FIRST JOURNEY. 
7 
we arrived about nine, at the rehdence of a Mr. De Wall. ^U 77 - 
October, 
This was formerly a place belonging to Governor Adrian 
Vander Stell, who had introduced many foreign plants into 
this country, as particularly the Camphor tree. Many of thefe 
are from forty to fifty feet in height, and from twelve to 
thirteen feet in circumference. Hottentot Holland is fituated 
on the north-eafi: fide of the Bay Falfe, and furrounded on 
three fides by lofty mountains; but open to the fouth-weft, 
where we have a view of the bay. The foil here is not fo 
good for vines as moft other places on this fide the mountains, 
being wet and marfliy ; but it produces excellent corn. The 
mountains afforded me many beautiful plants, particularly Xe- 
ranthimums. Geraniums, Gladiolufes, and many others quite 
nev/ to me. Here may be faid to be one of the mofi; difficult 
paffes into the country, called Hottentot Holland’s Kloaf.’^ It 
is a narrow road cut through the hill, the fummit of which 
appears to be nearly of a height with the Table Land. This 
is part of the chain of mountains which have their beginning 
at Cape Falfe, or the Hang Lip, and continue to the north- 
weft for near three hundred miles ; and from twenty to forty 
miles from the fea, feveral other branches from this chain ex¬ 
tend to the interior parts of the country, which I fliall after¬ 
wards have occafion to defcribe in the courfe of my narrative. 
After fending our baggage through the pafs, we purfued our 
journey, on the twelfth, round the Hang Lip, and proceeded 
to examine the fmall bays and rocks in the mouth of the Bay 
Falfe; which at that time were but little known; in particular 
* Kloaf, fignifies a narrow pafs through the mountains. 
