3^6 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
During the years 177^-^> Thunberg, who after- 
wards visited Japan, resided at the Cape of Good 
Hope, and made several excursions to different 
parts of the colony. In 1777-8, also, Mr Pater- 
son accompanied Captain Gordon in an expedi- 
tion, in the course of which he penetrated to the 
Sneuwberg, or Snowy Mountains, and into the 
country of the Bosjesmans. The narratives of 
both these travellers, as well as that of Sparmann, 
contain many interesting particulars ; but as they 
went over the very same ground which was after- 
wards traversed by Mr Barrow, whose report is 
generally allowed to be the most valuable and au- 
thentic yet published, it appears more eligible to 
make it known to our readers through his medium, 
than to incur a series of repetitions by minutely 
following those who preceded him in the same 
tract. 
Between the years I78O and 1785, Mr Vaillant 
performed his well-known travels. Few writers 
have so well succeeded in making their narrative 
lively and entertaining, in which respect it is little 
inferior to the most interesting works of fiction. 
These, indeed, it has been strongly suspected to 
resemble in other respects. The French, how- 
ever, maintain that the imagination of Vaillant 
has operated, not in materially altering the truth 
of facts, but merely throwing over them a colour- 
