north by east; we steered off east-south-east and south-east. In
latitude 25° 50' south, the weather became dark and cloudy,
with much rain and lightning all round the horizon, which shifted
the wind to the southward, and the weather cleared up. On the
19th, we saw several Pentada birds. On the 29th, having had thick
hazy weather during the night, some of the convoy had been
inattentive to the course, and were found at day-light
considerably scattered and to leeward; we bore down and made the
signal for closing. Nothing worth relating happened this passage.
On the 12th of October, as we were expecting every hour to make
the land, the weather being hazy, with a strong westerly wind, at
midnight we made the signal and brought to; at day-light we bore
away and made sail, and at six o'clock saw the land, distant 10
leagues; at noon, the entrance of Table-Bay, at the Cape of Good
Hope, bore east three leagues. At the distance of seven or eight
leagues from the land, the Supply armed tender being ordered to
wait for the sternmost of the convoy, Lieutenant Ball took that
opportunity of sounding, and at the before-mentioned distance had
115 fathoms, over a black sandy bottom; and at five leagues
distance he had 90 fathoms, sand with small stones. The water
appeared, at a much greater distance, considerably discoloured,
from which I think there is reason to suppose that the soundings
from this part of the coast run farther off to the westward. We
were all this time in the parallel of 34° south. On the 14th
of October, at five in the evening, we anchored with all the
convoy in Table-Bay, Cape of Good Hope, and at sun-rise the next
morning we saluted the fort with 13 guns, which was answered by
the same number.

By altitudes taken this morning for the time-keeper, it