SOUTHERN AFRICA. 39 
On the 8th of March 1799 I joined Lieutenant (now Cap- 
tain) Smyth, of the corps of engineers and Aid-du-Camp of 
General Dundas, with a ferjeant's party of dragoons at the 
foot of Hottentot Holland's Kloof, which is the only pafs 
leading to the eaftern parts of the colony, over the high chain 
of mountains that terminates the Cape ifthmus ; which chain, 
at a few miles to the fouthward of the Kloof, forms the eaftern 
boundary of the extenfive bay Falfe. In the north-eaft corner 
of this arm of the fea is a cove called Gordon's Bay, a place that 
has not hitherto obtained that attention, which the importance 
of its fituation would feem to point out. The anchorage is faid 
to be fafe, the landing eafy on a fmooth fandy beach ; and its 
proximity to the above mentioned pafs over the mountains would 
infure an enemy the pofleffion of it, in its prefent defencelefs ftate, 
long before means could be taken for preventing it from the Cape, 
or even from Simon's Town on the oppofite fide of the bay. 
A few men with a coupje of light guns, long field-pieces or 
howitzers, ftationed in this Kloof, would require a whole regi- 
ment to drive them out ; and, fo long as they could hold this 
important pafs, all fupplies coming through it from the nearer 
parts of the diftrid of Zwellendam would be completely cut off 
from Cape Town ; nor would they find the leaft difficulty in 
fubfifting themfelves from the country in their rear. To make 
a diverfion, in meditating an attack upon the Cape, by fending 
a frigate to land a company in Gordon's Bay, one at Blauwberg 
oppofite Roben ifland, and another with two or three compa- 
nies into Saldanha Bay, would greatly embarrafs the garrifon, 
as it would be under the neceffity of detaching from the works 
a very fuperior force in order to make any impreffion. A poft 
I at 
