1767.

December.

Saturday 5.

Soon after I returned on board, I received a petition from the Warrant-Officers of the Falmouth, reprefenting, that there was nothing for them to look after: that the Gunner had been long dead, and his flores fpoiled, particularly the powder, which, by order of the Dutch, had been thrown into the fea that the boatfwain, by vexation and diftrefs, had loft his fenfes, and was then a deplorable object in a Dutch hofpital: that all his flores had been long spoiled and rotten, the roof of the storehouse having fallen in during a wet monsoon, and left them expofed many months, all endeavours to procure another place to put them in being ineffectual: that the carpenter was in a dying condition, and the cook a wounded cripple. For these reasons, they requefted that I would take them home, or at least dismiss them from their charge. It was with the greatest regret and compaffion that I told these unhappy people it was not in my power to relieve them, and that as they had received charge of ftores, they muft wait orders from home. They replied, that they had never received a fingle order from England fince they had been left here, and earnestly intreated that I would make their distress known, that it might be relieved. They had, they said, ten years pay due, in the expectation of which they were grown old, and which now they would be content to forfeit, and go home sweepers, rather than continue to suffer the miseries of their present fituation, which were indeed very great. They were not fuffered to spend a single night on fhore, whatever was their condition, and when they were fick, no one vifited them on board; they were, befides, robbed by the Malays, and in perpetual dread of being deftroyed by them, as they had a fhort time before burnt the Siam prize. I affured them. that I would do my utmoft to procure them relief, and they left me with tears in their eyes.

VOL. I.

PP

As

1767. December.

Saturday 5.

Tuesday 8. Friday 11.

Saturday 12.

Monday 1.

As I heard nothing more of the anchor and rope for which I had been in treaty, I made all ready for fea. The fhip's company had continued healthy and fober, and been ferved with fresh beef every day, from the time of our first coming to an anchor in the Road; we had also some beef, and a live ox, to carry out with us, We had now only one man upon the fick lift, except a feaman, who had been afflicted with rheumatic pains ever fince our leaving the Streight of Magellan and at fix o'clock in the morning, of Tuesday the 8th of December, after a stay of just one week, we set fail.

On the 11th, at noon, we were off a fmall ifland called the Cap, between the coafls of Sumatra and Java, and feveral of our people fell down with colds and fluxes. The next day, a Dutch boat came on board, and fold us fome turtle, which was ferved to the fhip's company. At night, being at the distance of about two miles from the Java fhore, we faw an incredible number of lights upon the beach, which we fuppofed were intended to draw the fish near it, as we had seen the fame appearance at other places.

On Monday the 14th, we anchored off Prince's Island, and Tuesday 15. began to take in wood and water. The next morning, the natives came in with turtle, poultry, and hog-deer, which we bought at a reasonable price. We continued here, fitting the fhip for the fea, till the 19th, during which time many of the people began to complain of intermitting diforders, fomething like an ague. At fix o'clock the next morning, having completed our wood, and taken on board seventy-fix tons of water, we made fail.

Saturday 19.

Sunday 20.

While we lay here, one of the feamen fell from the main yard into the barge, which lay along-side the ship. His body was dreadfully bruifed, and many of his bones were broken: it happened alfo, that in his fall he ftruck two other

men,

men, one of whom was fo much hurt that he continued fpeechlefs till the 24th, and then died, though the other had only one of his toes broken. We had now no less than fixteen upon the fick lift, and by the 1ft of January, the number was increased to forty; we had buried three, among whom was the Quarter-Master, George Lewis, who was a diligent, fober man, and the more useful, as he spoke both the Spanish and Portuguese languages. The diseases by which we fuffered, were fluxes, and fevers of the putrid kind, which are always contagious, and, for that reafon alone, would be more fatal on board a fhip than any other. The Surgeon's mate was very foon laid up, and thofe who were appointed to attend the fick, were always taken ill in a day or two after they had been upon that fervice. To remedy this evil, as much as it was in my power, I made a very large birth for the fick, by removing a great number of people from below to the half deck, which I hung with painted canvafs, keeping it conftantly clean, and directing it to be washed with vinegar, and fumigated once or twice a day. Our water was well tafted, and was kept constantly ventilated; a large piece of iron also, used for the melting of tar, and called a loggerhead, was heated red hot, and quenched in it before it was given out to be drank. The fick had also wine inftead of grog, and falep or fago every morning for breakfast: two days in a week they had mutton broth, and had a fowl or two given them on the intermediate days; they had, befides, plenty of rice and sugar, and frequently malt meshed; fo that perhaps people in a fickly ship had never fo many refreshments before: the Surgeon alfo was indefatigable; yet, with all these advantages, the sickness on board gained ground. In the mean time, to aggravate our misfortune, the fhip made more than three

1767. December.

Thursday 24.

January.

Friday 1.

1768. January.

Sunday Ic.

Sunday :7.

Sunday 24.

Tuesday 26.

feet water in a watch; and all her upper works were very open and loose.

By the 10th of January, the sickness began, in fome degree, to abate, but more than half the company were fo feeble, that they could scarcely crawl about. On this day, being in latitude 22° 41 ́ S. longitude, by account, 300° 47′ W. we faw many tropic birds about the ship.

On the 17th, being in latitude 27° 32′ S. longitude 310° 36′ W. we faw feveral albatroffes, and caught fome bonettas. The fhip was this day ten miles to the fouthward of her

account.

On the 24th, in latitude 33° 40' S. longitude, by account, 328° 17′ W. we met with a violent gale, which split the maintop-fail and the main-top-mast-stay-fail all to pieces. The fea broke over the ship in a dreadful manner, the starboard rudder chain was broken, and many of the booms were washed overboard. During the ftorm we saw several birds and butterflies; and our first attention, after it fubfided, was to dry the bedding of the fick: at the same time, every one on board who could handle a needle was employed in repairing the fails, which were now in a fhattered condition.

On the 26th and 27th, being in latitude 34° 16′, and beednef. 27. calmed, we had feveral obfervations, by which we determined the longitude of the fhip to be 323° 30'; and it appeared that we were several degrees to the Eastward of our reckoning.

Saturday 30.
February.
'Thursday 4.

At fix in the evening, of the 30th of January, we faw land, and on the 4th of February, we anchored in Table Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope.

Our run from Prince's Iland to the Cape was, by our reckoning, 8, degrees longitude, which makes the longitude

of

of the Cape 345° W.; but the longitude of the Cape being, by obfervation, 342° 4, it appeared that the fhip was three degrees to the Eastward of her reckoning.

1768.

February.

CHA P. XII.

An Account of our Tranfactions at the Cape of Good Hope, and of the Return of the Dolphin to England.

S foon as the ship was at anchor, I fent an officer on fhore, with the ufual compliments to the Governor, who received him with great civility, telling him that we were welcome to all the refreshments and affiftance that the Cape afforded, and that he would return our falute with the fame number of guns.

We found riding here a Dutch Commodore, with fixteen fail of Dutch East Indiamen, a French East India fhip, and the Admiral Watfon, Captain Griffin, an Eaft India packet boat, for Bengal. We faluted the Governor with thirteen guns, and he returned the fame number; the Admiral Watfon faluted us with eleven guns, and we returned nine; the French ship afterwards faluted us with nine guns, and we returned feven.

Having got off fome mutton for the fhip's company, with plenty of greens, I fent the Surgeon on fhore to hire quarters for the fick, but he could procure none for less than two fhillings a day, and a ftipulation to pay more, if any of them should take the small-pox, which was then in almost: every house, in proportion to the malignity of the difeafe..

The