laudable attention His Imperial Majesty has always shown to
scientific men. As far as I know, your friends here are well. Mrs.
Flinders I heard of very lately, as full of anxiety for your
return. I have heard many times from her on the subject, and
always done my utmost to quiet her mind and soothe her
apprehensions.

"All your letters to me and to the Admiralty have, I believe, been
safely received. Your last, containing the last sheet of your
chart, I forwarded to the Hydrographical Office at the Admiralty,
as you desired.

"We have had a succession of First Lords of the Admiralty since
Lord Spencer, no one of them favourable to the pursuit of
discovery, and none less than the present Lord Barham, late Sir
Charles Middleton. As he, however, is eighty-four years old,
either his mind or his body must soon become incapable of any
exertion whatever. I have no news to tell you relative to
discovery. M. Baudin's voyage has not yet been published. I do not
hear that his countrymen are well satisfied with his proceedings.
Captain Bligh has lately been nominated governor of New South
Wales."

Meanwhile prizes taken by the French were coming into the Mauritius, and
there were many English prisoners on the island. Their detention became a
little less wearisome with work, music, billiards, astronomy, and pleasant
companionship. It was a curious company. Prisoners who were gathered from
many parts of the world and grades of society strove only to make the time
pass easily, and succeeded until de Caen heard of this and ordered, in his
usual haughty style, that "spy-glasses and such things" should be taken