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prifing that fo fine a country, under fo pure a fky, (if we except fome infipid berries) fhould produce no fruits natives of the foil? Neither asparagus nor artichoke grows at the Cape, but all other European vegetables feem naturalized, and are gathered all the year, if the fouth-eaft wind (which blows during three months) does not dry the earth in fuch a manner as to render it incapable of all kind of culture. This wind rages with fuch fury, that in order to preserve the plants, they are obliged to make a fence of hornbeam, round each divifion of the garden. They take the fame care of the young trees, but notwithstanding all their precaution, they never put out branches on the fide next the wind, and always incline in an oppofite direction, which gives them a very disagreable appearance; in general it is very difficult to rear them.

ravage;

I have often been witness of the made by this wind. In the space of twentyfour hours, the beft cultivated gardens are fometimes, laid wafte; it rages most from January to April, about the Cape, and much earlier up the country. In the course of my travels, my waggons were feveral times overfet by it, and I frequently had no means to prevent this, but by fastening them to trees. This wind announces itself at the Cape by a small white cloud, which at first refts on the top of Table Mountain, on that fide next the Devil Mountain, the air foon begins to freshen ; by degrees the cloud augments, enlarging in such a manner that the whole fummit appears covered; at this time they ufually fay, "the mountain has put on "its perriwig;" it now finks rapidly; and hovering over the town, seems to threaten it with an immediate deluge; as it approaches the foot of the mountain, ‘it begins to disappear, to evaporate

and

re

duce

duce itself to nothing; the sky continues uninterruptedly calm and ferene; the mountain alone appears in mourning, which fhrouds it from the radiance of the fun.

I have often paffed the whole morning in examining this phenomenon without being able to comprehend the cause; but after I had frequented False Bay, on the other fide of the mountain, I have often taken pleasure in obferving the beginning and progress of it. The wind at firft blows very feebly, gently driving before it a fort of mift, which seems to detach itself from the furface of the sea; this mift collects, and preffed together by means of the obftacle it finds in its paffage on the South fide of Table mountain, not being able to free itfelf, heaps up by degrees, till it is elevated to the fummit; it then exhibits to the town that small white cloud which announces the wind, which in fact, has begun to blow some hours

hours before on the fides of the mountain, in the road, and parts adjacent. The general duration of this kind of storm is three days fucceffively, fometimes it continues without intermiffion much longer; it often likewise ceases all at once, the atmosphere then becomes extremely fultry; and, if during three months (the time it ufually prevails) it should happen in this manner to have feveral fudden intermiffions, it is a certain prognoftic of a great deal of ficknefs.

Though this wind is not abfolutely dangerous to fhipping, inftances are not wanting of its ill effects on several; and when it becomes too impetuous, it is prudent, in order to avoid an accident, to gain the open fea; when it does not bear the mifts, it only blows in the road, and is of no consequence in the town, for it is only a vast collection of these fogs rufhing violently along that occafions those terrible hurri

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canes which they fometimes experience, and which render it almoft impoffible to walk in the ftreets; and notwithstanding the exactitude and care, with which they shut their doors and windows, the duft at this time penetrates even into their cupboards and trunks. Whatever inconveniences may accompany it, this wind is of infinite fervice to the town, by purging it of those noxious vapours which arise from the filth that is naturally collected about the fea coaft, from what the inhabitants throw out, but above all, from the offal exposed by the company's butchers, who neither make ufe of the heads, feet, nor entrails ́of the animals which they kill, leaving them in heaps at the doors of their flaughter houses, where they corrupt and impoifon both the air and the inhabitants, fomenting thofe epidemical diftempers which are but too common at the Cape, especially when the South Eaft wind has not been very violent.

The