354 



Botanical garden. 

 Climate of the Cape. 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



Phenomena of refraction. 

 Population of the Cape. 



Botanical Garden of the Baron von Ludwig. To 

 his liberality we are much indebted for plants and 

 seeds; and in fact every thing that our botanists 

 desired was placed at their disposition. The gar- 

 den is surrounded by a brick wall, and situated 

 near the foot of the Lion's Rump; its soil was 

 originally poor, but it has been much enriched by 

 manure. The collection of plants, both native and 

 exotic, is good, but the season of flowers was over. 

 The native bulbs, which form the great beauty of 

 the collections here, had passed, and but a few 

 amaryllidse, and some varieties of the oxalis, re- 

 mained in bloom. Many curious specimens of 

 African plants were noticed, particularly some 

 zamias, strelitzias, aloes, and testudinarias. Of the 

 former we brought home a fine specimen, whose 

 fruit, which resembles in shape a large pine-apple, 

 is eaten by the bushmen, and is said to be palatable 

 when properly prepared. The collection of East 

 Indian plants was in fine order, and numerous 

 specimens of the cacti attracted our notice. 



The portion of ground allotted as a flower-garden 

 contains a fine collection of roses and dahlias, of 

 ornamental shrubs and annuals. There is also a 

 vegetable-garden, while fruit-trees are interspersed 

 here and there throughout the whole. The pro- 

 prietor furnishes tickets of admission to all who 

 desire them; but his rules and regulations as to the 

 hour of entrance, and respecting the police of the 

 garden, must be strictly observed. 



The plants furnished us by the baron have 

 flourished admirably since our return. 



If one were to place full reliance on the asser- 

 tions of its inhabitants, Cape Town and the sur- 

 rounding country possess a perfection of climate to 

 be met with in no other part of the world; but this, 

 it is to be regretted, is not fully corroborated by the 

 testimony of the meteorological registers that have 

 been kept, as well as the experience of those who 

 have written upon the subject. It has many pecu- 

 liarities, and may be termed rather a cold climate 

 for its latitude. The mean temperature throughout 

 the year is 67i. The extremes vary 10 above and 

 as much below the mean. It is classed by its inha- 

 bitants under the warm and equable climates; yet, 

 notwithstanding, in many situations, it is extremely 

 variable: the thermometer will fluctuate ten de- 

 grees in as many minutes, producing an unplea- 

 sant sensation of cold; this is owing to the chilly 

 winds that sweep down from the Table Mountain 

 in blasts, to equalize the density of the atmosphere 

 rarefied by being in contact with the heated soil 

 beneath. But little difference is observed between 

 the temperature of sunshine and shade in free and 

 open situations. 



This variation of climate is ascribed to the winds: 

 the south-east winds prevail for the most part of the 

 year, and are warm; these are succeeded by the 

 cold winterly winds, which invariably bring fog and 

 misty weather; but in viewing the situation of the 

 Cape with respect to the large bodies of water 

 flowing past it, it would seem more reasonable to 

 impute it to the warm tropical and cold polar cur- 

 rents of water, of whose existence we have given 

 ample proof in the preceding pages; for if the 

 winds were alone to be taken into account, that 

 which comes from the south-east, in the southern 

 hemisphere, ought to produce the cold, while the 

 west and north-westerly winds should be warm. 

 The sudden changes of temperature mentioned 



above are merely local, and often confined within 

 narrow limits. 



At our anchorage in the bay this occurrence was 

 strikingly perceptible, not only by the thermometer 

 but from the effect produced on our own feelings; 

 while in the town, although the change could be 

 felt, still it was not so remarkable. The inhabitants 

 assert that these changes occur oftenest during the 

 prevalence of a strong south-east wind; but my 

 own experience leads me to believe that they take 

 place during the night, and particularly when a 

 calm prevails, or but a slight breeze is blowing, and 

 indeed all the facts connected with it would lead 

 me to the opinion that such must be the case. 

 Although all seem to be aware of these variations 

 of temperature, I did not learn of any observations 

 that have been taken that could be relied on for 

 accuracy. 



Thermometers in different parts of the town, of 

 course, give very discordant results, and all meteo- 

 rological observations ought to be taken in situa- 

 tions as far as possible removed from the influence 

 of these changes. The south-east winds are often 

 so violent as to prevent communication between 

 the shipping and the shore during some parts of 

 the day, and often cause damage to the small boats, 

 or to the vessels themselves. Cargoes can only be 

 taken in or discharged with safety in the morning, 

 previous to the occurrence of these winds. 



Before concluding my remarks on the climate of 

 the Cape, it is necessary to advert to the curious 

 effects of refraction that are often observed. A 

 strange distortion of objects is frequently seen, and 

 even at a short distance from Robben's Island the 

 surf sometimes appears to be thrown up into lofty 

 jets of foam, or a wave is so distorted that it seems 

 rolling in high enough to submerge the whole island. 

 These distortions occur not only in the sea, but in 

 the land view. I noticed them during our visit to 

 the observatory, and now call attention to them 

 again, because the same effect seems to be produced 

 on sea or on land by contrary causes. When at 

 sea, refractions have been observed by us, when- 

 ever the thermometer at the masthead showed a 

 higher degree of temperature than that at the sur- 

 face of the water; but at the Cape the current of 

 air in contact with the heated and sandy soil must 

 be of a higher temperature than that immediately 

 above it, and thus causes the distortion of distant 

 objects; or the fact may be accounted for on the 

 supposition of two parallel currents of different 

 temperatures, moving in opposite directions, and 

 beyond any immediate influence of the earth. I 

 know of no place so favourable to the observation 

 of this description of atmospheric phenomena as 

 the Cape and its vicinity. 



The population of the Cape colony, by the returns 

 in 1841, \vas one hundred and fifty- three thousand, 

 on an area of one hundred and nine thousand eight 

 hundred and sixty-four square miles. The deaths 

 amount annually to about one in forty. The co- 

 loured population exceeds the white by about ten 

 thousand. Landed estates in the colony are gene- 

 rally held by those cultivating them, under a lease, 

 and not in fee. The early settlers had not sufficient 

 funds to enable them to purchase as large farms 

 as were necessary, and the present system was in 

 consequence resorted to. The leases, however, 

 were made perpetual, and the farms held under 

 this tenure are known in the colony as " Loan 



