232 Topography, 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 left, and thus partially surrounding the town, confine 

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

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

 along 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 

 suddenly enveloped in the fog and lost, perhaps by being blown over 

 the summit, (for the wind is very strong,) 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 worn 

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

 if worn 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 foot 

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

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

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

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

 shape of the skull of an antelope. [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, apparent- 

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

 green — lustre vitreous — scratch window glass, but are scratched 

 by quartz.] 



3. In descending the mountain, we saw, as far as we could judge, 

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

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

 our path. The strata we observed were perfectly horizontal. On 

 the south side the mountain descends by terraces. [These sand- 

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



* The remarks enclosed in brackets are bv the editor. 



