Volume Ii Part 13 (2/2)
On the seventh, being in the lat.i.tude of 48 30' S., longitude 14 26'
E., saw two large islands of ice.
On the 17th, made the land of the Cape of Good Hope, and on the 19th anch.o.r.ed in Table Bay, where we found Commodore Sir Edward Hughes, with his majesty's s.h.i.+ps Salisbury and Sea-horse. I saluted the commodore with, thirteen guns; and, soon after, the garrison with the same number; the former returned the salute, as usual, with two guns less, and the latter with an equal number.
1774 March-July
On the 24th, Sir Edward Hughes sailed with the Salisbury and Sea-horse, for the East Indies; but I remained refitting the s.h.i.+p and refres.h.i.+ng the people till the 16th of April, when I sailed for England, and on the 14th of July anch.o.r.ed at Spithead.
CHAPTER IX.
_Transactions at the Cape of Good Hope; with an Account of some Discoveries made by the French; and the Arrival of the s.h.i.+p at St Helena._
1775 March 22
I now resume my own Journal, which Captain Furneaux's interesting narrative, in the preceding section, had obliged me to suspend.
The day after my arrival at the Cape of Good Hope, I went on sh.o.r.e, and waited on the Governor, Baron Plettenberg, and other princ.i.p.al officers, who received, and, treated us, with the greatest politeness, contributing all in their power to make it agreeable. And, as there are few people more obliging to strangers than the Dutch in general, at this place, and refreshments of all kinds are no where to be got in such abundance, we enjoyed some real repose, after the fatigues of a long voyage.
The good treatment which strangers meet with at the Cape of Good Hope, and the necessity of breathing a little fresh air, has introduced a custom, not common any where else (at least I have no where seen it so strictly observed), which is, for all the officers, who can be spared out of the s.h.i.+p, to reside on sh.o.r.e. We followed this custom. Myself, the two Mr Forsters, and Mr Sparrman, took up our abode with Mr Brandt, a gentleman well known to the English, by his obliging readiness to serve them. My first care, after my arrival, was to procure fresh-baked bread, fresh meat, greens, and wine, for those who remained on board; and being provided, every day during our stay, with these articles, they were soon restored to their usual strength. We had only three men on board whom it was thought necessary to send on sh.o.r.e for the recovery of their health; and for these I procured quarters, at the rate of thirty stivers, or half-a-crown, per day, for which they were provided with victuals, drink, and lodging.
We now went to work to supply all our defects. For this purpose, by permission, we erected a tent on sh.o.r.e, to which we sent our casks and sails to be repaired. We also struck the yards and topmasts, in order to overhaul the rigging, which we found in so bad a condition, that almost every thing, except the standing rigging, was obliged to be replaced with new, and that was purchased at a most exorbitant price. In the article of naval stores, the Dutch here, as well as at Batavia, take a shameful advantage of the distress of foreigners.
That our rigging, sails, etc. should be worn out, will not be wondered at, when it is known, that during this circ.u.mnavigation of the globe, that is, from our leaving this place to our return to it again, we had sailed no less than twenty thousand leagues; an extent of voyage nearly equal to three times the equatorial circ.u.mference of the earth, and which, I apprehend, was never sailed by any s.h.i.+p in the same s.p.a.ce of time before. And yet, in all this great run, which had been made in all lat.i.tudes between 9 and 71, we sprung neither low-masts, top-mast, lower, nor top-sail yard, nor so much as broke a lower or top-mast shroud; which, with the great care and abilities of my officers, must be owing to the good properties of our s.h.i.+p.
One of the French s.h.i.+ps which were at anchor in the bay, was the Ajax Indiaman, bound to Pondicherry, commanded by Captain Crozet. He had been second in command with Captain Marion, who sailed from this place with two s.h.i.+ps, in March 1772, as hath been already mentioned. Instead of going from hence to America, as was said, he stood away for New Zealand; where, in the Bay of Isles, he and some of his people were killed by the inhabitants. Captain Crozet, who succeeded to the command, returned by the way of the Phillipine Isles, with the two s.h.i.+ps, to the island of Mauritius. He seemed to be a man possessed of the true spirit of discovery, and to have abilities. In a very obliging manner he communicated to me a chart, wherein were delineated not only his own discoveries, but also that of Captain Kerguelen, which I found laid down in the very situation where we searched for it; so that I can by no means conceive how both we and the Adventure missed it.
Besides this land, which Captain Crozet told us was a long but very narrow island, extending east and west, Captain Marion, in about the lat.i.tude of 48 south, and from 16 to 30 of longitude east of the Cape of Good Hope, discovered six islands, which were high and barren. These, together with some islands lying between the Line and the southern tropic in the Pacific Ocean, were the princ.i.p.al discoveries made in this voyage, the account of which, we were told, was ready for publication.
By Captain Crozet's chart it appeared, that a voyage had been made by the French across the South Pacific Ocean in 1769, under the command of one Captain Surville; who, on condition of his attempting discoveries, had obtained leave to make a trading voyage to the coast of Peru. He fitted out, and took in a cargo, in some part of the East Indies; proceeded by way of the Phillipine Isles; pa.s.sed near New Britain; and discovered some land in the lat.i.tude of 10 S., longitude 158 east, to which he gave his own name. From hence he steered to the south; pa.s.sed, but a few degrees, to the west of New Caledonia; fell in with New Zealand at its northern extremity, and put into Doubtful Bay; where, it seems, he was, when I pa.s.sed it, on my former voyage in the Endeavour.
From New Zealand Captain Surville steered to the east, between the lat.i.tude of 35 and 41 south, until he arrived on the coast of America; where, in the port of Callao, in attempting to land, he was drowned.
These voyages of the French, though undertaken by private adventurers, have contributed something towards exploring the Southern Ocean. That of Captain Surville clears up a mistake which I was led into, in imagining the shoals off the west end of New Caledonia, to extend to the west as far as New Holland; it proves that there is an open sea in that s.p.a.ce, and that we saw the N.W. extremity of that country.
From the same gentleman, we learnt, that the s.h.i.+p which had been at Otaheite before our first arrival there this voyage, was from New Spain; and that, in her return, she had discovered some islands in the lat.i.tude of 32 S., and under the meridian of 130 W. Some other islands, said to be discovered by the Spaniards, appeared on this chart; but Captain Crozet seemed to think they were inserted from no good authorities.
We were likewise informed of a later voyage undertaken by the French, under the command of Captain Kerguelen, which had ended much to the disgrace of that commander.
While we lay in Table Bay, several foreign s.h.i.+ps put in and out, bound to and from India, viz. English, French, Danes, Swedes, and three Spanish frigates, two of them going to, and one coming from Manilla. It is but very lately that the Spanish s.h.i.+ps have touched here; and these were the first that were allowed the same privileges as other European friendly nations.
1775 March-April
On examining our rudder, the pintles were found to be loose, and we were obliged to unhang it, and take it on sh.o.r.e to repair. We were also delayed for want of caulkers to caulk the s.h.i.+p, which was absolutely necessary to be done before we put to sea. At length I obtained two workmen from one of the Dutch s.h.i.+ps; and the Dutton English East Indiaman coming in from Bengal, Captain Rice obliged me with two more; so that by the 26th of April this work was finished: And having got on board all necessary stores, and a fresh supply of provisions and water, we took leave of the governor and other princ.i.p.al officers, and the next morning repaired on board. Soon after the wind coming fair, we weighed and put to sea; as did also the Spanish frigate Juno, from Manilla, a Danish Indiaman, and the Dutton.
As soon as we were under sail, we saluted the garrison with thirteen guns; which compliment was immediately returned with the same number.
The Spanish frigate and Danish Indiaman both saluted us as we pa.s.sed them, and I returned each salute with an equal number of guns. When we were clear of the bay the Danish s.h.i.+p steered for the East Indies, the Spanish frigate for Europe, and we and the Dutton for St Helena.
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