Paarlberg Mvuntains, in Southern Africa, 223 



that extends the whole length of the peninfula. The two 

 wings of the front, one of the Devil's Mountain, and the 

 other the Lion's Head, make, in fact, with the Table, but 

 one mountain. The depredations of time and the force of 

 torrents, having carried away the loofer and lefs compact 

 parts, have difunited their fummits, but they are Hill joined 

 at a very confiderable elevation above the common bafe. 

 The height of the firft is 3315, and of the latter 2160 feet. 

 The Devil's Mountain is broken into irregular points ; but 

 the upper part of the Lion's Head is a folid mafs of Hone, 

 rounded and fafhioned like a work of art, and refcmbling 

 very much, from fome points of view, the dome of Saint 

 Paul's placed upon a high cone-fhaped hill. Thefe three 

 mountains are compofed of a multitude of rocky ftrata, piled 

 on each other in large tabular maiTes. Their exact hori- 

 zontal pofition denotes the origin of the mafs to be nej tuiiiaii, 

 and not volcanic; and that, iince its firlt formation, no con- 

 vulfion of the earth has happened in this part of Africa fuffi- 

 cient to have difturbcd the nice arrangement of its parts. The 

 ftrata of thefe pofldiluvian ruins not being placed in the order 

 of their fpecific gravity, might lead to the coiiclufion that 

 they were depofited in fucceilive perio'!-' of time, were it not 

 for the circumftance of their lyino 1 fe upon each other, 

 without any intermediate veins or earthy or othe; e itraneous 

 materials. The Gratification of ihe -.ape peqinftila* a id, in- 

 deed, of the whole colony, is arranged in the following order: 



The mores of Table Bay, and the fubftratum of the plain 

 on which the town is built, compote a bed of a blue compact 

 fchiftus, generally placed in parallel ridges in the direction 

 of north-weft and fouth-eaft, but frequently interrupted by 

 large malTes of a hard flinty rock of the fame colour, belong- 

 ing to that clafs of aggregated ftones propofed by Mr. Kirwan 

 to be called graniteUes. Fine blue flags, with whitilh itreaks, 

 are procured from Robben Ifland, in the mouth of Table 

 Bay, which are ufed for fteps, and for paving the terraces in 

 front of moft of the houfes. 



Upon the fchiftus lies a body of ftrong clay coloured with 

 iron from a pale yellow to dcup red, and abounding with 

 brown foliated mica. Imbedded in the clay are immenfe 

 blocks of granite, fo loofely cemented together, that the con- 

 ftituent parts arc eafily ieparated by the hand. The mica, 

 the fand, and indeed the whole bed of clay, feem to have 

 been formed from the decompofition of the granite. Be- 

 tween the Lion's Head and the fea, are vaft maiTes of thefe 

 aggregated ftones entirely expofed. Moft of them are rent, 

 and falling afunder from their own weight; others are com 



pletely 



