general; but it was acknowledged that feme among the particular
nation which knew how to melt copper had fufFered
that operation, who were faid to be the beft warriors, and
particularly to excel in the art of throwing Hones.
We were very defirous to determine the great queftion
among natural hiftorians, whether the women of this country
have or have not that flelhy flap or apron which has been
called the Sinus pudaris, and what we learnt I fhall' relate.
Many of the Dutch and Malay s, who faid they had received!
favours from Hottentots women, pofitively denied its exift-
ence; but a phylician of the place declared that he had
cured many hundreds of venereal complaints'; and never faw
one without two flelhy, or rather Ikinriy appendages, proceeding
from the upper part of the Labia, in appearance
fomewhat refembling the teats of a cow, but flat; they hung
down, he faid, before the Pudendum, and' were in different
fubjeefts of different lengths, in fome not more than half an
inch, in others three or four inches: thefe he imagined to-be
what fome writers have exaggerated into a flap, or apron,
hanging down from the bottom of the abdomen, of fuflScient
extent to render an artificial covering of the neighbouring
parts unneceffary.
Thus much for the country, its productions, andinhabitants.
The bay is large, fafe, and commodious; it lies open indeed
to the north weft winds, but they feldoni blow hard; yet as
they fometimes fend in a great fea, the Ihips moor N. E. and
S. W. fo as to have an open hawfer with north weft winds :
the fouth eaft winds blow frequently with great violence,
but as this direction is right out of the bay, they are not
dangerous. Near the town a wharf of wood is run out to a
proper diftance for the convenience o f landing and fhipping
goods. To this wharf water is conveyed in pipes, from-which?
feveral
feveral boats may fill water at the fame time; and feveral
large boats or hoys are kept-by the Company1 to carry ftores-
and provifions- to and from the Clipping in th:e harbour.
The bay is defended by a fquare fort, fitUated clofe to the
beach on the eaft fide of the town, and by feveral outworks
and batteries extending along the ftiore, as well on this fid'e
of the town as the other;1 but they1 are To fituated as to be'
cannonaded by dripping, and are in a manner defencelefs
againft an enemy of any force by land. The garrifon confifts-
of eight hundred regular troops, befides militia of the country,
in which is comprehended every man able to bear arms.
They have contrivances to alarm the whole country by fig-
nals in a very fhort: time, and the militia is then to repair
immediately to the town.
The French at Mauritius are fupplied from this place with-
lalted beef, bifcuit, flour, and wine : the provifions for
which the French contracted this year were 500,000 lb.
weight of fait beef, 400,000 lb. of flour, 400,000 lb. of bifcuit,
and 1,200 leagers of wine.
In the morning of the 14th,- we weighed and flood out.of Sunday 14.
the bay; and at five in the evening anchored under Penquin,
or Robin Ifland: we lay here all night, and as I could not
fail in the morning for want of wind, I fent a boat to the
ifland for a few trifling articles which we had forgot to take
in. at the Cape. But asfoon as the boat came near the Ihore,
the Dutch hailed her, and warned the people not to land at
their peril, bringing down at the fame time fix men armed
with mufquets, who paraded upon the beach. The officer
who commanded the- boat not thinking it worth while to
rilk the lives of the people on board for the fake of a few
cabbages, which, were all we wanted, returned to the fltip.
At firft we were at a lafs to account for our repulfe, but we
afterwards.