66 TOYAGE IN SEARCH 



land on the 1 6th of January, about eight o'clock 

 in the morning. We were then at the diftance 

 of four myriameters from Table Bay. 



The currents, which, at the time of the gene- 

 ral winds, had made us lofe fo much ground, 

 havingfortunately taken a contrary direclion when 

 we had met with the variable winds, the wefting 

 we loft was nearly balanced by the eafting we 

 made. Our land-fall at the Cape of Good Hope 

 confirmed this obfervation. It may eafily be con- 

 ceived, that, with the exception of a few irregu- 

 larities in the variable winds, the tendency of 

 the waters to find their level muft determine 

 thofe which are in the latitude of thefe winds to 

 flow back towards the eafl, in proportion as the 

 general winds carry to the weft ward thofe whole 

 courfc they direct. 



The proximity of the land had alfo been an- 

 nounced to us by a change in the colour of the 

 waters of the fea, which is occafioned by the 

 elevated bottom on which they rcpofe. 



Some fcals of the fpecies which BufFon has 

 denominated petit phoque (phoca pufilla, Linn.), 

 came within a fmall diftance of our fhip to 

 ieek their fubfiftence in the great heaps of 

 veed, called fucus pyrifcrus, which were 

 fcen floating on the furfacc of the fea : thefe 

 animals frequently fled, at the fame time raifing 

 thcinfclvcs by fudden fprings above the water ; 



<hen 



