SECOND JOURNEY. 
Mr. Van Renan furnlfhed us with a team of frefli oxen, ^778. 
Juac. 
and accompanied us himfelf, on the fixteenth, to the mouth ' — 
of the Gouds Rivier. I vifited Catharina Bay, which is about 
two hundred and eighty miles from the Cape. The bay is 
wide, and opens from the fea, weft by north ; which expofes 
fhips very much to the fouth-eaft winds. About twelve years 
before, a French fbip was loft in this bay. The adjacent coun- 
try is rather barren, and unfavourable to fliips which put in 
for refrefliment, being very thinly inhabited. Finding but 
few plants in flower, we returned to the houfe of Mr. Van 
Renan, to confider of the bed route to be taken ; at length 
we agreed to pafs the large chain of mountains to the weft- 
ward, by a pafs called Groena Kloaf, which v^e were in- 
formed was the fafeft and moft agreeable road at that feafon. 
In confequence of this refolution, we dire<9:ed our courfe to 
the weftward, and on the twenty-feventh reached the houfe 
of one Jacobus Botta, a man of ninety years of age, a period 
feldom attained in this country ; where, though the people are 
in general very healthy while young, and the climate very 
favourable, they do not ufually enjoy a protra<^led exiftence. 
On the twenty-eighth, we continued our route to the weft, 
along the chain of mountains, which I mentioned as covered 
with fnow. We found the day exceedingly cold, with 
heavy rains, and a ftrong north-weft wind. The thermome- 
ter, at eight in the morning, was at forty-three degrees ; at 
noon, forty-feven ; at four in the afternoon, forty-four ; and 
G 
