Page:Voyage in search of La Perouse, volume 1 (Stockdale).djvu/406

378 how to address their acquisitions, properly, to persons possessing influence with the Council at Batavia, or in Europe.

Captain Huon obtained many rare shells from the Secretary of the Council, who gave him, among others, one of the most precious and scarce shells, the glazed or glassy nautilus, (la nautile vitrée) which he has made over by will to the museum of natural history in Paris.

3d. The next day we proceeded towards the entrance of the road, following the shore in the canoe which we commonly made use of.

At the same time, the tide rising with great force, produced a rapid current, particularly towards the middle of the road. Notwithstanding the skill of our paddlers, we would have gained nothing by struggling against such an obstacle. As its force was much diminished towards the shore, we kept as near it as we could, a manœuvre which was much facilitated by the shallowness of our vessel.

I was at some pains in observing the great diminution of the current towards the shore; but I did not expect to find it so considerable. The principal cause appeared to me to be the proximity of the land, which detained the water by a kind of adhesion; whereas, at a greater distance, the sea being much deeper, its upper strata, which