46^ TRAVELS IN 
at St Helenas : I had never yet been there ; 
and I fhould not have forgiven myfelf, if, now 
that I was fo near, I negleSled to fee it. 
For this excurfion I took with me only the 
fame hunters as had attended me in my laft. 
When I arrived at the bay, I traverfed all its 
windings from one point to the other. Kolben, 
who was no better geographer than he was a 
naturalift, and who had feen no more of Su 
Helen's Bay than he had of the colony, fays 
that Berg-Rivier difembogues itfelf to the 
north of the bay ; and it is thus he lays It 
down in his map. Kolben is miftaken in this 
point, as he is in a thoufand others. The 
mouth of the Berg is in the fouthern part of 
St. Helen's. The Bay itfelf too is improperly 
placed in all our fea charts, its latitude being 
wrong by more than fifteen minutes. 
This river, which I afcended for a confider- 
able way, is obftruded by forefts of reeds, in- 
to which the hippopotamufes retire and con- 
ceal themfelves. Government, fearing that 
thefe amphibious animals, the fpecies of which 
it wifhes to preferve, might be totally deftroy- 
ed, has prohibited hunting them, under pe- 
nalty of a fine. This regulation would fliare 
the 
