uve thickets, among which the greateft number of the trees,
peculiar to Southern Africa, are to be found, and fome of them
o f a very coniiderable fize. j
. The circumftance of there being plenty of timber at Pletten-.
berg’s Bay, and abundance of unoccupied land of a good foil,:
well watered) and, fit for any cultivation, had induced a wealthy
merchant of Holland, on the reftoration of the colony to its an-:
cient pofleiTors, to obtain permiflion for carrying into efled a
plan that would, no doubt, have proved highly beneficial to the
fettlement at large in a variety of ways. He had obtained a
grant from the government of the whole diftrid of Plettenberg’s
Bay, on condition of paying a certain annual rent. /This dif-
trid he meant to divide into one .hundred parcels, upon which
were to be placed one hundred induftrious families from Europe,
Dutch or German, to be fent over with ftock, utenfils, Implements
of huibandry, and every other article that was requifite
to carry on the ufeful trades* and to til} the ground. None of
them was to be allowed a fingle flave 5 but it was recommended
to encourage the Hottentots to every kind , of ufeful labour.
The war, however, P imagine, has, for the prefent, fufpended
the execution of this laudable plan, which, there is every rea-,
fon to fuppofe, would have fucceeded to the height of the wilhes
of him who projeded it.
The obfervations with regard to the winds, and the fwell of the
lea fetting into Plettenberg’s Bay, will equally apply to this and to..
Moffel Bay, the pofition of both being fimilar. It fcarcely feems
capable, by any expence, of being rendered fecure even for fmall
L 2 craft.