Voyage in Search of La Pérouse/Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
Two officers of health came on board from the Cape Town, in order to learn whether any of our crew were infected with contagious disorders. The small-pox is the disease most dreaded by the inhabitants; for not being endemic, it occasions here, as well as in every part of India, the most dreadful ravages, whenever it is imported amongst them from foreign countries.
The master of a merchant vessel from Bourdeaux, which had arrived here a few days before us, immediately came to acquaint us that the Commander of the naval forces at Isle de France, having received some information relative to the fate of La Pérouse, had dispatched a frigate to the Cape, in order to communicate his intelligence to the Commander of the expedition sent in search of that unfortunate navigator. The frigate had sailed from Isle de France a few days before our arrival.
Our Commander Dentrecasteaux dispatched an officer to the Governor of the Cape to arrange the ceremonial of the salute. This officer received from the Chargé d'Affaires of France the dispatches which Citizen Saint-Felix, Commander of our naval forces in the Indian seas, had sent to Dentrecasteaux by the frigate Atalante, Captain Bolle, which had immediately sailed back for Isle de France.
I shall here insert the letter addressed to our Commander, with the depositions of two masters of merchant vessels, who were at Batavia during the stay which Commodore Hunter made at that place, upon his return from Botany Bay in a Dutch vessel, after he had been shipwrecked off Norfolk island.
"I learn from private correspondence that you do not purpose to touch at Isle de France till on your return from the important expedition in which you are engaged. Disappointed in the hope, with which I had flattered myself, of having the honour to converse with you, I hasten to dispatch, in order that they may find you at the Cape of Good Hope, two reports relative to the object of your mission, which I have lately received from the masters of two French vessels arrived here from Batavia. You will thereby be informed of the particulars, how a Dutch vessel, having on board Commodore Hunter of the Sirius English frigate, together with his ship's company, discovered near the Admiralty Islands, in the South Sea, several persons clothed in European manufactures, some of which, in particular, appeared to be French uniforms. You will also be informed that the Commodore did not doubt that these were remains of the shipwreck suffered by M. de la Pérouse, whom he had often seen at Botany Bay.
"I conceived that the communication of these reports must interest you; and they appeared to me of so important a nature, that I resolved to transmit them directly to you by a frigate, which I have dispatched to the Cape for that express purpose. Captain Bolle, who commands the vessel, will leave the papers in the hands of our Chargé d'Affaires, in case he should not meet you there; in order that they may be delivered to you immediately upon your arrival. Though I have received no official directions relative to your expedition, that authorize me to send this frigate upon its present destination, yet I have no doubt that the step I have taken will meet with the approbation of his Majesty, both when I consider the interest of the public and the sentiments of my own heart. It was reserved for you to acquire a claim upon the gratitude of the whole French nation, by accepting the command of an expedition which confers equal honour upon the Sovereign who has ordered it, and the Commander to whom its execution is intrusted. In every part of the globe that you may visit, you shall ever be attended by my fervent wishes for your success, and the inviolable and perfect attachment with which I am, &c.
(Signed)Saint-Felix."
- Isle de France, 9th Nov. 1791.
The Sirius English frigate, commanded by Commodore Hunter, and bound for New Holland, was cast away off Norfolk Island in the South Sea, towards the end of the year 1790. The ship's company were taken on board a sloop that accompanied the frigate, and carried to Botany Bay, where Commodore Philips engaged a small Dutch vessel to convey the shipwrecked crew, together with their commander, to England.
Having sailed from Botany Bay in this vessel, with an intent to touch at Batavia, they were carried by contrary winds and the force of the currents as far eastward as 167° E. long. meridian of Greenwich. Wishing to pass through the Straits of St. George, they came within sight of the Admiralty Islands, situated in 147° E. long. 3° 25′ S. lat. Near to the most easterly of these islands they observed several boats, amongst the crews of which there were many persons who wore European stuffs and pieces of cloth in their dress; they even distinguished some who were clothed in the uniform of the French Marine. These people hung out the white flag as a signal for the English to approach; but though Commodore Hunter was very desirous of doing it, he found it impracticable, on account of the contrary currents and winds, and the danger to which the numerous shoals would have exposed them.
Commodore Hunter had often seen M. de la Pérouse at Botany Bay, and lived upon terms of intimacy with him. He had learnt from him that his intention was to pass through the Straits of St. George, after leaving Botany Bay, and from thence to direct his course to the northward. He does not doubt that the Astrolabe and Boussole were cast away upon the above-mentioned islands, in consequence of the calms and strong currents that prevail in those parts. He has informed me that he has been carried by them six hundred miles to the eastward in the space of ten days; as he knew from repeated observations of the longitude, from the time-keepers, and from the bearings of the land. In a word, Commodore Hunter, whom I saw at Batavia in the course of my last voyage, appeared to me to be fully pursuaded that the European dresses, which he saw in the boats from the Admiralty Islands, were collected from the wrecks of the vessels formerly under the command of La Pérouse.
Commodore Hunter is at present upon his return home to England, from whence he will probably transmit a more circumstantial account of this affair to France.
From his own experience in approaching the Admiralty Islands, the English Commander thinks that any vessel intending to sail thither ought to endeavour to get early into its latitude, in order to avoid being carried away by the currents, which set to the east with prodigious strength.
(Signed)Preaudet, Master of the Jason.
- Isle de France, 6th Nov. 1791.
The commander and officers of the Sirtus English frigate, after being shipwrecked off Norfolk Island, were carried to Botany Bay, from whence they sailed in a small Dutch vessel for Batavia, where they arrived towards the latter end of September, in the present year, after a passage of about six months.
A day or two after they had weathered the Straits of St. George, they found themselves as soon as it dawned within sight of two of the Admiralty Islands, which were very near them; they immediately sounded, but could not reach the bottom.
They afterwards observed two canoes that contained about twelve men each, rowing from the islands towards them; but though they would not come on board the vessel, they however approached very near to it. There was then very little wind blowing. The vessel was exposed to a current which drove it off from the land: at any rate, the Dutch captain had no inclination to approach nearer to the shore. It was observed that two of the men in the canoes had sword-belts similar to those worn by European officers; they made signs as if they wished to have their beards shaved, and many of them had pieces of red and blue cloth about their dress, which proved that they had had some communication with Europeans. As Captain Hunter, Commander of the Sirius, had been informed at Botany Bay by La Pérouse himself, that his intention was to pass the Straits of St. George; all the officers of that frigate were of opinion that they had thus unexpectedly discovered the islands upon which he was cast away.
I, the underwritten, certify that the above narrative is conformable to what I have collected from different conversations with the officers of the Sirius, who had arrived at Batavia after the shipwreck of that frigate, in a small Dutch vessel, with which I was in company during the month of October.
(Signed)Magon Lepinay.
- Isle de France, 31st Oct. 1791.
As Commodore Hunter was at the Cape of Good Hope, on his return from Batavia to England, at the moment when we arrived there; we had reason to expect that we should receive from him every possible information concerning what he had seen at the Admiralty lands; but were surprized to hear that he had sailed from the Cape two hours after we had cast anchor. He was probably well acquainted with the object of our expedition; for we were expected at the Cape, and our Commander's flag must have convinced him that these were the ships sent in search of La Pérouse. It appeared very astonishing to us, that he had not attempted to convey to us even the scanty information which Préaudet and Magon Lépinay had collected from himself and his officers at Batavia. Our amazement was still greater, when we understood that Commodore Hunter had not only not suffered any thing to transpire during his stay at the Cape, which could give ground to believe that he had seen savages dressed in the uniforms of the French marines, but that he had even expressly declared to several of the members of the regency, and in particular to his friend Mr. Gordon, that he knew nothing of the facts reported upon the arrival of the Atalante: neither was there any reason to suspect that the reports left at the Cape, by Captain Bolle, came from Commodore Hunter himself.
Captain Bligh, Commander of the English sloop Providence, which had been fitted out for the purpose of searching for the bread-fruit tree in the Society Islands, had cast anchor in Table-bay shortly after the Atalante had sailed from thence. It appeared that Captain Bligh had heard nothing from Commodore Hunter relative to the depositions of the two French captains; but, that upon the information communicated to him by persons who had spoken with the captain of the Atalante, he had assured Colonel Gordon, that when he returned to the Society Islands, he would make what enquiries he was able in those parts where La Pérouse was reported to have been cast away, and endeavour to save some of the remains of that unfortunate expedition.
This was the second expedition which Captain Bligh had undertaken in quest of the bread-fruit tree. In the course of the first voyage which he made for the purpose of procuring this valuable tree to the West Indian settlements of the English, he had been set on shore in consequence of a mutiny amongst the crew, of which he published an account after his return to England.
We learnt that the Pandora English frigate, commanded by Captain Edwards, had since been at the Society Islands, where they had seized fourteen of the mutineers. Four of them afterwards made their escape when the vessel was run aground off Norfolk Island. The ringleader of the mutineers, Christian, who had been master of the vessel under the command of Captain Bligh, had escaped with nine others to another island, and carried several of the natives with him. One of the officers of the Pandora lately arrived at the Cape, assured us that Bligh had behaved very ill to Christian, and that an abuse of authority on the side of the captain was the cause of all his subsequent misfortunes. Christian, though master of the vessel, had been maltreated, according to Captain Bligh's orders, as if he had been a common sailor of the lowest rank. If this be the fact, Captain Bligh disguises the truth when he asserts, that he had always treated him with the greatest liberality.
There were at that time eighteen ships lying at anchor at the Cape, of which twelve were Dutch, two French, two American, and two English.
At sun-rise we saluted the place with thirteen guns, which it returned with the same number.
18th. At nine o'clock the Commander of our expedition went on shore; upon which the town saluted him with fifteen guns, which we returned gun for gun. The Governor had sent several carriages, and a large company of musicians to attend General Dentrecasteaux at the place where he landed. Accompanied by the musicians, playing upon their instruments in a very boisterous manner, he went with some of his officers to wait upon the members of the regency, who received him in a full assembly of the council, and soon after returned his visit, at the house of the Chargé d'Affaires of France, where he lodged.
The greater part of our officers took lodgings in different houses of the town. The Dutch inhabitants at the Cape are known to be very fond of lodging strangers at their houses. Their common price is a piastre a day. I took a lodging, together with some of my travelling companions, at the house of a M. de Lettre.
19th. The summit of the Table Mountain was hid in thick clouds, which at this season of the year is a certain prognostic of high winds from the south-east, that generally continue for two or three days. The gales were this time so violent, that during the whole time they prevailed no vessel of the size of a sloop dare venture to approach the shore.
Though the clouds appeared immovably attached to the top of the mountain, even when the winds blew with their greatest violence, they were, in fact, perpetually replaced by others; but the force with which they were driven along, after their separation from the mountain, diminishing their cohesion, they were soon dissipated in the atmosphere. We often observed large masses of these clouds, which as soon as they were detached from the summit, immediately disappeared.
These violent gales from the south-east, which have often been noticed by travellers, appeared to me to proceed from the nature of the coast, which forms a very high ridge from the Cape Town as far as to the mouth of False Bay, and acts as a barrier, preventing the south-east winds from passing beyond it. Whenever these winds get into False Bay, it can only happen in consequence of their having surmounted this obstacle which opposes them at the southern extremity of Africa. The dilatation of the lower column of air is so much impeded by the compression which it suffers, in its ascent towards the summit of this ridge, from the weight of the superincumbent column, that, whenever it has passed these heights, the reaction of its elasticity is proportionate to the diminution of the resistance before opposed to its expansion. Its impetuosity is then such as frequently to loosen ships lying in the road from their anchors, and set them adrift.
The violence of these winds is the greatest where they descend along the declivity of these mountains: in the interior of the country situated at a small distance to the eastward, on the contrary, they are very moderate; as I have had occasion to remark in several excursions which I made from the town.
The clouds, with which the summit of the ridge is at such times covered, are naturally produced from the enormous mass of air, which, after becoming surcharged with moisture during its passage over a vast extent of ocean, when it ascends into the higher regions of the atmosphere, deposits, in the form of clouds, the superabundant water which, on account of the change of temperature, it can no longer retain in a state of solution.
In the course of the night, the long boat of the Esperance was torn by the gale from her stern, and lost. To supply its place, a sort of light vessel used in the whale-fishery, was purchased of an American ship.
20th. Though the south-east wind continued to blow with great violence, I made an excursion in the neighbourhood of the town, where I found, in great abundance, two species of the chironia, termed C. trinervia and C. dendroides. The gorteria ciliaris likewise grew at the foot of the mountains. The beautiful shrub, known by the name of brunéa palacea, adorned the rising grounds. No insects, of course, could be seen whilst the winds blew with such violence.
I took a view of the Company's garden, of which many travellers speak in terms of enthusiastic admiration. It is, nevertheless, nothing more than an immense inclosure, which contains some very fine oaks. Several square plots of ground hedged round with myrtles, are planted with kitchen-vegetables; but very few curious plants are to be seen there. They also contain several of the orchard-trees of Europe. I observed some bananas, the leaves of which had been torn into slender strips by the wind.
The falco serpentarius of Linnæus I saw very tame in a house belonging to the Governor.
The menagery situated, at the extremity of this garden, contained but a very small number of uncommon animals, the chief of which were the ostrich, the zebra, the porcupine, the jackall, and several birds; amongst others, the bald-headed curlieu of Buffon, (tentalus calvus, Linn.)
The gales were less violent in the evening, and gave us hopes of fine weather.
A vessel employed in the slave-trade lay at anchor in the road. It had lately arrived from Mozambique, and its cargo of four hundred negroes were, for the present, on shore. It was a most melancholy spectacle, to behold these miserable wretches, the greater part of whom were already afflicted with the scurvy, after a very short passage, crowded into three narrow rooms, from whence they were shortly to be carried on board, doomed to waste their lives in supporting the luxury of some wealthy American. The ship had been trading with countries where dogs are in great request; and these dealers in human lives did not scruple to avow that they often purchased two or three blacks for one handsome dog.
On the 22d, I spent the day in examining the Lion's Mountain. The soil of this mountain, which derives its name from the appearance which it presents when seen at a distance by sea, is very unfavourable to vegetation. It is almost every where covered, even as far as the sea-side, with hard steatites of a greyish colour, and so barren that I carried home with me but very few specimens of plants. On the following day I visited the Devil's Mountain. It well deserves its appellation, on account of the violence of the south-east winds, which is much greater at the declivity of this mountain, than in any other part of the country. The delightful vale, which separates this mountain from the Lion's Mountain, is adorned with the beautiful species of the protea, named by Linn. protea argentea, the tufted tops of which resist the violent blasts of wind from the surrounding mountains. The leaves of this tree are covered with a sort of down, which grows the thickest on the parts most exposed to the wind. This circumstance may here be remarked in most of the plants liable to be beaten by the winds, which renders it probable, that their down serves them as a defence from the injury they might otherwise receive from them.
The fertility of this valley afforded a remarkable contrast with the barrenness of the Lion's Mountain. The vegetable kingdom appeared here in its highest luxuriance. Where the grounds rose with an easy ascent, they were bespangled with the tulip of the Cape of Good Hope (hæmanthus coccinea, Linn.); a variety of different kinds of shrubs projected from the cleft between the rocks, and at their bases grew the beautiful stœbe gnaphaloides, amongst an abundance of other plants.
24th. As the preparation of the plants, which I had collected on the preceding day, occupied a great portion of my time, I had not leisure to undertake any long excursion; I therefore confined myself to short walks in the neighbourhood of the town.
The false aloë, termed by botanists agave vivipara, was then in full flower. I admired the lightness with which the black titmouse (parus ater, Linn.) hovered about this plant, whilst it fed upon the saccharine liquor which exudes from the bases of its corolla. It was with regret that I killed some of these beautiful little birds, in order to carry off their spoils.
Three of us, who were walking together, followed a narrow path till within a small distance of the country-house of the Fiscal: his name was Deness. This man, habituated to despotic authority over his inferiors, wanted to hinder us from walking over some uncultivated grounds, which, as he told us with great emphasis, were his property. We were not a little astonished at this prohibition, uttered in so dictatorial a tone; for the Fiscal seemed fully persuaded that we durst not be so rash as to proceed any farther. We, however, after having represented to him that we could not possibly do any harm to his uncultivated stony grounds, pursued our route. The petty Vizier fell into a violent rage at seeing how little we minded his orders, and not being able to answer our remonstrances, he told us in very bad French, that such were his commands, and it required no further explanation.
Two negroes, who had accompanied us from the town, trembled at the sound of the Fiscal's voice, and it was with difficulty that we could persuade them to remain with us: for they told us, whilst they shuddered with horror, that this Monsieur Deness was the person who presided at the whippings that were administered according to the orders of the officers of police.
It is a remarkable circumstance that the Fiscal is here invested with the charge of inspection over all the servants of the Company, and holds his office independently of any other person. It seems still more strange that so important a trust should be committed to the hands of an officer of police, who is thus enabled to practise all the extortions for which his office affords him such ample opportunities; for he it is who both fixes the amount of fines, and collects their produce. In consequence of this regulation, pecuniary punishments are the only ones inflicted upon those who are able to pay: the rest he always orders to be whipped.
25th. I employed this day in taking a view of the Table Mountain, which derives its appellation from the horizontal plain which its summit presents when seen at a distance.
I had frequently to cross a brook that flows down this mountain. The large stones, rounded by friction, that are found on its shore, shew that in the rainy season the water descends in torrents.
About half way up the mountain I found the thesium strictum. A little higher up I met with the magnificent umbelliferous plant, called by botanists hermas depauperata, the beautiful fern, acrostichum pectinatum; the bubon galbanum, the restio simplex, &c.
That portion of the mountain which I had hitherto ascended, was composed of greyish freestone, very hard, and covered with masses of a fine white-coloured quartz, which served as a basis to several very close strata of micaceous schistus.
Having ascended upwards of 350 toises perpendicular height, I arrived at a fissure in the side of the mountain, which, when seen from the town, does not appear to afford a passage to the summit; but I found the distant view had deceived me, for I discovered a path in it of no very difficult access to persons used to climbing mountains, being the track mostly frequented in order to arrive at the top, which is hardly to be surmounted by any other.
Though the part of the mountain where we now stood is about 500 toises perpendicular height, the heat of the atmosphere raised the thermometer to twenty degrees in the shade.
Fuel is very scarce at the Cape of Good Hope; but though the mildness of the climate exempts the inhabitants from the necessity of employing artificial heat as a defence against the severity of the weather, they want it, however, for the purposes of cookery, and send their slaves even far beyond the Table Mountain, to fetch the small supply of wood which they require. We met several blacks carrying to the town their bundles of fuel, which consisted of the branches of different sorts of shrubs: amongst others I distinguished cunonia capensis, and several beautiful species of the protea. I was much gratified at having an opportunity to see these fine plants, and regretted only that they had been gathered for no other purpose than to serve as fuel. I picked out some specimens for myself, and the blacks, whose burthens were not become much lighter for what I had taken away, proceeded on their journey to the town. It gave us pain to observe that these miserable beings were obliged to march forward, without ever halting; though the steep descent of the mountain must have been extremely fatiguing.
The mountains in the neighbourhood of the town serve as a place of refuge for slaves, whom the barbarous treatment they endure compels to attempt their escape. Driven by hunger they then frequently approach, under cover of the night, to habitations, in order to procure by theft their scanty means of subsistence. That they prefer such a miserable state of existence to remaining with their masters, proves how inhuman the treatment must be to which they are exposed. It must be very dangerous to trust one's self, alone and unarmed, amongst the clefts of the rocks, where these wretches, driven by despair, shut themselves from the sight of the sun, in order to escape from slavery.
Some drops of water, that ooze at this height from fissures between the beds of micaceous schistus, afford the traveller means of quenching his thirst.
The high borders of the cleft, through which we were ascending, were ornamented with various beautiful species of lilacs: we observed particularly the antholiza ethiopica, remarkable for the brilliant appearance of its scarlet blossoms.
Having arrived at the summit of the mountain, we were beginning to regale ourselves upon the provisions which we had brought with us, when we observed some of the company of the Esperance coming towards us, who had undertaken the same tour without providing themselves with any refreshments for their journey; and we were heartily willing to let them share in our frugal repast.
The rain discharged by the clouds which had been detained over the summit of the Table Mountain during several of the preceding days, had formed pools in the clefts of the rock, between which I found a great variety of curious plants.
The summit of the mountain presents a view of False Bay in its whole extent, and I carefully followed it with my eye in all its windings. We descended by the same track that we had ascended. It was already dark when I arrived in the town, loaded with an abundant collection of plants.
26th. As soon as I had made the preparations requisite for preserving the specimens which I had collected, I directed my observations to the eastern part of the country.
Beyond the farther end of the bay there is a vast plain of sand, on which one is surprised to see a prodigious number of plants vegetating. The most frequent are various species of the diosma, polygala, and borbonia. These plants, however, would not be able to support themselves in so barren a soil, if they did not shoot their roots to a great depth into the ground, so as there to imbibe the moisture necessary for their vegetation.
I had to cross several brooks, which take their rise from the neighbouring mountains, and some of which are lost in the sands before they discharge themselves into the sea. In these moist situations I found the beautiful shrub, genthyllis spiralis.
The fissures in the sand serve as places of shelter for the snakes, which one frequently finds sleeping upon their borders; but as soon as one approaches them they immediately fly to their lurking-places for refuge.
27th. I resolved to make a second visit to the Table Mountain. I went a little off from the common path, and enriched my collection with several plants which I had not seen before. Indeed it required a considerable length of time to exhaust all the botanical stores of a country which produces such an abundance of vegetables.
A thick fog suddenly spread itself over the part of the mountain where I stood, and obliged me immediately to descend. I should certainly have lost my way, had I not happened to be quite near to the path that leads to the foot of the mountain. Although there blew but little wind at that time upon the Table Mountain, the clouds, after passing over its summit, precipitated themselves in the form of mists, in the same manner as when they are impelled by the south-east gales.
28th. I enriched my collection with a number of plants which I gathered in the vicinity of the town.
I had hitherto observed but very few insects, as they do not generally frequent places so much exposed to currents of the air.
On the 29th, I made an excursion on the opposite side of the Table Mountain, following the course of the valley which divides it from the Lion's Mountain.
The cyanella capensis grew quite close to the edge of the sea.
Having reached the heights, I had the pleasure to see the sides of the rocks ornamented with different species of shrubs, amongst which the erica halicacaba particularly distinguished itself, by the oval form, and beautiful tints of its flowers.
The disa grandiflora, one of the most beautiful plants of the class of orchis, grew upon the side of the small streams that wind themselves among these mountains.
This excursion proved the more gratifying to me, as I made it in the company of M. Masson, who had acquired a very extensive acquaintance with botany, in the course of his travels.
The following days were employed by me in making new researches in the places I had already visited. Vegetation is here so varied, that I continually met with new objects of attention.
An English frigate, from Tellicherry, had been lying for five days at anchor at the Cape, on its return to England to give an account of an engagement that had taken place between the French frigate La Resolue, of twelve guns, Captain Calaman, and the English frigate Phenix, of eighteen. The English frigate had attempted to make prizes of some vessels under the convoy of La Resolue.
The English, according to their usual custom, attempted to spread reports injurious to the character of Captain Calaman, who, according to the accounts we received from Isle de France, had conducted himself with equal courage and generosity. The English Commander would have done well to have contradicted these reports, by giving a just statement of the facts; but it seemed it was his interest to disguise them: for it is an unheard-of thing for that nation to make an attempt upon vessels escorted by a ship carrying the flag of ours.
Another English vessel, La Couronne, which arrived the day after the frigate had come to anchor, observed the same conduct.
I ought to remark, that our Commander having sent an officer on board each of these vessels, to comply with a customary piece of etiquette, the English Captains were not polite enough to return the compliment.
I had already provided myself with specimens of most of the curious plants that were to be found in the neighbourhood of the Cape Town; and could not expect to encrease my collection, without making an excursion into some of the more distant parts of the country. I had for several days entertained a wish to visit the chain of mountains, called by the Dutch Fransche-Hoek, situated at a much greater distance eastward of the town than their appearance might lead one to suppose them. Their aspect gave me reason to hope that I should find them abounding with vegetable productions.
February 9. The gardener to our expedition made one of the party. We had hired a Hottentot to lead the horse that carried our baggage; and a young negro, who hardly knew three words of the French language, served as our interpreter.
As a passport was necessary, M. Berg, one of the most amiable and intelligent men of the Company, provided us with one.
Colonel Gordon, Commander the troops at the Cape, had furnished me with letters of recommendation to several of the colonists.
This gentleman is the celebrated traveller, who communicated to Buffon the first authentic accounts he received concerning the Giraffe, an animal till then very little known. Colonel Gordon had penetrated as far as 21° S. lat. into the interior parts of Africa, with a view to making discoveries in natural history. He has often assured me, that at this distance, more than twelve degrees north of the Cape, his barometrical observations shewed him, that the surface of this country was more than a hundred toises above the level of the sea; though, in traversing it, he had not been sensible of any rising of the ground, but had thought he travelled over a plain that was very little elevated. These observations, which he repeated at different times, after intervals of several days, seem to demonstrate that the surface of this country rises, in a gradual ascent, to a height equal to that of the most elevated mountains in the other parts of the globe.
I leave it to natural philosophers to determine, whether or not the sinking of the mercury in the barometer proceeded from another cause than that which produces the same effect, when this instrument is carried upon high mountains.
We met a number of chariots drawn by three or four pairs of oxen. They were returning empty to the town, each of them conducted by a Hottentot, who stood erect in the carriage, and directed his team with wonderful dexterity, by means of a long whip, which he held in his hand. Though the foremost pair of oxen were at a great distance from him, he never missed any one of them that wanted the lath.
Our Hottentot marched on with his pipe in his mouth, and regaling himself from time to time with the Hottentot's fig (mesembrianthemum edule), which grew among the sands on the road side, without seeming to think of the horse entrusted to his care; so that our baggage fell off several times, and would have been left on the road, if we had not apprised our smoker of it, who was walking on without taking any notice of the accident. We found it necessary to use threats in order to rouse him from his lethargy, and render him more attentive to his charge.
Several species of the geranium, polygala, lobelia, &c. grew upon the sandy plain through which we travelled.
Having arrived at some sandy grounds, we saw several gazelles, but they kept at so great a distance from us that we were not able to shoot any of them.
Two hours after dark, we arrived at the house of M. Bosman, at Bottelary. The letter of recommendation, which Mr. Gordon had given us, procured us a very friendly reception from this worthy planter, whom we found sitting at supper in the midst of his numerous family. He immediately invited us to sit down with him, and set before us some very agreeable strong-bodied wine, made from the grapes that grow about Bottelary. Some merchants of the town sell this wine at a very high price, as Constantia wine, to which however it is inferior in quality; and M. Bosman told us that it may be bought twelve times cheaper than the other.
M. Bosman, in his insulated situation upon a small spot of fertile ground, surrounded by a large desart of sand, was, of course, very desirous of hearing our news; but we found it very difficult to communicate any to him, as our negro interpreter appeared now much less fit for his office, than we had before conceived him to be. After having spent a great deal of time with saying very little, we went to take our repose, of which we stood in great need. We all envied the peaceable life which this respectable planter leads, in the midst of a family where the greatest simplicity of manners is united with the most engaging politeness.
10th. As soon as it was day, we went to take a view of the grounds about this delightful habitation. We found in M. Bosman's garden most of the kitchen-plants and fruits of Europe; fine plantations of almond-trees rose before the front of the house, which was surrounded on all sides with vineyards that constitute the chief wealth of the owner.
Soon after sun-rise, M. Bosman's youngest daughters, seeing that we were collecting insects, came to offer us their assistance. They hunted them through the garden with incredible swiftness; and soon brought us a fine collection of such as they thought the prettiest.
As we were shortly to sail from the Cape, we had not much time left us for our expedition to Fransche Hoek. We therefore took leave of this amiable family, with the most sensible regret, and proceeded on our journey.
We arrived in good time at Stellenbosch, where we stopped at the house of M. Hoffman.
The manner in which we were received at Stellenbosch afforded a striking contrast with the frankness and cordiality of our reception at Bottelary. This was a very pleasant village; but we found that we were not to expect every where that agreeable frankness of manners, which characterises the planters of the Cape. We had imagined that a letter of recommendation from Colonel Gordon, addressed to M. Hoffman, would be sufficient to introduce us: but it was not till after he had carefully examined our passport, that he invited us to remain at his house. There are no public inns at Stellenbosch, no more than at the Cape Town; but the Dutch inhabitants of the town accommodate Grangers at a settled price, which indemnifies the landlord. We were lodged at M. Hoffman's very nearly upon the same footing as at the Cape.
On the following day I visited the hills in the neighbourhood of Stellenbosch.
The beautiful tree called brabeium stellulifolium, remarkable for its fruit, which resembles in shape that of the almond-tree, grew here upon the banks of a rivulet that runs through the village.
I enriched my collection with several kinds of orchis, and with the species of the protea, called mellifera, pallens and speciosa; besides a number of other plants.
On the 12th we proceeded on our way, intending to arrive towards evening at Fransche Hoek.
This place, which, as is implied by its name, is partly inhabited by French, served as an asylum for the protestant families, which in consequence of the persecutions they suffered on account of their religious opinions, crossed the ocean, in the year 1675, with a view of establishing themselves in this part of Africa, where they were well received by the Governor, Simon Vander Stel, and provided with every requisite for following the employments of husbandry.
The wind from the south-east blew with force sufficient to incommode us on our march. It was, however, by no means so violent here, as we learnt upon our arrival that it had been at the Cape. The great difference in the force of these gales depends, undoubtedly, upon local causes, as I have endeavoured to shew upon a former occasion.
It was on this day that the pinnace of the Esperance, commanded by Citizen le Grand, not being able to reach the ship, was obliged to run for shelter off the island of Robben.
We had to walk two hours after it was dark, before we arrived at Fransche Hoek, where we presented ourselves at the house of Gabriel Deprat, to whom I had a letter of recommendation. As he was absent, Jacob de Villiers, one of his neighbours, invited us to remain at his house, where we met with a very friendly reception.
The names of these planters led us to hope that we were now amongst people with whom we could converse in our own language; but these Frenchmen by extraction, having been obliged to make use of the Dutch for so long a space of time, retained nothing of their mother-tongue besides their family names.
It will not be uninteresting to the reader to know the names of those French families that still survived in the midst of these mountains. They were the following:
Lombart, Faure, Rotif, Blignant, Duplessis, Marée, Ponté, Naudé, Cronier, Hugo, de Villiers, Marais, du Buisson, le Roux, Deprat, Rousseaux, Villiers, Terrons, Hubert.
We were here in a pleasant valley, where the rays of the sun, reflected from the surrounding mountains, soon ripen the grape, which is the chief source of wealth to the inhabitants. A good deal of cheese is also made here.
We employed the two following days in climbing up the mountains in this neighbourhood. I here collected specimens of the protea florida and serraria, amongst a great variety of other plants.
These mountains are composed chiefly of granite, and a very hard sort of free-stone. The mould produced by the decay of the vegetables grow upon them, is the cause of the fertility of the vallies where the colonists reside. Hence they are obliged to travel over sandy desarts in order to carry the produce of their labour to the town. This kind of situation is common to all the establishments at any considerable distance from the Cape. The cultivators are necessitated to go more than 500,000 toises into the interior of Africa, in order to seek out some spots of arable land, scattered like islands in an ocean of sand; and after they have found them, every one applies to the ground he has cleared whatever mode of cultivation he thinks most adapted to the soil. The black slaves, though obliged to labour very hard, are in general treated with humanity. It is remarkable that, contrary to the practice of the Spaniards, who always endeavour to make proselytes of their slaves, the Dutch planters leave theirs in the most profound ignorance of their religion.
We frequently saw the snakes, which are much dreaded by the inhabitants of the country, lying in wait under the trees for the birds which often become their prey.
The zebras are very common in these mountains: they run away with prodigious swiftness upon the approach of a man.
The ape termed magot by Buffon (simia innuus, Linn.), sometimes came very near to the house where we lodged. I once witnessed a singular fact, which shews what authority these animals possess over their young. A large ape that was followed by a very little one, thinking himself unobserved, took it up in one of his paws and beat it for a considerable space of time with the other. If the apes knew how to proportion the punishment to the offence, the cub must have been very naughty; for he got a most severe beating.
The olive-coloured thrush, and the starling of the Cape of Good Hope, with some wood-peckers, &c. were the birds I most frequently saw during this excursion.
As our departure from the Cape was fixed to take place very soon, we were obliged to leave Franche Hoek much sooner than we could have wished. We were in such haste to return to the town, that we bade adieu to our worthy host Jacob de Villiers, at ten o'clock in the evening, and immediately set out on our journey. We marched the whole night through, and at length arrived at the same hour of the following evening in the town, having travelled by way of the Paarl-Berg and Paarde-Berg. Such a forced march could not fail to prove extremely fatiguing to us, who had for several days past enjoyed but a very few hours sleep. One of the servants belonging to the Esperance, Emard Serpoy, who had wished to accompany us, as he was passionately fond of shooting, was so overtaken with drowsiness about midnight, that we were obliged to let him sleep for half an hour upon the road, before he was able to proceed any farther with us.
I was sorry to learn, at my return from Franche Hoek, that we were to lose three of our travelling companions, namely, the astronomer Bertrand, the naturalist Blavier, and the painter Ely, who had requested the Commander to leave them on shore, as their health did not allow them to accompany us farther on our expedition. Bertrand having ascended the Table mountain a few days before, in order to make some barometrical observations, had fallen in such a manner as to be very severely hurt. I was informed at my return to France, that he was not so fortunate as to see his country once more, having died at the Cape, a short time after our departure.
As all the houses in the Cape Town are built with flat roofs, it presents a very agreeable view. The fortifications on the side facing the sea had been rendered stronger, a few years ago, by additional ramparts.
The Commander persuaded me, as the vessels were already so much lumbered, to leave the collections of natural history, which I had made during our stay at the Cape, in the hands of Gui, agent of the French government. This person promised to send them to France by the first opportunity. They, however, never arrived there, and I was informed at the Isle de France, upon my return from the South Sea, that they had been seen by the naturalists Macé and Aubert Petit Thouars, deposited in a granary belonging to this agent, long after our departure from the Cape; though he had had plenty of opportunities to send them to France, if his design had been to fulfil his engagement.
Few spots of the globe so well deserve the attention of a commercial nation, as the Cape of Good Hope. Its situation has rendered it as an anchoring station almost indispensably necessary for ships sailing to the East Indies. It affords abundance of provisions; but the restrictive regulations daily diminish the number of ships frequenting this harbour, as they now endeavour to reach the place of their destination without touching at the Cape; and some put into the harbour at St. Helena, where they are able to provision themselves at an easier rate.
The spirit of speculation that prevails amongst the Dutch Company, has often induced them to feign a great scarcity of provisions at the Cape, in order to enhance their price. The cultivators are not permitted to enter into a direct bargain with strangers for the produce of their lands; but are obliged to leave them to be disposed of by the Company, who frequently purchase them at a price four times less than that which they themselves receive.
The vexatious interference of the superior agents in the concerns of their subordinate officers, turns likewise to the disadvantage of strangers, who find it impossible to escape from the rapacity of so many persons, all combined against their interest. This avaricious spirit gradually undermines the prosperity of this country, as it renders navigators unwilling to touch at the Cape whenever they can avoid it. A ruinous propensity to extravagance, which has for some years past prevailed amongst the women, has produced a great change in the manners of the inhabitants, who are now eagerly intent upon adopting all the fashions of Europe.
All these evils have arisen from the Dutch government having so grossly mistaken its own interest, as to leave a place of the last importance to the navigation of India, under the direction of a company of private merchants. But it is known, that the political views of this people generally act in subordination to the desire of gain, which governs them, and is often in contradiction with their interests as a nation.
It was then expected that commissaries were to be sent from Europe, in order to put affairs upon a better footing: but such commissaries have been sent several times, and the affairs still remained in their former condition.
We laid in a sufficient stock of provisions at the Cape to supply the place of what we had already consumed. It would have been well if as much of our European stock as was bad in its quality had been changed for better. The contractors had deceived us in the quality of the wine which we bought of them. We had paid them double the ordinary price, that we might have it of the best quality, and such as would keep for a long time. Part of it, however, was already spoiled before we reached the Cape. When we arrived there, it was a matter of the utmost importance to have it changed, and the more so, as we knew we could not do it in the subsequent part of our voyage. We might there have had our choice between the wine of the country and Bourdeaux wine, as a vessel at anchor in the road had a cargo of the latter on board. Why it was neglected, I am at a loss to comprehend. The consequence was, that our bad wine grew worse and worse, till we were at length obliged to substitute brandy in its place. This piece of negligence deprived us of one of the best means for preserving the health of the crew during a voyage, in the course of which they ran the hazard of being in want of every necessary.
The observations taken on board the Recherche, gave us for its anchoring station at the Cape of Good Hope, 33° 54′ 24″ S. lat. 16° 4′ 25″ E. longitude.
The variation of the magnetic needle at the same place was 24° 30′ W.
Our astronomer Bertrand found, for the place of his observatory in the town, 33° 55′ 22″ 4-5ths S. lat. 16° 3′ 45″ E. long.
The variation of the magnetic needle, as observed by him, was 24° 31′ 52″ W. The dip of a flat needle gave 47° 25′.
During the whole time we lay at anchor, the mercury in the thermometer was never higher than 25° above 0.