Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 68.djvu/16

12 and entertainments of all kinds are of daily occurrence: and to these diversions were added in our case, as befitted the character of the company, lectures and discourses on subjects which were generally connected with the countries to be visited. But perhaps the most useful feature of the voyage was the opportunity it afforded for the leisurely discussion of scientific and professional matters and for establishing closer personal relations between men representing various departments of science. It need hardly be said that this was very fully appreciated, especially by those who have their work in places remote from the main centers of intellectual activity.



The southern gateway of Africa is an imposing sight as it is approached from the sea. A characteristic feature of the mountains, the table-like formation with high vertical cliffs on one side, has no better example than the huge mass which faces Table Bay, flanked on one side by the conical hill known as the Lion's Head, and on the other by the Devil's Hill. Cape Town lies on the low ground in front of the mountain and one can not see the old and new fortifications guarding the entrance to the docks without remembering its early settlement by the Dutch, its later acquisition by the English and the fact that, until the completion of the railways to Durban, Delagoa Bay and Beira, the story of South Africa is almost contained in that of Cape Town. All through the late war it was the principal port of entry for men and supplies and during that time was a scene of tremendous activity. It is now suffering from severe depression caused by over-speculation