282 



BERG RIVER. 



[1828. 



you approach the head of the bay, or south shore. Here a ship will 

 find good and safe anchorage half a mile from the beach, in six fathoms 

 of water, mud and clay bottom, sheltered from all winds excepting from 

 north to north-west. These winds, however, never come home to the 

 bottom of this bay with sufficient force to injure a ship at any season 

 of the year. In the summer months, when the southerly winds pre- 

 vail, the water is entirely smooth in any part of the southern side of 

 the bay. The best anchorage is about a mile from the southern shore, 

 immediately in front of a house that stands near the beach, about half- 

 way up the bay, in five or six fathoms of water, clay bottom. 



From the west point of the bay, along the south shore, to the head 

 of the bay, extends a chain of rocks, running nearly half a mile from 

 the land ; outside of which there are no other dangers until you ap- 

 proach the head of the bay, where there is a sand-bank, lying in front 

 of the Berg or Mountain River, about two miles off-shore, with only 

 three feet of water on it at low tide. Ships in want of fresh water I 

 would recommend to anchor near this bar, and send the casks into the 

 river on the flood tide, to ascend the stream as far as the flood will 

 carry them, which is about five miles. Here let them remain until 

 nearly the last of the ebb, when the bungs may be knocked out, and 

 the casks filled with very little trouble. This water will prove to be 

 of a most excellent quality, and will keep sweet as long as any that 

 was ever taken to sea. The next ebb-tide will take the full casks 

 down to the ship just by keeping the boat ahead, and the whole pro- 

 cess will be rather a pleasant recreation than an arduous duty. Of 

 course care must be taken that the casks are perfectly clean, tight, 

 and well bunged, to prevent the entrance of salt water. 



I have filled fifty casks at this river at two different times, and al- 

 though I had large crews, they were always healthy while using the 

 water from the Berg River. There is a spring near the house before 

 mentioned, on the south side of the bay, where twenty or thirty casks 

 may be filled at any time ; but the water is not good, as I found that 

 about twenty-five of my crew were attacked with diarrhoea after drink- 

 ing of the water for twenty-four hours. But while I had the Berg 

 River water on board, which was nearly eight months, there was not 

 a sick man among a crew of thirty-five men, although for six months 

 of the time the weather was very warm. 



The farmers that reside on the banks of Berg River are principally 

 Dutch, and very industrious. They pay their attention to raising grain, 

 and rearing cattle, horses, and sheep for the Cape Town market. 

 They also produce some wine of a good quality, and a small quantity 

 of brandy. Beef and mutton are very cheap here ; as are also nearly 

 all kinds of fruits that are common to tropical climates, as well as a 

 great variety of vegetables. I have purchased fine fat bullocks that 

 would weigh eight hundred, for four dollars each ; sheep for one dollar ; 

 and as fine oranges and lemons as I ever saw, for half a dollar a hun- 

 dred ; and every thing else in proportion. Wood also may be had on 

 the banks of Berg River, but not of large size. The Dutch farmers 

 generally employ the Hottentots to work on their farms, and say 



