GOOD HOPE. 
'6S0 
another fcourge to the colony. This part of the globe 
was a (Iranger to it till the arrival of the Europeans; 
while it was.under the dominion of tlie Dutch, this dif- 
order once brought it to the very brink of deftrudlion; 
when it firft made its appearance, it fwept off more than 
two thirds of the colonifts. Its ravages were ftill more 
dreadful among the Plottentots, both at the Cape and in¬ 
land ; it feemed as if this malady attacked them in pre¬ 
ference to others, and even now they are extremely 
fubject to it; infomuch that all velfels on their ar¬ 
rival in the road, are fcrupuloully examined, and, if 
they difcover the lead veflige of this diforder, all com¬ 
munication with the inhabitants is rigoroufly forbidden ; 
an embargo is laid on the cargo, of which they will not 
fuft'er the fmallefl article to be landed, and they keep 
day and night a very ftrict guard over them.—It is how¬ 
ever to be prefumed, that wdtile the colony continues in 
the hands of the Englifh, this fatal malady will be over¬ 
come by the mild influence of inoculation. 
The rainy feafon ulually commences about the end of 
April. It is more abundant and more frequent in the 
town than its eiivirons; the natural rcafon of which is, 
that the north w’ind then brings a great number of clouds 
with it, which as they approach the towm, are encoun¬ 
tered and broken by the Table, Devil, and Lion, moun¬ 
tains. At this time it rains without intermiflion at the 
Cape, though at two leagues diftance all round they 
perhaps enjoy a clear fky and dry weather. Sometimes 
the rain fpreads over the whole fpace betweep Table 
Bay and Falle Bay, to theeafi of that chain of mountains 
which extend themfelves to the very extremity of Africa, 
while the weftern fide is clear and without a cloud. 
This is a feeble image of what happens on the coaft of 
Coromandel and Malabar, except that here tliis fpedtacle 
is more Wonderful, becaufe, being nearer, it is more ob¬ 
vious, and is not iinfrequently inftanced in tlie following 
manner ; fuppofe two friends were fet off from the town 
at the fame inftant for Falfe Bay, he that takes the eafl; 
fide of the mountain fliould carry parapluk, while he 
that takes the weft would have occaiion for his parajoh 
they arrive at the place of rendezvous, the one fatigued 
with heat, and panting under the burning ray ; the other 
frozen with cold, or dropping with rain. The Table 
mountain, when viewed from the Bay, feems to join the 
town, though in fact it isa league di/tant from it. 7 'he 
fldrts of this mountain are incumbered with a great 
quantity of fragments of rock, which feem at different 
times to have been broken from it; its bale is formed of 
pure granite, and to its very fummit it is compofed of 
horizontal layers of granite and earth alternately. Its 
height, as lately computed, is four thoufand feet above 
the level of the fea; and can only be climbed by the 
chafm, through which the water flows, which fupplies 
the town ; this pali'age is extremely dangerous, particu¬ 
larly towards the top, where it runs very narrow, and 
is almoft perpendicular. It requires two hours’ labour 
to gain the fummit ; then we arrive at a very fpacious 
plain, confufedly fcattered over with huge pieces of 
rock mingled with bufhes, which all together has the ap¬ 
pearance of an immenfe city in ruins. Time, in con- 
jundlion with the clouds and winds, has worn off their 
afperities, and given them a kind of uniformity. Here 
are fome llones as completely rounded as thofe pebbles 
which are picked up on the fea fliore. Towards the 
middle of the plain, there is a bafon of three or four 
hundred paces in circumference, from whence the waters 
flow which fupply the town by the channel above-men¬ 
tioned. Whether this water is fupplied by fprings, by 
rain, or by milts, is a queftion hitherto undecided ; but 
it is a fountain which never fails. The mountain is in- 
terfeCled by a number of channels, which diltribute thefe 
waters in every direttion, and fertilize the fcattered 
plantations which furround it. This place is the haunt 
of a great number of vultures, which are frequently dri¬ 
ven from the mountains, by the fouth-eall wind, with 
2 
great precipitation into the very ftreetsof the town, where 
they are knocked down with flicks by the inhabitants. 
When people afeend Table mountain for the firft 
time, while climbing the chafm, they are fure to 
imagine that it rains, however fine the weather may he. 
This effedl is caufed by the water that is continually 
dropping from the rocks above, which in falling fo far 
forms a kind of rain, which isever more ' abundant in 
the morning than the reft of the day ; the damps and 
dews of the night eafily account for this. At about a 
third of the way up this chafm, the eye is prefented 
with a beautiful cafeade which falls from a flat piece of 
rock of confiderable extent. From the town to this 
fpot is a ufual walk ; even the ladies can proceed thus 
far without difficulty, and enjoy the fatisfadfion of a 
moft charming and pidturefque feene which prefents it- 
felf from this place. It is impoftible to pafs from Ta¬ 
ble to Devil mountain, though their fummits feem only 
to have been feparated by earthquakes, or fome other 
fuch caufe; but we can eafily go from that to Lion 
mountain, which appears alfo to have been originally a 
part of the fame ; the top of the latter can only be gain¬ 
ed by means of a rope, with which, by great difficulty, 
they help themfelves up. From this place, tliey give 
fignals to Ihips at fea. 
During the prevalence of the winter months. Table 
Bay, which lies on the weft fide of the fouth point of 
tlie Cape, isconfidered as very dangerous anchorage; a 
proof of which is, that in 1722, no lefs than twenty-five 
fliips were dallied to pieces on the rocks ; and in 1736 
feven more were loft in a finiilar manner ; fo that from 
June to September all the fti pi- quit this bay, and run 
round the Cape to the eaft fide of the peninfula into a 
fpacious harbour called Falfe Bay, which is very com¬ 
modious, particularly that part of it which is called Si¬ 
mon’s Bay. From Cape-town to this bay acrofs the 
ifthmus is only about nine miles ; vyhereas by water it 
is more thirty leagues. The ifthmus is feen acrofs from 
Table Bay; and'the Cape itfelf appeal s at tiiat diftance 
like a hanging iftand in the fea, united to the continent 
by a fpiall neck of land. There are a number of other 
bays and fafe harbours on both the eailern and weftern 
fides of the peninfula ; but thefe are feldom viiited by 
any ftiipping except the fmall craft which belongs to 
the country. 
Behind Table mountain are the vineyards of Conftan- 
tia. Round the vineyards are pleafaiit groves of the 
filver-tree, befides oak, elms, and other Imaller plants, 
which completely llielter them from the violence of the 
winds. There are twodiftindl plantations of vines here, 
each of a different colour and quality, though both are 
called Conftantia wines. The firft farm, called Great 
Coiiftaiitia, produces the red wine of that name; and 
at Leffer Conftantia, the white is made. The grape 
from which this wine is extraited is a fpecies of the 
Mufcadel, extremely rich, fweet, and lufeious. Its 
qualities proceed in ibnie meafure from the fituation and 
foil, which are particularly favourable ; but the exqui- 
fite flavour is chiefly to be attributed to the great care 
taken in the rearing, dreffing, and encouragenieiit, of 
the vines, in preferving the grapes wholly clean from 
fand, and free from the ravages of the infedfs which 
ufually attack them when full ripe. With the cleanli- 
nefs and healthy ftate of the grape when put into the 
prefs, another caufe contributes much to the goodnefs 
of the wine, the not fuft'ering the leaves, ftalks, or un¬ 
ripe fruit, to be mixed in the prefs, as is too commonly 
the cafe. If the fame attention were paid to the vines 
in other parts of the colony, and the fame precautions 
ufed in compreffiilg the fruit. Cape wine would no longer 
labour under its prefent difrepute. The grapes of Con¬ 
ftantia are indeed larger, and have a richer and more 
fleftiy pulp than thofe of the other plantations, and 
confequently give more juice in proportion. But there 
muft be many parts of the foil equally adapted to the 
rearing 
