Arrival at Cape Town. 15 



still lighted, allowing it to fall on this mass of inHam- 

 mable material. The mail-room adjoins the after- 

 hold, and the mails must have had a narrow escape ; 

 ^vliile the hold immediately forward contained 

 large stores of spirits. Had these been ignited the 

 consequences would probably have been most 

 serious. Some inches of water on the cabin floors, 

 and a strong smell of smoke, of charred straw and 

 wood, served for some hours to remind the pas- 

 sengers how near they had been to a very un- 

 pleasant termination of their voyage. The morn- 

 ing of the 14tli of May broke gloomily, with heavy 

 rain and driving mist. About nine o'clock 

 a bright clearance to the southAvarcl disclosed 

 the heights of Table Mountain. As we drew 

 nearer the weather became brighter, the clouds 

 broke: when ofl:' the breakwater the Cape of 

 Good Hope was welcoming us with its sunniest 

 smile. The approach from the sea to Cape Town 

 is imposing and attractive. The lofty granite mass 

 of Table Mountain, the distant ranges of hills 

 stretching over half the horizon, and the calm 

 waters of Table Bay brought into the mind succes- 

 sively Gibraltar, the Riviera, and the Bay of 

 Palermo, while the attractions of the spot were 

 strengthened by the feeling that a long, tedious, 

 and monotonous voyage had at length been accom- 

 plished. It may be a matter of question whether, 

 under present conditions, a voyage to South Africa 

 is as beneficial to invalids or to persons of delicate 

 health, and liable to sea-sickness, as is generally 

 supposed. The excessive heat in the regions of 



