o'loter. a bank> which, I had been told, lies to the Weft of the Cape;
c— .— > but how far I never could learn.
I was told, before I left England, by fome gentlemen who
were well enough acquainted with the navigation between
England and the Cape of Good Hope, that I failed at an improper
feafen qf the year; and that I fhould meet with
much calm weather, near and under the line. This probably
may be the cafe fome years. It is however not general.
On the contrary, we hardly meet with any calms ; but
a brilk S. W. wind in thofe very latitudes where the calms
are expected. Nor did we meet with any of thofe tornadoes,
fo much fpoken of by other navigators. However,
what they have faid of the current fetting towards the coaft
of Guinea, as you approach that fhore, is true. For, from
the time of our leaving St. Jago, to our arrival into the latitude
of i° t North, which was eleven days, we were carried
by the current 30 of longitude more Eaft than our
reckoning. On the other hand, after we had crolTed the
line, and got the S. E. Trade Wind, we always found by ob-
fervation, that the fhip outftripped the reckoning, which we
judged to be owing to a current fetting between the South
and Well. But, upon the whole, the currents in this run
feemed to balance each other ; for upon our arrival at the
Cape, the difference of longitude by dead reckoning kept
from England, without once being correfted, was only three
quarters of a degree lefs than that by obfervation.
Thurfday 29. At two in. the afternoon, on the 39th, we made the land of
the Cape of Good Hope. The Table Mountain, which is
over the Cape Town, bore E. S. E., diltance 12 or 14 leagues.
At this time it was a good deal obfcured by clouds, otherwife
it might, from its height, have been feen at a much
4 greater
greater diltance. We now crowded all the fail we could, o October.
thinking to get into the bay before dark. But when we >----— *
£ , t n 1 n 1 r ‘ v Tlrurfday zgr. found this could not be accomplilhed, we mortened lair,
and fpent the night Handing off and on. Between eight and
nine o’clock, the whole fea, within the' compafs of our fight,
became at once, as it were, illuminated ; or, what the fea-
men call, all on fire. This appearance of the fea,-in fome
degree, is very common; but the eaufe is not fo generally
known. Mr. Banks and Dr. Solander had fatisfied me that
it. was' occafioned by fea infedls. Mr. Fot-Her, however,
feemed not to favour this opinion. I therefore had fome
buckets of water drawn up from along-fide the fhip, which
we found full of an innumerable quantity of fmall globular
infedls, about the fiz-e of a common pin’s, head, and quite
tranfparent. There was no doubt of their being living animals,
when in their own proper element, though we could
not perceive any life in them : Mr. Forfler, whole province
it is more minutely to defcribe things of this nature, was
now well fatisfied with the eaufe of the fea’s illumination.
At length day-light came and brought us fair weather; Friday 30.
and having flood into Table Bay, with the Adventure in
company, we anchored in five fathom water. We afterwards
moored N. E. and & W.; Green Point on the Weft
point of the bay,, bearing N. W. by W. ; and the church, irt
one with the valley between the Table Mountain and the
Sugar-Loaf or Lion’s Head, bearing S. W. by S. and diftant
from the landing place near the fort, one mile.
We had no fooner anchored than we were vifited by the
Captain of the port, or Matter Attendant, fome other officers
belonging to the company, and Mr. Brandt. This laft gentleman
brought Us off fuch things as could not fail of being
acceptable