Notwithstanding that hydrographers limit the Cape of Good Hope to a single point of land on the S.W. end of Africa, which is not the southernmost part of that immense continent, I shall under this name speak of the southern parts of Africa in general, as far as latitude 30° at least. The country was originally inhabited by the Hottentots alone, but is now settled by the Dutch, and from the convenience of its situation as a place of refreshment for ships sailing to and from India, is perhaps visited by Europeans oftener than any other distant part of the globe.

The Dutch, if their accounts can be credited, have also people much farther inland. They have upon the whole of this vast tract, however, only one town, which is generally known by the name of Cape Town: it is situated on the Atlantic side about twenty miles to the north of the real Cape, on the banks of a bay sheltered from the S.E. wind by a large mountain level at the top, from whence both itself and the bay have got the name of Tafel or Table. It has of late years very much increased in size, and consists of about a thousand houses, neatly built of brick, and in general whitened over. The streets in general are broad and commodious, all crossing each other at right angles.