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by eight horses, over the sandy plains already mentioned in the 

 journey from False-bay, until we approached the mountains, and 

 entered a country abounding with farms and young woods of oak. 

 Much trouble and expense have been bestowed to produce this effect 

 in a wide waste of barren mountains, rocky precipices, and sandy 

 hills. On a rising ground, in this once dreary region, are situated 

 the house and vineyard of Constantia: the former is a plain com- 

 fortable mansion, sheltered by plantations, and approached by an 

 avenue of venerable oaks. The vineyards are in the best aspect, 

 whither after visiting the cellars and tasting the choicest wine, we 

 were conducted. In general, we were invited, not only to eat as 

 many grapes as we pleased, but to carry them away with us. At 

 Constantia the vine-dresser requested us to pick only a little fruit 

 from the trees, but not to gather a bunch; the wine is too pre- 

 cious for this indulgence: it must ever be deemed a rare, as 

 well as a delicious cordial, because the peculiar soil of Upper 

 Constantia gives the muscadel grape a value there, which cannot 

 be imparted to the same vine when planted elsewhere, and treated 

 exactly in the same manner; it always produces a different grape, 

 and wine of inferior flavour. The experiment has been repeatedly 

 tried in the adjoining vineyards of Lower Constantia, without 

 success. 



We dined at an adjacent villa, delightfully situated among 

 citron, orange and lemon groves, and all the pleasing variety just 

 mentioned, contrasted also by the rough scenery of rocks and 

 mountains which surround it. The vineyard seldom yielded less 

 than forty pipes of wine each vintage, inferior in strength and 

 richness to Constantia, but resembling it in flavour: it was then sold 



