) 
 
 Mr. J. Murray, of the Chalkinjcr expedition, has shown that it is not 
 necessary to call in the subsidences required by Darwin's theory (^1 
 Naturalises Vojjage, pp. 557 seqq.) to explain the characteristics of 
 these barrier reefs. He shows that the foundations for barrier reefs such 
 as those at Rodriguez, have been prepared by the disintegration of 
 volcanic islands and by the building up of submarine volcanoes by the 
 deposition on their summits of organic sediments ; that barrier reefs have 
 been built up by coral plantations from the shore on a foundation of 
 volcanic debris, or on a talus of coral blocks, coral sediments, and pelagic 
 shells and the lagoon channel formed by the solvent action of the sea- 
 water thrown over the reefs at each tide and by currents, etc. (See 
 Structure and Orirjin of Coral Reefs and Islands, by Mr. John Murray 
 1880 ; Nature, vol. xxii, p. 351.) 
 
 The coral animals by which the stony, cellular scaffoldings which com- 
 
110 WE LEAVE A RECORD. [1693. 
 
 Island is encompast at an unequal Distance; except in two 
 Places, where there's a Breach about 10 or 12 Foot broad» 
 that gives access to the Isle. This is not to be seen in the 
 Map.^ 
 
 When we arriv'd on the Island, we perceiv'd the Names 
 of some Dutchmen, w\io had Landed there before, Written on 
 the Bark of some Trees,- with the date of the Time ; and this 
 put us in mind of doing the same when we left it. We there- 
 fore wrote an Abridgment of our History in French and 
 Dutch^ with the date of our Arrival, the time of our Abode, 
 and our Departure. We put it into a Viol, with a Note to 
 Passengers to look into. We plac'd it in a sort of a Niche 
 Du" in the Trunk of the great Tree,* under which we us'd 
 
 pose coral reefs (or, as Dioscorides designates them, a forest of stony- 
 trees, lithodendra) surrounding the island of Rodriguez, have been built 
 up in thick, wall-like masses, are closely related to those of Mauritius, 
 Madagascar, and the Seychelles. Dr. Briiggemann has examined and 
 identified 102 specimens collected at Rodriguez by MM. Slater and 
 Gulliver, which belong to 49 species : including Alcyoniidae, Mille- 
 poridse, Astrseidse, Actiniidae, Madraporid^, Fungidje, etc. (See Philo- 
 sophical Transactions, op. cit., p. 569.) 
 
 1 In orig. : " on peut voir cela dans la carte." The two entrances 
 are shown on the map. That to the north opposite the settlements is 
 the most convenient for landing, while that on the south side is so wind- 
 ing that it requires considerable practice to navigate it with safety. 
 (Grant, oj). et loc. cit.) 
 
 ^ Adansou found trunks of the Baobab on the Magdalena Is. in 
 1748, with a diameter of five and si.x feet, all bearing the names of 
 Europeans deeply carved on their bark. One inscription was of the 
 15th, another of the 16th century, and the characters were about six 
 inches long. {Voyage au Senegal, p. 66.) 
 
 " Le vingt cinquiesme Juiu (1638) nous abordasmes I'isle de Diego 
 Rois, , . . Nous y descendismes, et y arborames les armes de France 
 contre un tronc d'arbre par les mains de Salomon Gobert. Mostre 
 navire fut tousiours en mer, n'ayant pil anchre, le fond estant trop 
 bas; aussi-tost que les armes du Roy y furent posees, ceux qui auoient 
 eu charge de ce faire, retouroerent a nous dans la chaloupe qui les y 
 auoit portez." {Rdation du Voyage de Franqois Caitche, 1651, p. 7.) 
 
 2 In orig. : " Flamand." 
 
 * Probably a hois d'olice. Vide ante, p. 52. 
 
l693-] OUR DEPARTURE. Ill 
 
 to eat, and which we had experienc'd to be proof against 
 Hurricanes. 
 
 At last the appointed Day for which my young Com- 
 panions heartily long'd, arrived, and having put up our 
 Prayers to Heaven for the Divine Assistance, we embark'd 
 about Noon with our Provisions and Goods. The Weather 
 was extremely fair, and the Wind the same ; so that tho' we 
 wanted a Eudder,^ Cordage, Anchors, and almost everything 
 necessary for our Boat, weak and illbuilt as it was, we were 
 full of Hope, that we shoul'd do very well in her. We 
 reckoned the fair Weather wou'd. continue, and if so, we 
 might depend upon the Trade-Wind,^ of which I have spoken ; 
 and which according to our Calculation, founded upon what 
 we had heard the Captain and Seamen say, always blow'd 
 at that time of the year, and as long as the Weather was 
 fair. In such case we might expect to make aS'^. Maurice 
 Island in^ two Days and two Nights. 
 
 We therefore departed with Joy, and earnestly desiring to 
 arrive in some Place where we might see the Inhabitants 
 of the World, we past swiftly enough to the Shelves. But 
 
 1 " Boussole" omitted by translator. 
 
 2 In orig. : "cette espece de Vent Alize." The general system of 
 •winds in the Indian Ocean, writes Findlay, may be said to be divided 
 into :— 1, The region of the N.W. anti-trades or passage winds, south 
 of 25° or 30° S. ; 2, The region of the S.E. trade winds, between lats. 
 10° and 25° or 30° S. ; 3, The belt of calms to the N. and N.W. of 
 the trades ; 4, The area of the south-frt.«< and north- ?('cs< monsoons, be- 
 tween the equator and 10° S. ; and 5, The part N. of the equator, where 
 the monsoons alternately blow in opposite seasons from northward or 
 southward. Rodriguez, in 19° 42' S., is therefore in the very heart of 
 the S.E. trade winds, the "espece de Vent Alize" noticed by Leguat. 
 
 The regularity of this wind is only affected in some seasons W. of 70° 
 E. (i.e., 7° W. of Rodriguez), and the northern and southern limits of 
 this aerial current are extended or contracted according to the season 
 of the year. The occasional disturbances caused in the atmosphere by 
 cyclones will be noticed hereafter, when they are more particularly 
 noticed by Leguat. (See Findlay's Indian Ocean Directonj, p. 17 et .scq.) 
 
 3 In orig. : " en moius de deux jours & deux nuits." 
 
112 ^VE STRIKE ON A ROCK. DANGER. [1693. 
 
 instead of seeking for one of the two Breaches before nien- 
 tion'd, and to Hale^ the Ship by Land or by Sea, to a Place 
 where 'tis easy to pass, we depended too much on our good 
 Fortune, and thinking to go thro' directly, we happcn'd to 
 strike. "We went so swiftly along,- that we cou'd hardly per- 
 ceive when we struck, and thought we only brusht by the 
 Piock. Wherefore we proceeded, and were got about fifty 
 Paces beyond the Shelves, flattering ourselves we were past 
 the greatest Danger, when on a sudden we were sadly con- 
 vinced of our jSIistake'' ; for the Water came pouring in, and 
 we saw 'twas time for us to return as fast as we cou'd to 
 Land. In the meantime the poor r)oat fill'd apace, the 
 Piudder cou'd not guide us. The Wind in spite of us, drove 
 us farther off Shoar. Fear depriv'd us of the little Skill we 
 had, and as for myself in particular, 1 believ'd our time was 
 come ; one may easily imagine the Condition we were in, our 
 Peril was so terrible and apparent. The Desire of Living 
 made us set to work to save ourselves ; but the truth is, 
 'twas to no purpose^; one cndeavour'd to lave'' the Water out 
 of the Bark^ with his Hat, another employ'd himself with 
 Labour every whit as unprofitable, and all cry'd out or Pray'd 
 like lost Men. However at last one of us handled an Oar so 
 
 1 i.e., to haul or drag along. Cf. Dampier's Voyarjcs (1681). 
 
 2 In orig. : "comme nous voguions avec beaucoup de legerete." The 
 idea of lightness or buoyancy is hardly expressed by the word " swiftly" 
 in our text. 
 
 3 In orig. : "car Teau paroissanf tout incontinent, & croissant a vue 
 d'oeil on s'ecria qu'il falloit promptement retourner en arri5re, & rega- 
 gner terre." 
 
 * In orig.: " ma'S la v6rit6 est que nous perdimes tons la tramon- 
 tane." Vide ante, p. 38, and note, ih. 
 
 6 " Some stow their oars, or stop the leaky sides, 
 Another bolder yet the yard bestrides, 
 And folds the sails ; a fourth, with labour, laves 
 Th' intruding seas, and waves ejects on waves." 
 
 Dryden, Ovid. Mclam., " Ceyx and Alcyone", 
 
 •5 In orig. : " qui ctoit prosque pleine," omitted by translator. 
 
1 693-] AWKWARD PREDICAMENT. 113 
 
 effectually, that tlie Bark tack'd about, and the Wind being 
 brisk, it drove us (back) in four Minutes time on the other 
 side of the Shelves ; but thirty Paces from thence^ nearer the 
 Island the Boat sank down to the Bottom. If that Mis- 
 fortune had happened to us half an Hour before,- we had 
 been drown'd every Man of us ; but there being not above 
 six^ foot Water, and the Bark not Over-setting, we stood all 
 of us upright on the Deck, with the Water up to our Middles, 
 'Tvvas a Happiness in our Trouble, that the Rock on which 
 we struck made such a hole in the Boat, that we saw the 
 Water enter immediately ; for if we had not so visibly and 
 readily seen it, we should have kept on our way, and then 
 had infallibly Perisli'd. However, as it was, we were very 
 unpleasantly Posted in the Water on one end of the Deck. 
 Tho' it began to Ebb, and we were but half a League from 
 the Shoar, we cou'd not tell what to resolve on. 'Twas con- 
 cluded after we had thought of it a little, we wou'd stay till 
 the Water was so low that we might get to Shoar, haling our 
 Chests and Bai-rels after us as they floated in the Water ty'd 
 to one another. 
 
 This was accordingly done, but not without putting us to 
 terrible Fatigues ; for we had several Voyages to make, 
 sometimes up to the Neck in Water, the Bottom being 
 uneven, and sometimes we were oblig'd to Swim, it being- 
 out of our Depths, and draw our Chests after us with Piopes 
 ty'd about our Wasts. We all of us stript, that we might 
 have the more liberty in Swimming, and the sharp and keen 
 
 1 In orig. : " au dela de ce meme brisant," omitted by translator. 
 
 2 In orig. : " un demi-quart d'lieure pliitot." 
 
 3 It is high water, full, and change at Port Mathurin at Ohr. 30m. ; 
 spring tides, such as those chosen by Leguat's comrades for passing the 
 reefs, rise, according to Fiudlay, 4^ feet, the nea})S to 1^ foot only. 
 The tidal streams are not appreciable except in the channels or passes. 
 Occasionally rollers set in [ras-de-marectt), causing heavy breakers on. 
 all the dangerous reefs and rocks, and a nasty swell in Muthuriu 
 Bay. (Findlay.) 
 
 I 
 
Ill- HAULING OUR THINGS ASHORE. [1693. 
 
 Stones^ made our Feet all bloody. To add to our Misfortunes, 
 the Current ev'ry now and then carry 'd away part of our 
 Baj/gage, nev'crtheless we sav'd most of our things the same 
 day, and put the heavy part of our Luggage out of the Bark 
 on the Land ; the Sea cou'd not sweep that away, and when 
 the Tide was quite out, we miglit at our Lcasure recover it, 
 which we intended to do next Day, and see if we cou'd hale 
 our poor Boat after us. "We now ty\l it to a Bock, and at 
 last got to Land with much joy, and much Sorrow, having 
 made proof h}^ a woful and happy Exjicrience, that evil and 
 good things are often mix'd together by Fortune. 
 
 The next Morning as soon as 'twas Light we went to the 
 Bark, which now lay a-shoar, to Befit her as well as we 
 cou'd. We Launch'd her when the Tide came in, put our 
 heavy Goods aboard, and got safe to a Blace where we cou'd 
 conveniently Land them." Each of us lost something in this 
 Shipwreck, and what we had left was generally damag'd ; 
 but we had sav'd our Lives almost by a Miracle. We 
 return'd our most humble thanks to God, the Gracious and 
 Mighty Brotector, who had assisted us in our extreme Beril. 
 
 In the mean time one of us who seem'd to be the most 
 Strong and Vigorous Man in the Company, found himself 
 very much out of Order after so great a fatigue. As soon 
 as he got a-shoar naked and frozen,^ as he was, he laid him- 
 self all along upon the Sand, which the Sun had heated 
 extraordinarily. He thought at first he wanted only a little 
 Rest, but a while after his Face turn'd as red as Scarlet ; 
 his Head grew very heavy, and his Distemper increas'd 
 
 1 The upper surface of coral reefs always presents a scries of sharp 
 and jagged edges most dangerous to tread on without protection to the 
 feet. 
 
 ^ "Boats land now at the upper end of the creek in Matlmrin Bay, 
 at a small pier extending from the village, during high tide, but they 
 cannot get within 400 yards at low tide, and wading must be resorted 
 to." (Findlay, op. cit., p. 516.) 
 
 ' In orig. : " transi," i.e., chilled. 
 
1693] ILLNESS OF BOYER. 115 
 
 ev'ry Minute. We carry'd him to his Cabbin with much 
 adoe, and being of a very Vigorous Complexion, 'twas three 
 or four days before he would confine himself to his Bed, but 
 at last he yielded. His Head swelPd, and so many Impos- 
 thumes appear'd in it, that we cou'd scarce open all to let out 
 tlie Corruption. We were at first sorry that our Eogue of a 
 Captain had left us no Ungents or Drugs, as I have said before.^ 
 However we consider'd none of us understood very well 
 how to Administer them, if we had had them ; and indeed, 
 that take it all together what we call Physick or Pharmacy 
 is commonly notliing but a Cheat more Pernicious than 
 Useful to Mankind ; so we did not trouble our selves much 
 for the want of it till now. We had a Consultation, whether 
 the Patient ought not to be Blooded.^ Some cry'd he wou'd 
 die in the Operation, if he lost one drop of Blood only, 
 others cry'd out louder, then he wou'd give up the Ghost in 
 three Minutes, if he was not Blooded ; and we were all so 
 warm in the Vindication of our several Opinions, that who- 
 ever had seen us, wou'd have taken us for true Physicians.^ 
 Nevertheless we did not come to Blows, and there being four 
 out of seven Voices for Bleeding, 't%vas not necessary that 
 we should stay for any other way of deciding the Question, 
 tho' the Sacred IVIinisters of ^sculapius, have recourse some- 
 times to others in such Cases.* The Boldest of the four 
 Phlebotomists^ sharpen'd as well as he cou'd the point of his 
 Pen-knife, and made Incisions in several parts of the poor 
 dying Man's Arm, but 'twas all to no Purpose ; the Fever 
 
 1 Vide ante, p. 55. 
 
 2 " To blood,'''' i.e., to Jet Mood, a term formerly used in surgery, was 
 superseded by hked. See a few Hues below, in the text. 
 
 3 Evidently, says M. Muller, an allusion to the famous scene from 
 L' Amour Medccin, of Moliere. 
 
 * In orig. : " ce qui est I'unique moyeu dc decision quaud il y a 
 contrariete d'opinion entre Ics sacrez Ministres d'Esculape." 
 
 ^ Phlebotomists, lit. vein cuttei's, from fAe'i^, <p\(fi6s a vein, and rfuvdv, 
 to cut, 
 
 I2 
 
IIG DEATH OF BOYER. [1693. 
 
 Aiigniented/ he grew Delirious, and remaiii'd so some Days. 
 We cou'd then do nothing for him, but apply to the Great 
 Physician of Body and Soul, which we had done all along. 
 Before this Struggle was over, we had the Satisfaction to 
 see our Dear Brother recover his Understanding, and give 
 us the most certain and most edifying Tokens of a sincere 
 liepentance, and holy hope of his Salvation. Thus it con- 
 tinu'd with him^till the eighth of May 1G93, when he expir'd 
 in the 29th year of his Age, after three Weeks Sickness. 
 Such was the end of honest Isaac Boner, the eighth part of 
 the Kings and the Inhabitants of Rodrujo. And that you 
 may not, kind Eeader, go so far as this New World without 
 seeing some Monument, Head if you think fit, the Epitaph 
 that I add here.^ 
 
 "Beneath these Immortal Palms, 
 
 In the faithful Bosom of a Virgin Earth, 
 
 Are piously deiiosited 
 
 The Bones 
 
 Of ISAAC BOYER, 
 
 An honest and faithful Gascon, descended from Adam, 
 
 Of as KoLle Blood as any of the Mortals his Brethren, 
 
 1 In orig. : " & le transport s'etant fait au cerveau," omitted by 
 translator. 
 
 2 In orig. : " Eufin il rendit sou Ame a Dieu." 
 
 3 This epitaph is printed in the original on a quarto sheet, in two 
 columns, surmounted by a strange device, in imitation or mockery, as 
 we may suppose, of tlie heraldic ornaments Avhich decorated the 
 pompous epitaphs on contemporary monuments of the 17th century. 
 The centre is a coat of arms, with the name " Boycr" under a lleur-de- 
 lys and a star or, on a field azure, between two cherubims proper on a 
 field or; surmounted by the name of Jehovah in Hebrew characters. On 
 either side are two medallions ; on one of which is represented the 
 adventurer's boat at sea, with the legend, '^ Nous n\icons point icy decile 
 permanctite," circumscribed. On the other side is the conventional 
 phoenix on its burning nest, with its circumscription, " Dans la mort 
 VimmortaliUy Above all is a scroll bearing the Latin words: "■Nascimur 
 pares; pares morimur.^' The whole appearance of these fanciful designs 
 is in keeping with the fashion then in vogue, as displayed in the emblems 
 of Jacob Cats, of a few years' earlier date. 
 
1 693-] Ills Ei'iTArir. 117 
 
 Who all Reckon, among their Ancestors 
 
 Bishops and Millers. 
 
 ***** 
 
 If all Men would live as He liv'd, 
 
 Dancing, Laces, Bayliffs, Locks and Keys, 
 
 Cannon, Prisons, Tax-Gatherers, Monarchs, 
 
 Would be useless things in the World. 
 
 ***** 
 
 He was Wise, and more a Philosopher than the Philosophers. 
 
 He was a Christian, and more a Divine than the Divines. 
 
 He kucAv his Ignorance, and was more a Doctor than the Doctors. 
 
 He was more In dependant than Sovereigns, 
 
 Being neither plagu'd with Flatterers, nor drunk with Ambition. 
 
 He was richer than Kings, for he wanted but one Thing, 
 
 A AVIFE. 
 
 ***** 
 
 In that Execrable Time 
 Which makes my Pen tremble with Horror, 
 He was forc'd to abandon his Dear Country 
 And every thing with it, 
 To fly from the 
 Furious Ministers of the great Tribulation. 
 ***** 
 He cross'd Mountains and Seas, 
 And coming to this Island, 
 Found here the true Port of Safety. 
 ***** 
 Himself and seven Companions of the same Fortune, 
 Stay'd here two whole years, 
 The people and the Rulers of the Place. 
 He had longer enjoy'd 
 The Delights of this new World, 
 If his Heart had not been touch'd 
 AVith a secret Desire for 
 The Too lovely Sex, 
 Which engag'd him in an Euterprize 
 That caus'd his Death. 
 ***** 
 He wrestled boldly with that terrible Enemy, 
 And came off Conqueror ; 
 Since at the same time that he yielded Dust to Dust, 
 He procur'd the Honour for the Isle of Rodrigo 
 To 
 Render to the Lord one of the Blessed at the Resurrection. 
 
lis A SECOND ATTEMPT DECIDED ON. [1693- 
 
 His Soul 
 
 Is gone Triumphantly 
 
 luto the Palace of Immortality. 
 
 If * * * * 
 
 His few and evil Days 
 
 Were not at most above 
 
 Ten Thousand Six Ilundred ; 
 
 And 
 
 That in which he took his leave of the "World, 
 
 Was the Eighth of May, in the Year of our Redemption, 
 
 MDCXCIII. 
 
 Whosoever thou art, Passenger, that reads this, 
 
 Remember 
 
 Thou must die in a little while, 
 
 And 
 
 Improve thy Time." 
 
 A » n. 
 
 Neither our Sorrow for the loss of a dear and useful 
 Friend, nor the bad Success of our first Enterprize hinder'd 
 us from thinking of leaving the Island. These young Men 
 had, as Horace says, Hearts of Oak and Brass,^ which made 
 them freely expose their Lives in the weakest of all Boats, 
 and rashly to defie the fury of the Winds. They persisted 
 therefore obstinately in their first Eesolution, and added to 
 the Fundamental Reasons alledg'd in the beginning, that 
 they wou'd benefit themselves by the Misfortune that had 
 happened to them, and take better measure for the future. 
 They said they wou'd strengthen the Bark in Eepairing it, 
 that they wou'd lay some Buoys, or some other Tokens in 
 their way to direct them in this Case, and wou'd depart when 
 the Tides were highest, that they might not run the Bisk of 
 touching the Shelves, without spending time in seeking after 
 
 1 " lili robur efc ses triplex 
 
 Circa pectus crat, qui fragilem truci 
 - Commisit pelago ratem 
 
 Primus, nee timuit prascipitem Africum 
 Decertantem Aquilonibus, 
 
 Nee tristes Ilyades, ncc rabiem Noti." 
 
 (Horace, Cnrininiun^ lib. i, iii, ad I'irr/iliuin.) 
 
1 693-] ori'OsiTiON. 119 
 
 other Breaches, if they cou'cl not follow exactly the way 
 niark'd them out by the Buoys.^ 
 
 J was, as well as they, a little weary of Confinement, and 
 cou'd not with Pleasure think of living all the rest of my 
 Days in one of the Islands of the Anti^podcs ; but I did not 
 imagine such a sorry Gondola^ as our Boat, was capable of 
 carrying us such a vast way, especially having no necessaries 
 for the Voyage : Wherefore I oppos'd the execution of the 
 first Design with all my Might. As Kesolute as they seem'd 
 to be, to be gone, I beg'd them in the most perswasive Terms 
 I cou'd use, to redect a little more upon what they were going 
 about; and not to shock them too much at first, I highly 
 commended their Courage, and gave way to their most 
 plausible Eeasons. But I conjur'd them also to consider, that 
 this was an Affair of the last Importance, both for the Body 
 and the Soul ; that without a second Miracle, we must be a 
 second time Ship-wreck'd, and that then they wou'd never 
 be able to avoid Eeproaches very like Despair, for having 
 tempted God. I added. Experience ought to make us wiser 
 than we were before ; that it had already cost us one of our 
 Companions Lives, and we shou'd look upon that sad Acci- 
 dent as the Warning of Providence, and the Manifestation 
 of God's Will, of whom we had demanded with Fasting and 
 Eesignation, that he wou'd be pleased to inspire us what we 
 shou'd do. I told them farther, that since those that were 
 
 1 The channel buoyed by Leguat's companions was probably the 
 western point into Mathurin Bay, the sole practicable harbour at 
 Rodriguez. " The most convenient anchorage in Mathurin Bay is in 
 10 fathoms, bottom of sand and mud, off a small buoy marking the 
 entrance to the creek. The creek is narrow but deep, running into the 
 coral reef towards the settlement, and makes a good berth for the small 
 schooners {chasse-marecs, in Creole) which carry on the trade of the 
 island. These place their anchors on the coral at the end of the creek 
 about a quarter of a mile from the small town or village, mooring head 
 and stern.'' (Findlay, op. ciL, p. 616.) 
 
 2 Another of Missou's Italian references (?). Sec his Voijayc to Ilahj, 
 letter xvii. 
 
120 UNCONVINCING ARGUMENTS. [1693. 
 
 to follow US, liiid not proniis'd to come till after two years, 
 'twas convenient to outstay that time a little ; perhaps Suc- 
 cour was now upon Sea for us, and might arrive ev'n wlien 
 we were the deplorable sport of tlie "Waves, if we were not 
 before that Food for the Monsters of the Sea. Besides, 
 since we were in a good Place, we ought to have a little 
 Patience ; and in the mean time have Eecourse to a reason- 
 able Means, which no Body had yet thought of ; and that 
 was, to light great Fires on the top of our high Mountain,^ 
 and set Lanthorns^ all about the Island, to invite Ships that 
 past by us, to come to our Assistance. The Cotton^ of our 
 Plantanes, and our Turtles Oil, made the execution of this 
 Design easy ; and we had stuff enough to cover it with, and 
 make a kind of Lanthorns if it had been necessary. 
 
 I had a thousand things more to say, if I had had to do 
 with Men of ripe Understanding, and well reclaim'd from 
 the follies of the World. For to cast up all things, M'hat 
 cou'd be comparable to the Sweetness, the Innocence, the 
 Advantages, and Delight in a Solitude so much resembling 
 an Earthly Paradise as ours ? What can be imagin'd more 
 happy, after having groan'd and suffer'd under the Yoak of 
 Tyranny, than to live in Independence and Ease, without 
 danger of Worldly Temptations : But when a Man is 
 young, he is not capable of making such Eeflections. I 
 therefore tinish'd my Speech, in representing further to them 
 the length of the Voyage, the weakness of our A''essel, the 
 wretched Tackling we had, and their Unskilfulness, They 
 heard me patiently ; several of them seem'd not to digest it, 
 and one of them whom I had touch'd in a sore Place, of 
 
 1 In orig. ; " sur quolques hauteurs." The highest point is Mount 
 Limon, 1,300 feet. 
 
 2 The spelling of lanthorn which so long prevailed was doubtless 
 influenced liy the use of transparent sheets of horn for the sides of the 
 lantern. (\\''edgwood's Diet, of Enrj. Etyniolor/y.) 
 
 3 The capoc of the Latanier palm, mentioned before. (Vide supra, 
 p. 65.) 
 
1 693-] LIFE WITHOUT WIVES INSUPPORTABLE. 121 
 
 which I was not aware, alledg'd briskly, a new Eeason for our 
 Departure : which was so agreeable to the relish of the rest, 
 that it occasion'd a new Discourse, and all my Arguments 
 were forgotten. Do you imagine, said this young Man,^ 
 That 'Lvc will condemn ourselves to siJend all our Lives here 
 without Wives. Do you think your Earthly Paradise more 
 excellent, than that which God prepard for Adam ; where he 
 declared with his Mouth, it is not good that Man shoit d he alone: 
 I reply 'd,^ My dear Friend, Adam's Wife proved such a Curse 
 to him, and all his Posterity, that certainly our Paradise 
 woiCd not he much improv'd hy the Company of such an Eve 
 among us. They all Laugh'd, and what I little thought of, 
 all the Discourse was afterwards on the Subject of the 
 Ladies, which was, as is said, the Gospel of the Day.^ I soon 
 saw where the Shooe pinch'd,"* and in the reign of Quolihets 
 some fine Wit wou'd certainly have said on this occasion, there 
 was not one of my Adventurers who wou'd not have lov'd 
 a Chimhie^ much better than a Bodrigo. The most Moder- 
 ate of us (and 'twas time to be moderate after Fifty and I 
 do not know how many more Winters) put on a serious Air; 
 and the business of Marriage and Women not being a ques- 
 tion that is entirely decided, for or against it, more than one of 
 our Company joyn'd with him, as to the Inconveniences that 
 attended them. 'Twas said that an eternal Slavery, and a 
 just and natural Love of Liberty were incompatible ; that 
 'twas a strange Resolution to subscribe one's self voluntarily, 
 to a Bondage that has no end. And if all Animals were 
 
 1 Evidently Paul Benelle. 
 
 2 111 orig. : " re])ondit quelcun." 
 
 3 111 orig. : " De I'abondance du coeur la bouclic jiavla," which is 
 omitted by translator. 
 
 4 " II ne me fat pas dilBcile de voir ou gissit le lieure (si je puis 
 ajouter proverbe a proverbe)." 
 
 " La Belle Chimene, or Ximena, daughter of Count Lozano de 
 Gorniaz, who married the Cid, Rodrigue Diaz de Bivar. {Le Cid, 
 written by Lc (jrand Curiieilk in 1G36.) 
 
122 REFLECTIONS ON MARRIAGE. [1693. 
 
 Lorn with a desire of Conjunction, Nature had for all that, 
 loaden them with Irons. The Cares and Tribulations men- 
 tioned by St. Fend} were also urg'd against them ; and 'twas 
 said, the Beauty of Women was no more durable, than that of 
 Flowers. That the Sweets which we fansie we may enjoy 
 with them, are no solid good ; and after all, this just devise 
 of ]\Iarry'd Men, will be eternally true ; for one Pleasure, a 
 thousand Pains. That notwithstanding all the Precautions 
 we endeavour to take, we shall often find our selves coupled 
 with Harpyes and Traiteresses; and the Eage of Jealousie, 
 together with all the IMisfortunes that accompany Marriage, 
 are often the fruit of the greatest Love. The quarrelsome 
 Contentious Women, of whom Solomon- speaks, were not 
 omitted ; nor the famous Passages^ in the xxv and xlii 
 Chapters of the excellent Book of Hcclesiasticus, where 'tis 
 said, All Malice is little, and all Wickedness supportable, pro- 
 vided the Malice of a Woman is excepted ; and the Iniquity of 
 a Man is of more Worth, than the Woman that do's good, or 
 than the goodness of a Woman, as some Authors Translate it. 
 Besides^ we consider'd, that if such a thing has been heard 
 of, that the Union between Man and Wife is very great, the 
 thoughts of an unavoidable Separation, and the grief of Part- 
 ing, must be most Cruel and most Bitter. 
 
 The Subject being Fertile, it gave occasion to other Reflec- 
 tions against the Sex, with which I would not tire the 
 Ladies,^ who shall vouchsafe to cast their fair Eyes on this 
 Relation. 
 
 One of the youngest" said with a modest and pleasant Air, 
 
 1 1 Corinthians, vii, 28, 29. 
 
 2 Proverbs, xix, 13. 
 
 3 Cf. Ecclesiasticus, xxv, 13, 19 ; xlii, 14. 
 
 * In orig. : " On considera encore qu'apres tout, si I'union avoit 
 6i(i grande entre deux Epoux, chose qui a la verite n'ctoit pas inouie, 
 la douleur d'une inevitable separation devoit etre plus cuisante & plus 
 amere." 
 
 ^ In orig. : "les oreillcs des daraes." 
 
 " M. Bcnelle again. 
 
1693] A. CHAMnON OF THE FAIR SEX. 123 
 
 that he did not believe any one of the Company thought then 
 of Marriage or Debauchery ; but that in truth 'twas very hard 
 to him, to think he must for ever be depriv'd of tlie Com- 
 pany of a Woman ; and the more, because God had otherwise 
 order'd things from the Beginning.^ That all that had been 
 said against them in General, seem'd to him to be very 
 imjust; and for his part he own'd he lookt upon them as the 
 most lovely half of the World. 
 
 Reader, 'Tis at your oion choice to look over, or pass by this^ 
 Discourse ; tvhen once it ivas a foot? our young Men ivho did 
 not ivant ivit, said several p)lcasant things which I ijut here 
 together, and the more willingly heccmse these sorts of Suhjects 
 are rarely disagreeable. 
 
 'Tis not enough, said he with a loud Voice who had de- 
 manded Eves for the Adam's of our Udoi ; the Women are 
 not only the most lovely half of the World, they are also 
 the best half. (His Temper being a little quick, his expres- 
 sions also were sometimes a little Vigorous.) 'Tis a shame, 
 added he, to talk of Women, as some among us have done, 
 and I cannot bear their Injurious Reflections. If there are 
 wicked Women, there are without Comparison, a mucli 
 greater Number of Eogues of our own Sex. If there are 
 Impudent Women, 'twas certainly the infamous Temptation 
 of Men that corrupted them. Whoever'^ have said or Thought, 
 that the Wickedness of Men is Preferable to the Goodness of 
 Women, have said so Impertinent and Extravagant a thing, 
 
 1 " Comme ccla avoit ete dit," omitted by translator. 
 
 2 " II est a votre choix, Lecteur, de lire ou dii doit, ou des yeux, les 
 suites de cet Entretien." " Lire du doic/t.,''^ a naive expression for turning 
 over the pages without stopping. {Midler.) 
 
 3 In orig. : "quand une fois la matiere eut ete raise en mouveraent." 
 
 * Vide supra. Solomon's text in Ecclesiasticus is here criticised, but 
 it is quoted without the context of the English version. Benelle says 
 (in orig.) : " les mechancetez des Hommes sont preferables aux bonnes 
 actions des Fenimes." The old French version is: " Micux vaut la 
 malice de I'homme que la femme qui fait bicn ; & la femme desbauchcc 
 est en opprobre.'' (See old French version of lC7S.) 
 
124 SCRIPTUKAL AUTHORITIES. [1693. 
 
 that 'tis not worth answering. No Body denies, but tliere 
 are scolding/ Contentious Women ; and what Consequence 
 can be drawn from tlience to tlie Prejudice of those Wise 
 and Virtuous Women of wliom the same Solomon speaks. 
 Those worthy wives, who, according to him, are the Happi- 
 ness, the Joy and the Crown of their Husbands-; a Gift of 
 God, and a Favour of Heaven. Those excellent Women 
 whom St. Paul calls the Glory of a ]\Ian,^ the first of whom 
 was the Master-piece and Crowning-Work of the Creation. 
 
 We may with boldness affirm, that the positive Will, 
 and the certain and manifest Destiny of the Master of 
 tlie World, is, that all the Descendants of Adam, sliou'd 
 each have his Help-Mate, as he our Common Father had. 
 Those Continent Persons St. Paid* speaks of, who, either 
 by their Stripes, their Fastings or Mortifications, have van- 
 quish'd or overwhelm'd Nature, as being born with a Consti- 
 tution that rendered them Monstrous ; that is, Animals, 
 whose Disposition was against the Order of Nature, these 
 l*ersons I say, are of a particular Species, so rare, that the 
 Laws were not made for them. Encreasc^ and Ifidtijjli/ ; it 
 is not good that Man should be alonc^: a Man shall leave his 
 Father' and Mother, and eleave unto his Wife.'' These are 
 Oracles pronounc'd when the World was made, the Primi- 
 
 1 Scolding, in orig. : " rioteuses." Contentious, in orig. : ' " goutibres." 
 
 2 Proverbs, xviii, 22. 
 
 3 1 Corinthians, xi, 7 : " For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, 
 forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God ; but the woman is the 
 glory of the man." 
 
 * Max. Misson, writing from Rome, Ajiril 11, 1088, says, with regard 
 to the liberty allowed to women in England, and the confinement of 
 the Italian ladies : " That this Custom was introduc'd into Italij as a 
 necessary Caution where three parts of the Men living under the 
 constraint of Celibacy, would without this Precaution create most 
 dreadful Disorders ; but Answer being made, That St. Paul's Advice 
 might be a much better and more convenient Remedy against this 
 Danger, we chang'd the Discourse." 
 
 6 Genesis, i, 28. ^ Genesis, ii, 18. '' Genesis, ii, 24. 
 
1693] ^ DIVINE INSTITUTION. 125 
 
 tive Indispensable Laws that ought to be deeply engraven on 
 Marble and Brass, and transmitted to Posterity in Letters 
 of Gold in civiliz'd Governments. I call them Laws, and not 
 a simple Permission, which leaves Man at his liberty to do 
 what he pleases, according to his Fancy or Caprice. The first 
 Eve was not made to live a Virgin, but to become a Mother 
 and begin to People the World ; and the Eve^s of the follow- 
 ing Ages are not given us, let 'em be what they will, but to 
 perpetuate the Work of the Creation. If there are a sort of 
 Men, who like those vile Insects, of which some speak, grow 
 out of Mud and Corruption, let those ]\Ien live by them- 
 selves as long as they please, and wallow as much as they 
 please in the Filth and Ordure of their Origin. But 'tis not 
 thus, that the Noble Pace of the Children of Adam are Im- 
 mortaliz'd. A single Man, to a single Woman, are not each 
 properly speaking, but a part of themselves. These two 
 half's together, make one whole. How unjust and cruel is it, 
 to keep these imperfect Portions always naturally desiring 
 to be joyn'd and destin'd to Union by Eternal Wisdom^ in a 
 state of Separation. Let us therefore conclude thus, Dear 
 Companion, that Women are entirely all that's Fine in the 
 World, all that is Lovely, all that is Necessary ; and that we 
 ought to be unspeakably pleas'd in Loving tliem, and being 
 belov'd by them, as also in seeing them bring forth, and 
 breed up the Pledges they give of ]Mutual Love. Call them 
 Yoaks or Fetters, or what you please ; and give the Union of 
 Marriage the odious Name of Chains, but let us remember 
 we are never weary of enjoying what we Love, and .should 
 not think it a tiresom slavery, to keep our Treasure a long 
 time. Our sorrowful and imperfect Society, can have no 
 
 ^ Videirt Manierc deccJehvcr le Muringr^ in the old French Huguenot 
 prayer-book. " Et cc saint Mariage institue do Dieu est de telle vertu, 
 que par icelui le mari n'a point la puissance de son corps, mais la 
 femme ; aussi lafenime n'a point la puissance de son corps maisle mari. 
 C'est pourquoi ctans conjoints de Dieu, ilsnepouventctre separoz," etc. 
 
12G benelle's arguments prevail. [1693. 
 
 Eelief, no Support liere ; we shall die, and our Island 
 remain Desert. He who dies last, will have no Body to 
 Assist and Comfort him, his Corps have no other Burial but 
 the Belly of those filthy Batts,^ that seem now ready to 
 devour us alive. A little Water wou'd perhaps Refresh him 
 in his Bed of Languishing Sickness, but his weakness not 
 permitting him to fetch it, he will see himself consum'd by 
 a heat without Remedy, and all his Distresses will be 
 extream. Let us therefore save our selves from this fate, 
 and for a more happy Society. We have Philosophers 
 among us, who they say, love their Liberty ; with all our 
 Hearts, let them enjoy it. The Isle is their own, and they 
 may be as free as they please in these Forests. They need 
 not fear that any Nymph will come and trouble the Pleasures 
 of their Contemplative Life. As for us. Let us go and submit 
 to the agreeable Yoak (if it must be a Yoak) the amiable 
 Yoak of those whose Victorious Charms ought in my Opinion 
 to be preferable to the most sweet Oil of our Turtles. But we 
 lose Time, we have said enough on this Subject ; follow me, 
 my Friends, and let us immediately think of what we ought 
 to do, in order to our Departure. 
 
 The truth is, we rose up all hastily, and as if the question 
 had been decided by an Oracle, not a Word was said, but of 
 refitting the Bark, and preparing things necessary for our 
 Voyage. However I made a new Proposition to gain Time, 
 but they wou'd not hearken to me, and 'twas resolv'd we 
 shou'd re-embark the next time the Moon was at the 
 Full.2 
 
 Since nothing cou'd happen worse to me, than to Live and 
 Die alone in an Island of the other World, I resolv'd, yet 
 not without some contrary Reflection, to go with them. 
 The day prefix'd arriving, we Ijad this Charming Island 
 adieu, and with the Island, what is worst of all, we bad adieu 
 
 1 Viile supra, p. 83. In orig. it i.s, however, " ccs vilains Rats.'" 
 - At spring-tide. 
 
1 693-] I WRITE AN INSCRIPTION. 127 
 
 to our true and noble titles of Freemen, to become e'er long 
 the Sport and Prey of a little Scoundrel Tyrant.^ 
 
 1 have already shewn, that the day before our first De- 
 parture, we left a little Monument behind us, to inform all 
 such as might one time or other happen to Land in this Isle 
 of our Adventures. But that being very short, and con- 
 taining some General Things, I had a mind before our second 
 Departure, to add some Particulars in a little Writing, a Copy 
 of which I have here very freely inserted. If the Header 
 is of Opinion that it breaks off the Thread of the History, it 
 is easie for him to turn over and pass it by, and he will soon 
 come at what he seeks after. 
 
 " Dear Adventurer : 
 Read, if thou wilt, this weak and slight ]\Ionnmcnt. 
 
 FRANCIS LEGUAT, 
 
 Who now writes these Lines with his own Hand, 
 
 Was born and honourably bred. 
 
 In the good and little Province of Drcsse^ ; 
 
 Which our Predecessors, call'd the Country of the 
 
 Sebusiaus^ some thousands of years agoe. 
 
 'Tis a fruitful Peninsula, 
 
 Forni'd by the Rhosne and the Soane* 
 
 And blest with tlie most benign Aspects of the Father of Nature. 
 
 There I liv'd Innocently in Prosperity and Peace, 
 
 When an Irruption of wild Beasts, 
 
 Which rose out of the bottomless Pit, 
 
 Like a Vomit of Fire, 
 
 Impetuously falling from the horrible Vesuvius,^ 
 
 ' Diodati, Governor of Mauritius. {Vide infra.) 
 
 2 Bresse was an old division of France, now comprised in the depart- 
 ment Ain. It was obtained by exchange from Savoy in IGOl. 
 
 3 SeJnisiatift, in orig., Sebusiens, probably a misprint for Segusiens, i.e., 
 Segusia7ii, a people of Gallia Lugdunensis, on the banks of the Rhone 
 and Saone. 
 
 * In orig. : " le Rhone & la Saone." 
 
 ^ Max. Misson ascended to the summit of Mount Vesuvius in March 
 1688, and descended into the crater, which he describes as a vast sub- 
 terraneous abyss. He gives a careful account of the volcano in Letter 
 xxii. 
 
128 MY INSCRIPTION. [1693. 
 
 Cruelly plunder'd my Habitation. 
 
 A little after a Hurricane quite over-whelm'd it/ 
 
 And Trajisported me and several of my Countrymen 
 
 Into the Ropublick, blest by Heaven, 
 
 Which is Famous all over the World, 
 
 By the Name of 
 
 HOLLAND. 
 
 I was scarce recover'd of the Fright I was in, 
 
 Which seem'd to me to be the effects of a Dream, 
 
 When a Voice call'd me 
 
 From within a Ship then ready to Sail, 
 
 I ran, 
 
 And after a long and dangerous Voyage, 
 
 I was brought to this Island with my Companions, 
 
 Whose Names are not unknown to thee ; 
 
 And one of whom is departed a Moment since 
 
 For his true Country. 
 
 We have seen in this delicious Abode, 
 
 Two whole Revolutions of Years, 
 
 Which I thought was a little Golden Age ; 
 
 I, who in an Age of Reflection, 
 
 Desire nothing more than what is truly Necessary. 
 
 But my Companions who were but just 
 
 Coming into the AVorld, 
 
 And knew not the little worth of it, 
 
 Cry'd, that they wou'd have Wives. 
 
 AA'ivcs ! said they, the only Joy 
 
 Of Man, 
 
 And the Masterpiece of the Creator. 
 
 The Latent Fire of their Imaginations Kindled, 
 
 They wou'd have Wives. 
 
 And such was the wretched Bridge^ they made themselves, 
 
 To pass over it in quest of the Soveraign Good, 
 
 I must therefore stay here alone, 
 
 Or suffer my self to be torn away from my Repose, 
 
 By the Violence of the Torrent, 
 
 Which drove me into a thousand Dangers. 
 
 Pity my Destiny I pray thee, 
 Thou Dtar Confident-* of my Adventures ; 
 
 ^ In orig. 
 
 2 In orig. 
 
 3 In orig. 
 
 Incontinent aprc'SjUn Ouragan m'cnleva tout d'un coup. 
 ' Et voilk uu chetif Pont-volaut qu'iis out fait." 
 ' Confidant." 
 
^^93-] IN PRAISE OF RODRIGUEZ. 
 
 And let no more hurt ever happen to thee, 
 
 Than wliat 1 wou'd do thee ! 
 
 Further, 
 
 I cou'd not leave thee this Memorial, 
 
 In a more Universal and more Noble^ Tongue 
 
 Than that of Glorious and Formidable France 
 
 My Dear and J:)esolate Country. 
 
 Given in the Palace of the Eight Kings of nodrigo, 
 
 The Twenty First of the Month we call May, 
 
 And the Year which the Chistmns, Successors to the 
 
 Jsracliles, 
 Compute to be One thousand six hundred ninety three 
 After the con)ing of the Messias: 
 The fourth Year of the Reign 
 Of the Most Wise and most Mighty Princes, 
 WILLIAM and MARY, 
 Defenders of the Faith, 
 Restorers of Religion, 
 And of Liberty when they were shaken in Europp 2 
 In that year of the World which no true Learned Man 
 Will ever be so bold as to pretend to Design 
 Thou 
 Little and lovely Island, 
 I wou'd render thee famous above all the Isles of the East, 
 If my Power was answerable to my Will • 
 My Mouth confesses from the abundance of my Heart, 
 That my Soul is touch'd with Sorrow.s 
 Now I am about to leave thy wholesom Air 
 Thy good Palm- Wine, thy excellent Melons ; 
 Thy Solitaries ; thy Lamentincs ; 
 
 Thy Hills always Verdant ; 
 The clear Water of thy Rivers ; 
 Thy fruitful and smiling Sun ; 
 And all thy Innocent and Rare Delights. 
 Can I forget the precious Treasure of Liberty ? 
 Thou Shalt never be call'd Barren 
 Since thou broughtest us fortii Plenty of exqm-site Meats ; 
 And at the Day of Eternal Doom,* 
 ;^ "^^ ISAAC who has been sown in Corruption 
 
 129 
 
 ^ Plus honoree. 
 
 2 In orig. : "que I'Europe voyoit ebranlue." 
 
 3 In orig. : "triste regret." 
 
 * In orig. : " R<^tablissemeut eternel." 
 
 K 
 
130 BLESSINGS IXVOKEP. [1693. 
 
 In thy Earth, 
 
 Shall rise to Immortality and Glory, 
 
 O Isle, most desirable among the 
 
 Daujiliters of the Ocean ! 
 
 How many good and laudable Things may be said of thee ! 
 
 May a wiser and happier People than We, 
 
 One day Cultivate with joy thy fertile Soil ; 
 
 And without Interruption, enjoy all thy Natural Riches. 
 
 !May that People Multiply ! 
 
 May they Prosper without Trouble and Alarms, 
 
 And no Successor in the (Jovernment, 
 
 Ever call thy Inhabitants liis Inheritance, 
 
 And never become their Enemy and Destroyer. 
 
 May never King nor Viceroy suck thy Blood, 
 
 Nor break thy Bones. 
 
 May Heaven preserve thee from all wicked Judges, 
 
 From all pretended Distributors of Justice, 
 
 Who sit in the Seat of Di.«cord, Rapine and Iniquity. 
 
 May Heaven preserve thee from the Pride of the Great, 
 
 And the Wantonness of the Rich. 
 
 May Heaven for ever preserve thee 
 
 From that pernicious Race of Animals,^ 
 
 Who without Wisdom, Virtue, Courage or Honour, 
 
 Assume the fair Name of Noble. 
 
 May the Cry of the Poor in Distress 
 
 Never be heard on thy Coasts. 
 
 May never Begging Ambassador, 
 
 Carrying on his Shoulders 
 
 The Miserable Dirty train that seem to follow him, 
 
 Raise Pity in thy People. 
 
 May never any wicked IIeretick,nor Orthodox Fool, 
 
 Nor rascally Monk,''^ 
 
 Trouble thy Peace. 
 
 ]\Iay thy holy Religion never depend 
 
 On the Sword, or on Custom. 
 
 May no Sellers and Buyers of Holy Tilings,^ 
 
 Ever set foot on thy Land. 
 
 1 In orig. : "engeance de tout Animal." 
 
 2 In orig. : " Religieux Scelerat." 
 
 3 Max. Misson, writing from Rome, April 24, 1C88, says: "I can't 
 for my life see wliy the Church of Rome should make such a bluster 
 to hide this Disgrace, when Baroitins bestows the Title of Monsters 
 upon several other Popes, and not without reason, considering tlie 
 
I693-] SUPERSTITION DENOUNCED. 131 
 
 May no Proud-youth and ignorant Declaimer 
 
 Ever sound his poor Orations in thy Laud, 
 
 Nor his Antichristian Satyrs 
 
 Under the Name of Preaching, 
 
 May no unskilful Copyist, nor bold Parrot, 
 
 Have the liberty to pretend to teach thy People. 
 
 May thy sacred Sanctuaries. 
 (The Palaces of the Holiness of the Almighty,) 
 
 Never be miserably chang'd 
 
 Into Theaters, Shops, and Retreats for Robbers. 
 
 Let never Dispute upon a Word,' create Schism, Hatred or Cruelty 
 
 Among thy Children. 
 
 Let never any foolish or superstitious Bigot, 
 
 Corrupt or dishonour the Divine Laws, 
 
 By his Trifles or Fables. 
 
 Never let any INIan by his extravagant Devotion, 2 
 
 Enormities the Popes have been guilty of, distributing scepters and 
 treading crowu'd Heads under their Feet, notwithstandiug they retain'd 
 the qualities of Priests ; and what is worse than all the rest, to set a 
 certain rate of Absolution upon the most abominable Crimes that can 
 be committed ; witness the Book intituled The Rates of the Apostolical 
 Chamber (sold publickly to this day at Paris), which I bought some 
 days ago. 'Tis true they have since endeavour'd to suppress the Book, 
 by inserting it in the Index Expurgatorius of the Council of Trent, but 
 continue nevertheless in selling their Dispensations. 
 
 ' Venalia nobis 
 Templa, Sacerdotes, Altaria, Sacra, Coronae, 
 Ignis thura preces, Coelum est venale Deus.' " 
 
 {B. Mant ) 
 
 ' Allusion to the dispute on the word /iluxjiie in the Creed between the 
 Oriental Greek and Roman Churches. Writing from Venice, January 
 20, 1688, Max. Misoou mentions with regard to this : " They (the 
 Greeks) use Confession, but not after the manner of the Romanists : 
 concenaing the Article of the Proceeding 0/ the Hoi 1/ Ghost, thoy say 
 as little now as they did formerly dispute upon it, looking upon it as a 
 point that has more of nicety than usefulness ; they also preserve 
 Relicks, but never worship them." {Letter xri.) 
 
 2 In orig : " Que jamais extravagant Devot.'' 
 
 Max. Misson, writing from Loretto, February 2G, 1G88, says : *• But 
 the greatest Curiosity is, the Processions of the Devotees, who crawl 
 round the Ilolg House upon their Knees, some five times, others seven, 
 and others twelve times, according to the different degrees of their 
 
132 FOLLIES CONDEMNED. [1693. 
 
 Expose Piety to Laughter, 
 
 2s' or render the sacred Truths suspected, Scandalous and llidiculous, 
 
 To such as want Knowledge and Discernment. 
 
 May Heaven to the end of the World preserve thee 
 
 From all these presumptuous Earthworms, 
 
 Who proudly boast they can explain Mysteries, 
 
 And pretend to Embeliishi Faith and Worship, 
 
 According to their Folly or Rashness. 
 
 May no Astrologer ever be permitted in thy Common-Wealth. 
 
 !No learner of passages out of Homer, 
 
 No Slave of musty Otho's,^ 
 
 No Searcher after the Philosophers Stone.' 
 
 No Poetaster. 
 
 And may no Man be ever so Ridiculous, 
 
 Devotions ; some of these creep along from one side whilst others meet 
 them coming from the other, but all furnished with Beads and mutter- 
 ing Pater Noster.s." 
 
 * In orig. : "qui s'erige en Embellisseur de Crt^ance." 
 
 2 In orig. : " Aucun Esclave d'Uthons rouillez." This allusion is not 
 too easily to be comprehended. Rusty Othons can hardly refer to the 
 (ierman Othos, Emperors, of the tenth century : can it not more pro- 
 bably have reference to the manuscripts and books relating to their 
 deeds, as, for instance, Hroswitha, de Uestis Oddonis ? The formid- 
 able Otho the Great died on Christmas Day, 967. The valuable 
 chronicle, recovered by the industry of Pertz, records the death of 
 Otho II ; and Otho III, the religious Otho, was poisoned by the 
 remorseless Stcphania in 1002. (See Milman's History of Latin 
 Chrisliatiiti/, vol. ii, pp. 389-418.) 
 
 3 In orig. : "Aucun chercheur de Pierre Philosophale." Archbishop 
 Gerbert, subsequently known as Pope Silvester II, who succeeded to 
 the Pontificate in 999, was celebrated for his Arabian skill in arithmetic, 
 geometry, and astrology, which he had studied under Caliph Ilakim II, 
 in Cordova. In remote Britain, according to ^Villiam of Malmesbury, 
 the magical arts and enchantments of Gerbert were commonly believed, 
 and his funeral oration, in the Vit. Pontif. Ravennat^ is " Ilomagiuin 
 diabolo fecit et male finivit." Compare " Hist. Lit. de la France " and 
 Vincent of Beauvais in the Encijclopxdia of the Middle Ages. Gerbert, 
 in Spain, fell in love with the daughter of one of those accursed doctors ; 
 he stole his books. The Magician, by the aid of the stars, pursued the 
 robber. But Gerbert, too, had learned to read the stars. By tlieir 
 counsel he lay hid under a bridge, when the devil descended and bore 
 him away, designing him for the Pontifical chair. (See Milman's Latin 
 Christianity^ vol. ii, p. 419.) 
 
1693.] PERSECUTIONS IMPEACHED. 133 
 
 As to hope to get Honour by vain Sciences, 
 
 Or other such like things which he has Learn'd, 
 
 And of which wise ]\Ien know only enough to despise them. 
 
 Mayst thou ever be defended 
 
 From the poor and wretched Set of Antiquaries,^ 
 
 A Race of Monkeys, Parrots, and not of Reasonable Creatures. 
 
 May no mad Pedant 
 
 Ever dedicate, within the bounds of thy Coasts,2 
 
 The short course of his Life, 
 
 ( Which ought to be iniploy'd about Important Duties) 
 
 To such sort of Studies that bring Content to the Mind, 
 
 And that are made Famous only 
 
 By miserable Custom, 
 
 Founded upon poixdar Prejudice. 
 
 May never any Echo of the Multitude, 
 
 Be Taken by thee for anything else but an Echo. 
 
 May no Honourable Robber or Murderer 
 
 Set up the obliging Trade 
 
 To cheat thee of thy Money, 
 
 By shortning with Impunity the Days of thy 
 
 Inhabitants, 
 
 After^ having a long time kept them on the 
 
 Rack in a Bed of Sickness. 
 
 May no unprofitable Visiters* 
 
 Ever come to disturb the good Employments 
 
 of thy Sages. 
 
 May never Dragoons, ^ nor Highnesses, nor Monks, 
 
 Nor Louvres, nor Dungeons,'' 
 
 Nor Reprisals, nor Complements, 
 
 Nor Slavery, nor troublesome Fashion, 
 
 Nor Powder for the Cartridge or Dressing-Box,^ 
 
 1 " Secte dcs Anciennistes." 2 a Chez toi." 
 
 3 In orig. : " Apres les avoir martyri.«ez." 
 * In orig.: " Faiseur de Visites inutiles." 
 
 6 " The Pope [Lmocent XI], tho' really old and infirm, yet often makes 
 the want of Health serve for a pretext to excuse his absence at those 
 numerous ceremonies used at Rome. I had it from very credible i>ersons 
 that he did in no wise approve of the French way of converting People 
 by Drn;/o(iniiH/, and shew'd a great deal of aversion to tliose who pre- 
 tended to propose certain methods of accommodation to him with the 
 Crown of France." (INlax. Misson, LcUcr xxv.) 
 
 " In orig. : " ni Cachets." 
 
 7 In orig. : " Ni Poudre a poudrer, ni Poudre a Canon." 
 
1-"U ENGRAVEN PILLARS. [l^93- 
 
 Ever be known 
 
 Amoug thy Peaceable, Reasonable, and Happy Society ; 
 
 Mayst thou ever be free 
 
 From Fraud, Ambition, Avarice, 
 
 Tyranny, and all Villany. 
 
 ^lay 
 
 Virtue, Wisdom, Truth, Fidelity, Innocence, 
 
 Justice, Safety, Abundance, 
 
 Happiness, Peace and Joy, 
 
 Make thy little Terrestrial Paradise the Desire or 
 
 Envy of all Men, 
 
 As a Tast or Semblance 
 
 Of the Paradise which the Angels 
 
 Inhabit." 
 
 As I had done writing these my Vows for this charming 
 Isle, I remember'd I had read in tlie History of the JFar 'with 
 the Vandals, written by Procopius, that when that Author 
 was in Africa with Bclisamis} he found in a city of Numidia 
 two Stone Pillars, on which was Ingrav'd this Inscription in 
 the Fhoenician Tongue ; We arc some of those that fled from 
 Joshua the Great Bohbcr} 1 had neither Stone nor Marble to 
 
 ^ The greatest of Justinian's generals. He was born in Illyria, and 
 his Slavonic name signifies " White Prince", or Bieli Tsar, the title 
 usually bestowed upon the Emperor of Russia by Asiatics. The actual 
 edition, probably, here quoted by Max. Misson was the following : — 
 
 '' Vide. Histuria Gothvrcm Vaiidalorcm S,- LaiKjohurdorvm: ah Hur/onc 
 Grotio. Amstelodami, a^jud Ludovicum Elzevirium (1055). 
 
 '■^ Art. Vandalica et Gothica, Procoidi emeudata plurimis locis : 
 accedentibus supplemeutis e Manuscriptis : & sic versa Latine ab 
 llugone Grotio. 
 
 ''Procopii Cajsareensis Historise Vandalicie Liber Sccundus, p. 88. 
 
 " ' Etiam in Numidia castellum posuere quo loco nunc urbs est dicta 
 Tingis. Hie duje stant e lajiide candido columna) propter magnum 
 fontem, inscriptaj Phoenicias literas, quarum ex sermone Phoenicio ha;c 
 est interpretatio. Nos illi sumus qui prsedonem effugimus lesum Navai 
 filium.' " 
 
 ^ Procopius, De Bdlo Vaiidalico, lib. ii, cap. vii. The historian of 
 Justinian's wars, speaking of the origin of the Moors in Africa, whom 
 he iue:;tilies with the Gergcsitts and Jebusites and other nations over- 
 thrown by the Israelites when they entered Canaan, says these nations, 
 seeing this new captain (Josihua) irresistible, removed fruui their own 
 
1 693-] A GRAPHIC LEGEND. 135 
 
 make anything like a Pillar ; but having a small piece of 
 Vellom which may last as long as Brass, if 'twas kept in the 
 Vial I have spoke of, I made a Draught of a Pillar after my 
 Way ; on the top I plac'd the Cross and Thorns of our 
 Tribulations, wrote our Names^ on one side, and these words 
 
 on the other : 
 
 " We are some of those 
 Hundreds of Thousands 
 To whom Wings have been given 
 To 
 Escape the furious Dragoons- 
 country into Egypt, and finding no room there, went on into Africa, 
 where they built many cities and jiossessed it all unto the Pillars of 
 Hercules, and to this day contiiiue there, using the Phoenician language. 
 " In Numidia they built a castle where now is the citie of ligisis. In 
 which stand two pillars near the great conduit, witli these words 
 engraven in the Phoenician language : We are they irho fed hefore 
 Joshua the chief, the son of N'uii." (Holeroft's translation of Procopius' 
 history, 1653 ; The Vandal Wars, p. 3G.) 
 
 1 The names appear as follows : — Frauciscus Leguat ; Paulus 
 Be***le ; Jacobus de la Case ; Joannes Testard ; Isaacus Boyer : 
 Joannes de la Haye ; Robertus Anselin ; Petrus Thomas ; Isaacus 
 Boyer Mundo Valedicens Ad Celestem Patriam abiit Maj. D. 8 A, 
 1693. 
 
 2 "The following inscription'' (writes Max. Misson, dating from 
 Strasburg, July 22, 1688) " was lately placed over the Gate of the 
 Manufactorij Hall, at Bern, the capital city of the most potent Canton 
 among the Swiss : — 
 
 " ' Tempore quo crassa Clericorum ignorantia, cum gratia & privilegio 
 Regis in verum Dei cultum fureret, atque Dkaconum opci'a nos quos 
 Huguenotos vocant, ferro flunima, & omnis generis cruce e regno 
 pelleret, supi-emus Magistratus cruderibus (^iuobii, olim Proadicatorium 
 has sedes exstruxit, ut pietatem simul & artem Gallic exulantes 
 hospitalibus tectis exciperat ; Fanit Deus T. O. M. ut charitatis hoc 
 Opificium situri cremento patriae.' 
 
 '' This Inscription being, as I am informed, remov'd from thence in 
 1692"' [this is a subsequent addition by ]Max. Misson in his translation 
 of the original letters] " at the request of the French Ambassadour, I 
 can't omit to give you a translation of it : 
 
 •' ' When the blind Ignorance of the Clergy, supported by the King's 
 Favour and Authority, did exert its Rage against the true Worship of 
 God, and by the force of DitAfiooNS wiih fire and sword and all manner 
 
186 VIUGILIAN VERSES. [1693. 
 
 Of 
 
 The Great Loyola." ^ 
 
 But after I had a little reflected upon it, two things 
 oblig'd me to blot out this Inscription. First, I thought the 
 Comparison was not very Just ; and Secondly I imagin'd it 
 might displease the Jesuits, a Venerable Society, somewhat 
 false and Dangerous, 'tis true ; but my Companions and I 
 were very much oblig'd to them. I therefore took away this 
 Inscription, and put two verses of VirgiP in the place of it ; 
 
 of Torments, drove those caWdHiiguenots out of the Kingdom, this House 
 was erected by thesupream Magistrates, upon the ruins of the old Monas- 
 tery belonging formerly to the Predicant Friers, that Piety and Industry, 
 bauish'd at once out of France, might meet there with an hospitable 
 entertainment : May it please the most Great and Good God, that this 
 Charitable Act may tend to the advantage of our Native Country.'" (A 
 New Voyage to Italy, by Maxmilian Misson, Done into English, Letter 
 
 XXXV.) 
 
 1 Ignatius de Loyola, the famous Spaniard who founded the order of 
 the Jesuits, and inspired the King of Spain, Philippe II, to become the 
 champion of Catholicism, under whom the dragoons of the cruel Duke 
 of Alva inundated with blood the Flemish and Dutch provinces, 1568- 
 1572. 
 
 2 ^neidos, lib. viii, 333-336 : 
 
 " Me pulftum* patria, pelagique extrema sequentem 
 Fortuua omnipotens et ineluctabile fatum 
 His posuere locis, matrisque egere tremenda 
 Carmentis Nymphse monita, et deus auctor Apollo." 
 (King Evander is speaking, and alludes to an accidental murder which 
 compelled him to leave Arcadia) : 
 
 " Myself, an exile from my home. 
 Went wandering far along the foam, 
 Till mighty chance and destined doom 
 
 Constrained my errant choice : 
 So came I to these regions driven 
 By warning from my mother given, 
 And Phoebus' awful voice." 
 
 Professor Conington's Translation. 
 Only the first portion of the Virgilian lines given above is inscribed 
 
 * Me puhum Patria is changed into Nos patria jtulsos in the 
 inscription ; I'uk frontispiece. 
 
1 693-] LATIN DEPRECATED. IM? 
 
 which represent our condition plain enough, as the Pieador 
 may see by looking upon the Pillar here presented to him. 
 I do not love Latin in French Books, and indeed I have 
 almost forgot all I knew of tliat Lano-ua^e, but 'tis difficult 
 to Translate these Verses, without taking away their Force 
 and Beauty. 
 
 on the simulated column as fai' as " locis" ; afterwards is inserted : 
 " An. Dom. Ji. dc. xci. xxx Aprilis. Bieunio cum 21 diebus ibidem 
 peractis, Fragilem triici Pelago commissimus ratem. Die xx Maj. An. 
 Dora. M. DC. xciii." 
 
 THE END OF THE FIRST PART. 
 
 [In the original French, Leguat's book is divided into two separate 
 vokunes, the " premier tome" occupying 164 pages of print, whilst tlie 
 first part of the EngUsh version fills only 120 pages of larger size. Thu 
 frontispiece of the first volume is repeated in the second, which fills 
 180 pages of type in the French, and 123 in the English edition. The 
 Dutch version is in one small quarto volume, with 178 pages of text 
 and 14 pages of index. This version has the dates given, in years, at 
 the top of each page and marginal references, being also divided into 
 chapters, the headings of which are given above at page Ixiii.] 
 
 LONDON: WHITING AND CO., 30 AND 32, SABDINIA STRKKT, VCC. 
 
 K