-774. On the 24th, Sir Edward Hughes failed with the Salifbury.
■ Ma.rch’ ' and Sea-horfe for the Baft Indies; but I remained refitting
April r6. the fhip and refrelhing my people till the 16th of April,
July 14. when I failed for England, and on the 14th of July anchored
at Spithead.
C H A P . IX.
Traiif actions at the Cape of Good Hope; with an Account
o f fotne Difcoveries made by the French; and the A r rival
of the Ship at St. Helena.
1775■ y NOW refume my own Journal, which Captain Fur-
/ 1 neaux’s interefting Narrative, in the preceding chapter,
Weduef. zz. obliged me to fufpend.
The day after my arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, I
went on Chore, and waited on the Governor Baron Pletten-
berg, and other principal officers, who received, and treated
us, with the greateft politenefs, contributing all in their
power to mate it agreeable. And, as there are few people
more obliging to ftrangers than the Dutch, in general, at
this place, and refrefhments of all kinds are no where to be
got in fuch abundance, we enjoyed fome real repofe, after
the fatigues of a long voyage.
The good treatment which ftrangers meet with at the
Cape of Good Hope, and the neceffity of breathing a
little frefh air, has introduced a cuftom, not common any
where
w here eife fat leaft I have now here feen it fo ftritflly ob- '775- ^ J March, ferved), w hich is, for all the officers,, w ho can be fpared out '-----*—■
o f the fhips, to refide on Chore. W e followed this cuftom.
Myfelfi, the tw o Mr. Forfters, and Mr. Sparrm an, took up
o u r abode w ith Mr. Brandt 5 a gentlem an well know n to the
E nglifh by his obliging readinefs to ferve them . My firft
care, after m y arrival, was to procure frefh baked bread,
frefh m eat, greens, and w ine, fo r thofe w ho rem ained on
board ; and being provided, every day d u rin g ou r flay, w ith
thefe articles, they w ere foon reftored to their ufu al ftrength.
Wte had only three m en on board w hom it w as thoug ht
necelJary to fend'on- fhore for the recovery of their h e a lth ;
and for thefe I procured quarters, at the rare of thirty flivers,
o r h a lf a crown, per dbyq for w hich they w ere provided w ith
victuals, drink, and lodging.
We now w ent to w ork to fupply all ou r defeats. For
th is purpofe, by penmiffion, w e erected a tent on fhore, to
w hich w e fent o u r calks and fails to be repaired. We alfo
ftruok the yards and topm afts, in order to overhaul the rig ging,
w hich w e fo u n d in fo bad a condition, th at almoft
every thin g, except th e Handing rigging, was obliged to be
replaced w ith new-; and that was purchafed at a moft exorb
itan t price. In the article o f naval ftores, the D utch, here,
as w ell as at Batavia, take a fham eful advantage o f the dif-
trefs. of foreigners.
T h at our rigging, fails, &c. fhould be w orn out, w ill not
be w ondered at, w hen it is know n, that, d u rin g this circum navigation
o f the globe, th at is, from ou r leaving this place
to o u r return-to it again, we had failed no lefs than tw enty
thoufand leagues;: an extent o f voyage, nearly equal to
three- tim es the equatorial' circum ference o f the earth, and
Wo l . II. M m w hich,