"d 
M 
MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. WILLIAM JACK. 
go on board the ships that night, so that 
at last I carried my point. The next ques- 
tion was where we should sleep, and we 
started to look for some building where we 
might put up, and find a shelter, though 
it should be only a barn. During our 
search, it became quite dark, and after 
walking some hours, what place should we 
stumble upon but the well-known Con- 
stantia! Thence we were directed to a 
sort of inn, some miles distant, where we 
got a good supper, and all tumbled toge-. 
ther into a bed, spread on the floor. In 
the morning, we climbed the mountain, 
Which is very steep and scarcely ever as- 
cended on this side. We however accom- 
plished it, but the summit was so enve- 
loped in mist, that we obtained but little 
view from it; we walked for nearly a mile 
on a level upon the top, which is however, 
intersected by parallel ridges, so as not to 
be quite so flat as it appears from the sea. 
We then descended, and walked as quickly 
as possible to Symon's Town, which we 
did not reach till eight o'clock at night, all 
much fatigued, though I suffered far less 
than the rest. On board our ship, there 
had been considerable anxiety on our ac- 
count, as wolves and runaway slaves are 
said to infest Table Mountain. The plants 
which I brought home, are enough to find 
me with work for a week to come; the 
commonest genera are Erica, Protea, and 
Ozalis. In one cottage which I entered, 
I was surprized to see them burning wax 
candles, and on enquiry, I found the people 
made them themselves, by boiling the ber- 
ries of a pae of which they showed me 
. 8 branch.” 
At Sea, M 14, 1813.—** We stopped 
9né day at Johanna, an island in the 
Mosambique Channel. The inhabitants are 
' à mostly Arabs, who have come down from 
the Red Sea and settled there: the town 
is rather large and surrounded by a good 
; a wall, on which are placed several pieces 
: Qf cannon, but they are mostly dismounted 
honey-combed. 
people were 
; The 
obliged to fortify themselves in this manner, 
127 
as a protection against the Malagassymen, 
who used to come and carry them away 
for slaves; the neighbouring island being 
wholly deserted on this account. Since, 
however, Bourbon and the Mauritius have 
fallen into our possession, there is no 
market for slaves, and the people live un- 
molested. We paid a visit to the king, 
with whom we kept up a conversation by 
the help of an interpreter: he enquired 
very cordially for his friend George, and 
whether we had yet sent Bonaparte to hell. 
Some idea he certainly seemed to have of 
the state of affairs in Europe, as he asked 
about the war in Spain, and had heard 
that the Americans had rebelled, (as he 
called it) against us. He regaled us with 
a glass of cocoa-nut milk, which is a very 
pleasant beverage. The Cocoa trees abound 
all over the island, and are employed for a 
number of uses, besides constituting such 
an important article of food; the stringy 
parts serve for cordage, and houses are 
made of the platted leaves. We were 
abundantly supplied with fruit of every 
description, Oranges, Cocoa-nuts, Pine- 
apples, Plantains, Guavas, 
* On nearing Ceylon, its spicy gales 
saluted us in the most pleasing manner 
before we had even got sight of the land. 
The country all along is flat and covered 
with Cocoa-trees, which form a very promi- 
nent feature in tropical scenery. On going 
round Ceylon, the Commodore kept so 
near shore, that he struck on a sunken 
rock He was sailing with a fine breeze, 
and all sails set, at the rate of seven knots 
an hour, when he stuck fast; the other 
ships following, were apprized of their 
danger by a signal and hove to. The 
Alta, however, touched three times before 
she could get clear, and they were all in 
great danger. The Dedalus floated off, 
but had received so much injury, that she 
sunk in a few hours, the crew and their 
having been previously removed 
on board the Indiaman. She went to the 
bottom, in ninety-six fathoms water, with 
every sail set, and in the midst of a large - 
fleet; such a sight was perhaps never _ 
wi d before." P v 
eet N 
