TERRA AUSTRALIS. 
At the Cape.\ 
403 
sage, I received much polite attention from His Excellency the earl 
of Caledon, and Mr. Alexander, secretary to the colony ; as also 
from the Hon. general Grey, commander of the forces, commissioner 
Shield of the navy, and several other civil and military officers of the 
Cape establishment. I made little excursions to Constantia and in 
the neighbourhood of the town ; but feared to go into the interior 
of the country lest an opportunity, such as that which the India 
packet had presented, might be lost. Towards the latter end of 
August, captain Parkinson of the army and lieutenant Robb of the August, 
navy arrived from commodore Rowley’s squadron, with intelligence 
of the island Bourbon being captured ; and a cutter being ordered to 
convey them to England, I requested of the admiral and obtained a 
passage in her. 
We sailed from Simon’s Bay on the 28th, in the Olympia, 
commanded by lieutenant Henry Taylor; and after a passage of 
fourteen days, anchored in St. Helena road on the afternoon of 
September 1 1 ; and having obtained water and a few supplies from September 
the town, sailed again the same night. On the 16th, passed close to 
the north side of Ascension, in the hope of procuring a turtle should 
any vessel be lying there; but seeing none, steered onward and 
crossed the Line on the 19th, in longitude 19” west. The trade 
wind shifted to the S. W. in latitude 5 0 north, and continued to blow 
wntil we had reached abreast of the Cape-Verde Islands, as it had 
done at the same time of year in 1801. At my recommendation 
lieutenant Taylor did not run so far west as ships usually do in 
returning to England, but passed the Cape- Verdes not further distant 
than sixty leagues ; we there met the north-east trade, and on the 
29th Mr. Taylor took the brig Atalante from Mauritius. 
On reaching the latitude 22|° north and longitude 33 0 west, October, 
the north-east trade veered to east and south-eastward, which enabled 
us to make some easting ; and being succeeded by north-west winds, 
we passed within the Azores, and took a fresh departure fiom St. 
Mary’s on the 15th of October. Soundings in 75 fathoms were 
