VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA. 
101 
to me, the state of the communicant congregation here, was truly 
encouraging, as a proof, that " their hibour is not in vain in the. 
Lord." 
12th. Soon after four in the morning, I heard the sweet sound 
of Hottentot voices, singing a hjmn in the hall before my cham- 
ber-door. It reminded me, that this day was my birth-day, which 
had been mentioned to them by some of the missionaries. I was 
struck and affected by this mark of their regard, nor was their 
mode of expressing it confined to a morning-song. They had dress- 
ed out my chair, at the common table, with branches of oak and 
laurel, and Sister Schmitt's school-children, in order uot to be be- 
hind in their kind offices, having begged their mistress to mark on a 
large white muslin handkerchief, some English words, expressive of 
their goodwill towards me, they managed to embroider them with 
a species of creeper called cat's-thorn, and fastened the muslin in 
front of a table, covered with a white cloth, and decorated with fes- 
toons of cat's-thorn and field-flowers. On the table stood five large 
bouquets, in glasses. The whole arrangement did credit to their 
taste, for Sister Schmitt had left it entirely to their own invention. 
This table I found placed in my room on returning from my morn- 
ing's walk. The words w ere ; " May success crown every action." 
Recapitulating, within my own heart, the undeserved mercies of 
God my Saviour, experienced during the year past, I felt parti- 
cularly grateful for the favour conferred upon me, to behold with 
my own eyes, and hear with my own ears, what He has wrought in 
this distant land for the accomplishment of His thoughts of peace 
towards the Gentile world. To serve such a cause, shall, by His 
enabling grace, be my heart's delight, during the remainder of my 
earthly pilgrimage. 
The excessive heat of the last days, which we had felt so op- 
pressively on our journey hither, seemed to have brought into action 
all the electricity contained in the atmosphere, and already, early 
in the forenoon, very dense, black, towering clouds were seen cover- 
ing the mountains near Stellenbosch. It thundered almost inces- 
santly in that quarter for several hours before the storm rose towards 
