This fimilitude is particularly remarkable in the words expreffing number, which at firft fight feems to be no inconfiderable proof that the fcience at least of these different people has a common root. But the names of numbers in the island of Madagascar, are, in some instances, fimilar to all these, which is a problem ftill more difficult to folve. That the names of numbers, in particular, are in a manner common to all these countries, will appear from the following comparative table, which Mr. Banks drew up, with the afsistance of a negro flave, born at Madagascar, who was on board an English ship at Batavia, and fent to him to gratify his curiofity on this subject.

Ten,

Ahouroa, Sapoulou, Sapoulou, Sapoulou, Tourou.

In the language of Madagascar, there are other words fimilar to words of the fame import in the Malay. The nose in Malay is called Erung, at Madagascar Ourou; Lida, the

tongue,

1771. January.

tongue, is Lala; Tangan, the hand, is Tang; and Tanna, the ground, is Taan.

From the fimilitude between the language of the Eastern Indies, and the islands of the South Sea, conjectures may be formed with respect to the peopling those countries, which cannot easily be referred to Madagascar. The inhabitants of Java and Madagascar appear to be a different race; the Javanefe is of an olive complexion, and has long hair; the native of Madagascar is black, and his head is not covered with hair, but wool; and yet perhaps this will not conclude against their having common ancestors so strongly as at first appears. It does not feem lefs difficult to account for the perfonal difference between a native of England and France, as an effect of mere local fituation, than for the difference between the natives of Java and Madagascar; yet it has never been supposed, that England and France were not peopled from common ancestors. If two natives of England marry in their own country, and afterwards remove to our fettlements in the Weft Indies, the children that are conceived and born there will have the complexion and cast of countenance that distinguish the Creole; if they return, the children conceived and born afterwards, will have no fuch characteristics. If it be faid that the mother's mind being impreffed with different external objects, impreffes correfponding features and complexion upon the child during her pregnancy, it will be as difficult to refer the effect into this caufe, upon mere physical principles, as into the other; for it can no more be fhewn how a mere ideà, conceived in the mother's imagination, can change the corporeal form of her infant, than how its form can be changed by mere local fituation. We know that people within the small circle of Great Britain and Ireland, who are born at the distance of two or three hundred miles from each other, will be diftinguifhed by the Scotch

face,

face, the Welsh face, and the Irish face; may we not then reasonably suppose, that there are in nature qualities which act powerfully as efficient causes, and yet are not cognizable by any of the five modes of perception which we call fenfes? A deaf man, who fees the ftring of a harpsichord vibrate, when a corresponding tone is produced by blowing into a flute at a distance, will see an effect of which he can no more conceive the cause to exift in the blowing air into the flute, than we can conceive the cause of the perfonal difference of the various inhabitants of the globe to exist in mere local fituation; nor can he any more form an idea of the cause itself, in one case, than we can in the other: what happens to him then, in confequence of having but four senses instead of five, may, with refpect to many phænomena of nature; happen to us, in confequence of having but five fenfes inftead of fix, or any greater number.

Poffibly, however, the learning of ancient Egypt might: run in two courfes, one through Africa, and the other through Asia, diffeminating the fame words in each, especially terms of number, which might thus become part of: the language of people who never had any communication. with each other..

We now made the best of our way for the Cape of Good! Hope, but the feeds of disease which we had received at Ba-tavia began to appear with the most threatening fymptoms in dyfenteries and flow fevers. Left the water which we had : taken in at Prince's Ifland fhould have had any share in our fickness, we purified it with lime, and we washed all parts of the ship between decks with vinegar, as a remedy against infection. Mr. Banks was among the fick, and for fome time there was no hope of his life. We were very foon in › a most deplorable fituation; the ship was nothing better than

ani

1771. January,

1771. January.

an hospital, in which those that were able to go about, were too few to attend the fick, who were confined to their hammocks; and we had almost every night a dead body to commit to the fea. In the course of about fix weeks, we buried Mr. Sporing, a gentleman who was in Mr. Banks's retinue, Mr. Parkinson, his natural history painter, Mr. Green the aftronomer, the boatswain, the carpenter and his mate, Mr. Monkhouse the midshipman, who had fothered the ship after she had been ftranded on the coaft of New Holland, our old jolly fail-maker and his affiftant, the fhip's cook, the corporal of the marines, two of the carpenter's crew, a midshipman, and nine feamen; in all three and twenty persons, befides the seven that we buried at Batavia.

СНАР.

CHA P. XIV.

Our Arrival at the Cape of Good Hope; fome Remarks on the Run from Java Head to that Place; a Description of the Cape, and of Saint Helena: With fome Account of the Hottentots, and the Return of the Ship to England.

1771. March.

N Friday the 15th of March, about ten o'clock in the morning, we anchored off the Cape of Good Hope, in feven fathom with an ouzey bottom. The weft point of the Friday 15. bay, called the Lion's Tail, bore W. N. W. and the castle S. W. distant about a mile and a half. I immediately waited upon the Governor, who told me that I fhould have every thing the country afforded. My first care was to provide a proper place afhore for the sick, which were not a few; and a house was foọn found, where it was agreed they should be lodged and boarded at the rate of two fhillings a head per day.

Our run from Java Head, to this place, afforded very few fubjects of remark that can be of use to future navigators; fuch as occurred, however, I fhall fet down. We had left Java Head eleven days before we got the general south east trade-wind, during which time, we did not advance above 5° to the fouthward, and 3° to the weft, having variable light airs, interrupted by calms, with fultry weather, and an unwholesome air, occafioned probably by the load of vapours which the eastern trade-wind, and wefterly monfoons, bring into these latitudes, both which blow in these seas at the time of year when we happened to be there. The eastVOL. III. 3 B erly