mountains about mid-way between the two bays. The grape
is the Mufcatel, and the rich quality of the wine is in part
owing to the fituation and foil, and partly to the care taken in
the manufacture. No fruit but fuch as is full ripe, no ftalks
are fuffered to go under the prefs, precautions feldom taken by
the other farmers of the Cape.
The vineyards, gardens and fruiteries are divided into fmall
fquares, and inclofed by' cut hedges of oaks, quince trees, or
myrtles, to break off the fouth-eaft winds of fummer, which,
from their ftrength and drynefs, are found to be deleterious to
vegetation; but the grain is raifed on open grounds. The
produce of this article on the peninfula is confined chiefly to
barley which, in this country, is preferred to oats for feeding
horfes. None o f the common flat-eared barley has yet been
introduced, but that hexangular kind only is known, which in
fome parts of England is called beer, and in others big. Corn
is generally cultivated beyond the ifthmus and along the
weftern coaft, within the great north and fouth chain of
mountains. The remote diftridts beyond thefe furniih a fupply
o f horfes, iheep, and horned cattle.
The natural productions o f the Cape Peninfula, in the vegetable
kingdom, are perhaps more numerous, varied, and elegant,
than on any other fpot of equal extent in the whole world.
O f thefe, by the indefatigable labors of Mr. Maflbn, his
Majefty’s botanic garden at Kew exhibits a choice collection;
but many are ftill wanting .to complete it. Few countries can
boaft
boaft of fo great a variety o f the bulbous rooted plants as
Southern Africa. In the month of September, at the clofe of
the rainy feafon, the plains at the feet of the Table Mountain
and on the weft ihore o f Table Bay, called now the Green
Point, exhibit a beautiful appearance. As in England the
humble daify, in the fpring of the year, decorates the green
fod, fo at the Cape, in the fame feafon, the whole furface is
enlivened with the large Othonna, fo like the daify as to be
diftinguiihed only by a Botanift, fpringing up in myriads out
of a verdant carpet, not however of grafs, but compofed generally
o f the low creeping ‘Trifolium melilotos. The Oxalis cernua
and others of the fame genus, varying through every tint of
color from brilliant red, purple, violet,-yellow, down to fnowy
whitenefs, and the Hypoxis Jlellata or ftar flower with its regular
radiated corolla, fome of golden yellow, fome of a clear un-
fullied white, and others containing in each flower, white,
violet, and deep green, are equally numerous, and infinitely
more beautiful. Whilft thefe are involving the petals o f their
ihewy flowrets at the fetting of the fun, the modeft Ixia Cin-
namomea, of which are two varieties, one called here the Cinnamon,
and the other the evening, flower, that has remained
clofed up in its brown calyx and invifible during the day, now
expands its fmall white blofloms, and fcents the air, throughout
the night, with its fragrant odours. The tribé of Ixias are
numerous and extremely elegant; but none more fingular than
that fpecies which bears a long upright fpike o f pale green
flowers. The Iris, the Monza, Antholiza, and Gladiolus, each
furniih a great variety of fpecies not lefs elegant nor graceful
than the Ixia. The Gladiolus, which is here called Africaner,
E is