to
be the projecting point, of the southern continent. The English have
since proved that no such continent exists, and that the land in
question is an island of no great extent;[123] which, from its
sterility, I should, with great propriety, call the Island of
Desolation, but that I would not rob Monsieur de Kerguelen of the honour
of its bearring his name.[124]

[Footnote 122: The idea of Cape Louis being this projecting point of a
southern continent must have soon vanished, as Cape Francois, within a
year after, was found, by the same discoverer, to lie above one third of
a degree farther N. upon the same land. But if Kerguelen entertained any
such imagination at first, we are sure that afterwards he thought very
differently. This appears from the following explicit declaration of his
sentiments, which deserves to be transcribed from his late publication,
as it does equal honour to his candour, and Captain Cook's
abilities:--"La terre que j'ai decouverte est certainement _une Isle_;
puisque le celebre Capitaine Cook a passe au Sud, lors de son premiere
voyage, sans rien rencontrer. Je juge ineme, que cette isle _n'est pas
bien grande_. Il y a aussi apparence, d'apres le Voyage de Monsieur
Cook, que toute cette etendue de Mers Meridionales, est semee d'lsles ou
de rochers; mais qu'il n'y a _ni continent ni grande terre_." Kerguelen,
p. 92.--D.]

[Footnote 123: Kerguelen, as we see in the last note, concurs with
Captain Cook as to this. However, he tells us, that he has reason to
believe that it is about 200 leagues in circuit; and that he was
acquainted with about fourscore leagues of its coast. "J'en connois
environs quatre-vingt lieues des cotes; et; j'ai lieu de croire, qu'elle
a environ deux cents lieues de circuit." _Kerguelen, page_32--D.]

[Footnote 124: Some of Monsieur de Kerguelen's own countrymen seem more
desirous than we are to rob him of his honour. It is very remarkable,
that Monsieur de Pages never once mentions the name of his commander;
and, though he takes occasion to enumerate the several French explorers
of the southern hemisphere, from Gonneville down to Crozet, he affects
to preserve an entire silence about Kerguelen, whose first voyage, in
which the discovery of this considerable tract of land was made, is kept
as much out of sight as if it never had taken place. Nay, not satisfied
with refusing to acknowledge the right of another, he almost assumes it
to himself. For, upon a map of the wor