152 TRAVELS IN 
felf with the capture of a few Dutch Indlamen in Saldanha 
Bay ; whilft the French Admh-al, having refitted and refrefhed 
his fquadron at the Cape, proceeded to Mauritius, and from 
thence to the Indian Seas with his fhips and men in the higheft 
order ; a circumftance that was attended with no fmall degree 
of detrim.ent and annoyance to the trade and poffeffions of the 
Eaft India Company, as well as of expence and inconvenience 
to the Crown. For the failure, in the grand objedt of this ex- 
pedition, not only gave the enemy the vaft advantage of land- 
ing and refrefhing their feamen and troops, who were foon re- 
cruited by the invigorating efieds of a temperate climate and 
abundance of frefli provifions, fruits, and vegetables, but it like- 
wife enabled him to keep a fleet almoft conftantly at fea, by the 
provifions and naval ftores it received from the Cape througli 
Mauritius by agents refiding there. Their own iflands of Mau- 
ritius and Bourbon furnifh no fuch fupply, their produdions 
not being adequate to the confumption of the inhabitants and 
the garrifons> 
The French, in fad:, have always contrived to refit and pro- 
vifion their fhips, and to fend their armaments fupplied with 
Hores to the Indian Seas from the Cape of Good Hope. Had it 
not been for the fupplies furniflied from this fettlement, together 
with the poffeffion of the harbour of Trincomalee, it would 
have been utterly impoflihle for Suffrein to have fupported his 
fleet, or maintained the conteft with us in the manner he did. 
It was not, indeed, without a full convidion of its great 
utility to England, as well as of encumbrance to the Dutch, 
