SOUTHERN AFRICA. 85 
The country between the Camtoos River and this bay is ex- 
tremely rich and beautiful. Like a gentleman's park, or plea- 
fure grounds, in England, the furface is diverfified with thickets 
and knots of ftately trees, planted, however, by the fpontaneous 
and free hand of nature. The knolls are covered with thick 
grafs, which, for want of cattle to eat it off, is fuffered to rot 
upon the ground, or is partially burnt off towards the end of 
fummer to make room for the young blades to fhoot up with 
the earliefl; rains of winter. It is greatly to be lamented that fo 
fine a country fliould be fuffered to remain in total negledt. A 
few indolent boors grafp the whole difl:ri(fl, which, when in the 
pofTeffion of the rightful owners, the KafFersand the Hottentots, 
fome thirty years ago, maintained many thoufand families by 
the numbers of their cattle it was found capable of fupporting. 
The fmall game, which here are plentiful, gramineous roots, 
the bulbs of the iris, of the wild garlick, and of the Cyanella^ 
the filaments and anthers of whofe ftamens bear a remarkable 
refemblance to the fingers and nails of the human hand, toge- 
gether with the feeds of the Strelitzia Reginse, and a variety of 
wild berries, were the chief articles of fubfiftence of the Hot- 
tentot tribes, and milk was the principal food of the Kaffers. . 
Algoa Bay has little to recommend it as a refort for fhipping. 
Like all the other Bays, upon the fame coaft, it is diredly open 
to the fouth-eaft winds, which, however, are lefs dangerous, 
becaufe lefs violent, than thofe^which blow from weft and fouth- 
weft. The difturbances of Graaf Reynet have caufed a number 
of fliips to vifit this bay from the Cape, but fcarcely one that 
has been there has efcaped accidents happening to their boats in 
I attempt- 
