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’ 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. 
31st 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. 
