258 NEW ZEALAND TO AUSTRALIA CHAP, xi 



Europe : the general price, which indeed never varies, is two- 

 pence a pound. It is tolerable meat, but not so fat as ours 

 in England. Pork is scarce and dear, of that therefore a 

 larger proportion might be taken out. Bread, which varies 

 in price, is of the rusk kind, very good but rather brown. 

 Spirit is arrack from Batavia, the price of which, after having 

 paid the duties of import and export, is 60 rixdollars 

 (12 sterling) a legger of 150 gallons. Wine is in great 

 plenty and very cheap, and while I was there l they began 

 to distil a kind of brandy, which, however, at that time was 

 as dear as arrack, and much inferior to it both in strength 

 and goodness. 



Should a ship upon this expedition be obliged to go into 

 False Bay, into which the Dutch remove on the 12th of 

 May, most of these articles might be got there at a small 

 advance occasioned by the carriage, which is very cheap, 

 and if anything were wanted it might be bought from 

 Cape Town either by Dutch scouts, of which there are 

 several belonging to the company in the harbour, or by 

 waggons over-land, as the road is good and much frequented 

 at that season of the year. 



3 1st March. Our route being settled in the manner 

 above mentioned, we this morning weighed, and sailed with 

 a fair breeze of wind, inclined to fall in with Van Diemen's 

 Land, as near as possible at the place where Tasman 

 left it. 



2nd April. Our malt having turned out so indifferent 

 that the surgeon made little use of it, a method was thought 

 of some weeks ago to bring it into use, which was, to make 

 as strong a wort with it as possible, and in this boil the 

 wheat, which is served to the people for breakfast : it made 

 a mess far from unpleasant, which the people soon grew 

 very fond of. I myself who have for many months con- 

 stantly breakfasted upon the same wheat as the people, either 

 received, or thought I received, great benefit from the use of 



1 This paragraph, if not the whole of this discussion, has evidently been 

 introduced (by Banks himself) after having visited the Cape. 



