1768..
Septembej
Monday 2c.
Friday 25.
returning, as is ufual, into Batavia Road; and as I was.not
well, I. fent my Lieutenant to take leave o f the Governor on
my behalf, and offer my fervice, i f he had any difpatches
for Europe. It was happy for me that I was able to procure
a fupply of Englifh feamen here, otherwife I fhould not at
laft have been able to bring the fhip home, for I had now
loft no lets than four and twenty o f the hands I had brought
out of Europe, and had four and twenty more fo ill, that
feven o f them died in our paffage to the Cape.
On the 20th, we anchored on the fouth eaft fide o f Prince’s
Ifiand, in the Streight o f Sunda, and the next morning, I
fent out the boats for wood and water: o f water, however,
we could not get a fufficient quantity to complete our flock,
for there had not yet been rain enough to fupply the fprings,
the wet monfoon having but juft fet in. At this time we had
the wind fo frefh from the fouth eaft, which made this part
of the ifiand a lee-fhore, that I could not get under fail till
the 25th, when, it being more moderate, we weighed, and
worked over to the Java fhore. In the evening, we anchored
in a bay called by fome New Bay, and by others: Canty Bay,
which is formed by an ifiand of the fame name. We had
fourteen fathom water, with a fine fandy bottom. The
peak of Prince’s Ifiand bore N. 13 W. the weftermoft point of
New Ifiand S. 82 W. and the eaftermoft point of Java that was:
in fight, N. E. Our drftance from the Java fhore was about
a mile and a quarter, and from the watering-place a mile
and an half. New Bay is the beft place for wooding and
watering of any in thefe parts: the water is extremely
clear, and fo good that I made my people ftave all that
we had taken in at Batavia and Prince’s Ifiand, and fupply it
from this place. It is procured from a fine ftrong run on
the Java fhore, which falls down from the land into the
fea, and by means of a hoafe it may be laded into the boats,
and
and the calks filled without putting them on fhore, which 1768.
renders the work very eafy and expeditious. There is a little
reef of rocks within which the boats go, and lie in as fmooth Frl ay is'
water, and as effeflually fheltered from any fwell, as if they
were in a mill-pond; nor does the reef run out fo far as to
be dangerous to fhipping, though the contrary is afterted in
Herbert’s Directory ; and i f a fhip, when lying there, fhould
be driven from her anchors by a wind that blows upon the
fhore, fhe may, with the greateft eafe, run up the paffage
between New Ifiand and Java, where there is fufficient depth
of water for the largeft vefTel, and a harbour, in which, being
land-locked, fhe will find perfect fecurity. Wood may
be had any where either upon Java or New Ifiand, neither of
which, in this part, are inhabited.
Having in a few days completed our wood and water, we
weighed and flood out o f the Streight of Sunda, with a fine
frefh gale at South Eaft, which did not leave us till the ifiand
of Java was feven hundred leagues behind us.
On Monday the 23d of November, we difcovered the coaft November,
o f A fr ica ; at day-break on the 28th we made the Table
Land of the Cape of Good Hope, and the fame evening anchored
in the bay. We found here only a Dutch fhip from
Europe, and a fnow belonging to the place, which however
was in the Company’s fervice, for the inhabitants are not
permitted to have any fhipping.
Table Bay is a good harbour in funimer, but not in winter;
fo that the Dutch will not permit any o f their veflels to lie
here longer than the 15th of May, which anfwers to our November.
After that time, all fhips go to Falfe Bay, which is
well fheltered from the north weft winds, which blow here
with great violence.
, . M o l . I. 3 L At