362 
JOURNEY ACROSS THE 
[1313. 
received by Bern (one of the Captains) and the people, 
who were soon collected into a large room built for a 
preaching place, where Mr. R. preached to them. 
Travelled S.W. 
1 1th. Day-light discovered the beauty of the scenery 
that surrounded Hardcastle. It lies in a valley not 
above three miles in circumference, surrounded by the 
Asbestos Mountains of diversified shapes. There are 
four long passes between the mountains, leading from 
it in different directions, which not only increase the 
convenience of the situation, but add greatly to the 
grandeur of the prospect around. Some of us walked 
after breakfast to examine the asbestos rocks, where 
we found plenty of that rare mineral, between strata 
of rocks. That which becomes, by a little beating, soft 
as cotton, is all of Prussian blue. When ascending a 
mountain alone, I found some of the colour of gold, 
but not soft, or of a cotton texture like the blue ; some 
I found white, and brown, and green, &c. Had this 
land been known to the ancients in the days of impe- 
rial Rome, many a mercantile pilgrimage would have 
been made to the Asbestos Mountains in Griqua land. 
Were the ladies' gowns in England woven of this sub- 
stance, many lives would annually be saved, that are 
lost by their dress catching fire ; for cloth made from 
it stands the fire, and the ancients burned their dead 
in such cloth to retain their real ashes. A considerable 
portion of it is used in making their roads. It is very 
remarkable that it is called by the Griquaas, hand- 
kerchief stone. 
