I 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
123 
turf, and round the other parts of the bafon the ground, rifing 
more abruptly, and to a greater height, was covered thickly 
with the fame kind of arboreoUs and fucculent plants as had 
been obferved to grow moft commonly in the thickets of the 
adjoining country. The water was perfectly clear, but fait as 
brine. It was one of thofe falt-water lakes which abound in 
Southern Africa, where they are called %out pans by the colo- 
nifts. This it feems is the moft famous in the country, and is 
reforted to by the inhabuants from very diftant parts of the 
colony, for the purpofe of procuring fait for their own con- 
fumption or for fale. It is fituated on a plain of confiderable 
elevation above the level of the fea. The greateft part of the 
bottom of the lake was covered with one continued body of fait 
like a fheet of ice, the chryftals of which were fo united that it 
formed a folid mafs as hard as rock. The margin or fhore of 
the bafon was like the fandy beach of the fea coaft, with fand- 
ftone and quartz pebbles thinly fcattered over it, fome red, fome 
purple, and others grey. Beyond the narrow belt of fand the 
fheet of fait commenced with a thin porous cruft, increafmg in 
thicknefs and folidity as it advanced towards the middle of the 
lake. The fait that is taken out for ufe is generally broken up 
with picks where it is about four or five inches thick, which is 
at no great diftance from the margin of the lake. The thick- 
nefs in the middle is not known, a quantity of water generally 
remaining in that part. The dry fouth-eafterly winds of fum- 
mer agitating the water of the lake produce on the margin a 
fine, light, powdery fait, like flakes of fnow. This is 
equally beautiful as the refined fait of England, and is 
much fought after by the women, who always commiffion 
R 2 their 
