SOUTHERN AFRICA. 65 
a leaguer or pipe of 154 gallons of wine. The retail price of a 
leaguer is from 50 to 1 5-0 rixdollars, or 10 to 30/. fterling. 
That fort which is commonly drank at table under the name 
of Cape madeira now fells at 12/. a pipe, as does alfo a pleaf- 
ant tart wine not unlike vifi de grave ^ called here the Steen 
, wine. Of rich fweet wines the colony produces great variety : 
a large white Perfian grape, called here the haenapod^ or cock's 
foot, makes a delicious but expenfive wine ; the grape being 
flefhy, is generally planted for the purpofe of being converted 
into raifins. The mufcadel gives a different wine at almoft 
every place in which it grows. Nearly all the wines that are 
made at the Cape tafte either very much of the fruit, or other- 
wife are meagre or four. The firft may generally be attributed 
to the muft not having undergone a fufficient degree of fer- 
mentation to change its nature, but put up into pipes with 
much of the faccharine matter remaining undecompoled. The 
latter may probably be owing to the praiflice of pulling the grapes 
before they are ripe, in order to prevent their being confumed 
by the numerous tribes of infe£ts that prey upon them, among 
which the common honey bee is not the leaft deftrud:ive. 
The grapes in general that are produced at the Cape are not 
inferior to thofe of any country ; and there can be little doubt 
that the wines exprelTed from them might, by propec manage- 
ment, be made to rival the heft European wines. Some of the 
farmers have lately turned their attention to the fubjedt:, and 
have found themfelves amply repaid for any additional labor 
and expence they might have incurred in making experiments, 
Thofe few alfo who have attended to the procefs of diftilling 
K fpirits 
