by a bar o f fand, which occafionally breaks down as the mafs
o f water in the river becomes too heavy for the mound of fand
to fupport i t ; and the firft fouth-eaft wind again blocks it up,
carrying at the fame time a quantity o f fait water into the river.
Clofe to the landing-place, however, there is a copious fpring
o f excellent water at the extremity o f a narrow flip of ground,
hemmed in between a ridge o f fand-hills on one fide, and by a
fudden rife o f the country on the other. This flip is about four
thoufand feet long by five hundred in width. It is compofed
o f excellent foil, has a gentle flope to the ihore o f the bay, and
is the prettieft fituation for a fmall fiflnng village that could
poflibly be imagined.
Zwart-kop’s bay, indeed, feems to hold out very confiderable
advantages in the fifhing trade. The bay fwarms with the
black'whale, and abounds with every fort of excellent fiih that
frequent the coaft of Southern Africa ; and the fait pan would
furnifh an inconfumable quantity of ftrong bay fait ready prepared
for ufe. More folid advantages might ftill be derived to
the trading part of the nation, and to the Eaft-India Company
in particular, were an eftablifliment formed at this place for the
preparation o f falted beef and fiih. The bad quality of the
Cape beef has been accounted for in the preceding Chapter.
The cattle in this part of the country, from thp Snowy mountains
to the fea-coaft, are generally in good condition ; and the
beef that is killed here takes fait and keeps juft as well as in
Europe. I f the butchers at the Cape can afford to contract for
fupplying the army with beef at two-pence a-pound, after having
brought the cattle five, fix, and feven hundred miles at their
own
own expence, and at the lofs of almoft half the weight of the
animals, it may eafily be conceived at how very cheap a rate
veffels bound on long voyages might be victualled at Zwart-
kop’s bay : or, i f the meat here prepared ihould be tranfported
to the Cape in coafting veffels, it might be afforded there con-
fiderably under fixpence a-pound. The furrounding country
is very fertile ; and corn in almoft any quantity might be pur-
chafed at the bay for lefs than three {hillings a buihel. Hides
and ikins might alfo be falted and become an article of export.
Thofe of the wild antelopes, even with the rough drefling of the
uninformed peafantry, make very fine leather. For ftrength
and durability the ikins of wild animals are much preferable to
thofe that have been domefticated.
At the diftance o f fifteen miles to the weftward o f the bay,
and clofe to the fea-ihore, many thoufand acres of ground are
covered completely with foreft-trees of various kinds and dimen-
fions : the moft common was the geel bout or yellow wood,
(taxus elongatus) erroneoufly called by Thunberg the ilex crocea.
Thefe trees grow to the amazing fize of ten feet in diameter,
and to the height o f thirty or forty feet of trunk, clear of
branches. The wood is very ferviceable for many purpofes,
but will not bear expofure to weather. Next to the yellow
wood is the yzer bout, iron-wood, (a Jideroxylon,) growing to
the fize of three feet in diameter, and very high. The wood of
this tree is clofe-grained, ponderous, and very hard. Haffagai
bout (the curtejia faginea of the Hortes Kcuienfts) is a beautiful
tree growing to the fize of the iron-wood, and is ufed for naves,,
fellies, and fpokes o f waggon-wheels, and moft implements of
huibandry.