Cape Good Hope 1652-1702

73 (Abraham du Quesne-Guiton)

Translated from microfilms of the anonymous ‘Journal d'un Voyage ...’, Rouen 1721: there is also a very short English account (below) with differing dates. The former is included here as an example of the clotted nonsense which unfortunately gets into print; and even more unfortunately may be quoted as an ‘authority’ by later writers (see for example Cope, ‘King of the Hottentots’, Cape Town 1967).

The fleet sailed for Pondicheri from L'Orient on February 24, 1690, six ships in all: Tachard (of items 55 etc.) went out to India with it.

Tuesday, May 30 [1690] ... From five o'clock [p.m.] we could see the land ... and tomorrow, with God's help, we shall pass in sight of the Cap de Bonne-Espérance.

Wednesday, May 31. Monsieur du Quesne has hoisted the red [war] flag* at the maintop, and led the fleet. We went along the lands of the Cape, with the French flag at the poops. At noon we saw the Dutch fort, but from too far away to be able to say what it is like. We do not seek for their houses: we wish only to find some of their ships. They sighted us [not in dr], and can still see us clearly, since we passed at a distance of five or six leagues, and in addition they have look-outs posted on all the heights [Lion Head] which advise them of ships that come or go, their number, and their nationality. If they dared, they would make straight for us; but they capture no ships here unless these run into their jaws, as did La Maligne [sic: La Normande] and Le Coche....

Le Coche was commanded by a very brave and very resolute man, by name d'Armagnan, born at Saint Malo. He was returning from the Indies and did not know that war had been declared between France and the States General, owing to the invasion [sic] of England by the Prince of Orange; and unfortunately for him, he had on board four Jesuit mathematicians [sic: two only], who also were ignorant of this fact. These got the

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wish to make observations regarding the longitude* of the Cape, since its latitude is definitely known.

(In parenthesis, is this, or should this be their profession? Nevertheless, it is only with the aid of the profane sciences that they have entered, and maintain themselves in all the Kingdoms of Asia; that they have raised themselves to positions of authority; that they have caused revolts of subjects against their rulers and rebellions of children against their fathers.... Am I mad, to attack a Society which causes crowned heads to tremble ...? I return to those who were in Le Coche.)

Poor Monsieur d'Armagnan had some presentiments of what would happen.... They reassured him, and threatened him with the indignation of the Society, and consequently that of the King and Madame de Maintenon, if he refused their demands. It was in vain that he put forward good reasons to them, among others that it was not known whether we were at peace or at war: his ill-fortune caused him to give way. La Maligne [sic] sailed ahead and he followed soon after. He entered, and saw nothing to make him suspicious. La Maligne still flew her French flag; and he did not perceive his misfortune, until he saw three ships on the move, to attack him on both sides and from aft. It was impossible for him to defend himself: he wished to perish, by firing the powder on board. He entered the magazine, pistol in hand, but as he was raising the cover over the powder, a rascally gunner, seeing his intention, gave him a blow with a partisan from behind, which pierced his heart and killed him. The pistol exploded: at the sound the Dutch boarded and seized the ship, which was laden with merchandise worth two or three millions.

In this manner the two ships were taken in 1688 [sic: 1689, and the details are false], and all that the officers could do was to request that the scoundrel who had killed his Captain, should be handed over to them, which the Dutch did without more ado.... The officers tried him and he was hanged, which did not restore his life to d'Armagnan, nor its property to the Company. The officers were honourably treated; but the Jesuits were regarded as those to whom the Dutch Company owed two such rich prizes, and the Governor showed them all conceivable gratitude.

It is here [at the Cape] that the formidable Power of the Dutch in the Indies begins. This Nation, the most interested in trade and which best realises its true interests, suddenly realised the importance of this place, to make it an entrepôt as necessary as convenient for its ships, outward and homeward bound, and resolved to take possession of it by any possible means. The English had seized it, but had not sufficiently fortified it to make it safe from attack. The Dutch Company took advantage of a time when England and the States-General were at war, in the days of Cromwell. They sent there eight wellarmed ships, and a landing-party of two thousand men: the insignificant English fort was taken, and the Company became the rulers, and has refused to consider handing it back, no matter what the Crown of England has offered. [‘History’ re-written!] The entrance to the port is now better defended than is that of Constantinople by the Dardanelles: I have been there, and not having been at the Cape, I rely on our chief Pilot,

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who has visited both.

The Dutch Company always maintains there twelve hundred regular soldiers [sic: Instructions 16/7/85 ‘garrison’ of 332, but including civilians].

[Praise of the Dutch system as compared with the French, especially in that the Company has powers in the Indies to discipline even soldiers and sailors.]

If it takes care to punish offenders, it also seeks to reward merit, in whomsoever of its subjects this be found, regardless of nationality or of religion. The Governor of the Cape is a Frenchman from Paris, by name Monsieur Martin [sic], a name similar to that of the French General at Ponticheri, our goal, and both are Roman Catholics....

[Continued praise of the Dutch system, with an example of the failure of the French system in America, where owing to the lack of discipline he was captured by the English in 1687, and the French fort fell without resistance and was razed.]

I return to the subject of the Cape. Monsieur de Choisi correctly says in his Journal [item 58], that the Governor went out exploring. This indeed he did, and set up eight colonies [sic] to the North-North-East of the fort, at a distance of more than a hundred leagues, not far apart so that they can assist one another. They are suitably sited along the banks of a river which flows into the African Sea, at the mouth of which they always have a vessel, both to bring them what they need and take back the goods they barter, as also to evacuate everyone should the natives of the country force them to do this: which is however not likely, since the Dutch, besides being peaceable by nature, are daily fortifying themselves there. Our Armourer was in Le Coche, where d'Armagnan was killed: he told me, that a Frenchman with whom he had served in Flanders and who was now a Serjeant at the Cape, had told him that the States-General were going to send there all the vagabonds and libertines who infect Holland - that may well be called making use of everything.

[This Armourer is also responsible for the ‘natural history’ below.]

The first wheat sown in this Dutch colony did very well: the inhabitants harvest it, but in small quantity. The soil is more suitable for barley. They have there all the fruits which we have in France, but less tasty: they have also the indigenous ones, which are not very good either green or ripe, but make pretty good preserves. Their grapes are good: it remains to be seen whether they will make good wine, since none have as yet been pressed [sic], there being too few of them. Their domestic animals are like ours. The game is the same, but in small quantity [sic] because of the monkeys, which destroy everything except those larger animals which are too strong for them.

[Story of intercourse between the ‘large monkeys’ and the colonists as a regular custom, although punished when detected, and of the way in which the resulting progeny is dealt with, by the colonists if from women, by the monkeys if from a she-ape.]

I do not state this as absolutely true, not having seen or studied it: I was merely assured of it as a fact, and I repeat again that he who did this was certainly not clever to have invented such a yarn, and insisted that he had learnt it from the Serjeant whom I have already mentioned....

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The maps show the Cap de Bonne-Espérance as at thirtyfive [sic] degrees of south latitude and forty-three degrees of longitude*. I have already said repeatedly, that this longitude is uncertain; and I again repeat, that it would be very desirable that the Jesuits should publish their observations.... [He wrote in 1690, and published in 1721: Tachard had summarised the observations in his 1686 book, item 55.]

‘A New Voyage ...’, London 1696. This is not a translation, and it will be noted that the dates differ: also the name is given as ‘Duquesne’. The fleet and the sailing are as above, but according to this account the Cape was not sighted.

... In a little time we met with the western winds, which were necessary to gain the Cape of Good-hope.

The third of May we had them, but they lasted but a little while, coming about to the North, which serving our purpose as well, we sailed sixty Leagus [sic] in 24 hours with them, which made us hope we should soon be at the place where we were to anchor, which everyone earnestly desir'd, so that our joy was excessive when we reach'd the heighth of the Cape. The judgment of our Pilots was confirm'd by the sight of the Velvet Channels [Sleeves], call'd so from a large Bird which is only seen there, because half their plumage resembles Velvet spotted with Pearl. We saw two whales, with a great number of birds of different kinds, and all sorts of colours; the Calms delaid us there very much, and hinderd our passing it, as did likewise the contrary winds.

But with the blessing of God overcoming these difficulties, Sunday the 28th. of May we doubled the Cape of Good-hope, with a northerly wind as good as we could wish. It's here our ships refit going to the Indies, and meet with plenty of provisions; but being in War with the Dutch, who are Masters of the Cape, we were depriv'd of this happiness; and so without so much as passing within sight of it, we continued our Voyage....

It still blew so fair, that next day by seven a clock in the morning we arriv'd at the Bank of Needles, tho' it be forty Leagues from the Cape....