176 9 . companion, and how this knowlege had been acquired. I
was anfwered that the Chip which hailed us was in the fer-
Fmiay igt. v ;ce 0f the French Eaft India Company, commanded by M.
Bougainville that Che was returning to England from the Ifle
of France; that what was thought o f the Swallow in England*
had been learnt from the French Gazette at the Cape of Good
Hope; and that we were known to be that veffel by the letter
which had been found in the bottle at the Ifland o f Afcenfion a
few days after we had left that place. An offer was then made
of fupplying me with refreffunents, i f I wanted any, and I was
afked if I had any letters to fend to France. I returned thanks
for the offer of refrelhments, which however was a mere-
verbal civility, as it was known that I had lately failed from
the places where M. Bougainville himfelf had, been fupplied *
but I laid that I had received letters for France from fome
Gentlemen o f that country at the Cape, and i f he would
fend his boat on board they fhould be delivered to his mef-
fenger. Thus was an. occafion furnifhed for what I have
reafon to believe was the principal object o f M. Bougainville
in fpeaking with u s : a boat was immediately fent on board,
and in her a. young officer, dred in a waiftcoat and trowfers
whether he was thus dreffed by defign I fliall not determine,,
but I foon perceived that his rank was much fuperior to disappearance.
He came down to me in my cabbin, and after
the ufual compliments had palled, I alked him how he came
to go home fo foon in the fealbn ;. to which he replied, that
there had been feme difagreement between the Governor
and inhabitants of the Ille of France, and that he had been
fent home in hade with difpatches; thisftory was the more.-
plaufible, as I had heard of the difpute between the Governor
and inhabitants of the Ille of France, from a French
Gentleman, who came from thence, at the Cape of Good..
Hope j.
Hope; yet I was not perfectly fatisfied: for, fuppoling M. 1769-
Bougainville to have .been fent in hade to Europe with dif- LFeb™a'7',
patches, I could not account for his loling the time which it Fnda? 19'”
cod him to fpeak with me ; I therefore obferved to this
Gentleman, that although he had accounted for his coming
before the ufual time from the Ide o f France, he had not accounted
for his coming at an unufual time from India,,
which mud have been.the cafe. To this,, however, he readily
replied, that they had made only a fhort trading voyage-
on the wedern coad o f Sumatra. : I then enquired, what
commodities he had brought from thence ; and he anfwered,
cocoa-nut oil, and rattans: but, faid I, thefe are commodities
which it is not ufual to bring into Europe ; it is true,,
faid he, but thefe commodities we left at the Ille ofi
Erance, the oil for the ufe of the illand, and the rattans for
Ihips which were to touch there in their way to China, and
in exchange we took in another freight for Europe; this
freight I think he faid was pepper, and his whole tale being:
at lead polfible, I alked him no more queftions. He then,
told me, he had heard at the Cape, that I had been with.-
Commodore Byron at Falkland’s Blands;-and, faid he, I was
on board the French Ihip that met you in the Streight of Magellan,
which mud have been true, for he mentioned feveral*
incidents that it was otherwife highly improbable he fhould'
know, particularly the dore-lhip’s- running a-ground, and.
many of the difficulties that occurred in that part o f the*
Streight which we paffed together:.by this converfation he:
contrived to introduce feveral enquiries, concerning the -
wedern part o f the Streight, the time it cod me to get.
through,, and the difficulties o f the navigation; . but perceiving
that I declined giving any account of thefe particu- -
lars, he changed his fubjeff. He faid, he had. heard than.
m we.*