ing. While the
interview of April 8th was taking place in the cabin, Flinders' boatmen
were questioned by some of Le Geographe's company who could speak
English, and Peron tells us that the men related the story of the
Investigator's voyage.* (* Peron, Voyage de Decouvertes 1 323. Flinders
also said that "some of his officers learnt from my boat's crew that our
object was also discovery.") It is difficult to believe that Flinders'
name would not be ascertained in this manner; equally difficult to
believe that Captain Baudin would sustain two interviews with the
commander of another ship without knowing to whom he was talking. In
fact, Baudin had the name of Flinders before him on the Bass Strait chart
which he had been criticising. It was a chart copied in Paris from an
English print, and was inscribed as "levee par Flinders." Baudin in his
letter to the Minister observed that he pointed out to Flinders errors in
the chart "that he had given us." Flinders was of opinion that Baudin
criticised the chart without knowing that he was the author of it. Baudin
may have been surprised at first to learn that the Captain Flinders with
whom he was conversing was the same as he whose name appeared on the
chart; but his own statement that he knew the name at the first interview
appears credible.

Again, Baudin was of opinion that at the first interview Flinders was
"reserved"; whilst Flinders, on the other hand, was surprised that Baudin
"made no enquiries concerning my business on this unknown coast, but as
he seemed more desirous of communicating information I was happy to
receive it." Reading the two narratives together, it is not apparent
either that Flinders wished to be reserved or that Baudin lacked
curiosity as to what the Investigator had been doing. The probable
explanation is that the two men were not understanding each other
perfectly.

At half-past six o'clock on the morning of April 9th Flinders again
visited Le Geographe, where he breakfasted with Baudin.* (* Flinders does
not mention this circumstance; but as he boarded Le Geographe at 6.30 in
the morning and did not return to the Investigator till 8.30, Baudin's
statement is not doubtful.) On this occasion they talked freely about
their respective voyages, and, said the French commodore, "he appeared to
me to have been happier than we were in the discoveries he had made."
Flinders pointed out Cape Jervis, which was in sight, related the
discovery of Spencer's and