1880 Facts about Port and Madeira by Henry Vizetelly

152

The Vineyards and Wines of Madeira.

■became aware of tbe startling fact—communicated to me by a canny Scot, wbo bad settled " out West, sir, in a decent part of tbe country"—tbat tbe stapleproducts of tbat benigbtedlocality. Cape Town, are " snooks and crawfish," an assertion wbicb if repeated witbin bearing of a "Gape Towner" suffices to drive bim perfectly wild. One colonist on board made so bold as to state tbat tbe great difficulty concerning tbe Colonial Parba- ment arose from tbese very Cape Town " snooks and crawfish," wbicb for years past bad been so bountifully thrust down tbe throats of tbe members from outlying districts, tbat tbe latter in utter disgust bad at length declared tbey would stand it no longer. Another Western man asserted tbat in this case Cape Town would be utterly ruined, for she bad subsisted during many years past on tbe bttle money spent there by tbe provin cial members of Parliament, and if she were deprived of tbat resource, misery and desolation would be tbe inevitable result. Yet another colonist from tbe borders of Kaffirland—wbo mali ciously affirmed tbat many missionaries spend their time drink ing bottled Allsopp and conning London Society, instead of con verting tbe dusky heathen, applying, moreover, those beautiful and highlymoral printed pocket-handkerchiefs confided to them to their own use—made matters worse by asserting tbat tbe water of Table Bay was of such a pestilential character tbat even snooks and crawfish could bve init no longer, and were either betaking themselves to tbe fresh waters of Port Ebzabetb, or turning up stiff dead and unpleasantly odoriferous on tbe beach in front of Cape Town! Amore enjoyable five days' sail than tbe onewebadcan scarcely be conceived, although tbe'passage was devoid of any particular incident. It was a positive relief to one to escai)e from letters requiring replies, from tbe dull solemnities of London dinner parties and tbe stifling ^atmosphere of London theatres, to be quite cut off from newspapers, and free from tbe worry of con tradictory telegrams fresh from tbe seat of war on tbe Danube. To watch a shoal of gambolling porpoises or tbe rapid flight of tbe stormy petrels was among our most arduous avocations.