SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
6'7 
the Table Mountain. In one cavern, as I have aheady ob- 
ferved, at the entrace of Moflel Bay, I difturbed fome thoufands 
of birds, and found as many thoufands of living fhell-hfli 
fcattered on the furface of a heap of fhells that, for aught I 
know, would have filled as many thoufand waggons. The 
prefence of fhells therefore, in my opinion, Is no argument for 
the prefence of the fea. 
"We fhould not, perhaps, be far amifs In affigning to Africa 
a prior creation to any of the other continents. Its vaft anti- 
quity appears In the very extraordinary manner In which the 
fuperior parts of the great chain of mountains are corroded and 
worn away; In the immenfely deep chafms In which the rills 
of water trickle down to the fea ; in the difappearance of the 
water fupplied by the heavy rains ; and, above all, in the com- 
plete decompofition of the feltfpar into a kind of feml-Indurated 
clay or lithomarga ; and, as I have feen in frequent Inftances, 
pyramidal cryftals of quartz fo loofely fixed by the bafe Into 
maffes of feltfpar as eafily to be drawn out with the fingers, and 
when fo drawn out, appearing corroded, and wafted in their 
tranfition to fome other ftate. 
I would not here be underftood to fuppofe that the fea does 
not retreat from the fhore ; on the contrary, it is a well eftablifhed 
fad:, that in fome parts of the world, and particularly In the 
creeks of the Baltic, the fea has fubfided In a very remarkable 
manner. But this retreat Is partial and owing to local circum- 
ftances. Had It been general, and in the fame degree as has 
been obferved on the fliores of Bothnia, the ifthmus of Suez 
K 2 muft 
