358 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



its way onwards. While the Table Mountain re- 

 mains covered with the dense cloud, fragments of 

 the vapour are torn from it by the force of the 

 \viml. .'.ml are hurried about the sides of the moun- 

 tain, assuming a variety of fantastic shapes, and 

 playing about the precipice according to the direc- 

 tion of the different currents of wind. This phe- 

 nomenon lasts till about five in the afternoon, 

 when a little clearing, which takes place on the 

 western edge of the mountain, announces that the 

 Table-Cloth is about to be folded up. By six or 

 seven, the clearance has considerably advanced ; 

 and by eight or nine, every vestige of it is gone, 

 and nothing is seen about the mountain but an 

 ethereal sky and the twinkling stars. Such is the 

 singular phenomenon of the Table-Cloth during 

 the prevalence of the south-east wind. When it 

 continues to blow during the night, the mantle of 

 vapour disappears in the same manner. In this 

 :i little white cloud is seen suspended like a 

 canopy over Table-Mountain early in the morning. 

 By ten o'clock the vapour begins to curl and play 

 about the mountain, and exactly the same pheno- 

 menon takes place as before. When the wind is 

 only of short duration, and in a hot clear day, the 

 first indication of the approaching gale is the va- 

 pour resting in scattered parcels on the mountain. 

 These augment as the wind increases, but it is not 

 till the whole elevation is covered, that it forces 

 its way with such violence down the precipice. 

 In the evening about nine, the Table-Cloth is gone, 

 and with it the wind, when a calm and beautiful 

 night succeeds. A true solution of the whole ap- 

 pearance, with the circumstances attending it, does 

 not seem yet to have been given. The prevailing 

 theory is, that the south-east wind passing over 

 the ocean is loaded with moisture, and that the 

 coldness of the Table-Mountain condenses it. But 

 this hypothesis is not well supported by the fact 

 that the south-east wind is generally of a dry and 

 evaporative nature. 



Graham's Town is the second town in the colony, 

 and the capital of the eastern frontier ; it takes its 

 name from Colonel John Graham, who formerly 

 commanded on the frontier. It was colonized in 

 1820, by three thousand seven hundred settlers, 

 sent out from England for that purpose. Graham's 

 Town contains about 3000 inhabitants, and 700 

 houses, of all descriptions, from a cottage to a 

 mansion, rendered pleasing by the gardens and plea- 

 sure grounds with which they are intermixed. 

 The church, which is a plain Gothic building, is 

 the most conspicuous building in the view. There 

 are, also, several dissenting chapels, public and 

 infant schools, a gaol, a reading room, subscription 

 libraries, two tanneries, and a printing-office, from 

 which a newspaper, called the Graham's Town 

 Gazette, is issued. The export-trade of this place 

 is already considerable, and rapidly increasing. 



The year at the Cape is said to be divided into 

 two periods, called the good and the bad moonsoon ; 

 but it may properly be separated, as with us, into 

 four. The spring, from the beginning of Septem- 

 ber to that of December, is the most agreeable 

 season ; the summer, from December to March, is 

 the hottest ; the autumn, from March to June, is 

 variable weather, generally fine, the latter part 

 very pleasant ; and the winter, from June to Sep- 

 tember, though in general pleasant, is frequently 

 very stormy, rainy, and cold. 



Although many of the mountainous parts of the 

 Cape colony are composed of granite, no mineral 



substances of any value have as yet been discovered ; 

 the chief productions consisting of wool, cattle, 

 horses, and hides, corn, and wine. In some parts, 

 particularly in the western extremity, many of the 

 tropical fruits arrive at maturity, as guavas, pome- 

 granates, oranges; and all the fruits cultivated in 

 Europe come to perfection in every part of the 

 colony. The numerous rivers, or rather mountain- 

 streams, with which the country is intersected, are 

 in few instances available for the purposes of navi- 

 gation. The principal of these are, the Oliphant's 

 (Elephant's') river on the west, the Great Fish 

 river on the eastern part of the country, and the 

 Sunday river; many of the other streams are 

 merely periodical torrents, which continue to flow 

 during the rainy season. 



The colony of the Cape of Good Hope is divided 

 into various districts, viz. Cape district ; popula- 

 tion in 1833, (exclusive of Cape Town) 12,475. 

 Stellenbosh district; population in 1833, 1C, 1:17. 

 Worcester district; population in 1833, 8900. 

 Swellendam district ; population in 1833, 15,540. 

 George district ; population in 1830, 8223. Uit- 

 enhage district ; population in 1829. 8360. Al- 

 bany district, (the chief location of the English and 

 Scotch settlers in 1829) population in 1833, 

 10,298. Somerset district; population in 1833, 

 11,715. GraajfReinet; population in 1834, 14,800. 

 The total population of the colony may be esti- 

 mated at present at upwards of 150,000, of whom it 

 is calculated that 60,000 are whites. 



The revenue of the colony in 1832 was 130,808 ; 

 expenditure, 126,889. 



The government of the colony is conducted by a 

 governor,, nominated by the crown, aided by an exe- 

 cutive council. A large proportion of the colon- 

 ists are strongly in favour of an elective legislative 

 assembly. Each district has a civil commissioner, 

 who acts also as a resident magistrate. The laws 

 are administered by a supreme court, presided 

 over by a chief justice, and two puisne judges, 

 who hold four terms in the year. 



The military establishment of the colony is three 

 regiments of infantry, the head quarters of two 

 being at Cape Town, and of the other at Graham's 

 Town. There is also a detachment of royal artil- 

 lery, a party of royal engineers, and a regiment of 

 mounted riflemen, called the Cape cavalry, the pri- 

 vates of which are principally Hottentots. 



The Dutch colonists are divided into Calvinists 

 and Lutherans, the former of whom correspond 

 almost entirely, in doctrine and discipline, with the 

 Church of Scotland. In each district with a Cal- 

 vinistic congregation there is a minister from the 

 Scottish Church, with a salary of 200 a year. 

 The English or Episcopalian Church ranks next in 

 point of numbers: it is included in the diocese of 

 Calcutta, with a resident senior chaplain on a sal- 

 ary of 700 a year. The missionary societies in 

 this country have a variety of " stations " in the 

 colony. In April, 1829, the freedom of the press 

 was established in the colony, and there are now 

 several newspapers printed there two, at least, at 

 Cape Town and one at Graham's Town. There 

 is also a monthly Cape Literary Gazette. 



The staple products of the colony are corn, 

 wine, wool, provisions, oil, aloes, and fruits. The 

 adaptation of the country to rearing vast flocks of 

 fine-woolled sheep is at least equal to that of Aus- 

 tralia, and in every other respect it is, we consider, 

 much preferable to that highly-vaunted portion ot 

 the globe as a field for emigration. 



