Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/108

98 buted throughout the whole expedition with o much parimony, that the ailors lot all their inclination for this occupation. The inpecting officer ought to have appried him of the pernicious conequences reulting from this mitaken piece of economy; but he neglected to do it.

The animal known by the name of medua velella, was induced, by the tranquil tate of the ea, to rie to the urface of the water, where we oberved large numbers of this pecies. They were preciely imilar to thoe which I have often met with in the Mediterranean, where the ailors conider them very delicious eating.

The ucces of our expedition depended very much upon the hips being uch as did not water; we had, however, carcely left the roads of Bret, when we were obliged to pump the veels. As our hip made three-fourths of an inch water every hour, we were under the neceity of pumping it twice every day. This precaution was the more indipenable, as the water had already attacked our alt proviions, the preervation of which was an object of the greatet importance on a voyage like ours. Very fortunately, that which got into the hold did not penetrate far.

The pace between decks was o much lumbered, that it lated everal months before we could find out the pot where it leaked, which at lat