Upper (northern) half of Gordon's great map of Southern Africa

[Because the inscriptions are many and complex, they are here transcribed from top to bottom (north to south) in columns of one or more degrees of longitude depending on their density. The longitudes are Gordon’s, with the meridian passing through the Castle of Good Hope. (The modern Greenwich meridian co-ordinates can be read on this website by using the page on which Gordon’s map is juxtaposed with Google’s Map.) The spelling of place-names often differs considerably from that used in Gordon’s journals and other writings; they are here given as written, but in the translation it has been attempted to regularise them to modern standard English or Afrikaans as appropriate. Almost all the inscriptions are in hand S3, that of the “third secretary”. The circles with which Gordon indicates the halts on his journeys are transcribed as * and farms as +]

[Between -4° and -1° degrees long.]
[at -26° lat.:]
Scale of 13½ German Miles, this being one degree of longitude on this parallel

Homestead of the Great Namaquas [Nama]

Sand dunes

Kraal of the fish-eating Bushmen

Homestead of the Beach Bushmen [Strandlopers] being fish-eating and hunting Hottentots. These tribes consist of only a few persons. They even eat the dead southern-right whales that are washed up, and sea-seals as a great delicacy

Mouth of the Orange, or Garieb, River where it flows into the sea, 180 Rhineland roods wide, forming a great estuary of water towards the interior with several sandbanks and islands. This mouth cannot be seen from the sea because of the sandbanks that lie before it, which cause breakers at a good half-mile's distance from the shore thus extending the breakers caused by rocks in most places along this coast. Thus even a small boat will not be able to enter here from the sea, even though there is a channel of three fathoms deep near the north side of the river.

It should be possible to find the river here, from these two small mountains standing on their own in a flat plain.

Count Charles Bentincks salt-water vlei *

Elephants’-death

The Two Brothers [mountains]

Low mountains

Diepkloof *

In this estuary there is a deep hollow into which the sea has washed many trees from the Orange River. One finds fossilised shells here 100 feet above sea level

Good water Koesaas

Stony beach

Sometimes water in the rock-hols

The Aughrabies Mountains

Ilheros Siccos, three small dry islands a few musket-shots from the shore. Full of seals

Good water. high

Syperfontein

Goewaap *

Dunes

Salt vleis

Renosterkopfontein *

Kouwsie, or Great Sand River

Verdoemdekloof

Little Namaqualand

Low sand-dunes along the coast

Noeagarée or Leentjies River

[at 30° lat.:]
Scale of 13 German miles, being one degree of longitude on this parallel Spoegrivier

[Between -1° and 0° long.]
Gamma River

Fish River

Bergfontein *

Hoenderfontein *

Renosterfontein *

Bokkefontein *

Fish River; mostly dry with ponds of stagnant water *

Rietvlei *

Rietfontein *

Leeuwrivier

Modderfontein or Hoisabees *

Brakfontein *

Honnaries *

Goedows

Eselfontein

Garragas

The Company’s Ford *

Great Brakfontein *

Rondeklipberg *

Hakeisfontein *

Platteklip * Sometimes water

Little Brakfntein *

Thes are the Koperbergen [copper mountains] which the Lord Governor Simon van der Stel had worked in his own presence in 1685.

The Defile

Neigoensfontein *

2265 feet Heib *; brack water

Queekfontein * or Strong poison

Tygerfontein

Karoo stream *

Silverfontein *; 2750 feet

This is the mountain range which is given as being 48 days’ journey high in Father Tachart’s description of his voyage to Siam.

Kamies; being a grass-plain in the Hottentot language; the highest point is 5265 above sea level.

Pramberg

F. van der Hers’s farm *

Aloeskloof

Commasfontein *

Nieuwkerksfontein *

T. Beukes’s farm

600 Rooksfontein *

Floraskloof *

H. Engelbrecht *

Peter van der Hever’s farm

Chieftain Noebee’s kraal

Ellenboogfontein

Langklip

Namrooshoogte

Grabee

2080 Klipvlei

3400 Coetzee

Leliefontein

Vygemondsberg

Oogfontein *

5365 feet

Cloete

Bitterrivier

Van der Westhuysen’s farm

Garies *

Groenrivier

Westhuysen

Salt pan

Olifantsdrift *

Swartedoornrivier *

Defile

Koegerfontein *

Bovenkoegelfontein

Karreebergen, which are low and at most 3 to 400 foot above sea level

Brakfontein

Paddagat *

Sand dunes

Koegelfontein *

Meerhofskasteel *

Little Kooraap

Great Kooraap *

Elandsfontein *

Schuitklip *

Salt pan

Krakeelklip

Elandskraal *

Sand dunes

Kokoùnaap *

Vlei with sweet water *

High stony beach

Olifantsrivier

Saltpeter or Vleermuisklip *

[between 0° and 1°long.]
Turnabout

Buffelsrivier

Dwaalhoek *

Patientihoek *

Stony pond *

Reedy pond *

Langeberg

Draairivier

Kaikaap, which means Great River in the Hottentot language. Because they had not been here, this name misled the travellers and the surveyor Brink into giving this name to the Great River or Garieb having established that it came from the north. This Kaikaap is a mostly dry river, and low, like the Leeuwrivier, and doesn’t flow except in heavy thundery weather.

Brakkuil *

Warmbad

Voëlfontein *

Hamansrivier, also mostly dry

Ababéesfontein

Versdrift *

Caboùs water

Hommasdrift

The forest

Karavignas *

Dorstkuil

Vagvuurskloof

Commas *

Tabikeib, mostly good water in a rock *

Sandfontein. 255 feet *

Soùbéesjesfontein or Black Ebonytree spring

Cabas stream *

Table Mountain

Bushmen’s kraal

This land descends a little towards the east side of the Kammiesberg, but is everywhere high, flat hinterland with stony hills here and there and almost no water
High flat land with here and there stony hills, mostly about 2 to 3,000 feet above sea-leave, and steeply declining on both sides of the river-banks

High flat land

Kebieskauws mountain

Koongaap or Agteromrivier

Swellengrebelsfontein Miss Rijk’s far,

1910 Camdenifontein

Doornrivier

Karroo; at most places not much higher than sea-level

Soutvlei

2520 Bokfontein *

P. Losper’s [Laubscher’s] farm, Groenrivier *

Mostert’s farm

Great flat veld

Remhoogte

Lions’ dance

Ati Rivier

The Botanist F. Masson’s River

Troetroefontein *

Kobéeberg

Pieter van Zyl’s farm *

Windhoek farm

Bidouwsberg

Maskammaberg

Doùwnosrivier

The Three Brothers

Heerenlogement

Spring *

Narredouw

[Between 1° and 2° long.]
A sort of dun quagga with somewhat faint oval stripes. This is the animal that is called a “white horse” in the Hop’s journal.
Camelopardalis, called Keib in the Hottentot language and Toeka in that of the Moetjoeanas. Both bull and cow have a sort of horns, although these are not hollow like those of gazelles, and are not shed as are those of deer.

High flat mountain

Sully’s River spring

Garries *

Samoep *

Honceib; sometimes water in a rock *

King Henri IV’s mountain

Aiaas buried spring *

Giraffe’s death; 2360 feet above sea-level *

Naiseesklip *

The Happy Valley *

Agave or Quivertree Plain

Suzette’s Valley; here this land is 2460 feet above sea-level *

African Rhinoceros

Haùkaap or Sakrivier

Rinosterrivier

The Tower

Hantamsberg; 4950 feet

De Hoek; F. van Renen

Fish River

2420 feet; Sweet water

Doùwnos River

A. van Zyl’s farm Akkerendam; 3820 feet

H. Gouw’s farm

Schalkwijk’s farm *

Redentberg hill

Elandsfontein, Steenkamp’s farm *

Lower Roggeveld

Rosefontein. 4050 feet

F. Van Wyk’s farm Vondelingsfontein *

Hartebeestrivier

Hartebeestfontein; farm of F. van [illegible] *

Bieseras footpath

Van Wyk’s farm *

Klavervlei farm

P. Nell’s farm, Brakfontein *; 3630 feet

Fish River

[Between 2° and 3° long.]
Koeroemanarivier

Gam Eij *

Koekabassi *

Bushman kraal: Keinkeis

Klippoort

Kaukeijs or Snykraal *

Bushman kraal: Anoe eijs

Augrabies or great waterfall *

First Namaneiqua kraal of 20 huts situated on an island *

The second Namaneiqua kraal *

Camaguaùa

Takemas *

Eintamies *

Dry stream

Hosabées

Garieb Eyb Island

Sir John Macpherson’s Island

Cammagaquà or Hartebeestrivier. The bed of this river was a good 30 roods wide, yet it had not flowed for two years, and flows but seldom. It receives its water from the Sakrivier and from behind the high Nieuweveld, though these simply form stagnant pools except in extraordinary weather (and in this dry hot land evaporation is also strong). Near the Great River it is full of Cypress trees and reeds.
Cammadagga or Hartebeest stream; also dry, yet it flows in thundery rainfall; and there are [illegible] ponds
Nomgo: the smallest type of buck or gazelles in this land. They inhabit the forests along the beaches of the south coast and can be taken for a species of Buffon’s grim [wild goat] Bushman homestead.
These call themselves Saana or Saanaqua (in earlier times called Sonquas) and are divided into tribes with separate names. By the Dutch they are called Bushmen, and further up, behind the Sneeubergen, “Chinese Bushman”, even though these are one and the same people, living in a high flat land, mostly 3 to 4000 feet above sea-level, with here and there stony koppies and low mountains, being very scantily provided with wood and water, and only occasionally at inhabited excavated springs and river-ponds which are very brack; and the land vegetated with tufty or Bushmen’s grass in a loose clay ground mixed with broken rock. They live from the chase and anything edible that they can find in the veld; thus poor and they come and steal the cattle of their neighbours.

Great Rietrivier

Little Rietrievier

Cape gemsbock, being the “pasan”; the bull and cow both have horns.

[Between 3° and 4° long.]
Homestead of the Moetjoeannas [Bechuanans].
Several distinct families of the Geisiqua live with these Moetjoeanas, having intermarried with them. They call themselves Dousiqua, Coriqua, Kùriqua, and homma Cùriqua. However the smallpox rages from time to time among these peoples. This hindered communications between them and the Hottentots, that is Koraquas, Einiquas and also the Namaquas, because they often caught the smallpox from these peoples and have lost many of their tribesmen because of it.

Road to the Moetjoeaanas

Abandoned kraal of the Geisiqua *

Kraal of the skinny Bushmen *

Young Robert Gordon’s Island *

First Geisiqua or Combecoe

Moebees *

Hawtaiws *

High camelthorn trees

Ogoqua or narrow cheeks *

Klippoort

Hungerland *

Dead hippopotamus *

Second part of the Geisiqua

African buffalo

This animal I can almost certainly identify as being a hybrid of a blue gemsbuck, because similar animals are never seen for 200 hours journey from here. N.B. I have subsequently learned from the Hottentots that this animal is not a mixture, but (though in no great quantities) is found at the Hei Garieb in the Taùbquà land.

Blaauwbok, being the Tzeiren, both bull and cow have horns.

Kudu bull; the cow has no horns

Great Sakrivier

[Between 4° and 5° long.]
High stony ridge

Schoonsigt *

Windhoek *

Pienaar’s Island

Abandoned Korquà kraal *

Hippo’s delight *

Moncoboo, so-called Chinese Bushman savages *

High stony ridges

Turn Islands

The first Koraqùa kraal, called Goeringneis *

Second Koraqùa kraal *

Hoekingeis, or Scorpion Kraal *

Koraqùasklip defile

Alabasterklip *

Hakamma River

Second Noekeis *

Nacam Eis *

Kora Eis *

Koraqùa *

This animal I can almost certainly identify as a hybrid of a quagga and a zebra, because nothing similar is to be seen for two-hundred hour’s journey around here

Five brack-water vleis, each about an hour’s travel in circumference, full of cranes and other water-fowl

Bush pig; no incisors

Carree mountains

Cape Eland, being no Eland but an antelope; the bull and cow both have horns

First source of the Gourits River

First source of the Gamtous River

[Between 5° and 6° long.]
Koeroemana River

Taubaqua Hottentot tribes

Great Toenekoe Eijs *

Arebé Eijs *

Hey Garieb river

Here called Noe Garieb

This dotted area is the supposed further course of the river, having the same width and vegetation on both sides of the double stripes, where I have been

Cape quagga; I think it the onager

Cape wild horse, being the zebra

Plettenburg’s River

De Wet’s spring *

Princess Wilhelmina’s spring

Wild pig; has incisors

Gordon’s River

Wonderheuvel

Table Mountain

Capt. Van Heijden’s spring *

A: A type of fox, or adive

Kraanvlei

Stephanus Smit, the last farm *

Schansekraal

Barend Burger’s farm *

Soetrivier; D. Griesel’s farm *

Tjart van der Walt’s farm *

Kompasberg

D. De Kooker [?De Kock]’s farm, Tweefontein *

The widow Venter’s farm *

Coetzee’s farm *

[Between 6° and 7° long.]
Moetjoeanana Homestead

Orange River, named Garieb lower down by the indigenous peoples. The bed of the river is here 4125 feet above sea-level

This water flows into the Garieb, which is the Great, or Orange, River The Noekeis call the Plettenberg River the Koekaip

Buffon’s River

Rietbuck; the ewe has no horns

Gnu, or Cape wildebeest. The cow also has horns

Gordon’s turnaround-mountain, of 22nd November 1777

The Mosque

Cape Hartebees, being the Bubalis; the bull and cow both have horns

Griffier Fagel’s spring *

Seits, or Drunken spring *

Lady Campbell’s or Ramsay’s vlei *

Tjart van de Walt’s spring 8

Schuilhoek

Brunswick’s srping

Giants’s masonry defile

Roodeberg range

Wilhelmina’s spring

Harbebeestfontein *

Death-place of A. van der Walt

Dwars-in-de-weg mountains

Bontebok; ram and ewe both have horns

The Leeuwpoort

Rinosterberg

Three salt pans

Chinese spring

Oribi; the ewe has no horns

H. Meintjes farm *

Rietfontein

Barometer hill

[Between 7° and 8° long.]
[From 28 °to 29 °lat., and continuing to 12 ° long.] This people is called Birinas or Briquas by the Hottentots, and is the most civilised of all that I have found in my travels in the southern part of Africa. Birina or Briqua means goats in the Hottentot language, this people having many goats; and the barter these animals with the Hottentots for iron, which they get from hand to hand from the Portuguese on the Mozambique coast at Rio la Goa. They are very good blacksmiths.
They told me the names of the rivers further in the north: Khatoe, Mageenj, and Kòang, the last being very great according to them, in which they navigate in canoes made of trees. Yet they do not know if it flows into the eastern or western ocean. This could well be the river of Rio la Goa which enters the sea at the 26th degree, this people having no knowledge of the sea.
Northwards they name the tribes: Matjoencoe, Macarigari, Barrolo, Baparoeboecana, and the furthest north, Choenareba, Capiii. These tribes are called Capeticoe by the Hottentots, from whom they get the iron in bars.
They named yet more tribes north of the Geisiqua, the Borroemana and Morroena; and to the north of these the Great Koung River should be found.
They earlier inhabited the lands up to the Orange River, but were driven back by the Hottentots. The Hottentots say that they didn’t want the annoyance of the food given to them under the cloak of friendship, which they had an aversion to.
They use poisoned arrows and a bows, like the Hottentots, which the other Caffres do not; yet like these they also have knobkerries and assegais. They live in better huts than the Caffres, in which they can walk around; and they are cleaner of habit. Like the Caffre peoples they plant Caffre- or guinea-corn, tobacco, melons and other fruits. Their language is a differing dialect from the other Caffre language; they have the same superstitions and witchcraft; they are also circumcised and of the same stature as the Caffres, also practising polygamy; yet they differ in clothing: they cure hartebeest skins in the same way as Europeans, which they wear with underwear of fine-haired calfskin; and they hide their genitals, as with short pants, with another skin, be it goat or calfskin, cut from the scrotum of the animals which they bind between the legs and behind the body.
Further, the women have dresses of different hides, and also caps of hide on their heads. It is with the greatest certainty that I can propose that the yellow, slender race of people, all of them with woolly curly heads, and the one a bit blacker and the other a bit whiter, have a manner of life that is brought about by the elevation of their terrain; and although they are divided by dialects, they speak one and the same language, which has five or six tongue-clicks; and they can be separated into the hunting tribes (whether Bushmen or Hottentots) without livestock, and the stock-keeping tribes of Hottentots such as the Great and Little Namaquas and the Einiquas. They begin around Cape Negro on the western ocean at the latitude of 14 degrees south , and go through Africa in a diagonal down to about the 33 degree of latitude south on the east coast, the other side being inhabited by black Caffres, who are larger and stronger people in these areas, who cultivate cattle and live from a sort of agriculture, though are also lovers of hunting, and who possiblu become the “Little Negroes” as one approaches the equator.
They speak a sweet-toned manly language, without clicks, and also in dialects which differ the most according to the distance between their lands, as happens everywhere. One observation that I have made in all places is that their men are of good stature and their women in general small yet broad, and strong with strongly delineated features, while the Hottentos are much scrawnier; and that a Hottentot is seldom such a well-made strong lad as a Caffre, even though he can endure more discomfort and is indeed much tougher. The Hottentots that border on the Caffres and Moetjoeanas are larger and stronger than the others, something that apparently comes about through the mixing of the two races. A Hottentot who keeps livestock is larger and stronger and more peaceful than a Bushmen, though the latter is quicker, tougher and more courageous; sometimes one brother a Hottentot a pastoralist, Gesiqua, Koraqua or Namaqua, and the other brother a Bushman at a Bushmen’s kraal of one or other denomination, and seldom good friends for long, even though all Hottentots are of a single race.
Whether the other Caffres and inhabitants of the hinterland are also divided into two classes of people, such as hunters or Bushmen and pastoralists, as the Hottentots are, I cannot say with certainty; though I believe it to be so, because the scarcity of water and pastures makes the cultivation of livestock impossible in many places in Africa, and hunting is necessary for the inhabitants of these areas. As this is also an enjoyable occupation for those who have been brought up to it, they can seldom accustom themselves later to a uniform, still and stable life to which more or less works is attached.
Thus the Jaggas or savage to the south of Abyssinia , as they appear in the descriptions of those lands, could be black Bushmen.

Princess Wilhelmina’s River

Prince Willem V’s Mountain

The Good Shot

Oranjepoort

Robertson Strowan Mountains

Prince Willem V’s river

Wildebergfontein

Rietbokfontein

Onverwagt

H. Meintjes spring

Lookout mountain

H. de Beer’s plain

Durand’s spring

Ambassador Jork'a spring

Gordon’s Green Hat spring

Count Bentinck’s spring

Lookout

Jagersklooffontein

Vergesigt defile

Castor

Pollux

Professor Allamand’s spring

Deep dry channels

Take heart defile

Sir Archibald Campbell’s vlei

Groendalpoort

Hartebeestfontein

Welgevonden

Tower of Babylon

The Leeupoort

Bamboesberg

Oribi’s river

Little Tarka River

Tantalusfontein

Great Tarka River

[Between 8° and 12° long.]
Caffres’ homestead