admitted by the Court of Holland, and resident in Amster-
dam, and in the presence of the witnesses here below named,
M. Gerard Groot, ex- Alderman and Councillor of the said
town, and M. Salomon de Blocqucrie, both directors of
the Noble Company's East India Chamber of the said town,
and M. Pierre van Dam, advocate of the said Company —
the said Messieurs representing the said Company and
authorised to that eQ'ect by the .same — on the one part ;
and M. Henri du Quesne, Marquis, resident in the same
place mentioned, M. Abraham du Quesne, Comte de
Moures, &c., and the Sieur Charles de Sailly, on the other

I



114 MamlAes through the Archives of

part ; who have made an agreement in the following
manner, that is to say —

" That the said Messieurs du Quesne and associates are
getting ready for immediate departure, leaving to-morrow,
the 29th instant, for Texel or the Vlie, where there are
two vessels ready to make sail, equipped by the said
Messieurs for a sea voyage, in order to proceed to sea in
them, as they have promised to do as soon as the weather
and the wind permit it, and to sail away towards the Cape
of Good Hope, and thence towards the Island Mascarenhas,
now called Eden.

" That the said Messieurs du Quesne will be obliged,
us they have promised by these, to sojourn two months at
the said Cape of Good Hope, reckoned from the day after
their arrival ; or longer, if they agree with the Commander
of the said Cape to do so. And during the stay which
they shall make there, in case that their services shall be
deemed necessary to the Messieurs of the Company, they
shall be detained for employment there, themselves, their
vessels, and their people as auxiliaiy troops, according as
they shall be required by the said Commander and said
Council of the said Cape, with whom they shall come to
an understanding to this eftect; on condition that the
said Comjiany shall be bound to take the control of and
maintain the people which the said Messieurs du Quesne
shall have brouglit over, both the sailors and the others
consisting of varioxis families ; and, duiing their residence
at the said Cape, shall defray the cost of their living and
other re freshmen ts, in pro}»(irlion to the amounts which
would under ordinary circumstances be due to the servants
and soldiers of the Company ; and as long as they remain
at the said Cape. Moreover, the said Messieurs who
appear in this agreement as representing the Honourable



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 115

East India Company, promise, when the said Messieurs
du Quesne shall depart from the said Cape to proceed tct
the Isle of Eden, that they will have them escorted by
two or three of their vessels or even more, as the time anl
necessity may require. And the contracting parties
representing the Company further proniise to pay at once
to the said Messieurs du Quesne the sum of 5000 guilders,
which the said Messieurs confess and acknowledge to have
received in silver currency in deduction of what the said
Noble Company should pay them during their sojourn at
the said Cape in the manner as stated above. And, finall}',
for the fulfilment of what has been said above, the repre-
sentatives of the Company, Messrs. Iluoft, de Blocquerie,
and Yan Dam, pledge all the goods of the Company and
its effects, and Messrs. du Quesne and Sailly, siDccially
the said two ships, their fittings and cargoes, and generally
also their persons and goods, submitting them resjiectively
to the attachment of all the judges and courts of justice.

" Done and passed at Amsterdam aforesaid in the pre-
sence of Jean de Dunquerque and Daniel Metz, witnesses,
required for this.

" Concordat cuvi oriijinalihus,
" (Quod attestor),
(Signed) "F, Tixkrandet,

" Xut iry public."

But although the large ship had sncceeded in forcing a
passage through the ice, she was still so badly supplied
that the Marquis was obliged to put back into Helle-
voetsluy.s, whilst, to add to his distress, the smalk-r vessel
lost all her sailors at the Nienwe Diep by desertion. He
was accordingly obliged tu lay her up there, and, seeing
for the present no chance of carrying out his intentions,
he felt himself compelled to olfer his large vessel for salr
to the Company. She was named La Drulte, was 130 feet

I 2



116 Eamlles through the Archives of

long, a fast sailer, and had been taken by the Dutch from
the French. Being built as a war ship, the Company
readily agreed to take her over and statiim her at the
Cape for defensive purposes, and so relieve the large ships
■which were lying here for the protection of the Kesidency.
She was accordingly refitted and renamed, and sent out
as the Zwarte Lceuw. But, notwithstanding her sailing
powers, she appears to have been a leaky and unseaworthy
vessel, hence on the 21st of December, 1696, tlie Council
decided, as she had become altogether unfit for use, to
sink her off the jetty, fill her Avith stones, and so form a
mole for sheltering the boats, and in ease of a hostile
attack to serve as a foundation on which to place some
heavy artillery to assist the Castle in its defence. Perhaps
portions of this old Huguenot ship may still be found off
the spot where once the old South Wharf stood.*

Her arrival here, however, caused the Commander a
great deal of trouble, as some of the officers complained to
the directors that they were being badly su^jplied at the
Cape, esi^eciallj'^ with white bread, and that the men were
almost starved. This gave the Seventeen an opportunity
of severely censuring him for his great kindness to
foreigners, especially the French, and in the following
terms (desj)atch, the 21st of April, 1690): —

" If Commander Yan der Stel had read and obeyed our
instructions regarding the treatment of European nations,
especially the French, as laid down in our letteis of the
21st of November, 1679, the 20th of June, 1680, the 23rd
of January, 1681, the 8th of June, 1682, the 10th of March,

* She arrived here on the liith of September, 1690, with 130 men

and tliirty-fVmr guns, and only liad arms and ammunition on board. She
had left G(ic'r( e on the Gth of Jinie previously, and hnjught news of
the great successes obtaintd by William III. in Ireland, who conse-
quently kept the French fleet iielplessly contiued. But she likewise
brought the disquieting news that the squadron under Admiral du
Quesne had left Brist with orders to cruise for a month otl" the Cape,
and endeavour to capture such ships of the Company as might arrive
there; and linally that the French had settled on the Island Mascar-
enhas, so that the directors had deemed it necessary to take steps for
the safety of Mauritius.



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 117

and 22nd of June, 1683, he wonld have refrained from so
liberally giving the French who called there, what they
asked for, and affording them all conceivable accommoda-
tion, also giving them presents, and receiving others in
return, as we find from the letters from the Cape and the
Journal.

" We touched upon the subject in our letter of the 10th
of October, 1G88, but did not for a moment suppose that
he would in this matter forget himself so far and go to
such extremes as we found when more carefully examining
the matter.

"We cannot understand what excuse there is (1) for
allowing the French to land in such numbers, so that, after
the watch had been set, there had been found on shore
245 invalids and 333 sick, who were lying in their beds,
and that they had seven firelocks and most likely more
arms which they might have stowed away ; (2) that he
allowed General des Farges, with his sons and noblemen,
to go out hunting, invited them to dinner in the Fort or
Castle, and so given them an opportunity of spying into
everj'thing ; for, from the narratives which have been
published by them,* it can bo seen how and with what
accuracy they observed everything and made careful notes ;
of all which they would not have refrained to have made
use if they had not been burdened with this heav}' war,
and their forces drawn away and distributed elsewhere,
especially as they were still able, in spite of that war, to
eqiiip such a costly squadron for India, as we informed
you of in former letters.

" (3) Under the pretext of courting the good feeling of

* This evidently refers to the book published by Admiral du Quesne,
or those of the two offirers belonging to his fleet, of none of wliicli,
however, have I been able to obtaiu a copy.



118 Ramhies through the Archives of

the Kiug of France niore successfully, they were, besides
all other comforts, presented with 801 lbs. rice, 600 lbs.
flour, a young ox and six sheep for the officers of each ship,
and a calf for the Envoy de la Loubert. Moreover, many
other kinds of refreshments were sent on board for Admiral
du Quesne, by which nieans, instead of keeping them
away from the Cape, they have been the more tempted
towards it, contrary to our so often-repeated orders,

" Often complaints are laid before us that our ovm ships
obtain such poor refreshments, and that most of the
skippers are obliged to go to market with their own money
in order to provide themselves with what they require.
In the meanwhile other nations are so abundantly sup-
plied !

" (4) On the other hand, a present has been received in
return, viz., the portrait of the King of France in a gold
medallion attached to a gold chain. All this we have so
much disapproved of, that we would not have refrained
from showing our deepest dissatisfaction and resentment,
if w^e had not, on the other hand, borne in mind the vigi-
lance displayed by the Commander and his prudent conduct
in capturing the two French ships, Le Cache and La Nor-
mande, regarding which we shall explain ourselves at the
proper time. In the meanwhile you will be able to con-
clude from what has been said and what has been more
fully stated in our despatches referred to, what you have
to do and to refrain from on the arrival of any foreigners,
and during their stay at the Cape. Everything is to be
done economically, whilst it is understood that you shall
in every way refrain from making any presents to them or
receiving any.

" Ee-reading your letters, we find that you ordered the
Portuguese vessel Nostra Senhora de los Milagros, wrecked



the Colonij of the Cape of Good Hope. lU)

to the east of the Cape, to bo burnt. "We do not under-
stand what moved you to do so, and why it was not left
as it was. No doubt, something or other might have been
found in it, which would have been of value.

"It is said tliat there has likewise been saved .out
of the said ship, and placed in tlie hands of the Com-
mander, a golden crown mounted with jewels ; alsu a kris
in a golden sheath. What the truth is. His Honour will
best know, and inform us of; also why the ship was
burnt."

Already two years previously (the 2-ith of Ma}', 1G88),
he had refuted the charges brouglit against him that he
had robbed the Siamese ambassador-', and shown that
when they arrived at the Cape, lie had been obliged to
lend them f.oOOO, and that, if any robbery had been com-
mitted, the culjjrit was a certain officer, whom he men-
tioned, and for that reason still kept in confinement.

Now, when again called upon for an explanation, he
wrote (the 24th of June, 1691) :—

" Your orders will ever be the highest ambition of the
Commander; but he humbly requests that you may be
pleased to put no faith iu the rumours imputing to him
that there had come into his hands a golden crown,
studded with jewels, and a kris with a golden scabbard.
In defence of his honour he is bound to declare that he
has never seen such a crown or ki is, and much less pos-
sessed them."

He acknowledges that in IGSG, when iXia Noxlrn Srnhora
de los Milagros had been wrecked here, one of the Siamese
ambassadors gave him as a keepsake, when on the point
of returning to I'atavia, a kris with a wooden scabbard
and golden handle, of the value of about lids. 40 or o<»,
and also a Siamese girdle, to show his good feeling and
affection for the Commander. Courtesy forliade him to
refuse this small present, and the respect which ho owed



120 Bamhles through the Archives of

the directors likewise forbade him to give them notice of
such trifles.

He had given no orders to burn the vessel mentioned,
and as far as his information went, she was still lying
where she had stniclc, gradually being broken up by the
sea and hitherto untouched by fire.

Keferring to the charge brought against him by those
of the Zioarte Leeuw, he replied that her men were con-
tinually being drafted into other ships to take the place
of the sick, and that this could not have been done, if
the crew had been treated as described. He Avishod the
skipper who brought her out — Pieter Andries Goedland,
who returned home in the Faam, the j-ear before — to testify
on this subject, and felt very grateful that he had received
from India the regulations regarding the provisioning of
ships, and added: —

" You may bo sure that this is no land in whicli anyone
need suffer hunger or distress, as those who are industrioiis
have, from year to year, by God's grace, seen their cellars
well filled with wine, their lofts with corn, and their
chimneys and barrels Avith flesh and fish. The neighbour-
ing bays produce excellent fish, the land splendid game and
tame animals, and the air an abundance of birds for the
maintenance of man. Hence, for manj' years now, no one
has been heard to complain of want of food. "NVe there-
fore fear, that because these people and others, whose com-
plaints have come to your ears, have greatly angered
Heaven by their ill-nature, last year the heavy rains
drowned a large quantity of corn ; but, notwithstanding
this warning, they have steeled their hearts so effectually
that the earth has by the drought been made as hard as
rock, and the grass burnt away. No large exports of
grain can therefore take place this year."

His promotion to the rank of Governor, for which he
returns thanks in this same despatch, no doubt went far



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 121

to convince him that he still enjoyed the confidence of his
superiors, but as he said elsewhere, each moment a hostile
fleet might enter the Bay, and destroy or capture the
whole settlement. Nor was he quite satisfied with the
movements and conversations of certain English officers
who had visited the Cape, for in June, 1691, he mentioned
the arrival, on the 4th and 12th of March preceding, of
the English frigates Success and Josias, both from London ;
and added that he could not refrain " from humbly in-
forming 3'ou of the great anxiety which the conversation
of the officers caused us, and the zeal with which they en-
deavoured to obtain some kn(jwledge of the surrounding
regions. They hinted likewise that they had vessels on
board which they intended to put together at the places
where they might be required, in order to examine coasts
and rivers, and that five or six similar ships were on the
point of coming hither from England. We fear that they
may have their eye on some of the neighbouring regions,
the more so as a certain skipper, Guillaume de Bouw, who
has often been here and is known to us as having been in
the service of jirivate merchants, has for more than twenty
years navigated on Mascarenhas and the Eastern Coast of
Africa, and accordingly learned to know the country and
the languages. He has lately entered the service of the
English Company, and calledhere as Captain of the Josias.
It is therefore likely that he has given information to the
English Company regarding the countries so often visited
by him, especially Terra de Natal, Eio de la Goa or Mada-
gascar, and made the affair so delicious to his new masters
that they may have decided, against your interests, to
make a settlement in our neighbourhood. Especially to
Governor Simon van der Stel, he secretly and privately
revealed that his masters had ordered him to call at the
coast of Sofala, and remain there about half-a-year, trading
for gold, ivory, itc, all along the coast, also most carefully
to examine into everything, and enqtloy the boats and
canoes with which ho has been provided for the purpose."



122 Bamhies through the Archives of



CHAPTER XV.

I HAVE so often mentioned the young Admiral du Qiiesne,
and the squadron under his command, that the reader may
perhaps wish to know some of his adventures in India.
Not having his book to refer to, I insert here what I have
found among the Archives. On the 1 7th of October, 1 690,
news was received from Xagapatnam at Batavia, that his
squadron consisting of six ships had been at Nielwelle
Bay, and taken out of it the flute Montfoort. The Dutch,
accordingly, descended down to Madraspatnam to join the
English there at the Fort. Both nations at once actively
prepared for defence. The Southern offices also reported
that two French ships had been passed ftir at sea on the
9th of August, and six more seen on the following day —
among them one very small. Their approach compelled
the fluits 't Huis te Spijch, &c., to run into shore as near
as possible, but the French passed them within range
without doing anything, evidently fearing the shallow
water. The three ships of the Danes before Tranquebar
they likewise left unmolested, as that nation is neutral in
the war in Europe. The two first mentioned vessels
passed Tegenapatnam on the 10th. The other six passed
the next day ; all anchored before Pondicherry, refreshed
there, and landed munitions of war, specie, etc., as will be
seen from the statement of the boatswain of the Montfoort*
who had escaped after being captured by the enemy : —

" This delay enabled us to put our three ships in a
proper state of defence, and likewise the large English
ship lying in Madras harbour. On the 16th, in the

* The Montfoort had on board f.11,500 in silver ducatons (see letter
from Hoogly, vol. 1G91, p. 3). Her cargo was valued at f.219,473 (see
letter from Colombo, 1G91, p. 48). She was therefore a rich prize to
the enemy ; hence the capture of the Normande and Cocke was a good
"Bet olf" against her loss.



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 123

morning we sighted a vessel proceeding to the north. A
Catamaran was sent out to spy her. She was the Bombay,
sent by your Honours (at Batavia) to Masulipatnam. For-
tunately she did not arrive sooner, and hence escaped the
enemy. She brought your letters for North Coromandel.
Having drawn our ships in a line near tlie shore, three
Dutch and three English, the Bomhay was employed, as
she was a fast sailer, to reconnoitre. On the 25th, between
8 and 9 a.m., the French ships were sighted. They con-
sisted of seven sail, and having approached as near as
St. Thome, could see our line of battle. They signalled
for a council to be held, which lasted about one hour and
a half ; and then the two smallest approached in near the
shore, the others also coming on but not quite so near.
When the latter were before the Salland, the very smallest,
named Huiherts, sailed right in front of her, the second
right by her side, three others on the side of the Dregter-
land and Schoondijk, and the largest to the side of the
Englishman, casting anchor at the same time. They then
commenced to fire, which lasted about an hour. Then we
saw the Mydregt, which had lain before the French Ad-
miral, who was lying alongside the Drccjterland, coming
down to us. We likewise clearly observed that she was
a fire-ship, and although she struck the Drri/ferland, the
wind being from the starboard, and the fire not bursting
forth at once, she was shoved off with little trouble. For
this we thank the great God heartily. For as they had
before most furiously cannonaded us, we believe that that
move was the one they depended on, as after the loss of
the fire-ship their fire gradually slackened, until after
two hours, when the Admiral and afterwards the others
retired ; most of them by cutting their cables ; but they
anchored again a good half mile (Dutch) above us towards



124 Rambles through the Archives of

the south-east. The following clay they proceeded to the
north, where they captured a small merchant vessel. In
the evening they were before Palicata, but were not seen
on the folloAving morning. God visibl}' protected us in
this encounter, as we had but a few killed and wounded.
. . . Our rigging was very much cut up, and we refitted
in the best Avay we could. Of the French, we heard on
the following day that during the night their Admiral
and eight officers had been brought on shore at St. Thome,
and buried there, and that many men had been killed.
Some had also been washed up below Madras, and buried
by order of the English. The English cannon on the
Fort could do very little, as we were too far from shore.
For that reason they were obliged to shoot very high."

Later news, dated the 4th of Februarj', 1691, received
from Governor Lourens Pith, mentioned that : —

" The French cut their cables, &c., and went along
shore towards Bengal, and thence to Ilha de Grayla for
repairs, arriving at Poudicherr}" on the 12th of January,
1691, where they took in some cargo. Two of the Dutch
prisoners, taken in the Mydregt, stated that the enemy
intended to proceed direct to Martinico, in order to obtain
information regarding the European war, and take steps
accordingly. . . . We have never been able exactly to
ascertain the number of their losses, so it is evident that
they have kept them very secret (although some of ours
were on board as prisoners). The English were glad of
our arrival on their roadstead, and acknowledged that we
saved them and their helpless ships by our assistance and
timely notice. The French vessels had been fitted out
with the prospect of obtaining heavy booty. All they
got was the Monifoort and Mydregt. They tried to take



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 125

an English ship and fought it for six hours, when the
captain, finding most of his men dead, decided to blow his
vessel up. This we heard from a few that saved them-
selves in a boat, and arrived at Galle."

The storj^ of the death of Admiral du Quesne was,
however, contrary to fact, and shortly afterwards con-
tradicted from Paris, as follows : —

"31st of August, 1691.

" It is not the case that Admiral du Quesne was killed
in the engagement before Madras. He arrived here last
night, and his six ships are at Port Louis. He has arrived
purposely to report what he has done, and it is said that
he will be appointed to another squadron which will
leave in Febiiiary next."



126 Ba miles through the Archives of



CHAPTER XYI.

Let us now return to the Marquis Henri du Quesne and
his brother Abraham. Having sold their large vessel to
the Company, they had still retained the small one,
L'HirorideUe (the Swallow), adhering to their plan of
proceeding to Mascarenhas. Hence, in June, 1690, the
Seventeen informed the Council here " that she was
placed under the command of Sieur Valot (Vaileau?) and
would call at the Cape ; that the Marquis had likewise
requested them to provide him with a letter of introduc-
tion to the Cape Government, which they were loathe to
refuse ; that therefore one had been written in which the
Council here was further reminded of the orders sent on
this subject previously ; and that as long as the vessel
remained at the Cape, the conduct of those on board was
to be carefully watched, and information sent to Holland
accordingly." She left Texel on the 4th of September, 1690,
and arrived here on the 15th of January, 1691, carrying
eight guns and twenty men, and according to orders was
well received. She left again on the 5th of February,
stating her intention to be to visit the neighbouring islands
Martin Vaas, Diego Eodrigues, and Mascarenhas, and be
back here in time to proceed home in company of the
return fleet. The Council gave the officers a letter of
introduction to Commander Lamotius at Mauritius, and
warned him likewise to keep his eye on them and report.
In the general despatch of the 29th of June, 1691, the
Commander and Council wrote regarding them as follows
(to the Seventeen) : —

" What will become of their enterprise, time alone will
show. It is strange that these people, who liave suifered
so much for their faith, and abandoned everything for its



the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. Vll

sake, are so little accommodating and reasonable, that to
the great pain of the Cape residents, they have not been
able to control their stubborn and angry natures here,