Travel Diaries and Journals

[Pencil sketch of hills from on board Belgravia ]

Table Mountain from the West. Constantia to the right. seen from "Belgravia" April 2/58 on the other side & Lions head

come upon nice villas with a nice plot of green trees, the (oak especially in abundance), the houses looking beautifully clean & white the windows clean & bright now & then a face protruded to watch the carriage passing. Table Mountain with its flat table like surface, & looking from the town to the left the Devils Peaks forms the back ground of these houses. In some cases the vineyards extend a long way up the side of the hill especially when they may be well sheltered from the south east gales which often blow here with such severity bye & bye. the houses begin to be scarce, one or two here & there. We passed the Governors Country house with a very nice avenue leading up to it but a very poor entrance there being only a plain pillar on each side. about 4 miles from Cape Town [pu scored through] the road to

Wynberg passed an inn Called Rochester Castle, the roads were very dusty & very uneven. to the left of the road on which we were travelling is a large low tract of ground very Sandy & which appears to have been at one time the bed of the sea. it extends nearly from Table Bay to Simons Bay a distance of nearly 12 miles this is called the Hottentot Ground a few hamlets are occupied by Dutchmen Kaffirs & Hottentots. Scattered over this extent of ground it seems very barren covered with tangled rank grass & a kind of heath some parts of it quite bare & sandy. Several fires were blazing in different parts of the hills around. [ever scored through] the long dry grass & tangled heath bein so dry that the slightest spark serves to kindle into a fire A volume of smoke was seen extending over the summit of Table Mountain doubtless from one of those fires kindled

on the other side the road to Constantia & Wynberg winds round the base of Table Mountain, the Devils Peak & the Lion's Head & Ranges. Constantia appears to stand nearly on the opposite side of Table Mountain from Cape Town. We arrived in Constantia (great) about 12 oclock in the day. The sun was very hot, & as we sat an open carriage I carried an umbrella to keep the heat of the sun off. We got out at Mr. Cloetes wine establishment. Arrived there the Genl. presented his card & we were introduced to his House (Mr. Cloetes). (Ramsay, [written below: & 2 ladies] [written above: late] the Brigade Major) at Calcutta was there, He had come down in the Himalaya on his way to England on Sick leave. in Calcutta he came on board the "Candia" when we were down at

Uneven road. Several times our carriage was on the point of being upset. [after scored through] A very fine scene presented itsekf here [Simons Bay] to the left & the huge precipitous mountains overlooking it. {{Constantia]] with its vineyards and trees in front & extending a considerable way on the southern side of Table Mountain. We stopped at Rathfelders in Wynberg to Tiff. I met the Brigade Major again & Sir Wm. Wise Commander of the "penelope" at present lying in Simons Bay on her way home from India. We started off for Cape Town about 5 in the evening. A beautiful calm clear evening like one of her finest in England. the heat of the day mellowed down & the cool gentle breeze coming down of the sea. We passed the Wynberg Stage Coach dashing along with its four horses in the old English