Having doubled the Cape of Good Hope, they refitted in St. Auguftin's Bay, in the Inland of Madagafcar; and from thence failed for the Co-moro Ifles, where they made fome ftay, highly delighted with the beauty and fertility of the place.

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Fortune had fo far favoured them they had reached nearly the end of their voyage without any crofs accident or remarkable occurrence. At laft, in lat. 5 north, they found themselves entangled among shelves; and attempting to pass them, the Corbin, which failed confiderably ahead, thrice ftruck on a rock on the coaft of the Maldives; and being out of reach of any affiftance from her confort, was left to her fate.

At the time when this accident happened, the French hailed a bark belonging to one of the iflands; but the natives did not venture to approach them, on account of a royal prohibition, which forbids them from having any intercourfe with ftrange fhips, without the king's leave.

Meanwhile, the failors, feeing the deftruction that awaited them, inftead of warding it off by prudence, feemed to haften it by defperation and excefs. They broke loofe from all restraint, infulted their officers, ate and drank with a frantic gaiety, and loudly proclaimed, that as death was inevitable, they were refolved to make its approach as eafy as poffible.

In difafters of this kind, the danger is always increased by infubordination; but with the momentary dread of death before them, it cannot be expected that uncultivated minds can reafon or reflect the frantic impulfe of the minute is their only rule of action..

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While the Corbin was fufpended on the rocks the conduct of the common men filled every thinking mind with horror: at laft they became more reconciled to their fituation, and having efcaped immediate death, they began to liften to the fuggeftions of their officers, and to yield their affiftance to work the ship to land. In thort, after continuing two days in this deplorable fituation, the Corbin was, with infinite labour and difficulty, hauled over the flats, and brought to a fmall ifland named Pouladon, belonging to the Maldivia group.

The French carried fome arms with them: but the natives infifted on their being delivered up, before they would suffer them to land. Submiffion was their only resource; they furrendered at difcretion; and were then conducted by the Indians to the interior of the island, where they were entertained with cocoas, lemons, and other fruits, but rifled of every thing about them, on pretence that all the property faved from wrecks belonged to the king.

However, the French having a piece of scarlet cloth, had the policy to give out, that it was originally intended as a prefent for the king of the islands, together with the whole cargo of the fhip. On this, the natives were very cautious not to meddle with what they confidered as royal property; but the chief man of the island was privately induced to accept a few yards of fcarlet cloth, which present confirmed him their friend.

Soon after, this perfon fent the mafter of the ship and two of the failors to Male, where the king refided, when one of the royal family was immediately dispatched to fave 'whatever could be done from the wreck.

The

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The French, on leaving the veffel, had brought off a confiderable quantity of money with them, which they buried on fhore, as a common fupply for their future exigencies; but fome of the men, being in want of fubfiftence, and knowing where the treasure was hid, dug up a part of it, and having offered fome pieces of money for food, the confequence of this was speedily felt. The natives, feeing that the ftrangers had money, would not allow them the smallest affiftance without being paid for it; and when the hoard began to be exhausted, they were brought to the greateft diftrefs. Each now became selfish and unfeeling; for where money commands every thing, and nothing is to be procured without it, thefe difpofitions are rather to be lamented than wondered at. The ftrong robbed the weak, the healthy withdrew the pittance of the fick; and that fellow feeling and partnership in misfortunes, which fhould have bound them to each other by ftronger ties, were weakened and diffolved by the love of amaffing money, to fupply their individual

wants.

Our author and two others were tranfported to the Island of Pandow, where the natives, hearing of the treasures that had been brought to light in the other island, and thinking that those perfons too were not deftitute of money, refused them provifions, in hopes of extorting a recompence. Laval and his affociates having no re fources of this kind, were reduced to the greatest extremities; but affiduously applying himself to learn the language of the country, and having ingratiated himself with the governor of the ifland, he was foon fent to Male, with recommendations to the king.

His majefty and fultanas were highly delighted to find a foreigner who could converfe with them in their own tongue; and, by the arts of infinuation and address, he foon rose to rank and opulence among this people, where he was obliged to live feveral years, and by this means gained much local knowledge of the country and the customs.

The Maldives lie between 1 deg. north, and 4 deg. fouth latitude, extending two hundred leagues in length, and thirty-five in breadth. They are faid to be divided into thirteen provinces, called Attolons, each of which comprehends many small islands. Ridges of rocks furround the whole, on which the fea breaks with prodigious violence. The whole number of iflands is calculated at twelve thoufand, but many of them are only fandy, fteril fpots, without the leaft vegetation. Penguins, however, and other marine birds, take up their refidence here; the moft barren iflets are covered with. their nefts.

The Attolons all lie in a line, and are parted by narrow channels, through which the navigation for fhips of any burthen is extremely perilous. But the natives being inured to the fea from their infancy, fhew fuch dexterity in managing their veffels, that neither rocks nor furges alarm them. However, they feldom fail by night; nor do they often leave fight of land.

The climate, from the situation, must naturally be fuppofed to be exceffively hot; yet the nights are cool, and the heavy dews, which fall then, refresh the herbs and trees. The winter commences in April, and lafts till October, during which period the rain falls in deluges, and the

wefterly

wefterly winds are very boisterous. In the fum mer months, the winds blow in a contrary direction, and the earth is parched up with drought.

The Maldivians are a perfonable people, of an olive complexion. The natives of Male, and of the other iflands towards the north, are more polifhed than those towards the fouth, who feldom have any intercourfe with Europeans. On the north, the king and the principal people refide; and banishment to the fouth is a common punifhment for crimes not worthy of death.

The Maldivians, in general, are poffeffed of a quickness of parts, a livelinefs of difpofition, and much ingenuity. They are prudent and warlike, and have a regular form of government.

The women may be reckoned handfome: their hair is naturally black, and this colour is heightened by art. Girls have their heads thaved, except a little tuft on the forehead, to diftinguish them from boys. When they arrive at maturity, the care and management of their hair is a principal object of female attention. They wash it with a peculiar water, fuffer it to float in the wind to dry, and then perfume it with odoriferous oils.

Both fexes bathe once a day, and afterwards anoint their bodies. The women having wathed and perfumed themselves, collect their hair in a knot, and increase the apparent quantity by artificial means. They alfo frequently fet off their heads with fragrant flowers.

Among the men, only persons of rank and foldiers are allowed to wear their hair uncut, and thefe dress it nearly in a fimilar manner to the women. In general they fhave; but those who have performed a pilgrimage to Mecca, have the privilege of fuffering their beards to grow to a

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