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Sept.] DRAKENSTEIN VALLEY— NATURAL PRODUCTIONS. 283 



that they are very trusty and inoffensive, but not very fond of hard 

 work. 



The wines that are made on the banks of Berg River are principally 

 made in an extensive valley about fifty miles from the river's mouth, 

 called the Vale of Drakenstein. This valley is a remarkably fertile 

 tract of land, enjoys a most delightful climate, is well inhabited, and 

 its soil is capable of every species of agriculture. Two-thirds of the 

 wine which is brought to Cape Town is supplied by the vineyards of 

 Drakenstein alone. Great quantities of choice fruits are also raised 

 here, and every month of the year the table may be supplied with 

 various kinds, accompanied with six or eight different sorts of wines. 



The celebrated Constantia wine is made on two farms, close under 

 the mountains, about half-way between False Bay and Table Bay. 

 One of these farms produces the white, and the other the red Con- 

 stantia. Some of the wines that are made in the valley of Draken- 

 stein are frequently sold to strangers for Constantia. But I should 

 suppose that any one might easily detect the fraud. The Constantia 

 wine is of an exquisite quality, which is scarcely susceptible of im- 

 provement; but the other varieties, which come under the general 

 appellations of Cape wine and Cape Madeira, have an earthy taste, a 

 diluted flavour of Muscadel, and in most instances an undisguised taste 

 of brandy. 



In the light sandy grounds cotton succeeds well ; coffee and sugar- 

 cane might both be cultivated with success, if properly attended to ; 

 and indigo grows wild on the banks of the river. Hemp and flax are 

 raised here, the latter producing two crops a year. The tea-plant has 

 been a long time in the colony, having been brought from China ; but 

 it is now totally neglected. Wheat, barley, and oats are successfully 

 cultivated ; but rice does not grow here. 



The wild beasts common to this country are gradually retiring be- 

 fore the encroachments of man. The lordly lion retreats sullenly 

 and indignantly before the image and likeness of his Maker, and is 

 only seen at respectful distances. The deserts, however, even in the 

 vicinity of the cape, resound with the howling of wolves and the bel- 

 lowing of hyenas. The jackal of the cape and the tiger-cat are 

 also common. The beautiful white-faced antelope, or springer, is so 

 common near Fish River, that herds of more than two thousand may 

 sometimes be seen together. Gazelles, with their " exquisitely soft 

 and expressive eyes," are numerous. Zebras are becoming very rare 

 in the colony. The elephants have also forsaken the districts inhabited 

 by Europeans. The two-horned rhinoceros shows itself still less ; the 

 ostrich is found in the deserts of the interior, and sometimes comes in 

 troops to lay waste the fields of corn. 



One of the most beautiful animals of this country is the gnoo, the 

 head of which bears some resemblance to the African buffalo. He 

 has an erect mane on the neck, and another under the neck, descend- 

 ing from the breast between the fore-legs. His shoulders and body 

 are somewhat like those parts of the horse, while he has the elegant 

 limbs of the antelope. Besides the animals already mentioned, there 

 are found here the wolf, panther, elk, buffalo, leopard, rhinoceros 



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