The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-08-09 00:00:00

and innumerable reefs, by which it is interseSed,
caused him to give it the name of the Labyrinth, a
place which will ever call to mind the cool intrepidity
of Captain Cook; and Capt. Flinders, animated with
the same courage of his illustrious predecessor, did
sot fear to expose Limself to the same dangers. •
After having experienced a number of accidents,
and being frequently at the point of perishing, he ar-
rived at the entrance of Endeavour Straits, which,
however, he was obliged to abandon, and put back
to tiort jackson, to preserve the Lady Nrhgam, who
could no longer keep the seas, and who arrived in
such a shattered condition, and in such total wan:
of necessaries, that the crew were obliged to make
a wooden ar.chor to moot her.

_ - Without being discouraged by so many dangers,
be undertook to explore th- Gulp!' of Carpentaria,
of which, from the time of its first discovery, fBO
years before, we had but a vague knowledge. It
was in this perilous situation that he undertook to
give an account of the dreadful dangers to which
his intrepidity had exposed him, and in this be dis-
plays an energy and coolness which so pezeliarly
belong to seamen to atchieve. Hasa ever, his wea-
ried vessel, broken by frequent shocks, and spring-
ing leaks on all sides, warned him that he could no
lonrer, without exposing himself to certain danger,
continue his hazardous enterpri.e. He now saw hits'.
self forted to abandon the coast of New Holland.
aid after having taken in fresh provisions at the,lsle
of Tamor, he again ran the track of 1300 leagues,
to return to Port Jacksmi, to request assistance, and
a new ship. He there met with the teeeptirn which
he so well merited, be changed his vessel ; and after
some time he again set out, without being affrighted
at the dangers he had already run, or the prnspeil
of those he had vet to encounter ; but his misfor-
tunes were not ended. A few days after his depar-
ture from Port Jackson, he struck suddenly on one
of those innumerable sand banks, which are so often
to be met with in those dangerous seas, and of ss h.ch
the most part are as yet unknown. His vessel was
dashed to pieces, but he had the good fortune to
save the greater part of his Crew on the bank, which
the sea bad left dry. He hims,lt embarked in iris
shalOp to fain Port Jackson;then distant WO leagues.
He arrived there happily, though overwhelmed with
misery and fatigue,• and hastened to sCod the assist-
ance necessi rto save the remainder at the ship-
wrecked sufferers.

The colony of Port Jackson was not in a state to
furnish him With necessaries sufficient for the conti-
nuance of an expedition of discetery, and he resolv-
ed to return to England, to repreaeat to the Admi-
ralty his misfortunes, his courage. and the valuable
result of his first labours, and embarked in the
ninth of September with nine of hit wretched com-
panions in the Cumberland schooner, a little vessel
of 29 tons. In this frail bark be dared the imme.7se
ocean which separated him from hurppe. lie pir
into the Isle of France, which lay in his track, to
take in water and provisions. Being ignorant of the
declaration of war between the two powers, he
hoisted an English flag, but on his arrival in port
he was arrested. Some secret articles in his instruc-
tion- gave cause of suspicion .to General Decirn,
Governor of the Colony, who believed at first i
was his Tuty to detain him prisoner however, te
pass,ions 'wtsicli he had obtained fiem the French'
Government, as well as all other nations, and the
nature of h s expedition, which could 'not NI to in.
terest all civilised people, preisehted any further de7
tendon.

According Vs lippeararmvs, ' Captain Flinden
arrived :.t the Cape of Got'af Hhpe * devr minutes
before the Spat ish Captain -sailed. Those who are
decetved by the tesemblance of the circnmstance,,
couli have no doubt that the shipwrecked navigat4r,
who arrived in such a frail bark, was tit; other than
the untOrttinate ecyrou‘e. riprwr stires that
he ha.t quitted the Cape a little'after die irrival of
the ha- k. He had then but ligle time gain a
peifeCt knowledge of the exad de!s?, of 'those ad-
venturers, and particularly the name of the Citptain,
whom, certainly, Te'had not wen, Ind whe'm he
merely supposed, from the different rlisort, which
had been circeaktid, to be the flinch 'navigator.
Of the unhaPPy
,La reyrosne no atilsts remain,
since for a long time .41 hope ,of seeinklins, or even
,einti informed of the circuinstauces of ,his fate, is
taken from us; but aecordiasfo appearance:, he
must have' perished, as the Laglish navigator was
near doing, on one of dative Aireat banks in that
dangerous :ea to the gorth East of Botany l.ay.
In a dark night his ships, wkicli he always navigated
to the highest latitudes be could possibly reach,
found themielires entangled.in reefs, anJ have both
experienced the same fate,men and vessels; all were
lost. • -

' If any one of those unfortunate men who composed
his crew bad escaped death, it is scarcely pes,i!)ie
to doubt, that ere this he had reached some civilised
region.
How many examples have uc irnmestsiovoyars
being 'undertaken isthsc most fragile barks by ship-
wrecked mariners ; their numbers preient occasion
to particularise any._ .§oine have suaosed that La
Peyreane, after seer his vessels dashed to pieces,
had himself tecnalned prisoier amongst -le savezcn
der -of an unknn country ; otters, that he anguisbvs
on so e desart shoielyrithout the ntearts of teaching
any inhabited island; and others that Iw )4). per i bed
in Me Eisiesivour Straits, or ratherzintbti Straits of
Mr.:s, on soN4e of those dangetrus rocks h
had beenlo.4t.A to the English frigate the feltdvrn. •
These strerent. aqertions, .however, are ell false.
The eturbe ;Aid dpvia by La Peyrouse *himself, in
his las; let*: written from Botany Bay tot the Mi-
nister of Moon., announcing his intenti9n steer-
ing for the Isle of France, is a certain g- id to u,
;le purposed. after having completed his. ctaferv-f-
-,sit.ni amongst tls EriendAy islands, to return
stand to the west ,by siting the land of St.
stoat; talcdtinia. the Atimisisity Isles.
te lista, and the ,middle part of New Gunie.i,
ltd
•t ts• past':, on to EnJeavour Soaks.
lAince 1788, all Ouse island's have 11.:0 visited fie-
myntly by different pavigaters, with ut Any one tf
having been . *at to discover any traces rt
I rn, width mighteasily have been proved either h;
dl a niini:randams: of his voyage which he-left a:
taels place be tour-4"Ln, by ch,•se articles of l'rer c!
sain.ut4lory whicp be bartered, or even by store.
sis;ans amongst tb t.-Anders, among u :tom I.e.
..mirstliive for a till*!tt

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