60 THE VINE AND CIVILISATION. 
in South Africa that civilization has introduced one of its 
greatest luxuries. 
South Africa. The vineyards of the Cape of Good Hope 
are some of them in the vicinity of Cape Town itself, where 
the beauty of the climate and the equality of the temperature 
are particularly favourable to vine cultivation. The grape 
vines were first brought to the Cape from the banks of the 
Rhine; the fruit is full size, rich and fine. The Dutch first 
settled the Cape and planted the vine in 1650. At the Revo- 
cation of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV, French Protest-: 
ant emigrants settled at Franschehoek, and their descendants 
are the principal vine-growers at this day. The cultivation of 
the vine is an important source of wealth to the colony ; as 
much as 4,200 tuns were exported in the year 1817, although 
the average annual export has since fallen off. Constantia, 
both red and white, is celebrated among the first class of sweet 
wines. The vineyard was so named from the wife of the Dutch 
Governor, Vander Stel, who cultivated it. The wine is sweet, 
and what the French call vin de liqueur, and not to exceed 80 
to 90 pipes is produced annually, and sells for a hundred to 
a hundred and forty dollars per half aum of 19 gallons. The 
soil of the Constantia vineyard is a sandy gravel. ; 
SOUTH AMERICA. 
The vine producing belt of the Southern Continent abounds 
in vineyards. The wine vine of Europe is grown in numerous 
places between Buenos Ayres and Mendoza; they are very pro- 
lific, and having a favourable soil and climate, bring forth fine 
fruit. A very good second class wine is made at Mendoza, 
situated on a high plain near the Andes, in latitude about 33°, 
which is an article of considerable traffic with Buenos Ayres, 
