The 26th, the day on which I made the drawing of this view,
was hotter than usual: the thermometer of Fahrenheit was 102°
(Reaum. 31.1—Centigrade 38.8), under the shade of my umbrella,
while I was drawing; and even in the thick grove in the government
garden, it remained at 92°. During the night, it did not
fall below '77° (20 of Reaum.—25 of the Centigrade). The sky continued
all the day without a cloud ; but there was an unusual haze
or hot vapour in the air, yet not very dense, as at night the stars
were plainly visible. At this time not a breath of air disturbed the
atmosphere.
In the evening, observing in some persons marks of anxiety and
uneasiness, I could not avoid enquiring the cause, and learnt that it
was the apprehension of an earthquake being about to happen; for
the atmosphere and the stars had now exactly the same appearance
which they were observed to have on the day previous to the earthquake
which took place just a year before. The heat was then equally
great; the wind of the day was also lulled to a dead calm at night;
and this evening, listening to the barking and howling of the dogs,
some peculiarity in their, tone was noticed to be the same as that
which had been remarked at that time.
On many other persons these circumstances made the same
impression; but on the following morning the weather resumed its
usual temperature, and this sudden alarm was as suddenly forgotten.
The long regular building, commencing near the last ship at anchor, is the Cavalry
Barracks ¡ just above which, and of a dark colour, a part of the Julty appears. In the
foreground, are two slaves returning from the mountains with a load of firewood; and two
others are on before, near the sheep. The Castle follows next to the barracks, and is
distinguished by a browner colour, and a flag. The house nearest, towards the fore-
ground, will serve to show the style of architecture in which the generality of farm-houses
near the Cape are built: it is thatched with a very durable species of rush, peculiar to
this part of the world, and which the Dutch call “ Dak-riet” (Bestio tectorum). Commencing
at Cape Town, and stretching to the foot of Tygerberg, the c< Cape Downs” are
easily distinguished • by the pale colour which is given to this part of the isthmus by its
white sands. The waggon here represented is the usual vehicle for all purposes of business.
The rising ground seen above the oxen, is a part of the foot of the Dyivels-berg, or
Devil’s Mountain. Table Mountain is behind the spectator. The foreground was intended
to give some idea of the manner in which the various flowers and low shrubs are
scattered over this plain.
It was, however, not without some foundation ; for we learned afterwards
that a slight trembling of the earth was felt, at the same time,
at Genadendal, a place at the distance of ninety miles eastward.
In the preceding year, on the 4th of December, the inhabitants
of Cape Town were thrown into the greatest consternation by
repeated shocks of an earthquake, the first recorded since this land
has been discovered. They fled from their houses, and pitched
tents in the Boer Plain, in the Market Plain, on the Parade, in their
gardens, and in various other places, to avoid being buried under the
ruins of their houses, many of which were rent from top to bottom,
although none fell in altogether. Some persons lived in that manner
for more than a fortnight,-impressed with the idea that the end of
the world was come. Many attended divine service, in the churches
and meeting-houses, for the first time in their lives; and all business
was neglected for a few days. A great number of the urns which
ornamented the parapets of the houses were shaken down ; leaving
only the bar of iron to which they had been fixed. No material
damage, however, was occasioned by this event; and all went
off more quietly than was expected: but the alarm which it
inspired continued for a long time; and, with many, its religious
effects are said to have been permanent. It was therefore not to be
wondered at, that the slightest symptom of its recurrence should
be viewed with anxiety: more especially as the time of year coincided
so nearly.
21th. Accompanied by my friend Hesse, I made a pedestrian
excursion to Camps Bay, attended by a servant to carry my boxes
and our dinner. We took the road round Green Point, an extensive
sandy level, which forms the western point of Table Bay; and which,
in the month of September, becomes a complete flower-garden, by
the astonishing variety of the tribe of Ensatte, Oxalides, and small,
liliaceous plants.
On this level, the races are held twice in the year; at the end of
April and the beginning of October. It is then a gay scene for the
Cape fashionables; vehicles of every description, from the elegant
London-built carriage of the Governor, and the English curricle,
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