tity that may efcape by abforption and evaporation, the Green
lake will one day, by great preflure, break down the barrier
that now divides it from the fea, which has evidently been the
cafe with its neighbouring lake the Knyfna. This, in fad, is
now become an arm of the fea, into which the tide fets through
a narrow paflage or portal, as into a dock. This paffage,
though narrow, and not quite clear o f rocks, would admit of
fmall veflels; and within there is plenty of deep water ftretching
out into a bafon of feveral miles in width. The furrounding
hills are clumped with foreft trees, and their Hoping fides are
clothed with fhrubhery down to the water’s edge. The lake
is ftudded with a number of flat illands, covered with verdure.
The arms o f the Knyfna flretch into the deep vallies'at the feet
c f the mountains, and are there loft in impenetrable forefts.
The whole country is boldly marked, and moft magnificently
clothed, and may be confidered, beyond comparifon, as the
grandeft and moft beautiful part of Southern Africa.
The farm-houfes in this part of the country were alfo in a
better ftyle than they are ufually found to be at fo great a distance
from the capital. Being near the fea-coaft, the proprietors
had been at the expence of burning fhells into lime,
and of white-wafhing all the buildings. A fort o f chalky
limeftone was alfo here obferved in large mafles, lying upon,
and near the furface; but was never burnt into lime. To
almoft every houfe was attached, generally in a grove of trees,
a fmall inclofure with ornamented walls, ferving as the family
burying-ground. The decorations ufually beftowed on thofe
manfions
manfions of the dead, appeared to have much more engaged
the attention than thofe of the living. In the interment of the
dead, the Dutch have no kind of fervice or ceremony.
Plettenberg’s, as well as Zwart Kop’s bay, is entirely open to
the fouth-eaft winds. The weft point called Robenberg, or
Seal mountain, lies in latitude 34° 6' fouth, longitude 23° 48'
eaft ; diftance from Cape Point 320 Engliih miles. The eaftern
ihore of the bay rounds off into the general trending of the coaft,
which, feen from the landing-place, terminates in a very high
and regular cone-ihaped mountain, called in the old Portuguefe
charts, Pic Formofa, but by the more modern Dutch navigators,
the Grenadier’s Cap. The beft landing-place is about three
miles and a half to the northward of the Robenberg, on a fandy
beach, about five hundred and fifty yards in length, guarded at
each extremity by rocky points that projed into the fea. A
heavy fwell generally fets into the bay, except in northerly and
north-wefterly winds ; when thefe blow, the water is fmooth.
The fouth-weft winds occafion the greateft heave of the fea.
Clofe to the landing-place is . ereded a new and handfome
dwelling-houfe; a magazine for the reception of timber, two
hundred feet in length ; and a ftrong commodious building for
the reception o f troops. The intention of the Dutch government
was to form an eftabliihment here, for the purpofe of deriving
from it a fupply of timber, to anfwer their demands for
that article in the Cape. Strong prejudices, however, have
long been entertained againft the Cape timber, though perhaps
without grounds for them. Few woods will ftand the effeds
o f