September. flfting of hundreds, and fometimes even thoufands, to the flaughter-houfes at the Cape, about the times when the fleets are chiefly expeCted. A great number of the peafants in this country are termed grazing farmers or graziers, the chief, and iometimes the whole of their income, depending on their breeding of iheep. One o f thefe graziers will, perhaps, be mailer of one, two, or even three thoufand fheep at a time. This is no unufiial circumitance, particularly in the very dry parched plains in this country ; fuch as Camdebo, Rogge- and Bokke-veldetiy (fields or plains) the great Carrows, &c. all which, taken together, and including feveral fmaller traCls o f land, are, from their qualities, diftinguiihed by the colonifts by the name o f Carrow-veld. It may be proper here to give a more accurate defcrip- tion o f thefe trails o f land, as well as o f thofe called by the colonifts Zuur and Zoet. The Carrow-veld, taken in its moft extenfive lignification, is horridly parched up and arid. In thefe parts, during the whole fummer, or the warmer part of the year, there hardly falls a drop of rain. The ground is as dry and bare o f grafs as a high road ; and the ihrubs on it are, to all appearance at leaft, dried up, and in a languilhing ftate. The earth, which at moft times bears an arid meagre appearance, and at this time particularly, is, in the manner juft mentioned, divefted o f all its lively, verdure, looks naked, and being withal full o f clefts and chinks in different places, feems quite lan- guilhing with drought and thirft. High and cold mountains o f granite, frequently to all appearance rich in iron ore, furround thefe lands on all fides. Here the fun fcorches fcbrches the traveller up with its reflected rays, and the „ '77sj i . . ' Septemberv ground almoft burns him through the foies o f his Ihoes. U a I In a fhort time totally relaxed, enervated and weak, he finds himfelf bathed in fweat, and at the fame time as thirfty as the objects by which he is furrounded; whilft he is.fatiated even to difguft with viewing the defolatenefs of the vegetable kingdom, and the reflections which fuch a fight tends to infpire. In winter, or the colder feafon, on the other hand, there falls on the Carrow-veld a great quantity of rain, while the thunder daily and even hourly rolls with loud tremendous peals in the furrounding mountains. The clouds, which during this are collected almoft inftan- taneouily, fall down again in heavy ihowers, that deluge'- both the hills and the plains. The earth, by this means refrelhed, quickly receives the ieeds and roots committed: to its care, and particularly the fucculent plants, which in a peculiar manner delight in this kind o f foil. Upon this they foon become verdant, and throw out their tender blofloms, clothing the ground in the very depth o f winter with a fummer garb, in all the fplendor of magnificence and beauty. The fucculent plants with which Flora at this time thus decks herfelf, while ihe feems to deviate from the regular order o f the feafons, are chiefly the following.: feveral forts o f mefembryantbemums, . which grow in duffers, with white, red, blue, but moftly yellow flowers; craffulas with red f lowersbef ides various ipecies o f cotyledonsr Jlapelias, and euphorbias. All thefe, nay, the very tops o f the euphorbias are eaten by the iheep, which even grow extremely fat upon them; but,
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