Cape Good Hope 1652-1702

[p. 334]

[1688]
War continues between France and the ‘League of Augsburg’. September 24 France declares war against the Empire. November 15 William of Orange lands in England. November 26 France declares war against Holland: start of the ‘Nine Years' War’.
Background - from official documents in the archives

(These extracts are translated from microfilm, the Diary for this year being missing in the Cape Archives, and only recently located by the Hague Archives, by the courtesy of which the microfilm was supplied. Since there is no copy of this Diary except in microfilm, and the material has never been translated into English, the extracts are much fuller than those for other years. It should also be noted that the seven Resolutions here summarised in the entries for 8/4, 16/4, 30/4, 30/5, 9/6, 31/8, and 7/12 are not included in the Argiefstukke Kaap, Vol III, Cape Town 1961, these Resolutions being also missing from the Cape Archives.)

5/1 [Soundings taken near Lions Rump by galliot* Noord ‘and the skiff’]

8/1 ... at 10 o'clock comes in under full sail the English Coy's, hired ship The Roijale Jacob and Marie ... 300 men, half soldiers and half sailors, bound for Bombaia [sailed 13/1]

17/1 [Danish ships Wolf, Antonette, Hoop arrived from Surat where they had taken ‘fully nine valuable ships from the Moors*’, bringing one, a 20-gun frigate* renamed Goude Leeuw, previously bought from the English. Sailed 6/2]

21/1 ... The Hon. Commandeur ... made a trip to the Coy's. Pleasure-house Rustenburgh ...

24/1 .... Jupiter arrived from Saldanha Bay with oil and some salted fish for the Coy's. slaves ...

3/2 [Dragoons from Stellenbosch on parade at the Fort. Galliot Noord to Hout Bay and False Bay to survey them]

19/2 .... this morning arrives the little yacht Centaurus [from ‘Terra de Natal’ with Stavenisse survivors]

22/2 ... the Hon. Commandeur sent messengers to warn the Hottentots of Gouniman's kraals of their imminent danger from the Ubiquas ... in league with the Namaquas ... ordering them to come hither in the protec ion of the Coy.

27/2 ... at eleven o'clock in the morning comes to the roads the French ship St Nicolas ... requesting water and other small refreshings, which was allowed and granted ... bound for Pontecheri on the Coromandel Coast [sailed 13/3]

3/3 ... the Serjeant returns with his men, bringing the Capt. of the Sousequa Hottentots nicknamed Koopman by us ... promised to be obedient to the Hon. Coy. and to his chief Capt. Claas ...

5/3 ... the Hottentot Capts. Cuijper and Scipio come hither with their kraals, fearing an attack by the Namaquas ...

14/3 ... the Sousequa Capt. Dorha, by us nicknamed Claas, came to the Castle with 130 cattle and 227 sheep ...

19/3 ... the Hon. Commandeur made a trip to the Coy's. garden and vineyard Rustenburg ...

21/3 ... The Hon. Commandeur going to the Rondebosje ...

29/3 ... at 11 o'clock at night the Hon. De Bitter, Vice-Admiral* of the return-fleet, comes to greet the Hon. Commandeur, having arrived safely with his ship the Waalstrom and ... 'S Landswelvaren and Zalland ...

30/3 ... the said ships came to anchor in the proper roads early in the morning, and the Heer Jacobus Coeper came ashore as Admiral, being greeted by the Hon. Commandeur ... seven ships from the Sunda Strait on January 15, the Goudestein being compelled to make for Batavia, having sprung a leak after a collision with Waalstrom ...

31/3 ... this morning the ship Sion was seen ...

1/4 With a N.W. breeze the little hooker* Bril arrives with provisions for this command, shipped from Batavia [arrival of Eenhorn not given, although reported in letter of 19/4 to Holland]

[p. 335]

8/4 [Resolutions: with Bril to be sent to Batavia (blank) lasten* of wheat and as many leggers of wine as can be spared]

9/4 ... in the evening ... came the skipper of Hobree to deliver to His Honour the letters from the Governor of Ceylon, with the news that the ships Bantam and Silverstein had arrived safely to the roads with him ...

10/4 ... arrived the Coy's. ships Courtgene and Ridderschap, both having many sick on board, having sailed from Port de Gale on January 23 last.... In the afternoon comes also to anchor the French King's warship L'auseau, having left Siam on November 25 via Malacca, and February 2 from Pontcherij, being followed shortly afterwards by the little English frigate* the Princes Marij [with the Administrator of Tenasserim and his trumpeter, sole survivors of the English there from the massacre by the ‘Moors*’]. The Hon. Commandeur was at once greeted in the name of the French Envoy Monsr. de Sebret and the Capn. Duquiesen, with the request to take in fresh water and some refreshings here, also to bring ashore 14 or 15 sick, which was granted them. [News of the lamentable state of the English in Bengal from disease and famine, and war with the Mogul]

11/4 ... the said commander of the English at Tanasseri was entertained by the Hon. Commandeur, together with Messrs. Duquesne and Forbin, senior officers of the French ... there come here to the roads from the Fatherland the ships Java, Saamslag, Honsholredijk ...

13/4 ... in the afternoon comes in the ship Pampus without dead or sick ...

15/4 ... In the afternoon we received news overland that the flute* Voorschoten lay anchored in the Saldaigne Bay, her commander sending the following letter to the Hon. Commandeur [transcribed: forced to put in their chiefly for lack of anchors and cables; from Goeree December 31, 1687 with 98 sailors, 62 soldiers, 22 Huguenots, men, women and children, also two negroes, two European women with six children, all in good health; requesting two cables, one anchor, water, firewood, greenstuff, and that the Huguenots be taken off. Dated April 14]

16/4 [Resolutions: return fleet to sail about 25/4: Silversteijn many sick, to be inspected and reported on by the Admiral, Vice- and Rear-Admirals of the return-fleet]

17/4 ... towards midday two French ships come to the roads, one from Siam belonging to the King named Le Drommedaire, the other Le Jeu, a Coy's ship from Siam [sic], both bound for France ...

18/4 ... Monsr. Duquene [L'Oiseau] comes to thank the Hon. Commandeur for the favours enjoyed, taking also a letter for the Lords XVII [transcribed, dated 19/4: Eenhorn arrival mentoned, and Le Jeu now correctly ‘from Suratta’] .. Letter sent to Voorschoten [transcribed: unable to help you; make for here with the actual N.W. winds as soon as possible. Dated 19/4]

19/4 This morning the French ship L'auseau departs, and in her stead comes here to the roads from the Fatherland the flute Langewijk.

20/4 ... Towards evening Mons: Samuel Weijts sets out to sea with his little frigate* the Princes Maria, bound for England.

21/4 N.W. wind and misty overcast weather, which cause the return-ship Goudesteijn to reach the roads in the evening only ... nevertheless there come to the roads the French King's ships La Gaillard and La Loire, having on board H.M's. Envoy the Hon. de la Loubere as also the Jesuit Tachart as Envoy of the King of Siam [sic], the ships being commanded by Monsr: de Vaudriecourt ... the said senior officers being politely greeted by the Hon. Commandeur and their request for refreshing of water and other small things granted.

23/4 ... the officers of the French Coy's ship De Jeu having thanked the Hon. Commandeir for the favour received, their ship set out to sea. In the afternoon ... the Hon Sebert, lately Envoy of the King of France, comes to the residence of the Hon. Commandeur to greet him, being followed after an exchange of compliments by the French Jesuit Tachard, Envoy of the King of Siam [sic] to their Majesties of France and England and to the Pope, who expressed his great appreciation of the help given him. Towards evening the Coy's. ship Spierdijk comes to anchor here, bringing the Fiscaal* Mr. Dirk van Cuijk, together with some freemen ...

24/4 [Letter from Voorschooten at Saldaigne Bay, dated 21/4, repeating letter of 14/4 since no reply received]

25/4 ... This afternoon arrives safely the ship Oosterland ... from Goeree February 3 ...

26/4 ... the yacht* Sillida anchored under the Robben Island [her Skipper comes ashore in his skiff* and reports the forcible seizure of a

[p. 336]

Frenchman of his crew by two French warships in 3 or 4 degrees of North latitude, and of being compelled to salute the French flag]

27/4 Variable winds but mostly calms, making it impossible for the ships anchored under the Robben Island to come to the roads ... the Hon. Commandr. himself went to the fleet ... to inform himself of the conditions of the ships, and to offer a helping hand to the French fugitives and freemen now arriving ...

28/4 ... The ship Oosthuijsen comes to the roads here, having ... lost 13 men by sickness during the journey [outwards]