Travel Diaries and Journals

at from 10 to 15 miles distance. I was walking on the poop with the Captain about 10 oclock when some lights we had seen on shore, & which we thought were fires, assumed the appearence of a light house. the Capt. at the moment thought we had found Table Bay, & immediately brought the ship to. it however turned out to be that we were just off Hants Bay, & that the lights we had seen were only fires kindled by the Kaffirs. They burned until 4 oclock in the morning.

April 2nd 1858 We made sail again at (11 struck through) 6 oclock this morning with a light breeze, & Kept on along the coast as we went on. We came in sight of the Devils Peak, Lions Rump & Head & at 12 oclock we Saw the Ships lying in the Bay.

By Moonlit [Pencil Drawing of hills and sea seen from ship] Lions Rump Cape of Good Hope posterior extremity seen from the Belgravia on 1st April 1858 when the ship was hove too.

Taken look over the starboard side there stands Cape Town with its heart of English white washed houses but there is no Smoke seen ascending from their summits. The Dutchmen, Kaffirs Hottentots & the only respectable & gentlemanly looking inhabitants here as everywhere esle [else] where I have been, the Britishers well I think there is a greater mixture of Countrymen here than anywhere else I have been.) Cape Town stands at the base of Table Mountain on the North side the Mountain is well named being shaped exactly like a table on the surface. it is flanked on the right side by the Lions Rump & further Southward the head. On the former of these the heights is an observatory & Signalling station for ships coming into the bay. A time ball is also there which drops exactly at one clock similar to the one on Nelsons Monument Edin