“On the 24th of that month I left Sans Souci, the residence of my talented and well informed friend, Colonel Warre,[22] the Deputy Quarter Master General, accompanied by him and Colonel Graham, the Commandant of Simon’s Town. This officer had long commanded the Hottentot or Kaffer corps, on the eastern frontier, by whom, and by all the inhabitants of every part of the colony where he was known, he was universally respected and beloved, as a gallant soldier and a most amiable man. His knowledge of the colony was perhaps greater than that of any other individual who had held military employment in it; and his knowledge of the character of the Dutch colonists and Hottentots, as well as his judgment in his intercourse with them was such, that a more valuable or more agreeable companion could not have been selected. His skill in field sports especially rendered him the idol of the Hottentots, who looked up to him as something more than mortal.
“For our convenience in travelling, the governor lent us one of the colonial wagons, admirably qualified by its strength, and as much lightness as such a vehicle is susceptible of possessing, for the purpose. In this we carried our baggage, and were enabled to take shelter from the weather, either from rain or heat. We had also our saddle horses and servants, and were supplied with such articles as we were not likely to find in the interior of the colony. Little however was needful, for we were assured of meeting with the most unbounded hospitality, wherever we might stop; nor were we disappointed in any one instance that I can recollect; and the only recompense that would ever be accepted, almost by the very poorest families, was the game that might have been killed by my two companions in the course of the day’s journey.
“We passed the first night in the hospitable and comfortable mansion of Mr. Lawrence Cloett, at Sandvliet; whose estate was daily increasing in value from the improvements he was making. His breed of horses bids fair to be very valuable to the colony, and was very numerous. He spared no pains or expence in procuring thorough-bred stallions, and the colts were in consequence in great demand.
“Mr. Cloett also paid great attention to his vineyards, from which he made annually 1000 leaguers of wine upon an average. Limestone is another very profitable production of this estate, which is sent in large quantities to Cape town; as well as many loads of hay. This hay is made from oats sown for the purpose, and cut in time to prevent the grain from being easily separated from the stem. It is mown while green, and treated in the same manner as grass in England. This is considered to be the very best forage that can be given to horses; such at least was the opinion of Lord Charles Somerset, who would be considered as good authority on such a subject.
“Mr. Cloett, aware of the object of my journey as regarding the timber of the colony, directed my notice to the durability of the different kinds of wood according to the season in which it was cut. Comparing the timber felled in midwinter, when the sap was down, with that which had been promiscuously cut at all seasons, he had found that the former lasted for many years, the other being of a very short duration. This information was of great importance, as the yellow wood is almost universally employed for house carpenters’ work where deal is used in Europe, but we had found it would not bear exposure to wet or damp.
“On the 25th, at 8 o’clock, our party left Sandvliet, and crossing the Erste river, the horse of Colonel Warre got into one of the quicksands, which are very frequent on all the beaches along this coast; but he was soon extricated, and we found a fine hard sand, on which we galloped to Gordon’s Bay. This little bay, which is completely sheltered from the prevailing south-east wind, the only wind to be much dreaded in False bay, lies immediately under Hottentots Holland Kloof; and offers to the resident, means of transporting the corn and produce of the eastern districts to Simon’s bay. But the Dutch always appear to have had a decided aversion to a coasting trade; and when I was endeavouring to persuade a farmer (and one of a description that might be called educated) of the great advantage of having a schooner of seventy tons, which would take seventy loads of corn to the Cape Town market; while, if carried by land, it would be the work of 980 oxen, 140 slaves, with 70 wagons; he replied, ‘True, Commissioner, but then you see, mine fader and mine grandfader always send his corn mid de bullock vagen; and why not I?’ This argument is rarely to be got over.
“Were a mole carried out in Gordon’s bay, it would be attended with immense advantages, not only to the Naval and Victuallers’ Establishments in Simon’s bay, but to Cape Town also; to which wagons drawn by fourteen and often by sixteen oxen, laden with only one ton of farm produce, are dragged, through a deep sand for at least thirty miles, out of the whole distance, which is forty. The coasting vessels would then be in perfect security with all winds, and only leave the port when there was a moral certainty of a quick passage. A moderate S.E. wind, the prevailing wind nine months out of twelve, would carry them to Simon’s bay in less than six hours, and in twelve or fourteen to Table bay. No coaster should be employed in False bay of a greater burthen than 100 tons, as a light draught of water would enable them to get close in shore for loading and unloading, not only in Gordon’s, but in Simon’s bay and Table bay.
“The road over the western extremity of the great branch of the Swartberg, or mountains which run parallel with the south-east coast, which is called Hottentots Hollands Kloof, commences at Gordon’s bay, and was at this time so steep and rugged, as to be attended with much difficulty, especially to the heavy wagons of the country. Our party however having their saddle horses with them, found great enjoyment in ascending it, as in the frequent halts which it was necessary to make, they had a most splendid view of the Cape Flat, as the level or the isthmus is called, which stretches between the Table mountain and those of the Blueberg.
“From the summit of Hottentots Holland Kloof the view towards the north and the west is sublime and magnificent beyond description, and can scarcely be surpassed. The Table mountain, which forms a striking feature on the western side of the isthmus, appears from the height on which the spectator stands, diminished to a small island; whilst the Cape Flat, as the isthmus is called, which connects it with the range of mountains skirting the eastern side of it, is dotted with farms and vineyards, especially near the Table mountain, where the two Constantias, Newlands Wynburg, and Rendelins look like clusters of ornamental cottages; and even the tracts of bare white sand, which are interspersed amidst the colouring of every hue, from that of the dark cypress to the brightest green of spring, produced by the innumerable shrubs which clothe the plain and the sides of the mountains, become features of extraordinary beauty, lighting up the landscape with the most forcible touches.
“The view on the S.E. side of this range of mountains is far less interesting. A wide extent of barren and broken ground, offering to the eye a fatiguing monotony without any grand or striking features as in Scotland or Wales; and wanting the little pan of cultivated land occasionally seen in the vallies bordering the silver stream.