CHAPTER III.
November.
Wednes. 4.At daybreak of November 4, a light breeze from the eastward enabled me to quit Simon's Bay, after a stoppage of eighteen days. The high land of Great Smit's Winkel afterwards becalmed the sails; and we were no further advanced, at noon, than to have the Cape Point bearing south-west, at the distance of two or three leagues. On receiving the breeze, which came from the south-south-west, we stretched towards Cape Agulhas, veering ship at eleven at night,Thursday 5. on coming into 50 fathoms. This wind died away in the morning, and remained calm till noon; the Cape Point then bore N.W. ¾ N., Cape False N. ¾ E., and our latitude was 34° 36′. Near this situation, the bottom is a greenish mud, at the depth of 78 fathoms.
The report of the guns, fired by the squadron in Simon's Bay, to commemorate the escape from gunpowder treason, was distinctly heard at one o'clock, when we were occupied in making sail to a fine breeze which had sprung up from the south-westward. At six in the evening, it blew fresh with cloudy weather; the extremes of the land bore from N. 20° W. to 58° E., and we took our departure for New Holland.
Lieutenant Flinders observed azimuths this evening from the