Welsh Journals

AN IRREGULAR JOURNAL. Vol. IT. SOBRAON, THURSDAY, APRIL 6th, 1882. No. 1. Bubbles round the keel show the vessel moves.—Mrs. Browning. He must be a bold man who questions the policy of a break in a long voyage. After six or seven weeks at sea, how pleasant is the sight of mountains looming high above the mists,—mountains which seem to stand on tip-toe in order to vie with each other to be the first to catch a glimpse of every passing stranger. We profess unbounded admiration for the rugged grandeur of the coast of South Africa, and especially for that unique " Mountain Monarch" who lends such enchantment to Table Bay, except when the fancy takes him to wrap himself in a " table cloth " ! Cape Town is picturesquely situated at the base of Table Mountain (3,550 feet high), and is by nature strongly garrisoned, — the " Devil " keeps sentry on the East and the " Lion " on the West, a fact which need not make the motley citizens so alarmed as to search every innocent wayfarer for fire-arms! The first thing that strikes the stranger is the unstinted bounty of nature in colouring some of her children and in endowing them with enormous " kissers." Still we confess that none of the daughters of Ham, their gay dresses notwithstanding, exhibited that vultus nimium lubricus aspici which Horace tells us is so irresistible. The sight of flat-roofed, chimneyless houses was very novel, but what won our admiration was the number of cool avenues of oak, pine, and silver poplar trees which formed " A pillar'd shade High over-arched, and echoing walks between." To sum up in a word, we are inclined to look upon our two-days' visit to Cape Town and its suburbs as the sunniest event we have known for many months, and a most agreeable pause to visit the Post Office (the Traveller's Temple) and learn the latest news in the world of politics. [J. GK E.]