In The Course Of The Voyage These Ships Had Been So Unfortunate As To Lose
A Boat, With Many Men
And officers in her, off the west of California;
and afterwards met with an accident still more to be regretted,
At an island
in the Pacific Ocean, discovered by Monsieur Bougainville, in the latitude
of 14 deg 19 min south, longitude 173 deg 3 min 20 sec east of Paris.
Here they had the misfortune to have no less than thirteen of their crews,
among whom was the officer at that time second in command, cut off
by the natives, and many more desperately wounded. To what cause this
cruel event was to be attributed, they knew not, as they were about to quit
the island after having lived with the Indians in the greatest harmony
for several weeks; and exchanged, during the time, their European commodities
for the produce of the place, which they describe as filled with a race
of people remarkable for beauty and comeliness; and abounding in refreshments
of all kinds.
It was no less gratifying to an English ear, than honourable to
Monsieur De Perrouse, to witness the feeling manner in which he always
mentioned the name and talents of Captain Cook. That illustrious
circumnavigator had, he said, left nothing to those who might follow
in his track to describe, or fill up. As I found, in the course
of conversation, that the French ships had touched at the Sandwich Islands,
I asked M. De Perrouse what reception he had met with there.
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