Page 20 - Bulletin 20 2016

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So it was that Table Bay / Agoado de Saldanha (its location unmistakeable beneath the
landmark of Table Mountain, visible over 100 kilometres / 50 nautical miles away at sea)
grew to be the preferred landing place on the shores of southern Africa for first the English
East India Company and, in turn, the Dutch and other European East India Companies that
came to be established in the future, over Mossel Bay.

The arrival of the Dutch East India Company

In the 164 intervening years between the voyage of Bartolomeu Dias and arrival of Jan van
Riebeeck - to establish a revitualling station for the Dutch East India Company (V.O.C.) at
the Cape - more than 153 ships and / or fleets of ships are on record as having stopped over at
Table Bay. Yet in all that time it is unlikely anyone aboard these ships ventured much further
down the Cape Peninsula than the eastern slopes of Table Mountain. Reasons for this
included the dangers posed by wild animals and also the local people. For while trade in
livestock with the Khoekhoen / Cape herders was generally sought and often conducted
cordially, this was not always the case. Thus one could never be sure how a person found
wandering alone, or even a small party of men far from the safety in numbers provided by
their shipmates, might be responded to. There was also the notoriously capricious weather at
the Cape to consider that could require those ashore to return quickly to their ship or perforce,
be left behind.

Concerns such as these remained into the early years of settlement at the Cape, although there
are occasional references in the journal of Van Riebeeck of forays beyond Table Valley.
These were primarily small parties sent out to investigate various matters and/or reports of
possible resources that could prove of importance to the V.O.C. Nothing, however, of
particular value was discovered towards the southern reaches of the peninsula or that could
not be acquired with less effort closer to Table Bay, apart from game animals for which, as
will be seen later, certain individuals were granted licenses to hunt on behalf of the Company
(16)
.

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