Sir John Barrow (1764–1848) was a distinguished British government servant whose diplomatic career took him to China and Africa, and who in forty years as Secretary to the Admiralty was responsible for promoting Arctic and Antarctic exploration, including the voyages of Sir John Ross, Sir William Parry, Sir James Clark Ross and Sir John Franklin. This account of his time in Southern Africa was published in 1801, with a second volume following in 1804. Barrow's exploration of the Cape Colony in 1797–8 coincided with the imposition of British control in 1795 on a former Dutch colony, making this work an important source about this transitional period. Volume 1 begins with the history of the Cape of Good Hope, and its natural features, climate and inhabitants. Barrow then describes his journey inland, through the Karroo desert region, and his encounters with the European and African peoples who lived there.