Sunday evening
"Arrived and anchored in Table Bay. Monday morning found us refitting and also brought the glad tidings that Captain J.O Johnson was about to be invalided, which took place on the following Thursday. Cape Town seemed very lively although the colony is on the wane."

"There were about two thousand men onshore from the Squadron at a time and �8,000 was paid away to them as wages on coming in, so it was a great thing for the Cape and environs. "

"Blue Jackets might be seen on the road from Simons Bay to Cape Town a distance of 22 miles. Saw a Hansom (the colony boasts of these equipages) flourishing bottles of rum and cheap Cape Brandy at 6d a bottle."

"There are two railways at the Cape, one goes about 60 miles into the interior and the other to Wynberg a very pretty village about nine miles from town on the Simon�s Bay road."

"The 11^th regiment were also here and they made us all honorary members of their mess during our stay. A great many cricket matches were made up between the Liffey�s and the regiments. On the third day after our arrival I went out to Wynberg in a dog cart with a pair of very good horses and then went on to Van Recuans the great wine farmer of the colony. His place looked very beautiful and we sipped his choicest growths of wine. Came back in the evening and went to dine with my cousin Captain Langford McCausland of the 11^th and went to the museum. The clubs and in fact all the public places were thrown open to us."

"A great ball was given by the Governor to the Squadron in which I took no part or partner."

Thursday Oct 8^th
"Captain Johnson invalided and HMS Phoebe came round to relieve us at Table Bay."

"Sunday found us steaming round to Simon�s Bay against a gale of wind. Anchored at Simons Bay at 1pm Monday. Such a nice little bay with the white sand hills which look like snow. "

"As soon as we anchored the Admiral made a signal for a court martial to assemble onboard us to try three of the wretched deserters whom we picked up at Montevideo. Two of them got five years penal servitude and the other two years."

Captain R. Gibson

"Tuesday, Captain Robert Gibson joined from the Barrosa and Commander Hand made acting Captain of the Barrosa. Lieutenant Bosanquet made acting commander of Endymion. Alex Cook made acting Lieutenant Liffey."

"Went onshore here twice and enjoyed myself much. It was at this time the squadron was first named the �Hungry Six�."

"Simon�s town is flourishing while Cape Town is on the decline. There is fine fishing in the Bay."

Saturday October 16^th
"Squadron sailed with Rattlesnake and Pandora in company in the afternoon. These two ships returned and Phoebe joined the squadron from Table Bay."

Oct 18^th

"Passed provisionally for sub Lieutenant. "

"Calms and foul winds for the first week. A small barque, the Micdio by name, kept company with us for several days and must have been rather astonished at our drills and firing at target. We find Captain Johnson a good riddance and everyone likes Captain Gibson. Made a very bad passage till the eighth of November when in the vicinity of the desolate Kergulen land where we got a severe gale of wind and the most terrific squalls of hail and snow. In one of which we lost the Endymion and the Scylla. The squalls of wind were very strong and the ships lost boats, spars, sails etc to any amount. Our stern posts were washed in twice and the Captain regularly washed out."

© Copyright Charles Fountain May 2002

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