of wind, juft as ihe was approaching the entrance of the bay ;
and in this gale ihe muft inevitably have periihed, had not Captain
Hotham, with his Majefty’s ihip the Adamant, gone out
to her immediate affiftance, and; fucceeded in towing her off the
rocky coaft, towards which ihe was rapidly drifting. Now this
iingle ihip and her cargo were faid to be eftimated at the value
erf three hundred thouiand pounds; a fum of money equal to
the maintenance of the civil, military, and contingent expences
of the Cape, for a whole year.
Had the Cape, at this time, been in the hands of the Dutch,
the fate of the Countefs of Sutherland muft have been inevitable.
In war ihe would have been taken; and in peace ihe
Would have been fuffered to go on ihore ; for the Dutch poffefs
neither the activity nor the willingnefs to give fpeedy affiftance
to ihips in cafes of diftrefs.
There is no place, in the homeward-bound voyage from India,
fo proper or fo convenient for the valuable ■ fleets of the
Eaft India Company to aflèmble at for convoy, in time of war,
as the Cape of Good Hope. Here, at a very reafonable rate,
their crews might be refreihed with fruits, vegetables, and. freih
proviftons. Salt beef, for the reft of the voyage, might here
alfo belaid in, affording, thus, a confiderable increafe of tonnage
in each ihip for flowing goods.
I took notice, in the former volume of this work, of the fait
proviftons that might he prepared at Algpa Bay for vidualling
the fleets of the Eaft India Company. Since that was written I
¡;3 have
have again vifited this bay ; and, having paid particular attention
to the furrounding country, and the ftate of the cattle, I
have no hefitation in faying; that when once the difturbances
between the boors and the Kaffers are terminated, which in
time of peace would eafily be effeded, large quantities of good
fait beef might be cured there at a very moderate rate. The
cattle that could conveniently be brought down from the valuable
diftricts of the Snowy Mountains and Bruynjes Hoogte, would
arrive at the bay in a very different condition from thofe that
are driven from the fame diftrids to the Cape, acrofs a defolate
and barren trail of country, fome hundred miles in extent, on-
which a blade of grafs is not produced.
We procured, at Algoa Bay, as good beef, in every refped,
as the markets of London fupply; and,, at the diftance of a few
miles, there is an inexhauftible fund ©f ftrpng bay fait. The
iheep are alfo good of the kind, being the broad-tailed breed,
fimilar to thofe of the upper regions of Alia, which, however,
are inferior to any of ours, both' in the weight of the carcafe,
the flavour of the meat, and the- quality of the wool. Corn
might alfo be raifed, to any amount, in the lower diftri'ds of
Graaf Reynet, bordering on the fea-coaft ; and fait butter, foap,
and candles, procured on moderate terms.
An eftabliihment at this bay for curing fait proviftons would,
no doubt, be a prodigious faving, as well as convenience, to the
Eaft India Company.. The produds of the coaft might eafily
be tranfported to the Cape, in the fummer feafon, in finall coaft-
ing veflels, and depofited in their warehoufes there. The faving
o£