On our leaving Prince’s Island, and during the whole time of our run from thence to the Cape of Good Hope, the crew of the Resolution was in a much more sickly state than that of the Discovery; for, though many of us continued for some time complaining of the effects of the noxious climate we had left, yet happily we all recovered from them. Of the two who had been ill of fevers, one, after being seized with violent convulsions on the 12th of February, which made us despair of his life, was relieved by the application of blisters, and was soon after out of danger. The other recovered, but more slowly. On board the Resolution, besides the obstinate coughs and fevers under which they very generally laboured, a great many were afflicted with fluxes, the number of whom, contrary to our expectations, continued increasing till our arrival at the Cape.
Captain Gore attributed this difference in part, and probably with some reason, to the Discovery having her fire-place between decks; the heat and smoke of which he conceived might help to mitigate the bad effects of the damp night air. But I am rather inclined to believe that we escaped the flux by the precautions that were taken to prevent our catching it from others. For if some kinds of fluxes be, as I apprehend there is no doubt they are, contagious, it is not improbable that the Resolution caught this disorder from the Dutch ships at Cracatoa. In order to avoid this danger, when Mr. Williamson was sent to the Indiaman in the entrance of the Straits of Sunda, he had the strictest orders not to suffer any of our people, on any account whatever, to go on board; and whenever we had afterward occasion to have any communication with the Resolution, the same caution was constantly observed.
We were no sooner clear of Prince’s Island, than we had a gentle breeze from the west north-west; but this did not last long; for the following day the wind became again variable, and continued so till the noon of the 25th, when it blew squally, and blew fresh from the north.
On the 22d at noon, being in latitude 10° 28ʹ S., and longitude 104° 14ʹ, we saw great quantities of boobies and other fowls that seldom go far from land; from which, we conjectured that we were near some small unknown island.
In the evening of the 25th, the wind changed suddenly to the southward, accompanied with heavy rains, and began to blow with great violence. During the night, almost every sail we had bent gave way, and most of them were split to rags; our rigging also suffered materially, and we were, the next day, obliged to bend our last suit of sails, and to knot and splice the rigging, our cordage being all expended. This sudden storm we attributed to the change from the monsoon to the regular trade-wind; our latitude was about 13° 10ʹ S. and we had made by our reckoning about 41⁄2° of longitude west from Java head.
From the 26th of this month to the 28th of March, we had a regular trade-wind from the south-east to east by south, with fine weather; and, being in an old beaten track, met no occurrence that deserved the smallest notice.
In the morning of the 28th of March, being in latitude 31° 42ʹ S., and longitude 35° 26ʹ E., the trade-wind left us in a violent thunder-storm. From this time to the 3d of April, when our latitude was 35° 1ʹ S., and longitude 26° 3ʹ E. the winds were moderate, and generally from the south quarter. A fresh breeze then sprung up from the eastward, which continued till the afternoon of the 4th; after which, we had a calm that lasted the two following days.
It had hitherto been Captain Gore’s intention to proceed directly to St. Helena, without stopping at the Cape; but the rudder of the Resolution having been for some time complaining, and, on being examined, reported to be in a dangerous state, he resolved to steer immediately for the Cape, as the most eligible place, both for the recovery of his sick, and for procuring a new main-piece to the rudder.
From the 21st of March, when we were in latitude 27° 22ʹ S., longitude 52° 25ʹ E., to the 5th of April, when we had got into latitude 36° 12ʹ S., longitude 22° 7ʹ E., we were strongly affected by the currents, which set to the south south-west, and south-west by west, sometimes at the rate of eighty knots a day. On the 6th, having got under the lee of the African coast, we lost them entirely.
In the morning of the 6th, a sail was seen to the south-west standing toward us; and, as the wind soon after rose from the same quarter, we cleared our ships for action. We now discovered, from the mast-head, five sail more on our lee-bow, standing to the eastward; but the weather coming on hazy, we lost sight of them all in an hour’s time. Our latitude at noon was 35° 49ʹ S., longitude 21° 32ʹ E. At seven o’clock the next morning (the seventh), we made the land to the northward at a considerable distance.