SOUTHERN AFRICA. 169 
the East India Company, in tbe course of the last twenty 
years, with regard to the value of the Cape of Good Hope: 
many have occurred to enhance its importance. 
That they did consider it of the utmost consequence, to- 
wards the end of the American war, is sufficiently evident 
from the conduct they adopted at that time. The moment 
that a Dutch war was found to be inevitable, towards the 
close of the year 1780, Lord North, whose sentiments on this 
point were in }>erfect agreement with those of the Directors, 
lost no time in communicating to the secret committee of the 
East India Company the information of it ; in order, that 
they might take or suggest such measures, without delay, as 
the event misht render most conducive to their interests. 
The chairman and deputy chairman, who, if I mistake not, 
at that time, were Mr. Devaynes and Mr. Sullivan, lost not 
a moment in consulting with such of their officers as happened 
to be then in London, and were supposed to be qualified to 
give good information. The result of their deliberations was a 
proposal, in the event of a Dutch war, to take possession of 
the Cape of Good Hope, as a measure of the utmost import- 
ance to the East India Company's concerns ; and as this 
proposal met the concurrence of the minister, a squadron was 
immediately dispatched under the command of Commodore 
Johnston, who carried under his convoy their outward-bound 
fleet. Having anchored for refreshments in Porta Praya Bay, 
he was overtaken by SufFrein, with whom he fought an inde- 
cisive battle, which enabled the French to reach the Cape 
of Good Hope, and to place it in such a state of security that 
VOL. II. z 
