Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/93

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Nov.]
OF LA PEROUSE.
83

phoreſcence of the ſea. Other ſubſtances, however, poſſeſs likewiſe the property of giving this appearance to the ſea; for many ſpecies of the crab, and other marine inſects of conſiderable bulk, ſometimes aſcend from its bottom, and give a luminous appearance to the ſurface. I have ſeen ſome of theſe phoſphoric animals of more than half a foot in length, but they were always accompanied by the ſmall animalcula above mentioned.

We were informed to-day that they had thrown into the ſea, from on board the Eſperance, four of the ſheep they had brought with them from Teneriffe, becauſe ſome perſons had imagined that they had obſerved upon them ſymptoms of that diſeaſe which our nation is accuſed of having imported into Europe, from America. The monks of the iſland from whence they had brought the ſheep, had to ſuffer many ſevere ſarcaſms upon this occaſion; though I believe them to have been deſtitute of foundation; for I have little doubt, that if the animals had been ſubjected to a more accurate examination, the crew would not have been deprived of ſo conſiderable a part of their live ſtock.

Breezes from the S.S.E., which began to blow on the 21ſt of November, we being in lat. 4° 31′ long. 18° 36′ W. at length put an end to

the