From the 21st of March, when we were in latitude 27 deg. 22’ S., longitude 52 deg. 25’ E., to the 5th of April, when we had got into latitude 36 deg. 12’ S., longitude 22 deg. 7’ E., we were strongly affected by the currents, which set to the S.S.W., and S.W. by W., sometimes at the rate of eighty knots a day.  On the 6th, having got under the lee of the African coast, we lost them entirely.

In the morning of the 6th, a sail was seen to the S.W. standing toward us; and, as the wind soon after rose from the same quarter, we cleared our ships for action.  We now discovered, from the mast-head, five sail more on our lee-bow, standing to the eastward; but the weather coming on hazy, we lost sight of them all in an hour’s time.  Our latitude at noon was 35 deg. 49’ S., longitude 21 deg. 32’ E. At seven o’clock the next morning (the 7th), we made the land to the northward at a considerable distance.

On the 8th, the weather was squally, and blew fresh from the N.W.; the following day it settled to the W., and we passed pretty close to the sail seen on the 6th, but did not hail her.  She was clumsy in figure, and, to appearance, unskilfully managed; yet she outsailed us exceedingly.  The colours which she hoisted were different from any we had seen; some supposed them to be Portugueze, others Imperial.

At day-light, the next morning, the land again appeared to the N.N.W.; and in the forenoon, a snow was seen bearing down to us, which proved to be an English East India packet, that had left Table Bay three days before, and was cruising with orders for the China fleet, and other India ships.  She told us, that, about three weeks before, Mons. Trongoller’s squadron, consisting of six ships, had sailed from the Cape, and was gone to cruise off St Helena, for our East India fleet.  This intelligence made us conjecture, that the five sail we had seen standing to the eastward must have been the French squadron, who, in that case, had given over their cruise, and were probably proceeding to the Mauritius.  Having informed the packet of our conjectures, and also of the time we understood the China ships were to sail from Canton, we left them, and proceeded toward the Cape.

In the evening of the 10th, the Gunner’s Quoin bore N. by E., and False Cape, E.N.E.; but the wind being at S.W., and variable, prevented our getting into False Bay, till the evening of the 12th, when we dropt anchor abreast of Simon’s Bay.  We found a strong current setting to the westward, round the Cape, which, for some time, we could but just stem, with a breeze that would have carried us four knots an hour.  The next morning we stood into Simon’s Bay; and at eight came to anchor, and moored a cable each way; the best bower to the E.S.E., and small bower, W.N.W.; the S.E. point of the bay bearing S. by E., Table Mountain, N.E. 1/2 N.; distant from the nearest shore one-third of a mile.  We found lying here, the Nassau and Southampton East-Indiamen, waiting for convoy for Europe.  The Resolution saluted the fort with eleven guns, and the same number was returned.