My first step, after anchoring, was to send an officer to wait on Baron Plettenberg, the governor, to acquaint him with our arrival, and the reasons which induced me to put in there. To this the officer received a very polite answer; and, upon his return, we saluted the garrison with eleven guns, which compliment was returned. Soon after, I went on shore myself, and waited upon the governor, accompanied by Captain Furneaux, and the two Mr. Forsters. He received us with great politeness, and promised me every assistance the place could afford. From him I learned that two French ships from the Mauritius, about eight months before, had discovered land, in the latitude of 48° south, and in the meridian of that island, along which they sailed forty miles, till they came to a bay into which they were about to enter, when they were driven off and separated in a hard gale of wind, after having lost some of their boats and people, which they had sent to sound the bay. One of the ships, viz. the La Fortune, soon after arrived at the Mauritius, the captain of which was sent home to France with an account of the discovery. The governor also informed me, that in March last two other French ships from the island of Mauritius touched at the Cape in their way to the South Pacific Ocean; where they were going to make discoveries, under the command of M. Marion. Aotourou, the man M. de Bougainville brought from Otaheite, was to have returned with M. Marion, had he been living. After having visited the governor and some other principal persons of the place, we fixed ourselves at Mr. Brandt’s, the usual residence of most officers belonging to English ships. This gentleman spares neither trouble nor expence to make his house agreeable to those who favour him with their company, and to accommodate them with every thing they want. With him I concerted measures for supplying the ships with provisions, and all other necessaries they wanted; which he set about procuring without delay, while the seamen on board were employed in overhauling the rigging; and the carpenters in caulking the ship’s sides and decks, &c. Messrs. Wales and Bayley got all their instruments on shore, in order to make astronomical observations for ascertaining the going of the watches, and other purposes. The result of some of these observations shewed, that Mr. Kendal’s watch had answered beyond all expectation, by pointing out the longitude of this place to within one minute of time to what it was observed by Messrs. Mason and Dixon in 1761.