evening always is filled up with whist, lights being turned out at 10. The course we take when we leave here is for longitude 18° on the line, we then alter our course and steer straight for Simon's Bay at the Cape, where we shall arrive some time during the last week in May and find winter there. This is the usual sailing course, taken in order to profit by the S.E. trade winds. Tell Minny I am deep in the Voyage of the " Nemesis,^* which interests me extremely and puts me au fait of the events of the last war; it is the best book I could possibly have had and will be very useful to me....
P.S. — When you read this I shall be half-way between the line and the Cape.
Simon's Bay, Cape of Good Hope, June 2, 1857. — You have, of course, received long ago the letters I wrote you from Corunna and the Cape de Verde Islands. We left the latter on the ist of May, having had an unexpected cruise in the Himalaya the day previous. We went on board to see the ship, which was coaling, when suddenly she broke adrift from her moorings and floated against an English barque, which we damaged considerably, and if we had not run against her we must, I think, have gone on shore, for when the Himalaya let go her anchor to stop her way, instead of dropping into the sea, it fell into a large iron coal bunk which was lying alongside. So we had nothing for it but to set sail and go out of our anchorage in order to take up our moorings again properly, taking in tow with us two of the coal bunks, one of them half full of coals. We had not gone far when both the hawsers of the iron bunks got entangled in the screw, so we had to cut them adrift, but not before one of them had knocked a hole through the ship's bottom owing to the hawsers being so long that the bunks were continually bumping against the ship. We then had to cruise about to pick up the bunks, and altogether we did not get back till past 8 p.m., having started at 2; so you see
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the celebrated Himalaya can meet with accidents as well as the much-maligned Transit. I am sure that such a series of clumsy accidents would never have taken place on board this ship. We have had the most favourable weather imaginable from Corunna to the Cape during the whole distance of about 7000 miles, during 44 days, arriving at midday on the 28th of May. We once got 12^ knots out of the old ship under sail alone. The last week we did not steam at all and made very nearly 200 miles a day. In fact, we have burnt very little coal altogether. The greatest heat we have had was before we got to the line, when it was up to 86°, but not at all disagreeable. Since that we have gradually been getting into winter again, and have had to renew [? resume] our warm clothing.... We could not anchor in Table Bay, it being too exposed at this season of the year, so we anchored in Simon's Bay.... I went to Cape Town the other day with three or four of the officers, taking Cameron with me. It is about 24 miles oif; we saw plenty of Hottentots, Malays, and niggers of every shade of colour along the coast, also several wagons drawn by twelve or fourteen oxen, the driver using those enormous long bamboo whips. We found some capital hotels at Cape Town, but you are waited upon by grinning niggers with woolly heads and receding foreheads, and you can't help an involuntary start when you see a clean plate placed before you by a mahogany hand; in fact, one was constantly turning round in one's chair to be satisfied that neither Kreli * nor Macomo were standing there.... I had a charming ride through one of the kloofs, a ravine which gave me a capital idea of the surrounding country. But the town itself, pretty as it is and devoid of all appearance of poverty, still does not seem to be thriving; the population is scanty, and it looks like what it is, a city that has seen its best days. Graham's Town is, I believe, replacing it in importance and is expected to be made the capital. All the troops are on the frontier, but there is no prospect of a war. The Kaffirs are
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starving and coming over to us in large quantities. Our drive back to Simon's Town was more enjoyable than the one there {sic); we drove through miles of wild oleander and other most beautiful plants, the names of which I do not know, and the birds are very varied and beautiful birds,^ and others with exquisite plumage, but we have seen no game. I met here the steward of the Agamemnon who attended me when I was ill in the Black Sea (he is now in the Iris), also Major Boyle, who was General Simpson's' assistant military secretary; it is very odd meeting old friends in such different parts of the world. — Ever your affectionate son,
Fredk. Stephenson.
To his Brother
H.M.S. Transit, Simon's Bay, June 3, 1857.