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 h