280 



SALDANHA BAY. 



[1828. 



latter presenting a bold and almost perpendicular front, rising three 

 thousand five hundred and eighty feet above the level of the bay. On 

 the west is the Lion's Mountain, so called from its bearing some resem- 

 blance to the shape of that animal ; and on the east is the Devil's Berg. 

 The majestic appearance of these heights, particularly that of Table 

 Mountain, excites the admiration of every voyager who enters the bay. 

 The town stands on a sloping hill, at the south-west corner of the bay, 

 and is a regular, neatly-built place, and well supplied with water by a 

 plentiful stream which issues from the Table Mountain. It contains 

 about twelve hundred dwelling-houses, which are inhabited by a popu- 

 lation of eighteen thousand five hundred persons, ten thousand of whom 

 are blacks. , 



The principal rivers on the west coast of this colony are the Ele- 

 phant and the Berg or Mountain River : the former runs in a northerly 

 direction along the foot of the western chain of mountains, and falls 

 into the Atlantic in latitude 31° 30' S. : the Berg or Mountain River 

 has its source in the mountains which enclose the Vale of Drakenstein, 

 and discharges itself into St. Helen's Bay. The principal bays on this 

 coast are Table Bay, False Bay, St. Helen's Bay, and Saldanha Bay, 

 where we now lay at anchor. 



The entrance to this fine commodious harbour, which is through 

 a ridge of granite hills, is not quite three miles broad. Its north point 

 is in latitude 33° 3' S., long. 17° 49' E., a little more than seventy-five 

 miles north of the southern extremity of the cape. This bay is about 

 fifteen miles in length, in the direction of north and south, and affords 

 at all seasons very excellent shelter and anchorage. Its northern arm 

 is called Hoetjes Bay, on the north side of which there is good anchor- 

 age for ships of any size. There is also deep water on the west side 

 of it, close to a granite pier formed by nature, where ships may lie in 

 perfect safety in all seasons of the year ; and if necessary they may 

 heave-down alongside of this pier without any risk. The only disad- 

 vantage in the northern arm of the bay is the scarcity of fresh water, 

 which might be easily remedied by digging a few wells of moderate 

 depth, from which fresh water could be obtained in any quantity, and 

 of an excellent quality. The southern arm of Saldanha Bay, of which 

 I shall speak presently, furnishes good fresh water from a spring, 

 which, if cleared and enlarged, would supply a fleet with this necessary 

 article in a very short time. 



In entering this well-protected bay, attention should be paid to the 

 following circumstances and localities : — On the north side of the en- 

 trance is a small island, called Mallagassen ; and on the south side is 

 another, in a bend of the land, near the shore, called Jutten. Two 

 miles eastward of the first-mentioned island is a third, called Maseus. 

 Each of these islands has a reef, which puts off from its shore about a 

 cable's length. As all three of them are low, and can be seen but 

 a short distance, accuracy in the vessel's latitude is very requisite. 

 The entrance is nearly three miles broad, and clear of dangers one 

 cable's length from either of the islands first mentioned, between which 

 it is necessary to pass. But the third island, Maseus, may be passed 

 on either side at the distance of forty fathoms, though the widest 



