126 
a few shrubs and small trees, planted about 
some of the dwellings—indeed it is hardly 
possible to improve so impracticable a soil. 
The surgeon and I went on shore, when 
after amusing ourselves with looking at the 
houses and their inhabitants, who are mostly 
Dutch or Portuguese, we took a trip into 
the country. The first plants which at- 
tracted our notice, were several species 
of Fig-marigold (Mesembryanthemum). 
We ascended a hill by the side of a deep 
ravine, and proceeded as far as we thought 
safe among the broken precipices, for it 
became terribly d and bare. The 
ground was covered with small shrubs, all 
of which were new to me, and some very 
beautiful; the glaucous-leaved Leuca- 
dendron was abundant. I reaped a rich 
harvest of new plants, but have not yet had 
time to ascertain them all. There is a 
great variety of the species of Ozalis here, 
and I have already determined four; but 
Ihave not found nearly so many Heaths 
as I expected. Land-Tortoises are com- 
mon; Penguins, Albatrosses, and Pintados 
are among the most remarkable birds which 
I have observed. You have heard of the 
large tails of the Cape Sheep, but I think 
the accounts of these must have been very 
much exaggerated, as the common weight 
is only from seven to twelve pounds," 
Symon’s Bay, May 22, 1813. —«I 
wrote to you soon after our arrival here, 
where we have now spent a fortnight, a 
period much longer than we either ex- 
pected or wished. We are to sail to- 
morrow, and as no other opportunity of 
wriüng may occur for some time, I avail 
myself of the present, to say that I con- 
tinue well, and to give you some account 
ofthis place. Ihave been on shore almost 
every day since our arrival and have 
taken some long walks into the country, 
. but have not gone to Cape Town, as I 
— found sufficient employment here, and 
Such an excursion would have been very 
‘pensive. The barrenness of the country, 
which I i before, does not di- 
minish on farther inspection. In a bota- 
nical point of view, however, it is very 
rich, and every hour which I could com- 
MEMOIR OF THE LATE MR. WILLIAM JACK. 
mand, has had full occupation in examin- - 
ing plants, which are very varied and all - 
new to me; my only old acquaintance | 
being the Arum and Spergula arvensis. | 
The hills almost resemble English shrub- 
beries or pleasure grounds, where bushes 
and plants of every kind unite to gratify 
the eye and smell. They are still farther 
enlivened by numbers of small birds of 
various and brilliant plumage, among which 
are some resembling humming-birds. The 
weather has been delightful ever since. we 
arrived. 
“ A few days ago, we made an expedition 
to the top of Table Mountain, about six- 
teen miles distant. Our party, which con- 
sisted of five officers and passengers of the 
ship, besides myself, were well provided 
with ammunition and provisions, and we 
took our course over the hills, regardless 
of roads, with a view of seeing the country 
better, and as we thought, of shortening. 
the way. We traversed a great diversity’ 
of ground, sometimes over wastes of fine 
white sand, which rose and sunk in ridges, 
like wreaths of snow, sometimes through 
thick and tangled brushwood, which co- 
vered the valleys, and again over rocky 
and precipitous hills. In the afternoon, 
upon gaining an eminence, from which we 
had a full view of the country, we found 
ourselves still so distant from the moun- 
tain, as to preclude the possibility of climb- 
ing it that day. Upon this, we held a 
council of war, when my companions, un- 
used to such travelling, weary and dis- 
couraged, proposed making the best of our - 
way back to the ships: a plan, which you _ 
may be sure was opposed by me, as well — 
as by the second mate, who was of the | 
party; but our rhetoric was in vain, The 
others being tired, we all sat down to 
refresh ourselves with a bottle of brandy, 
which we had brought, and we purposely 
allowed them to waste the time, till it 
began to grow dusk. As surrounding ob- 
"yo 
SOS on TUE USOS 
he EONS CNRC EEAO ope 
pei ^ sta: 
sented that we should return too late to 
