statistics of the Cape irool Trade. 243 



side the town, on a rising ground, in a romantic and highly 

 attractive neighbourhood, are impregnated with iron, and of 

 a considerable temperature. Even in the bath-house, distant 

 about a mile from the source of the spring, a thermometer 

 held in a stone trough, filled to overflowing, marked from 

 100"*4 to 10i° Fahr. At their respective sources the one 

 spring has a temperature of 116"'6 Fahr. and the other 114°*8 

 Fahr. The colour of the water is ochre yellow. From the 

 terrace of the bath-house a rather extensive landscape opens to 

 the view, backed by a splendid range of mountains, including 

 the Tower of Babel, as the inhabitants have christened the 

 highest peak in this vicinity. 



Caledon has 600 inhabitants. About twenty years ago there 

 were not more than ten bales of wool grown in the entire dis- 

 trict. At present about 800,000 lbs. are shipped annually. 

 One Merino sheep supplies from 1 lb. to 1^ lb. of wool, worth 

 from \s. 2g?. to \s. 4^. sterling per pound. Besides Caledon, 

 the principal wool districts of Cape Colony are Swellendam, 

 Beaufort, and Graaf-Reinet. All these districts united produce 

 yearly about 15,000,000 lbs. of wool, worth about £1,000,000 

 sterling. Within two years the wool produce of the entire 

 colony has increased 30 per cent.j and during last year a 

 strenuous and very costly experiment has been made to intro- 

 duce the Anffora breed, with the intention of increasing- the 

 wool-producing powers of the less fleecy race by a judicious 

 cross with the native species. 



The road to Somerset- West leads over the high and pictu- 



R 2 



