Chap. I. 
eorge Anson 
There is yet a third Qjality mod eminent in the Hotten- 
tots , for which the/ have been unjuftly, fhall I fay, or bar- 
barously, reproached by other Nations ; the Quality I mean 
is, the Love of their Country. Hottentots have been car- 
ried off very young, both by the Engli/h and the Butch , 
educated in Europe , and accuftomed to our Manners ; and, 
upon their being carried back, have immediately renounced 
all the Advantages they had over their Brethren, and be- 
came mere Hottentots again. This appears to us in the 
Light of Brutality •, but, let it appear in what Light it will, 
it ffiews their Love of their Country, and of their Country- 
men : And the fame Affeftion is mod evident in every Part 
of their Conduct ; for, when an Hottentot has acquired Pro- 
vifions by his Labour, he will fhare them with any Hotten- 
tot who is in Want ; and no Alteration of Circumftances, 
no Change in Situation, can make an Hottentot forget that 
he is an Hottentot , and that every Hottentot is his Brother : 
Noble and generous Sentiments, in fpite of their Greafe and 
Sheep -fkins ! 
I muff obferve, that their Virtues are as little contro- 
verted as their Habit, and therefore I can never be brought 
to think, that People who poffefs them, and are fo tenacious 
of them, that even the Converfation and Example of the 
Europeans cannot defpoil them of thefe Qualities, outfit to 
be reprefented as almoft on the Level with Beads. Drunk- 
ennefs, and other Vices, with which they are reproached, 
they have been taught by the Europeans ; but who taught 
them their Virtues ? or who has the Courage, who has the 
good Senfe and Juftice, to admire them ? Some of the 
Butch Writers- have, and have, I am forry to fay, been 
laughed at for their Pains. I would not be thought a Lo- 
ver of Paradoxes, or a Perfon who would pique myfelf on 
contradifling the common Notions of Mankind : I fhould 
not have taken thefe Pains, at leaft in this Place, to vindi- 
cate the Hottentots purely to amufe or entertain the Reader •, 
but I am led to it from an Hottentot Principle, that of Love 
to my Country. 
This abfurd, this unreafonable Averfion to the Sheep- 
fkins and Greafe, to the untoward Appearance, and uncouth 
Manners, of the Hottentots , loft us the valuable Settlement 
at the Cape. There were many Attempts made by the 
Englijh Eaft India Company to form a Plantation here ; but 
in vain. Thofe who were fent reported, that the Country 
was only fit for Hottentots ; and that there was no living in 
it, or with them : Yet we fee at this Day, that there is not 
a finer, more fruitful, or more pleafant Country in the 
World ; and that the Butch are fo far from thinking a Corre- 
fpondence with the Hottentots inconvenient, that they have 
all along treated them with Juftice and good Manners. 
They purchafed from them the Country which they have 
cultivated •, and the King of the Company’s Hottentots is a 
free and independent Prince. It is therefore of great Im- 
portance for us to rid ourfelves of thefe narrow and ridicu- 
lous Notions, and to eradicate that foolifh Principle of 
making thofe Plumours, which we are wife enough to con- 
demn at home, the Standard of Right and Wrong abroad. 
We often affert, and I believe juftly, that the Knowledge, 
Learning, and Lights, of the prefent Age are fuperior to 
thofe of the paft. Let us ufe them then •, let us tranfmit 
the Fruits of them to Pofterity ; let us exceed, at leaft let 
us equal, our Anceftors, by (hewing them one Plantation, 
bendes Georgia, the Work of one Man’s Virtue, fettled 
in oui Time : Let us fhew, that our Difcoveries are not 
confined to Speculation ; but that we are able to execute, 
as well as to talk or write ; let us join the Induftry, the 
Activity, the public Spirit, of the laft Age, to the Learn- 
ing and Lights of this ; let us amend our Errors, as well 
as decry them ; and let it be the Study of thofe, who enjoy 
Power, or who afpire to it, to convince their Countrymen, 
that they have nothing in View, but their Good. Without 
this, all our Application to the Sciences, all our Difcove- 
nes, all our Improvements, will do us no Good. We fhall 
be, like the Athenians in the Decline of their Republic, ce- 
our Knowledge, and defpifed for our Vices: 
We mall live upon what was tranfmitted to us by the Care 
and Courage of our Forefathers, and leave to Pofterity the 
Admiration of our Abilities in Theory, and Weaknefs in 
Practice. But, in the Midft of their Refle&ions, ourPo 
a 
fteiity tnuft admit, that fome Men are free from the In* 
febtion ; and, while they read in our Annals too many In- 
fiances of naval Mifcarriages, they will be obliged to com 
fefs, from the Hiftory of this Voyage, that 'there was one 
Man, who, in fpite of the greateft Difficulties and Difcou- 
ragements, did not mifcarry. 
On April i, 2. they received the reft of the dry Provi- 
fions and naval Stores, which the Commodore had pur- 
chafed ; and, having reviewed their Store of Water, found 
it confifted of 108 Tons of Water; and that they were, in 
eveiy refpcfl, furnifhed with what was neceffary for their 
Return to England , the Ship being in a much better Condi- 
tion than when fhe failed from the River of Canton , the Men 
in good Heaitn, and the Ship’s Company recruited by fuch 
aole Seamen, as the Officers could meet with at the Cape, 
and, m a W ord, every Precaution made ufe of, that could 
poffibly contribute towards making the Remainder of the 
V oyage fafe and eafy ; and, every thing being thus in Or- 
der, on April 3. the Commodore gave Directions for fail- 
ing the next Morning as early as poflible. 
1 7 * began therefore to unmoor about four o’clock, 
and at eight they weighed, and turned out of the Bay. The 
Salisbury , Warwick , and Winchefter, faluted them each with 
eleven Guns ; and they returned nine. The Butch Com- 
modore faluted with nine, and had feven returned. As we 
iave often mentioned thefe Salutes, it may not be amifs to 
0 lerve, that they are regulated by the Commodore’s In- 
ductions, which direfl, ‘ That if Merchant-ffiips, whether 
t f oreigners, or belonging to his Majefty’s Subjects, falute 
t Admiral of a Fleet, they fhall be anfwered by fix Guns 
e ! ds - r When the y f alute any other Flag-fhip, they fhall 
t be anfwered by four Guns lefs ; and, if they falute Men 
t °* j ar ’ the y ftaf be anfwered by tv/o Guns lefs. If fe- 
c vera ' Merchants Ships falute in Company, no Return is 
t t0 -M £ rT ? ac,ie ’ the y have all finifhed, and then by fuch 
t a Number of Guns as fhall be thought proper ; but, tho* 
4 rhe Merchants Ships fhould anfwer, there fhall be no fe- 
cond Return. All Salutes are to be made with the Guns 
‘ of the Upper-deck.* 
By Noon, the Eland of Penguin bore North-eaft by Eaft, 
and the Sugar-loaf South-eaft, diftant ten Leagues. On 
the 5 th, they began to ferve two Quarts of Water a Day to 
eac . 0 ^hip s Company. On the 10th, they exercifed 
their Guns and Small-arms ; and, on the nth, they did 
the lame. On the 19th, they had Sight of the Eland of 
M. Helena, bearing North-eaft, at the Diftance of eight 
Leagues. On the 30th, about two in the Morning, they 
law a Light, which they took to be a Ship fleering Weft 
by North, and therefore made a clear Ship. On May 3. in 
, Afternoon, they hoifted out the Cutter, and fcrubbed 
the Ship between Wind and Water. 
On the 4th, they exercifed their great Guns and Small- 
arms^ On the 5 th, they fprung their Main-top-maft and 
Truffel- trees. On the 6th, they repaired this Damage. O11 
the 1 8th, the Wind being fair, they hoifted the Cutter, to 
fcruEthe Ship. On the 2 ift, they had a large Swell from 
the North North-weft ; faw abundance of Weeds floating 
on the Sea, of which we have given a fatisfaftorv Account 
in a iOimei Seftion. On the 29th, about four in the After- 
noon, their Fore-top-fail was carried away ; which obliged 
them to get in their Sprit-fail-yard, and make it ferve for 
a Top-fail-yard ; and at the fame time fet their Fore-top 
for a Sprit-fail-yard. On the 30th in the Morning, they had 
a very hard and fudden Squall of Rain and Wind, which 
carried away their Top-fail-yard, and fplit the Sail j upon 
which they clued up all their Sails. A 
On the 31ft, they had a great Swell from the North-weft 
which fprung the Fore-top-fail-yard ; which obliged them 
to unbend their Sails, get them down, and double-reef 
the Top fail. On June 5. they hoifted out the Cutter to 
fcrub the Ship between Wind and Water ; and, on the 6th 
about five m the Morning, they difcovered a Sail fleering 
North by Weft ; upon which they made a clear Ship, and 
gave Lhace. About ten, they came up with her, fired a 
Gun, and ihe brought-to. She proved a homeward-bound 
Merchantman from Cape Fare in North Carolina , laden with 
1 ar and Rofin. The Commodore had fent his Cutter on 
board, to inquire whether War was broken out with France, 
