These works
have been of the greatest importance in extending, and developing the
commercial advantages of the port. The Graving Dock now named the
Robinson, after the late Governor, Sir Hercules Robinson, was formally
opened during the year 1882, and it so happened that the first vessel to
enter it was the _Athenian_, in which I returned to England, at the
termination of my tour. The whole of the works connected with the
building of the Docks and Breakwater reflect credit upon all who have in
any way been engaged upon their construction. The amount expended on
them up to the end of 1887 was L1,298,103.
Before leaving Cape Town, at the invitation of the Naval
Commander-in-Chief, Admiral Wells, I paid a visit to Simon's Town, the
chief naval station of the colony. The railway runs at present as far
as Kalk Bay, which takes about an hour to get to from Cape Town. Kalk
Bay is a pleasant seaside resort for the inhabitants of the colony, the
air being regarded as particularly invigorating. The remaining distance
of six miles to Simon's Town is performed in a Cape cart, which is a
most comfortable vehicle on two wheels, drawn by two horses with a pole
between them, and covered with a hood, as a protection from the weather.
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