21 



and observing a naval officer among the crowd, tendered his 

 sword to him, which the other was in the act of returning, 

 when Major galloped down the jetty, and was an- 

 nounced to Monsieur as the commandant of Simonstown. 

 As such, the captain a second time surrendered to him his 

 weapon, which he had no sooner grasped, than he counter- 

 marched his steed, and rode off with the glorious prize. A 

 few red-hot shot fired at the frigate, made her cut her cable 

 and put back to sea." 



The regiment being ordered to Capetown, Captain Car- 

 michael has time to describe its remarkable features. 



" Capetown is built in a valley, surrounded on three sides 

 by mountains, the most conspicuous of which, the Table 

 Mountain, rises behind it like an immense wall, supported 

 by buttresses. On the right hand, the Devil's Hill is almost 

 as high and precipitous: but the Lion's Hill on the left, 

 swells up to a more moderate height, with a smooth unbroken 

 surface. The front is occupied by the Table Bay, beyond 

 which you have a distinct view of the Blue Berg, and the 

 mountains of Drakenstein. 



" The plan of Capetown is quite regular. The streets are 

 perfectly straight, and intersect each other at right angles. 

 They are laid with a sort of coarse gravel, cemented by 

 a red ferruginous clay, which being soaked with water, 

 and well rammed, acquires an almost stony hardness. A 

 small stream which runs through the town, is confined 

 on either side by a wall, and it can be checked at pleasure 

 by a series of locks, placed at certain intervals, which give 

 it the appearance of a canal. 



" The houses are built in general of bricks, bedded in 

 loam, but so imperfectly burnt, that they absorb the rain, 

 and would soon crumble away, if the walls were not secured 

 by a thick coating of plaster. In the front of each house is 

 a platform, called a stoop, from four to six feet broad, and 

 furnished at each end with a seat. These stoops are a great 

 annoyance to the public, occupying an unreasonable propor- 

 tion of the large streets, and reducing the smaller ones to 

 mere lanes. The surbase of the walls towards the street, is 



