large  Stone  near  Cape  'Town.  105 
and  has  undergone  little  change  from  being  expofed  for 
fo  many  fucceffive  ages  to  the  calcining  power  of  a very 
hot  climate. 
I have  fent  a fpecimen  of  the  rock  and  of  the  hratum, 
v/hich  are  both  what  the  mineralogihs  call  faxa  conglu- 
tinata  or  aggregata , and  confequently  are  different  from 
the  more  folid  hones  which  conhitute  the  greateft  part 
of  the  mountains. here ; and  is  likewife  another  proof  of 
its  being  a fingle  hone.  But  it  ought  to  be  obferved, 
that  the  piece  of  the  rock  was  taken  from  a thin  piece 
or  fcale,  which  the  weather  may,  perhaps,  have  had 
fome  effedt  upon,  fo  as  to  change  or  dehroy  the  cement 
which  keeps  the  pieces  of  the  different  hones  together, 
as  it  is  very  friable. 
It  would  be  needlefs  to  attempt  to  draw  any  con  cl  u- 
fions  from  this  fhort  defcription ; nor  indeed  am  I cer- 
tain if  any  ufeful  reafoning  could  be  made  from  it.  I 
fhall,  howevpr,  leave  that  to  your  better  judgement,  and 
can  only  fay,  as  an  apology  for  troubling  you,  that  it 
ahonifhed  me  to  fee  its- prodigious  fize;  and  that,  as  I 
had  never  feen  or  heard  of  any  thing  like  it  before,  I 
thought  it  worth  mentioning,  efpecially  as  it  had  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  one  who,  though  he  had  tra- 
velled a great  way  in  this  extenfive  country,  had  certainly 
Vol.  LX VIII.  P not 
