228, TRAVELS IN 
James, be ably defended^ in time of war, by 1200 men ; and 
would render the town,, the batteries, and the castle un- 
tenable by an enemy, all of which might be totally destroyed 
from this height in four-and-twenty hours. Hie most intelli- 
gent of the officers of the Dutch garrison, now at the Cape^ 
were, precisely of the same opinion, and immediately pointed 
out the situation as the most eligible for erecting a citadeL 
The Dutch Governnvent, however, are not in circumstances at 
present to undertake a work of such magnitude and expence, 
not being able to raise funds adequate to meet the sub- 
sistence of the troops, and the contingent and extraordinary 
expences of the garrison, though it consists of less than two 
thousand men. 
The greatest difficulty, in occupying this situation for such 
a purpose, would be the want of water; but it is by no means 
an insurmountable difficulty. Twelve hundred men, at a 
daily allowance of a quart to each man, would consume, in 
twelve months, 109,500 gallons, and. a cistern, capable of con- 
taining this quantity, would not be required to exceed a 
square of twelve yards, provided the depth be about fom' 
yards and a half. And two cisterns of these dimensions 
would be fully adequate for every purpose that the garrison 
would require. 
Another objection, however, was started, grounded on the 
opinion of some of the artillery officers in the service of the 
East India Company, who conceived the Lion's Hill to be 
within point blank shot of the Devil's Hill, the slope of 
which, even below the rocky summit, is at least twice the 
