The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-01-14

The Cape Of Good Hope lies st the
end OF long promontory. running
nearly north and south. and forming
between itself and Cape Hanglip. on
the east. . large bay known . False
Bay. while at its point Of origin from
the mainland and on its eas: side ID
Table Bay. with Cape Town 1t it,
head.
The promontory has . sort Of back
bone Of mountains. which in some
places come right down ,stesp into the
ssa: in others are faoked by more or
less extensive sand fats
Tns mountains are highest toward
the northern extremity Of the ridge,
which terminates in the far. famed Table
Mountain. $3.50 feet in hight. Con-
tantia Berg. about one-qusrter the dis
tsDce from this point to the Cape. 10
$500 feet high. The remaining meun-
tsius range from 1000 to 500 feet.
The ss-dy fats are, toward the south.
ern part OF the promontory. almost
confiaed to its western side. the steep
slopes Of ths mountains On FAlse Bay
side being for the most part washed
directly by the sea. but at the head of
False Bay Q wide extent of fat sandy
plain extends right across the head OF
the bay and around the foot Of Table
Mountain northwards. This plain 10
known As the Cape Flats.
The Cape Of Good Hope Is at the tip
of the promontory. aud is not (ssys Mr.
Moseley, in bis Challenger notes, as I
used to think. the southernmost point
OF Africa. Cape AgullLas, to the east
ward, is far south Of it.
The mountains are entirely composed
Of hard metamorphic sandstone.
passing in msuy places into white
quartzlte, which is disposed in perfectly
horizontal strata. This perfect and
remarkable horizontslity of the rock
beds is the cause Of the peculiar form
o. the Cape Land surface, aud forms
the chief feature In the landscape.
Every where the mountains rise by .
series Of steps with fat intervening
surfaces. Table Mountain itself derives
its name from its horizontal fat top.
bounded by perpendicular cliffs rising
straight up from the flats. and the same
formation being continued for hundreds
OF miles inland. the country continually
rising in steps. forming successive
table lands. known as the Ksrroo
Plains. about 1000 feet above the sea
level. and beyond those the Ruggeleld,
$500 feet in elevation.
The hills about the Cape district have
all IN exactly similar appearance 40
far as their clothiog with vegetation is
concerned. They look not unlike Scotch
moorland, being covered every where
with low bushes without trees. The
vegetation tbas::s general bro~nish or
grayish tint; there arc no bright
greens in the landsc ,pe This arises
from the fact that the plants sfe nesrly
all evergreen. and have. as rule, either
narrow needle like leaves. like the pine,
or leaves covered with gray downy
hai.s. in fact. all sorts of contrivancss
for resisting their great enemy the
drought.
The most characteristic feature, how
ever, in the landscape is the showiaE
through, in ell directions. Of the red
soil bstween the bushes and clumps of
vegetation; the interspaces not being
filed in With grasses. and no continuous
covering OF vegetation being formed
Above Wynberg aIs the talIs slopes
and debris mounds Of Table Mountain.
covered with the wonderful silver tree,
whose leaves shine like FURNISHED
metal. and which 10 found now here else
in the world but about the slopes OF
this mountain and its immeaiate neigh.
borhood. It does not even grow ct
Simons Bay. Nowhere on earth but
just srourd this one mountain The
silver tree is one of the Protcace@,
which natural order Is characteristic of
the fora OF the Cape aud Sontt Austria.
lie. the genera being nearly equally
divided between the two regions. aud
found scarcely anywhere else.
A few only are found ln tropical
Australia. in New Zealand, South
America, and equatorial Asia. An
other group Of plants. the Restiacen.
serve further to connect the Cape with
with Australia, and there are other
marked alliances. The wide difference
between the West and East Australia
fora has been treated Of BY Sir Joseph
Hooker. and the greater resemblance OF
the Western Australian fora to that Of
South Africa
Sir Joseph Hooker thinks II probable,
from botanical grounds, that Western
Australia was connected With the Cape
district by land at time when Il vss
severed from Eastern Australia.