comfortable pavilions. One of these
was to be occupied by Flinders, the other by his servant, Elder, and the
lame seaman who accompanied him. Madame D'Arifat hospitably proposed that
he should take his meals with her family in the house, and his glad
acceptance of the invitation commenced a pleasant and profitable
friendship with people to whom he ever after referred with deep respect.

A note about the kindness of these gentle friends is contained in a
letter to his wife:* (* Flinders' Papers.) "Madame and her amiable
daughters said much to console me, and seemed to take it upon themselves
to dissipate my chagrin by engaging me in innocent amusement and
agreeable conversation. I cannot enough be grateful to them for such
kindness to a stranger, to a foreigner, to an enemy of their country, for
such they have a right to consider me if they will, though I am an enemy
to no country in fact, but as it opposes the honour, interest, and
happiness of my own. My employment and inclinations lead to the extension
of happiness and of science, and not to the destruction of mankind."

The kindly consideration of the inhabitants was unfailing. Their houses
were ever open to the English captain, and they were always glad to have
him with them, and hear him talk about the wonders of his adventurous
life. He enjoyed his walks, and restored health soon stimulated him to
renewed mental activity.

He studied the French language, and learnt to speak and write it clearly.
He continued to read Latin, and also studied Malay, thinking that a
knowledge of this tongue would be useful to him in case of future work
upon the northern coasts of Australia and the neighbouring archipelagoes.
He never lost hope of pursuing his investigations in the field where he
had already won so much distinction. To his brother Samuel, in a letter
of October, 1807, he wrote:* (* Flinders' Papers.) "You know my intention
of completing the examination of Australia as soon as the Admiralty will
give me a ship. My intentions are still the same, and the great object of
my present studies is to render myself more capable of performing the
task with reputation." He cogitated a scheme for exploring the interior
of Australia "from the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria to the head of the
great gulf on the south coast," i.e., Spencer's Gulf. "In case of being
again sent to Australia I should much wish that this was part of my
instructions." Much as he longed to see his friends