June.] 



ST. PHILIP'S BONNET. 



321 



an African sun. Cassia and tamarinds also flourish ; and from the 

 humidity of the soil, there are two fruit seasons in the year. 



In entering the port of St. Philip de Benguela, the town and inland 

 country present a beautiful appearance. The houses of the town have 

 all whitewashed walls and red roofs, which give them a very gay and 

 picturesque appearance from the offing, and also from the anchorage. 

 The shores around the bay are low and sandy, with the exception of 

 the westernmost point, which is composed of white sandy cliffs. But 

 when we look eastwardly to the inland country, the scenery is charm- 

 ing. Ranges of verdant hills, on which blooming spring for ever 

 smiles, gradually rise above each other, while wood-crowned moun- 

 tains rear their majestic heads in the distance, and give a sublime 

 finish to the beautiful picture. 



The most remarkable feature presented to the view of the mariner, 

 however, is the summit of an elevated bluff headland on the west point 

 of the bay, called by the Portuguese Ponta do Chapeo ; but known to 

 seamen by the familiar term of St. Philip's Bonnet. It is a clump of 

 trees, which grow so thick and close together that they seem to have 

 been cut with a pruning-knife into the shape of a bozuffetier 's bonnet ; 

 and though they are very luxuriant, all the neighbourhood below is 

 quite barren. The head which wears this bonnet is a point of land so 

 much elevated that it can be seen, in clear weather, at the distance of 

 twelve or fifteen leagues. It is composed of materials like those of 

 the cliff below — granite, sandstone, slate, &c. 



St. Philip's Bonnet and the town of Benguela are nearly on the 

 same parallel, at the distance of about six miles from each other ; but 

 the bay, from its extreme eastern and western points, is seven or eight 

 miles broad, and three miles deep to the beach. Within the transit 

 line of the two points, and more than half-way over to the east, the 

 depth of water is seventeen fathoms, which gradually decreases to six 

 fathoms, within one mile of the shore, mud and clay bottom, with the 

 flag-staff and the church in a line, which is the best anchorage for 

 ships. Smaller vessels, however, had better lie closer in-shore, in four 

 fathoms of water. 



At this place you will have the regular land and sea-breezes for the 

 greater part of the year round. The sea-breezes blow from west-by- 

 north to west-by-south, when the land-winds blow from south-east to 

 east-south-east, but very light. The former never come in with suffi- 

 cient force to render it unpleasant for vessels of any class to ride at 

 anchor, which they can do in perfect safety all the year round ; but 

 these winds often bring in a heavy westerly swell, which at times ren- 

 ders landing unsafe. The landing is near a large boat-house, on the 

 beach, in front of the town, at the water's edge ; and passengers are 

 generally carried by the natives from the boat to the beach, in order 

 to prevent their getting wet. 



The town of Benguela is irregularly built along the curve of the 

 beach, perhaps three hundred yards from the water. It consists of 

 about two hundred houses, mostly of one story and a half, with a 

 population not exceeding twelve hundred souls, of which two hundred 

 are Portuguese, who lead a very indolent kind of life. Immediately 



