82 graham's town. 



centre of the Albany District. The plan of the 

 town is simple, the principal streets running from 

 east to west, and crossed by others at right angles. 

 Nothing can be more irregular, however, than the 

 manner in which the buildings are disposed ; but 

 being intermingled with orchards and gardens, and 

 intersected by hollows, forming channels for the 

 several rivulets that supply the inhabitants with 

 water, the coup d'ceil is pleasing and romantic. The 

 effect is considerably heightened by the position and 

 character of the surrounding hills, whose naked sum- 

 mits and innumerable projections of rugged rock 

 give it, to the eye of a stranger, an appearance of 

 much interest. Among these hills are many quiet 

 glens and vast ravines, from which are openings, or 

 poortes, as they are here called, bounded on either 

 side by overhanging cliffs, in many places completely 

 covered with the dark foliage of the protect, and 

 other luxuriant shrubs. Among these baboons and 

 monkeys occasionally disturb the calm solitude of the 

 scene by their dissonant and horrid screams. 



" Where the grim satyr-faced baboon 

 Sits railing to the rising moon, 

 Or chiding, with hoarse angry cry, 

 The hersdman, as he wanders by." 



Through one of these poortes, while the rocks 

 echoed with the loud chattering of these mischievous 

 animals, I emerged at once upon a wide expanse of 

 open country, and on issuing from this gloomy recess 



