Cape Good Hope 1652-1702

[p. 354]

Background - continued

30/4/1688 ... the return-fleet raise anchors and set sail, and before evening are in the open sea and out of sight [listed 29/3, 31/3, 9/4, 10/4 plus Eenhorn] [Resolution transcribed: request of d'Gallaird to send four ‘scammers’ (?) via Batavia to Siam by one of Coy's. ships, granted]

1/5 ... the French, after thanking the Hon. Commandr. for the friendship shown them, their ships Le Gaillard, La Loire and Le Drommedaire this morning left for France.

4/5 ... the flute* Nieuwland was seen in the roads this morning, from Bengale Jan. 28, and about midday the yacht* Saamslagh set sail ...

7/5 ... the ship Java set sail ...

8/5 ... In the afternoon the flute Voorschoten was mustered, given her despatches, and made ready to sail [her arrival not given]

9/5 ... the flute Spierdijk set sail ...

11/5 The French Piemontoise fugitives were well received here, and this land pleases them immeasurably well, and each now seeks how best he can settle down. About midday the yacht Sillida reached the open sea ...

14/5 ... This norming the flute Langwijk sets sail and reaches the open sea ...

15/5 ... the ship Oosterland sets sail this evening at 9 o'clock.

18/5 This morning anchors in the roads the flute Tannen ... In the afternoon arrives here the French King's warship L'Auriflamme, 306 men and 54 guns, having sailed from Brest on Feb. 13 last bound for Siam. Three officers request in the name of their Captain to send their sick ashore, whom they reckon as 40 to 50 men, also to be allowed to buy some refreshing of flesh and vegetables, which is granted them, the Hon. Commandeur at once giving confidential orders that they should be sold these at the highest rates and with a sparing hand ... They also ... asked leave for their officers to go shooting, which was politely refused by the Hon. Commandeur under various pretexts, being however allowed to fish in the roads, with the condition that no skiff or boat should come to land before dawn or after sunset and that no fit persons should remain ashore overnight, except a few to care for their sick.

20/5 After the midday meal comes the Hr. d'Estrille [commander of L'Oriflamme] to greet His Hon. in the name and on behalf of the King of France, richly accompanied by 10 or 12 officers and noblemen, presenting him, as a sign of the great esteem H.M. had for him, with H.M's. portrait engraved on a golden medallion, attached by a blue ribbon to a broad chain of the same metal very artistically made [Van der Stel reported this to the Council, who confirmed that he could not have refused without giving offence: the Lords XVII did not agree. Much on various dates regarding d'Estrille, his opposition to the Siam adventure (now a disappointment at the French court with its great expense and so many dead); that in future French ships would refresh at ‘Mascarines or the Island Bourbon’ instead of at the Cape; and the unexpected suggestion that if he should leave the King's service and return here, he would like to become the owner of a small piece of land ‘under the wing of the Hon. Coy.’]

21/5 ... at daybreak the ship Oosthuijsen is under sail ... and reached the open sea ... The French brought more sick ashore, and it is believed that they have over a hundred, their ship stinking so greatly of filth that one cannot remain near her.

28/5 This morning the ships Pampus and Bril set sail ... reaching the open sea in the evening.

29/5 ... the return-ship Rad van Avontuur comes to anchor here ...

30/5 [Resolutions: quarrels in Tannen (?Camen) to be investigated in Batavia; some troublemakers in her exchanged for soldiers from Borsenburg]

1/6 ... Towards midday the ship Moercappel makes for the roads ...

2/6 Because of the N.W. wind the Coy's. ships Borsenburg and Tannen, together with the French ship L'Auriflamme still anchored at the far side of the bay ...

3/6 This night ... they get out to sea with a S.E. breeze ...

5/6 ... the ship Schelde comes to anchor about nine o'clock in the morning ... having lost her foremast, main-yard and bowsprit in heavy weather near the coast just before dawn [bound for Bengal]

7/6 ... Towards midday the ship Helder comes safely to the roads ...

[p. 355]

9/6 [Resolutions: to allow the Lieutenant Bergh to come from the Robben Island to his house here with his wife and children, with the same guard who watched him there, of which advice will be sent to the Lords XVII by the return-fleet]

11/6 ... it seems that the French fugitives brought here by the Schelde are superior to those who arrived previously, both in character and eagerness to progress.

19/6 ... the Dolphijn to go to [Robben Island and the] Saldanha Bay fully laden with provisions [listed]

21/6 This night the return-ships Moercappel, Rad van Avontuur and Nieuwland set sail and reached the open sea.

26/6 ... the vessel comes from the Robben Island, bringing the ex-Lieutenant Bergh, together with the men guarding him ...

29, 30/6 .... the flute* Helder still at anchor under the Robben Island: meanwhile work continues day and night on the yacht* Schelde.

1/7 ... the ship Schelde mustered ... set sail towards evening ...

2/7 ... seen to reach the open sea ...

18/7 ... the vessel the Dolphin comes from the Saldaigne Bay with salted fish, and the yacht* Centaurus is ready to go to the Robben Island for shells ...

22/7 ... coming into the Castle the Hottentot Captain Koopman with a part of his people, men, women and children [left on 17/8]

4/8 ... towards two in the afternoon comes under full sail to anchor ... the ship Berg China ... having sailed from the Fatherland on March 20, having lost 19 dead during the journey and bringing fully 50 sick to the hospital here.

19/8 ... In the afternoon comes here the ship Z. Beveland, having left Zeeland on April 22 ... bringing the Revd. Pieter Simond ... together with his wife and various French fugitives ...

20/8 [her skiff wrecked, with loss of life including Mr. Cornelies Moerkerke, Fiscaal*-designate of Mallacca]

22/8 ... some of the fugitives came ashore, including the Preacher ...

24/8 ... this morning the ship Berg China ... sets sail and gets out to sea ...

26/8 ... the French fugitives brought ashore ‘met sak en pak’ ...

31/8 [Resolutions: the East Coast to be surveyed as ordered by XVII; Noord to Saldanha Bay for refit for this, yacht* Centaurus to accompany her to Terra de Natal to search for the rest of the Stavenesse crew (but see 12/10 below)]

3/9 This night the galjot* Noord set sail for the Saldaigne Bay, to be made ready and fit for her coming journey ... the yacht Centaurus also left for the Saldaigne Bay.

7/9 This morning the ship Z.Beveland ... sets sail and soon gets safely out of the bay into the open sea.

20/9 ... This morning the cavalry mustered ... 36 rank and file besides their officers...

30/9 ... Jupiter comes to anchor with shells from the Robben Island ... in the evening the galliot Noord arrives from the Saldaigne Bay, where she was made ready for her journey to Rio de la Goa ...

3/10 ... towards evening comes here the English Coy's. ship Tonquen, having left Souratta six months ago, via the island of Mauritius where sy lay for six months to refresh.

5/10 ... Robbert Knox*, Skipper of the Tonquen ... requested refreshing of water and other small matters ...

8/10 [Resolution transcribed: biscuits, bread, pitch sold to Tonquen; ewes and pigs for Huguenots] In the afternoon the ship Centaurus comes from the Saldaigne Bay to anchor here.

12/10 [Resolution transcribed: galliot Noord to go alone to Rio de la Goa, Centaurus being too leaky] [Letter to XVII by Tonquen transcribed: Berg China, Z.Beveland; wreck of skiff; Huguenots; ‘six of the orphan girls and young women sent are now married, and the other two will soon find husbands’; Tonquen here outwards bound two years ago, now tells of English pirate through the Magellan Straits to the East Indies, 40 men and 14 guns, via Mindanao to Bengal, then at Mauritius while ‘Cnox’ there, then to Madagascar, St Maria]

13/10 This morning the ship Tonquijn raises her anchor ... and sets sail out of the bay ...

15/10 ... the Hon. Commandr. accompanied by the Revd. Petrus Simond and some officers set out for the outposts to examine these and help the French fugitives and other freemen to settle, remaining for the night at the Coy's. post the Cuijlen.

16/10 ... The Hon. Commandeur went on to Stellenbosch, arriving there about midday ...

17/10 ... the Revd. Petrus Simond, the French Preacher, this day gave a very edifying sermon

[p. 356]

in the Church at Stellenbosch, to the Hon. Commandeur and all the French fugitives, together with some Dutch settlers who knew the French tongue.

19/10 ... the yacht* Jupiter comes from the Saldaigne Bay to anchor here with salted fish for the Coy's. slaves, and the galliot Noord ... sets out to survey the East coast of Africa between 25 or 26 degrees of South latitude and here. [Parade of militia at Stellenbosch, 40 dragoons and 160 infantry, including the French fugitives of Drakensteijn, who are to form their own company]

21/10. This morning comes here from the Fatherland the flute* Princeland ... from Texel on May 23 with 219 men, forced by storm to make for Hitland ... touched at St Jago, and lost not more than 4 men on the journey, of whom one ... fell overboard and the others died of sickness, and brings 12 sick to the hospital here. This morning the Hon. Commandeur continues his journey as far as the kloof of the mountains lying between the Berg River and the River Sonderent, camping there at midday, having on the way found many lovely and fruitful valleys where many families could settle. The Hon. Commandeur being desirous of speaking with the Captain of the Sosequa Hottentots Dorha alias Claas, who lay only a day's journey from there, sent two Hottentots to call him. In the afternoon His Honour went in person through the kloof and onwards over the high mountains until in sight of the River Sonder Ent, to find out whether it would not be possible to reach the land of the aforesaid Sousequa Hottentots by this route, and from there make one's way to the Hessequa Hottentots ...

22/10 ... This morning the Hon. Commandeur set out to inspect the nearest forests and the passage over the kloof, finding these well provided with timber-trees, and that the route ... could be made usable by carts and waggons although with toil and expense, which however would be richly repaid by the benefits to be had by the Hon. Coy. and the advantages to be awaited by her colonists in this direction ...

23/10 ... Jupiter ... hauled ashore and repaired ... In the morning ... there came down the mountains the Captain of the Sousequa Hottentots called Claas by us, whom His Honour at once ordered to go on with him to the Cape, to take from there such goods, tobacco, beads, arak and so forth as he should consider necessary for the barter-trade on behalf of the Hon. Coy. Meanwhile the Hon. Commandr. took his way along the Drake mountains as far as Drakensteijn, camping there at midday, having met with on the way on this side of the Berg River many lovely and fruitful lands very suitable to be occupied, and having seen with pleasure that the crops sown by the families at Drakensteijn were growing very finely.

24/10 ... This morning the Hon. Commandeur was busy at Drakensteijn ... allotting to each of the French and Dutch freemen his place ... although His Honour has had much difficulty with the French freemen before they were helped to settle, since it seems that this folk are not at all of such an industrious nature as had been expected of them ... This being done, the Hon. Commandeur continues his journey, crossing the Berg River to the Babilonische Tooren and [? back] into the district of Drakensteijn, where he arrived at nightfall, camping in the open.

25/10 ... Today the Hon. Commandr. gave the French freemen-colonists at Drakensteijn 120 good draught-oxen 20 pigs and 100 fine sheep ...

26/10 ... This morning the Hon. Commandeur set out for the Klapmuts, where he arrived about midday ... and rode on to the Tijgerberg, where he arrived in the evening and spent the night.

27/10 ... in the evening the Hon. Commandeur ... arrived back at the Castle.

29/10 This morning comes here to the roads ... the yacht* Castricum, having sailed on May 13 behind England [Northabout*] and touched at the island of St Vincent to take in fresh water and other refreshing, having had 9 dead and bringing 38 sick to the hospital here ...

5/11 ... The French fugitives landed here with the last-arrived ships today received their allotments of land, also on credit what they needed of pots, kettles and so forth.

7/11 ... in the afternoon the flute* Princeland ... sets sail and before evening reaches the open sea ... the Lord's Day was duly celebrated with the hearing of sermons in Dutch and French.

8/11 [Resolution transcribed]

10/11 [Planting of 40,000 saplings for a timberforest ‘about a quarter-hour* from the Cape’]

13/11 ... the French fugitives leaving for Drakensteijn and elsewhere every day, each seeking to be the first to settle.

16/11 ... the Hon. Commandr.... made a

[p. 357]

trip to the Ronde Bosje [Letter to Batavia transcribed: 6 leggers of Cape wine being sent; poor harvest owing to winds]

21/11 ... Castricum set sail and was out to sea by the evening ...

2/12 ... the Centaurus comes with shells from the Robben Island, and the Coy's. works both in the quarries [‘Clipkuijlen’] ... and the Castle moat were zealously pressed forward.

7/12 [Resolution transcribed: request of a freeman to sell his properties and go to the Fatherland, granted]

21/12 ... the little Portuguese yacht* Nra. Sra. del Valle ... comes to anchor ...

22/12 ... this morning comes to the Castle an envoy from the Chief of the Inqua Hottentots, sent to the Hon. Commandeur to obtain knowsedge of and friendship with the Hon. Coy., and if possible to enter into the barter of cattle ... stating that his land is very rich in oxen, cows, sheep and other beasts ... that he was six days on the way hither, and that his land lies on the East side of Africa.

23/12 ... about noon ... come here at a guess 140 horses, driven from Hottentots Holland to be sold one by one by public auction.

25/12 [Christmas celebrated] also by the firing of some guns from the little Portuguese yacht Nra. del Valle anchored here ...

26/12 [Letter to Stellenbosch: slaves to be sent to Clapmuts to reap the Coy's. corn] [Proposed expedition to the Inqua Hottentots]

27/12 [Yearly prizes to the school-children, silver medals, money, sweet cakes ‘both to the free and slave children’]

31/12 [Monopolies sold: bacon, oil, vinegar; tobacco; Cape malt beer; imported beer; Cape wines; brandy]