1*22 cook's voyage to oct. 



be observed that the Atlantic Ocean, to the south- 

 ward of this latitude, has been but little frequented; 

 so that there may be more islands there than we are 

 acquainted with. 



We frequently, in the night, saw those luminous 

 marine animals mentioned and described in my first 

 voyage.* Some of them seemed to be considerably 

 larger than any I had before met with ; and some- 

 times they were so numerous, that hundreds were 

 visible at the same moment. 



This calm weather was succeeded by a fresh gale 

 from the N. W., which lasted two days. Then we 

 had again variable light airs for about twenty-four 

 hours ; when the N. W. wind returned, and blew 

 with such strength, that on the 17th we had sight of 

 the Cape of Good Hope ; and the next day anchored 

 in Table Bay, in four fathoms water, with the church 

 bearing S. W. i S., and Green Point N. W. i W. 



As soon as we had received the usual visit from 

 the master attendant and the surgeon, I sent an 

 officer to wait on Baron Plettenberg, the governor ; 

 and, on his return, saluted the garrison with thirteen 

 guns, which complement was returned with the same 

 number. 



We found in the bay two French East India ships j 

 the one outward, and the other homeward bound. 

 And two or three days before our arrival, another 

 homeward bound ship of the same nation had parted 

 from her cable, and been driven on shore at the head 

 of the bay, where she was lost. The crew were 

 saved ; but the greatest part of the cargo shared the 

 same fate with the ship, or (which amounted to the 

 same) was plundered and stolen by the inhabitants, 

 either out of the ship, or as it was driven or carried 

 on shore. This is the account the French officers 

 gave to me ; and the Dutch themselves could not 

 deny the fact. But, by way of excusing themselves 



* See Hawkesworth's Collection of Voyages, vol. ii. p. 15. 



