The Commander Extraordinary, having summoned the Council in the evening, informed the members of the council how Sargeant Hans Michiel Callenbach,86 having arrived from Robben Island, had related that several cannon shots had been fired yesterday and today at the aforementioned island in the northwest at sea, and that some of these shots were also heard here. Judging from the manner of the shooting, they could only understand that these were nut shots from a ship that was possibly in sight of the shore and, due to numerous dead and impotent ships, was unable to navigate Table Bay, where it was noted that we were approached by those of the last man. being English ships, named the Prudent Mary and the Charles, that three degrees north of the line Equinoctial they had missed a seeker Dutch ship, heading towards this direction, named the Purmer, as far as he was concerned, having been told further by the skipper of the boat Baeren on the … newspaper87 from the Island of Mauritius, that two days before his arrival here he had missed the shore a seeker English ship, the Ghent …,88 and was destined for Mocha, whose captain had told him the aforementioned. The Purmer had been sailing about 200 miles from the Cape a few days ago, and the free Saldania voyagers reported to us yesterday that on the 12th of this month they had seen a ship near Dassen Island, which was making its utmost effort to sail to the aforementioned island. However, the wind was not at all favorable, and it had put out to sea again from the shore without any further sighting. And despite the fact that the wind has been blowing favorably for several days now, the aforementioned ship is still lagging behind, so that we can only suspect that it is in bad shape with the aforementioned bottom and that it is... Hearing cannon shots fired as a signal to him, it was decided, at the suggestion of the Commander, that the fleet of his Mauritian landings having been completely relieved and that they could be missed without any disruption from the Company, that it was good and understood to let them go cruising along the rampart that evening, provided that they would be assisted by 10 soldiers and a corporal, provided that they also bring 10 to 12 live sheep, to be handed over to them upon meeting the said crew, to serve as refreshments afterwards.
Thus arrested at the Castle of Good Hope, date above.
[Signed:] S. VAN DER STEL.
[Signed:] J. CRUSE.
[Signed:] A. DE MAN, Rt. and Sects.
[Signed:] PHILIP THEODOOR WELCKER.