Chap. I. Captain WititAfi Funneii. I47 
Numbers, as to deftroy the Kitchen-gardens belonging to 
their Plantations : I fay, they would hardly have buffered 
this, confidering one Advantage , that St. Helena has, not 
only beyond the Cape, but even beyond any other Settle- 
ment ; which is, that, as it is at prefen t fortified, it may be 
juftiy accounted impregnable, , though there fhould be but a 
very moderate Garrifon to defend it. But enough of this : 
Let us now return to the Voyage which gave Occafion to 
thefe Reflections. _ . 
37. We were now to continue our \oyage to Europe 
in the Eafi India Fleet •, and it was impoffible to fee, 
Without Surprize and Satisfaction,’ the Care taken of their 
Trade by the Government eftabliffied here. It would take 
up much more Room than we have to fpare, to enumerate 
the many Inftances that might be given of the Dutch Pru- 
dence in this refpeCt. One, however * ffiall fuffice. The 
Eafi India Company’s Admiral not only hoifts his Flag 
in Company with the Men of War belonging to the States, 
but his Signals alfo are obeyed by thofe Men of War as 
chearfully as if he was Admiral of their own Fleet. Hence 
proceeds that Regularity that is obferved in ail their 
Voyages to and from the Eafi Indies, when thefe Squadrons 
fail with as much Harmony, in every refpect, as if it was 
compofed intirely of Ships of War •, which is the Reafon 
that our Ships, efpecially in a Time of War, are content 
to make fome Stay at the Cape of Good Hope , in order to 
have the Opportunity of coming home with them. It is 
alfo very furprifmg, to fee how great an Effedt the Ex- 
ample of the Dutch has upon our Countrymen, who be- 
come, in every refpeft, as regular, and as- attentive to 
Signal, as They are ; fo that very rarely any Accidents hap- 
pen to the Ships of either Nation, when they fail thus in 
Company, We had an Opportunity of obferving this 
during the Time of our Voyage to and from the Cape, 
where we were excellently provided with every thing 
requifite for our Voyage, on .which we proceeded on the 
24th of March, with a frelh Gale of Wind at South-eaft ; 
and went out between Penguin Hand and the Main-land, 
having the Main on the Starboard- fide, and the Hand on 
the Larboard. This is a pretty low fandy Hand ; in the 
Middle of which, upon the higheftPart of it, they have a 
few Guns mounted, and near them a Flag-ftaff, on which, 
at the Approach of any Ship, they hoift a Flag, and Fire 
a Gun, to give Notice to the Town. This Hand takes it 
Name from a vaft Number of Birds, called Penguins, 
which commonly refort near it.. Thefe Birds are about 
the Bignefs of a wild Duck *, they do not fly, but flutter, 
having no Wings, but Stumps only, like young Ducks, 
and thefe, Stumps lerve them for Fins in the Water. They 
have a fliarp Bill, but Feet like a Duck, and their Fiefli 
but indifferent Food. This Kind of Fowl is not fo large 
here as in the Streights of Magellan , nor fo good ; how- 
ever, more Ufe would be made of them, if the Dutch 
Ships were not always fo well provided when they fail from 
the Cape, that the Seamen do not find themfelves under 
any Temptation to take up with rank or difagreeableFood : 
And this may be one Reafon, why they are, generally 
Ipeaking, pretty free from Difeafes •, one Effebt, among 
many, of their ftrift Difcipline, of which they Hand in 
need as much as the Sailors of any Country, being 
extremely fond of ftrong Liquors, and very abufive when 
intoxicated with them ; and, therefore, their Officers are 
very commendably careful in their Endeavours to prevent 
it, which they never omit. We were now twenty-four 
Sail of us, vizt nine Englijh , and fifteen Dutch ; and the 
Gale continuing, foon carried us to the true Trade. 
We met with nothing material till the 10th of April 1706. 
when tv/o of the Englijh Ships, failing very heavily, fell 
a-ftern, and loft our Company : They put into St. Helena, 
and, as we afterwards heard, were taken out of the Road 
by the French. On the nth, we had 25 Hogs killed for 
the Ship’s Company, and the Commodore ordered an Hog 
to a Mefs, that is, to every feven Men, to difpofe of as 
we pleafed, befldes our daily Allowance, fo that we had 
more Victuals than we could tell what tb do with. On the 
15th, a Man being barbaroufly murdered on board the 
Dutch Vice-admiral, the Murderer was brought on board 
our Ship, and tried for his Life, and the fame Day con- 
demned to die. He owned the Murder, and deflred the 
Favour of the Court, that he might chuferiiis own Death, 
which .was granted ; and he chofe to be fliot 5 which the 
next Day was accordingly done, all the Fleet lying by till 
his Death, and then we all made Sail again. On the 17th, 
we faw the Hand of Afcenfion , but did not touch here for 
Turtle, although it was their Laying-time : The Reafon. 
was, becaufe we were fo well fupplied with Provifions at 
the Cape, that we had no Occafion for more ; and the 
Englijh Ships being willing to keep us Company, they alfo 
did not touch here. O11 the 19th, we had fine fair Wea- 
ther, with a frelh Gale at South-eaft : About eleven this 
Morning happened a great Earthquake ; at firft it feemed 
as if the Ship ran along upon the Ground : So we heaved 
out a Lead on each Side, with two hundred Fathom of 
Line, but found no Ground. The whole Fleet felt the 
Shock at the fame time, fo that for half a Quarter of an 
Hour there was nothing but making .of Signals, and firing 
of Guns. We then reckoned the Hand of Afcenfion to 
bear South-eaft, diftant about forty Leagues. We fleered 
thence to the North-weft, and had foon an Opportunity of 
obferving the great Advantage refulting from our imitating 
the Regularity of the Dutch : When I fay this, I mean it 
of the Englijh Ships in Company, which had quitted their 
Defign of bearing up for the Hand of Afcenjion, in order 
to remain with the Fleet. 
38. On the 14th of June, we faw four Sail of French. 
Privateers, which were waiting there for cur homeward- 
bound Ships : They came up, andlooked on us; but thought 
it not advifeable to make any Attempt, and foon bore 
away. On the 30th, we found ourfelves in the Latitude 
of 62° 40' North, which was the furtheft Northward that 
I ever was ; and I could not but take notice of the Dif- 
ference of Cold in this Place, and in 6o° of Southern Lati- 
tude ; for there we had continual Showers of Snow or 
Hail, and the, Weather very cold; whereas here, on the 
contrary, we found the Weather very fair and moderate : 
The Reafon of which, I fuppofe, was this ; when we were 
to the Southward, we were always pretty near to the Main 
of America, having it to the Weft of us ; likewife, when 
we were to the Northward, we were always pretty near the 
Main-land of Europe, having it to the Eaft of us. Now, 
being near the Land, we always account the Land-winds 
the coldeft, and the Sea-winds the warmeft. Thus the 
North-eafterly Wind is accounted the coldeft: Wind we 
have in England , Holland, &c. but in the fame Latitude 
North, near the Coaft of Aimerica, the North- weft Wind 
is commonly accounted the coldeft ; and, in the fame 
Height of South Latitude, on the Coaft of America , the 
South-weft Wind, is the coldeft ; as, near the Cape of 
Good Hope, the South-eaft Wind is the coldeft; Now, 
the Wefterly Winds, at fuch a Height, both in North and 
South Latitude, having generally the Predominancy over 
the Eafterly, very much alter the Degrees of the Heat or 
Cold of the Weather ; for which Reafon, in the South 
Part of America, the Wefterly Wind caufed cold Weather ; 
but, to the Northward, the Wefterly Wind caufed warm 
Weather ; and, as the Eafterly Wind, being near the 
European Shore, is the coldeft, fo, being near the Ame- 
rican Shore, in the fame Height of Southern Latitude, 
the Wefterly Wind is the coldeft. Thefe Obfervations are 
of very great Ufe to Seamen, and efpecially to Com- 
manders, becaufe they enable them to guefs what Weather 
they are to expeCt on any Coaft, and even to have a 
tolerable Forefight of what may happen in Voyages for 
Difcovery ; the Appearance of which Fo refight in the 
Commander is of infinite Conlequence to encourage the 
private Men, who obey with the greateft Chearfulnefs, and 
undertake, with the greateft Alacrity, whatever they are 
commanded, by a Man, of whole judgment they have a 
good Opinion, and of whole Skill they have had frequent 
Experience ; whereas the leaft Diffidence in a Commander 
finks the Courage of his Sailors, doubles the Fear of every 
Danger, and becomes an Occafion for future Sufpicion 
and Contempt. 
39. We faw, in the Evening of the 3d of July, the 
Hands of Faro, bearing Fail and by North, diftant about 
ten or twelve Leagues. We founded, bin had no Ground 
at. no Fathom; at twelve at Night we had Ground at 
85 Fathom, and at 75 by three in the Morning. On the 
4th 
