by giving a juſt ſtatement of the facts; but it ſeemed it was his intereſt to diſguiſe them: for it is an unheard-of thing for that nation to make an attempt upon veſſels eſcorted by a ſhip carrying the flag of ours.
Another Engliſh veſſel, La Couronne, which arrived the day after the frigate had come to anchor, obſerved the ſame conduct.
I ought to remark, that our Commander having ſent an officer on board each of theſe veſſels, to comply with a cuſtomary piece of etiquette, the Engliſh Captains were not polite enough to return the compliment.
I had already provided myſelf with ſpecimens of moſt of the curious plants that were to be found in the neighbourhood of the Cape Town; and could not expect to encreaſe my collection, without making an excurſion into ſome of the more diſtant parts of the country. I had for ſeveral days entertained a wiſh to viſit the chain of mountains, called by the Dutch Franſche-Hoek, ſituated at a much greater diſtance eaſtward of the town than their appearance might lead one to ſuppoſe them. Their aſpect gave me reaſon to hope that I ſhould find them abounding with vegetable productions.
February 9. The gardener to our expedition made one of the party. We had hired a Hottentot
to
