•775' September. plants, and in part covered with a hoar froft. This was miftaken by the colonifts for faltpetre, but was, in fad, nothing more than fine fea-falt. When this kind of hoar froft appeared in greater abundance than , common, the neighbouring inhabitants looked on it as a certain fign of an impending fall of weather. I vilited Mojfel-bay on horfeback. This harbour, though it lies rather open to the eafterly winds,- and is not re- forted to by ihips, except in cafes of extreme neceffity, might, however, in many refpefts prove very ufeful, were it better known. On a ftone hereabouts is engraved an infcription as follows : Captain S w e n f i n g e r , of the Daniih ihip the Kron- Prinfefs, 17^2. The inhabitants informed us, that the ihip here aliuded to had been driven in there by a ftorm and run aground; and that fome of the failors having fwam aihore and got a couple o f lines, by means of them a ftout rope had been ftretched from the ihip’s maft to the ihore | upon this, which thus had a Hoping direction given to it, a large metal ring was hung, to which every one of the crew feparately was tied faft, and ilid on ihore one after the other, when the ring was immediately brought back again to the ihip by means of a line. When the ftorm was over, part of the lading was faved, and taken to the Cape in waggons. The country people who lived neareft the fpot affured me, that ihips would frequently manoeuvre, at the mouth o f the harbour, as though they were in fearch of the port, but could not rightly tell where to look for i t ; one in particular, was faid to have fired feveral guns as fignals of diftrefs, before ihe ventured in. The ° . reafon. reafon o f this was fuppofed to be/ that the place is eafily s miftaken, as from the charts people are induced to look for an iiland here; which, however, is, in fad, nothing more than a low inconfiderable rock, which at flood lies for the greater part under water, and muft neceflarily appear to the ihips that are running into it as i f it was joined to the land; and indeed, it was partly this circumftance that was the occafionof Captain Sw e n f i n g e r ’s misfortune: and it is faid, that on the whole coaft between Falfe- bay 2i\AMo£el-bay there is no anchorage to be found. In faft, it feems as if government wifhed to keep navigators in fome degree in the dark with refpeft to MoJJel-bay, as a ftore-houfe with a flag-ftaff, which the captain of a Daniih veffel had erefted there, was deftroyed immediately after his departure from the place ; and at the fame time, all buildings prohibited within fight of the harbour. This conduft is certainly not founded on the foundeft policy; for a more accurate knowledge of Moffel-bay, may be the future means o f faving fome veflel, which may by ftrefs o f weather be forced to run into it. Being convinced of this from divers confiderations, and no" one having given any defcrip- tion (at leaft in print) o f this harbour, I think it my duty, till farther information is given on this fubjeft, to communicate the refult o f my obfervations, however im- perfeft, upon it. There was not a boat to be found in the bay, therefore I cannot give-the foundings. By means o f the compafs I had brought with me I marked out the ihore here, having inveftigated it, partly on foot and part- • ly on horfeback, as far as is indicated by the. dots in the map. The Danes who ran aground here afiured the in- Vo L. 1. L I habitants,
27f 72-1
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