La Pérouse's Memorial to Captain Clerke-The Kamtschadale Nation-Ravages of Small-Pox-Intermarriages with the Russians-De Lesseps Travels to Europe Overland-His Account of his Travels-Return to the Southern Hemisphere-The Island of Maouna-Architectural Pretensions of Native Buildings-Appearance of the Natives-Death of M. de Langle.

LA PÉROUSE did a good work during his stay at St. Peter and

St. Paul by erecting a tablet to the memory of M. de la Croyère, an earlier explorer, who had died there in 1741, on his return from an expedition to explore the coast of America, undertaken by command of the czar. With singularly graceful courtesy he erected a similar tablet over the grave of Captain Clerke, Cook's second in command during that celebrated navigator's third voyage, and who had here closed his arduous and eventful career only a few years before. La Pérouse also verified the survey of the Bay of Avatshka, taken by the British in Cook's third voyage, and pronounces their work exceedingly correct. The Kamtschadale nation had been greatly reduced in number about sixteen years before the French commander's visit by that scourge of

The

civilised and savage communities, the smallpox, which had swept away three-fourths of the native population, and the survivors were rapidly losing their distinctive character by constant intermarriage with the Russians. This mingling with the Russians had doubtless improved the position and habits of the Kamtschadales. The filthy yourts, or underground dwellings, in which they had been accustomed to burrow during the winter, had been abandoned for the more civilised isbas, or wooden houses of the Russian peasants, with the large brick stove, whose fierce heat renders these peasant dwellings a pandemonium to the stranger. women were also beginning to dress their hair in imitation of the Russians, whose costume and language they were likewise adopting. The taxes imposed upon them by the government are described as merely nominal, the produce of half-a-day's hunting being frequently found sufficient to defray the imposts of a year, and altogether the Kamtschadales seem to have been in every way benefited by the Russian occupation of their territory. In character they are greatly preferable to the Esqui- i maux. "They ought no more to be

compared to the Esquimaux Indians," says our traveller, "than the sables of Kamtschatka to the martens of Canada." He tells us further concerning them-" Ere long the primitive character that distinguished them so strongly from the Russians will be entirely effaced. Their population does not at present exceed four thousand souls, scattered over the whole peninsula, which extends from the fifty-first to the sixty-third degree of latitude, and occupies several degrees of longitude. Hence it appears that there are several square leagues for each individual. They cultivate no one production of the earth; and the preference they give to dogs over reindeer in drawing their sledges, prevents their breeding either hogs, sheep, reindeer, horses, or oxen, because these animals would be devoured before they could acquire sufficient strength to defend themselves. Fish is the principal food of

their draught dogs, which go, notwithstanding, as much as twenty-four leagues a day. They are never fed till they come to their journey's end."

M. Lesseps, who had accompanied the expedition as Russian interpreter, here quitted his companions, with the sanction of La Pérouse, as it was his intention to return to Europe overland, with a view of giving a more detailed scientific account of the great Asiatic-Russian territory than had yet appeared. He accomplished his intention, and his book, which contained much interesting information, was afterwards published and translated into English under the title of Travels from Kamtschatka to France.

Again the prows of the ships were turned southward, and La Pérouse, after some further exploration of the Pacific, which disproved the alleged existence of land laid down in the old Spanish maps, crossed the line once more into the southern hemisphere, and brought his ships to anchor at Maouna, one of the group called the Navigator's Isles. Maouna was a beautiful island, and seemed to promise a liberal supply of the fresh provisions and water of which the mariners now began to stand in need. The natives, a vigorous and handsome race, many of the men being above six feet in height, who crowded round the strangers with every demonstration of friendship, brought a plentiful supply of cocoa-nuts, guavas, and other fruits, and offered fowls and hogs for sale, with pigeons, paroquets, and other birds, disdaining the iron and cloth that were offered in exchange, and coveting only beads wherewith to deck themselves out. Their houses and furniture showed a considerable degree of skill. "I went into the handsomest of these huts," says the commander, "which probably belonged to a chief; and great was my surprise to see a large cabinet of lattice-work, as well executed as any of those in the environs of Paris. The best architect could not have given a more elegant curve to the extremities of the ellipses that terminated the building; while a row of pillars at five feet distance from each other formed a complete colonnade round the whole. The pillars were made of boughs of trees very neatly wrought, and between them were five mats, laid over one another with great art, like the scales of a fish, and drawing up and down with cords like our Venetian blinds. The rest of the house was covered with leaves of the cocoa-palm."

A certain expression of ferocity in the faces of these architectural savages, who, moreover, like most of the nations inhabiting the South

Sea Islands, were great thieves, pilfering everything on which they could lay their felonious hands, warned the commander to abridge his stay among them. He noticed that although they made no display of offensive weapons, the men were in many cases covered with scars that told of former contests, and plainly indicated their warlike character. They also seemed inclined to become insolent on the strength of their own superior stature, and evidently looked upon their visitors as a curious race of pigmies. There were also disagreeable incidents indicative of hostility. Stones had been thrown at M. Rollin, the surgeon-major, and an attempt had been made to snatch a sword from another officer, M. de Monernon.

All these indications made La Pérouse resolve to abridge his stay at Maouna as much as possible, and he had made every preparation for departure on the following morning, when M. de Langle, who commanded the Astrolabe, returned from an excursion he had made along the coast with the intelligence that he had discovered a magnificent harbour for boats, situated near a pleasant village, and, what was of more consequence, in immediate proximity to a splendid cascade of pure fresh water. Though the ships were all ready to sail, M. de Langle strongly urged that such an opportunity of obtaining a few longboat cargoes of excellent water ought not to be neglected, and suggested that the ships could easily be kept standing off and on outside the harbour while the boats' crews were employed upon this duty. Some of his men were beginning to suffer from scurvy; and Captain de Langle quoted Cook's opinion that water recently shipped was in such cases infinitely preferable to any that had been some time on board. La Pérouse for a long time held out against every representation. He had been seriously alarmed by the turbulent behaviour of the islanders, and was anxious to sail at once; but when De Langle at length offered to head the watering-party himself, and promised to be on board in three hours with all the boats under his command full of water, the commodore allowed himself to be persuaded, and intrusted the command of the expedition to his friend, though with a presentiment of evil which the event fatally realised.

Accordingly the longboats and barges of the two ships were prepared and manned by a party of sixty-one men, fully armed with muskets and cutlasses; and six swivel guns were shipped in the longboats as an additional measure of precaution. It was soon found that M. de Langle, in his eagerness to procure fresh water for his men, had

somewhat overstated the case with regard to the magnificent harbour. On examination the harbour proved to be a shallow basin, approached by a winding channel only twenty-five feet wide, and so nearly empty at low tide that the long-boats were presently aground. M. de Langle had examined the bay at high water, and had not calculated for the difference of six feet made by the ebb. The peaceful attitude of the natives, who had their women and children with them, and of whom only about two hundred were present, made De Langle determine to remain in the creek and fill his boats with water. By the time this operation was finished the inflow of the tide would give him plenty of depth to take his boats out of the harbour. The business of shipping the water was, therefore, commenced; but the captain, now thoroughly anxious, could not fail to observe that the crowd of natives was steadily increasing, until it swelled to about a thousand men. Canoes, which had been trading with the ships in the offing, now continually arrived in the bay, where they landed their crews to swell the crowds on shore. Meanwhile, the operation of watering was completed; but the long-boats were still aground, and the cunning islanders seemed fully aware that something was wrong with the French, who had taken post in their boats, and were waiting, with what patience they might, for the rising of the tide. The natives now began to wade into the water around the boats, and to pelt the crews with stones. Like Cook at Owyhee, M. de Langle was unwilling to order his men to fire while there was a chance of avoiding bloodshed; and, like Captain Cook, he lost his life through his humanity.

When at length he began to retaliate, it was too late. The Indians, rendered bold by impunity, had waded into the water quite close to the boats. M. de Langle, struck by a stone, fell over the side of the boat into the water, and was immediately killed by the savages with clubs and stones. The two long-boats were quickly cleared of their occupants, some of whom were massacred in the water by the natives, while others managed to swim to the barges, which lay at a little distance, and very fortunately had been kept afloat. Had these barges grounded, like the long-boats, it is hardly probable that a single man would have escaped. It was lucky also that the savages, having obtained possession of the long-boats, began to tear up the seats and break their prizes in pieces in search of plunder; for the fugitives in the barges, who by their numbers had greatly embarrassed the movements of the crew, gained time to establish some kind of order. The officers behaved with great