388 Communication from a Settler in Southern Africa. [Dec. 1, 
nity being very poor and stoney, many 
were induced to go to greater distances 
to search out spots fitter for cultivation; 
and many places were fixed upon where 
the appearance of the soil and situation 
were much more favourable; some of 
these were two, three, and four miles 
from the homestead. The loss of 
time was not regarded in the moment 
of enthusiasm : some thought of pitch¬ 
ing a tent upon the land, others of 
erecting a temporary habitation, and 
all hoped that 100 acres round these 
spots would be assigned them, that 
they might go on with their cultivation. 
As every one wished to be certain of the 
possession of his land before he began 
to improve it, applications were made 
to the provisional magistrate, to have 
the spots measured and assigned to the 
different people; the only answer re¬ 
ceived, was, they might cultivate any 
spot which was not before occupied, 
that the crop should be guaranteed, 
but not the land! This had a paralyzing 
effect upon the exertions of most; for 
the first year’s crop could not be ex¬ 
pected to be much, and the first years 
tillage must be the most expensive and 
difficult : the ground is harder to be 
broke up; enclosing, paring,burning and 
all other improvements, are much more 
difficult on wild, uncultivated land ; 
add to which, nothing can be raised in 
this country without manure ; the ope¬ 
rations being once performed, the land 
acquires a greater value, greater crops 
may be expected; but no man is wil¬ 
ling to bestow his time, his labour, and 
his money, in ameliorating the land 
which in a year or two may be taken 
from him. We were assured from time 
to time, that the land should be mea¬ 
sured and allotted ; we waited patient¬ 
ly,—a twelvemonth has elapsed, and we 
are no nearer than at the day of our 
landing. We have felt this the more, 
as many other parties have had their 
lands measured and divided to them by 
authority: this, operating with other 
causes, lias occasioned many to apply 
for permission to quit the district, and 
seek employment elsewhere; this party, 
which on our arrival consisted of eighty- 
four heads of families, is now reduced 
to about 30, and is constantly experien¬ 
cing more reductions. The blight was 
universal for more than 500 miles 
round. I had about three acres plough¬ 
ed up, and sown with wheat, it did 
not return the seed, the whole produced 
three bushels, but so poor, so shrivelled, 
and so small, that the grain was not 
one third the size of English wheat, 
and only fit for poultry. 
But to return to our location. The 
valley runs south east, and north west, 
for about half a mile ; it then turns to 
the. southward and runs nearly north 
and south, still with the same general 
features ; there is a little more wood to 
the southward; the country to the east 
and north is one of the elevated plains 
described by Barrow in his travels,where 
the blast howls over the long grass of the 
desert, and the eye wanders unsatisfied 
without ail object to rest upon, till it 
catches the dark blue sea, where it min¬ 
gles with the horizon. On the south are 
lofty, rugged hills, and between them 
and us runs a stream about five feet 
wide, dignified with the name of river ; 
near its mouth, where the sea flows into 
it at high tides, it displays a greater 
breadth, but the place of communica¬ 
tion between it and the sea, is dry ex¬ 
cept at high water, and at spring tides. 
At the mouth of the river there is a 
kind of bar of sand, 4 or 500 yards 
wide, which is always dry, except at 
high spring tides, and then it is 
the sea which flows over it, and it is 
soon dry again. The river finds its 
way through the fine sea sand which 
composes this bar, below its surface. 
Along the banks of this stream there 
are some very pretty spots, but the 
valley is so narrow, the banks, are so 
steep, and the bed of the stream so 
low, that with the slender means pos¬ 
sessed by the settlers, it is not possible 
to raise the water sufficiently to irrigate 
even the little cultivateable land that 
lies along its banks. To the westward 
of us, lies a tract of apparently good 
land, near to which Mr. Baillie lias 
fixed his farm; the land around it is 
covered with thorny mimosa or camel 
thorn. The size and quantity of this 
shrub, is said to be a certain criterion 
by which to judge the goodness of the 
land, in this part of the world. 
The general view around, a little 
way from the hill, is a wild, unshel¬ 
tered plain, bounded inland by sterile, 
bleak and rugged hills, intersected by 
deep and precipitous glens, and on the 
other side by the boundless ocean, and 
a complete iron-bound coast, without 
indent or winding, on which a tremen¬ 
dous surf is eternally beating. The 
ravines, or bloofs, which are the only 
reservoirs of wood and water, are the 
sheltered haunts of a variety of wild 
animals, 
