SOUTHERN AFRICA. 243 
weft coaft of South America. At a month's notice, the whole 
coaft of Brazil could be lined with crulzers from the Cape. 
The whole eaftern coaft of Africa, and the various iflands con- 
tiguous to it, are at the mercy of the power who holds the Cape; 
and the large ifland of Madagafcar may be approached in ten or 
twelve days, thofe of France and Bourbon in much lefs than a 
month, the Red Sea in five or fix weeks, and the coafts of Ma- 
labar and Coromandel in feven or eight weeks. Thefe pafTages 
will certainly depend much on the feafon of the year in which 
they are made, but when this is properly chofen, the diiFerent 
places may be arrived at within the periods here mentioned. 
If, at any time, troops might be wanted in the Weft Indies, 
the homeward-bound Eaft Indiamen might be employed to 
tranfport them thither from the Cape without retarding their paf- 
fage more than fixteen or eighteen days, as the common prac- 
tice of croffing the line is now as far to the weftward as 26° weft 
longitude. Detachments of the Hottentot corps would be well 
calculated for fervice in the Weft India iflands. Should, at any 
future period, the French refume their projeds on India by the 
Red Sea (which they will certainly not fail to do whenever an 
opportunity prefents itfelf), in three months from the time it 
was firft known in England, a force from the Cape might be in 
pofleflion of the ftraits of Babel mandel, and, by thus anticipa- 
ting, completely fruftrate their defigns, which, with the Cape in 
their pofleffion, or in that of the Dutch, they might eafily ac- 
complilh. 
f I 2 
But 
