s 
denominated Savages, and the opinions 
of these gentlemen respecting the natural 
productions of the earth, the climate, and 
the immense advantages that might be de- 
rived from colonizing these parts, merit, 
at this period, our most serious considera- 
tion. Monsieur Vaillant, whose enthusiasm 
for the improvement of natural history led 
him into Africa, speaking of the countries 
through which he travelled on his way into 
CafFraria, gives the following description 
of them, and accompanies it with observa- 
tions both interesting and curious. 
" As I got farther from the colonies,'* 
says this wandering naturalist, " the coun- 
try was still more beautiful ; the soil rich 
and fruitful — here nature appeared in all 
her majesty ; the lofty mountains offering 
from every side the most delightful and 
romantic views I had ever seen. This 
prospect, contrasted with the idea of the 
parched and barren sands about the Cape, 
made me think myself at a thousand miles 
distant — 
" What! exclaimed I, shall these charm- 
ing fields, these hills and valleys, be for 
