Captain Cook's Journal During His First Voyage Round the World
light in the Morning, when we haul'd in North-West and North-West by
North; at 8 the Cape of Good Hope North-West by North, and at 10 we were
abreast of it, and distance off about 1 League or little more. We passed
close without a rock, on which the Sea broke very high; it lies about a
League right out to Sea from the Cape. After passing the Cape we kept
along shore at the distance of about 1 League off, having a fresh Gale at
South-East; at noon the Cape bore South-East, distance 4 Leagues.
Latitude observed 34 degrees 15 minutes South, Longitude in, by our
reckoning, corrected by the last observation, 341 degrees 7 minutes West,
or 18 degrees 53 minutes East from Greenwich, by which the Cape lies in
34 degrees 25 minutes South Latitude, and 19 degrees 1 minute East
Longitude from Greenwich, which nearly agrees with the observations made
at the Cape Town by Messrs. Mason and Dixon in 1761; a proof that our
observations have been well made, and that as such they may always be
depended upon to a surprizing degree of accuracey. If we had had no such
guide we should have found an error of 10 degrees 13 minutes of
Longitude, or perhaps more to the East, such an effect the current must
have had upon the ship.
Thursday, 14th. Winds at South-East, a fresh Gale, but as we approached
the Lyons Tail or West point, Table Bay, we had flurries of wind from all
Points of the Compass; this was occasioned by the high land, for clear of
it the wind was still at South-East, and bbow'd so strong out of the Bay
that we could not work the Ship in; we were therefore obliged to Anchor a
good way without all the Ships at Anchor in the Road, in the whole 16
Sail, viz., 8 Dutch, 3 Danes, 4 French, a Frigate, and 3 Store Ships, and
one English East Indiamen, who saluted us with 11 Guns; we returned 9.
The Gale continued, which obliged us to lay fast all the morning.
Friday, 15th. Strong Gales at South-East all the Afternoon and most part
of the Night, though in the Evening it fell a little moderate, which gave
the Indiaman's Boat an opportunity to come on board us, with a Complement
of a Basket of Fruit, etc,; she was the Admiral Pocock, Captain Riddell,
homeward bound from Bombay. In the morning we got under sail, and stood
into the Road, having variable light airs mostly from the Sea. A Dutch
boat from the Shore came on board, in which were the Master Attendant and
some other Gentlemen; the former directed us to a proper birth, where
about 10 o'clock we anchored in 7 fathoms water, a Ouzey bottom; the Lyon
Tail, or West point of the Bay, bore West-North-West, and the Castle
South-West, distance 1 1/2 miles. I now sent a Petty Officer on shore to
know if they would return our Salute, but before he return'd we Saluted,
which was immediately return'd with the same number of Guns; after this I
waited myself upon the Governour, who was pleased to tell me that I
should have everything I wanted that the place afforded. My first care
was to provide a proper place ashore for the reception of the Sick, for
which purpose I order'd the Surgeon to look out for a House where they
could be lodged and dieted. This he soon found, and agreed with the
people of the house for 2 shillings a day per man; which I found was the
customary Price and method of proceeding. I afterwards gave the Surgeon
an order to superintend the whole.
[Remarks on Dysentery.]
Few remarks have hapned since we left Java Head that can be of much use
to the Navigator, or any other Person, into whose hand this Journal may
fall; such, however, as have occur'd I shall now insert. After our
leaving Java head we were 11 days before we got the General South-East
Trade wind, in which time we did not advance above 5 degrees to the South
and 3 degrees to the West, having all the time Variable light Airs of
Wind, interrupted by frequent Calms, the weather all the time hot and
sultry, and the Air unwholesome, occasioned most probably by the Vast
Vapours brought into these Latitudes by the Easterly Trade wind and
Westerly Monsoons, both of which blow at this time of the Year in this
Sea. The Easterly winds prevail as far as 12 or 10 degrees South, and the
Westerly winds as far as 6 or 8 degrees; between them the winds are
Variable, and I believe always more or less unwholesome, but to us it was
remarkable from the Fatal Consequences that attended it, for whatever
might be the cause of First bringing on the Flux among our people, this
unwholesome Air had a Great share in it, and increased it to that degree
that a Man was no sooner taken with it than he look'd upon himself as
Dead. Such was the Despondency that reigned among the Sick at this time,
nor could it be by any Means prevented, when every Man saw that Medicine,
however skillfully Administered, had not the least effect. I shall
mention what Effect only the immaginary approach of this disorder had
upon one man. He had long tended upon the Sick, and injoyed a tolerable
good State of Health; one morning, coming upon Deck, he found himself a
little griped, and immediately began to stamp with his feet, and exclaim,
"I have got the Gripes, I have got the Gripes; I shall die, I shall die!"
In this manner he continued until he threw himself into a fit, and was
carried off the Deck, in a manner, Dead; however he soon recover'd, and
did very well.
We had no sooner got into the South-East Trade wind than we felt its
happy Effect, tho' we lost several men after, but they were such as were
brought so low and weak that there were hardly a possibility of there
recovery; and yet some of them linger'd out in a State of Suspence a
month after, who, in all Probability, would not have lived 24 Hours
before this Change hapned. Those that were not so far gone remained in
the same state for some time, and at last began to recover; some few,
however, were seized with the disorder after we got into the Trade wind,
but they had it but slightly, and soon got over it. It is worth
remarking, that of all those who had it in its last stage only one man
lived, who is now in a fair way of recovering; and I think Mr. Banks was
the only one that was cured at the first Attack'd that had it to a great
degree, or indeed at all, before we got into the South-East Trade, for it
was before that time that his Cure was happily effected.
It is to be wished, for the good of all Seamen, and mankind in general,
that some preventative was found out against this disease, and put in
practice in Climates where it is common, for it is impossible to Victual
and water a Ship in those Climates but what some one article or another,
according to different Peoples opinions, must have been the means of
bringing on the Flux. We were inclinable to lay it to the water we took
in at Princes Island, and the Turtle we got their, on which we lived
several days; but there seems to be no reason for this when we consider
that all the Ships from Batavia this Year suffer'd by the same disorder
as much as we have done, and many of them arrived at this place in a far
worse State; and yet not one of the Ships took any water in at Princes
Island. The same may be said of the Harcourt Indiaman, Captain Paul, who
sail'd from Batavia soon after our arrival, directly for the Coast of
Sumatra; we afterwards heard that she, in a very short time, lost by
Sickness above 20 men; indeed, this seem to have been a year of General
Sickness over most parts of India, the Ships from Bengal and Madrass
bring Melancholly Accounts of the Havock made there by the united force
of Sickness and famine.
Some few days after we left Java we saw, for 3 or 4 evenings succeeding
one another, boobies fly about the ship. Now, as these birds are known to
roost every night on land they seem'd to indicate that some Island was in
our neighbourhood; probably it might be the Island Selam, which Island I
find differently laid down in different Charts, both in Name and
Situation.
The variation of the Compass off the West Coast of Java is about 3
degrees West, which Variation continues, without any sencible difference
in the Common Track of Ships, to the Longitude of 288 degrees West,
Latitude 22 degrees 0 minutes South. After this it begins to increase
apace, in so much that in the Longitude of 295 degrees, Latitude 23
degrees, the Variation was 10 degrees 20 minutes West; in 7 degrees more
of Longitude and one of Latitude it increased 2 degrees; in the same
space farther to the West it increased 5 degrees; in the Latitude of 28
degrees and Longitude 314 degrees it was 24 degrees 20 minutes; in the
Latitude 29 degrees and Longitude 317 degrees it was 26 degrees 10
minutes, and continued to be much the same for the space of 10 degrees
farther to the West; but in the Latitude of 34 degrees, Longitude 333
degrees we observed it twice to be 28 1/4 degrees West; but this was the
greatest Variation we observed, for in the Latitude of 35 1/2 degrees,
Longitude 337 degrees, it was 24 degrees, and continued decreasing, so
that of Cape Laguillas it was 22 degrees 30 minutes and in Table Bay it
was 20 degrees 30 minutes West.
From what I have observed of the Current it doth not appear that they are
at all considerable until you draw near the Meridian of Madagascar, for
after we had made 52 degrees of Longitude from Java head we found, by
observation, our Error in Longitude was only 2 degrees, and it was the
same when we had made only 19 degrees. This Error might be owing partly
to a Current setting to the Westward, or, what I thought most likely,
that we did not make sufficient allowance for the set of the Sea before
when we run, and, lastly, the assum'd Longitude of Java head might be
wrong. If any Error lays there it Arises from the imperfection of the
Charts I made use of in reducing the Longitude from Batavia to the above
mentioned Head, for it cannot be doubted but the Longitude of Batavia is
well Determined. After we had passed the Longitude of 307 degrees we
began to find the Effects of the Westerly Currents, for in 3 days our
Error in Longitude was 1 degree 5 minutes; its Velocity kept increasing
as we got to the Westward, in so much that for 5 days successively, after
we had made the land, we were drove to the South-West or South-West by
West by the Currents not less than 20 Leagues a day; and this continued
until we were within 60 or 70 Leagues of the Cape, where we found the
Current to set sometimes one way and sometimes another, but mostly to the
Westward.
After the Boobies above mentioned left us we saw no more birds till we
got nearly abreast of Madagascar, where, in the Latitude of 27 3/4
degrees, we saw an Albatross. After that time we saw more of these birds
every day, and in greater numbers, together with several other sorts; one
sort about as big as a Duck, of a very Dark brown Colour, with a
yellowish bill. The number of these birds increased upon us as we
approached the Shore. As soon as we got into Soundings we saw Gannets,
which we continued to see as long as we were on the Bank, which stretches
off Laguillas 40 Leagues, and Extends along shore to the Eastward from
Cape False, according to some charts, 160 Leagues; the Extent of this
Bank is not well known, however, it is useful in directing Shipping when
to haul in to make the land.
[At Anchor. Table Bay.]
Saturday, 16th. Variable light Airs all this day. Moor'd the Ship and
Struck Yards and Topmast, and in the morning got all the Sick (28) ashore
to Quarters provided for them, and got off fresh meat and Greens for the
People on board.
Sunday, 17th. In the A.M. sail'd for England the Admiral Pocock, Captain
Riddle, by whom I sent Letters to the Admiralty and Royal Society. About
noon came on a hard, dry Gale from the South-East.
Monday, 18th. In the P.M. anchored in the offing an English Ship, which