Pot on the march has always prepared. The people finding Monfieur Borel did not underHand Arabic enquired for his interpreter, who was found afleep and flightly wounded.

The first demand the Arabs made was for his money and jewels, which they oblerved Europeans always have in great abundance, but which were concealed in private drawers, that none excepting themfelves can discover. He affured them there opinions were erroneous with refpect to him, for that he was not a rich merchant, but only a young foldier of fortune, employed to carry orders from his government in Europe, to their fettlements in India: but that if they would convey him to Graine a place near Baifora on the Sea coast; on their arrival there, and on the receipt of his papers he would engage to pay them two hundred chequins, about one hundred pounds Sterling. After a few minutes confultation with each other they acceded to his propofais, returned him his oldest Arabian drefs, and during the rest of his journey treated him with tolerable kindness and attention.

After Mr. Borel's arrival at Graine he eafly prevailed on an Armenian to advance him the money to fulfill his engagements with the Arabs; and also to fend the French refident at Baffora an account of what had befallen him on the defert, defiring to be supplied with money and other neceffaries to enable him to proceed to Pondicherry. His letter very fortunately for us fell into the hands of the English refident at Baffora, who having heard of our rupture with France inftantly determined to arrest him, being convinced he must be charged with public difpatches of confequence. Every generous mind will lament the neceffity there was of adding to the diftreffes of this ipirited and unfortunate youth; but the lives of thousands, and perhaps the fatety of our fettlements in India, depended upon his being intercepted, but to prevent his being treated with any rigour, or fuffering any indignity, Mr. Abraham the fecond in council of the face tory was employed to feize him.

The town of Graine is about feventy miles from Baffora, and is governed by an Arab Sheick who is very much attached to us, but Mr. Abraham knew it would be very difficult to prevail on him to violate the rights of hofpitality to a stranger, and without the Sheick's connivance, the execution of the project would have been abfolutely impracticable: the better to conceal his defign Mr. Abraham at night went down to Graine in a country boat, accompanied by the Captain of one of our thips then lying at Baffora, and immediately proceeded to the Sheick's houfe, to whom he immediately communicated his bufinefs. The Arab at first violently oppofed the measure; but being mollified by presents, and also affured that Mr. Borel should not receive any perfonal injury, he at laft tacitly confented. When Mr. Abraham knocked at the door Mr. Borel was retired to reft, but he inftant. ly got up to admit him, thinking he was a VOL. VI. Feb. 1784.

perfon fent from the French Refident with an anfwer to his letter; as foon as he discovered his mistake he attempted to defend himself, but he was initantly overpowered and conveyed to the Sea fide, where he was put on board the thip that had been fent from Baffora, and was just then come to an anchor off the place. He had two packets, one for Pondicherry, and another for Mauritius, which were found, but Monfieur Borel obferved to me that they miffed the key of the cypher in which the difpatches were written, by neglecting to fearch the lining of his clothes. It was perhaps a fortunate circunftance for Monfieur Borel that he was taken prifoner by us, for his wound through unskilful management, and the want of proper remedies was grown extremely bad, nor is it improbable if he had attempted to proceed in a country boat, the only conveyance he could have got at Graine, that his wound would have occafioned his death long before the boat could have arrived at any French fettlement in India. I made ufe of thefe arguments to confole him for his m'sfortunes, but the zeal for his country, the natural enthusiasm of his difpofition, and the hopes which had been given him of promotion, had he executed his commiffion, made him deaf to every thing I could fay to afford him confolation: difappointed but not difcouraged by his former fufferings, he was then on his way to Baffora to proceed over the great defert a fecond time; which I was afterwards informed, he patfed with every affistance he could receive from the gentlemen of our Factory.

Jan. 26th. Went on board, 28th failed, and on the 8th of February at four in the afternoon anchored in Bombay Harbour.

"The voyage from Leghorn to Bombay was performed in five months and ten days but had we embarked at some port in the S. E. part of Italy, or rather Calabria; and had there been a ihip ready at Balfora to convey us immediately from thence to Bombay; we fhould certainly have arrived there in less than four months, as will appear by examining the time unavoidably loft; first by contrary winds in the N. W. part of the Mediterranean, and afterwards in waiting at Baffora for a boat, &c. Had we gone directly from England to Brindifi or Otranto, we might have arrived at either of thofe places in five and twenty days, and afterwards have gone from thence to Latichea in fifteen days, making altogether forty days. Whereas by embarking at Leghorn we were almost fixty days going the fame diftance: n› time was lott either at Latichea or Aleppo, but ac Baffora we were detained twelve days, waiting for a boat, and afterwards were thirty mine days going from thence to Bombay, a voyage that in an European veffel might eafily have been performed in three weeks. Twenty days loft in the way to Latichea; twelve days at Baffora, and eighteen from thence to Bombay, make altogether fifty days, which being dedacted from five months and ten days,

leaves

leaves a remainder of three months and twen

ty days, that is reckoning each month at an average of thirty days.

"The great defert of Arabia has often been reprefented as an immenfe space of barren fand; which never has, nor even can be made to produce any herb or vegetable whatfoever; where confequently not only men could never tefide, but where no animals of any kind could poffibly exist. The journal. itfelf confutes that opinion, in which the attentive reader will perceive, that frequent mention is made of the ruins of buildings, which in all probability are only fmall remains of what once exifted on thofe fpots. Before the difcovery of the paffage round the Cape of Good Hope, when the productions of the Eaft were neceffarely brought the major part of the way to Eurone by land, particularly in the early ages of antiquity; the great defert was doubtlefs one of the principal channels of Eastern commerce: at that time I fuppofe thofe buildings to have been erected, nor can I attribute

the existence of Palmyra itself, which is fituated in a most barren part of the defert, to any other caufe. Water the great principle of both animal and vegetable life is not wanting. By means of thofe water courfes which communicate with the Euphrates, and alfo from the wells which are interfperfed throughout the defert, water enough may be obtained, not only for domeftic úles, but also for the pur poles of hulbandry, The foil in general is by no means fo barren as not to be capable of cultivation; there are but few fpots that would not yield to the preferving hand of induftry. Bur, my further fentiments on this fubject, and alfo my opinion of the character of the Arabs I must for the reafons already aligned, defer giving to a more convenient opportunity; and in the mean time my indulgent readers may be affured that no endeavours fhall be wanting on my part to obtain for their fatisfaction and amufement, the fulleft and mot authentic information.

M.

Marion du Frefne, animated with an ardent curiofity, fimilar to that of Captain Cook (whom he refembled alfo in his tragical end) for making new difcoveries in unknown feas, offered government to carry back to Taiti the young Indian, whom M. Bougainville had conducted from thence to Paris. He only demanded the addition of a floop to the veffel of which he was himself the proprietor, and with thefe two thips he fet out for the Idle of France, where he was to take the Indian on board. Soon after the young Taitian died, which difconcerted the projects of M. Marion, with respect to the South Sea. He fet fail, however, from Madagascar to the Cape of Good Hope; and after laying in 'provitions there for eight months, he proceeded for Van Diemen's Land, and arrived at it, af ter having difcovered in his paffage feveral inlands. The view of this land, and of New Holland, appeared inviting, as a multitude of circumstances feemed to announce an inhabited country. Our adventurers land: the natives come down to the coaft, and difcover no marks of oppofition or hoftility: they gather dry wood, and form it into a fort of pile: they prefent to the trangers fome branches of the wood, and invite them, by figns, to fet fire to the pile, which the latter did in effect, with out knowing the meaning of this ceremony: while the pile was in flames, the favages feemed neither offended, nor pleased, nor furprised. With their wives and children (all black, naked, and cotton-haired) they beheld their new guests with an apparent indifference. when prefents of looking-glaffes, handkerchicts, iron, linen, and poultry were offered to them, they were rejected with d.idain and

But

marks of refentment; and this rejection, wa followed by a declaration of war: for they retired to a rifing ground, from which they fent a violent difcharge of ftones against the Europeans, wounding Captain Marion, and one of his officers, who took to their boats, and made a new landing on another part of the coat. Here they faw a fandy country, covered with heath and small trees, of which the natives burn the bark to dress the thell-fiib, which feemed to be their principal nourishment. They obferved, in their excurfion, the tiger-cat, crows, black-birds, turtle doves, and a parroquet, whofe plumage refembled that of the parroquet in South America.

From New Holland M. Marion fet fail for New Zealand, of which Tafman had perceived a point in the year 1642, and where M. de Surville (an extract from whole voyage is fubjoined to this work) had anchored in a bay, which he called Laurifton, at the fame time that Captain Cook difcovered the two points of the fame bay, without knowing, as it feems, that the French lay there at anchor.

It was here that M. Marion met his fatt. Having erected tents in the island of Motouare, and converfed with the natives by means of a vocabulary of Otaheite, whofe language is the fame with that of the New-Zealanders, as is well known, he found, at firft, their behavi our promifing. They came in crowds, with their chie's on board his thips, and without arms. Thirty days were paffed in feeming friendthip, and the exchange of good offices; and their manners, and way of living are here defcribed at length; but to those, who have read the voyage of Sir Jofeph Banks and Captain Cook, published by Hawkefworth, few of

thefe

hefe relations will appear new. In the midst of this apparent good intelligence a bloody projet was formed of putting to death M. Mərion, and his attendants, who ought not to have traded, with so much fimplicity, to the good faith of thefe lavages; more especially if he knew, that, two years before, they had been treated with the greatest and most abfurd feverity by Monf. de Surville, who, to punish them for carrying off his canoe, had fet fire to their hats, and spread terror and defolation through their villages. Meff. Marion, Vaudricourt, and fourteen more of the ship's crew went on there for the third time, accompanied by feveral favages, on a fishing party: and were conducted by Tacoury, one of the Ind an chiefs, to whom Marion had thewn particular marks of civility and kindaefs. In the evening, he was expected in his fhip, but did not appear. The next morning a boat was fent out, to take in water and wood; and, about nine o'clock, a man was perceived fwimming towards the thip. He was the only one, who escaped the mailacre of his comrades, whom he had feen murdered with their unfortunate commander, and their bodies cut into pieces and divided among the favages. Meffieurs de Clefmeur and Crozet, on receiving this fatal news, took all the precautions that were necelary to fave the detachments that were. posted on the thore; and marched at the head of them through a crowd of favages, whofe looks expreffed hoftility and refentment. In their paffage through a village they found a part of the clothes of their flaughtered compa

nions, and a human thigh which had been half devoured.

After difcovering fome other iflands in the South Sea our furviving travellers returned to Guam, the largest of the Marianne iflands, where M. Tobias, the Spanish Governor, had been active in the introduction of agriculture and other European arts. M. Crozet gives, in the work before us, a circumftantial and accurate defcription of this ifland, and partie cularly of that beautiful and useful tree, called the Rima, whofe fruit has exactly the tale of our bread, though fuperior to it in a certain delicious freihnefs, and is fufficient for the nourishment of the inhabitants. This tree was transplanted into the Ilie of France, by M. Poivre, who has alfo tranfplanted several trees and thrubs from the fpice-ilands of the Dutch.

The voyage of Surville, whofe violent proceedings may be confidered as the cause of Marion's death, and have contibuted to ren der the Europeans odious in these parts of the world, is fubjoined to this work. It contains, in about forty pages, an account of the voyage of this able, intrepid, and turbulent navigator, to the ifles of Batchy, which lie north-east of the Phillippines to New-Zealand, and over the Pacific ocean to the coats of Peru, where he perished in an attempt to pass the bar of Chil:a in his canoe. Thete voyages, which are certainly adapted to add new improvements to geography, would have answered more effectually that important purpose, if the navigators had employed marine clocks to fix the longitudes.

T

HE Preface contains a fhort furvey of what projects have formerly been fag gested for the purpose of floating heavy bodies in the atmosphere; the principal of which are thofe of Lana, a Jefuit of Brofcia, and of Ga. lien, a Dominican of Avignon, both which however were, upon well established principles found by theory to be impoffible in the execu tion. Due honour is paid to Mr. Cavallo of London, who, in 1782, feemingly with a view to this difcovery, tried to fill bags of paper and bladders with inflammable air; but failed in his attempts, by the unexpected permeability of paper to inflammable a'r, and the too great proportional weight of the common

The impoffibility of Lana's project was demonftrated by Hook; jee bis Philofophical Collections, No. 1. p. 28. And fince by Leibnitz. Galien's never needed any confutation.

fized bladders. Had he then thought of èmploying gummed filk, or gold beater's skin, he probably would have plucked the very lạarts that now adorn the brows of Montgolfier and Charles.

The honour of the difcovery is certainly due to the brothers Stephen and Jofeph Mont golfier, proprietors of a confiderable paper manufacture at Annonay, a town in the Vi varais, about thirty fix miles fouth of Lyons: and their invention is the more to be admired, as it is not the effect of the late difcovery of a permanent elastic fluid lighter than the common air, but of properties of matter longer know, and in the hands of the many acute philofophers of this and of the last century. They conceived that the effect they looked for might be obtained by confining vapours lighter than common air, in an inverted bag, or covering, fotficiently compact to prevent their evapora tion, and fo light, that when inflated, its own 02

weight

weight, added to that of the inclosed vapour, might fall fomewhat short of the weight of the air which its bulk difplaces.

On thefe principles, they prepared matters fór an experiment. They formed a bag, or balloon, of linen cloth, lined with paper, nearlyfpherical, and meafuring about 35 feet in diameter +, its folid contents were about 22,000 cubic feet, a space nearly equal to that occupied by 1980 lb. of common air, of a mean temperature, on the level of the fea.The Vapour, which, by conje&ure, was about half as light as common air, weighed 990 lb. The balloon, together with a wooden frame fufpended to the bottom, which was to ferve as ballaff, weighed 490 lb. whence it appears that the whole muit have been about 500 lb. lighter than an equal bulk of common air, This difference of fpecific gravity, by which these bodies are made to rife, we fhall henceforth, without warranting the propriety of the expreffion, call their power of afcenfion.

The 5th of June 1783, was fixed on for the difplay of this fingular experiment. The States of Vivarais, who were then affembled at Annonay, were invited to the exhibition. The flaccid bag was fufpended on a pole 35 feet high; ftraw and chopped wool were burnt under the opening at the bottom; the vapour, or rather fmoke, foon inflated the bag, fo as to diftend it in all its parts; and, on a fudden, this immencé mafs afcended in the air with fuch a velocity, that in less than ten minutes it appeared to be about 1000 toifes above the heads of the fpectators. A breeze carried it about 1200 toifes from the fpot whence it departed; and then the vapour, either escaped through fome loop holes that had been accidentally left in the construction, or being condenfed by the coolness of the circumambient air, the globe defcended gradually on a vineyard, with fo little preffure, that none of the takes were broken, and fcarce any of the branches of the vines bent.

The rumour of this fuccefsful experiment foon reached the metropolis, and rouzed the emulation of the Parifian philofophers. Without waiting for particular instructions from the inventors, they reflected on a method of their own; and refolved, inftead of vapour, to use inflammable air; the fpecific weight of which, when pure, they knew to be to that of common air nearly as ten to one*.

The procefs of producing this air being very expenfive, the Author of the book now before

+ All the measures here given are French. The French foot is to the English as 144 to 135; French toife is fix French feet, or, fix and three-eighths English feet.

* In justice to our country, we must bere at leaßß commemorate the name of Cavendish; to whom, It is acknowledged on all bands, the difcovery of the specific gravity of inflammable air, as well as of many other of its properties, is folely due. See Phil. Tran, Vol. LVI. p. 150.

us, fet on foot a fubfeription; and having foon raised a fufficient fum, M. Charles, Profeffor of Experimental Philofophy, and M. Robert, a mathematical inftrument-maker, were fet to work; and they constructed a globe of luteftring (taffetas), glazed over with clattic gum diffolved in tome kind of tpirit or effential oil. After many difficulties and ditappointments, which will ever attend firft effays, they fucceeded, in two days, to all this globe with inflammable air, produced from 1000 lb. of iron-filings and 498 ib. of vitriolic acid, diluted in four times its quantity of waThis globe meatured 12 feet 2 inches in diameter, its folid contents were 943 feet 6 lines cubic, and its power of afcenfion was found equal to 35 lb.

ter.

The 27th of August 1783, having been fixed on for the exhibition of this exper-ment, the balloon was conveyed, in the preceding night, floating in the air, from a court near the Place des Victoires, where it had been conftructed, to the Champ de Mars.Our Author indulges his lively imagination in a lofty defcription of this nocturnal proceffion, which, he fays, moved along in the dead of night, attended by a party of guards, with lighted torches, and feemed fo awful, that the hackney coachmen who happened to be in its way, defcended from their feats, and devoutly proftrated themfelves before the fupernatural being that advanced in foch folemn fate.

The concourfe of people, on foot and in carriages, was fo immenfe in the Champ de Mars, that a large body of troops were drawn out to prevent difiurbances. At five o'clock in the afternoon, a fignal having been given by the firing of a mortar, the cords that confined the globe were cut, and it rofe, in less than two minutes, to a height of near 500 toifes.-It there entered a cloud, but foon appeared again, afcending to a much greater height; and at last it was loft among other clouds.

Our Author jufly cenfures the conduct of this experiment; obferving, that too much inflammable air, and that even fome common air had been introduced into the globe, which being clofed on all fides, left no room for the expanfion of this elaftic fluid when it thould arrive to a more rarefied medium. We find, in fact, that it must have burft in confequence of this expantion; fince, after having floated about three quarters of an hour, it fell in a field near Goneffe, a village about five leagues (15 miles) N. N. W. of the Champs de Mars. It must be allowed, that the mere evaporation of the air could not well have been the caufe of its defcending fo foon: Many periodical papers have already entertained the public with ludicrous accounts of the aftonishment of the peatants who found it, and of the rough *treatment it received at their hands.

It may eafily be imagined, that these bril liant fucceffes animated the zeal of all the curious in the metropolis; and that many effays were made to repeat the fame expereriments upon a smaller fcale. Our author, according