as a protection from the weather.
The scenery from the Kalk Bay station to Simon's Town is very
picturesque. A bold sea stretches out on one side of the road, and the
mountain on the other. Amongst other things which attracted my attention
at Simon's Town was the Dockyard, which embraces about a mile of the
foreshore, and contains appliances for repairing modern war vessels, a
repairing and victualling depot, and a patent slip, capable of lifting
vessels of about 900 tons displacement. I went with the Admiral, and a
party of ladies to have luncheon on board the Steam Corvette _Archer_.

Simon's Bay is very sheltered, excepting from the south-east, with good
holding anchorage ground. It seems a quiet, secluded spot, well-adapted
for a naval station in this part of the world, although I have heard
that an opinion prevails that the fleet should be at Cape Town instead
of Simon's Bay. The _Raleigh_ is the flag-ship; I saw also some other
vessels of the Royal Navy at anchor in the bay. The fortifications which
are now in progress for the protection of this important point in our
chain of defences will, when completed, render the place practically
impregnable from sea attack.

Some of the most beautiful coast scenery I have ever seen is to be found
in that very lovely drive by Sea Point to Hout's Bay, and thence back to
Cape Town by Constantia and Wynberg. This is a celebrated excursion,
and well deserves the praises bestowed upon it. The road has been
admirably constructed by convict labour.

A very convenient short line of railway also brings within easy reach of
the inhabitants of Cape Town the pretty villages of Mowbray, Rondebosch,
Rosebank, Newlands, Wynberg, Constantia, &c., where, in charming villas
and other residences, so many of the wealthier classes reside. At
Constantia the principal wine farms are situated, the most noted being
the Groot Constantia (the Government farm) and High Constantia.
Constantia wine can only be produced on these farms. Another farm in
this neighbourhood is Witteboomen, which is particularly noted for its
peaches, there being over one thousand trees on the farm, in addition to
many other kinds of fruit. Another one, and probably the largest in the
district, is named "Sillery." Here not many years ago the ground was a
wilderness, but it has now attained a high state of perfection, there
being at least 140,000 vines and hundreds of fruit trees of all kinds,
under cultivation.

At Cape To