246 * C O O IC’s VOYAGE, 
the bottom of the abdomen, of fufficient extent to render an ar- 
tificial covering of the neighbouring parts unneceflary. 
Thus much for the country, its productions, and inhabit 
tants. The bay is large, fafe, and commodious ; it lies open 
indeed to the north weft winds, but they feldom blow hard 
yet as they fometimes fend in a great fea, the lhips moor N. E. 
and S. W. fo as to have an open hawfer with north weft winds : 
the fouth eaft winds blow frequently with great violence, but 
as this direction is right out of the bay, they are not dan- 
gerous. Near the town a wharf of wood is run out to - a proper 
diftance, for the convenience of landing and {hipping goods'. 
To this wharf water is conveyed in pipes., from which feve- 
ral boats may fill water at the fame time ; and feveral large 
boats or hoys are kept by the Company to carry ftores and 
provifions to and from the flipping in the harbour. The bay 
is defended by a fquare fort, fituated clofe to the beach on 
the eaft fide of the town, and by feveral outworks and batteries 
extending along the ftiore, as wellon this fide of the town as 
the other; but they are fo fituated as- to be cannonaded by 
flipping, and are in a manner defcnceleC againft an enemy of 
any force by land. The garrifon confilts of eight hundred re- 
gular troops, befdes militia of the country, in which is com- 
prehended every man able to bear arms. They have con- 
trivances to alarm the whole country by fignals in a very fhort 
time, and the militia is then to repair immediately to the 
town; 
The French, at Mauritius, are fopplied from this place 
with falted beef, bifeuit, flour, and wine; the provifions for 
which the French contracted this year were 500,000 jb.. 
weight cf fait beef, 400,000 ffo. of four, 400,000 jfe. of bif- 
euit, and 1,200 leagers of wine. 
In the morning of the 14, we weighed and food out of the 
bay ; and at five in the evening anchored under Penquin, or- 
Robin Ifand : we lay here all night, and as I could not fail 
in the morning for want of wind, 1 fent a boat to the ifand 
for a few trifling articles which we had forgot to take in at 
the Cape. Eut as foon as the boat came near the fliore, the 
Dutch hailed her, and warned the people not to land at their 
peril, bringing down at the fame time fix armed men with 
Mufquets, who paraded upon the beach. The officer who 
commanded the boat, not thinking it worth while to rifle the 
lives of the people on board for the fake of a few cabbages, 
width were all we wanted, returned to the flip. At firft we 
u tre at a lefis to account for our repulfe, but we afterwards re- 
cel’e&ed, that to this ifand the Dutch at the Cape banilh 
fuch criminals as are not thought worthy of death, for a cer- 
tain number of years, proportioned to the offence; and em- 
ploy them <.s Haves in digging limc-fone, which though 
fcaice 
