been wrecked on the KafFer coaft; and by it may be explained
the reafon why fliips, coming from the north-eaftward, almoft
invariably fall in with the land, to the northward of Algoa
Bay, a full degree or more before they make it by their obferv-
ations or reckoning. Immediately beyond Algoa Bay the
coaft, in the charts, is ufually made to trend to the north-eaft,
and even to the northward of this point, whereas, in reality, it
runs only eaft-north-eaft to the mouth of the Great Fiih River,
or Rio d’lnfante, whofe latitude at this place, by repeated observations,
I found to be 33° 25' fouth; and from hence to
the mouth of the Keiikamma in the Kafler country, the direction
continues pretty nearly the fame; after which, and not
before, the coaft begins to trend more to the northward. At the
mouth of this river I had alfo an obfervation for the latitude^
which I found to be 330 12' fouth. The latitude of the true
Cape point is 34° 22' fouth; I fo that, in the diftance of
about fix hundred and fifty miles, the coaft inclines to the
northward no more than feventy miles from the parallel of the
true Cape of Good Hope, Which is very far from being the
cafe in any of the fea or land-charts I have ever feen. It may
not be amifs to fubjoin * the errors in latitude of thefe eaftem
points, as they appear in fome of the charts.
Keiikamma.
Rio'd’ Infante, or
Great Fiih River. Zwartkop’s Bay.
Neptune Oriental
Actual Obfervations
32° o'
33 I2
32° 5° '
33 25
33° 37'
33 J6
Errors - - 1 1 2 35 J9
Captain Riou
Adual Obfervations
32 3°
33 12
33 25
33 25
33 46
33 56
Errors 42' miles IO
Sparrmann
ACtual Obfervations
28 1 2
33 12
30 0
33 25
3° 57
33 56
Errors - - 5 0 3 25 2 59
Mr. Le Vaillant -
ACtual Obfervations
29 42
33 12
3° 44
33 25
3 i 54.
33 56 -
Errors 3 3° . 2 4 1 2 2
With regard to the laft-mentioned gentleman, I fhould not
have noticed his map had he not endeavoured to imprefs the
world with an idea of the great pains that were taken in collecting
the materials, and of the alfiftance he afterwards received,
and the attention that was bellowed, in putting them together.
And in order to add force, as he fuppofes, to the value of his
obfervations, with a pretended zeal for the caufe of humanity
(pretended becaufe he knew that every line in his chart was
falfe), he breaks out into the following apof t rophe“ Had
“ my voyage been productive of no other good than that of
D 2 “ preventing