GOOD 
^hecp ; fo that the wool and hides might here be made 
vahiablearticlesof commerce. Lions and tigers abound¬ 
ed in f'ticli numbers, that the early fettlers were obliged 
to levy a kind ol' capitation tax, called lion and tiger 
money, to reward thole who had courage to hunt and 
dedroy them, and bring in their hides. This tax Hill 
exilts ; but as the colony is no longer annoyed by thefe 
animals, the money is applied towards the repairs of 
the roads, water-courfes, and other public works. Ze¬ 
bras and wild horfes are found in the interior; and 
Mr. Barrow, noticing the figure of an unicorn cut on 
the fmooth fide of a cavern, luppofed to have been the 
work of the wild Bosjefmen, he concluded that tliis 
animal mult be in exillence in Southern Africa ; and he 
employed the moll laborious learch in quell of it, 
but in vain. Indeed, Vaillant, who explored almoll 
the whole- of this part of Africa, for the purpofe of 
collecting curious fubjefts of natural hillory, never 
tuentions the unicorn; though he figures and dcfcribes 
the caineleopardalus, and other wild animals. And 
here, too, he collefled the originals of ihofe cutIous 
and magnificent birds, which form his fplendid and coltly 
work in ornithology ; the engravings of moll of which 
will be found in this Encyclopaedia. 
The iiippopotamus and elephant were formerly rec¬ 
koned among the moll valuable Ipoils of the hunters in 
this colony ; but lb fuccelsful have their purfuits after 
ivory been, tliat, like the lion and tiger, thefe animals 
are now but feldom found within the territories of the 
fettlement ;• and of cotirfe its trade in ivory is become 
very trifling; and Inch mufl ever be the cfl'ects of 
agriculture and civilization : the empire of man will 
incrcafe, while that of terocious animals is narrowed, 
and their bowlings confined to the arid walles of the 
del'ert. 
As to the policy of annexing this fetflement in fu¬ 
ture to tiie permanent Britilli dominions, much has been 
faid and written. The foil, it has been fuggelled, will 
afford us no encouragement, becaufe, in fome feafons, 
it labours exceliively wdth drought : but this evil 
might, Mr. Bairow fays, be remedied by planting trees, 
and incloling the country. The want of fprings, how¬ 
ever, is too feverely felt; and this circumllance renders 
the bed bay in the colony ufelefs for Ihipping. The 
reafon aliigned for this fcarcity of fprings appears to us 
very jult, and it alio points out the plan to be adopted 
in procuring water. All the continued chains of moun¬ 
tains in Southern Africa are compofed of fandllone red¬ 
ing upon a bale of granite. This granite bale is fome- 
times elevated conliderably above the general furface 
of the country, and fometimes its upper part is funk 
as far beneath it. In lituutions where the former hap¬ 
pens to be the cafe, numerous fprings are lure to be 
found, as in tlie inllance of Table Mountain, where, on 
every fide, copious dreams of pure limpid water, fil¬ 
tered through the immenfe niafs of fuperincumbent 
landlione, glide over the impenetrable lurface of gra¬ 
nite, furnilliing' ah ample I'upply to Cape-'l’own, the 
gardens, and.the adjacent vineyards. But in all thole 
places wl'.ere the fandllone continues to defeend Mow 
the furface, and the upper part of the granite bale is 
funk beneath the general level of the country, the 
fprings that make their appearance will be few and 
fcanty. The reafoning that fuggells itfelf on thefe 
fails, will lead to the following conclulion :—'1 hat the 
citlerns or cavities in the fanddonc mountains, being 
corroded and fretted away, in the laple of ages, to a 
greater depth than the openings or conduits which 
might, perhaps, at one time have given their waters 
vent, the fprings can no longer find their way upon the 
furface, but, oozing imperceptibly between the granite 
and the-fandllone, below the general level of the coun¬ 
try, glide in fubterraneous dreams to the fea. 
'J'his conclufion has been verified from the experience 
of leveral fails. When admiral lir Roger Curtis di- 
VoL. VIII. ISIo, 536. 
n O P £. (T8i 
rcdled a fpace of ground, bctw'c.'‘ft the Admiralty-houfe 
and tlie Ihore of Table Bay, to be inclofed as a naval 
yard, the workmen met with great impediment from 
the copious fprings of pure frelh water that milled out 
of the holes which they found necelfary to fink in tlie 
land for receiving the upright pods. It is a well-known 
faff, that on almoll every part of the idhmus that con- 
nedts the mountainous peninfula of the Cape to the 
continent, frelh water may be procured at the depth of 
ten or twelve feet below the fandy furface. Even in 
the fide of the Tiger Hills, at an elevation of twenty 
feet, at lead, above the general furface of the idhmus, 
when the workmen were driving a level in fearch of 
coal, a copious dream, of water was colledled within it 
in the month of February, which is the very dryed fea- 
fou ot the year. And on boring, for the fame purpofe, 
on Wynberg, they came to a rill of water at the depth 
ot twenty leet below the furface. 
But, luppoling the foil to admit of every improve¬ 
ment, yet dill there are many various opinions concern¬ 
ing the importiince and utility of making the Cape a 
military dation. " It is alTerted that the miniltry of this 
country, who have recourfe ft> the bed documents, have 
decided this poll to be an important one, as the defence 
ot the Ead Indies: but, on the other hand, the Eaft 
India diredtors are faid to hold it cheap ; and of late 
they have not even ufed it as a half-way houfe, but 
have ordered their Ihips not to touch at it. An Eng- 
lilli crew, they fay, can bear tlie whole voyage w'ithout 
alialt: but, when the crew is compofed of l.afcars, 
wlio require frefli provifions, it is almoll indilpenfably 
necelfary for their healtli, to Hop at the Cape. It can 
Icarcely be denied that this fettlement, in the polfeflion 
of our enemies, would afford them tlie means of greatly 
annoying our trade ; and in the former wars, the cele¬ 
brated Sud'rein went thither after his adlions, to refit 
and revitlual his Ihips ; lince which time the French 
do not feem ignorant of its importance. According to 
Mr. Barrow’s account, .this llation is admirably fitted 
to fealon troops ; lince it is very healthy, provilions are 
cheap and plentiful, and a few months’ relidence there 
enables Ibldiers to bear the Indian climate extremely 
well. Very convenient drafts were recently made from 
our force at the Cape, to Egypt and India ; and the 
expedition under lir Home Popham is faid not to have 
loll a man by ficknefs. 
Confidered as a naval llation, a fleet at this port may 
very cheaply be provided with beef, wine, and fpirits. 
It is a convenient place for Ihips in dillrefs ; always ne. 
celfary as a half-way houfe for tranfports carrying out 
raw loldiers to the Eall Indies ; and it enabled our fleet 
to clear the Indian Sea of privateers. As for geogra¬ 
phical advantages, the pofition of the Cape throws a 
valt weight into the Icale of its importance to England. 
Its liappy finiation, with regard to climate, and tlie 
productions of the foil, Itamp its value as a depolitory 
ol troops and feamen ; and its relative pofition on the 
globe enhances th.at value by the ready communication 
it commands with almoll every part of the world. We 
have I'een during a former war, with wJiat expedition 
more than two thouland troops were thrown from lienee 
into India, to the very walls of Seringapatam ; and, on 
another occalion, twelve hundred etteCtive men into 
Figypt. Witli equal' facility and dilpatch could tite 
lame, or a greater, number, have been conveyed to the 
eall coall of North America, the Well India illands, or 
the welt coall of South America. At a month’s notice, 
the whole coall of Brazil could be lined with cruizers 
from the Cape. The whole eallern coall ot Auicii, and 
the variOLis illands contiguous to it, are at the mercy ot 
whatever power holds the Cape ; and the large ill, u.l 
of Madagalcar may be approached in ten or twelve 
days, thole of France and Bourbon in iniicti lefs than a 
moiuli, the Red Sea in five or fix weeks, and the covdts 
of Malabar and Coromandel in fcveii or eiglit weeks. 
