372 JOURNAL OF A 
the Governor and the Enghsh in general, on account of some 
necessary restrictions put upon him, but truly ill with a swelling 
of the gums, and a breaking out in the lower part of his face, which 
had confined him to his room for several days. No hopes, there- 
fore, were entertained of seeing him, but I felt as eager to see 
his dwelling as himself; for though I might not have it in my 
power to give to my friends a portrait of the fldlen hero, I wished 
to gratify them with a view of his mansion, and the circumjacent 
country. 
Before we set out, Sir Hudson proposed a walk through his own 
grounds, part of which I had previously seen. His Excellency point- 
ed out nian}^ foreign trees, growing here in great perfection, among 
which, some have not yet been described by botanists. The Chinese 
yew; the coffee-tree; cinnamon and clove-bushes; the Norfolk- 
island-pine, a most beautiful species, growing in its native soil to 
the enormous height of from three hundred and fifty to three hundred 
and eighty feet; the gum-tree; cabbage-tree; dog-tree, and goble- 
keer, bearing a small sky-blue flower; and others, deserve parti- 
cular attention. Some oaks of vast magnitude and spread, form a 
delightful bower, under which, in that hot climate, one may enjoy 
the comfort of a shady retreat, inhaling an atmosphere, perfumed 
by the fragrance of a profusion of the sweetest plants and flowers. 
We noticed a peculiar kind of grass, called mat-grass, from its 
spreading most luxuriantly over the ground, in such thickness, 
that it forms a cover resembling thick matting, with long tendrils 
like quick-grass. The Governor ordered a large sod, covered 
with it, to be put into a tub and sent on board, which I brought to 
England. 
The kitchen-gardens are large and well-watered by springs from 
the adjoining hills. The water is conveyed in narrow troughs, cut 
in a red lava, easily wrought, by being in a state of half-decompo- 
sition. By this means, the water is saved from being lost in the 
sand, or loose earth, as it passes along. Where this method is prac- 
ticable, it should be adopted in South Africa, and in other places, 
