the island is a high pointed cone, resembling the peak of
Teneriffe in miniature, from the base of which the land seems
to slope gradually to the sea, where being abruptly broken
off, a steep precipice of solid rock and of considerable height
marks the line of the coast on every part except that which is
opposite to the place where we came to anchor. Here a
plain, covered with soft verdure, rises a few feet only above
a sandy beach, upon which a copious stream of pure water
falls from the perpendicular side of the former in a sort of
cascade. Beyond the plain we could perceive several swells
and r allies covered with thickets, the latter of which seemed
to close in deep gullies as they receded towards the centre of
the island. Every other part of the coast, as far as we could
perceive, rises out of the sea almost perpendicularly, like an
old gigantic wall, whose height I should suppose cannot be
less than 1000 feet. This abrupt and columnar appearance
of the coast, together with the cone-shaped mountain in the
centre, seem to indicate that the whole mass has been thrown
up by the agency of subterraneous fire.
The officer who went on shore reported that the water was
a mountain-rill of excellent quality, and that it fell so conveniently
on the beach as to be brought with great ease into
casks, without removing them out of the boats. It is by no
means unimportant for the officers of our navy to be acquainted
with this circumstance. The largest ships of war
are capable of taking on board a supply of every article necessary
for the longest voyage except that of water, which is
no less indispensable for the health and comfort of the people
than other species of provisions. Should we, therefore, at any
future time be so unfortunate as to be excluded from the Brazils
and the Cape of Good Hope, this half-way island to India
would be found to possess many conveniencies. Even those
who may contend that our colonial territories are already sufficiently
extended must at least agree that we can never have
too many points of security and accommodation for our ships
of war and of commerce. It was indeed once proposed, by
a set of adventurers, to form an establishment on this island,
in order to carry on a convenient smuggling trade with the
settlements of South America, particularly those of Spam, by
furnishing the natives with light Manchester and coarse Indian
goods in exchange for specie, and employing* at the same time,
their shipping in the Southern Whale Fishery, in order to
procure oil and bone as a return cargo for Europe. If, under
the immediate eye of government, such a settlement were
made, it might answer the same purpose for the East India
Company’s ships on the outward-bound voyage as St. Helena
does on the homeward; and a work of defence on a very
limited scale, with a few men, would render it impregnable,
a circumstance which not a little enhances its value.
Continuing our voyage from Tristan da Cunha we doubled
the Cape of Good Hope between the parallels of 39° and 40°,
where, though now in the middle of summer, the air was
extremely cold, loaded with rain and sleet; and we experienced
frequent and heavy gales of wind from the southeast
quarter which caused a constant deep rolling sea, whose
appearance, however tremendous to those who are not accustomed
to it, is little regarded by those who are. The run
of the ship by the log in this rolling sea, a little .to the eastt
2