I have no doubt but that you, Sir, are in correspondence with the above named, but to me unknown, gentlemen, and that those two copies intended for me are only enclosed in a packet with many for yourself.

I long much to see the observations on the Georgian satellites, but doubt their being ready to come with the paper on nebulæ. I beg you will order them to be forwarded to me as soon as you see them yourselves, for I do not flatter myself with the hopes of being much longer for this world, but will be thankful if life is spared me till the end of April, when I hope to receive the assurance of my nephew’s safe arrival with his dear family at the Cape.

Excuse my troubling you so far, and believe me with great regard, dear Sir,

Your much obliged and humble servant,

C. Herschel.

CHAPTER VII.
SIR JOHN HERSCHEL AT THE CAPE.

Cape Town, Jan. 21, 1834.

My dear Aunt,—

Here we are safely landed and comfortably housed at the far end of Africa, and having secured the landing and final stowage of all the telescopes and other matters, as far as I can see, without the slightest injury, I lose no time in reporting to you our good success so far. M. and the children are, thank God, quite well; though, for fear you should think her too good a sailor, I ought to add that she continued sea-sick, at intervals, during the whole passage. We were nine weeks and two days at sea, during which period we experienced only one day of contrary wind. We had a brisk breeze “right aft” all the way from the Bay of Biscay (which we never entered) to the “calm latitudes,” that is to say, to the space about five or six degrees broad near the equator, where the trade winds cease, and where it is no unusual thing for a ship to lie becalmed for a month or six weeks, frying under a vertical sun. Such, however, was not our fate. We were detained only three or four days by the calms usual in that zone, but never quite still, or driven out of our course, and immediately on crossing “the line,” got a good breeze (the south-east trade wind), which carried us round Trinidad, then exchanged it for a north-west wind, which, with the exception of one day’s squall from the south-east, carried us straight into Table Bay. On the night of the 14th we were told to prepare to see the Table Mountain. Next morning (N.B., we had not seen land before since leaving England), at dawn the welcome word “land” was heard, and there stood this magnificent hill, with all its attendant mountain range down to the farthest point of South Africa, full in view, with a clear blue ghost-like outline, and that night we cast anchor within the Bay. Next morning early we landed under escort of Dr. Stewart, M.’s brother, and you may imagine the meeting. We took up our quarters at a most comfortable lodging-house (Miss Rabe’s), and I proceeded, without loss of time, to unship the instruments. This was no trifling operation, as they filled (with the rest of our luggage) fifteen large boats; and, owing to the difficulty of getting them up from the “hold” of the ship, required several days to complete the landing. During the whole time (and indeed up to this moment) not a single south-east gale, the summer torment of this harbour, has occurred. This is a thing almost unheard of here, and has indeed been most fortunate, since otherwise it is not at all unlikely that some of the boats, laden as they were to the water’s edge, might have been lost, and the whole business crippled.

1834. Sir John Herschel at the Cape.