Sept.] 



SURVEY OF THE COAST. 



285 



engaged in rearing cattle, only cultivating sufficient grain for their own 

 consumption. Fish may be caught in great abundance in the mouth 

 of this river, within the bar. There are no dangers between Elephant 

 River and St. Helen's Bay that lie more than two hundred fathoms 

 from the shore. The soundings are regular. Ten miles from the 

 land you will have forty fathoms of water, and it gradually becomes 

 more shallow as you approach, until you are within one mile of the 

 beach, when you will find ten fathoms of water, sandy bottom, with a 

 few broken shells. 



The land between Elephant River and St. Helen's Bay deserves a 

 few descriptive remarks. Bluff sand-hills, moderately elevated, are 

 seen from one hundred to three hundred yards back from the beach. 

 About half a mile from the latter the sandy ground begins to terminate, 

 and the soil to commence. Another half-mile farther inland brings us 

 to good soil, where the plains are as fine for grazing as any in the 

 world. Between the beach and the sand-hills just mentioned there is 

 a fine road, running a great part of the distance between the two 

 places. The whole coast along here exhibits unequivocal evidences 

 of its once having been agitated by volcanic eruptions ; such as lava, 

 in irregular masses, with different strata distinctly defined. Pumice- 

 stones also are scattered over the country for many miles inland, 

 forming irregular hills, &c, interspersed with lava, basalt, and other 

 volcanic productions. In pulling along this shore with my boats, I 

 had ample opportunities of examining these relics, and making these 

 observations. 



September 13/A. — We continued exploring the coast in this manner, 

 keeping the boats close in-shore in search of fur-seal on every mile 

 of the coast, until Saturday, the 13th of September, when we fell in 

 with a small island, in lat. 31° 32' S., long. 17° 56' E., about half a 

 mile from the shore. Here, for the first time, our search was suc- 

 cessful. A small reef runs off from the west end of this island, to the 

 distance of about a hundred fathoms. 



From this island we followed the shore to the north-westward, 

 passing Point Grazing, in lat. 31° 20' S., and four places which are 

 said to be rivers, viz. Zwarte Darn River, in lat. 30° 45', not open ; 

 Greene River, in lat. 30° 33', not open ; Zwarte Lintjie River, 30° 21', 

 not open ; and Koussie River, in lat. 29° 54' S., long. 16° 57' E. ; 

 the latter was open, and may be passed in boats only at full sea. It 

 is closed at times, however, in the dry season, by the shifting of the 

 sand-hills in windy weather. This may well be called Salt River, as 

 the salt water runs up it about fifteen miles, ten miles of which is very 

 shallow. This is the northern boundary of the cape colony. 



Many of the rivers which intersect this extensive colony are merely 

 periodical torrents, which continue to flow during the rainy season, but 

 which, during the summer, leave their deep-sunk beds almost com- 

 pletely dry ; and the rivulets which are supplied by the mountain 

 springs have scarcely escaped from their lofty sources, before they 

 are either absorbed by the thirsty earth, or evaporated by the heated 

 air. Even the permanent rivers, some of which contain sufficient 

 water for the navigation of small craft, for several miles up the country, 



