s as long as they lasted. A further stock of fresh
food in the shape of fowls, pigs, goats, and fruits--chiefly oranges and
bananas--was laid in at Port Praya, where they had called for water. On
the 19th the first death occurred; one of the carpenter's mates, Henry
Smook, was at work on one of the scuttles and, falling overboard, was
seen under the stern; every effort was made to save him, but it was too
late. Cook says he was a good, steady man, whose loss was often felt
during the voyage.

On 27th August Cook learnt that the Adventure had also had her losses.
Two midshipman, Lambrecht and Kemp, had died of fever, brought on,
Captain Furneaux believed, by bathing and drinking too much water under
the hot sun of Port Praya. At this time the Resolution had a clean bill
of health, but for fear lest the heavy rains, to which they were
continually subjected, might cause sickness, the ship was constantly
fumigated, washed down, and thoroughly dried by means of stoves, as
advised by Captains Pallisser and Campbell, with satisfactory results. On
nearing the Cape a sharp but unavailing look-out was kept for a bank
which had been reported, and on 30th October they arrived in Table Bay.
The run from home was considered to have been good, as they had in great
measure escaped the calms they had been told to expect at that season of
the year, and the currents, though very strong, had only caused a
difference between the longitude obtained by observation and that by dead
reckoning of three-quarters of a degree, so Cook concluded that those
north of the Equator in the one direction were balanced by those to the
south in the contrary one.

On landing they were received by the Governor, Baron Plattenberg, who
told Cook he had received orders from Holland that the two sloops were to
have every assistance that the place afforded. He also said that two
French ships, commanded by M. de Kerguelen, had discovered land in 48
degrees South, near the meridian of Mauritius, but after sailing along
the coast for about forty miles, he had been blown off by a heavy gale,
in which he had lost both boats and men. Two other French ships had also
called in March, which were on their way to explore the South Pacific
under M. Marion.

Wales and Bayley got their instruments ashore in order to make
observations for the purpose of correcting the watch machines. That made
by Kendal was found to be working well, and gave the longitude within one
minute of