32 BOTANICAL EXCURSIONS 
the Eastern Province, though a detachment {as it were) of E 
them is found on the banks of the Gauritz. 
After a journey of forty-five miles from Leeuwenbosch, we 
arrived at the brow of the tremendous hill overlooking Van 
Staaden’s River. The deep and narrow valley through 
which this little stream finds its way to the sea, is quite a 
gem compared to the general scenery of the colony, and 
really puts one in mind of some of the smaller valleys of 
Switzerland : it is beautifully verdant, partly cultivated and 
partly in pasture, enlivened by a cluster of uncommonly 
neat, white, farm buildings, and hemmed in by mountains, 
not indeed of great height, nor of very bold outlines, but ex- 
cessively steep, and richly clothed with thick evergreen woods. 
The descent from either side is formidably rugged, abrupt, 
and difficult, beyond any thing else of the kind that I saw in 
this Colony, with the single exception of Cradock’s Kloof. 
April 7.—On emerging from this valley we left all the 
beauty of the country behind us, and proceeded across a 
naked arid plain to Port Elizabeth, which has itself nothing 
 prepossessing in its appearance. Here we found the first 
inn on this side of Sir Lowry's Pass, and the first military 
post between Cape-Town and the frontier. A detachment of 
soldiers was drawn out to receive his Excellency with due 
honour, but its appearance struck me as somewhat grotesque ; 
the men were of the Hottentot or Cape Corps, little, wizened, 
monkey-faced, mean-looking fellows, like baboons in uni- 
form, but commanded by a very tall English officer, who 
looked as if he would have outmeasured his whole detach- 
ment put together. 
April 8, 9.—We remained two days at Port Elizabeth, 
where the Governor received a deputation of the inhabitants, 
and transacted other business. I was not much pleased 
with this part of the Eastern Province. It is an ugly, dirty, 
stinking, ill-built hamlet, resembling some of the worst fish- 
ing villages on the English coast: backed by low stony 
hills of the most barren character, while long ranges of sand- 
