Travels in the Interior of Southern Africa

A celebrated two-volume geography and ethnography of southern Africa in 1811–12, by a British botanist, originally published 1822–4.

William John Burchell (Author)

9781108084154, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 2 July 2015

622 pages, 50 b/w illus. 10 colour illus. 1 map
25.2 x 17.8 x 3.3 cm, 1.2 kg

William John Burchell (1781–1863) is remembered for this outstanding geography of South Africa, published in two volumes in 1822–4 and later taken on Darwin's Beagle voyage. It covers the first year of Burchell's 4,500-mile expedition into southern Africa from 1811 to 1815, while 'botanist to the Cape Colony'. The author returned to England with 500 scientific and ethnographical drawings, many of them used as illustrations in the book, and about 63,000 natural history specimens including 120 animal skins and 265 species of bird. His preface emphasises that his journal is accurate, independent and free from prejudice; he also claims that unlike many travelogues, his contains no 'indelicacies … offensive to decency'. Volume 1 focuses mainly on landscapes, and flora and fauna, often giving their indigenous names. It covers Burchell's trek to Klaarwater, which became his base for over a year, and a major side trip to the south-east.

Preface
1. Approach to, and arrival at, the Cape of Good Hope
2. Residence in Cape Town, and rambles in the vicinity
3. A sketch of Cape Town and the colony
4. A ride through Hottentot-Holland to the warm-bath at Zwarteberg
5. Visit to Genadendal
6. Ride from Genadendal to the hot-spring in Brand Valley, and visit to Tulbagh
7. Ride from Tulbagh to the Paarl, and thence to Stellenbosch
8. Residence at Cape Town, and preparations for the journey
9. Journey from Cape Town to Tulbagh
10. From Tulbagh, through Hex-river Kloof, to the Karro Poort
11. Journey over the Karro
12. Journey through the Roggeveld to the borders of the colony
13. Journey from the borders of the Cape colony, through the country of the Bushmen, to the river Gariep
14. Journey in the country of the Koras, from the Gariep to the Asbetos mountains
15. Residence and transactions at Klaarwater
16. Excursion from Klaarwater to the confluence of the Nu-gariep , and thence to the Ky-gariep
17. Occurrences on the banks of the Ky-gariep
18. Return from the Ky-gariep to Klaarwater
19. Residence and transactions at Klaarwater, till the end of the year
20. Residence and transactions at Klaarwater, and preparations for resuming the journey into the interior
21. Arrangements for a journey back into the colony, and preparations for departure
The itinerary, and register of the weather
Remarks on the map, and geographical observations.

Subject Areas: Historical geography [HBTP]