Chapter X

A VOYAGE TO THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

September 1791 to April 1792

Captain Hunter waits on the Governor at Batavia.--Applies for a passage to England.--Purchases the Waaksambeyd for that purpose.--Leaves Batavia.--Passes the Keelings.--Arrives at the Cape of Good Hope.--Leaves that place, and anchors at Saint Helena.--Departs from Saint Helena.-- Arrives at Portsmouth.--Tables for the variation of the compass.--Captain Hunter's letter to the Lords of the Admiralty.-

The master of the ship went immediately on shore, to inform his owner (the Shebander) of his arrival: that gentleman wrote me a note the same night, begging to see me the next morning as early as possible, that he might introduce me to the governor; he informed me at the same time, that it was quite unnecessary to write to the governor upon any business I might have to settle with him, (which the master of the ship informed him I intended) as my business could be done with more ease in a personal interview.

I landed the next morning, and went with the Shebander (who spoke English) to the governor, who lived about three miles out of town. I had previously told the Shebander, in writing, what my business was, which he thought necessary for enabling him the better to interpret between us. I informed the governor, that Governor Phillip had found it necessary, for the forwarding of his Majesty's service, to employ the vessel in which I was embarked to convey to that port the officers and company of his Majesty's lost ship the Sirius, with a view, that after we had procured the necessary provision and refreshments, we should be permitted to proceed in the same vessel to England: I therefore desired permission to have her refitted, and to proceed with all possible expedition.

The governor, in answer to my request, informed me, that he could not consent to any vessel belonging to the company being employed as a transport, and that it was contrary to the established regulations of the company to permit that vessel, as Dutch property, to proceed from thence to Europe.

I desired that he would take the trouble to consider the nature of my application; and I begged he might understand, that I was not soliciting a favour to myself, as an individual, but that I was an officer in the king's service, and that although I was not at that port in the command of one of his Majesty's ships, that I nevertheless was in actual service, and had at that time a ship's company, and their proper officers, under my command; that he would be pleased, therefore, to understand me correctly, that it was for his Majesty's service I was then making the application he had heard; and I hoped, and believed, that himself and the council would find no difficulty or inconvenience to the company's concerns, in deviating a little from their established rules for the accommodation of his Britannick Majesty's service.

To this he only replied, he could do nothing of himself, and that my application must be made to the council; to which, I informed him, I had no sort of objection.

The Shebander, therefore, wrote an application from me in the Dutch language, founded on the letter which I had written to him on that subject; to which he added one paragraph that, he said, would very much facilitate the business, and prevent delay; this was, after having desired permission to let the vessel proceed to Europe, "That if it were impossible, consistent with the established rules of the company, to grant such a request, that they would be pleased to give permission for my purchasing the vessel, if I could settle the business with the proprietor."

I waited on the governor and council in person, and received my answer from the governor, which was, that the council had complied with my request, and would permit me to purchase the vessel; a business which the proprietor and I had previously settled. I cannot help noticing here, that this vessel was sometimes considered as belonging to the company, and at other times as the sole property of a private individual; probably, those gentlemen who hold considerable appointments under the company, and are at the same time employed in an extensive commerce on their own account, may be authorised to use the name of the company, whenever it may be necessary to promote their own private interest.

This gentleman, whose name was Engelhard, acted with much liberality in the equipment of his ship, although those whom he employed on that business did not act with the same good intention: he was, upon every occasion, civil and attentive.

A short time before we arrived here, the town of Batavia had been very unhealthy, and was, though much better, still sickly. Our sailors continued to enjoy good health until about a week before we were ready for sea, when they fell down fast with a fever which had raged much at Batavia: this fever was, however, in some of the seamen, brought on by a little intemperance. On the 19th of October died Daniel Buddle, seaman.

On the 20th, we left the road and sailed to the island of Onrust, where we anchored and received some stores for the use of the ship. On the 22d, we sailed from Onrust, and the 26th cleared the streight of Sunda: at this time Terence Burne, seaman, died, and we had twenty-two down with the Batavia fever; it was of the intermitting kind, and exceedingly obstinate and difficult to remove; it reduced the patient to a very weakly state in a very short time, and occasioned much sickness at the stomach, and a loathing of every kind of food.

On the 30th, as we were steering south-west, we kept a good lookout all night for the islands called Keelings, or Cocos Islands; being uncertain whether their situation was well ascertained: at noon on the 31st, the latitude observed was 12° 10' south; this I supposed to be rather to the southward of them, and altered the course to west-south-west: at three in the afternoon, we discovered the islands under our lee, distant about four leagues: there are three of them well covered with wood, but they are very low and flat; there are several smaller spots like rocks above water; the larger islands have sandy beaches, and in many places there were very high breakers: the latitude of the south side is 12° 06' south; the longitude by account from Java Head, but afterwards confirmed by observations of is 98° 03' east.

On the 14th of November, Robert Henderson, seaman, died; and on the 11th of December died Edward Moore, seaman.

On the 15th we made Cape Lagullus, and the 17th anchored in Table-Bay, at the Cape of Good Hope; but it blew so strong from the south-east that we were not able to fetch the upper anchorage: it continued to blow from the same quarter for several days, and on the 20th, it blew so violent a gale, that the two bower anchors would not hold the ship: finding in the evening that the gale did not in the smallest degree abate, and that if I continued to trust any longer to anchors, which it was plain were too light for the ship, we should run a risk of being drove upon the reef off Robbin's Island in the night, for every heavy gust set the ship a-drift, we cut both the cables before dark, and had just day-light enough to run to sea under the foresail. When we got a few leagues to sea we found the weather quite moderate, and made sail, with the hope of being able to recover the bay again.

On the 22d, in the evening, we fetched close round Green Point, and hoisted the signal of distress, having but one small anchor left: his Majesty's ship Providence, the Assistant armed tender, and Pitt transport, being in the bay, repeated our signal with many guns, and sent all their boats; several English whalers and some Americans also sent their boats with anchors and hausers, and we were very soon got into safety.

I was much obliged to Captain Bligh, as well as to the commanders of all the other ships for their exertions, without which we must again have been driven to sea. The same night we received anchors and cables from the shore, and secured the ship. The anchors which we had left being far down the bay when we quitted them, were entirely lost.

On the 23d, the Providence and Assistant tenders left the bay, and on the 24th the Pitt transport sailed for New South Wales.

As our sick, from the very low state they were in when we arrived, were likely to detain me longer here than it was my wish or intention to have staid, I determined to avail myself of that time, and convert a spare top-mast into a mizen-mast; the ship being in certain situations, very unsafe for want of after-sail; and the head of the main mast being much crippled by the weight of the try-sail, I set the carpenters immediately to work upon this job, which was soon completed; but on examining the head of the fore-mast, I found it was also very defective, which determined me to reef both the top-masts.

On the 13th of January, 1792, having completed our provisions for sixteen weeks, I directed that such of the men as were sufficiently recovered to proceed upon the voyage, might be discharged from sick quarters and sent on board. On the 18th, with a breeze from south-south-east, we ran down to Robbin's Island, where, it falling calm, we anchored. On the 19th, with a south-west breeze, we stretched out to sea. We left five men at sick quarters who were too weakly to be taken on board.

On the 4th of February, at five in the afternoon, we saw the island of Saint Helena, and at noon we anchored off James's Valley in fourteen and a half fathoms, and moored ship: I sent an officer on shore to wait on the governor, who wrote me a very polite note, expressing his concern for the misfortune I had met with, and offering every refreshment the island could afford to my seamen. On the 5th, I landed, and was received by the governor under the usual salute given to captains of his Majesty's ships (eleven guns). On the 13th, we left the island, having received fresh beef for our ship's company during our stay there, and having completed our water.

I should very ill deserve the civilities I received here, if I were not to take this opportunity of expressing my obligations to Lieutenant Colonel Brooke, the governor of this island, and to every individual of his family, for their great politeness and very friendly attention to myself and officers whilst we remained at this island.

On the 22d of April we arrived at Portsmouth.

[An account of the observations for finding the variation of the compass...] [The tables are included in the HTML version]

A Voyage From Port Jackson to England

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The LORDS of the ADMIRALTY, from a zealous wish to promote the nautical interests of Great-Britain, were pleased to permit the publication of the following letter from CAPTAIN HUNTER; which gives his opinion on the best course from NEW SOUTH WALES to EUROPE; and which closes the instructive communications of that able navigator.

To the RIGHT HONOURABLE the LORDS COMMISSIONERS of the ADMIRALTY:

My Lords,

As the settlement, which is now established on the coast of New South Wales, will no doubt occasion a frequent intercourse between the Mother Country and that part of the world, I conceive it to be a duty in those, who, from their own experience and observation, may be qualified to give any information in their power, relative to the navigation to and from that distant country: it is with this hope, that I presume to trouble your lordships with an opinion, which, I can with truth say, has been founded on my own experience and observation.

The passage from England to the Cape of Good Hope is already so well known that it would be superfluous in me to make any observations upon it. From the Cape to our settlement at Port Jackson, the navigation is now much better known, than it was when the first convoy to that country was left in my charge; it is a plain and easy track; any person who is acquainted with the common rules of navigation, and finding the variations of the compass, may, with the necessary look-out, run across that extensive ocean without danger: I have sailed over it twice, and it has been crossed by many other ships since. The advantage of being able to ascertain the ship's place in longitude, by observations of the moon, will ever be satisfactory, but more particularly through so vast a tract of sea, in which the error of the log may considerably accumulate, when ships arrive upon that coast where the land lies so nearly in a north and south direction, there can be no difficulty in discovering what part of the coast they are upon, their latitude observed will always point that out, by applying to the general chart, given from the authority of that most correct and able navigator Captain Cook. When they arrive off Botany-Bay, Port Jackson, or Broken-Bay, they will I hope receive some assistance into any of these harbours, from the surveys done by me, copies of which I delivered to the governor, as the different harbours were completed, in order that fair copies might, as early as he should judge proper, be transmitted home: but that nothing in my power may be wanting to assist those who may be strangers on their arrival off that part of the coast, separate copies of those ports, with directions more full than were given with the first, will be delivered at your lordship's board, with this, and also a copy of the three harbours, on one sheet, connected with the intermediate coast.

It is the return from that country immediately for Europe, by the safest, most certain, and expeditious route, that should be the object of our particular attention. The passage from Van Diemen's Land westward, to the Cape of Good Hope, has never yet been attempted; we can therefore say but little upon it; some, however, are of opinion, that a passage may be made that way with as much ease and expedition as by any other route. I confess that I differ from these opinions: I admit that the passage may be made; but I think, whenever it is tried, that it will be found tedious, and fatiguing to the ship's company. The ship which pursues that route should be strong and well found, and her crew healthy and capable of bearing much blowing, and some cold weather. It is not from a single voyage that we are to judge of the eligibility of this passage; it will happen in some seasons that the wind may be more favourable for making that passage than in others; but it is on the general prevalence of westerly winds here, and the heavy sea which is constantly rolling from the westward, that I conceive this route may be tedious and fatiguing, and on which account I give the preference to the southern route by Cape Horn. This passage has been frequently tried, and never yet failed of being safe and expeditious; the other never having yet been tried, leaves in my mind some doubt of its certainty and expedition, and a strong suspicion, that whenever it is, it may be found twice out of three times, attended with the difficulties I have hinted at; but if from repeated experience it should be found to be as practicable, expeditious, and certain, as some imagine, it will no doubt be preferable to all the others, as being a shorter distance.

This passage will of course be attempted only in the Summer months: for admitting a ship to have gained so much to the westward, as to enable her to clear the west coast of New Holland, and to stretch to the northward, until she falls into the south-east trade wind, she will carry this trade in the Summer time probably quite home to the Cape; but in the Winter, north-west winds prevail in the neighbourhood of that coast, which would exceedingly retard her arrival there.

The passage southward by Cape Horn, I have sailed, and as a proof of the prevalence of westerly winds in those high latitudes, I made my voyage to the Cape of Good Hope, in ninety-one days, from Port Jackson, although I was so unlucky as to be detained beating off Cape Horn for seventeen days, with a north-east wind; which I believe is not very common there. This is rather a long voyage to be performed in that time, and yet I think it will be done twice in three times in less, although a distance of about 3300 leagues.

The northern passage, which can only be attempted during the Winter season, in the southern hemisphere, on account of the periodical trade winds in the Indian seas, and undertaken in such time as to ensure their reaching Batavia, before the setting in of the westerly winds there, which is generally in the middle or end of October. The dangers, currents, calms, and other delays to which we are liable in these little known seas, and of which we had much experience in the Waaksamheid transport, is the subject of the preceding narrative, which was written particularly for the information of your lordships, and principally with a view of showing the very great uncertainty of an expeditious voyage to Europe by that passage. I sailed from Port Jackson in March, and I can take upon me, without, I hope, being supposed to have presumed too much on my own judgment and experience to assert, that a ship leaving that port in the end of September, or beginning of October, taking her route by Cape Horn, would have reached England as soon as I have. The time I stopped at such places as I was obliged to touch at, will appear in the narrative.

If ever government should find it necessary to send ships to that country, which may be intended to return immediately from thence to England, I beg leave to suggest to your lordships, that the particular seasons in the southern hemisphere should be considered, in order to prevent those delays in the return of the ships which must inevitably attend their sailing at an unfavourable time.

If such ships leave England in February, or earlier, if found more convenient, they should refresh at Rio de Janeiro in preference to the Cape of Good Hope; as by the time they could arrive at the Cape the north-west winds will be setting in there, which will oblige them to go into the False bay; this will considerably encrease their expences, and probably occasion some delay: sail immediately from Rio Janeiro for the coast of New South Wales, where, if they are not uncommonly unfortunate, they will arrive early in September; this is giving them good time.

They will then have time to clear, ballast, and to refresh their people for six weeks or two months, and return by Cape Horn; or, if the western passage be found preferable, the season will be equally favourable for it. If they should take their route by Cape Horn, as they will no doubt require to refresh somewhere in their voyage home, they may either stop at Santa Catherina or Rio Janeiro, on the Brazil coast, or go to the Cape; in this case I would recommend the Cape, as more convenient, in more respects than one. If they are sickly, there they may get a supply of men, which it is well known they cannot at either of the other places; and in sailing from the Cape homeward they will have the advantage of being to windward; however, if as late as April, they would probably prefer Brazil. If water only were wanted, that could be had at Falkland's Islands.

In taking the liberty to offer these hints, I mean only, that in order to prevent any loss of time, upon such a service, the ships may be dispatched from England in such time as to insure their having the Summer months to return either by Cape Horn, or the western route, as may be directed.

The ships upon this service will no doubt be under the inconvenience of coming upon the coast of New South Wales in some of the Winter months; we have some bad weather on that coast in the Winter, and some smart gales of wind; the easteriy gales always bring thick or hazy weather: I would recommend the not making too free with the coast, until they be near the parallel of their port. In steering in for Port Jackson, if they should fall to leeward, either with a northerly or southerly wind, they can avail themselves of either Botany-Bay or Broken-Bay, Port Jackson being the center harbour.

In the sketches which will accompany the narrative of my last passage, I beg leave to inform your lordships, that the bearings and relative situations of the different lands which we fell in with were determined by intersections taken from the ship by Lieutenants William Bradley and Henry Waterhouse, who paid particular and constant attention to those very necessary observations; and that the situations of the lands in general were determined by observations for the longitude as well as latitude, which were made by myself and the above officers.

I have now only to request that your lordships will do me the honour to believe, that in the liberty I have taken, I am prompted wholly by a sense of duty, and that I am, with the utmost respect,

My Lords,

-June_, 1792.

Your Lordship's most obedient and devoted humble servant,

JOHN HUNTER.

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LIEUTENANT KING'S JOURNAL.

The public owe an obligation, and the publisher a kindness, to Sir Joseph Banks and Mr. Stephens, of the Admiralty, to whose charge Lieutenant King had committed his journal, for liberally allowing the free use of this intelligent manuscript, in order to the publication of such parts of it as might be supplementary in its notices to the foregoing narrative of Captain Hunter.

The journal of Lieutenant King, like the narrative of Captain Hunter, begins with the _plan_ of a settlement on the coast of New South Wales, for the present banishment of convicts, in the hope of future benefit to the nation; and with the outfit of the ships which had been appointed for this uncommon expedition. Like Captain Hunter, under whom he sailed in the Sirius, he conducts their little fleet from England to the Canaries; from these islands to the Brazils; from Rio de Janeiro to the Cape of Good Hope; recording such professional notices, and making such useful remarks, as occurred on a voyage, which being now perfectly known, could afford in the recital little diversity, and could furnish in the publication neither information nor amusement.

Of the Sirius, which was never more to return to _the Thames_, he tells the following anecdote: "She was built in -the river_ for an east country ship; and in loading her, she took fire and was burnt down to her wales. The government wanting a roomy vessel to carry stores abroad, in 1781, purchased her bottom, which was rebuilt with such stuff as, during the war, could be found. She went two voyages as the Berwick store-ship; and without any repairs she was reported, when the present expedition was thought of, as fit for the voyage to New Holland, when she was named _The Sirius_." Experience, however, evinced, that she was altogether adequate to the service for which she was destined; and carried her crew safe through one of the most tremendous gales, on a lee shore, that the oldest seaman remembered.

Lieutenant King describes the Cape of Good Hope, of which so many accounts have been given. Here was it determined, that with Governor Phillip and other officers, he was to change his ship from the Sirius to the Supply, an armed tender of one hundred and seventy tons: but this measure was not executed till the fleet had sailed 352 miles from the Cape of Good Hope, when they yet had 5582 miles of an ocean to traverse, before they could expect to see the south cape of New Holland, the object of their hopes. Soon after they had parted from their associates in the voyage, they were alarmed in the night with the cry of _rocks under the lee bow:_ but having put the helm a-lee, they soon perceived, that the Supply had passed over two enormous whales, which gave her a shock that was felt by all. Without any other accident, though they had heavy gales and a boisterous sea, they anchored at Botany-Bay on the 19th of January, 1788, after a voyage of thirty-seven weeks and a day, since their departure from England.

On the fifth day after their arrival, two strange ships were seen standing into the bay, which proved to be the La Boussole and L'Astrolabe under the command of Monsieur De la Peyrouse, and which have been long wishfully looked for by all the good and wise of Europe.