Chapter XVII (2)

“Mr. Odendals appeared to be very happy in his family, and much respected and beloved by his slaves. A very pleasing practice was observed in his house, which was, that of all the servants, slaves as well as others, coming in, in succession in the morning, to wish their master a good day. This was considered as a family muster.

“The garden here would probably have been very productive, had it been more sheltered from the S.E. winds, which might easily have been done, many shrubs such as the Rhinoceros bush, and many Proteas, braving its violence; under the lee of which the stunted oak, such as many of the vineyards in the Cape district are sheltered by, might be made to grow. The water is generally brackish through the extensive plains at the foot of the Potteberg; a quality for which it is not disrelished by the inhabitants, however objectionable to strangers. A beautiful specimen of the wild Jessamine was seen here, armed with thorns as sharp as those of the Mimosa.

“The roads in the neighbourhood are generally good, that from Sickenhuis to this place was excellent, running over level ironstone; and but for the ravines by which it was so frequently intercepted, might have been travelled upon at as great a rate as the best roads in England; and being formed on a hard surface, never wanted repair, in fact the only labour required in making them was to clear away the heath.

“On Monday, Dec. 1st, it rained too hard during the early part of the day for our party to begin their journey; but in the afternoon the weather clearing, our kind host insisted upon driving us in his wagon to Cape Lagullos. The road lay over a very extensive plain, capable of being made very productive in corn. In the neighbourhood of the Recty Lake the ground is so frequently flooded, that it produces only a rank coarse grass. There are many pools in the course of the Kleine River, called by the inhabitants “Sea cow holes,” from the resemblance to the haunts of these animals in the eastern parts of the colony, and probably from their having been found here in the earlier part of the settlement; tradition being very common here of the country having been infested with all descriptions of wild animals, and particularly lions and buffalos, which are now rarely seen to the westward of the Gauritz River.

“From the Recty Lake a quantity of salt is collected every year, as much as 3000 muids. The plain formerly afforded excellent pasturage for horses, but the grass having become coarse, and rank, the value of the property has much diminished. The Boors on the small farms which are dispersed about this extensive tract of land, are of an athletic make, but of most indolent habits, as is evident from the wretched appearance of their farms and all around them. Their chief occupation is hunting, and here, and here only, their energies seem to be aroused; but the neglect of their farms has already been accounted for, in the want of a market for their produce. A little corn is sufficient for the consumption of their families, and as they have abundance of sheep, and plenty of game at hand, they want but little besides clothing and brandy, which they procure from Cape Town in exchange for what they send thither.

“On the evening of this day we reached Recty, a small horse farm, situated on the eastern side of a Lake, about seven miles from Cape Lagullos, a wretched hovel in a most dilapidated state, and bearing evident marks of the absence of its master. From the failure of the grass already alluded to, but few horses are used here. We passed the night with as much comfort as the means offered us would admit of; but to travellers of cheerful disposition, good health and appetite, with wagons so provided, as to set scarcity at defiance, we did not suffer much; there was during the night a severe storm of thunder and lightning.

“On the following day we set out for Cape Lagullos, but found the Boor who conducted us, entirely mistaken as to the point they called the Cape; upon reaching it, another was seen bearing S.W. by W. from it, consequently further to the southward; and having got to this point, another appeared, at the distance of five or six miles, bearing W.S.W., which was probably the real Cape. The wrecks of many vessels were lying on the part of the shore we visited, which had been lost in the course of the preceding thirty years. One of the ships lost here a few years before, had a cargo of slaves, who having gained their liberty, marched up the country in a body, but they were too dangerous at liberty, and too useful in bondage, to be allowed to enjoy their freedom any length of time. An old woman then living in the house now occupied by Mr. Odendal’s, took great credit to herself, for having defended it against these invaders, and for being the cause of their being finally secured.

“At four p.m. on the 2nd, we continued our journey, crossing the Carse River, on our way to Morkels, a farm on the River, called a horse farm: there is another near it, but both evincing at this period a want of capital. Morkels is a valuable property, a good dwelling house, spacious out-buildings, capacious stables and barns, but in a ruinous state for want of repair, the water here is excessively brackish, so much so, as to be scarcely drinkable to an European.

“We met here at dinner with young Schwartz, the person who first discovered the wreck of the unfortunate Arniston, a large East Indiaman, which was lost upon Cape Lagullos in June, 1815. He gave us a very interesting and most affecting account of the awful scene, which came suddenly before him as he rode down to the beach. The shore was covered with wreck of every description, masts, sails, timber, and planks, hove high upon the beach, which was strewed with dead bodies. The fatal event had taken place some days, as he learnt from the survivors. Six men whom he found in a small cavern on the coast, impressed with the idea that the ship had passed the Cape of Good Hope, and that she had been wrecked to the westward of it, had walked along the beach for two days, expecting every moment to see the Table Mountain, but at the end of that time were stopped by the Bride River, which convinced them of their error, and they had to retrace their steps to the wreck, which they reached at the end of the fourth day, worn out with fatigue and hunger, having only subsisted upon the shell fish they found on the coast. Their first object was to bury as many of their dead as they could, during the two days previously to their being discovered by Mr. Schwartz; they pointed out to him particularly the spot in which they had laid the _four children_ of Colonel Giels, of the 72nd Regiment, who had been sent home as passengers in the Arniston, under the care of Lord and Lady Molesworth, who also perished in her. These poor fellows had evidently taken a very deep interest in the fate of these children, as it was the only grave which they distinctly marked. They had of course procured some salt provisions from the wreck, which had been washed ashore, but every thing else was spoiled by the salt water. They were also enabled to clothe themselves from the raiment of their unfortunate shipmates. They were afterwards most hospitably and kindly treated by the farmer, and having been sent to the nearest Magistrate, gave the deposition of which the following is a copy, and which was forwarded to the Commissioner of His Majesty’s Dock Yard, a few days afterwards.

“‘A narrative from the surviving crew, relating to the loss of
the Arniston, Transport, wrecked near Cape Lagullos, on the
evening of the 30th of May, 1815.

“‘Charles Stewart Scott, late carpenter’s mate of the
Arniston, Transport, and others, assert to the best of their
knowledge, that she sailed from Point de Galle on or about
the 4th of April, under convoy of H.M.S. Africaine, and the
Victor Brig, with six Indiamen. About the 26th of May parted
company from the convoy, owing to stress of weather, having
blown away most of her sails; other sails were then bent, but
the weather continued very squally, with a heavy sea. On the
29th, about seven a.m. the land was discovered right ahead,
bearing about N. by W. a long distance off, the wind then
S.S.E. about half-past four p.m. still blowing very strong,
hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, under a close reefed
maintopsail, and stood on till half-past two a.m. on the 30th;
then supposing the land seen was near Table bay, the hands
were turned up, bore up steering N.W. and set the foresail,
intending to run for St. Helena; continued on till 10 a.m.
when the land was again discovered nearly ahead, turned the
hands up, and hauled the ship close to the wind on the larboard
tack, still blowing very hard, made all sail, having topsails
and courses set, stood on till near noon, when breakers were
discovered on the lee-bow, wore ship and hauled to the wind
on the other tack; stood on till 2 p.m. then wore, and hauled
to the wind on the larboard tack, continuing on till near 4
o’clock, when breakers were seen, called Lagullos Reef, which
we could not weather on either tack, being completely embayed;
clewed up the sails and cut away three anchors, the two bower
cables parted shortly after, when Lieutenant Brice, agent for
transports, recommended the captain to cut the sheet cable,
and run the ship on shore, as the only chance of saving the
people’s lives. The cable was then cut, and the ship put before
the wind, in about eight minutes after she struck forward,
the ship heeling to windward; cut away the guns in order to
heel her the other way, but which could not be effected, and
she soon began to break up. About eight o’clock the masts
went, and the ship in a very short time was quite in pieces;
many people were drowned below in consequence of her heeling
to windward, and others clung to the wreck, endeavouring to
reach the shore about half a mile distant. Out of the whole
crew, consisting of near 350 persons, only six men reached the
shore with great difficulty upon planks, being much bruised
by the wreck and surf, which was very high. At daylight the
next morning the stern post was the only part of the ship to
be seen, the beach was covered with wreck, stores, &c. and a
number of dead bodies, which were buried by the survivors.
Amongst these were Lord and Lady Molesworth, the agent, the
captain, and some children. On the next day, the 1st of June,
considering ourselves to the westward of Cape Point, it was
agreed to coast the beach to the eastward, which we continued
to do for four days and a half, subsisting on shell fish from
off the rocks, but fearing we had taken a wrong direction, we
returned to the wreck, and accomplished it in three days and a
half, where we remained six days subsisting chiefly on a cask
of oatmeal, which had been driven on shore; by drying it in
the sun, we experienced great relief. The pinnace having been
driven on shore bilged, we proposed to repair it in the best
manner circumstances would allow, and coast along shore. At
that time, the 14th of June, being at work on the boat, we were
fortunately discovered by a farmer’s son, John Schwartz, who
was out shooting, and humanely carried by him to his father’s
house, where we remained with every comfort he could afford us
for a week, and then set off for Cape town, where we arrived on
Monday evening, the 26th of June.

“‘Before we left the country we were informed that three
hundred and thirty-one bodies thrown on shore, had been
interred near the beach.

“‘Signed,

“‘CHARLES STEWART SCOTT, and party.’

“This declaration was made before me this day at Cape Town,
the 27th day of June, 1815, of which this is a copy.

“J. MERES,
“Lieutenant R.N. Resident Agent for Transports.”

_A List of Officers and Passengers, as far as can be collected
from the survivors, who perished on board the Arniston
Transport, the 30th of May, 1815._

Lieutenant Brice, R.N. Agent.
Captain George Simpson.
1st Mate, Thomas Hall.
2nd Mate, William Young.
3rd Mate, William Gibbs.
4th Mate, —— Robinson.
Doctor, —— Gunter.
Boatswain, John Barrett.
Carpenter, John Finley.
Gunner, Thomas Gowan.

SURVIVORS.

Charles Stewart Scott, (Captain’s Mate).
Philip Shea,
Wm. Drummond,
Wm. Fish,
Thos. Mansfield,
John Lewis, Seamen.

PASSENGERS.

Lord and Lady Molesworth, with a boy aged 7 years old under
their care.
Four children—boys belonging to an officer of the 73 Regt.
at Columbo.
Captain Stoddart, (Royal Scots).
Mrs. James, with two children, belonging to Point de Galle.
Mrs. Taylor, Officer’s Widow.
Miss Twisleton, daughter of the Clergyman at Columbo.
Mr. Gordon, Commissary, and son, about five years old.
Lieutenant Callender, 19th Regiment.

Invalids from the 19th, 22nd, 56th, 69th, 84th, and Royal
Scots Regiments; and near 100 seamen from the different men
of war in India, with 14 women, including passengers, and
25 children, in the whole about 350 people.

N.B. Captain Whyms of the army died on board six weeks
after leaving Ceylon.

“On the morning of the 3rd December, anxious to visit the spot become so deeply interesting, from the preceding melancholy history, our party proceeded to the place, and arrived there at half-past nine, a.m. It was indeed an awful scene, although much of the horror had been removed by the burial of the dead. Every object was calculated to throw a deep and solemn gloom over the mind. The wreck of the ship lay scattered in great fragments in every direction on the beach, and the remains of the unhappy sufferers were indicated by pieces of plank and timber, which had been placed in an upright position over them; 350 bodies had been washed on shore.

“It may be easier to conceive than to describe the feelings excited in our minds at the awful scene which here presented itself. The coast and surrounding country was desolate in the extreme. The day being cloudy, not a sunbeam gleamed over it; there was little wind, and the surf rolled sullenly along the shore, with a hollow and lugubrious roar, whilst every object told the tale of woe. A monument had been raised by the direction of Colonel Giels over the grave where his children were deposited, by an artificer sent from Cape Town; its bright white appearance contrasted with the dark clouds, and the still darker tablet on which the fatal event was recorded, produced an indescribable effect upon the eye, unprepared for such an object.

“Having remained some time meditating upon this mournful scene, our party pursued their journey over a wide sandy plain towards the Hope, an Estate belonging to Mr. Lawrence Cloete, and appropriated to the breeding of sheep. In crossing these plains, and far distant from the coast, even many miles, we observed pieces of the wreck of the Arniston, which had been evidently dropped from wagons employed in carrying away timber from the beach, and it did at the moment occur to me, that the notions respecting the receding of the ocean which has occupied so many pens, and so many pages, and concerning which so much has been written in reference to this part of the world in particular, might have been accounted for by the object before us. Had a strong S.E. wind taken place subsequent to these remarkable pieces being dropped from the wagons, (they were shot-racks), they would have been forthwith covered deep in sand; and had they been found a century afterwards they would have excited the same suggestion, that the sea had formerly covered this place also.

“From an attentive observation of every part of the coast of this colony, I am much more inclined to adopt Sir John Barrow’s theory of the sea gaining, rather than of its receding; and the observations he makes upon the subject, (vol. i. p. 6,) appear very satisfactory; but I felt at the same time convinced, that the Cape flat, now an immense sandy plain, covered with shrubs and heath was, perhaps ever since the commencement of the Christian era, a channel between the Table mountain, then an Island, and the main land. Sir John Barrow grounds his opinion upon the effects produced by the accumulation of sand, during the period of nearly seven years that he was in the country, of which some very striking instances will be given in the course of this narrative. But lest the assertion may appear a startling one, it may be as well even in this place to shew on what grounds he founded the supposition.

“It is well known that the S.E. winds blow during a great part of the year, and sometimes with great violence for many days together. A heavy sea consequently rolls in upon every part of the southern coast, bringing with it an immense quantity of sand, which may have been forming a ridge of considerable elevation above high water mark. As the tide recedes, the sand dries, and is taken up by the wind, and carried in a continued and dense stream into the interior, where it is deposited among the shrubs, and soon covers them. A reference to those who have land near the coast, and even at some miles distant from it, will give a melancholy confirmation of this fact, and shew that much of their land has been entirely ruined by the accumulation of sand. During the winter months when the N.W. winds prevail they are in general accompanied by rain, and the sand when wet is not liable to be taken up by the wind and carried back again: and this shews how the sand hills accumulate, and how soon not only shrubs, but trees may be overwhelmed with sand.

“Our party arrived at the Hope in the afternoon of the 3rd. The house is small but very commodious, and fitted up with every attention to comfort and even luxury. It is situated on the eastern bank of an extensive salt lake, into which the little salt river carries its waters; there is no visible outlet, but they doubtless pass through the surrounding sands.

“Great quantities of game abound in this neighbourhood, and several ostriches were seen in the day’s journey, rising from the heath on the approach of the wagons, and striding towards the interior with most extraordinary velocity.

“Immense quantities of corn were once grown in this neighbourhood, but a decided and very reasonable preference was given by our host to sheep and horses. Of the former he has a very large flock, with a valuable collection of merinos. It is considered that the wool of the fourth cross is nearly equal to the Spanish original. It is surprising, considering the number of hyenas and wolves, with which this part of the colony abounds, that so little injury is experienced in the sheep-folds, but the hyena and the wolf seldom attack cattle or sheep in an enclosure, however simple and defenceless it may be.

“There are no trees near the house, but several beautifully wooded glens or ravines running down to the lake.

“On the 5th December, at six, a.m. we left the Hope having been furnished with a span of oxen to ascend the Potteberg, a steep and rugged road, but one which might with care be greatly improved. From the summit of the hill we had a splendid view of the Sout valley, and the adjacent plains, with an extensive line of sea coast, terminating at Cape Lagullos to the S.W. The country although wild and uncultivated, was picturesque, and much enlivened, by the profusion and variety of the shrubs and heaths with which it was covered in all the brilliancy of flower. Many Piebocks were seen on ascending the Potteberg, and some Partridges. We stopped in the course of the morning at the house of the field Cornet; it lies in the descent of the Potteberg, and he is a most respectable man, with a large family, cultivating an extensive corn farm. He was suffering severely from a whitloe, which had begun on the finger, but its effects threatened the loss of his arm. The greatest inconvenience experienced by the colonists in the interior is the want of surgical assistance; though they are sufficiently well instructed in medical remedies, to apply them with tolerable success.

“After some repose at this place, we proceeded on our way to the Bride River, but having mistaken the road we had a long and very fatiguing journey, and having reached a part of the river where no means existed for crossing, we had to retrace our steps nearly half way over a hilly rugged road, and did not arrive at the ferry at Guillenpuis until nearly sunset. The country we had passed through this day was of an extraordinary description. The prospect before us as we left the Potteberg was that of a gently undulating surface, covered with a great variety of shrubs and aloes; but as we proceeded we found it frequently intersected by deep and precipitous ravines, and which could only be passed by means of very winding roads down the steep slaty sides. The ascent from these occasioned great labour to the cattle. The Bride River as seen from the heights on its right bank had a most picturesque appearance from its windings, making a distance between two places along its banks of two hours, when a straight road between them, had such existed, would not have required more than half an hour. Corn might be grown to an immense amount near this river, as was evident by what was seen growing on the few spots which were cultivated, but the population is very scanty, and labour very difficult to procure. It was said that black cattle would thrive greatly on these plains, but that there was something in the pasturage generally destructive to sheep, of which the inhabitants complained of having lost great numbers, and no longer ventured to keep more than they required for their immediate consumption.

“As it was too late to get the wagons over that evening, which requires a tedious process, they were unloaded and the baggage taken over in a small boat, which landed us at a small but commodious farm house on the opposite bank, where we received a most hospitable welcome; and the inmates, though very limited in their circumstances, made every effort to accommodate us, giving up the best part of the house to our use, and supplying us with fish, fowls, and fresh eggs, for which they positively refused to receive payment.

“The small boat, not more than twelve feet in length, returned for the horses, which swam over, having their heads tied up to the gunwale of the boat, two at each side. It consequently required three trips to get over the eight wagon and four saddle horses. Much difficulty was experienced, and time lost in getting them all to take the water. Some of them having been accustomed to it, took their stations on each side of the boat at once, whilst others could scarcely be brought to the water’s edge; but example here, as in most other cases, had at length its influence, they reached the other side in safety and ease, and were comfortably accommodated in the farm stables. At daylight in the morning we rose, in order to see the process of getting the wagon over. The river at this place might be about one hundred and fifty yards across, and perhaps two fathoms deep, the depth however was of no consequence. A large empty leaguer well bunged up, was placed in the wagon, and lashed to the framework at the bottom, a line was then brought from the opposite shore, and made fast to it, it was then pushed into the water, and hauled over to the other side without any difficulty, by two or three men; when a pair of horses were ready to receive it, and draw it out of the stream.

“The Bride River is navigable from this place to its mouth, for vessels of thirty or forty tons. The face of the country to the eastward, is wild and precipitous to a degree surpassing what we have hitherto seen; so much so as to wear the appearance of having been convulsed by earthquake. It is at the same time very fertile, even to the summit of the hills, being covered with corn wherever the cultivator thought proper to sow it.

“The scenery amidst the windings of the Bride River was most strikingly picturesque; the various tints which the mimosa, the aloe, the milkwood, and the protea, gave to the landscape, produced a very splendid effect.

“At eleven, on the 8th December, we arrived at Rhinoster Fonteyne, a grazing and breeding farm (for horses) on the banks of the Bride River, near its mouth. The view to the westward was superb. We rode down to the entrance of the river, and found a capacious harbour for small craft, formed by a spit of sand running out from the eastern shore. The harbour here formed is very capacious, its breadth securing the vessels which might be lying there in the winter, against the effect of the torrents rushing from the mountains. Here a depôt should be made of corn, wine, flax, linseed, and oil, in readiness to ship for the capital, on board any vessels which might be sent for the purpose. They might also take on board large quantities of thorn bark for tanning; the gana, a shrub used in making soap; tobacco; wool of an excellent quality from the Merino sheep; the inspissated juice of the aloe, which may be had in large quantities; and many articles of traffic, not only for home consumption in the Cape district, but also as articles for exportation, the want of which was so severely felt, that the exchange for bills upon England, which were considered at par at 125, rose in the year 1822 to more than 200.

“A constant trade might thus be carried on, and if the resources of the colony were by such means brought into action, there is little doubt but the export trade would be very considerable, even in corn.

“Mr. Van Rennen, the owner of this farm, having purchased the famous English stallion, Euryalus, had greatly improved his breed of horses, which rose in value, and were generally sold at high prices from 500 to 1000 rix dollars. There were upon the farm 300 cows, and yet neither butter nor cheese were made, beyond what was required for the use of the family, and this for want of an outlet. It was stated that 1500 sheep were shorn annually upon this farm; that the wool was sold in Cape Town for two rix dollars the pound, and that the fleeces average two pounds each. Mr. Van Rennen has taken the precaution of enclosing and covering in a pool, or rather an extensive well in his grazing ground, by which he ensures a constant supply of water in the hottest seasons. It not only prevents the rapid evaporation, which would be caused by the heat of the sun, but also prevents the cattle from wallowing and trampling upon the borders of the pool. The want of water is the cause of the greatest suffering in every part of the colony. Great improvidence has been manifested in the distribution of the different farms by the Government, and this shews the expediency of being liberal in the remuneration of talented and upright Surveyors in all new settlements, and in preventing a monopoly of the streams; from which single cause it frequently happens that extensive tracts of valuable land may be thrown out of cultivation. From the steep descent of the beds of the rivers the waters soon run off; but much might, nevertheless, be done by irrigation and by lateral cuts. The country however must become much more populous before such improvements can be looked for.

“On the 8th, we left Rhinoster Fonteyne in Mr. Van Rennen’s wagon, which he had kindly lent us in order that we might send off our own, and the saddle horses at a very early hour; and that the horses might be refreshed before they were required for the remainder of the day’s journey, which was to be a very long one. We traversed an immense plain near fifteen miles in breadth, cultivated in patches which produced corn in abundance, and stretching to a great extent from the sea to the foot of the Swartberg. The mountains had continued to bound the prospect upon the left, from the time we had passed Hottentot Holland’s Kloof, and were seen running on to the north-east, lost in the most remote distance. The vallies and ravines, were generally dark with the woods springing up in the dark alluvial soil which was washed down by the wintry rains. In the course of this day, we arrived at Duivenhock, where the scenery was truly beautiful; and here we found a most respectable and hospitable family, in a substantial and commodious cottage, with every thing wearing the appearance of industry and gradual improvement. After receiving refreshment here, we proceeded over an open and generally level country to the Kaffer Kuyl River; we saw abundance of game in crossing it. The Kaffer Kuyl is a considerable stream running with rapidity from the mountains towards the sea. Much corn is grown near to its banks, and two respectable looking farms lie at a small distance from each other. This river is not capable of being made navigable, having an irregular and rocky bed, and in the rainy seasons it becomes an impetuous torrent. In the evening, we arrived at a farm belonging to Mr. La Grange, on the high road from Cape Town to Mossul Bay; it is situated on a level plateau at a considerable height above the level of the sea. The country about it is generally undulating, except in the immediate neighbourhood of the river, the banks of which are very steep and rugged. The Soetmelks River runs very near this farm; a great number of horses are bred here and some cattle.

“Having passed the night with great comfort here, we pursued our journey towards the Gauritz River, over a beautifully variegated country. The mimosa of the most lively and refreshing green was strikingly contrasted with the generally parched and arid appearance of the soil, but this was also frequently relieved by the brilliancy of patches of flowering shrubs of the most lively hues, approaching even to gaudiness, if such a term can be applied to the objects of creation; while the aloes, scattered over the country in boundless profusion, gave finishing touches to the landscape, and produced the happiest effect. The whole of the tract we passed over this day appeared to be fit for cultivation, capable of producing in abundance all the necessaries of life, and wherever industry had been employed, it was apparently crowned with success.

“This day, the 9th day of December, was the hottest we had experienced, the thermometer was at 99 in the interior of the wagon. The wind from the north felt as though it came from a furnace; not a cloud was to be seen, except a few of a white and fleecy description, which were gathering over the summit of the Swartberg; and from their appearance, Colonel Graham, who had been long an observer of the changes of the weather in this country, at once predicted a thunder storm; and his conjectures were accurate, for in less than three hours a most violent storm of wind and rain, with tremendous thunder and vivid lightning, came on, and lasted about two hours. We had, providentially, reached the Gauritz River, and crossed it before the storm came on, and were comfortably sheltered at the house of Esaias Miers, on the left bank. He was a kind and hospitable man; and, with his excellent wife, gave every accommodation in their power to offer. With their assistance, and that of our own cook, we soon procured an excellent dinner. In about two hours the weather cleared up, and gave us a delightful evening for pursuing our journey.

“The banks of the Gauritz are extremely precipitate, and scarcely less than two hundred feet in height; the road, as may be supposed, is very steep, but with the precaution of locking both the hind wheels of the wagon, is not dangerous. The difficulty of ascending is very great. The country people in general travel with two or three wagons in company, for the purpose of assisting each other in getting over these places, which to one team of oxen would be insurmountable. This forms one of the most animating and picturesque scenes imaginable. I have already adverted to it, but to see the wagons ascending from the bed of Gauritz, up a broken road which in other countries would be deemed impracticable, with a long line of, in some instances, thirty-six oxen, through the wildest scenery imaginable, the shouting of the drivers, the echoes occasioned by the cracking of their huge whips, and the passengers in every direction climbing amongst the rocks in pursuit of the nearest way to the summit of the ridge, altogether produces an effect which is indescribable, and of a peculiarly animating character.

“We had in this place an additional proof of what industry and perseverance can perform in overcoming existing difficulties, but it is certainly ‘taking the bull by the horns.’ A small portion of labour applied by legislative investments would soon render these roads practicable for the wagon and its own team, without any of the detention and risk of loss of oxen, and damage to the vehicle which is now constantly experienced; and this being the great road to immense forests in Uitenhage, and to the district of George, it seems the more extraordinary that some exertion had not long before been made by the Colonial Government. In many cases we observed that the road might have been rendered much easier, and consequently safer, and more expeditious, by a little more detour being made in it; but when even it was at all possible, the straight line was most inflexibly adhered to. It was frequently seen that the ruts of wheels were passing over a stone of two or three feet in height, where a deviation of as many yards would have avoided it. But it was a road which the grandfather had gone, and was therefore most dutifully followed by his descendants.

“The Gauritz is frequently in the rainy season a formidable torrent, and impassable for days together, at which time a most singular and picturesque scene presents itself, from the groups of wagons and travellers collected on each bank, forming as it were extensive encampments, their numerous spans of horses and oxen grazing on the steep declivities of the bank, where any food can be found for them, or outspanned on the heights for the purpose of grazing. To these are added on the left bank very large droves of cattle and flocks of sheep, waiting for the water to subside, that they may continue their way to the Cape Town market. The Boors and their Hottentots enjoy these bivouacs much, as they pass the time of their detention in shooting, and the neighbourhood is well supplied with game; nor are the females of the party without their share in the general excitement, as they have the enjoyment of society from which they are precluded in their solitary farms; and as their wagons form very commodious tents, they experience but little more discomfort than in their cots at home, where in many cases the accommodations are hardly superior. To add to the animation of the scene, their little fires blazing in all directions, and the column of blue smoke ascending along the hills, and taking from them the monotony of feature by giving an appearance of distance to those parts dimly seen, increases the general effect of the picture.

“The Gauritz is in no part navigable, from the broken and rocky nature of its bed, and no boats are consequently to be found upon it. Beneath the cliff on the right bank was a remarkable plateau, enclosed in a bend of the winding of the banks, quite level, and of considerable extent, and about twenty feet above the bed of the river. At the first view it appeared well calculated for the site of a village, but in winter it is frequently laid under water; and logs of timber and drift wood scattered over it shewed this to have been recently the case.

“Several wagons laden with timber were met with in the course of this day, on their way to Cape Town, carrying many large yellow-wood beams for building, and logs for converting into planks, also fellies for wheels, and treenails for the repair of ships. It may easily be conceived under what amazing disadvantages this traffic is carried on between the forest and the capital, a distance little short of two hundred miles, and the road lying nearly along the coast. It can be shewn that plank from Norway and from America may be brought into the market at a rate which competes with this which is grown in the colony; but the injury is not confined to the high price of this indispensable commodity. These journeys for the conveyance of timber depopulate the whole country in the neighbourhood of the forest. The labourers and the cattle are constantly on the road; and not unfrequently the farmer and his family seize the opportunity, in order to have their frolic, leaving the cows, the young stock, and the crops to the care of an aged female Hottentot, while every other part of the establishment follows the wagon. Should the scanty portion of grain which he has sown fail, in consequence of his absence, the family have a resource; they can live entirely upon mutton, and game, and tea, and brandy; the two latter articles being never forgotten in the return cargo. The want of hands in the different farms is an universal complaint; and is the only cause that can be assigned, why the immense tracts of fertile land are uncultivated; but the reason is here at once given. The whole population is employed in taking materials for building to Cape Town; while a few hundred hands employed in conducting a coasting trade would effect more completely all that is to be done; and leave the farmers and the farm servants, undisturbed in their rural occupations; ensuring to the former a most liberal return of whatever the ground would produce, while industrious habits would take the place of that wandering, unsettled, and indolent disposition for which the Cape Boor is so remarkable.

“The abundance of all the essentials of life which a kind Providence has showered down on this favoured country, is another great cause of the little advance its inhabitants make in improvement, which is so obvious in most parts of the interior. The want of food is unknown amongst them, either for man or beast; and other wants are easily provided for. Houses built of clay and thatched with reeds are readily constructed; the wood work necessary for doors, windows, and rafters, is easily obtained from the nearest Bosch, as the forest is called; and converted by the roughest tools in such a way as may answer the purpose. The furniture of many of the houses is confined to the frames of a bedstead or two, (the sacking for which is formed of thongs of raw hide) and a large chest serving at once for a store closet and a table. Clothing is easily made from the sheep-skin tanned or untanned; and a few loads of wood or aloes carried to Cape Town market, will procure them brandy and tea, their principal luxuries, and such European manufactures as they may be tempted to indulge in, such as printed calicos, and linen. These journies, as we have shewn, are attended with no other expense or loss than the neglect of their farms. The covered wagon is their dwelling house, and the sleeping apartment for the master and mistress; the children and slaves sleeping under them in dry weather. The journey is divided into schoffs, or distances, calculated from one grazing place to another, called “Out-span” places; these are six, eight, or ten hours from each other, as they happen to be. In the more sandy and arid parts of the colony the schoffs are regulated by the springs of water. The march is generally performed by night in summer, in order to avoid the heat of the sun. As soon as they reach the out-span place, the oxen are unyoked, and turned out to graze. If they have horses, they are knee haltered, by the halter being tied to the fore leg, and so short that when the head of the animal is elevated, his leg is lifted from the ground, and he can only go upon three legs, which ensures his being caught when wanted. In these wild parts of the colony there is little fear of the cattle straying, for they are too much in fear of wild beasts to wander far from protection; and it was very remarkable that saddle horses, which if turned out near the Cape, would be very difficult to catch, will, in the interior, when far from any inhabited place, keep close to the owner, when leading them by the bridle, or if left to themselves.

“As soon as the horses and oxen are turned out, the domestic arrangements begin; fires are lighted, sheep or fowls are killed, and cooking proceeds with great energy. It may be that a buck is brought in, which makes the feast a sumptuous one, in which all are equally interested. The driver and leaders of the oxen are no sooner off duty than they betake themselves to sleep, and only awake for their food, and then sleep again. After the meal, the Siesta becomes general, and lasts till the preparation signal is given for resuming the journey, when all again is bustle; the cattle are yoked, the wagons packed, and the cracking of the huge whips again announces that they are in motion. Such is nearly the history of every day, and of the whole journey, until they reach the immediate vicinity of the capital, when they become restrained by the usages of more civilized life, a fetter which is severely felt by all, bipeds as well as quadrupeds. There are few instances of these travellers being attacked in their night marches by the wild beasts, which infest so many parts of the interior of the colony. The feline species are in general as cowardly as ferocious, and are scared by the noise and the number of the caravans, which of course is not diminished on this account.

“If stationary, in the night the cattle are kept tied to the wagons, and large fires kept burning round the little encampment. In the preceding year, while the Governor, Lord Charles Somerset, was on his journey to the Fish river with his family, having stopped for the night on one of the extensive plains over which they had to pass, a little Hottentot boy, the leader of one of the teams, having laid down to sleep at a little distance from the wagons, was seized by a lion. His screams having aroused the people who had not yet gone to sleep, the noise they made in pursuing the animal, induced it to drop its prey, and the child was found at a few yards distance, very little injured by the jaws of the beast.

“At three p.m. we proceeded on our journey towards Mossel Bay, which I was very anxious to visit, that I might form my own judgment as to its fitness as a resort for the coasting trade. The accounts published by the Dutch authorities of every part of the coast, threw great discouragement over every prospect of such a trade being ever established; but they were evidently influenced by consideration of the inexpediency of the coast being known to foreigners, which would render it necessary to defend many parts hitherto avoided as dangerous.

“We soon reached the farm of Thunis Meyer, lying in a beautiful, fertile, and tolerably well cultivated valley. The land was evidently good, and immense quantities of grain might have been grown here, in the immediate vicinity of Mossel Bay, where the anchorage might be deemed as safe as that of Table Bay, and from whence it might be shipped either for the capital or the foreign market. Between this place and Mossel Bay lies another extensive farm, belonging to Mr. Muller, also abounding in grain, and in which a number of horses and black cattle are annually reared. The farm lies at the eastern extremity of the Kleine Riverberg, and has a distant view of the sea, near Mossel Bay and the mouth of the Kayman, or ‘Crocodile’s Gut.’ There are some deep and well wooded glens and precipitous ravines in the immediate neighbourhood of this farm, beautifully wild and picturesque. The aloe, the mimosa, with every description and size of shrubs, and an immense variety of blooming and curious heaths, and other flowering plants, give a richness and beauty to the scene of which neither the pen nor the pencil could give any adequate idea. We remained at Mr Muller’s, and were as usual kindly and hospitably treated. It was here we remarked the apparently improvident and wasteful manner in which the Dutch colonial system of farming was carried on. A thrashing floor is built on the summit of an elevation commanded by the prevailing S.E. wind, and here the corn is trodden out by the hoofs of horses driven round the enclosure at a quick pace; after which it is turned up to the breeze, and the chaff and the straw are carried far away, being considered of no value here, as it was supposed the cattle would not feed upon it. This might certainly be true when they had abundance of green food at command, but could not be the case in the hot summer months, when the country was parched up in all directions. We had an opportunity of shewing the error of this system, for when dry feeding cattle for St. Helena was practised at Simon’s Town, the straw formed a very principal part of their food.

“On the following morning a thick haze covered the face of the country, a sure indication that the day would be sultry, and we had every reason to respect the prediction. We left Mr. Muller’s at eight in the morning of the 10th December, and traversed an extensive plain, on our way to Mossel Bay. We at length reached an eminence, from which a most magnificent view of the bay and eastern coast presented itself. Cape St. Blaize, which when originally discovered, gave its name to the bay, since altered by the former to the more familiar one, taken from the immense number of the shell-fish, to Mossel (or Muscle) Bay lay on our right. The little village or depôt formed by the Dutch for collecting corn on government account was immediately below our feet, with the receding range of the Swartberg mountains, and the indented line of sea coast, terminating the prospect on the left and in front.

“On our arrival in Mossel Bay, we were most kindly and hospitably welcomed by Mr. Obeen, a worthy Dane, long settled here, and whose name has been frequently and respectfully mentioned by travellers who have visited this place. He gave me some interesting information upon a subject I had much at heart, and assured me that he did not consider this bay as a dangerous anchorage, although exposed to the S.E. winds, which in the offing blew with much violence, but seldom, to use the seamen’s phrase, ‘blew hard.’ During the period of his residence here, more than thirty years, he could remember more than one hundred vessels having anchored here, not one of which ever met with an accident whilst riding in it. An Englishman, named Murray, traded here ten years; though his vessel was at last stranded on its passage round Cape Lagullos, which I apprehend to be one of the greatest dangers on this part of the colony, and should be accordingly avoided, not only by coasters, but by all vessels. There is no reason why any should approach this dangerous point; on the contrary, they may generally insure a quicker passage by keeping a good offing; and as the coast, and the set of the currents are better known, the danger will vanish in a great measure.

“We were so much struck with the situation of this bay, as an outlet for the produce of the most valuable part of the colony, that we employed ourselves on each day that we remained here in making such observations, and obtaining such information as might direct our judgment in forming a correct opinion as to the possibility of its being adopted as a depôt. From the soundings we took, we became convinced that a mole carried out about one hundred yards to the N.E. from a point running off from the spot where the magazine is built, would give effectual shelter to as many coasting vessels as might be employed in taking off the produce, not only of the immediate neighbourhood, but of the Large Kloof. From two and a half fathom to three and a half might be found the whole length of the mole, and this might easily be formed by rolling masses of rock from the elevated ground into the water without any artificer’s work. Such a mole might be increased to any extent, that the trade might demand. Such moles are formed in every part of the Mediterranean—witness Palermo, Messina, Naples, Civita Vecchia, &c. &c., and particularly Gibraltar, where a mole for refitting ships of the line is formed in seven fathoms water, exposed to the whole fury of a western gale. Hence it is evident that a mole in Mossel Bay of such immense value to the surrounding country, would be no idle or useless speculation.

“Thirty labourers under an active superintendant would perform a considerable part of this work in the course of a year; and the blocks of stone, lying at hand on the shore, would soon form the foundation.

“I believe that the opinion I have ventured to offer respecting the general fertility of the soil, and its adaptation to the growth of corn, throughout the whole extensive tract comprehended between the Swartberg and the sea, from the Gauritz to the Kayman on which the Capital of the district of George is situated, will be confirmed by the general voice of the inhabitants. It requires only an industrious and an increased population, with an outlet for the produce, to bring it into the most extensive and successful cultivation; for even the sour grass so destructive to sheep and cattle, I was every where assured disappears from the soil, when the plough comes upon it. With respect to manure, let those who have travelled into the interior of the country say, what immense heaps are collected in the immediate vicinity of the houses on all the farms, especially on the cattle farms; of which no use whatever is made; as the farmer prefers breaking up new land, which he is always enabled to do from the improvident system of granting farms of such an immense size. The consequence is, that the heaps of manure annually accumulate, and the heavy rains falling upon them, bring away noxious streams; which, where the ground is level, form into stagnant and fetid pools, to the great danger of the health, if not of annoyance to the eyes and noses of the inhabitants, accustomed to such objects.