Unthinking People Might Suppose That The
French Revolution Meant Very Little To Us.
Indeed, unthinking people
are very apt to suppose that we can go our own way without regarding
what takes place elsewhere.
They do not realise that the world is one,
and that the policies of nations interact upon each other. In point of
fact, the Revolution meant a great deal to Australia. This country is,
indeed, an island far from Europe, but the threads of her history are
entwined with those of European history in a very curious and
often intricate fashion. The French Revolution and the era of Napoleon,
if we understand their consequences, really concern us quite as much
as, say, the gold discoveries and the accomplishment of Federation.
Chapter V.
THE EARLY PART OF THE VOYAGE.
The expedition sailed from Brest rather sooner than had at first been
contemplated, on August 1, 1785, and doubled Cape Horn in January of
the following year. Some weeks were spent on the coast of Chili; and
the remarks of Laperouse concerning the manners of the Spanish rulers
of the country cover some of his most entertaining pages. He has an eye
for the picturesque, a kindly feeling for all well-disposed people, a
pleasant touch in describing customs, and shrewd judgment in estimating
character. These qualities make him an agreeable writer of travels.
They are fairly illustrated by the passages in which he describes the
people of the city of Concepcion. Take his account of the ladies:
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