232 



Topograjphy, Scenery, Geology, §-c 



the other side, before it assumed the shape of mist, it vanishes, and 

 is seen no more. This point is higher upon this side than on the 

 other. The Lion's Head and Devil's Hill flanking the Table on 

 the right and lefti and thus partially surrounding the town, confine 

 the heated air, so that it naturally rises higher to find its equihb- 

 rium. At times, the Table-cloth is superbly beautiful, stretching 

 alontr the whole length of the linear summit a fine sheet of white 

 mist, and very much resembling its namesake. 



But I had designed to speak of the stones, rather than the clouds. 

 As the fog was coming on, and we were aware of danger in such a 

 case, our time to look around was limited. Persons have been there 



blown 



the summit, (for the wind is 



) or unable to find their 



way in the thick fog to the poort, or gateway leading down, have 

 died of hunger, and been devoured by the wild beasts. • 



No. 1.* The summit of the mountain is of sandstone. [The 

 sandstone is entirely quartz ; the cement the same, and apparently a 

 chemical deposition, with some traces of crystallization.] 



2. Pebbles were scattered here and there in great abundance, 

 that once doubtless had been Imbedded in the rocks now much vvorn 

 by the ravages of time. In very many cases, the rocks appeared as 

 if vvorn by The action of water, much like those upon the sea shore. 

 Often the rock was very brittle, so that by the pressure of the toot 

 it could be ground into fine sand. All the rocks were filled with 

 pebbles oval and round, and on a much larger scale than m these 

 small specimens. Some of the skeletons of the matrix thus deprive 

 of the pebbles, appeared singularly : one I recollect had much the 

 shape of the skull of an antelopef. [From the shore of Table Bay. 

 Rounded and flattened fragments of quartz and primary slaty rocks, 

 and red sandstone ; there are also fragments of chrysolite, apparen - 

 ly portions of crystals— the color is greenish yellow, or pale sea- 

 green^ustre vitreous — scratch window glass, but are scraci 

 by quartz-] 



3. In descending the mountain, we saw, as far as we could juOo^j 

 nothing but differently colored sandstone, such as No. 3. for at eas 

 two-thirds the distance. Pieces of iron ore were scattered along 

 our path. The strata we observed were perfectly horizontal 



the south side the mountain descends by terraces 



[These sand- 



stones are quartzose, and colored red, more or less by iron, 



w 



bich 



1 



• The remarks enclosed in brackets are by the editor 



