S N o 



S N O 



the farmers in the northern parts of the ifland, to the fum 

 of money paid to any perfon who may be in pofreflion of 

 low grounds, for permitting their fheep to feed thereon in 

 times of deep fnows. 



Snow-Plough, in Rural Economy, a contrivance made ufe 

 of in Sweden, and other northern countries, for the pur- 

 pofe of clearing roads from fno<v ; and which might pro- 

 bably be employed here with advantage in the fame inten- 

 tion. It confifts of a fhaft, to which the horfes are yoked, 

 ufually two a-brealt, and one before. The fides are con- 

 ftrufted of three or four deals, well jointed and nailed toge- 

 ther, having more or lefs height, according as the fnow is 

 more or lefs deep, as from three to four feet. The length 

 is ufually about fifteen feet, and two iron bars are nailed to 

 the bottom, to make it Aide with greater facility. It has 

 alfo a box for the purpofe of being loaded, to keep it down. 

 It may have any breadth, from fifteen to twenty feet, ac- 

 cording as the fnow may want clearing. There is a repre- 

 fentationof an implement of this kind in the firft volume of 

 Communications to the Board of Agriculture. 



SfiOW-Slone, in Natural Hi/lory, a name given by fome to 

 a very beautiful Itone found in America ; of which the 

 Spaniards are very fond, making it into tables, and other 

 ornaments, in their houfes. Alonfo Barba, whj had feen 

 much of it, tells us, that it is found in the province of Ata- 

 cama, ufually in pieces of four feet long, and four or five 

 inches broad ; fo that they are forced to join them in the 

 working. Its general thicknefs is about two inches. It has 

 a great variety of colours, which form clouds and variega- 

 tions of a very beautiful kind. The principal colours are red, 

 yellow, green, black, and white. The white is generally 

 formed into fpots on the very blackell parts of the mafs, and 

 '/ is fo beautifully difpofed, that it reprefents fnow falling in 

 all its whitenefs upon a jetty furface. 



Snow Mountains, in Geography, a range of lofty moun- 

 tains, which forms an extenfive dillrift in Southern Africa, 

 near the Cape of Gnod Hope. The whole range of hills 

 which is included under this name forms a large group, of 

 which the two great parallel chains from the weft, with an- 

 other not lefs extenfive chain from the north-eatt, and a 

 fmaller from the fouth, are all united. The name, in itfelf, 

 indicates a pretty coiifiderable height ; and, in faft, the 

 higheft point, called the " Compafs-Hill," is, according to 

 the calculations of colonel Gordon, about 300 feet higher 

 than the fummit of the " Kamberg," and, confequently, 

 6500 feet above the level of the lea. This hill is diftin- 

 guithed more particularly from all others in Southern Africa, 

 by being lefs infiilated ; or, in other words, it is furrounded 

 every way by hills of a conitantly decreafing elevation, till 

 they are loft at length in the plain. On all fides, the flopes 

 are gradual from the fummit, fo that the traveller may be 

 conftantly afcending for feveral days together, by tolerably 

 commodious paths, without encountering any dangerous 

 fteeps, any deep chafms, or rugged precipices. The 

 heights are all rounded like domes ; the valleys are Ipacious 

 and open ; and even confiderable plains ftretch in fome 

 places between one afcent and the next. The afpeft of the 

 whole mountuir. is rather naKed and uniform than wild and 

 majeftic : on account of the gentlcnefs of the acclivity, and 

 the level nature of the valleys, the water does not ru(h down 

 in torrents, or form deep channels, but rather finks into the 

 earth ; and to this circumftauce the fertihty of tliefe moun- 

 tains is to be principally afcribed. In its marlhy hollows, 

 the horned cattle find excellent pafture, and the ridges and 

 heights being fcattered over with Imall aromatic plants, the 

 fheep are furnifhed with an abundant fupply of the moft fa- 

 lutary nourilhment. The climate in the higher parts is cold 



10 - 



in winter, and deep fnows fall, which continue to lie upoir 

 the ground for many weeks. Neverthelefs, the greater part 

 of the country is habitable ; the inhabitants of the other 

 parts that are not fo, defcend into fome of the lower parts, 

 where they have a " legplaats," or winter habitation, during 

 the (hort period in which they are obhged to quit their more 

 elevated fituation. In this refpeft the Snow mountains have 

 a very decided preference over the Roggeveld ; and, be- 

 fides, the weather, in winter, though cold, is clear and 

 bright, whereas, in the Roggeveld, there are often thick 

 fogs, which are very injurious to the cattle. 



Three confiderable rivers have their fources in the Snow 

 mountains, which are conftantly fupplied with water 

 through the whole year, from the melted fnows and the 

 rain-water. Towards the S. flows the Zondag's river ; to- 

 wards the E. feveral fmall ftreams, which at laft unite-to form 

 the great Filh river ; and at the foot of the mountains on 

 the N. fide, rifes the Sea-Cow river, which flows into the 

 Orange river, which latter, fubfequent to this union, con- 

 tinues its courfe for more than 100 miles, when it falls 

 into the fea on the weftern coaft. Both the other rivers run 

 in a foutherly direflion. 



The upper ftratum of the Snow mountains confifts of a 

 large-grained fand-Rone, intermingled at intervals with 

 quartz. Lower down they confift of a fchift, varying in 

 different parts, both in thicknefs and colour ; but no granite 

 is found here. The foil throughout is a foft argile, which, 

 as well as the fand-ftone, is in many parts very much oxy- 

 dated. The ground is almoft every where llrewed with loofe 

 ftones, which very much contribute to keep it cool in fum- 

 mer, and alfo aflift in promoting the vegetation of the plants. 

 Here is no want of fpring?, and therefore the country is to- ' 

 lerably populous ; it is very favourable to the breeding of 

 cattle, and moft of the inhabitants are in eafy circumftances. 

 But through the country the fprings, though conftantly ; 

 flowing, do not yield fuch an abundance of water as to allow I 

 of fufficiently watering the fields for agricultural purpofes. I 

 On thefe hills no tree grows ; and it is juftly obferved by 

 Mr. Barrow, that here are people, who in their whole lives 

 never faw a wood, or even a copfe. The vi-ant of wood pre- 

 vents a fupply of fuel, fo that people are obliged to burn 

 the dung of their cattle dried. The bleak wind of winter 

 is particularly adverfe to the cultivation of nut or fruit-trees, 

 and even the oak will not thrive. The locufts in this coun- 

 try are very numerous, and very deftruftive. Game is 

 abundant, but the Hons and leopards do great mifchief 

 among the flocks and herds. But of all the enemies which 

 this country has to dread, the Bosjefmans are the moft for- 

 midable, whofe maraudinc;s occafion annually a lofs of five 

 out of every hundred of the ftieep and oxen. The breeding 

 of fheep is the moft important occupation of the colonifts in 

 thefe parts. The ftieep of this country and of the Rogge- 

 veld are the moft weighty of any in the colony, and their 

 flefti is reckoned the beft flavoured. Some farmers have 

 flocks to the amount of 6000 or 7000, and few have lefs than 

 3000. The cattle are not lefs profitable. The cows give 

 rich milk in abundance, more fo than in other parts ; and 

 great quantities of butter are carried to Cape Town. Mr. 

 Barrow reckons that a herd of 50 cows will produce at leaft 

 100 pounds of butter in a week. The inhabitants of the 

 Snow mountains are a vigorous and cheerful race. Mr. Bar- 

 row, it is faid, affociated with fome of the moft worthy and 

 refpeftable people of the colony, and feems to have enter- 

 tained too favourable an opinion of their general charatler, 

 as others have found them lefs friendly and hofpitable. It it 

 obferved, that without fuch dogs as this country affords, it 

 would be abfolutely uninhabitable. By thefe the inhabitant* 



are 



