A Letter from Pretoria.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4739, 6 June 1894, Page 2

A Letter from Pretoria.

• Tho following is an extract from ft I letter .received by a resident of this .. i i district, from a friend in Pretoria, South i "' ' Africa:— I f I arrived here on Thursday morning ' t about 10 a.m,having loft CapoTWn oil Monday night at i) p.m., and wo woro * travelling continuously— except for 40 . s minutes or loss herb and there each day f for dinner, tea, and breakfast, Tho tram was not very fast at tho best, and after leaving Capo Town wo ascended sercral hundred feet gradually, having v an engine behind to push ur up. It was ■ ; „ a splendid moonlight night, and the cool 3 air was most refreshing aftcrtho intonso neat of Cape Towu. Soon after my , arrival at tho Capo 1 drovo three miles ■ out to sec my friends, who were very t kind, and I was glad to stay in their J cool house after being so long in tho hot sun. They said it was an unusually hot day, even for the Cape. Table Mountain 1 f> w ™ry rugged ami grand, but , I saw nothing of tlio town, as I stayed t with tho Blauks till after their tea moal 1 and then wo all walked to tho railway I station, where I met several of my fef- ' low passengers from tho 5,5." Scott" It is 1203 miles from tho Cane to Pro■iorja, and part of the line is through very bare country, burnt brown and not a > blade of grass or shrub, except the small heather bko plant which grows thickly everywhere, and which sheep and os- . trifhes live on. ;Tho slrango shaped ■•■ mountains I admired' very much;most ' being sharply pointed very like volcanoes, and always somo flat on the top \ ucarthem. , , The train winds round tho sides of ' " these chains of hills, and here aud there wclcamc upon grce» places, with mimosa - trees iu flower, "which looked very li pretty. lint there are no largo trees to : --■-• t bo seen at all, and when we entered tho a Transvaal it became flat and green, plenty of oxen, sheep, and goats, graenig hero aud there, aud occasionally on* I closed within a fence, or stone wall, and huts near the line with Kaffirs of all . s, shades; some as black as my shoe, with" r close curly wool. ii ■■■ They seemed vciy good natural g happy sort of creatures, and laughed aftd ■ . chattered as the train ran by, Wo were 'I very lucky to have it at all warm in the ■ train, and (hero was a deal of rain as - : 1 wo got near the Transvaal, which cooled' ' ■I the air very much. It is very hot hero - now, and we do not go out except in tho t morning and evening. The house whero 3 laiurcsiding.isamostbeautifiilplacc, with every comfort and niosthandsoply , roimd it, paved with tiles: a gordpn full of roses, and many other English flowors, 1 and yet quite tropical plants too. Tirol- ■ lisscd walks covered with ' vinos, I roses, honey-suckle, etc., etc.. otc, I and tho orchard is fall of poach trees, : quinces, bananas, grcon figs, plums, , oranges, ai|d many other fruits, Tho strawberries wcro over,: There aw small ■' ■< r fountains in the garden and plenty of '. > water, so it is very green, and a strcani runs past the gate. ' Pretoria is called the Garden of Edon, " I boing so green and full of fruit and flowers, and plenty' of trees, such as ! weeping willow, flowering shrubs, and . somo kinds of fir trees, though not like the Scotch fir. ..... Wehavo | heaps of fruit' at all our meals. Poaches | and melons for breakfast (which is at ■ 7.30 a.m.), then prayers; tcaandmoro fruit at 11;" cup of tea at i p.m.; and high: tea at 6.30, consisting of chops, \ steaks, etc, , , ■, , ,"