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abundant supplies of fresh provisions, fruit, and vegetables, and 

 tolerable accommodation for passengers at the boarding houses. 

 Having no inducement to remain there, 1 proceeded to Cape-town, 

 about twenty miles distant, in a light waggon drawn by eight 

 horses. The coachmen, or waggoners, who are generally slaves, 

 drive these eight in hand with wonderful dexterity, making the 

 hills resound with the smack of their long whip, and continual 

 vociferation to the horses. The vehicle contains six or eight per- 

 sons sitting on benches before each other, which is the usual mode 

 <>f travelling in this part of the world. 



The road lor the first six miles, to a place called Muisenburg, 

 was over a sandy beach, or the acclivities of the mountains, some- 

 times on dangerous precipices, under rocks loosened from the 

 mountains, and apparently threatening destruction. The pass at 

 Muisenburg, defended by a fortress, is deemed impregnable. From 

 thence we entered a sandy plain, little cultivated; but presenting 

 a succession of natural beauties in the variety of heaths and other 

 plants indigenous to its sterile surface, the ornament of European 

 conservatories. The country was not otherwise interesting until 

 within a few miles of the capital, when it became suddenly en- 

 riched with farms, villas, plantations, vineyards, and gardens; em- 

 bellished by groves and avenues of oaks, elms, and piotea-argenlea, 

 a most elegant tree: it does not attain a large size, from growing 

 extremely close, and is thickly covered with leaves soft and glossy 

 as satin, glittering like a forest of silver undulated by the breeze. 

 The golden protea, more gaudy than its modest rival, arrayed in 

 foliage of yellow-green edged with scarlet, appears in the sun- 

 beams like waves of fire; they form a lovely contrast. These 



