trong fortress, and about half a mile from this is a fine town of 150
houses, with a small church. The country in the neighbourhood is very
high, and the mountains are mostly barren, producing only a few shrubs;
but the country is full of lions, tigers, elephants, and other wild
beasts, which give great disturbance to the settlers, for which reason
the government gives a reward of fifty-two guilders for killing a lion,
equal to four pounds six and eight-pence, and twenty-four guilders, or
forty shillings, for killing a tiger. While we were there, a certain
Scotsman killed four lions, three tigers, and three wild elephants, for
all of which he got the rewards. The Dutch make here a great quantity of
an excellent wine, called Cape wine, which is sold by retail at
eight-pence a quart.

We sailed from the Cape the 24th of March, excellently provided with
every thing requisite for the voyage. We were now twenty-four sail,
having nine English and fifteen Dutch ships. On the 17th April we made
the island of Ascension, but did not touch there even for turtle,
although their season of laying, having been so well provided with fresh
provisions at the Cape that we had no occasion for more. On the 19th
there happened a great earthquake, when the ship seemed for some time as
if she run along the ground, on which we heaved the lead on both sides,
but had no ground at 200 fathoms. The whole fleet felt the shock at the
same time; so that for about ten minutes every ship was making signals
and firing guns. On the 14th June we saw four sail of French privateers,
which were waiting for us; but after looking at us for some time, and
observing the regular order in which we sailed, they did not think it
adviseable to make any attempt against us, and bore away. This shewed
the great advantage of the regular order observed by the Dutch in
sailing, in which on this occasion they were imitated by the English
ships in company.

On the 30th June we were in lat. 62 deg. 40' N. the highest north I was ever
in, and I could not help noticing the great difference in point of cold
here and in 60 deg. S. There we had continual showers of snow or hail, with
bitter cold weather; while here the weather was fair, and the cold
moderate. In the evening of the 3d July we saw the Faro Islands. On the
5th we met with eight Dutch men of war, which were cruizing on purpose
to convoy us safe home, accompanied by four victuallers and three of the
Company's privateer