Title
A Voyage to the East Indies: Page 48
Description
Table Bay is nearly semicircular, form’d by the Projection of two Points of Land. Almost equidistant from each Point is an Island call’d Robin, or Penguin Island, on each side of which, ships may safely go in & out of the Harbour. The dutch make it a Place of Exile for Criminals. There is a Sergeants Guard upon it and a few Guns for Signals. Table Land is a lofty Mountain flatten’d at the Top, & very difficult of access, adjoining to Prince Chars’s. Mount at the South End & to the Sugar Loaf on the North. The Sugar Loaf is almost as high as Table Land but rises in the Shape its Name bears & terminates in a small Point, wherein are two or three Pieces of Cannon & a Man constantly looking out. The Ascent is very dangerous as towards the Summit, there is no other hold but a Rope, which if a Person lets go, he would immediately fall to an immense depth & be dash’d in a thousand pieces Prince Charles’s Mount & the Lion’s Ramp, are not so high, they form the North & South Points. Winds blow in the Months of June and July very hard from the Northwest, bringing on a Prodigious Swell which no Ship can outride. Whole Fleets have gone ashore here and perish’d with their Crews & Instances of single Ships have been frequent. For this Reason all dutch Ships are prohibited from coming into Table Bay till the 15th of August. [end page 48]
