MAY 1771 ARRIVE AT ST. HELENA 443 



The island, which is named after the seals (in Dutch 

 Robberi) that formerly frequented it, is low and sandy, 

 situate in the mouth of Table Bay. Here are confined such 

 criminals as are judged not worthy of death for terms of 

 years proportioned to the heinousness of their crimes. They 

 are employed as slaves in the Company's service, chiefly in 

 digging for lime-stone, which, though very scarce upon the 

 continent, is plentiful here. Their reason for not letting 

 foreigners land is said to be that formerly a Danish ship, 

 which by sickness had lost the greater part of her crew, 

 came into the Cape and asked for assistance. When this was 

 refused she came down to this island, and sending her boats 

 ashore, secured the guard, and took on board as many of 

 the criminals as she thought proper to navigate the ship 

 home. 



2 8th. This day we crossed our first meridian and com- 

 pleted the circumnavigation of the globe, in doing which we, 

 as usual, lost a day, which I should upon this occasion have 

 expended properly had not I lost it a second time, I know 

 not how, in my irregular journal at the Cape. 



1st May. In the morning at daybreak saw the island of 

 St. Helena about six leagues ahead, and consequently before 

 noon arrived in the road where were found His Majesty's 

 ship Portland, Captain Elliot, sent out to convey home the 

 Indiamen on the account of the likelihood of a breach with 

 Spain, also His Majesty's ship Swallow?- which had the day 

 before brought word of the pacific measures adopted by that 

 Court, and twelve sail of Indiamen. 



2nd. As the fleet was to sail immediately and our ship 

 to accompany it, it became necessary to make as much of a 

 short time as possible, so this whole day was employed in 

 riding about this island, in the course of which we very 

 nearly made the complete circuit of it, visiting all the most 

 remarkable places that we had been told of. 



3rd. Spent this day in botanising on the ridge where 

 the cabbage-trees grow, visiting Cucold's Point and Diana's 

 Peak, the highest in the island, as settled by the observations 



1 This was not the consort of the Dolphin in 1766. 



