3i2 Mr. masson’s Botanical Travels. 
came to the lad Dutch habitation on this tide of the coun- 
try. As we paffed along we found many new plants 
growing near the banks of rivers, which were then quite 
dry; but the foil conlifted of nothing but rotten rock. 
The hills were of the lame fub dance, all of a conical 
figure, and entirely covered with pieces of rock, about 
the fize of a man’s fid. We continued feveral days at this 
habitation, where we were well entertained. They had 
excellent bread, good mutton, butter and milk, but no 
kind of drong liquors. We made feveral enquiries about 
the country lying to the Northward; and were told, that 
it had been formerly inhabited by Europeans near a 
hundred miles further, who at fird had greatly increafed 
their herds ; but that fome dry feafons coming on after- 
wards, they had been forced to return : the country there- 
fore was fuppofed to be uninhabited, except by the wan- 
dering Hottentots, who feldom day above a month in a 
place. This place is about 350 Englifh miles North from 
the Gape of Good Hope. We now changed our courfe, 
going diredfly S.E. through an uninhabited country much 
like the former, furrounded by high mountains, flat oil 
the tops, and forming what the peafants call Table Moun- 
tains. I never fawthe fmalled rivulet or fountain iffuing 
from them ; all the water that we found being that which 
was left dagnant in the deeped parts of the rivers, that 
are formed by the rain in the winter feafon, which rivers, 
towards Midfummer, in other places become entirely dry. 
14th, To Rhinoceros Rivier. Here we faw great 
herds of zebras, and were informed by three Dutchmen, 
who palfed us on horfeback, that this place was fre- 
quented 
