Third Journey (MS 107/2)
16th January 1779
transcription
[16th January 1779]
16
[Latitude:]
| 90 | 0 |
| 78 | 40 |
| 11 | 20 |
| 20 | 56 |
| 32 | 16 |
18 gr ½ nw:
frisse z:w: die hier sterk waayt ook wel de z:o: schoon weer term 66 - 86 -72
kon de zee hier horen ruischen.
van van zyl tot de garie of groteriv: al langs de strand kand daar enig water is 12 boere
plaatsen waar van 5 getroude. tussen oliphants riv en lange valey ook lage ruggens vlak.
enig tamelyk hoge losse bergen [in margin:] eene by ratelklip noemde de drie broers om hun 3 punten. die als het here logement en lange valey schenen.
Warm weer stil in den morgen term.
dese lange valey heeft 5 plaatsen strekt n:w: komt van het gebergte by swart baas kraal. stuit tegen de duinen is daar zout en droogt geheel uit. heeft als alle valeyen kleine water schild padden welkers bloed men tegengift rekent zy kruipen in de droge tyd in de grond en worden zomwylen uitgeploegt. dog lopen aanstonds voort.
[in margin:] hier plagten somtyds 150 oliphanten in een trop te zyn komen enige nog jarelyk om het water. zyn meest dood. of. namacqua land in en door gevlugt
seer warm de zee wind kwam tegen middag
term 68 92 73.
[page 37]
peiling van de lange valey berg agter w: louw piquet berg punt z:z:o: 4 gr: z:
verloren valey boven punt z. oliphant riv bad z. o. t o 2 gr. o:
maskamma hoek n:n:o 2 gr. o: oude van zeil Noord.
[in margin:] bidouw hoek of wind hoek n: t o ½ o
here logement n: t o: 2 gr o: Swart baas craal z:o: t o: 2 gr o
rhinoster hoek z:o: kruis z:z:o: ½ o:
lange valey eind n w t w 2 g w. berg valey z:z:o: ½ o:
bevond door een welgaand orlogie dat op de berg het compas maar 11 gr: n:w: miswees. de berg 1500 voet hoog. klommen met veel moeite de berg af.
vond een groot stuk dassenpis, dat op zulk een manier zat dat ik niet denk dat het pis is.
translation
[16th January 1779]
16
[Latitude:]
| 90 | |
| 78 | 40 |
| 11 | 20 |
| 20 | 56 |
| 32 | 16 |
[Error:] 18 degrees half north west
Thermometer: 66 - 86 - 72. Fresh south-west wind which blows strongly here, also the south-east Fine weather. Can hear the murmur of the sea here.
From Van Zyl’s along the sea shore to the Gariep or Great River there are twelve farms, five of them with married famers, along the shore side wherever water is to be found. Between the Oliphants River and Langevlei there are also flat ridges. There are some fairly high mountains lying on their own that look like the Heenrenlogement and Langevlei (one at Ratelklip, I called the Three Brothers on account of its three peaks).
Hot weather. Calm in the morning. This Langevlei has five farms and reaches to the north-west. It starts on the range at Swartbaas Kraal and extends as far as the dunes. It becomes salty and completely dried-up there. Here as in all the marshy valleys there are small turtles the blood of which is reckoned to be an antidote for poison. They creep into the soil in the dry season and sometimes are ploughed up, but walk on at once.
Here sometimes a herd of 150 elephants used to come, and some still come annually for water; most have died or fled into and beyond Namaqualand.
Very hot; the sea wind started at midday. Thermometer: 68 -92 - 73.
[page 37]
Bearings from the Langevlei mountain behind the widow Louw: Piketberg peak, south-south-east, 4 degrees south; upper end of Verlorenvlei, south; Oliphants River bath, south-east by east 2 degrees east; Windhoek of Biedouwhoek, north by east half east; Maskammahoek, north-north-east, 2 degrees east.; the elder van Zyl’s, north; the Heerenlogement, north by east, 2 degrees east; Swartbaaskraal south-east by east, 2 degrees east; Rhinosterhoek, south-east; the Kruis, south-south-east half east; the end of Langevlei, north-west by west, 2 degrees west; Bergvlei, south-south east half east.
Through the use of a well regulated watch found that the compass had an error of only eleven degrees north-west on the mountain which is 1500 feet high. Climbed down the mountain with great difficulty. Found a large piece of dassie-piss the appearance of which is so placed that I do not think that is piss.