rd. The schooner Atlas came in this afternoon, with letters for me
from some merchants at Cape Town, offering their services to supply me
with coal, &c., and expressing their good-will, &c., &c. I took occasion
by this vessel, which returned immediately, to write to the Governor,
Sir Philip B. Wodehouse, informing him of my presence here.

_Sunday, Aug. 2nd._--The inhabitants say that this winter has been
remarkable for its general good weather, and for the few gales they have
had. Crowds of country people, from far and near, came on board to look
at the ship to-day.

_Monday, Aug. 3rd._--Another crowd of visitors to-day, who came in their
country waggons and on horseback. They all speak Dutch, and it is rare
to find one among them who speaks English. Although it is nearly half a
century since England took final possession of the colony, the English
language has made but little progress, the children being taught by a
Dutch schoolmaster, and the papers being, many of them, printed in
Dutch. There was an intelligent young _boer_ (about twenty-three) among
them, who had never been on board a ship before. He was quite excited by
the novelty of everything he saw. Some of the female visitors were
plump, ruddy, Dutch girls, whose large rough hands, and awkward bows and
curtsies, showed them to be honest lasses from the neighboring farms,
accustomed to milking the cows and churning the butter. I found the
geranium growing wild in my rambles to-day. Just as we were going to
sun-down quarters, a boat came alongside with the body of Third
Assistant-engineer Cummings, who accidentally shot himself with his gun.

_Tuesday, Aug. 4th._--In the afternoon, at three, the funeral procession
started from shore with the body of the deceased engineer. He was taken
to a private cemetery about a mile and a half distant, and interred with
the honours due to his grade, the First Lieutenant reading the funeral
service. This is the first burial we have had from the ship.

_Wednesday, Aug. 5th._--At 6 A.M. got up the anchor, and getting under
way, steamed out of the bay and shaped our course for Cape Town. At 9.30
descried a sail a point on the starboard bow, and at 10.30 came up with
and sent a boat on board of the Confederate barque Tuscaloosa, and
brought Lieutenant Lowe on board. He reported having captured, on the
31st July the American ship Santee, from the eastward, laden with rice,
certificated as British property, and bound for Falmouth