320 / TRAVELS IN 
Europe to the Indian Ocean, if we except the Portugueze iflands 
and Rio de Janeiro, whofe admiffion to us is extremely pre- 
carious, we have not a creek that will a{Ford us a butt of water, 
a bifcuif, or a bullock. 
It is by no means neceflary to refort to the coafts of South 
America to fucceed in the Southern Whale Fifhery. The 
whales on the eaft and weft coafts of Africa are of the fame 
kind, of as large a fize, and as eafily taken, as thofe on the 
fliores of the oppofite continent. The black whales, indeed, 
are caught with much greater eafe, as they refort in innumerable 
quantities into all the bays on the coafts of South Africa, where 
there is no rifk in encountering them, and lefs expence as well 
as more certainty in taking them, than in the open ocean. The 
fpermaceti whale, whofe oil is more valuable, and of which one 
half of the cargo at leaft fliould be compofed, in order to meet 
the expences of a long voyage, is equally abundant on the 
coafts of Southern Africa as on thofe of America. No objec- 
tion can therefore lie on the ground of taking the fifti. 
If policy requires the encouragement of all our fifheries by 
bounties, and that with a view of increafmg the nurfery of 
feamen to Great Britain and Ireland ; it may, perhaps, be ex- 
pedient to extend that encouragement to the inhabitants of the 
Cape of Good Hope, a meafure which could not fail to bring to- 
gether the South Sea fifhers to its ports to complete their car- 
goes, giving, by their means, an increafed energy and activity 
to the trade and induftry of the fettlement. 
3 The 
