82 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



governor's country-house in the halcyon days when governors 

 could afford to beep such. You would enjoy the shady walks on 

 one side and the open lawn view on the other, or the craggy 

 mountain which shuts us out from Cape Town, up whose sides are 

 pleasant rambles haunted by wild flowers, and commanding 

 extensive prospects. I write at my bedroom window, which 

 looks out on a garden, and in full view are some very large old 

 orange trees, on which hang the last of the season. That 

 pleasant fruit is nearly gone, being decidedly a winter one. 

 This gives a southern aspect to the view, otherwise there is 

 nothing to remind me of my distance from home except it be 

 the loneliness and absence of all that I care about. I miss 

 the sympathies of home much more than I ever thought I 

 should. It used to be my idea in the pride of my heart that I 

 was very independent of others for happiness ; — so thoroughly 

 selfish, that I could support comfort in utter loneliness and 

 seclusion from society — but 'tis far otherwise when put to the 

 test. Yet my loneliness here is of a very mitigated nature to 

 what it would be in my old favourite ideas of Swan River and 



Illawarra. M , as far as he is able, bears with me, and we 



talk over and over again of everything we mutually know in 

 Ireland ; but then I don't know the people he does, and vice 

 versa, so we make but a bungled piece of it, yet we often get over 

 a dull evening in our dull repetition. I hope they are all so 

 well in Limerick as to let you home at Christmas, for I like to 

 see every one at home at that season. 'Tis right and proper 

 they should be. But there is no plum pudding for me. I mean 

 to spend my holidays at Simon's Town, on False Bay. I 

 should like to go on as far as Cape Point. It would be pleasant 

 to stand on the most southern point of Africa, and look towards 

 the South Pole. I have heard 'tis a cliff every way worthy of 

 its position, but if it beats Moher 'twill be doing a great deal. 

 Oh, my clear ! when shall I see Moher again. 



To N. B. Ward, Esq. 



Cape Town, December 20. 

 I wish you and Mr. Ross would lay your heads together to 

 assist a clumsy fellow like me. I want an instrument for hold- 

 ing, and another for cutting, minute seeds with hard glossy 



