42 
ON THE SUMMIT OF 
24 Jan. 
slaves to come up, who had not been able to keep pace with us. A 
Mozambique negro, one of our servants, was quite exhausted with the 
fatigue, and crawled along so slowly, that we began to fear his 
strength would not be equal to the task, and that both he and his 
load must be left below. However, with a little more courage and 
perseverance, we all reached the summit safely, at a quarter past 
seven. * 
The view, looking downwards through the Poort, is awful and 
singularly grand. The morning was exceedingly favourable, and not 
a cloud intercepted the very distant horizon. The air on the sum- 
mit felt cool, and the thermometer, at eight o'clock, was not higher 
than 59° of Fahrenheit, (12° of Reamur) ; and at ten minutes before 
nine it rose only to 60" Fahrenheit, although it was now the middle 
of the summer season. We observed a small cloud forming on the 
Devil's Mountain, but the increasing heat of the day soon dis- 
persed it. 
Our first care, after we were all assembled, was to prepare break- 
fast ; and a place was immediately selected, between some huge 
blocks of stone, which formed a commodious room, the ceiling of 
which was the azure sky. The cloth was spread on a flat table of 
* The following are the names of some 
ascent up Table Mountain. 
Selago Jasciculata 
Qinantlie ferulacea 
Holms asper 
Cacalia bipinnata 
Erica coccinea 
Erica cerinthoides 
Xeranthemmn speciosissimum 
Hennas depaitperata 
Aster taxijolius ? 
Erica planifolia ? 
Phylica stipularis 
Stilbe ericoides 
Thesium strictiim ? 
Erica Petiverii 
the plants that are to be met with in the 
Diosma oppositifolia 
Myrica Ethiopica 
Gnaphalium grandiflorum 
Passerina cephalophora. Th. 
Indigqfera sarmentosa 
Lobelia minuta 
Roella muscosa 
Hydrocohjle Asiatica. I'h. 
Orobanche purpurea 
Osteospervium ilicifolium 
Aster cymhalarice 
Pelargonium saniculccfolium 
Stoebe prostrata 
Crassida coccinea. 
