During his stay Lieutenant Grant met a relative, Dr.J.R.Grant, with whom he made several excursions into the interior of the colony.
While the Lady Nelson was at the Cape of Good Hope a ship named the Wellesley arrived from England with despatches from the Admiralty.

She had narrowly escaped capture by a French man-of-war which gave chase to her after she had parted from her convoy, but fortunately she had been able to beat off the enemy and to effect her escape.

The instructions brought to Grant from the Duke of Portland directed him to sail to Sydney through Bass Strait instead of sailing round the South Cape of Van Diemen's Land (as Tasmania was then called).* (* The following extract is from the letter from the Duke of Portland to Grant:-- "WHITEHALL, 8th April, 1800.
"SIR, Having received information from Port Jackson in New South Wales that a navigable strait has been discovered between that country and Van Diemen's Land in latitude 38 degrees, it is His Majesty's pleasure that you should sail through the said strait on your way to Port Jackson.

I am, etc., PORTLAND.") No ship had yet sailed through this strait, which had been discovered only a little more than a year before by Dr.George Bass.

Grant was also instructed to take particular notice of the Australian coast, and especially of the headlands visible on either side of the strait.