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Flinders's Providence Logbook Dec 27, 1792

Remarks ♃ [Thursday] December 27th 1792 H.M.S. Providence From St Helena towards the West Indies

Moderate Breezes & fine Weather Received on board a tolerably fine Bullock by the Launch – cleaning and preparing Ship for Sea – Hoisted in the Launch John Burden, the Captains Steward discharged sick, he had been troubled with Fits greatest Part of the Voyage, which affected him more particularly in hot Weather – Mathers the Gunners Mate who I understood had been discharged, it seems was not but had put a put a dextrous Trick upon the Captain and Officers and contrived to get away with a very specious Appearance of being regularly discharged, – He is run upon the Books – The Genoese Ship Prudenta – Fitch Master, weighed this Evening and stood to the North Westward At 6 Unmoored and hove in to ⅔ on the Best Bower (the Westmost ) stowed the Sheet Anchor – Clearing Ship for Sea – Boats on shore fetching off the Officers and Goods – Mustered Ships Company, Mathers found missing as mentioned before and the Boatswain, a Boat sent after him and brought himn off – At 8 Up Top Gallant yards slung the Lower yards &c – Hoisted in and stowed all the Boats Captain on board and all ready for Sea – At 11½ weighed under single reefed topsails fired a Gun to give Notice of our going out to the Town – At 12 We were unexpectedly saluted by the Fort with 13 Guns. shortened Sail, hove to, got ready and returned the Salute with an equal Number – at 12¼ Bore away again and the Assistant after us – Out all reefs and Set the Starboard Studding sails – James Town bearing SSE 2 Miles

Remarks at St Helena

The Refreshments to be expected by Ships touching here are Tea, Coffee, Sugar, Vegetables particularly Potatoes, fresh Beef, plenty of excellent Water and fish, almost any English Manufactory may also be got here but at an exorbitant Price as may be expected, generally about 100 per Cent on the original Cost. most India Goods may be had but not so cheap as might be imagined, indeed very little less that they may be bought for in England, especially if they are not got at the first Hand – Rice may be procured at the Companys Storehouse by an especial Order from the Governor very cheap, indeed, it is much the best Mehod to get a general one for every thing wanted by Virtue of which we procured the above Articles at the following Prices – Tea 1s:3d to 3s:6d per pound Coffee 1s fine soft Sugar from China 4d but they wish and almost oblige you to take half Sugar Candy at 8d so that it may be called 6d Potatoes owing to the late extraordinary Draught [drought] were with the greatest Difficulty got at 8s per Bushel – Fish are as cheap as can be wished unless you are imposed upon and rice about 9s per Hundred weight – Bread is exceedingly dear and salt Butter and Cheese 1s:6d per pound – Fresh Beef we only procured by especial Favour and I believe is nevery very plentiful – the Water is conveyed down from Springs up the Mountains in Pipes to the landing Place, where there is a kind of well or Font to receive it, and Cocks under which the Casks are rolled and filled very conveniently – Our St Helena Collection of Plants consist of four large and two Pots of small Fern trees – One Dwarf Peach – One Green Tea – One China Orange – Four Vessels of Coffee containing 17 Plants – Two seedling Pots of a kind of Amond with 8 Plants – Three Sorts of Bassine Plantains from Bengal – Three Sorts of St Helena Cabbage Tree – One double flowering Lycium Japonicum – One Camellia Japonica
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bearing white flowers – Two Nicotiana frutiosa or Tobacco Tree – One shrubby Spircea – two small Capsicum or Guinea Pepper – three Protea argentea a kind of silver Tree, and six other Vessels of different Plants making on the whole 37 Vessels and 59 Plants which are principally intended for His Majestys Botanic Garden as very few of them can be of any Service to the West India Islands.

The Honorable Mr Cochrane a Passenger in the Ganges likewise gave our Botanists a few Plants of the Mango, Guava and some others he had brought from Bengal with him, so that our Number of Plants is by no Means diminished here – To what I have said of the Produce of the Island may be added Rabbits, Pheasants, Partridges and plenty of St Helena Pidgeons up the Hills, in Holes and amongst the long Grass with which they are covered. they have likewise that Species of Yam the Otaheiteans call Taro and grows in the same moist Situtions – thus Fruits are a few Cocoa nutts, Peaches, Pomegranates, Plantains, a few young Apple & Pear Trees, Figs, Cucumbers, Melons and plenty of fine Pumpkins, a few Mango and Pine Plants but they do not seem to thrive with them.

The Slaves are treated exceedinly well, the laws here respecting them being much in their Favour, the Effect of which is that they no longer import any, their present Number rather increasing than diminishing. With respect to the Situation I believe the Latitude and Longitude of it in the requisite Tables are tolerably good, the few Lunars taken before we arrived reduced up give it half a Degree farther to the Eastward. The Variation by Mean of two Setts was found by Observations for the Apparent Time on Board and their Errors by allowing 5°:49′:00″ West as the true Longitude of James Town, from which we were 23″ of Longitude to the [blank].

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