fo wet, that our oxen and horfes went often up to their bellie9 in the low ground. In the afternoon we came to the houfe of our friend, who had afforded us fo much afliftance, here we flayed all night, and were hofpitably entertained. Though the foil appears to be very good here, yet it feldom produces any confiderable crop of grain. This proceeds not only from blights, which are very frequent here; but fometimes from heavy fhowers of hail, which break down the corn about the time that it is ready to be cut. The locufls alfo are fatal enemies to all vegetation, and deftroy every thing in their courfe, not fparing even the fruit trees. The foil of this mountain is of a reddifh clay ; in many places containing a quantity of fa- line matter, fo as to be quite perceptible to the tafte. It is neceffary to obferve, that towards the interior parts of this country, or rather the centre of the peninfula, the country does not decline in a north-weft direction, at leaft not in proportion to the immenfe mountains which progreffively prefent themfelves to view: for inflance, though the afcent of the mountain called, the Rogge Veld, is not lefs than two thou- fand feet from the Karo, the defcent is not more than one thoufand, before we come to a fecond, which appears of equal height with the former. In the detail of my journey through this country, it is my intention to pay a particular regard to this circumftance. From this place we proceeded nearly north by weft, through a very hilly country. In the evening, of the third, we arrived at a miferable hut, which we found belonged to an European who lived with the Hottentots; his name was Swertz. He __
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