177*- the eaft, or the Schaapen-Bergen (Sheep-Mountains) in Hot- tentots Holland; and with a perfpeftive glafs, one may even diftinguiih the houfes.in the laft mentioned place. From the point of land, called the Cape of Good Hope, ftraight on to the town itfelf, there is extended a chain of hills, which, following the courfe. o f the ftrand in Simon’s- bay, is continued to the northernmoft part or bottom of Falfe-bay; and afterwards, ftriking off to the weftward to Conjlantia, goes on to the north of it, to join Table- Mountain. This range of mountains, however, reckoning from Simon'&rbay, is intercepted in two places, viz. firft, by means o f a dale near Conjlantia, through which the .road goes to Hout-bay; and next, by a fandy vale a little to the north of Simon's-bay, Through this vale there is a Ihort way between the weftern and eaftern coafts-; and in all probability it was formerly a fmall ftraight or found, which has been gradually filled- up by the winds and furge of the fea. The whole of the low lands, confifting of fandy plains and tracks of heathy country to the eaft of the town, was in all likelihood formed in the fame manner.; and the Cape of Good Hope was in the beginning an ill and, which was not connected with the Tiger-Moun- tain. and ihore of Hottentots Holland, but by degrees, and in the courfe of time. It is, in my opinion, particularly with fand, fea-ihells, trunks of trees, and fuch like, rub- bifh, that the fea has thus encroached- upon the land, and fet itfelf narrower limits.... To this the violence of the fouth-eaft wind contributes not a little, as it iometimes tears up hedges, trees, and vegetables of all kinds by the roots, foots, at the fame time calling up high ridges of fand, as J mentioned before. Even ’Table-bay is by degrees grown ihallower ? fa that the houfe that is built by the fea-ihore is now farther from it, and time after time they have been obliged to lengthen the quay that has been made in the harbour. Farther, in refpeft to this circumftance, I can refer, to the ihells of different fizes that I found in the fandy parts o f a meadow a little below Tiger-Mountain. A well-behaved and fen- fible yeoman, C o r n e l iu s V e r v e y by name, who conduced me to this place, fituated at the diftance of about two leagues from the fea-ihore, was of opinion, that the fea- ihells were left in that place, after the fea had retired from it, but were by no means brought thither by the Hottentots, as they could not poflibly live there, on account of the want of water. The road between the Cape vnAFalfe-bay is very heavy, and even fometimes dangerous.- 2 At this latter place, at the time that the fouth-eaft wind prevails, there is wont to be fo high a tide, that the fea, even at its loweft ebb; at fome places rifes up to the foot of the mountains, which partly encompafs this extenlive harbour; fo that one is obliged to travel for a long, way (as it were) below the ihore, though the furf or furge of the fea often rifes above the nave of the wheels, and even into the body of the waggon; nay, it fometimes feems as it would carry out to fea waggon, horfes, and- all; For which reafon they have in general extremely ftrong and fubftantial waggons,- and. fteady horfes, that are accuftomed to this kind o f work, together with fober and ikilful drivers, fo that an accident:
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