832 



SOUTHERN AFRICA. 



The second terrace contains a considerable portion of well-watered and fertile lands ; inter 



spersed with large tracts of the arid 

 desert, called karroo. The third belt, 

 called the Great Karroo, is composed 

 of a vast plain, 300 miles in length, 

 and nearly 100 in breadth ; the soil 

 of which is of a hard and impenetra- 

 ble texture, destitute, almost, of every 

 trace of vegetation. The plains of 

 South Africa, called karroos, present 

 a dreary, listless uniformity of level 

 surface, except where bioken by a few 

 straggling hills of schistus or slate, 

 which rise, like little volcanic cones, 

 out of a naked surface of clay, whose 

 tinge is that of a dull, ferruginous 

 brown. All traces of animated nature 

 Hottentot Hollands Kloof. are, in the dry season, obliterated from 



these dreary solitudes ; and the withered remains of the fig-marigolds, and other succulent 

 plants, sparingly scattered over the surface, crackle under the feet, and seem, from the faint 

 and feeble traces of vegetable life, to maintain a perpetual struggle for existence. 



The northern front of Table J\'Iountain overlooks Cape Town, and rises almost perpendicu- 

 larly, like the ruins of some gigantic fortress, till it terminates in a line, nearly horizontal, and 

 of about 2 miles in extent, the highest point of which is about 3,585 feet above Table Bay. 

 The west side of this stupendous mass of rock, extending along the seashore, is rent into hol- 

 lows, and worn away into pyramidal masses. The ascent of the mountain is very steep and 

 difficult, on account of the loose stones, which roll away under the feet of the traveler. Its 

 summit is nearly level, and very barren and bare of soil ; several cavities, however, are filled 

 with water, or contain a small quantity of vegetable earth, from whence a few odoriferous 

 plants, particularly the Ancca mucronata, an elegant frutescent plant peculiar to this region, 

 draw their nourishment. Antelopes, baboons, solitary vultures, and toads are sometimes to 

 be met with on the mountain. The view from the summit is very extensive and picturesque. 

 The bay seems a small pond or basin, and the ships in it are dwindled to little boats ; the 

 town under the feet, and the regular compartments of its gardens, look like the work of chil- 

 dren ; all is dwindled into mere specks 

 and lines. The air on the summit, in 

 winter, and in the shade, is generally 

 about 15° lower than that of the town ; 

 but in summer the difference is still great- 

 er, particularly when the southeast wind 

 blows, and a fleecy cloud, called " the 

 Table-cloth," appears on the mountain, 

 and gives indication of an approaching 

 storm. This cloud is composed of im- 

 mense masses of fleecy whiteness. It 

 does not appear to be at rest on the hill, 

 but to be constantly rolling onward from 

 the southeast, yet, to the surprise of the 

 beholder, it never descends, because the 

 snowy wreaths seen falling over the pre- 

 cipice towards the town below, vanish 

 completely before they reach it, while others are formed to replace them on the other side. 

 One of the most remarkable natural curiosities in this country is the Cango Cavern, of which 

 the above cut is a representation, as seen by torch-light. 



3. Rivers. The colony is deficient in navigable rivers for vessels of any considerable bur- 

 den. The two principal rivers on the western coast are the Berg, or Mountain River, and the 

 Olifant or ElcphanCs River. These streams are only navigable by small craft to the distance 

 of about 20 miles tin the country. On the south coast of the colonv the Breede or Broad 



Tlie Cango Cavern. 



