348 



Vendovi's grief. False Bay. 

 Table Bay. 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



Arrival in Table Bay. 

 Cape Town. 



arrival at home; for, although the Feejeeans had 

 despoiled him of all his property, they had never- 

 theless saved his life, and for that, or rather for 

 refraining from devouring him, he felt some grati- 

 tude, and would have shown it to Vendovi. 



Poor Vendovi could not be persuaded to look at 

 his friend's corpse; his spirits evidently flagged; a 

 marked change came over him ; and he no doubt 

 felt as though he had lost his only friend. His own 

 disease, henceforward, made rapid strides towards 

 a fatal termination, and he showed that such was 

 the case by his total disregard of every thing that 

 passed around him, as well as by his moping, 

 melancholy look. On the 24th, the remains of 

 Mr. Vanderford were committed to the deep, with 

 the usual service and honours. The same day we 

 experienced a current to the north-west; and the 

 crew, after having been for ten days afflicted with 

 colds and influenza, began rapidly to recover. 



On the 12th of April, we arrived off False Bay. 

 The temperature of the surface water was reduced 

 to 64, and the current was setting us rapidly to 

 the north-north-west. The fog and mist that now pre- 

 vailed, prevented my observations for ascertaining 

 the rate of the current from being as accurate as 

 I desired ; the results, such as they were, gave it 

 a velocity of more than a mile per hour. 



On the 13th, no observations could be obtained 

 on account of the fog and mist ; and our situation 

 became rather a perplexing one. On making trial 

 of the current, we found that it was drifting us to 

 the north at the rate of eighteen miles in twenty- 

 four hours. Soundings were obtained in eighty- 

 five fathoms. The temperature of the surface 

 water fell to 54. Towards evening it cleared up, 

 and our situation was obtained by bearings, which 

 placed us off Snake's Head, about twelve miles to 

 the southward and westward of the Lion's Head. 

 Believing that my only chance of making Table 

 Bay was by keeping as close to the shore as 

 possible, I kept the ship on soundings during the 

 night, and at daylight stood in through a thick 

 fog for what I felt sure must be the position of 

 Green Point. While under way, we fell in with a 

 fleet of small fishing-boats lying at anchor. Their 

 crews were catching a species of bass, as fast as 

 they could haul in their lines. Immense numbers 

 of birds, such as albatrosses, petrels, and gulls, 

 surrounded the boats, and were feeding on the 

 small fish and offal thrown overboard from them. 

 The fish caught here are salted, and being after- 

 wards dried, furnish no inconsiderable portion of 

 the food of the lower orders of the colony. One 

 of the fishermen was desired to come on board, 

 and after he had satisfied me that some reliance 

 might be placed in him as a pilot, he was re- 

 tained with us. Under his guidance we stood on, 

 and as the fog began to break away reached our 

 anchorage, having passed close to the lighthouse 

 and Green Point, the western point of Table Bay. 

 The captain of the port, Commander Bance, R.N., 

 boarded us soon after we had anchored. I was 

 glad to see this gentleman, to whom I felt under 

 obligations, for civilities and kindness shown me 

 some eighteen years previously, during a cruise off 

 the coast of Peru. 



An officer was despatched by me to call upon, 

 and report our arrival to Sir George Thomas 

 Napier, governor of the colony. 



The falling of the ball at the Royal Observatory 



afforded us an opportunity for comparing the time 

 as shown by our chronometers with that of the 

 Cape. Of this we took advantage, and found that 

 our time-keepers had performed well. 



The view of Cape Town and its vicinity from 

 the anchorage, is remarkable, and the whole 

 seems novel. Directly in its rear rise the perpen- 

 dicular sides of Table Mountain, while on either 

 hand are seen the crags of the Lion's Head and 

 Devil's Peak ; the former usually overhung by a 

 large cloud, which often covers the whole town 

 with its broad shadow. These mountains are com- 

 posed of a dark reddish-gray sandstone, and ex- 

 cepting immediately at their base, and close to the 

 rear of the town, show but little signs of vegeta- 

 tion. Here and there pretty straw-coloured cot- 

 tages are scattered among the foliage. 



The anchorage, which is at some distance from 

 the beach, was, at the time of our arrival, occu- 

 pied by a large number of vessels, which some- 

 what surprised me, for at this season of the year 

 the bay is often visited by northers, which have in 

 former years done much damage, and caused the 

 loss of many lives. I was informed, however, that 

 but little apprehension is now felt on their ac- 

 count, for ships are at the present time well pro- 

 vided with chain cables, and can hold their ground. 

 Two quays extend from the beach into the bay, 

 affording facility to lighters to discharge and take in 

 their cargoes at all times of the tide. 



The town itself shows many traces of its origi- 

 nal occupants. The houses, with their prim little 

 stoops, porches, and gables to the street, reminding 

 me strongly of those built by the early settlers of 

 New York and Albany. But few of the streets 

 have any sidewalks, and many of them are not 

 paved at all, causing them, in consequence of the 

 arid climate, to be ankle deep in dust. Nine-tenths 

 of the inhabitants still retain a Dutch look, and 

 many of them are unable to speak any other than 

 their original language, while to a large number of 

 them the epithet " boors," so commonly bestowed, 

 is quite applicable. The town is laid out with re- 

 gularity, many of the streets crossing each other 

 at right angles, and some are of respectable width. 

 Rows of oak, poplar, and pine trees line the sides 

 of the principal avenues. Many contain shops, 

 which are well supplied with the usual varieties of 

 European goods. Roses and vines are cultivated 

 in front of the houses, and their blossoms and fruit, 

 although within reach of all, are respected. The 

 houses are painted of various colours, without any 

 regard to taste, and are of a clean though anti- 

 quated appearance. No two of them are alike, 

 yet their styles are so marked, that the country 

 whence their builders came may be judged with 

 tolerable certainty from each. Badly-painted signs 

 are as numerous as in our own country, and vanes 

 pointing in every direction surmount the gables. 

 The Dutch costume still prevails among the inha- 

 bitants, and afforded us much amusement. In the 

 schools the Dutch language is still taught; though 

 in many the English is a branch of education. 

 Considering the number of years that this colony 

 has been under the British dominion, it surprised 

 me to find that a knowledge of the Dutch was 

 much more necessary than that of English, while 

 dealing with the inhabitants. 



There are two hotels in Cape Town, the Royal 

 George and the Victoria, both kept on the English 



