CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 461 



access to the sun and air, and full advantage of the growth of the 

 parent stock. 



The grapes are allowed to remain on the vines until almost con- 

 verted into raisins : they are then carefully examined, and all the 

 decayed and bruised ones removed, before being gathered. The same 

 process is used for expressing the grape here as at Madeira ; but they 

 have in some places advanced a step, and use the screw-press. The 

 buildings for the storage of the wines are of one story, and arranged 

 into three apartments ; two of these are appropriated to the manufac- 

 ture of the wine, and the third to that which is kept ripening for sale. 

 The wines are of four kinds, Pontac, Frontignac, and the white and 

 red Constantia. These are named in the order of their celebrity and 

 price, which is usually a fixed one : the wine here is sold by the aam 

 and half aam, equivalent to a barrel and half barrel ; the cost for the 

 last quantity is one hundred dollars for the first kind, eighty-five for 

 the second, seventy-five for the third, and sixty for the fourth. To 

 L. V. Renen, Esq., the proprietor of the High Constantia, we are in- 

 debted for many attentions. The grounds of Constantia were orna- 

 mented with some plaster statues of Hottentots and Caffres, which 

 were said to represent the true type of these natives, but we had no 

 opportunity of judging.* 



I paid a visit to the Cape observatory, famous from the labours of 

 Sir John Herschell, on the southern constellations. It is now in charge 

 of T. Maclear, Esq., who was at the time of our visit absent, being 

 eno-ao-ed in the measurement of an arc of the meridian. His assistant, 

 Mr. Smyth, and Lieutenant Wilmot, of the magnetic observatory, 

 showed us the instruments. Lieutenant Wilmot has four non-com- 

 missioned artillery officers for his assistants. The day of our visit 

 happened to be term-day, when an almost uninterrupted series of 

 observations are taken ; our stay was therefore but short, as I was 

 disinclined to interrupt the constant duties of the observers. During 

 our visit at the observatory, the weather was beautifully clear; no 

 clouds were to be seen except over the Table Mountain, and objects 

 viewed across the sandy plain were much distorted by refraction. 



The botanists attached to the Expedition attempted, during our 

 stay, to ascend to the top of Table Mountain; but having taken a path 



* Just previous to our departure, we were informed that some true Hottentots were in 

 the town jail ; the last place one would have thought of looking for them. The intelli- 

 gence came too late to make use of it. 



vol. v. 116 



