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[in pencil] Aug 29 1800
His Majestys Ship Porpoise Capt of Good Hope
Sir
agreeable to your Request I do myself the honor of of writing to you from the Cape of Good Hope at which place we arrived on the 2d of June after a Passage of eleven weeks in which we experienced much bad weather : - it is with the most painful concern I mention that the greater part of the Plants on Board have perished, one of the Chief Causes whereof is the Considerable Time they have been on Board for though they in general looked well when we were off Madeira & I had good hopes of them yet I have Reason to beleive that they were decaying at Root and that in passing through the hot Climates the Earth became quite sour - these were evils for which I had no remedy - another great disadvantage was the Smallness of the Ship which being very deeply laden exposed the Garden to the Continual washings of the Sea whenever we had any bad weather. I was in consequence obliged to keep them Close Battoned down at times for Several days together: believe me Sir I Sincerely lament the loss but rest assured professions are needless to convince your Just and generous mind that every exertion in my power was made to preserve them. at the Same time it gives me great satisfaction to inform you that the greater part of those that are perished can be replaced here. Hop plants are here also a number of Sorts of grape vines with which I am well supplied Govr. King