First Inijoressions of Cape Colony. 197 



which, like snow-fields, inclose Simon's Bay. Coming from 

 the charming coast of Brazil, with its luxuriant verdure, the 

 contrast becomes doubly unpleasing. A narrow green strip of 

 land, running along from a small fort, forms a refreshing sight 

 and a resting point for the eye fatigued with looking at these 

 grim masses of stone. The traveller who merely touches at 

 Simon's Bay without pushing into the interior, or who visits 

 the Cape in the winter of the southern hemisphere (from 

 April to September), can scarcely form an idea of the volup- 

 tuous loveliness which reigns during spring and summer 

 in the interior of the colony, and will regard as fictitious 

 those brilliant descriptions of its natural beauties, related by 

 travellers who have been fortunate enough to visit this point 

 of South Africa at those genial seasons. 



Had we left the Cape without seeing anything else than the 

 melancholy neighbourhood of False Bay and the dull little 

 settlement of Simon's Town, on its left bank, we should have 

 carried away very different impressions and ideas to those 

 entertained after having during spring passed some weeks in 

 the delightful interior, and obtained at the same time an in- 

 sight into the social condition of the colony. 



On the very day that we cast anchor in the bay, we took 

 a stroll (our first footfall upon the soil of Africa) through 

 Simon's Town, which consists of a single street of about 

 forty clean, neat, and tidy-looking houses, straggling along 

 the shore. The principal buildings are the Arsenal, the 

 residence of the admiral of the station, five churches (one 



