IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) ''/. /, 1.0 1.25 If 1^ 1^ " 1^ 12.2 Hf 1^ I.I I '^ IIIIIM 18 U ill 1.6 V] <^ /^ ^/. /iSJ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation s. IP fV :\ \ <^ s*^ ^ '^>* 6^ -L l^^ '^ 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 r^^- r o .v signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbole V signifie "FIN". lire Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre filmds d des taux de reduction diffdrents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clich6, il est filmd d partir de Tangle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images ndcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. by errata led to BPt ine pelure, a^on d 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 CI An Abi d FOUR N01 MEMBER Oi * CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS OR An Abstract of Original Manuscripts in tlie Arcliives of the Cape Colony, dating from 1651 to 1691, compared witli Printed Accounts of the Settlement by various Visitors during that time. ALSO FOUR SHORT PAPERS UPON SUBJECTS CONNECTED AVITH THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S GOVERNMENT AT A LATER PERIOD, reprinted ft'om Colonial Periodicals, AND NOTES ON ENGLISH, DUTCH, AND FRENCH BOOKS published before 1796, containing references to South Africa. By GEOKGE M^CALL THEAL, MEMBER OF THE MAATSCHAPPIJ DER NEOERLANOSCHE LEHERKUNDE TE LEIDEN. SOME TIME KEEPER OF THE ARCHIVES, OF THE CAPE COLONY, §fUll Sour §imtfi. CAPE TOWN: W. A. EICHARDS & 80N9, OOVEKNMENT PRINTERS, CA8TLE-8TKEET, 188-.>. TnEfc power white intercc of fort; has be T] mation countr day. accoun ex amir recentl; collecte the mo! Cape '] docume througl the app were ta London Th Not on details altogetl: who ha ordinal with rel and ma PREFACE. The following pages contain an account of the origin of the European power in South Africa, of the condition of the Native Eaces when white men first came in contact with th 3m, and of the nature of the intercourse between the Europeans and the Natives during a period of forty years. A statement of the sources from which this account has been derived is given at the close. The records of the Cape Colony furnish the most complete infor- mation that can be needed for the compilation of a history of the country from the middle of the seventeenth century to the present day. That but little use has hitherto been made of them is easily accounted for. Their bulk is so vast that years would be required to examine only the most important of them ; they have until quite recently been scattered about in many buildings, and are not even yet collected in one apartment ; they have not been arranged ; nor has the most trifling convenience for their study ever been provided. In Cape Town much of what was most valuable in some classes of documents, — the Diary of Events, for instance, — was lost or destroyed through the carelessness and indifference of the Government, and until the appointment of the Archives Commission a few years ago no stops were taken to restore the missing documents from the duplicates in London and the Hague. There was another cause for the neglect of the Cape Archives. Not only is their volume vast, but in their contents th^ minutest details of petty and obscure events are mixed up with matter altogether foreign. They are thus intolerably heavy, except to one who has the means of gathering information from words which to ordinary students are meaningless. When, for instance, one meets with relations of the intercourse between Batuas, Obiquas, Chobonas, and many others, if one knows what people these words refer to, a iv TEEFACE. flood of light is thrown upon pages that would otherwise be very wearisome reading. Tho greater the acquaintance with any of the native races of So\ith Africa that one hi:s, the more information will he be able to extract from the Cape Archives, and the less dull will they ajipear to him. These causes combined will serve to explain why so little use has been made of the documents referred to. South Africa has not as yet been prol'fic of men possessing leisure, pecuniary means, educational qualifications, and, together with these, inclination for patieni^ research in this or in any other branch of study. Before my connection with the Cape Archives only two individuals, so far as is known, had done more than examine them in a very cursory manner. One of these was Mr D. Moodie, whose valuable work is referred to on another page of this volume. His labours were interrupted by the Government of the time withdrawing its aid, and though he was extremely desirous of resuming them he was never in a position to do so. The other was the late Advocate De Wet, who spent the leisure hours of many years in collecting information from the old Dutch Records, with a view of preparing a faithful history of the colony. It is to be hoped that the manuscript which he is known to have left at his death will some day be published. I have seen a plan of Cape Town before the close of the seventeenth century, which was constructed by him solely from the descriptions in the Records, and it is a proof that he studied them deeply and carefully. It shows but little deviation from the plan made by order of Commander Simon van der Stel and preserved in the Archives of the Netherlands, 'vhich Mr De Wet had never seen. A history of the colony, therefore, from the same hand would certainly be of the utmost value. The late Judge Watenneyor's inclinations lay in the same direction, but he had not time to make any thorough researches. The number of printed books referring to South Africa is very great, but most of them contain nothing of any value in tracing the events of the past. As far as I am aware, the only complete collection of chesc works in the colony is that in possession of C. A. Fairbridge, Efqre., of Cape Town, to whom I am indebted for the use ©f several volumes which I wfi^ unable to procure either in London or in Holland. The chapters on the early Commanders, given in this book, form but a fragment of Cape history. My connection with the Archives did not last long enough foi* me to do more. A few months spent at the Hague enabled me merely to examine manuscripts and maps of PREFACE. V the seventeenth century which were wanting here, as it was necessary that I should copy many of them to complete our records. I have added to the Chronicles a few short papers on occurrences in the eighteenth century, the materials for which I obtained in the records of that period, though I did not enter very deej>ly into them. I have addca further some brief notes on books published during the government of the East India Companj' and coi:taining references to South Africa, which may be useful to students. GEO. M. TIIEAL. Capo Town, 4th May, 1882. tore, i:rom CONTENTS. INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. 1486-1648. Di8COvei>of the Cape of Good Hope by Dias. — First Voyage to India ma• 4 I 2 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. erected is at the entrance of the inlet called Angra Pequena, and is now known as Pedestal Point.* Sailing still southward, Dias encountered a contrary wind, which caused him to tack about for live days without making any headway, owing to which circumstance he named a bight in the coast Angra das Yoltas. There is no gulf in the position indicated, but the latitudes giveu are not to be depended upon, and the expedition may have been much fm'ther south than the point at the mouth of the Orange lliver called by modern geographers Cape Voltas, in remembrance of that event. The wind now increased and the sea became rough, so that Dias stood away from the land xmder shortened sail, and when after thuteen days the breeze motlerated and be steered eastward, the coast was not to be found. Then ho tiu'ued to the noi-tli and reached a bay which he named Dos Vaqueiros, owing to the numerous herds of cattle which he saw grazing on its shores. Tlie position of this bay caurot be fixed Avith certainty, and it may have been any of the curves in the coast between Cape Agulhas and the Knysna. The natives gazed with astonishment upon the strange apparition coming over the sea, and then tied inland with their cattle, so that the Portuguese ascertained nothing concerning them except that their hair was shorter and more curly than that of the negroes of Guinea. Sailing eastward again, Dias reached an island upon which he erected another cross, and where he obtained a supply of fresh water. The islet is in Algoa Bay, and still bears the name of St Croix which he gave it. Here the crews of the vessels protested against going further. They complained that theu* supply of food was running short, and the storeship was far behind, so that there was * Captain W. F. W. Owen, in his .V/ Vo;/- Shont o/AfriM, Arahia, and Mudii'jascar, perfoniin! in 11. M. Ships Leren ami llai'rac(iiil<: ^London 1S53,) says : — "In the at'tonioou saw the remains of the cross erected by BurJiolomew Dias. at thi; southern ex- tremity of jVngiu Pecjuina. Some otBcers hindedwith Captain Vidal, for the puiijose of examining the cross, and obtiiimng t' ■', hititnde and longitude of the point. They found the sand veiy pain- ful to the eyes, beiujf swepi, 'rom the surface of tlie rocks, and almost blinding them as they pro- ceeded to the sumnut of the small granite eminence on which Dias erected his cross in l-lSl-O, as a memento of his discovery of the place. This is said to have been standing complete iorty years back, but we found that it had been cjist do%m, e\'idently by design, as the part of the shaft that had originally been buried in the rock remained imbrokeii, which never could have been the case had it been overturned in any other way than by lifting it from th(! loimdation. The inducement to this disgraceful act was probably to search for such corns as might have been buried beneath the cross; and it is probable that the destroyers, in order to make some little amende for their desola- tion, re-erected a portion of the fragments, as we foimd a piece of the shaft, including the part originally placed in the ground, altogether about six feet in length, propped up by means of lai'ge stones, crossed at the top by a broken fragment, which had originally fonned the whole length of the shaft. This was six feet above ground. Mid twenty-one inclies beneath, composed of marble rounded on one side, but left square on the other, e\iaeiitly for the inscription, which, however, the unsparing baud of Time, in a lapse of nearly three centuries and a halt, hadivude'ed illegible. In descending by a different r;r.d more craggy path, th(> party suddenly came upon the cross ; this was sixteen inches squai", jf thesame breadth and thickness as the shaft, and had on tlie centre an inscription, but isliketheosher, almost obliterated. The latitude of this pillar is 20" 3S' 4' 8,, and the longtitude 15" 2'5'' E.' ' DISCOVERIES BY THE PORTUGUESE. 3 danger of perishing of hunger. They thought they had surely done sufficient in one voj^age, for none had ever taken such tidings to Portugal as they would carry back with them. And further, from the trending of the coast it was evident there must he some great headland behind them, and therefore they were of opinion it would be better to turn about and discover it. Dias, after hearing these statements, took the principal officers and seamen on shore, where they joined in the rites of religion, after which he asked them for their advice as to what was the best course to pm'sue for the service of the king. They replied with one voice, to return home, whereupon he caused them to sign a document to that effect. He then begged of them to continue only two or three days sail fm'ther, and promised ''hat if they should find nothing within that time to encom*age them to proceed on an easterly course, ho wovJd tiu'D about. The crews consented, but in the time agreed upon they discovered nothing except the mouth of a river, to which the Commander gave the name of Do Infante, owing to Joan Infante, captain of the St Panfolocnio, being the first to leap ashore. The river was probably either the one now known as the Cowie, or the Great Fish. From this point the expedition tm'ued back. At St Croix Dias landed again, and bade farewell to the cross which he had set up there with as great sorrow as if he were parting with a son banished for Ufe. In retuniing, the great headland was discovered, to whif^li the Commander gave the name Cabo Tonnentoso, after- wards changed by the King to Cabo de Bona Esperanoa, OAving to the good hope which he could now entertain of at last reaching the Indies by this route. There another of the crosses brought from Portugal was set up, though Dias himself did not land. The expe- dition had left the storesliip with nine men behind on the west coast, and when after nine months absence she was rejoined, only three men were fomid alive on board, and of tliese, one died of joy upon seeing his comitrjinen again. The other six had been mm-dered by negroes, with whom they had been trading. No expedition by sea to follow up tlie discovery by Dias of the southern point of the African continent was sent out diu-ing the remainder of the reign of John, though several were sent overland \)\ the way of S>Tia and Egypt for the pm-pose of endeavouring to learn something about the Indian Ocean. With these and his transactions on the coast of Gruinoa the attentioli of the King was taken up. In 1490 he died, and was succeeded by his relative Don Emanuel, Duke of Beja, \\\\o possessed a full nicasm'e of that H 2 rHROXICT.ES OF CAPE rOMMANDERS. fondness for prosecuting maritime discoveries Avliicli for tliree quar- ters of a centiuy had distingiiislied the Princes of Portugal. Soon after the accession of Emanuel, the subject of anotlier expedition to endeavom* to reacli tlie Indies was mooted at com't, but met v.-ith strong opposition. Tliore were those who lu'ged that too much pubHc treasure had ah-eady been tlu'own away in fitting out discovery sliips, that no adequate return had yet been made, and that even if a route to the Ir ' ' ' idd be found, it would only bring powerful rivals into the a .to dispute or at least to share its possession. Sucli of the nobles, however, as were anxious to please the King, favoiu'cd the design, and at length it was resolved to despatch another expedition. For this pm^pose four vessels of about one huntli'ed and twenty- five tons burden were made read}', Bartholomew Dias giving .all the assistance wliich his experience enabled him to afford. Yasco da Grama, a man of pro^-ed capacity and fidelity, was placed in chief conunand. Under him in the .S7 Gaht-icl Avcre Pedro d'Alanqiier, who had been with the preceding expedition, and, as joiu'ualist, Diego Dias, a brother of Bartholomew ; in the 8t Rapliacl, Paulo da Gania ; in the Bem'o, Nicolas Coelho ; and in the storeship Gronsalo Nunez. The crews comprised one hundi'ed and seventy men, all told. The King showed a very warm interest in the undertaking, and when the preparations for sea were completed, he bade farcAN-ell to the principal officers with unusual ceremony and marks of regard. Da Gama sailed in company with a fleet bound to the coast of Guinea, in wliich Bartholomew Dias was a captain. After fifteen days they reached St Jago, where they procm-ed some refreshments. Dias then pm'sued his course to Delmina, and Da Gama for fi\'e months sailed southward, when he reached a bay to which he gave the name St Helena, and where he landed to seek v.'ater and measm'e the altitude of the sun at noon, so as to asceiiain the latitude. In those days the instrument formeasm-ing vertical angles was so miwieldv that it coidd not well be used at sea, especially as it required to be mounted on a tripod. While Da Gama was busy measming the sun's altitude,* two natives were observed, "wIkj appeared to be gathering herbs, and as he was desirous of learning something about the country, he caused them to be quietly sm-romided, wlien one was made captive. His language was unintelligible, and as he was greatly terrified '■ Osoriiis ii iiitos ■ni\;it follows soinewliat diffei'ontly. He nlso states tlint Da Gama cncoun- ttnoJ \cxy stonny woathor after loiniiiij' St Helena Bay. Tlie vei'sion of the text is tliat of Bunos. ! i: Rs, ieli for tliree qiiar- P Portug-iil. ubjoct of anotlior mooted at coiu't, so who urged that II away in fitting et been made, and I, it would only it least to share were anxious to th it was resolved lulrod and twenty- _)ias giving all the ilford. A'asco da s placed in chief ^edro d'Alauquei', id, as journalist, >7 Raphavl, PaiUo . in the storeship ired and seventy 1 interest in the ere completed, he d ceremony and md to the coast captain. After procm-cd sonu^ niina, and Da reached a bay e he landed to noon, so as to it fornieasurhig ell be used at sea, s altitude,* two iiig herbs, and the countrv, he as made captive, reatlv terrified lint Dii Guiua encoiin- text 18 tliat of liaiTos. |)1S( OVKKIKS 1«V THK PORirCiUESK. Iwo boys, one of whom was a uegio, wore lirouglit from the ships, iiiul placed in his cnt out in three squadrons, res- pectively \nulor Francisco d'Albuipun'cpie, Alfonso d'Albuquerqu(>, and Antonio do Saldanha. The last only of these touclied on the South African coast. lie put into a bay for the puipose of obtaining water, and found people there, from whom ho pm-ohased a cow and two sheep. Going ashore again to endoavoiu' to prooiu'o more moat, one of his men, who had wandered from the main pai"ty, was laid hold of by the natives, and was only rescued by the Commander at the cost of a wound in his aiTn. As he did not know his latitude, Saldanha climbed a mountain, from the summit of which he could make out the position of the Cape of ri,)od Hope, and so, having ascertained wliero ho was, lie pursued his voyage with the first fair wind. The bay which he discovered was called by his name, and soon became noted for the number of men of rank who lost thou* lives on its shores. It is not, however, the present Saldanlia Bay, but Table Bay, and the mountain which the Commander climbed is the one now known as the Lion's Hump. The fleet of thiiieen ships sent out in 1504 was under command of Lopo Soares. It passed tlie South African coast without calling, both in going and retm-ning, but one of the ships ran ashore in the night and was lost to the westward of St Bras. The wi'eok was seen tlie folloAving day by the people of another vessel, but no help could be given, and the crew was left to perish. A fleet of twent^'-two shi]is sailed in loOo under command of Francisco d'Almeida, first Viceroy of the Portuguese conquests in the East. It doubled the continent without land being seen, and cast anchor at Mozambique. It was followed in the same year by eight ships, two of which were under express orders from the King to inspect the coast from the Cape of Good Hope to Sofala. Tliis could not be done, but Table Bay was again ^^sited, the seaboard some distance eastward of Agulhas was inspected, and Delagoa Bay was entered for the second time. The Poi-tuguese landed on an island, and as the p4 1 :■'! 8 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. natives immediately fled an ofiicer and twenty men followed them with friendly intentions, their object being to endeavour to obtain some pro^dsions. But the little party had not proceeded far when it was attacked, and only four or five badly wounded men escaped. This masst;-cre was committed, as the Portuguese believed, in revenge for the treachery of Antonio do Campo three years before. By the fleet of fourteen ships under Tristano d'Acimha, which sailed in 1506, the islands were discovered which bear the Commander's name. The fleets of the following few years made no discoveries nor did they touch the South African coast. In returning homewards with the fleet which left India at the close of 1509, the Viceroy D'Almeida put into Saldanha (i.e. Table) Bay for the purpose of obtaining water and refreshing his people. "When the ships came to anchor, some natives appeared on the beach, and permission was given to a pai*ty of Portuguese to go ashore and endeavom' to barter cattle fi'om them. This trafiic was successful, bits of iron and pieces of calico being employed in trade, and it was carried on in such a friendly manner that several of the Portuguese did not f eai' to accompany the natives to a \illage at no great distance. But on the way some daggers and other small articles were missed, and it was ascertained that they had been pil- fered, which so enraged one Gonsalo that he determined upon taking revenge. His v-iolence, however, cost him dear, for in a scuffle Avith two natives he received some severe wounds. lie and another, who had also been badly beaten, made their appearance before the Viceroy, who was at the time surroimded by his principal officers. There was at once a elamom' for vengeance, and D'Almeida was reluctantly persuaded to give his consent to an attack upon the native village. Next morning, 1st March 1510, the Viceroy landed with one hundi'ed and fifty men, the best of all his people, armed with swords and lances. They marched to the village and seized the cattle, which they were driving away when the Hottentots, supposed to be about one hmidred and seventy in nimiber, attacked them. The weapons of the Portuguese were foimd to be useless against the fleet footed natives, who poiu'ed in upon the invaders a shower of missiles, and a panic followed. Most fled towai'ds the boats as the only means of safety, a few, Avho were too proud to retreat before savages, attempted in vain to defend themselves. The Viceroy committed the ensign to Jorge de Mello, with orders to save it, and immediately after- DISCOVERIES BY THE PORTUGUESE. 9 wards was struck down with knobbed sticks and stabbed in the tlu'oat with an assagai. Sixty-five of the best men in the fleet, including twelve captains and several of noble blood, perished on that disastrous day, and hardly any of those who reached the boats escaped mthout wounds. Don Jorge de Mello succeeded the Viceroy in the command of the fleet. When the natives returned to their village he landed and buried the slain, whom he foimd stripped of clothing, and as soon as this duty was performed he set sail for Portugal. Henceforth the Portuguese added but little to the infonnation here given concerning South Africa. Their fleets doubled the continent year after year, but seldom touched at any port south of Sofala. It soon became a settled custom with them to make the run between the island of St Helena and Mozambique without a break, whenever it was possible to be done. They never attempted to form a station below Delagoa Bay, nor did their ivory traders penetrate further south than the Lagoon of St Lucia. There was no induce- ment for them to explore a region inhabited by savages, where there was nothing to be obtained in commerce, as long as the whole of the Indies and Central Afiica was open to them. Now and again, however, their ships were driven by stress of weather to seek a port, and occasionally a wi'eek took place. Curiosity also prompted some of them, and orders from the government required others, to inspect the coast and make rough charts of it. And so it happened that names were given to the principal bights and headlands, though it is not always easy to identify them on a modern chart. The Portuguese maps of Africa of the middle of the seventeenth centmy were really more accm'ate, PS respects the centre of the continent, than the best English ones of two hundred years later, but as respects the south, they were not alone defective, they were filled with errors. No Portuguese had ever set foot beyond the comparatively low belt of land which borders the coast, and no native was competent to give infor- mation, so that a map of the interior was necessaiily foimded on conjecture, and in this instance conjectm-ewas very far indeed from truth. The sixteenth century was well advanced before any other European fiag than the Portuguese and the Spanish was seen in the eastern seas. Spanish ships crossed the Pacific from Western America to the Philippine Islands, but under the partition of tho globe which gave the cast to Portugal, they did not trespass on tho Afiioan route. w I 10 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. The English, however, had no scruples in the matter. In July 1580 Sir Francis Drake passed the Cape of Good Hope when re- tiu'ning homewards on his voyage round the woi Id, but he did not touch at any port on the coast. In 1588 he was followed by Candish, who also passod by without calling. But before the close of the centmy Table Bay was visited by Lancaster and by Davis, the last named, however, then in the Dutch service. The early fleets of the English East India Company, from the first one sent out, made Table Bay a port of call and i-efreshment, and usually procui'ed in baiter from the natives as many cattle as they needed. In 1619 the Directors resolved to build a fort somewhere at the Cape of Good Hope, either in connection with the Dutch East India Company or on their own account, and entered into communication with the authorities in Holland on the subject. There the proposition to form a joint establishment was rejected, but the Directors of the Dutch Company stated that it was their intention also to secui'e a place of refreshment for theii' fleets at the Cape of Good Hope.* Neither Company had yet decided where a fort for this purpose should be built, and the Dii-ectors in Holland therefore proposed that instructions shoidd be issued to the Commanders of the next fleets that sailed from England and the Netherlands to examine the coimtry and report upon such places as they should consider suitable. The next fleet that sailed from England was one of f our ships bound to the Persian Gulf, under command of Andi'ew Shillinge. In July 1620 this fleet put into Table Bay, where one English and nine Dutch homeward boimd vessels were foimd at anchor. In a day or two the Dutch ships sailed, and an English fleet bound to Bantam, under command of Humphrey Fitzherbert, entered the bay. Fitzherbert and Shillinge, who believed that no better place would be discovered, proclaimed English sovereignty over the adjoining country, and drew up a formal document to that effect. The colours were hoisted for the piu'pose of being saluted on the hill now called the Lion's Emnp, but which they named King James' Moimt. Actual possession was, however, ne 1 maintained bj' any force being left behind, nor did the Directors carry out their resolution to construct a fort at the Cape. English ships still continued occasionally to call for the purjiose of taking in fresh water, biit henceforth the island of St Helena became their usual place of * Resolutions of the Cliiimber of Sevontocn of datos l!)th Aufyiint and 2(Uli NoTombor 1619. The orifnnals are nt the Hagrue, but verbatim copies made by me are in iiosscssion of the Oipe Govcm- ment. " 1 ^ i EARLY VOYAGES OF THE DrTCH. 11 refreshment and the station at which the Indiamen were collected together to sail homewards in company. A few remarks in ships' joiu'nals npon Table Bay and the natives on its shores, and a few pages of observations and opinions in a book of travels such as that of Sir Thomas Herbert, from none of which can any reliable information be obtained that is not also to be drawn from earlier Portuguese and Dutch writers, are all the contributions to a know- ledge of South Afi-ica made by Englishmen imtil long after the middle of the seventeenth centmy. The Dutch had been accustomed to obtain at Lisbon the supplies of Indian products which they required for home con- sumption and for the large European trade which they canied on, but after the conquest of Portugal by Philip the Second, they were shut out of that market. They then determined to open up direct communication with the East, and for that pm'pose made several gallant but fruitless efforts to find a passage along the northern shores of Em-ope and Asia. When the first of these had failed, and while the second was still in huiid, Gome merchants of Amster- dam fitted out a fleet of fom' vessels, which in the year 1595 sailed to India by the Cape of Grood Hope. Before this date, however, a good many Netherlanders had visited India in the Portuguese service, and among them was one in particular whose Avritings had great influence at that period and for more than half a centmy later. Jan Huyghen van Linschoten was bom at Haarlem, in the Province of Holland. He received a good general education, but from an early age he gave himself up with ardour to the special study of geography and history, and eagerly read such books of travel as were Avithin his reach. In 1579 he obtained permission from his parents, who were then residing at Enkhuizen, to proceed to Se\ille, where his tv,'o elder brothers were pushing their fortunes. Linschoten was at Seville when King Henry of Portugal died, leaving the throne of that country to be competed for by his nephews the Prior Don Antonio and Philip the Second of Spain. After the conquest of the kingdom by the Duke of Alva, Linschoten removed to Lisbon, where he was a clerk in a merchant's office when Pliilip made his triimiphal entry and when Alva died. Two years later he entered the service of a Dominican monk, by name Vincente da Fonseca, who ]iad been appointed by Philip Aichbishop of India. In April 1583 the Ai'chbishop sailed from Lisbon with a fleet of five ships, and after touching at Mozanibique 'ti' t 12 CHKONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. arrived at Goa in September of the same year. Linschoten remained in India until January 1589. When retimiing to Europe he visited different islands in the Atlantic, and at one of them, Terceira, he was detained a long time. He reached Lisbon again in January 159"2, and eight months later rejoined his family at Enkhuizen, after an absence of nearly thirteen years. From this date his name is inseparably connected "vvith those of the gallant spirits Avho braved the perils of the polar seas in the effort to find a northeastern passage to China.* In 1595 the first of Linschot en's books was published, in which an account is given of the navigation of the eastern seas by the Portuguese. This was followed in 1596 by a description of the Indies, and by several geographical treatises dra^vn from Portuguese sources, all illustrated mth maps and plates. These were collected in one volimie, and the work was at once received as a text book, a position which its merits entitled it to occupy. The most defective portion of the whole is that refemng to South Africa, and for this reason, that it was then impossible to get any information about the interior of the southern extremity of the continent. It produced no single ai-ticle of commerce. The Poituguese passed by it in dread from St Helena to Mozambiqiie, without thought of touching on its coasts. Linschoten himself saw no more of it than a fleeting glimpse of False Cape afforded on his outward passage. He gathered together all that the Portuguese knew or believed of it, and more than that he could net do. His map of iVfrica differs very slightly from those previously published. If it be placed beside one of two hundred years later, that is, beside one of the beginning of this centiuy, a modern geographer will at once pronoimce it as a whole the more accm'ote of the two. The centre is a region of great lakes, from which the Nile and the Congo flow, as is now known to be the case. Nor was this mere guess work, for inland joiu'neys and trade are spoken of, and it is asserted that the continent had frequently been crossed from Angola to Mozambique. But south of the Tropic of Capricorn the errors are glaring. The west coast has marked upon it Angra Pequena, St Helena Bay, and Table Bay, — then called Agoada de Saldanha, — in their true position. The only stream emptying into the Atlantic is a rividet which falls into St Helena Bay, but it is made to flow from the * In the Museum ofUnarlem a tablet lias been plaeed to tlie memory of Linsolioten, auil in the centre of tlio principal room hangs stispcndwl from the ceilinp an enormous piece of whalebone, which he brought to hia native town as a. ti-ophy fi-om the Polar Sens, TRAVELS OF JAN HUYGHEN VAN LINSCHOTEN. 13 m north, not fi-om the south as the Berg River actually does. There is a deep gulf called Angra das Voltas in about latitude 29 "^ . Parallel to the coast is a chain ot mountains, along the eastern base of which flows in a direction almost due south a magnificent river, that is made to enter the sea by three mouths a little to the east- ward of Cabo das Agjulhas, The whole country to the eastward of this river is called Monomotapa, and it is thickly dotted over with towns. To the westward thare are no towns, the country between the mountains and the sea as far south as Angra das Voltas being correctly marked a desert. There is a small stream falling into False Bay. The southern coast is indented with deep gulfs, among them being Baya da Lagoa, or the Bay of the Lake, in its correct position, with Cape llecif projecting far into the sea. Rio do Infante is laid downi in the position of the Great Fish River, but it is represented on the best of the tlu'ee maps in which it is sho\vn as entering the sea by two mouths with a noble delta between them. On the east coast the Land of Natal is laid do^vu between a river not far iiorth of Rio do Infante and another named S Liizia. Next comes the gulf Medaos do Oiu-o, and then a great inlet of the sea, into which flow the rivers da Lagoa, de Spiiito Santo, do LourenC'O, and dos Reys. Of the toAVtis which are scattered over all the maps of that date in the great region of Monomotapa, the nearest to the Cape of Good Hope is named Vigiti Magna, wliich is laid do^vn on the eastern bank of the great river, in about latitude 281° south, and longitude 21° east of Greeinvich. Mossata, Saniot, and Cumissa are only a little fiu-ther north. Cortado is on the eastern bank of Rio do Infante, but a long way up the stream, in about latitude 'JO'S. The toAvn of Monomotapa is on the southern bank of Rio de Spirito Santo, in latitude 25^^ south, longitude 26° east oi GreenA\ich. All of these and some others, are marked in Linschoten's map with tm'retted castles, but it is evident from the text that nothing more is intended to be signified than assemblages ii' of native dwellings. Linsehoten describes the people of the west coast from the Tn)pic to the Capo of Good Hope as subject to no king, but as having many chiefs. According to him, the greater part of the country was covered with lofty, rugged, and cold uninhabited mountains. The people on the plains lived after the manner of Ai'abs. Their huts could bo moved about like tents, and their clothing was com- posed of the skins of animals. They were wild, barbarous, and not >ll 14 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. ill I to be trusted. They had no intercourse or trade with strangers. Their weapons were darts and arrows, and their food the natiu'al fruits of the earth and the flesh of animals. The inhabitants of Monomotapa he describes as black in colour, with curly hair as if it was singed, and very little beard. Theii' clothing was the same as that of Adam when he wns in Paradise. They lived in villages, each of which was mider a Idng or lord, and which were often at war with each other. They had coui'ts of justice and observed some of the regvilations of good government, but were without religion or knowledge of God. The several descriptions of the country and the people given by Linschoten at different times vary considerably, as do also his maps, though to a less extent. Whatever he saw is faithfidly described, but -when he drew his information from the statements or the writings of others he is less clear in language. He is quoted as an authority by the earliest Dutch voyagers to the East, and is frequently referred to by the first Em-opeans Avho settled in South Africa. This was what was known and received as correct concerning South Africa and its inhabitants when the first Dutch keels ploughed the waters of the Indian Sea.* The fleet of fom* vessels which left Texel on the 2Dd of April 159f3 was under the general du'ection of an officer named Cornelis Houtman.t In the afternoon of the 2nd of August the Cape of Grood Hope was seen, and the next day, after passing Agulhas, the fleet kept close to the land, the little Duifke sailing in front and looldng for a harbom-. On the 4tli a bay, believed to be the one called by the Portuguese St Bras, was discovered, and as the JDiiifkc found good liolding groimd in nine or ten fathoms of water, the Jlaiirifiiin, Holhnidia, and Amsto'dain entered and di'opped their anchors. Here the fleet remained until tlv> 11th, Avhen sail was again set for the East. During the interval, a supply of fresh Avater was taken in, and some oxen and sheep were piu'chased from natives for knives, old tools, and pieces of iron. The Eiu'opeans were surprised to find the sheep covered ■with hair instead of wool, and ■with enormous tails of pm-e fat. No women or habitations were seen. The ai")pearance of the Hottentots, their clothing, their * The first of Linschoten's works is quoted in the original mannscnpt jouniuls of Houtnmn'.s voyage. t Tl'o acoount.s of the origin if noutinan's conneetion witli the lomi^any by wliiili this ileot WHS titted out, and of the sorvipe!< which lio Imd jnoviously reudoiod, vary in ditfi'ronl woiUs of standing. The subiect i.i fuUv discussed by Do donpli in l)t (>iikomst ran tut WJciiaiainfh Urxiuj in Oost IiuVr, aud does not call for further observation here. EARLY VOYAGES OF THE DUTCH. 15 javelins, their method of making a fire by twii-ling a piece of wood rapidly ror"^d in the socket of another piece, their filthiness in eating, and tJie clicking of their language, are all ^^(in'ectly described ; but it was surmised that they were cannibals, because they were observed to eat the raw intestines of animals, and a fable then commonly believed in Europe was repeated concerning their mu- tilation in a peculiar manner of the bodies of conquered enemies. The intercourse with the few natives seen was friendly, though each suspected the other at times of evil intentions. A chart of the bay Avas made,* from which it is seen to be the one now called Mossel Bay. A little island in it Avas covered with seals and penguins, some of each of which were killed and eaten. The variation of the compass was observed to bo so trilling that the needle might be said to point to the north. After Houlmau's retmui to Eui'ope, several Companies were fonned in diiferent towns of the Netherlands, with the object of trading to the East. No fresh discoveries on the African coast were made by any of the fleets which they sent out, but to some of the bays new names were given at this tune. In December 1599, four ships fitted out by an Association at Amsterdam calHug itself the New Brabant Company, sailed from Texel for the Indies, under command of Pieter Both. Two of them returned home early in 1601, leaving the Vereciu'f/dc Lamlen and Hof van HoUaml under charge of Paulus van Caerdeu to follow as soon as they should have obtained cargoes. On the 8th of July 1601, Van Caerden put into a bay on the South African coast, for the pm'pose of repairing one of his ships which was in a leaky condition. The Commander with twer^v soldiers went a short distance inland to endeavom* to find peoj e from whom he could obtain some cattle, but though he came across a party of eight natives he did not succeed in getting any oxen or sheep. A supply of fresh water was taken in, but no other refresh- ments except mussels could be procm-ed, on account of which Van Caerden gave the inlet the name of Mossel Bay, A\'hieh it has ever since retained. On the 14tli, th"^ Ilnf trai IloUaud having been repaired, the two ships sailed, but two days later, as they were making no progress against a head wind AA'hich sprang up, they put into another bay. Here natives were found, from whom the voyagers W\ " It is attucho.l to the original journals, now in the aroliivos ot' thu XethwluniU. AVliilo at the TIague, I made a oopy of it on tracing linen for the Cape (.niverunient, as it differa considvr- ably fivm t}ie chart in the printed condensed jomnul of the voyage. 16 CHRONICLES OF CAPK COMMANDERS. obtained for pieces of iron as many horned cattle and sheep as they could consume fresh or had salt to preserve. For this reason the Commander gavt it the name of Flesh Bay. On the 21st sail was set, but the Hof van HoUatuI being found leaky again, on the 28rd another bay was entered, where her dam- ages were repaired. On account of a westerly gale, the ships were detained here until the 30th, when they sailed, but finding the wind contrary outside, they returned to anchor. There were no natives close at hand, but the Commander visited a river at no great distance, where he encountered a party from whom he obtained five sheep in exchange for bits of iron. In the river numerous hippopotami were seen. Abundance of fine fish having been secured here, the Commander gave the inlet the name of Fish Bay. On the 2nd of August the ships sailed, and on the 27th passed the Cape of Grood Hope, to the great joy of all on board, who had begim to fear that they would be obliged to seek a port on the eastern side to winter in. ♦ On the 5th of May 1601 a fleet of thi'ee vessels, named the Rcan, the Schaap, and the Lam, sailed for the Indies fi'oni Vere in Zeeland, under command of Joris van Spilbergeu. On the 15th of November the fleet put into St Helena Bay, where no inhabitants were seen, though many fires were observed inland. The only refreshment procui'able was fish, which were caught in great quantities. On the 20th Spilbergeu sailed fi-om St Helena Bay, and beat- ing off and on the coast against a head -wind, on the 28th passed a harbom' which he called Saldauha Bay. That evening he anchored off an island, to which he gave the name Elizabeth. Here were found seals in great nmiibers, seabirds of different kinds, and coney's. On the 29th he sailed from EUzabeth, now Dassen Island, and on the 2nd of December cast anchor close to another island, which he named ComeHa. Here were found seals and penguins in great nvunbe" but no conej^s. The next day at noon Spilbergeu reached the an' . jrage in fi'ont of Table Mountain, and as he liad transf eiTed the Portuguese name of the bay lie was nuw in to another one, he gave this the name of Table Bay, which it still bears. The sick were conveyed to land, where a hospital was established. A few natives were met, to whom presents of beads were made, and who were understood to make signs that they would bring cattle for sale, but they went away and did not retiu'n. Abundance of fish was obtained with a seine at the mouth of a stream Avliieh Spilbergeu named the Jacqueline, now Salt lliver, but as meat was I ill TH1-; NKTHKIU.ANDS KASI INDIA COMPANY, 17 lumerous ng been ^ish Bay. th passed who had ; on the wanted, the smallest of the vessels was sent to Elizaheth Tslaiul, where a great number of ])onguins and eoneys were Idlltnl tmd salted in. The lleet remained in Table Bay until the J-'h'd of December. "When passing Cornelia Island, a (;()upl(! of coneys were set on shore, and seven or eight sheep, which had been left there b}^ some previous voyagers, Avere shot, and their carcasses taken on board. Off the Cape of Good Hope, two French ships boimd eastAvard were met. Spilbergen kept along the coast, noticing the formation of the land and the numerous streams falling into the sea, but Avas sorely hindered in his progress by the Agulhas cm-rent, Avhicli he found setting so strong to the southAvestAvard that at times he could make noway against it even with the breeze in his favour. On the 1 7th of January 1602, OAving to this cause, he stood off from the coast, and did not see it again. In order to prevent rivalry and to conduct the Indian trade in a manner the most beneficial to the Avholo of the people of the United Provinces, the States Greneral resolved to miite all the small trading associations in one great Company A\ith many privileges and large poAvers. The Charter, or terms upon Avhich the Couipany came into existence, Avas dated at the Hague on the *2(>th of March 1(30'2, and contained forty-six clauses, the principal of Avhicli Avere as follow : — All inhabitants of the United Xetherlands had the right giA^en to them to subscribe to the capital in as small or as large sums as they might choose, Avith this proA'iso, that if more money should be temlered than was needed, those apph'ing for shares of over thirty thousand gulden should receive less, so that the applicants for smaller shares might have allotted to them the full amounts asked for. The Chambers, or offices for the transaction of business, AA^ere to participate in the folloAving proportion : that of Amsterdam one half, that of Middelbm'g in Zeeland one quarter, those of Delft and Rotterdam, otherwise called of the Maas, together one eighth, and those of Hoorn and Enkliuizen, othevAvise called those of the North Uiiarter or sometimes those of Nortli Holland and West Friesland, together the remaining eighth. The General Directory Avas to consist of seA^enteen persons, eight of Avliom AA-ere to represent the Chamljor of Amsterdam, four that of Zeeland, tAVo those of the Maas, tAvo those of the North (Quarter, and the seventeenth Avas to be chosen alternately by all B 4 ill I ■\' 'I! . 18 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. of these except the Chamber of Amsterdam. The place of meet- ing of the General Directory was fixed at Amsterdam for six successive years, then at Middelbiirg for two years, then at Amsterdam again for six years, and so on. The Directors of each Chamber were named in the Charter, being the individuals who were the Directors of the Companies pre^ion8ly established in those towns, and it was provided that no others should be appointed until these should be reduced by death or resignation in the Chamber of Amsterdam to twenty persons, in that of Zeeland to twelve, and in those of Delft, Rotterdam, Iloom, and Enkhuizen each to seven. After that, whenever a vacancy should occur, the remaining Directors were to nominate three qualified individuals, of whom the States of the Province in which the Chamber was situated were to select one. To qualify an individual to be a Director in the Chambers of the North Quarter, it was necessary to own shares to the value of three thousand gulden, and double that amount to be a Director in any of the other Chambers. The Directors were to be bound by oath to be faithful in the administration of the duties entrusted to them, and not to favom* a majority of the shareholders at the expense of a minority. Directors were prohibited from 8e]ling anything whatever to the Company without previously obtaining the sanction of the States Provincial or the Authorities of the City in which the Chamber to which they belonged was situated. All inhabitants of the United Provinces other than this Company were prohibited from trading beyond the Straits of Magellan or to the eastward of the Cape of Good Hope, during the period of twenty-one years, for which the Charter was granted, under penalty of forfeiture of ship and cargo. Within these limits the East India Company was empowered to enter into treaties and make contracts in the name of the States General, to build fortresses, to appoint Governors, Military Commanders, Judges, and other necessary Officers, who were all, however, to take oaths of fidelity to the States General or High Authorities of the Netherlands, who were not to be prevented from making complaints to the States General, and whose appointments were to be reported to the States General for confirmation. , For these privileges the Company was to pay one hundred and fifty thousand gulden, which amount the States General subscribed towards the capital, for the profit and at the risk of the general government of the Provinces. The capital was nominally furnished in the following proportions : Amsterdam one half. THK \KTHRUI,A\DS EAST 1X1)1 A COMrANY. U) Zeeland one foiu'th, tho Maas ono eighth, ami tlio Novtli (Quarter one eighth, but in reality it was coiitributed as uiider: — Amsterdam ; ,/';},OSO,i:}() Zeelaud 1 ,'i7o,6o4 iJie Maas ^ ii^tterdam 174,o62 m AT .1 n ^ » Hoorn 268,430 The ^orth Quarter | E^j^j^^^i,,^^ _ _ 508,502 ' Total Working Capital ,/' 0,440,200 The Share of the States General 150,000 Total Nominal Capital. . . ,/"6,o!)0,200 The capital was divided in shares of ,/'3000. The shares, often subdivided into fractions, were negotiable like any other property, and rose or fell in value according to the position of the Company at any time. The advantage which the State derived from the creation of this great Association was apparent. The sums received in payment of import dues would have been contributed to an equal extent by individual traders. The amounts paid for the renewal of the char- ter, — in 1647 the Company paid /' 1,600,000 for its renewal for twenty-five years, and still larger sums were paid subsequently, — might have been derived from trading licenses. The Company frequently aided the Republic with loans of large amount when the State was in temporary need, but loans could then have been raised in the modern method whenever necessary. Apart from these services, however, there was one supreme advantage gained by the creation of the East India Company which could not have been obtained from individual traders. A powerful navy was called into existence, great armed fleets working in unison and sub- ject to the same control were always ready to assist the State. What must otherwise have been an element of weakness, a vast number of merchant ships scattered over the ocean and ready to fall a prey to an enemy's cruisers, was turned into a bulwark of strength for the State in time of trouble. In course of time several modifications took place in the con- stitution of the Company, and the difforent provinces as well as various cities were granted the privilege of having representatives in 01: e or other of the Chambers. Thus the Provinces Grelderland, Utrecht, and Friesland, and the Cities Dordrecht, Haarlem, Leiden, and Gouda had each a representative in the Chamber of Amsterdam ; ^ 20 CHRONIC! KS OF CAPE COMMANDERS. Il I Qroningen had u representative in the Chamber of Zeeland, Overyssol one in the Chamber of Delft, &o. The object of this ^^'as to make the Company represent the whole Republic. Notwithstanding snch regulations, however, the City of Amster- dam soon came to exercise an immoderate influence in the direction. In 1G72 it was estimated that shares equal to three fourths of the whole capital were owned there, and of the twenty -five Directors of the local Chamber, eighteen were chosen by the burgomasters of the city. Fortunately, the charter secured to the other Chambers a stated proportion of patronage and trade. The Company rapidly acquired extensive possessions in the East. Its dividends to the shareholders were enormous, rising in one year to seventy-five per cent on the paid up capital, and for upwards of a century averaging above twenty per cent. In 1610 the first Governor-General of Netherlands India was appointed. In 1616 the Chamber of Seventeen resolved that its outward bound fleets should always pat into Table Bay to refresh the crews.* In 1619 it was in contemplation to form a victualling station here, but the idea was soon abandoned. From 1616, however, Dutch fleets put into Table Bay almost every season. A kind of post office was established by marking the dates of arrivals and departures on stones and burying letters in places indicated. But no attempt was made to explore the country, 80 that in the middle of the century nothing more concerning it was known than the early Portuguese navigators had placed on record. Resolution of the Chamber of Seventeen of 7th of August 1616.— Archives at the Hague. IS. 3er of Zeeland, (bject of this -was ic. ) City of Amster- I in the direction. 56 fourths of the •five Directors of gomasters of the her Chambei's a •ssessions in the rnious, rising in capital, and for cent. In 1610 was appointed. i outward bound the crews.* In station here, but ible Bay almost by marking the trying letters in ore the country, )ncerning it was aced on record. ii fl at the Hague. vi^-" o ,^,.,...v....... J^frrtu'^i / ,/-.V'.yi;i/r,;W -AA^-— '- '■) .N t'ttll'itr.i. r „,.t ?.( .Virrtf fi^'/ /.■..•»■,.•' ,-' . \ Aif. i\ r-./' li^ AwA'-^"' ,._^, //iy-v... i'V^'-""" X., /./,i.r I ■:■//./. \ J J -- -\-.- » »//■., ^-- '^^^, Hffuri.-' fiiumJi" •» **t _ _.. I — T- -% ;v u .■' • ~~ ,r-i - V ■^• i'V- - ■lai.w ' UjI^. 11 ''^''''■'j''"'''_^^ "'s i 'i,i>'S /,T«p f'4**7-..f. VV ^-^ ■,) U) t,'"""?^ j> A<^ . ■} :^H "i!^. :k fi'tnrui ■ • 'Ji Ae« g«S .--•*/ Miiit.tVliii.'* _^. N 1^ *.•.!, if ^ll'ta?rt i. ^ ri. • «*' "J^^-w-s •A i iJ i a> ,i ! i f" - Presentatiol tiig( wre Con to t prev Exp Dep Arri time hour fort liaiq with The ill So of K Beau -Ga barte The Soutl 0\ the 26i to be derii to the Dire lands Chan Jansz, or J signature a the docume contains no )e ascertain uore than 1 )erienoe of TheB )ut into Tfi obtained, ai ^iie strong! u saving nc argo. Th( CIIAPTEE II. 1648—1653. Presentation of a document to the Chamber of Amsterdam, setting forth the advan- tages to be gained by foriuiug a settlement in Table Valley. — Account of the wreck of the Hdar/cm.—Dclibevationa of the Directors of the East India Company. — Decision to fonn a victualling station at the Cape.— Instructions to the skippers of the Dromedaris, Reiger, and Goede Hoop. — Character and previous occupations of Jan van Riebeek, who is appointed Commander of the Expedition. — Instructions given to the Commander by the Directors. — Departure of the Expedition from Amsterdam. — Events during the passage. — Arrival of the Expedition in Table Bay. — Condition of Table Valley at that time. — Description of natives residing there and roaming about in the neigh- bourhood. — Selection of a site for a fort. — Description of the ground plan of the fort Good Hope. — Landing of the Expedition. — Quarrels between the Goring- haiquas and Goringhaikonas. — Distress of the Europeans. — Arrival of ships with many sick men who are left at the Cape. — Effects of the winter rains. — The Sick Visitor AVillem Barents Wylant.— First birth of a European child in Soutli Africa. — Abundance of game. — Projected whale fishery. —Productions of llobben Ifland. — Inspection of the country back of the Devil's Peak. — Beautiful forests found there. — Desertion of four workmen and their adventures. — (lardens planted. Voyage of the Goalc Hoop to Saldanha Bay. — Cattle barter with the (iniinghaiquas. — The interpreter Harry and his niece Eva. — The Goringhaiquas leave the neiglibourhood of the Cape. — Effects of the Southeasters. — I'l iductions of the gardens. — Diet of the workmen. I On the 26tli of July 16-A9, a docimient setting forth the advantages jto be derived from the occupation of Table Valley w^as presented [to the Directors of the Amsterdam Chamber of the United Nether- [lands Chartered East India Company. It was written by Leendert Tansz, or Janssen as the name would be AVTitten now, and bore his signature and that of Nicholas Proot. The style and wording of ^he document show that its author was a man of observation, but it contains no clue by which his position in the Company's service can 3e ascertained. He and Proot had resided in Table Valley for lore than five months, and they could therefore speak from ex- perience of its capabilities. The Haarlem, one of the finest of the Company's ships, had put into Table Bay for fresh water and whatever else coidd be bbtained, and in a gale had been driven on the Blueberg beach. ?he strongly timbered vessel held together, and the crew succeeded 11 saving not only their own effects but the ship's stores and the |argo. The neighbourhood of the wi'eck was not a desirable site Ufvtf'^ H I 22 CHROXICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. for a camping ground, and therefore when the Company's goods were seciu'ed against the weather, and a small fort had been con- structed in which a few soldiers could be left, Janssen and Proot %vith the rest of the crew removed to Table Valley. Close by a stream of pure sweet water, on a site somewhere near the centre of the present city of Capo Town, they threw up a bank of earth for their protection, and encamped within it. They had saved some vegetable seeds and garden tools which chanced to be on board the Avreck, and soon a plot of ground was placed under cultivation. Cabbages, pumpkins, turnips, onions, and various other vegetables throve as well as they hod seen in any paii of the world, and among them were men who had visited many lands. The natives came in friendship to trade with them, and brought horned cattle and sheep in such numbers for sale, that they were amply supplied with meat for themselves and had sufficient to spare for a ship that put in with eighty or ninety sick. Game in abundance fell under their guns, and fish was equally plentiful. They were here in spring and early summer, when the climate is perhaps the most delightful in the world. At length, after they had spent between five and six months very ' appily, the return fleet of 1648, under command of Wolle- brant Geleynsen, put into Table Bay. The cargo of the Ilnarkm. was conveyed to Salt River, and thence re-shipped for Em-ope. And when the fleet set sail, it bore away from South ^Vfrica men whose reminiscences were of a pleasant and fruitful land, in which they had enjoyed health and peace and plenty. The document which Janssen and Proot laid before the Directors of the East India Company took its tone from their experience. It pointed out many and great advantages, and overlooked all difficulties in the way of form i.ig a settlement in Table Valley. The author con- sidered it beyond doubt that fruit trees of every kind would thrive as well as vegetables had done in the garden made by the Haarlem's crew, that horned cattle and sheep could be piirchased in plenty, that cows could be bred and cheese and butter made, and that hogs could be reared and fattened in niunbers sufficient to supply the needs of the Company's ships. Then there were birds to be shot, and fish to bo caught, and salt to be gathered. He pointed out how little was to bo had at St Helena, and how necessary for the re- freshment of the sick was a victualling station between tlie Nether- lands and llie souroc^s of trade in tlie East. Already there was am])le experienci^ of tlie benefits derived by the piu'chaso of a few head of cattle and the gathering of wild herbs at the Cape. JAX VAN RIEKEEK. 23 There were sources of wealth also. Whales put into Table Bay at times in shoals, and could easily be made prize of. Seals were to be had in hundreds, and their oil and skins were valuable. The hides of the large antelopes would also in time readily find a maxket. The sickness caused in getting fresh water, by the men being compelled to wade in the surf at all seasons of the year, was referred to, and, as a contrast, a jetty and wooden pipes were pointed out. The natives were spoken of as a people indeed without such institutions or forms of government as those of India, but peace- ably disposed and capable of being taught. It was true that Netherlanders had sometimes been killed by them, but that was because other Europeans had taken their cattle by force. There was no doubt that they could leam the Dutch language, and in course of time could be educated in the Christian religion. Finally, the author expressed surprise that the enemies of the Netherlands had not already formed a settlement at the Cape, and with a small war fleet captured all of the Company's ships as they were about to pass. The memorial of Janssen and Proot was referred by the Chamber of Amsterdam to the Supreme Directory of the Company, who, after calling for the opinions of the other Chambers, and finding them favourable, resolved on the 30th of August 1650 to establish such a victualling station as was proposed. The deputies at the Hague,* who were instructed to draw up a plan for this purpose, availed themselves further of the experience of Nicholas Proot, who was then residing at Delft, and to whom the post of Commander of the Expedition was offered. On the 20th of March following, the Supreme Directory approved of the plan submitted by the deputies at the Hague, and the Chamber of Amsterdam was empowered to put it in execution. Thus twenty months were occupied in discussion before anything else was done towards carry- ing out the project. Five days later, instructions concerning the Expedition were issued to the skippers of the ships Broincdan's and Bciger, and oi the yacht Gocde Hoop. These vessels, which were destined to bring the party of occupation to our shores, were then lying in the harbour of Amsterdam. The Dromedaris was one of those old- fashioned Indiamen with broad square stems and poops nearly as • EV)ur deputies from the Chamber of Amsterdam, two from the Clinmbor of Zeelnnil, and one from eacli of the Hinall Cliambers foniicd a committoc otiUod the Haagsche Besoi^niPS. whose duty it was to aminpe doeumpiits for the Cliambcr of t>cventeen. The Indian eorrcsiiondence, in particular, was prepared by this body for submission to tlie Supremo Directoiy, The committee liad uo power to issue orders or instruutious of any kiud, JH :. 24 ( HROXICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. high as their main tops, such as can be seen depicted upon the great seal of the Company. In size she was but a fourth rate. Like all of her class, she was fitted for war as well as for trade, and can-ied an armament of eighteen great guns. The Beigcv was smaller, with only one deck, which was flush. She was armed also, but the number of her gims is not stated. The Gocdc Hoop was merely a large decked boat, and was intended to remain at the Cape to perform any services that might be required of her. The skippers Avere directed to proceed to Table Bay, and to construct close to the Fresh River a wooden building, the materials for which they were to take with them. They were then to select a suitable site for a fort, to contain space for the accommodation of seventy or eighty men, and to this fort when finished they were to give the name Good Hope. Four iron culverins were to be placed on each of its angles. As soon as they were in a condition to defend themselves, they were to take possession of sufiicient I'ich and fertile ground for gardens, and also of suitable pasture land for cattle. The frame-work of some boats was to be taken out, and the boats when put together were to be employed in looking for passing ships and contlucting them to the anchorage. All this being accomplished, the ships wej to proceed to Batavia, leaving seventy men at the Cape. These men Avere to pay special atten- tion to the cultivation of the gardens, so that the object might be attained for which the settlement was intended, Avhich was to provide the crews of the Company's fleets with refreshments. They were to take care not to injm'e any of the natives in their persons or their cattlo, but were to endeavom* to gain their attachment by friendly treatment. A diary of all events was to be kept, and enqumes were to be made for anything that could tend to reduce the expense or be of profit to the Company. A cop^- of the docu- ment signed by Janssen and Proot was annexed to these instructions for the guidance of the Expedition. Nicholas Proot having declined the offer of the Directors, they selected as the head of the settlement about to be formed in South Africa an officer who had been previ<3usly a surgeon in their service. His name, according to modern spelling, was Jan van lliebeek, but he liimself wrote it Joan van lliebeeck, and it is found in the records of his time also si)elt Uiebeecq and llietbeeck, the last of wliich forms shows the origin ol' tlio word. A sliii)'s surgeon of those days was reipiired to posf^ess some, skill iu dressiug woumb- and to have a slight knowledge of medicine, but was not educated as a i»hysieian is now. Very often a copying clerk or a soldier with •i r JAN VAN RIEBEEK. 25 no other training than that of an assistant in a hospital, if ho liad aptitude for the duties of a siu'geon, was promoted to the oliice. Mr Van Eiebeek was of this class, but he was nevertheless a man of considerable ability, who let no opportimity of acquuing know- ledge escape him. A little, fiery-tempered, resolute man, in the prime of life, -with perfect health, untuing energy, and unbounded zeal, he was capable of performing a very great amount of useful work. No better officer indeed could have been selected for the task that was to be taken in ^ and, where cidtm-e and refinement would have been out of place. He had been a great voyager, and had seen many countries. The Directors placed in his hands the document drawn up by Janssen, that he might comment upon it, which he did at some length. He thought that the settlement coidd be enclosed with hedges of thorn bushes, such as he had seen in the Caribbees, and which constituted the chief defence of the islanders. He had noticed how hides were preserved in Siam, and how arrack was made in Bata^^a. He remembered what was the price of antelope skins in Japan when he was there, and he had seen a good deal of Northern China, and believed that its varied productions would Homish at the Capo. In Greenland he had observed the process of ]irocuring oil from whales and seals, and saw no difficulty in carrying it out in South Africa. At the Cape he had resided throe weeks on shore, dming the time the cargo of the Haorlctn Avas being transferred from the beach to the fleet under WoUebrant Geleynsen. His opinions concerning the advantages of a settlement and the resom'ces of the country coincided mth those of Janssen, but they differed with respect to the character of the natives. Van Riebeek had frequently heard of wliite men being beaten to death by them, and he considered that it would be necessary in building the fort to provide for defence against them as well as against Em'opean enemies. He did not deny that they coidd learn the Dutch language, or that Chi'istianity coidd be propagated among them, but he spoke very cautiously on these points. If it were as Janssen appeared to believe, it would be a good thing, he observed. In this respect a olerg^nnan -would be able to perform the btst service, and if the Company chose to be at tL e expense of main- taining one, his presence would tend to the improvement of the Europeans also. In those days ships were not despatched on loiig voyages with such expedition as at present, and hence it need not cause any # 26 CHROMCLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. 1^1 surprise to find the Dromedan's and her consorts still in Netherl&nd waters in December 1G51. On the 4th of that month the Directors resolved that Mr Van Riebeek should have power to convene the Broad Council of the ships, and should preside therein, or, in other words, he was appointed Commander-in-chief of the little fleet. On the 12th, additional instructions were issued concerning the Expedition. Precautions were to be observed against surprise by an enemy. No offence whatever was to be given to any one calling at the Cape, except to subjects of the King of Portugal residing within the limits of the Company's charter, who were open and declared foes. No representatives of any nation were to be interfered with who should attempt to form a settlement beyond the Company's boundaries, but marks of occupation were to be set up without delay wherever the ground was serviceable. The Reiger was to be sent to Batavia as soon as her cargo for the Cape should be landed. The Dromednn's was to remain in Table Bay until the completion of the fort. There were strange rumours concerning the designs of Prince Rupert, and although the Directors did not credit all they heard, it was necessary to be constantly on guard. Ships returning homewards from beyond the Cape were therefore to be warned to sail in company and to be always prepared for battle. Attached to these instructions was an extract from a despatch of the Chamber of Middelburg, giving an aceoimt of Prince Rupert, One Captain Aldert, who had been cruising off the coast of Portugal, had just arrived at Flushing, and stated that he had frequently met with the Prince's fleet of eight ships, all of heavy burthen, and had seen them plimder a vessel of Castile in wJiich was a large amount of specie. The Prince had prevented him from making prize of a Portuguese ship laden with sugar. It was supposed that he intended to proceed to St Helena, and lie in wait there for the return fleet of the English East India Company. On the 15th of December, the Directors named David Coninck, skipper of the Dromedans, to succeed the Commander in case of any accident. The day following, Mr Van Riebeek with his family and some relatives of whom he was guai-dian embarked in the Dromedaris, which vessel was still taking in stores for the voyage. Among the Commander's relatives who accompanied him were two nieces, Elizabeth and Sebastiana van Opdorp, both of whom were afterwards married in South Africa. In those days, Then the United Provinces possessed the largest mercantile marine in the world, Dutch women often lived on board ship with their f .IAN VAX Rkl-;HKKK. 27 husbands, and children were born and grew up almost as in a village on shore. Hence the young ladies of Mr Van lliebeek's family probably did not look upon coming to South Africa as much of a hardship, especially as they were accompanied by others of their sex. On the 17th, the family of the chief gardener, Hendrik Boom, went on board, and a small cabin was assigned for their use. Shortly after this, everything being at last in readiness, the little fleet dropped down to Texel and cast anchor there, waiting for a favourable wind. On Sunday the 24th of December 1651, an easterly breeze sprang up, and about noon the Bromedaris, Rci(jei\ and Gocde Hoop, in company Avith a, great fleet of merchant ships, hove up their anchors and stood out to sea. The Dromedaris was now found to be so top heavy from bad stowage and want of ballast, that in squally weather it was dangerous to show much canvas, and it was even feared at times that she woidd overturn. In consequence of this, the Commander signalled to the other vessels, and on the 30th theii' skippers went on board and a Council was held. There were present Jan van Eiebeek, Senior Merchant, David Coninck, skipper of the Dromcdavis, Jan Hoochsaet, skipper of the Meir/or, and Simon Pieter Tiu-ver, skipper of the Goedc Hoop. Pieter van der Helm was the Secretary . The Council reeolved to put into a port on the English coast and procure some ballast, but the skippers had hardly retm-ned to their own vessels when the wind set in dead off .'he English shore, and they were obliged to face the Bay of Biscay as they were. Fortunately they had fail' weather, and as soon as they got beyond the ordinary cruising ground of the privateers, the Bromedaris sent nine of her heavy guns below, which put her in better trim. The fear of Prince Rupert alone prevented them from reducing her available armament still further. They believed he would not make much distinction between a Dutch ship and an English one, and for aught they knew he might have a Portuguese commission. Very likely he was somewhere between them and St Helena or Table Bay, on the watch for Indiamen, and therefore it was necessary to be constantly on guard and ready for defence. The weather continued favourable, and the vessels seldom parted company. On the 20th of January 1652 they were off the Cape Verde Islands, and the Commander summoned the Council again. The skippers met, and decided that as there was no sick- ness on board any of the vessels they would continue the voyage without calling. From this time until the 29th of March nothing 1 •^':i WMM'M«i» 'Ja'ji"flJlr:'Srij:r r ltf-C i» fJ ! Jtji 2H CHROMCLKS OF CAPK C'OMMANnERS. fi! of any note oceiUTod. Then, for the third time during the past-age, the Council assembled on board the Di'OiiiC(lai'ii<. The probable latitude and longitude the}' were in was first determined by the very simple method of striking the mean between their different calculations, and they then resolved to use every exertion to reach 34" 20 ' S, after which they would direct their coui'se eastwards to the Cape. On the (3th of April, about the fifth glass of the afternoon watch, the chief mate of the D)'oinv(htri.s caught sight of Table Mountain rising above the eastern horizon, and won the reAvr.rd of sixteen shillings Avhich had been promised to the first who should discover land. A gun was at once fired and the flags were hoisted to make the fact known to the crews of the Ilciyvr and Govde Hoop, which vessels were some distance to leeward. During the night the little fleet drew in close to the land, somewhat to the southward of the entrance to Table Bay. The 6th opened with calm weather, and as the vessels lay idle on the sea, a boat was sent in advance with the bookkeeper Adam Hiilster and the mate Arent van leveren, who had orders to peer cautiously roimd the Lion's llump, and report if any ships were at anchor. About two hours before dark the boat retm-ned with the welcome intelligence that the bay was empty, and as a breeze sprang up just then, the Pronnuon'fs and Gocdc Hoop stood in and shortly after sunset dropped their anchors in five fathoms of water, off the mouth of the fresh river. The Ii('i(/er remained outside all night, but e;irlv next morning she came running in before a light breeze, and at eight o'clock dropped anchor close to her consorts. And so, after a passage of one liiuidred and fom- days from Texel, on the morning of Sunday the Ttli of April 10o'2, Mr Van Riebeek and his party looked upon the site of their future home. The passage for those days was a remarkably quick one. The officers of every ship chat made Batavia Roads ■within six months of lea^dng Texel were entitled to a premium of six hundred gulden (£50), and the Cape was considered two-thirds of the sailing distance outwards. So that in 1652, and indeed for more than another centmy, anything below one hundred and twenty days was considered a short passage between the Netherlands and South Africa. The people on beard ha\'ing been so long "without fresh food were somewhat sickly, biit the death rate had been unusually small. The ])ro)iic(fnn's had lost only two individuals, one being a child of the ship's surgeon, who had his family with liim, and the other a .IAN VAN RIF.HF.KK. m CfU'penter who was ill when he left the Fatherland. No deaths are mentioned as having occurred on board the liciprr or Gocdc Ilonp. At daybreak Skip[>er Cuninck landed for the purpose of look- ing for letters and to get some herbs and fresh fish. It was usual for the masters of ships that called at Tnble 13a_\' to leave journals of events and other documents concealed in secure places, and to mark on prominent stones directions for finding them. This had been the practice for nearly half a centiuy, so that a fleet arriving from home always expected to get here the latest news from the East. In time of war great caution had to be taken, so as to leave no information that could be made use of by an enemy, but other- wise the practice was found to be very convenient. The skipper took with him six armed soldiers and a boat's crew Avith a seine. A box containing three letters Avas discovered, and a good haul of fish was made. The letters had been written by Jan van Teylingen, Admiral of the last return fleet, who had left Tabh' Bay (»n the 2()tli of February with three shijis out of the eleven under his flag. The others nad been lost sight of soon after passing the Strait of Sunda. The Admiral had waited here eleven days, and had then gone on to St Helena, in liope of finding the missing sliijis there. But in case they hould still be behind and should arrive in Table Baj^ after his departure, he lind left a letter addi'essed to their com- manders, informing them of his movements. In it he stated that he had only been able to procm'e one bullock and one sheep from the natives, though many cattle Avere seen inland. There were on board the missing ships some horses intended for the use of the people who were coming to form a victualling station, and he directed that these should bs landed and placed in charge of a cer- tain Hottentot who could speak English. The other two letters Avere addressed to the Governor Geueial and Councillors of India, and were left here to be taken on by any ship that might call. In the evening Mr Van liiebeek and some <5thers Avent ashore to examine the valley and select a site for the foit. It was toAA'ards the close of the dry season, and +he land Avas everyAvhere parched with ch'ought. The sources of the little streamlets A\^hich in winter ran into the fresh river Avere all dried up, and their channels Avere gaping to the sim. The Avild floAvers of many hues, which at other seasons of the A'ear delighted tlie eyes of Aisitors, Avere now to be sought in vain. The summer heat Avas past, but no rain« ha:! yet fallen to clothe the ground Avith a mantle of beaut j', '^.nd make it AAdiat Janssen and Proot had seen. II I; ( i i 1 ill 30 CHROMCMsS OF CAPF, COMMANDERS. In many of tli<» minor outlines of the vale the hand of man has effected a strikin^;- change since that day. The stream of sweet ■water, which the early voyagers called the Fresh lliver, then ran down its centre from the mountain to the sea. In the neighbour- hood of the present Church Square there was in winter a great swamp fed by the stream, where hippopotami often disported them- selves. All vestiges of this have long since disappeared. In other parts of the valley, hollows Iiavo been filled up and hillocks levelled down, and along the Hank of the Lion's Hump a slight alteration in the contour has boon made. The grand features of Table Mountain in the background, the Devil's Peak on one hand and the Lion Mount on the other, are all unchangeable save by untold ages of time. As Antonio do Saldanha, first of Europeans '.;o enter the bay, saw them in 1503, and as they are imder oiu' eyes to-duy, so were they seen by Commander Van Riebeek on that Sunday in April two hundi'ed and thirty years ago. When the boat returned, tAvo natives of the Cape Peninsula went on board the Droiiie(f(iri>i. One of them was a man who was closely connected Avith the Em'opeans for the remainder of his life, and was the same in whose charge the horses were to have been left, if the missing ships of Van Tejdingen's fleet hfid put into Table Bay instead of passing on to St Helena. His native name was Autshmnao, but, he was hotter known afterwards as HaiTy, or Heny as Mr Van Riebeek -vNTote it. He had spent some time on board an English ship, in which he had visited Bantam, and had acquired a smattering of the language of those among whom he had lived. This knowledge, very imperfect though it was, made him useful as an interpreter between the Europeans and his countrymen. The few families, — fifty or sixty souls all told, — forming the little clan of which Harry was the leading member, were then the only permanent inhabitants of the Cape Peninsula. Thpy had no cattle, and maintained a Avretched existence by fishing and gathering -wild roots. They called themselves Goringhaikonas, but were usually entitled Beaclu'angers by the Dutch. An impoverished, famine stricken, half naked band of savages, hardly any conceivable mode of existence could be more miserable than theirs. There were two large clans, which were possessed of herds of horned cattle and sheep, and which Adsited Table Valley and its neighbourhood periodically when the pasturage was good. One of these clans, knoAvai to natives as the Goringhaiquas and to the Dutch first as the Snldanhars and afterwards as the Kaapmans, .TAX VAN HIEBEEK. 31 had a fighting force of five or six Inmdred raon. Thoy were under a chief named Gogosoa, who had attained a very great ago and was 80 stout that ho was commotdy called the Fat Captain. The other clan was the Gorachouqua, nicknamed tlie Tobacco Thieves hy the Dutch. They had a force of tlireo or f(Mir hundred fighting men, and obeyed a chief named Choro. The Goriughaiqiuis and the Gorachouquas wander»jd about witli their flocks and herds, some- times pitching their mat huts beside Table Mountain, sometimes at the foot of Ilieboek's Kasteel, or in the vale now known as French Hoek. The smoke of their fires might at times be seen rising anywhere within the furthest mountains visible on the north and the east. The Goringhaiquas, being the most nmuerous and wealthy, were looked upon by Mr Van liiebeek as better entitled than the others to be called the OAvuers of this part of the country. They were feeding their herds on the other side of the bay when the party of occupation amved. On the 8th the Council, consisting of the Commander and the three skippers, met on board the Dfoini'dariH to aiTango for com- mencing the work on shore. It was resolved that they should land at once and mark out a site for *^he fortress. Exclusive of officers, there were one huncbed and eighty-one men on board the three vessels, and of these,, one ^ undi-ed were to bo set to work in raising the walls. The carpenters were to put up a wooden dwelling house and a store shed for temporary use. The men left on board the ships were to be employed in discharging the goods and in catching fish. This custom of bringing all matters of importance before a Council for decision was the usual method of procedure in the Company's service. Every ship had its Council, nominated by the authorities before she left port. When several ships sailed in company, the principal men in each formed a Broad Council for the squadron. A settlement such as that in South Africa was regarded as similar to a single ship in a fleet. It had its own Council, which was here for a long course of years a very elastic body, adapted to meet the circumstances of the times. It consisted of the presiding ofHcer, who had no higher title until 1672 than that of Commander, and a number of officers of inferior rank, who were usually appointed by some Commissioner on his way to or from India. When there were ships belonging to the Company lying in the bay, their principal officers and those of the Cape settlement formed a Broad Council, which was presided over by the highest in rank, who might be the Commander here or a • T>iiiii'iniT""' , I 32 CHROMCLES O?^ CAPE C'OMMAXDERS. stranger to the place. These Broad Councils passed resolutions concerning tlie most important matters in South Africa as well as concerning the affairs of fleets. The gradation of authority in the Company's ser^dce was very clearly defined. The Chamber of Seventeen was supreme. Next came the Governor-General and Council of India, Avliose orders and instructions Avere issued from the Castle of Batavia. Then its authority was spread out among a vast number of Admirals and Governors and Commanders, each Avith his Council, but wherever these came in contact, the lower in rank gave way to the higher. The Company's servants scattered over the eastern world were like a regiment of soldiers. The Chamber of Seventeen was the Commander-in-Chief. The Governor General and Council of India was the Colonel. The Admirals and Governors and Commanders were the Captains and Lieutenants and Ensigns, and Avherever a Captain appearci' the Lieutenants without question submitted to him. If the oificois of a regiment were stationed in many different posts and wt'c in the habit of assembling councils of war on all occasions, the parallel would be complete. This circumstance must be borne in mhid, as it gives a ch\ar insight into the mode of goveninient under which tlie occupation took place. ^Ii Van Iviebeek and the three skippers, having made an inspection of Table Valley, selected a site for the fort on the gi'ound close behii^vl vlie present Commercial Exchange. The outlines were the a rvirlced out, and the laboiu-ers commenced the work without delny. The fort was in the form of a square, with bastions at its angle;:. The lenf.,th of each of its faces was two hundred and fifty -two Ilhjiilaud ftet. The walls were constructed of earth, twenty feet in thickness at the base and tapering to sixteen feet at the top. They were twelve feet in height, and were Burmounted by a para]iet. liound the whole structure there was a moat, into which the water of the fresh river could be conducted. Within, there were some wooden buildings and a square stone tower barely rising above the walls. Tlie tower had a fiat roof, from wliicli its defenders could fire down upon an enemy who should attempt to scramble over the banks of eartli. The buildings were used as dwelling houses, barracks, and storehouses. In front, that is on the side facing the sea, a large space beyond the moat was enclosed with an enrthen wall so constnicted as to give additional strength to tho whole. In tliis enclosiu'e were the workshops and tlie lios])itnl. At th»> back there was a similar enclosure, which was used as a cattle ki-aal. The plan was altered sever the remai origij or b^ they woulJ own t TAX VAX RIEBEEK. 33 several times during the course of construction, in such respects as the thickness and height of the walls, but the general design remained as it was laid out on the 9th of April. Such was the original fort Good Hope, when it was completed. As soon as the tents were pitched ashore, the Groringhaikonas or beachrangers brought their families to the encampment, where they afterwards remained pretty constantly. Occasionally they would wander along the beach seeking shellfish, but as far as food was concerned they were now better off than they had over been before. Mr Van liiebeek had instructions to conciliate the natives, and in everything he did his utmost to carry out the orders of his superioi'S in authority. He believed that Hany especially would be of great service in conmiunicating with the inland hordes, and therefore he tried to gain his attachment by liberal presents of food and clothing. The others were often supplied at meal times with such pro^'isions as were given to the labom-ers, but Harry always had a share of whatever was on the Commander's own table. About noon on the 10th, as some of the workmen were busy with their spades and wheelbarrows, and others were beating down bushes and earth in the walls, nine or ten of the Goringhaiquas made their appearance. To the surprise of the Dutch, Hany's people immediately seized their assagais and bows, and attacked the strangers with groat fiu-y. Skipper Hoochsaet with a corporal and a party of anned soldiers ran in between them, but had some difficulty in separating the combatants and restoring peace. It was not four days since the expedition had arrived, and already the Eiu'opeans had learned of tlie bitter hostility existing between the different Hottentot clans. At no distant date they were to discover that the scene they had witnessed was tj^iical of the ordinary existence of the savage tribes of Africa. On the loth, the Sidontfimli'v, one of the missing ships of Van Teylingen's fleet, came into the bay. She reported that the horses and various Indian plants and seeds whicli had been sent from . Batavia were on board the other vessels, and must have passed the Cape before this date. It was afterwards ascertained that the 8hii)s had gone on to St Helena, which was then an uninhabited island, and that the horses had been turned loose there. The S/i/diiiniKif'r left here a clerk, named Frederii^k Verburg, and two workmen, and sailed on the 20th for the Fatherland. On the '2 1th, Mr Van Riebeek and his family left the Droiih'- f/ to def Ci n)maiider would have done all that a brave and faithful (officer could do to jirotect the post under his charge, but it was well for him that no enemy appeared. rrj ' JAX VAX KIEBKEK. 4t His cannon, he states, were so light that they would not carry a ball more than half way to the anchoi'age. The fort was com • manded by the flank of the Lion's Uurap, so that if an enemy of any strength once landed, it must have surrendered. Several of the garrison were disaffected, and a few of them were ready to commit almost any crime. It is thus evident that Mr Van lliebeek's means of defence against any force more formidable than a Hotten- tot horde were not at this time to be depended on. On the 2nd of March five ships '^rom India, under the flag of Admiral Gerard Demmor, arrived in the bay. That very morning the last ration of bread had been issued to the workmen, but there was then no fear of starvati<3n, for Mr Van Kiebeek was able to supply abundance of fresh meat and vegetables to the crews of all the ships that called during the next two months. On the 2(ith the Il(i((.s arrived from the Netherlands, and on the 14th of April the yacht Wiiuthond followed her in. On the 17th of April the bay was clear again, for on that day Admiral Demmer's five ships sailed for the Fatherland and the two yachts proceeded on their voyage to Batavia. But next morning the Muyden arrived from Texel with news up to the 2()th of December, and within a few days throe ludiamen from Batavia entered the bay, where they remained until the Gth of the following month. From these various ships the Commander was enabled to replenish his stores with everything that he needed, except the material for carrying on a whale fishery, which project he was obliged to defer still longer. A few weeks after the departure of the Goringhaiquas, some small parties of another clan living fui'ther inland arrived in Table Valley. Tliey had hoard that copj)or and tobacco were to bo obtained in exchange for cattle, and they came therefore to trade. This was precisely what Mr Van Uiebeek most desired. From them he obtained seventy-five head of horned cattle and twenty-one sheep, besides a few tusks of ivory. These figures added to thos(> previously given show the oxt(3nt of trade hero in the first year of the European occupation. On the 2nd of June tlie galiot Rooih' Vos, which had long been given up for lost, made h(>r a[)p((aranoe. Her skipper and mate had died at sea, and for three months and a half the galiot had b(>en boating about off the Caj)o, looking tor Table Bay. She was kept here, in order to bring shells from Uobben Island to be burnt for lime, wood from Hout Bay for fuel, eggs, birds, and coneys from Dasseu Island for provisions, and (jther such purposes. The Ztaniv I. m i,.i\ 11 I III II ii 48 OHROMCLES OF (APE COMMANDERS. Vos, wliicli had been employed in this service, was sent to Gam- broon with despatches. The second winter spent in South Africa was uneventful. There was plenty of food for all, and consequently not much sick- ness. Building was earned on in a satisfactory manner, oxen were trained to draw timber from the forests behind the Devil's Peak, and much new ground was broken up. Wild animals gave more trouble than anything else. The lions were so bold that they invaded the cattle kraal by night, though armed men were always watch- ing it, and the leopards came down from the moimtain in broad daylight and carried away sheep luider the very eye of the herdsmen. One morning before daybreak there was a great noise in the poultry pens, and when the guards wont to see what was the matter, they found that all the ducks and geese had been killed by wild cats. The country appeared to be swanning with ravenous beasts of different kinds. In August the ships Sfi/nniniidcr, P/nriiu; and Kouinr/ Dai'id arrived from home, and were provide-^ with fresh provisions during their stay. On board the P/ia>iii.r was a young man named Jacob Ryniers, who held tlie rank of Junior Merchant, and whom the Commander was de^iirous of having for an assistant. He therefore convened a Broad Covmcil, and represented that in case of his death or temporary absence from the fort there was no one of higher rank than a sergeant to perfonn his duties, in which event the Company's property would be exposed to much hazard. The Council thereupon agreed that Mr Ryniers should remain at the Cape. He was the first who held the office of Secunde, or second in authority, in the settlement. Three months later he was married to Miss Elizabeth van Opdoi-ji, niece and ward of Mr Van Ilieboek. On tliH '2nd of September a small pai-ty of Hottentots came to the fort with a few cattle for sale, but as they were not followed by others, the Council ropolved to send the liooi/c Vox to Saldanlui Bay to ascertain if the Ooringhaiquas were in that neighbourhood, and, if so, to try and open up a trade with them. The galiot was just about to sail when Harry informed the Commander that he had hc^ard from two Hottentots that a large shi]) was lying in Saldanha Bay. Thereupon it was resolved to send Mr Kyniers and six soldiei's to ascertain particulars. After an absence of eight days, the pai-ty returned overland, with intolligence that the ship was under the French Hag and tliat lier crew had been engaged for more than six months killing seals on the slands. They had nearly c(mij)leted a cargo of forty-eight thousand skins and a good many JAN VAN UIEIJEKK. 49 (}ask3 of oil. Tlie skipper inteuJod to sail shortly for Rochelle, and very politely oll'eroJ to take any letters or despatches, which lie promised to forward to Anisterdain. TLe oon'espondenoe whicli is found concerning this event shows how lightly falsehood was regarded by Mr Van lliebeek. We must remember, however, that duplicity was in that age generally piactised by men in his position everywhere throughout Europe. He had the ideas of the seventeenth centuiy, not of the nineteenth, and one of those ideas was that d'^oeit was allowable in conducting public affairs. The Commander believed it to be to the interest of the East India Company to keep foreigners aAvay from South Africa, and he did not scruple to practise fraud towards them. Mr Ryniers represented that many of the French seamen wished to desert, as they were provided with no other food than what could be collected on the islands. Mr Van Riebeek thereupon called the (^ouncil together, and suggested a plan for damaging the French- man. It was resolved to send four men overland to Saldanha Bay with instructions to the officers of the galiot to entice as many as possible of the French seamen to desert, as by so doing the ship might be crippled and her owners discouraged from sending her back again. Frederick Verbiu-g, who understood the French language, was at the same time sent with a complimentary message to the master of the French ship. He was to say that Mr Van Riebeek regretted very much that he had no conveyance by which he could send a supply of fresh provisions to Saldanlia Bay, but if Monsieur would do him the honour of coming to Table Bay he would be very happy to furnish him witli abundance of everything, including geese, ducks, partridges, and salad, for hi^ own table. A letter was sent for the Directors, but the most important paragraph in it was written in a strange language, which only two or three persons in Amsterdam were able to interpret. There was notliing gained, liowever, by this double dealing, for the French skipper suspected that hostile d(»signs ^^ere enter- tained against him, and he took such precautions that only four of his men managed to escape. With these the llondc Few returned to Table Bay, having had no comnnniication with any Hottentots from whom cattle wore to be obtai'.ied. The parties who liad trnvollcd overland saw many rhinoceroses, and on two occasions wtTc obliged to make a (b^tour to avoid troops of elephants. On the ISlh of October th(> secontl child of European parentage was born in the fort Good Hope. The infant was a son of Com- I I '' m .1. Sm CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. mander Van Riebeek, and was destined to beooiije a man of distinc- tion. In 1709, when he was fifty-six yeojs of age, he attained the rank of Governor General of Netherlands India, which he held until his death in 1713. On the morning of Sunday the 19th of October the garrison was assembled in the great hall of the Commander's residence, where religious services were regularly held. The sentries were at their posts on the ramparts, and Ilendrik Wilders and David Jans- sen, the two cattle herds, were tending the oxen and cows, but nearly every one else was listening to a sermon which Dominie Wylant, the Sick Comforter, was reading. Ever since the Europeans landed, the beachranger Hottentots had been living mostly with them, the men idling about all day and the women and children carrying firewood and performing other trifling services in return for their food. They were now well clothed after their fashion, for the skins of the cattle that had been slaughtered were given to them to be made into karosses. As for Harry, the principal man among them, he lived in a hut not a pistol shot from the gate of the fort, but he had his food from the Commander's own table, and was supplied with bread and other provisions for his family in retui'n for his sjr"ices as an interpreter. When the Europeans went to their devotions that moning, all was otill and quiet as usual. There were no strangers in Table Valley, and no one was moving about, for a drizzling rain was drifting up from the Atlantic before a westerly breeze. When the sermon was over, one of the guards reported to the Commander that Harry with his whole family cari'ying his house- hold effects had left his hut during the time of service, but no notice was taken of this at the time. In a few minutes it was observed that Eva was missing, and then, just as the Conunander was sitting do\vn to dinner, came Ilendrik Wilders, the herdsman, with information that his companion hud been murdered and that the beachrangers had driven off forty-two of the cattle, leaving only two behind them. His story was that ho had come to the fort for some food, leaving the youth David Janssen in charge of the cattle, which were grazing at the end of the Lion's Hump. Upon his retiu-n he found the corjise of the lad, who had been murdered with assagais, and saw the cattle being driven hastily round the mountain. Mr Van liiebeek had tliroe Javanese horses, which had been sent from Batavia in the last ships thot arrived hero. Upon these, soldiers were luounted and sent round by Sea Point to follow up the botw them sevei his theb beeai only Sout immc amoi ^.- JAN VAN RIEBEEK. 51 tho robbers, while another party proceeded over the low neck between Table "Mountain and tlic Lion's Head in hope of intercepting them. But the pursuit was a faihu-e, though it was continued for .several days. On one occasion Corporal Jar van Harwarden with his company of seventeen soldiers nearly overtook the fugitives at the head of False Bay. but the sand was so heavy that the Eui'opeans became exhausted, and though all tlie cattle were then in sight, only one cow was recovered. A thoiisand times since then, this scene has been repeated in South Africa, but it was new to Mr Van lliebeek's experience. Its immediate effect was to incite an intense hatred of the Hottentots among the soldiers and other workmen. In consequence of this, the Commander was thereafter compelled to make the regulations prohibiting intercourse with them more stringent even than they were before. Diuing the next two months very few Hottentots visited Table Valley. HaiTy's people made their peace -with the Goring- haiquas, among whom the^ ' took refuge, and probably persuaded them not to go near the foi-t. The supply of flat copper bars, the only sort in demand, was exhausted, and without this article in stock very few cattle were to be had at any time. And so there was little trade done, and a great deal of suffering was tho result. In place -^i beef, the laboui'crs were obliged to eat penguins, and even salted seals' flesh. The theft of the oxen imposed additional toil upon them also. The fort was being enclosed with palisades, cut in tho forest behind the Devil's Peak, and instead of being drawn on a waggon these had now to be carried on the shoulders of the men. Beside this work, a sealing establishment was formed at Dassen Island, and a redoubt, which was first called Tranenburg and afterwards Duynhoop, was commenced at the mouth of Salt River. In December the ships Nanrffcii, Bm/a, and Lam amved from Texel, and were supplied with vegetables in plenty, but only three oxen could be obtained for them. They were followed early in 1054 by the Vtrilv, Kalf, and Dnidk, these six ships foiining the outward bound fleet of the season. The Vtrtle belied her name, for her officers were quarrelling so violently with each othei* tliat tho Council considered it necessary to })lace some one in authority iner thom all. Ft)r this ])urposo the Sccunde Jacob liyniers was chosen, and to enable him to fill such a position, the rank of Merchant was given to him provisionally. After his departure, the oflico which ho Yv\ held here remained vacant for some time. D 2 'A St" .'■>■ ■ »"il CHROMCLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. '1 ,^|l When exploring along the base of the mountain, one day a stone was discovered which contained some glittering specks, and on quarrying deeper it was found in large quantities. The Com- mander was nearly certain that the 8pecl.:s were silver, and to enable him to test the mineral, he sent a party of men to try and purchase some earthenware pots, which would stand exposure to intense heat, from a Hottentot horde then encamped close by. It is by casual references of this kind that a good deal of information is often conveyed. These naked Hottentots, it seems, understood how to make earthenware jars, and Mr Van Kiebeek had observed that the jars were so well tempered that they could be used as crucibles. Not one, however, was to be obtained. The Commander then caused several crucibles to be made by one of the Avorkmen who knew something of that business, and had a small quantity of charcoal prepared. The experiments made here with the mineral proved nothing, but specimens were afterwards sent to Batavia and to the Netherlands, when it was ascertained not to contain silver. The return fleet was now begiiming to be anxiously looked for, as supplies were expected from Batavia, and various necessaries were almost exhausted. Of vegetables there was abundance, but of nothing else. The few sheep, which the Commai;der was reserving for the fleet, were placed upon Kobben Island, where the pasturage was exceedingly good. Some European rabbits and a number of coneys were also turned loose there. A small party of men was stationed on the island to collect seal skins and oil, and look after the sheep. Repeated efforts were made to induce the Hottentots to re-open the cattle trade, but without success. One large horde had been plundered by Bushmen of nearly the whole of its stock, and there- fore had nothing to spare. Others wanted flat copper, the supply of which'^was exhausted. Hany was said to be somewhere inland, but the remaining beachrangers wore seen with Gogosoa's people, and the Company*8 cattle were recogniaod among herds grazing at the back of the mountains. The sailors and soldiers were eager to recover t'i.> stolen property and to take vengeance for the murder of the youth DaAnd Janssen, but the Commander would not permit any hostility whatever. He had received instructions to inspire confidence by kindness, and though he would gladly have seized a herd of cattle and made slaves of their owners, he would not disobey his orders. He states that it was hard to do so, but ho allowed the very robbers to shake hands with him, and actually repur- chased from them two or three of the cows which they had stolen. .TAN VAX lUKBKKK. n?, This kind of treatment dispelled the fears of the (ioringhaiquas so completely that by midsummer they came about the fort as freely as before, but would not barter their cattle for anything in the magazine. Most of the bcachrangers also returned, and finding that they were not to be punished, took up their residence near the fort again. Their principal service, as stated by the Commander, was to collect firewood, but as that was a great relief to the labourers, he was very glad to encourage them. The 6th of April 1654, being the second anniversary of the arrival of the party of occupation, was kept as a day of thanks- giving to God for the measure of success which had been attained. It was Mr Van Riebeek's desire that this anniversary should be observed as a holiday in perpetuity, but it seems to have been for- gotten as soon as prosperity retui'ned. Probably the distress in which they were, owing to the scarcity of bread and meat, and the anxiety wth which they were looking for the return fleet, caused them to keep this as a sacred day, for they had not so kept the 6th of April 1658. It was impossible for them to have a feast, but they abstained from labour and listened to a long sermon, and thus made the most they could of the occasion. By the 15th of April the supply of imported provisions was so nearly exhausted that the j)eople were reduced to two meals a day. All eyes were turned seawai *''~t relief, but not a sail appeared from the eastward. On the 18th the galiot Ti(fj) arrived from home, with information that secret orders had been sent to Batavia in 1653 that this year's return fleet was not to call at the Cape but to push on to St Helena and wait there for instructions. There was then only sufficient bread to last five or six weeks on the reduced scale, and no peas, beans, barley, or rice. It was there- fore immediately resolved to send the Tidp to St Helena to procure a supply of food from the return ships. The galiot was hastily got ready for the voyage, and sailed, taking with her the clerk Frederick Verburg, who was to represent the condition of the garrison to the officers of the fleet, and the assistant gardener, Willem Gerrits, who was sent to bring some young apple and orange trees from the island. The Tii/j) retiuTied from St Helena on the 11th of Jime, having been only forty-one d.tys absent. She had found the return fleet at anchor there, and had obtained a supply of rice and other pro- visions sufficient to meet immediate wants. Frederick Verburg, who left a clerk, returned a Junior Merchant, having been rais«d to that rank by the Admiral and Council of the fleet, by whom he ^K i u CHROXllLES ()F CAPE COMMAXnEUS. had also been appointed Secunde at the Cape. The gardener brought back some yonng fruit trees, which he had obtained from those long since planted and at this time growing nearly wild upon the island. After this the Tn/p was sent to explore the coast of Africa from the Great Fish River to Delagoa Bay, and then to proceed to Madagascar where her officers were to endeavom* to procure a cargo of rice. In one of the ships that called hero in 1653, there was a Missionary of the Society of Jesus, Martinus Martini by name, a German by birth, who was returning as a passenger from China to Europe, This man professed to have obtained from others of his Order much Vnow^:id'^e concerning the countries which are now called Zulul' ' Nf-tal, and Kaifraria, and he inforaied Mr Van liiebeek that ^ 1, a ^i .ergris, ivory, ebony, and slaves were most likely to be obtu, ued tl v in trade. He stated that Portuguese vessels hardly ever visited that part of the coast, and very few, if indeed any of that nation, were to be found south of Cape Conientee. In his instructions to the Secunde Frederick Verbui'g, who was sent to ascertain if Father Martini's account was coiTect, Mr Van Biebeek quoted Linschoten's description of the country as generally believed to }te accurate. The galiot ran along the coast, but did nothing to rectify the errors on the chart. It was during the winter season, and stormy weather was often encountered, A heavy surf was rolling in on the land, so I'hat after leaving Mossel Bay no communication was had •mih the shore, and upon reaching the latitude of Delagoa Bay, the Tu/p stood eastward for Madagascar. At the bay of Antongil the natives were foimd to be very friendly, and a considerable quantity of rice was pm-chased, with which the galiot returned to the Cape. In July two vessels arrived with siipplies. The first was the yacht Gomhhloem, from home, bringing with her an English sloop of seventy tons, which she had captured on the passage. The name of this vessel was changed from the Mevchind to the Koap Vofjel^ and as she was too lightly timbered for use on tliis coast, she was sent to Java. A few days later the yacht JliUifi amved from Batavia with a large quantity of rice. With her came the first of a class of persons afterwai'ds numerous in South Africa, and whose descendants fonn at the present day an imjiortant element in the population of Capo Town. Four Asiatics had been sentenced by the High Court of Justice of Batavia to banishment and hard labour for life, of whom throe were sent in the Haas to the island of I I mm JAN VAN KIEHKKK. 55 Mauritius, which was then in the Company's possession, and one was brought to the fort Good Hope. On account of the war with England, the Governor General and Council of India ordered a day to be set apart for prayer that the Almighty would bless their righteous cause and thanksgiving for the mercies vouchsafed to them. In the Indian seas they had secured five rich prizes, and had not lost as yet a single ship. Mr Van Riebeek considered that in the case of the dwellers in the Fort Good Hope there was cause for special thanksgiving. They had been in sore distress for want of food, and God had sent them abundance. He had so favoured the Tulp that she made the voyage to St Helena and back in only forty-one days. Then He had given to the Goudsb/orm such success that she had not only reached her destination safely and speedily, but also brought an English prize with her. And lastly he had filled the sails of the Haas with a favouring breeze, so that now there was plenty in their vores. The 23rd of July was for all these reasons set apart and oi^er' d as a holy day. On the 15th of Aiigust the yacht VUehnid arri^'ed from Texel, having made a very rapid passage, for she brought i. ws to the 19th of May. She was sent by the Directors to corvey tidings of the peace which had been concluded between the Stfi 3 and the Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Hereafter the English were to be treated as friends, for one of the articles of peace was that ships of either nation visiting the harbours of the other were to be permitted freely to purchase stores, provisions, or any other necessaries. A few months after this, the English ship East India Merchant , bound to Bantam, put into Table Bay, and was liberally supplied with vegetables. Her officers were entertained on several occasions by the Commander, and in return the officers of the fort were invited on board, where they were very well received. An exchange of presents took place, and a little trade was carried on between them. The conclusion of peace with their great maritime rival enabled the Company to send out this season without risk a large fleet to India, and in a short time no fewer than twenty-one vessels called at Table Bay on their way eastward. All were supplied with vegetables in abundance. Some of these ships had lost as many as fifty men on the passage, and when they dropped anchor had over a hundred helpless with scurvy. It would have been impossible for a little State like the United Provinces to keep great fleets afloat with Buoh a terrible Iobs of life occurring year after year, if it had not ! . ■ n ilTT'T 56 CHRONKLES OF C.\V¥. COMMAXDERS, been that the lower ranks of the service were very Iwgely recniited from foreign countries. The advantage of the Cape as a port of refreshment can hardly be realized without a knowledge of the ravages caused by scurvy in those days. The fresh provisions obtained here saved hundreds of lives yearly, and the detention was not so very great, for it was usual to put the feeblest men ashore and to take healthy ones in their place. The officers, in order to gain the premium of six hundred gulden for making the passage to Batavia within six months, at first sometimes ran past without calling, but when this became known the temptation was removed by adding to the six months the time spent here. During this summer from twenty to thirty men were kept employed at Dassen Island and Saldanha Bay in connection with the sealing establishments, and the galiot Roode Vos was engaged pretty constantly in going backwards and forwards. The Conmiander believed tJiat the profits on the seal skins alone would more than defray the Company's expenses at the Cape, but the Directors did not endorse his opinion. The Tii/j> was sent to St Helena for Bome horses which were taken past in a ship from Batavia, ard to try to recover those set ashore there from Van Teylingen's fleet, but she returned with only two. It was in this season that the first vine stocks were introduced. They came from the borders of the Rhine, and were received by one of the outward bound ships. Since the robbery by the beachrangers of the Company's cattle in October 1653, very little trade had been done with the Hottentots. These people were still treated by the Commander with kindness, but it was only because he had no choice in the matter. In this early stage of the Colony's existence, the policy to be pursued towards the natives was already regarded differently in the mother country and in South Africa. The Directors wrote to Mr Van Riebeek that the actual murderer of the youth David Janssen should be put to death, if he could be discovered, and that if necessary Harry could be sent as a prisoner to Batavia, but none of the other beachrangers were to be molested. Only the same number ai cattle as were stolen should be seized in reprisal, and none were to be taken except from the robbers. The Commander replied that it would be impossible to detect the real perpetrator of the murder, and that the robbers had nothing to be seized. He admitted that to retaliate upon their allies would cause a war, unless the whole were made prisoners of at once. The correct way of relieving the settlement of a horde of idle and useless robbers would be to reduce them to servitude. He maintained that (,' .? ;?■ IAN VAN lUKHKKK. 57 tho provocation received was ample to justify puch a proceeding, while the advantages of obtaining ten or twelve hundred head of cattle to breed from, and a large number of slaves for service on the islands and in Batavia, would bo very great. . The Kaapmans had of late visited Table Valley in large parties, and their conduct had every appearance of hostility. The Europeans were replacing their frail wooden houses with substantial brick buildings, they had turned about twelve raorgen of ground into gardens, and dull as the Hottentots were, they could not but see that all this industry meant permanent occupation. This was not what they desired. They were mlling for Europeans to come and trade with them, even to remain fo. months, as the ILutvlcm^H crew had done, but to be excluded for ever from any portion of their pastures was not to their liking. They came and made their huts on the very margin of the moat, r:nd when they were requested to move a little further away they replied that the groimd was theirs and they would build wherever they chose. Everything that was left unguarded was stolen by them. They even cut the brass buttons off the clothing of some children who v/cro playing outside tho fort. The workmen could only move about in companies and with arms in their hands. So apprehensive was the Commander that they would proceed to the length of attacking the fort, that he caused the sentries to be doubled and extraordinary precautions to be observed. Ila was under the impression that Harry was at the bottom of all the mischief, and that the Kaapmans were following his advice. If he could be communicated with and induced to return to the fort, all might yet be well, but where he was no one would say. Meantime it was with difficulty that the workmen were restrained from avenging the insults daily received. It was evident also that as long as the Kaapmans remained here, the clans friiher inland would not bring cattle for sale, because there were constant feuds between them. Mr Van Riebeek at this time began to conceive the idea of entering into a treaty of friendsliip with some of the inland clans, enemies of those who were giving him so much trouble. But nothing was then known of such clans beyond the fact that they were in existence. Their names, strength, relation- ship to each other, and places of abode, were yet to be discovered. The Commander had, however, no difficulty in finding men ready to go in quest of the knowledge rexj aired, and as soon as ho expressed his wishes a pai'ty of volunteers came forward. In the service of the East India Company, recruited as it was in all the Protestant countries of Europe, there were never wanting f 'T r ■, „.^i ,,rrr~l (^HRONICI.KS OK fAPK COMMAXni' RS. advontiirers ready for any enterprise of hazard or daring. And it was a feat almost of rashness in the autumn of 10o5 for a few men to attempt to penetrate the interior of this coimtry. It was cer- tain that there were enemies behind, and who was to say what foes and dangers there might not be in front ? Serving in the garrison of the fort Good Hope, in a capacity only one step higher than that of a common soldier, was a man named Jan AVintervogel. He had been the leader of a band of explorers in the service of the Nether- lands West India Company in Brazil, and had assisted in the discovery of a silver mine in that country. Then staining west- wards from the Atlantic shore of the continent, he had travelled until he had looked out upon the waters of the Great South Sea. How he came into the East India Company's service is not stated, but here he was on the 15th of March 1655 ready to repeat in Africa his exploits in South America. Seven soldiers volunteered to accompany him. Tne party was supplied with provisions for three weeks, and took six pounds of tobacco, six poimds of copper bars, and some beads, as samples of goods to be obtained at the fort in exchange for cattle. Their instnictions were to learn as much as they coidd of the country, to try to induce some of the inland clans to come to the fort for the purpose of entering into alliance with the Europeans, and to search for precious metals. The route taken by this pioneer South African exploring party cannot be accurately laid down, but it appears to have been in the direction of the present village of Malmesbury. They came in contact "with a party of diminutive Bushmen, who were making ready to assail the strangers with bows and arrows when Winter- vogel went towards them with some tobacco in his hands and beckoning in a friendly manner. The savages thereupon dropped their arrows, and accepted the tobacco, with the use of which they seem to have been acquainted. Wintervogel ascertained nothing more than that they had neither cattle nor huts, and that they were enemies of all their neighboiu'S. He afterwards met several small parties of Hottentots, by all of whom he was treated in a friendly manner, and a large horde with great herds of cattle, of which they seemed disposed to part with some for flat copper bars and tobacco. None of them coiild be induced to come to the fort while the Goringhaiquas were in the noighboui'hood. One of the party, named Jan de Vos, died from having oaten too many bitter almonds, but the others mot with no accident. The explorers were absent from the fort nineteen days. They brought back some useful knowledge, JAN VAN UlEHEEK. -M) but the most important result of the expedition was in proving that such undertakings could be conducted with safety. The native difficulty came to an end for the time by the un- expected retiun of Harry to the fort. On the 2J3rd of June he made his appearance with fifty strangers, who brought forty head of cattle for sale. Ho made some very lame excuses for his long absence, and denied flatly that ho had taken part in the robbery of the Company's cattle or the miurder of Janssen. The Commander was so well satisfied with his return that he received him in a friendly manner and pretended to believe all that he said. From what occurred afterwards, it seems probable that Mr Van Riebeek's suspicions of the mischief caused by Harry during his absence wore correct, for a brisk cattle trade at once commenced and continued diuing the winter. Towards spring the natives by whom it was carrried on removed from the peninsula, and HaiTy then proposed that he shoiild bo sent with a trading party to the interior. The Commander called together a Council to consider this proposal, Frederick Verburg was absent in the Tulj), so that there was no one of the rank of a Junior Merchant at the fort, and the Council consisted, besides the Commander, of the pilot, the sergeant, and two corjiorals. The clerk Roelof de Man kept a record of the debates. It was resolved to send inland a trading party, to consist of the interpreter Harry and nine soldiers under command of Corporal Willem Muller. They were to take with them a good quantity of provisions, and for trading purposes flat copper bars, brass wire, beads, pipes, and tobacco, all of which was to be carried by fom- pack oxen. The party left the fort on the 7th of September, and was accompanied by a number of Hottentots, men, women, and children. They crossed over to the shore of False Bay, and then continued for some distance close to the sea coast, travelling a few miles every day. When the provisions were nearly exhausted, the Europeans were obliged to turn back, but they left HaiTy to continue the joiurney, and gave the merchandize over to him. They were absent four Aveeks, but made no discovery of any importance whatever. The jomnal kt 't by Corporal Muller contains only one item that is of interest. He says that they came to a certain great flat rock which was in their way, when the Hottentot women gathered some green branches and holding these in their hands fell prostrate upon the stone with their faces to it, at the same time giving utterance to some words which the Europeans could not understand. When I ' I '..«/:>• ■ ^ ,1 <-'ri^YTrrPTrfi'i^TT f ; ■4\ IW CHROMCI.KS OF CATK ( OMMANDKHs. asked what this meant, the women pointed upwaiils, as if to signify that it was an act of woi-ship. Hany did not retvirn until the 8th of December, when ho brought thirteen head of cattle to the fort, but it was discovered soon afterwards that ho had acquired a large herd in exchange for the merchandize and had reserved the best of them for himself. During his absence u clan that was very rich in cattle visited the peninsula. They came from the country about the north and east of Saldanha Bay, and were under a chief named Gonnema, who,on account of his dusky featiu-es, was usually called the Black Captain by the Eiuropeans. During the month of November there were not less than ten or twelve thousand head of horned cattle grazing within an hoiu-'s walk of the fort, ime of Gonnema's encamp- ments at Rondebnsch contained fully two hundred huts, which were ranged in a great circle, according to the usual Hottentot custom. The spac^es between the huts were closed in with thickly wattled fences, so that the whole fomuHl an enormous con'al, in which the cattle were secured at night. From this circumstance, a native village as well as an enclosme for cattle soon came to bo spoken of in South Afri<'a as a corral or kraal, a word then in com- mon use in India and America, though unknown to the Dutch and to native languages. From Gonnema's peoph' three or foiu* hiuulrcd head of honu'd cattle and as many sheep were obtained in barter, and a thousand of « ftvh could have been seeiu'ed if the stock of cojtper ha«'. lu.t be- come exhausted. The sheei> were placed on Uobben Island as a reserve stock, the ]>astnrage there being exceedingly good. The trade was carried on throUjjh the medium of two Hottentots who had jacked uj) a smattering of th(> Dutch langJiage. One of these was a beachnuiger called Klaas Das, because he had been sent to l>assen Island to learn Dutch fnmi the seal himters. The other was a Kaapman who was called Ponuin, because Mr Van Hiebeek said he looked as innocent and honest as a Dominie. He had been for some time living with the Europeans, and was believed to 1k» attached to tliem and faithful to their interests. Four years later they had reason to change their ojiinions concern- ing him. In September a cutter of eighteen or twetity tons burden was launched and nanu'd the liiil'lnjtirlil. She was built almost entirely of Cape timher, and was intended to be used in «'onuection with the sealing establisluuents. Tlie galiot liooi/f Vos was sent to Batavia, as she was needed there. Diuing the winter the other galiot bo- JAN VAN RIKHEKK. 61 longing to this place made a voyage to St Helena, from which island she brought some more fruit trees, some pigs, and two hoi-ses. Thou she was siuit to Madagascar to reopen the trade which liad been ooramonced in the Bay of Antongil. The Secunde Frederick Verburg went in her, leaving here his wife, to whom he had been manned only five months. The Tiil]> never returned to the ('ape. In the following year tidings wer(> received by a French ship which put into Saldanhn Bay that she had taken on board fourteen slaves and some ri(!e at Madagascar. From that date nothing more was hoard until March HloT, when fom* of her crew retmned in the French ship Mdi'irhnl. They reported that the galiot was wrecked in a hurricane on tin* 2nd of December 1 ().">.>. Tiie crew got mU\y to shore, and proceeded to the Frem-h settlement on the Island of St Mary, whi're they were attacked by fever, of which Frederick Verburg and eleven (jthers had dieil. It was in this year 1 (ioo that the Directors fu'st resolved to locate free families on ground about the foi*t, as a means of redu- cing the Company's expenditure. The plan had been found to answer well in India, and there was reason to believe that it would be ecpuUly su(!ces8ful here. Freemen would assist to defend the station, so that the garrison (H)uld be reduced, and they would grow food for sale at as cheap rates as the Company could raise it with hired servants. l^it as it wotdd take some little time to make the necessary arrangenumts, tiie Commander bethought him of a scheme by whi(th 11 lew of the most respectable of the Company's servants might be induced ultimately to nuikc South Africa their honu\ lie gave them ii(>rniission to cultivate little ganleus for themselves, with the right l're(»ly to sell tluur produce whenever then* W(>re shipH in the buy. The wife of the chief gar(h'ner llendrik lioom having been accustomed to dairy work at home, it was resolved at a meeting of the Couiu-il to lease the Company's eows to her, by way of encouraging individual enterprise. Boom liad a housct in the great ^.^arilen, and was ii steady industrious man. His wife, after the custom of thos(> days, was called from her occu- pation Annetje de boerin. The arrangcuicut niud«» with her was that siu' was to pay yearly fifteen gulden for llie lease of each cow, that she was to supply milk ami butter at li.\«'d charges to the Commander, — who was not however to demand all, — and that she could sell freely to the ships' people at the Itest prices which she could obtain. This lease of tows was the lirst tiansaction of the kind in South Africa, and it is so fully « 62 CHRONICLES OF CAPK <'OV.MAXDKRS. recorded in the dociinients of the time, togetlier with the reasons for entering into it, that it nier.ts a slight notice still. Besides the ships previously mentioned, before ihe close of 1(555 eleven bound outwards and twelve bound homewards called nt the Cape, and were amply provided with refreshments. There were more vegetables, indeed, than could be made use of. Two English ships also called, both of which were liberally supplied with fresh food. One of them was eight months from London, and after losing a large juu'ticm of her crew reached this port with the remainder almost h(>lpless from s(!urvy. The weakest of her men W(>n» taken into the hospital on shore, where the siime attention was paid to them as if they had been servants of the Company. The officers were frccpicnt gm'sts at the fort. And it may serve to show the price of garden produce in lt)55, to state that th-* charge made for as great a quantity of vege- tables as the nu'u chose to consmne was at the rate of two pence a day for each individual. In th(» early part of l()50 a large hospital was completed, in which sick sailore and soldiers could be proi>erly lodged and cared for. It stood in the enclosure, or honiwork, in front of the fort. The attention of the (\)mmander was then turned to the constnu'tion of a wooden jetty, to facilitate connnunication with th<> shipping and to enable seamen ea.tily to get water to thoir boats. Larg() and heivvy beams were cut in the fozest at Newlands and trano[)orted to the beach. There they were fonned into scjuare trunks, by fitting their ends across one another in the same way that log huts are l)uilt in (.^anada. The trunks were ]tlaced fifteen feet apart in a straight line out into the bay, and as iMich one was jMit together it was filled with stones so as to form a soliil pier. I -[ion these pit'rs a heavy staging wai laid down, and when, after two ytvu-s labour and by assistanci* from tho crows of calling ships, tlu' jetiy was completed, it was an exceedingly Holid structure. It was, in fact, prccisoly similar to tlit^ wooden bridges over many a broad Canadian river, whicli withstand tlu» pre.ssur*? of ice and water in the thaws and fresliets of spring. After the limxh' Vox was sent to India, tlu' galiot Xor/ifff/an was ke]>t here for general purposes. Among otlu'r service's, slu* wiw dis)iaUping through tlu^ valley and utterly destroyed it. But it was noticed that even when it was blowing a jiorfect stonn at the fort, there was nothing more than a pleasant breezt* back of the Devil's I'.Mik. The woodcutters in the l(»rest« fhen» reported that the wind never rose to a gale, and tlu* Commander himself, after freouently visiting the locality, was able to verify their state- ment, lie determined therefore to try if grain could not l)erais<>d at th'st Ronde I)ooni Uossien and afterwards ]{ondebos«'li, — a plot of grt»uiid was laid under the plough, and some wheat, oats, and barley were sown as un experiment. A small guanl house was built of sods, in which a cotplo of men were stationed to look i;ffer the griMind. The ox| erim(>nt was most successful, for the grain throve wonderfully well and yii'ldwl a very large return. li ' -■ Wt (TtROMCI.I'N (»F (Al'K iOMM,\>MJKI'S. The piP'i'ing habits of tho Hottentots had lllwa^.^ hof>n a somce of nuiii »j'diico to tho Europoans, but hithoi-to tho (' iinninudi-r bad nol prooe'-ded to tho length of punishing tho offondors. Tho bpachrangpi's in Table Valley wore supposed to bo under t lie juris- diction of Harry, who was now a rieh (iaptain, hanng a largo herd of oattlo i»m'(;hased, so the C!onimander states, with tho ('ompany's goods. One day a plough was left in tho garden, with a chain attaehed to it, which was soon missing. This articl(» coidd not be of any use f;) the thieves, and nnist thorofon' have been stolen purposely to annoy the F^uropeans. Mr Van Kiobeek hereupon caused throe head of cattle belonging to Harry to be soi/od, and annouiued tliat ho intended to keep them until the chain was restored. Harry })rotested that he was innocent of the theft, but th(^ Commander was firm in his rofiisal to give up the cattle. This course of action had the desired effect, for it was not long before the stolon article was brought back, when the cattio were released. The next dilliculty with Harry was conc«*rning tho pasturage. There was iu)t suiHcdent grass in the neighbourhood of the fort tor his cattle and those of the ('ompany, and so Mr Van lliebepk informed him that he must move. Harry rep;i(Ml tliat the grouinl was his. The ('ommander answered that tho ('ompany hrd taken i)08session of it, and would not ponnit him to renuiin uulcss he would sell some of his oxen. Mr Van Jii(4)eok tlien i)ropos(Hl a plan wiiich wouhl bo advantageous to both parties. Hany should become a groat cattle dealer, an«l unih^rtako to supply ten hood for (>ach large and fivt* for each small ship ent«n-ing the bay, also otu) ox and one sheoj) every fourth day for tho use of the garrisf)n. For those, which he was to punihase fv his countrymen inland, he was to bo paid such (piantities of ■ js ir and tobacco as wouhl leave him a fair protlt , Harry consenied, but after the v(>ry first delivery he broke his contract l)y moving away. Many of tho ijoorest of tJogosoa's [)eople as well as tho beachrangers w«>re at this time living in Table Valh\v, wh««-o they managed to exist by cutting and carrying fuel and occasionally performing any liglit labour in return for food. Tho scttlonu'iit WHS beginning to expand. In May the Coimcil rosolvoti to olTor to <,\\\ tho ukmi whtt had families with them OS much garden groiuid us \\u'\ . arod to cultivate, free of rent or tax for the (irst three years. At t]u> sanu> tim(> tlu^ women and children .^'ro struck olV rations and a money payment inst<'ad was mude to the heads of familit's, according t<» the cu.stom in India. This ivas a groat iuum^^t) to gardening, [xniltry reimng, and ii JAN \ AN UIKhKKl':. 65 other iiKbistrios. Aunotjo do boo: in, wifo of lIiMirivili»go(l to opou a houso of accoiniiKxliitiou, chit'lly lor visitors lioin t' ships. A similar lif'fMiso was }j;rniito(l shortly aftorwanls to tho wiii? of .Sm-gojuit Jan van llarwanlon. Tho (lamago oausoJ hy wild animals was vtny j^rcat. Thoy destroyed oxen, sheep, and poultry, hcsidfs trampliu}:;; down tho beds in the gardens and eating the young sprouts off tho vinos. It was not safe for people to go cut at night. (Mi one oceasion two guards at tho eattle kraal were badly wounded by a leopard, and once as the (\)mniander was walking in thf ganlen a lion was seen at no great distance. A fine largo stud horse, tho only one in tho settlement, was torn to pieeos and devoured close to the fort. The C(nineil then decicb'd to olfcr premiums for the cb'st ruction of these ravenous uninuils. Twenty-tive shillings was the reward olfered for a lion, sixteen shillings and eight pence for a iiyena, aiul twelve shillings and six pence for a leopard. In every case the (b'ad aninud was to be exhibited to the Comnuinder. Theso premiums, bo it remembered, rei)resenl a much greater purchasing power than tho sanu' amounts nowadays. At that tinu^ twenty- live shillings was a larger sum of money than a labourer eiu-nod in a month, and then- were very few individuals at the Cape who were gi'tting such wages. The Connnander himself was in receipt of only £7 lOs until KioO, when his monthly salary was raised to £10 1()8 8d. Siu'h large I'ewards a- these show therefore how destnuitivo tlio lions and leopards must have been. Tho skin of the first lion that was shot was hung up as a trophy in the great hall of the Commander's residence, wlu>re religious services were held. Tho next laws in reference to game were uiudo for the preservation of herbiverou aninuils. Tb(> Company kejtt two hunters employed in procuring venison for the us(> of tho ij;arrison. Every one else was prohibited from shooting other animals than those for which a reward was olfei-ed, und( r jutudty iif a line e(|ual to forty shillings of our nioiu'V and tho forfeitun* of 'he gun if it was private proitcrty. l>uring the winter ot Hiodlhen \\as a gooth of ,Fune m a 'lay of fasting ami priyer to the Almighty to have mercy ujn'o iheni. Tile pe(iple were admonished not to sit down to their nie.iis, w K'lnu' of tiiom had boon in tho habit oi doing, without lusk '.>g E i Hi n Jil| 4^i fl fi 1*1 66 CHROMCLE*. OF CWE COMM ANDKKS. a blessing from God before eating nncl retuniing thanks afterwards. Those who disobeyed this injunction were to be fined a shilling for the first offence, two sliillings for the second, and so on, in addition to arbitrary correction. A few weeks later a plaeaat was issued against bathing or washing clothes in the river above the place from which water for culinary puiiioses was taken, from which it may be inferred that perhaps the particular sin of which the people had been guilty was a disregard of the laws of health. In October it was arranged that for the present the Council sho\ild consist on ordinary occasions of the Commander Jan van lliebeek, the Sergeant Jan van Harwarden, and the liookkeeper Itoelof do Man. AV^hen sitting as a court of justice or as a military tribunal, the constable of the fortress and the two cor- porals were also to have seats. The records of proceedings were to bo kej)t by the clerk Caspar xixn Weed(% who was also to perform the duty of ftrtcal. On account of tlu're Ix'ing no clergyman here, marriages at this time took place before the Secretary of the (Council, but it was necessary that the baTUis should be published three times by the Sick (\:'Mfoi'ter. The ceremony was usually jiorfornuKl on Sunday mornings after tlie reading of the sermon. One or two niamages were «')lemni/.t>fl by the chaplains of Klii]>8 that called, as for instance that of the late Secundo Frmcrick Vorbiu'g, whoso bride was the cjcr^ vniaii'rt sinter. I'p to tlie end of l(i"j() the mamagrs that took ])laco in tlu* fort were as follows : — A«loli)hu8 BsMigevoort and Janneken WilU'ins, Jacob Uynieir and I'llizaliclii van OiKlorp, I Meter van l)iiyiu' mid S( hiintiiiua van Ojxlorp, .lai'obus van dcr Kerkhovcii uiul V^lizubofli Sfudi landers, and .Ian Woulcrs and Catharina, a Innd slave, dMu^litcr ai Aiitiioiiic, of Bengal. Marriages such as this last ^vere eneouraged in thos** days. Mr Van Itiebeek has left on record his ojiinioii of the advantages dorivors in th«» East, without whos" assistance their fortro8.M»» could ]i' ? have .-tou held so lon.r, and lie thoiight it advi.sabli» that the Nethcii Mi'l-iM HJiould have a similar link betwoeu theniselves and th( ;irl, who was placed in freedom by Admiral Bogaert, as soon ns she was 1)a]»tized was styled *• do oerhare jonge dochter," and the C-onnnantler's own ui«'(c was spoken of in pre- cisely tho same words. Tho number of foreign shi])s that called at the Cape was very small. Mr Van Uiebeek asked the Directors to give him explicit instructions as to the treatment of strangers, and was informed that they were to be allowed to catcli fish and to take in water freely, but that they were* not to be suppliwl with refreshments, as tho C!ompany needed all that e(nild 1h> obtained for its ctwn ships. Courtesy was to bi' observed, and the C/0!iuuander was to use dis- cretion and not give olTeneo lu'edlessly, l\ut the exjuniseof keejjing up an establishment at the (.^ape was incurre(l solelv for tho Com- jtany's own lienelit and not iov the acconnnocbition. of strangers. In the year l(iO<) forty-four vessels put into Table IJuy. Of these, thirty-tive belongeil to the Comi)any, five were English, and four were French. The English and French were treattnl in as friendly a manner as could have been e.\peetes«'nts wore made, though tho (^)nnnander in writing to the Directors excused his libendity by stating that the beef which on two occasions he sent on board wa.s of unsound cattlo. 1 i E 2 CHAPTER IV. 1657— 1050. TUo flrat Soutlj African C'olonlMtM, — Conditions nndor wliicli sonio of the Conipuny'H ^>l•rvllnt^^ Ihtiiiiii' (•i;!i!!.iMt.i. — 'i'lic ('oniiiilK.iiniit'i Uyliliif viin Ootin.-<. — Alti-nttion.s in tluMonilitionM.— ■riii'llr.'tt Hurnln>r("inni.'lH-nia.— The Per;,' Hivcr in di.'tcoviTi'd and iiainiti. -riii' I'aai'l Mimntaiii in naiiUMl. — l'iil)lic Wtii'kx. — .lounii'y of party under. Ian van llarwarden. — The Little Berg Kivcr in di.ti iivered jiiid named, -'i'iie 'I'ulliaKli liaxin and valley of the Urcinle llivi'r an- i«eeM (\t>\\\ tiie tnj) of tile mountain near the Little Herjf Uiver.- Imixirtat .>n of nlaves from .Vn^ola and (iuiuea. — I)i-.-*ertion nf .nluven. -Seizure of Hotten- tots an hontii};e.-< to lie delaincfl until the re.slollltioi, (if the MhlVe.-*.- (Jeiieral panie. — Ari-iiiin'-nirnts between I'iuropi'anN and IIott«'nfotj<.— Harry nent t^) uolilien Islauil. — Tradf with the CoclMxiuan under the ehief ()i>da.soa through Kva'j* a>{''n<'V.— U< mi innt ranees of th" farmers apiinst new ri'strictious. — I'riio of wheat.— N'iues |)lant<'d by the Ciimmander at Wynbern. — Introduetion of maize. — Two llur({1ier '.'imui illors ari'ai)piiiiitetl. — Sheep farmiuK. — Innti>.ii:'" of fsreat loss of i.ie by^si'urvy. — Moii> eotonists. — rnsnecei«.sfid attempt lO vinlt tlie Nanial»ruurv llJ-j? grouml WHS alluflcd to {lie tirst Itiiro-InTs in Sonth Africa. lUd'oro that dale individuals had hcca itt'i'iniltcd tr, make jj;ard«'ns for Ihcir own privalt' licndil, hnl tht'.st^ |icrHon.s htill nMuainotl in tlio (Joni- paiiyV Hcrvicc. They were ino.slly ju'tty olHtuTrt with faniilies, who (lr«'W nioiU'V instead of rations, antl who conlil ih^rivc a portion of their food from (heir f^'-anU-ns. as well as make a trille ocrasionally by the «uh' of vej^ct aides. 'J'li(> fi hurolicrs. as fhoy were after- wards termed, formed a Very dillVient ela--, as they whv subjects, not Hervants of the ( "..miiany. For mor(> than a yeurthe workmen m well as the ^ttHKt^tA been meditatinj; upon the ]irojcct. and rev«)lving in th»nr minda whether they would be bi'tter off as free men or ii» Hervant^ At l«Mio:th nine of them det«'rmined to nmke the trial. They fonned themselves into two parties, and after selectiug ground for otou- l||> ■A tw^ IVN \ \.\ lUKHKEK. piition, prt'wnted thciiist'lvos l)etoie tlic C'ouinil .'iiid roiicliKU'cl the final arrnngomonts. Tliorc wove present tliat d.iy at tho Counoil table in tlie Coniniander's hall, Mr Van Uii-beok, Sorgoant Jau van llarwardon, and tho liookkoeper lloolot de Man. Tho jiroccedings wore taken down at groat length by the Secretary (/'aspar van Woode. Tho firpt party ponsistod of five men, named llornian Uenia- jenno, Jan do Waoht, Jan van Passol, Warnar ('onielis8en, and lioolof Jansson. Thoy had selected a tract of land just beyond tiio Liosbook, and had given to it tho name of Groonevold, or tho (ireon Country. There thoy intended to apply themselves ohiofly to tho cultivati(m of wheat. And as llemajenne was tlie principal person among thom, they called themselves Herman's ('oloriV. The 80C(md party was composed of j'our men, named Ste]tlien Hotma,* Ileiidrik Elbrechts, t)tto Janssen, and Jacob Cornelissen. Tho ground of their selection was on this sidi' of I ho Liosbook, and thoy had given it the name of Hdllandsche Thuin, (»r the l)utch (rarden. They stat(* land tax. Thoy wore then to bo at liberty to sell, lease, or othorwise alienate tlioirgrounii of Jnltit, in the nHnnlN , having on board an officer of high rank, named Uyklof van Goens, who was afterwards Governor General of Netherlands Indin. He had been instructed to rectify anything that he might fhid amiss here, and ho thought the conditions under which the biu'ghers held tlieir gro\ind could be improved, lie therefore nnuU several alterations in th(>m, and also in8(>rtod some fresh clausos, the most important of which are as follow : — IAN \ A.N lUF.IlKKK. 71 Tlie froonicn were to have plots of land alonj? tho Licsbcok, in si/0 forty roods by two hundred — equal to Vi-, niorgen — freo of taxes lor twelve years. All farming utensils were to bo repaired freo of charge for three years. In order to procure a good stock of breeding cattle, tho free- men were to be at liberty to purchase from tho natives, until further instructions should be received, but they were not to pay more than tho Comi)auy. The price of honied cattle between tho freemen and tho Company was reduced from twenty-livo to twelve g\ddon. Tho penalty to be paid by a burgher for selling cattle except to the Company was fixed at twenty rixdollars. That they might direct their attention chiefly to tho oidtiva- tion of grain, tho freemen were not to jdant tobacco or ovon more vegetables than were needed for their own consumj)tion. The burghers were to keep guard by tmns in any redoubts which should be built for their proteelion. They were not to shoot any wild animals exeejit such as wero noxious. To promote Ihe destruction of ravenous animals the pre- miimis were increased, vi/, for a lion, to tweiit y-liv(! gulden, for a hyena, to twenty gulden, and for a Icojjard, to ten gulden. None but nuirried nu'u of good character and of J)utchor Oemum birth were to have ground allotted to them. Upon their request, their wives and children wero to be sent to them from Eiu'opo. lu every case they were to agree to renuiin twenty years iu South Africa. Unmanied men coidd bo released from service to work as mechanics, or if they wero specially adapted for any useful employ- ment, or if they would engage themsclvea for a term of years to the holders of gro\nul. One of tho most respectable burghers was to havo a scat and a vote in tho Council of Justice whenever cases atfecting freemen or their interests were being tried. lie was t(» hold tho office of Burgher Councillor for a year, when another should bo selected and havo the honour transferred to him. To this office Stephen Botma was appointed for the first tenn. Tho Connnissi(»ncr drew up lengthy instrmtions for the guidance of the Cape govermuent, in which tlio Commander was directed to encourage and assist the burghers, as they would relievo the Company of the paynu'ut of a largo amount (jf wages. There were then exactly uuu hundred persons iu South Aii'ica iu reooipt i. -."^u ^. A^ ^^^o. .or« IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) fe /. // 4^ #? ^ M :/ % 1.0 I.I 1.25 1^ 1^ i;£ IM lilM 12.0 1.8 14 11.6 V <^ /} o cr-l ^%. Photographic Sciences Corporation [\M)i:US. evening when the valley Ixy in deepening shadow, the range on the east was lit up Avith tints more cliariiiing than pen or pencil can describe, for nowhere is the glow of light upon rock more varied or more beaiitiful. Between the mountains the surface of the ground was dotted over with trees, and in the month of October it was carpetted with grass and flowers. Wild animals shared with man the possession of this lovely domain. In the river great numbers of hippopotami were seen ; on the moimtain sides herds of zebras were broAvsing ; and trampling down the grass, which in places was so tall that Gabbema described it as fit to make hay of, were many rhinoceroses. There were little kraals of Hottentots all along the Berg River, but the people were not disposed to barter away their cattle. Gabbema and his party moved about among them for more than a week, but only succeeded in obtaining ten oxen and forty-one sheep, with which they retimied to the fort. And so, gradually, geographical knowledge was being gained, and Monomotapa and the veritable Ophir where Solomon got his gold were moved further backward on the charts. During the year 1657 several public works of importance were undertaken. A platform was erected upon the highest point of Robben Island, upon which a fire was kept up at night whenever ships belonging to the. Company were seen off the port. At the Company's farm at Eondebosch the erection of a magazine for grain was commenced, in size one hundred and eight by forty fee\ . This building, afterwards known as the Groote Scliuur, was of very substantial construction. In Table Valley the lower course of the fresh river was altered. In its ancient channel it was apt to damage the gardens in winter by overflowing its banks. A new and broader channel was therefore cut, so that it should enter the sea some distance to the south-east of the fort. The old channel was tiu'ned mto a canal, and sluices were made in order that the moat might still be filled at pleasure. In February 1658 it was resolved to send another trading party inland, as the stock of cattle was insufficient to meet the wants of the fleets shortly expected. Of late there had been an unusual demand for meat. The Ani/ici)/ and S/of vrin Ilonliigoi, two large East Indiamen, had put into Table Bay in the utmost distress, and in a short time their crews had consumed forty head of horned cattle and fifty sheep. This expedition was larger and better equipped than any yet sent from the fort Good Hope. The leader was Sergeant Jan van JAN VAN KIKHEEK. 79 mee were Ilarwarden, and uiulor him were fifteen Europeans and two Hottentots, with six pack oxen to carry provisions and the usual articles of barter. The Land Surveyor Pieter Potter accompanied the party for the purpose of observing the features of the coimtry, so that a correct map could be made. To him was also entrusted the task of keeping the journal of the expedition. The Sergeant was instructed to learn all that he could concerning the tribes, to ascertain if ivory, ostrich feathers, musk, civet ^ gold, and precious atones, were obtainable, and, if so, to look out for a suitable place for the establishment of a trading station. The party passed the Paarl mountain on their right, and crossing the Berg lliver beyond, proceeded in a northerly direction until they reached the great wall which bounds the coast belt of South Africa. In searching along it for a passage to the interior, they discovered a stream which came foaming down through an enormous cleft in the mountain, but they could not make their way along it, as the sides of the ravine appeared to rise in almost perpendicular precipices. It was the Little Berg River, and through the winding gorge the railway to the interior passes today, but when in 1058 Europeans first looked into its deep recesses it seemed to defy an entrance. The travellers kept on their com'se along the great barrier, but no pathway opened to the regions beyond. Then dysentery attacked some of them, probably brought on hy fatigue, and they were compelled to retrace their steps. Near the Little Berg River they halted and formed a temporary camp, while the Sur- veyor Potter with three Netherlanders and the two Hottentots attempted to cross the range. It may have been at the very spot known a hundred years later as the Roodezand Pass, and at any rate it was not far from it, that Potter and his little band toiled wearily up the heights, and were rewarded by being the first of Christian blood to look down into the secluded dell now called the Tulbagh Basin. Standing on the summit of the range, their view extended "way for an innuense distance along the valley of the Breede River, but it was a desolate sc -ne that met their gaze. Under the glowing sun tlie gromid lay bare of verdure, and in all that wide expanse wh'oh today is dotted thickly with cornfields and groves and homesteads, there was tlieu no sign of human life. It was only necessary to run the eye over it to be assured that the expedition was a failure in that direction. And so they retm-ned to their companions aijd resumed the homewavd march. !^' 'J ' r, ?i;; I ill*' III 80 CHROMCl.F.S OF CVrF, COMMANDRKS. Tlio increasing woaknoss of sonio of the party caused them frecpieutly to lialt, but now tliey came across some small encamp- ments of Chariguriquas, and managed to obtain a few oxen and sheep in barter. One man died, and anotlier could hardly bear to be carried along for a day or two when he followed liis companion to the grave. The night before they reached the fort they were all sitting down partaking of the last ration of bread, when with- out any Avarning an enormous lion sprang Tipon one of them. Sergeant Van llarwarden fortunately had his firelock at his side, and raising the piece he presented the nuizzle to the lion's fore- head and instantly shot him dead. The man upon whom the beast sprang saved his life, but lost his right arm. Such were some of the perils attending exploration in those days. Previous to the }'ear IG-jS, the only slaves in the settlement were some ten or twelve individuals, brought from Batavia and Madiigascar. But as labourers were now urgently needed, the Company sent out the yachts ILis.svlt and 3I(iri(i to endeavom' to obtain some negroes on the west coast of Africa. These two A'essels cruised for some time off St Paul de Loanda, in hope of obtaining a Portuguese prize, and when that scheme failed the M(t)'i(t came to the Cape, and the Ilas.sc/f sailed to the Gulf of Giunea. In the meantime, on the 28th of March, the Indiaman Amcnfoort arrived in Table Bay Avith one hundred and seventy negroes. On the passage from Holland, she had fallen in with a Portuguese ship bound from Angola to Brazil, with more than five hundi'ed captives en board. IMie ship was old, and upon examin- ation it was found that she could not be brought to the Cape. The officers of the Indiaman, therefore, permitted her to proceed on her voyage, after they had selected and removed to their own vessel two hundred and fifty of the most valuable slaves, including all the big boys and girls. Of these, eighty died I jfore the Aiiiers- foorf reached Table Bay, and the remaining hundred and seventy were landed in a miserable condition. A few weeks later the Ilas-sc/f arrived with two hundred and twenty-eight slaves, out of two hundred and seventy-one which her officers had purchased at Popo, the remainder having died on the passage. The number at the Cape was now greater than was considered necessary, and one hundred and seventy-two were sent to Batavia. Of those that were left, eightj'-nine were sold on credit to the burghers at prices ranging from £4 3s 4d to £8 6s 8d each, and the Conqiany retained tbe remainder in its own service. and iher 11 the was were sold d to 1 its JAV VAX UIKHRKK. 81 Uno of the first regulations ooncorning thom was thfvi they were to be taught the doet.iUes of Christianity. ()ii the 17th of April a seliool for their instruction was opened by the ( vomniandor's brother-in-law Pieter van der Stael, wlio in 1()0() had suceoeded "Willeni Barents Wylant as Sick Comforter of the settlement. To all of them pronounceable names were given, and they were then sent to school for a short time every day. The reward of diligence which was held out was not exactly in accordance ^vith modem ideas, for it consisted of a glass of brandy and a little tobacco. For some days after the opening of the school the Commander himself attended, for the pm'pose of seeing that everything was conducted in strict order, lie has left on record that the prize offered was observed to stimulate the pupils to application. As to their food, it consisted principally of seabirds and seals' flesh. Mr Van liiebeek's testimony is that they were very fond of seals' meat, and there is no reason to doubt the accuracy of the statement. It was procm-ed in large quantities from Saldanha Bay. Four burghers, named Thomas Christolfel Mviller, Jmien Janssen, Joachim Elberts, and Gerrit Harmanssen, took out free papers upon condition of becoming coast traders. Th v purchased a large boat from the Company, -SNith which they plied between Saldanha Bay, Dassen Island, and Table Bay, bringing eggs, fish, oil, seal skins, salted birds, and dried seals' flesh, for disposal. They had liberty to sell freely to anyone who chose to purchase, at the hii^hest price which they could obtain, and the surplus was delivt ed to the Company at fixed rates, — the seals' flesh at 4s 2d tli ' udred pounds. The captives were subject to the caprice of thtir ners, though regulations were issued to protect them against gross ill usage. But whether treated well or ill, the natives of Guinea and Angola could not be reconciled to a state of slavery at the Cape, and as soon as they recovered from the effects of the sea voyage they commenced to run away. They knew that their own country was somewhere to the north, and in that direction they S9t their faces. Their desertion caused no little alarm among the burghers, who had pm-chased them upon credit, and who now saw no hope of freeing themselves of debt. They at once jumped to the conclusion that the Hottentots, — a good many of whom were then in the neighbourhood, — were enticing the slaves from service, an opinion which was shared by Mr Van Riebeek. Some Hottentot women, he observed, had often been detected giving them trifling presents of food, the object of which must W' 'li;' »!?' f. , . K;v. 82 CHROXKT.ES OF CAT'F, COMMAXDEKS. 'Hi 1 1 i: li. m t !' havfi been to induce tliom to dosort, and doubtless tlio Kaapmans were disposing of them by sale to people living further ijdand. A few weeks before this, the burgher llendrik jjoom had lost seven head of cattle, which had either strayed away or been stolen from the pasturage in open daylight. Old Gogosoa, the Fat Cap- tain of the Kaapmans, happened at the time to be within reach, and Jan Iteyniers with some other friends of Boom immediately arrested him and declared they would keep him in custody luitil the cattle were brought back. This bold act at first alarmed the Commander, who feared that it woidd create enmity far and wide, but no other consequence seemed to follow than that the whole Kaai)man clan instantly set about searching for the lost cattle, so that they were recovered within a few hoiu's. Upon the desertion of the slaves, the principal burghers came to the fort and urged the Commander to adopt the same com-se to ensiu'e their restitution. Thei'eupon Mr Van liiebeek called together a Council, consisting of the Senior Merchant AVillem Bastink, of the ship Prills Wtlh'iii, the Secunde lloelof de Man, and the Sergeant Jan van Ilarwarden, when it was resolved to seize the sou and heir of Gogosoa, who was called Osingkima by the Hottentots and Schacher by the Dutch, his brother Otegno aliaa Pieter, and another named Osaoa. These persons were sitting in the courtyard of the fort, unsuspicious of any danger, when they were arrested and conducted to the surgeon's kitchen, where a guard was placed over them. It was then announced that the prisoners would be kept in confinement until the runaway slaves were brought back. Next morning, Sunday the 2''ird of June, there was much ex- citement among t^ie Hottentots near the fort, and matters seemed so perplexing that the Commander called the Council together again. As soon as it assembled, came the interpreter Doman with the simple face, and tendered his advice. This individual had re- cently returned from Batavia, where he had picked up more knowledge than the Commander at first was disposed to give him credit for. However, he came back apparently as much attached to the Europeans as before, and even requested to be called Anthony, so that he might have a name like a Hollander. He now recommended the seizure and detention of Jan Cou, one of the chief men among the beachrangers, in order that they as well as the Kaapmans might be compelled to go in search of the fugitive slaves. No one suspected the beachrangers of having had any- thing to do with their disappearance, still it was resolved to h 1 W V\N KIKHRKK. 83 liavo Jan Con arrostod, tluit all iiioii uiiglit sou that tho Uouncil ilid not I'avDiir oiio clan moiv than aiiotlicr. N scoiio thontook piano in tho Council Chamber. Eva presented her.selt', and pas.siouately protested that the beacliraugers wore innocent of crime, but she accused the Kaapmans of all manner of roguery. Doman retorted, and repeated an old story of Jan Cou having stolen fourteen of tho Compan\'"s sheep, besides bringing to remembrance tho nnu'der of David Janssen and the robbery of the cattle five years previously. Each .abused the other and the clan to which the other belonged. Then Harry enter(>(l and infornitHl the Commander that the prisoner Schacher advised that one of the princi[)al men of the Gorachou(pias should also be seized, so that all three of tho elans might be interested in the restoration of the runaway slaves, Tho Council at once resolved that the leading men of the Gorachoiupias should be enticed into tho fort with fair words, and that the chief should then be seized and confined with tho others. This resolution could not be carried into effect, however, for as soon as the detention of Jnn Cou became known the Gorachouquas fled from tho neighbourhood. The Kaapmans and beachrangers scom'ed the country in search of the slaves, but only succeeded in recovering two of them. Three others returned of their own accord, having been compelled by hunger to turn back. Then the Hottentots abandoned tho pm'suit, and reported that they could do nothing more. On the 3rd of July the Coimcil met again, and as the position of affairs was critical, two officers of ships in the bay were invited to assist in the deliberations. All were by this tune convinced that the Hottentots had nothing to do with the desertion of the slaves. It was believed that the Gorachouquas, who had fled inland, would cause mischief, and that tho seizure of Schacher, becoming generally known throughout the countr}^ would deter others from bringing cattle to the fort for sale. The prisoners were becoming desperate, for they feared that they would be put to death. They made an offer to purchase their liberty with cattle, and gave it as their opinion that Hany was the proper person to be kept in prison. Then the misdeeds of the old interpreter were all gone over, and it was asseiled that the stock in his possession belonged of right F 2 I' '^m^mumtimmmmM'., 'ifummmimviK^i. 84 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. % f !'■ to the Honoui'able Company, having been purchased with goods entrusted to his care. It was resolved to entice him into the fort with fair words, to seize him, and then to take possession of his cattle, which were grazing near the old redoubt. An hour later, Harry was in prison with the others, and Sergeant Jan van Harwarden, with a party of soldiers, was on the way to Salt River. That evening the Council was hastily called together again, for it was feared that the Hottentots would attack the settlement. Sergeant Van Harwarden, \ipon reaching Harry's kraal, had found the natives hostile, assagais had been hurled at him, and before the cattle could be driven away one Hottentot was shot dead and another was wounded. The Sergeant succeeded in bringing in one hundred and ten head of horned cattle and two hundred and sixty sheep, but it was feared that the natives would retahate upon the farmers. There were then only ninety-seven Em'opean men, all told, resident at the Cape, and twenty of these were invalids who had been left behind by the last fleet. It was therefore resolved to land from the Priii-s WilA'in without delay twenty soldiers with a thousand pounds of gunpowder and two hundred hand grenades, and to mount two pieces of artilleiy upon the redoubt Korenhoop, which had recently been built to protect the grounds of the free fanners at Rondebosch. The bm*ghers were also to be armed, and anyone Avho did not possess a gun was to apply for one at once under penalty of being fined eight shillings and four pence. The next morning Pieter Otegno was released and sent with a friendly message to Gogosoa, requesting him to come to the fort and make an imperishable alliance, as the Commander was disposed to settle all differences between them amicably. The chief of the Kaapmans with fourteen of the leading men of the clan returned with the messenger, and stated that on their part they were most anxious for ])eace. Tliis being the case on both sides, the terms of a treaty W(n'c arranged without any difficulty. The clauses were in substance as follow : — Past offences on both sides were to be forgotten. In future, offenders on each side were to be punished by their own countrymen. The Kaapmans were to move to the east of the Salt and Liesbeek rivers, and to leave the pasturage on the Cape side for the use of the Dutch. But if they were attacked by enemies they were to be at liberty to remove to the back of the Lion's Head, where they would be under the protection of the Eiu'opeans. m'i JAN VAN RIEKEEK. 85 The Kaapmans were to see that their cattle did not trespass upon the cultivated grounds of the Company or of the free burghers. The Kaapmans agreed to do their utmost to recover fugitive slaves, and for each slave brought back +hey were to receive as much copper and tobacco as for the pure .se of an ox. The Kaapmans were not to preveut other Hottentots from coming to the fort to trade. The Kaapmans agreed to sell for copper and tobacco ten head o" horned cattle and ten sheep for every large ship that arrived, five of each for every small ship, and two of each every Sunday for the garrison. One of the Kaapmans \vith the interpreter Doman should go on board every ship that amved, and there should be given to him two sacks of bread or rice, two or three pieces of pork, and a small keg of brandy. These terms having been agreed to, Schacher and Osaoa were released from confinement, when to ratify the treaty the Kaapmans presented the Commander with ten cows and nine sheep, and received from him liberal gifts in return. The beach- rangers desired to make terms of peace at the same time, but the Council declined their proposals. Doman and others of his clan were inveterate in their animosity against these people, and, acting upon their advice, the Council finally resolved to transport Harry to Robben Island and detain him there. "With him were sent two others named Khaniy alias Jan Cou and Boubo alias Simon, who were informed that they would be kept upon the island imtil the murderers of David Janssen were surrendered by their clan, when they would be released. After a detention of about two months, however, these last were restored to liberty, upon the m-gent solicitation of their friends. As for Hairy, he remained upon the island, no one excepting Eva pleading for him. He might have had his Avives and children with him if he wished, but he preferred to be without them. In the meantime the slaves, the original cause of all this trouble, continued to desert from service. Some were recovered by the Hottentots, but many made good thsir escape, probably to die in the wilderness. The burghers were kept by them in such a state of anxiety, that at length many of them brought back those they had piu'chased, and requested the Commander to take them off their hands. They preferred, they said, to employ only such Europeans as th^ Company chose to release for that piu-pose, i r k. v.: t' ■ f '^£A<:i;ta^kJk;± ■ -^ k<> vju .-.A*^,.!^ 86 < IlKONICLKS OF CAPK COMMANDEKS. N rather than to be worried by slaves. Finally the Council resolved to place all the males except infants and very old men in chains, as the only possible means of keeping them in service. For some months after the settlement of the difficulty with the Kaapmans, matters went on smoothly between the Europeans and the natives. They did not come much in contact with each other. Gogosoa and his people kept at a distance, and so evaded the fulfilment of the clause concerning the sale of catti-?. The Gorachouquas avoided the neighbourhood of the fort, and only the beachrangers, who were few in number, remained. They were permitted to make a kraal at the foot of the Lion's Head, and there they lived in a miserable manner. Sometimes they were induced to collect a little firewood in return for brandy and tobacco, but no other reward was tempting enough to overcome their aversion to labour. Occasionally a party belonging to one of the inland clans brought a few cattle for sale, but the number of oxen so obtained was insufficient to meet the needs of the Company. In October a large and po^, erf ul clan, called the Cochoqua, migrated to within a few hoiu-s' journey from the fort, when it was resolved to open up a trade with tliem. This resolution was carried into effect through the instrumentality of Eva, one of whose sisters was a wife of Oedasoa, chief of the Cochoquas. The Hottentot girl acted so faithfully in the interests of the Europeans that a large supply of cattle was obtained in barter, and the Cochoquas were brought to regard the Dutch with great favour. There was a perpetual feud between them and the Kaapmans. Eva \isited the clan on several occasions, the first time alone, and afterwards accompanied by Sergeant Van Harwarden and a trading party. She gave them an account of the Christian faith, as she had learned it in the Commander's household, to which they listened with attention. Mr Van Eiebeek was greatly pleased when she informed him that though she left her Dutch clothes behind and put on the greasy skins of the Hottentots when she visited her sister, yet she never forgot what she had been taught nor omitted to say her prayers night and morning. In December the farmers presented a remonstrance against some new restrictions which had 'recently been placed upon them. The Commissioner Van Goens had accorded them the privilege of piu'chasing cattle from the natives, but at Mr Van Uiebeek's in- stigation the Chamber of Seventeen had withcbawn that liberty. The local Council thereupon made stringent regulations against ,IA\ VAN UIV.UKKK. X7 such traffic, and as the law now stood a burghor purchasing any animal, dead or alive, directly or indirectly, from a Hottentot, was liable to a fine of £o for the first offence, £10 for the second, and for the third to be prosecuted for persistent opposition to the government. All intercourse between the two races was so strictly prohibited that a bui'gher could be punished for pemiitting a Hottentot to enter his house. The privilege of going on board vessels three days after their arrival Avas also withdrawn, because some freemen had secreted themselves in the last return fleet, and special permission from the Commander was now necessary to enable a biirgher to visit a ship. Against these restrictions the burghers remonstrated, but to no purpose, for they were informed by Mr Van Riebeek that not v. letter of the regulations would be altered or withdrawn. In the same document the farmers complained that the price of wheat was so low as not to pay for its cultivation, and desired that it might be fixed at 16s 8d the muid. The Commander promised to support this request, which he considered reasonable, when a Commissioner should arrive, but for the present he Avas unable to raise the price, as it had been laid doAvn by higher authority than his at from £5 KJs 8d to £8 Gs 8d the load of three thousand six hundred poimds. The remonstrance was referred to the Bataviau Authorities, who instructed Mr Van Riebeek to pay for wheat at the rate of 6s lid the hundred pounds. In this year, 1658, the culture of the vine was extended beyond Table Valley. The first plants introduced had thriven so well that cuttings were plentiful, of which the Commander himself now set out twelve hundred on a farm some distance beyond Rondebosch, and thereafter called on this account the Wynberg, which farm he had been permitted by Commissioner Cuneus to make use of instead of the ground at Green Point. The bm'ghers were encouraged to follow his example, but most of them satisfied themselves with planting a few cuttings round their houses. The first maize was brought in the ILifoidt from the coast of Guinea. The farmers were required by the Commander to plant considerable quantities of it, because the slaves understood its culture, but thej- set about it very reluctantly. They preferred the friiit and grain of the Fatherland to such foreign plants as the vine and maize, of the manner of cultivating which they professed them- selves absolutely ignorant. When the time arrived to elect a bm'gher councillor, the free men were called upon to nominate some of their number, from fV III t 41 Yl 88 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANllERS. whom a choice would be made by the Council of Policy. They put forward Hendrik Boom, Jan Reyniers, Herman Remajenne, and Jacob Comelissen. Of these, the Council selected Hendrik Boom, but resolved to retain also the services of Stephen Botma for another twelvemonth, so that in future there should be two burgher councillors, one of whom was to retire every year. It had been ascertained that half-bred sheep throve better and increased more rapidly than those of pure Cape blood. The burghers were therefore prohibited from keeping any other than imported rams. As soon as the Company had sufficient stock, each farmer had his flock made up to fifty Cape ewes and one European ram, all other sheep being taken in part payment. The Company at this time kept about five hundred breeding ewes upon Robben Island, where a couple of men were stationed to look after them, and to keep a fire burning at night when ships were off the harbour. Among the ships that called in this year was one named the West Vriesland, which left Holland for Batavia with three hundred and fifty-one healthy men on board. A hundred and forty-eight days after sailing she put into Saldanha Bay, when her crew was imable to furl her sails. Seventy-two men had died, and more than half the living were then in such a condition from scurvy that they could not walk. In Saldanha Bay they received assistance from the free traders, and supplies of fresh provisions were forwarded from the Cape, so that the crew soon recovered. In all countries where land is easily obtained, where population is sparse, and the products of the soil bring fair prices, labour will be in demand. It has been so in South Africa ever since the day when freemen were first located on small farms at Rondebosch. The intention of the Company was to create a body of peasant proprietors, who would till the ground with their own hands, or at most with the assistance of a couple of European servants or heathen slaves, and for this reason the largest grant of land to any individual was only twenty morgen. But the farmers already began to aspire to a position in which their work would consist merely in directing others, and everything in the circumstances of the country favoured such a desire. There was thus a constant call upon the government, which may be summed up in the words proridc ns with cheap hiboiir. The Company had imported slaves from the West Coast, but that scheme had not been satisfactory, as has been seen, and now only European servants were asked for. Such of the gai'risou as were disposed grant Jax van riehekk. 89 to enter the service of the farmers were therefore pennitted to do so, but the number who took out free papers for that piu-pose Avas not very great. About twenty-five names are mentioned, but they need not be given, as none of these men remained long in the colony. At this time also several mechanics took out free papers, and groimd was assigned to three farmers named Johannes Louw, Philip van Roon, and Jan Coenraad Visser. The Council requested the Chamber of Seventeen to send oiit some families of poor but industrious farming people, to which a reply was received that efforts woidd be made to do so, but that it was very difficidt to induce such persons to emigi'ate to a country of which nothing beyond the name was knoAvn. A few were occasionally obtained for India, and if any of them chose to remain at the Cape when the ships called, they could do so. Any resident in South Africa could have his friends sent out to him, and proper care of females, whether wives, daughters, or affianced brides, would be taken on the passage. The Supreme Authorities w^re desirous of having the country explored, in order to ascertain what prospects there were of pushing trade in the interior, and Mr Van Riebeek was instructed to offer premiums for any discovery of note. The reward held out was sufficient to induce a party of seven burghers to volunteer to go in search of the powerful nation of Namaquas, of whose wealth and civilization Eva told very wonderful stories. It was believed that these people could be reached in from twenty to thirty days. The volunteers left the Cape on the 3rd of Feb- ruary 1659, taking %vith them on pack oxen a supply of provisions sufficient to last three months. They travelled northwards for twenty days, suffering much from thirst, for they did not knovv where to look for water, and from heat, for it was the sultriest month of the year. They reached the Berg River not far from where it empties into St Helena Bay, and noticed the ebb and flow of the tide in its channel. Their pack oxen were by this time so worn that they gave up the intention of pro- ceeding further, and turned back to the fort, Avhere they arrived on the 7th of April, without adding anything to the existing knowledge concerning the interior of tlie country. From the vintage of this season a small quantity of wine was made, for the first time in South Africa. The fruit used was Muscadel and other round white grapes, and the manufactiu'er was the Commander himself, who was the only person in the settlement ^j^ ■■fl ii li ^;l It III I ill inl 90 CHKOMCLES OK lAVV. COMAIANDKHs. with any knowledge of the manner in Avhich the work slionld he performed. The event is recorded on the 2nd of Fehrnary, and it is stated that the Sjxiiii.s/i grapes were not then ripe, though the vines were thriving. There is no mention now to be found of the introduction of vine stocks from Spain, but this observation appears to verify the common opinion that the hanepoot was brought from that country. This was not the only importation of plants of which the record has been lost, for the introduction of European flowers is not mentioned in any of the documents of that date still existing, though the rose and the tulip are incidentally spoken of as blooming at this time in South African gardens. Similarly, olive and mulberry treee are stated to be thriving wonderfully Avell, and currant bushes of three varieties are said to have died. There was quite as much thought bestowed upon the manu- facture of ale, as that beverage was used more generally than wine by the people of the Netherlands, and was considered indispen- sable for scurvy patients in the hospital. Barley throve well, and there was no difliculty in making malt, but the hop was planted again and again without success, though the greatest care Avas bestowed upon it. This industry was persevered in for many years, and samples of ale were often sent to Bntavia and to Holland, but always became som' before their de?>4nation v/as reached. At length it was found that the heat of the climate prevented ale being made for exportation, and the efforts were then relaxed. Every burglier was required to have a gun in his possession, and was at all times liable to be called upon to perform military service. Early in this year the freemen were formed into a com- pany of militia, so as to keep them practised in the necessary drill. They were enrolled in a corps with one sergeant, two corporals, and one drummer, exactly the same as the garrison of the fort. For the first year the Council of Policy selected Stephen Botma to be Sergeant and Commander of the Militia, and Herman Rema- jenne and Wouter Mostert to be Corporals, but subsequently all appointments were made according to the established custom of the Fatherland. A Council of Militia was created, consisting of the two Burgher Councillors, the Sergeant, and one of the Cor- porals, and to this body was entrusted the regulation . of all petty matters. Every year the Council of Militia submitted a double list of names to the Council of Policy, from which list the appoint- ments for the following twelve months were made. a com- JA\ VAX lUEUEEK. 91 Election by the masses was not favoured in the Nethei .nds at this period, and the nearest approach to such a system at the Cape was in the form of nomination of Biu'gher Councillors, which was observed for a short time Avhile the freemen were few in number anil lived close together. The burghers met in a body and put forward their favourites, from whom the Council of Policy made a selectioh. In 1609 they nominated in this manner Jan Eeyniers, Jacob Cornelissen, "Wouter Mostert, and Jan Kietvelt, of whom the Council of Policy selected Jan lleyniers to take the place vacated by Stephen Botma. In the ordinary Council of Policy a change was effected by the death in February of Jan van llarwarden, who only i few months before had been promoted to the rank of Ensign by the Admiral and Broad Council of the return fleet. The Fiscal Abraham Gabbema was allowed to have a voice and vote, and was released from his duty as Secretary, to which office the clerk Gijsbert van Campen was appointed. Sergeant Pieter Everaert, in right of his office as head of the military, took his seat at the board. ^^-^ m ii.' ^^W .*i i m ;MJ ■f -* -rma., ixttmmminK-t CHAPTER V. 1659—1662. ^U War with the Cape clans. — Conspiracy to seize a vessel. — Peace with the Gorinfihairxuas and Gorachonquas.— Duties of the Secretary. — Wreck of a French ship in Table Bay. — Illicit dealing in cattle. — Manner of conducting trade with the native?. — Traits of native charactei".— Seaich for the Island of St Helena Nova. — Expedition under Jan iJ.'nckert in search of Monomotapa. — Exploring Expedition under Pieter Cniythof. — Riebeek's Kasteel is named.— The Namaquas are discovered, — Description of the Naraaquas. — Exploring Expedi- tion under Pietor van Meerhof.— Pieter van der Stael's efforts to teach the Cape Hottentots the principles of Christianity. — Exploring Expedition -inder Pieter Everaert. — Feuds of the Hottentots.— Conliicting accounts of the condi- tion of the settlement. — Appointment of Gerrit van Ham to be Mr Van Iliebeek's .successor,— Death of Mr Van Ham at sea. — Appointment of Zacharias Wagenaar. — Mr Van Riebeek's farm at Wynberg. — Arrival of Mr Wagenaar.— Ceremony of his induction. — Mr Van Riebeek leaves for Datavia. — Condition of the Settlement. — Privileges of the Burghers. — Treatment of foreigners. — Anticipations regarding the olive. — Actual knowledge concerning the natives. — Faoulous accounts of distant tribes still b(!lieved in. — Neglect of the Government to keep a record of land grants. — Character of Commander Van Riebeek as delineated in his writings. — Ofiices which he filled after leaving South Africa. Early in tlie year 1659 when the Kaapmans moved with their herds to the peninsula, they found large tracts of ground at Wyn- berg and Rondebosch dotted over with the houses of the settlers. They could no longer graze their cattle on the rich herbage at the foot of the mountains, as they had been wont to do in days gone by, and their hearts swelled with bitter hostility towards the strangers. The white men, though few in number, possessed weapons so destructive that the Hottentots feared to attack them openly, but there was a possibility of driving them from the country by systematic plunder. The Kaapmans and Grorachou- quas tried this plan. They came down upon the farmers' kraals at night and drove the cattle away, while by day they were nowhere to be seen. One night Doman disappeared from the fort. He left his European clothes beliind, and the next that was heard of him was that he had been recognised as the leader of a party of plunderers. From that time he made his presence felt in the neighbourhood. He knew that in wet weather it was diflicidt for the Europeans to use their firelocks, and so he selected rainy days and nights for his cattle -lifting excursions. JAN VAX RIEHEEK. 1' a The harassed fanners soon grew tired of acting on the defen- sive only, and sent a petition to the Commander to be allowed to take revenge. Mr Van lliebeek met them assembled in a body on the Corai^any's farm at Rondebosch, and tried to argne the qxiestion with thera, for his orders from the Directors were emphatic, that he was not to do the natives harm. He considered also that part of the freemen's losses should be attribiited to their own negligence, as some of them often sent their cattle out to graze without a herd to look after them. He warned the burghers that the Company would not give them a second start in life, much less compensate them for any losses which they might sustain in war, but they asserted their willingness to take all the risk upon themselves rather thi ' . remain longer in a state of insecurity. They asked that the soldiers should bo employed against the Hottentots, or otherwise that they might be permitted to avenge themselves, for which purpose they believed they were strong enough. The Commander then summoned the Council to discuss the serious aspect of affairs, and invited the burgher councillors to take part in the proceedings. On tnis occasion there were present Commander Van Riebeek, the Secunde Roelof de Man, the Sergeant Pieter Everaert, the Burgher Councillors Hendrik Boom and Jan Reyniers, and the Fiscal Abraham Gabbema. They placed on record that the desire of the Europeans was to live in peace ana friendship with the natives, but it was impossible to do so as matters were going then. If messengers were sent to the Hottentots they woidd at once conclude that they were masters of the situation, and this could not be tolerated. The Council considered that there was ample cause to attack the Kaapmans and to do them as nmch injury as possible, that this course would be righteous before Cod, and such as they could be responsible for. The true object of attacking their enemies was not booty in cattle, nor revenge — for that belonged to God alone, — but to enable them afterwards to live in peace, and that the Company's designs of discovery by means of exploring expeditions should not be fnistrated. They then resolved, that as there appeared to be no other means of attaining quietness and peace with the Cape people, advantage shoidd be taLen of the first opportunity to fall upon them suddenly with a strong force, and to seize as many cattle and men as possible, avoiding all unnecessary blood- she4, but keeping the prisoners as hostages so as to hold in check those who should esoape. ??-. ^■t' fit: if 94 (:lTl?OM('T,FS or CVrE ("OMMAXnKRS. In tlio sottlomont at that timo tlioro was one 8inion Janssen, usually known as Sin:on in't velt, a nickname given to distinguish him from numerous otlier Janssens or sons of men named Jan who had no surnames. This Simon in't velt was looking- after some cattle, Avhen Doman and a ]mrty of Ilottenfot^ «'iddonly came upon him. He tried to prevent his cattle bein^ .a away, hut was overpowered and murdered with assagais. The news of this oeciu'- rence reached the fort within an hour after the Council had broken lip, and it was followed by a panic. The bcachrangers inmiediately fled from Table Valley, and some of the more timid burghers began to remove their families to the fort for safety. A few commenced to place their houses in a condition for defence, the example being set by Hendrik Boom, who had the best building at the Cape. Among the burghers, who so recently had been clamouring for revenge, there was nothing but confusion. ]i]ach one wished to have liis own way, and the wildest schemes were suggested, so that the Commander found it impossible to do anything with them as a militia corps. In this state of affairs, the Council resolved to release the slaves from their chains and to employ them in military opera- tions against the Hottentots. A few days later, those bm'ghers who had ceased to carry on their ordinary employment were fomied into a corps, v/ith pay at the rate of ten pence a day each, in addition to rewards which were offered for the heads of marauders. Some soldiers were sent to assist those who remained upon their farms, and ambuscades were planned for the enemy. But it was in vain that attempts were made to surprise them or to draw them into an engagement, for the Hottentots were as difficult to be reached as birds in the air. A virulent sickness o-t this time appeared among the horned cattle and sheep, so that of some flocks and herds not less than fom' out of five died. On Eobben Island only thirty-five sheep remained out of a flock of five hundred. What the natiu'e of the disease was is not stated, it is only recorded that famine was not the cause, for stall-fed sheep perished like the others. The Council attributed this plague to tlie direct action of the Almighty, and record^ 1 their belief tliat it was sent as a punish- ment for their sins. They therefore resolved to hold a prayer meeting every Wednesday afternoon at foiu* o'clock, to pray that God would withdraw His wrath from them and help them against theu' cuemies. . . IAN VAN UIKUKKK. 95 I Those enomios were certainly doing much mischief. The Europeans were harassed and worn out in looking for them, while they were never seen except where no resistance could be offered. At last the Council thought of Harry, the prisoiu;r on llobben Island, and resolved to make use of him as a guide to the secret retreats of his countrymen. For that purpose they decided to olfer him great rewards, but they placed on record that they had no intention of fulfilling their promises. A boat was accordingly sent for Harry, Avith a suit of clothes and a friendly message from the Commander, but before its retiirn the condition of aifuirs had assumed a new and entirely different jihase. Oedasoa, chief of the Cochoquas, having heard thet the Em*o- peans were at war with his enemies the Cape clans, had moved to- wards the fort, and was now encamped on the opposite shore of the bay with many thousand people. From his kraals there he sent messengers to the Commander, offering a close and firm alliance, which the Council immediately agreed to enter into with him. Eva and thirteen Europeans were sent with a present and instructions to discuss with him the method of ruining the Kaapmans and Gorachouquas, these being the common enemy. And so when the boat from Eobben Island reached the jetty, before Harry could put his foot on land, orders were given to the boatmen to take him back to his place of exile. The assistance which the Em'opeans desired of Oedasoa was merely a party of guides, for they felt themselves strong enough to win a victory if they could only be brought face to face with their enemies. But the chief of the Cochoquas either could not supply such men as were wanted, or was not so fast a friend as he wished the Commander to believe, for though deputa- tions and presents were frequently sent to him, he did nothing more than make promises. In the accounts which are given of interviews of the Dutch messengers with him, his Council is more than once mentioned, and it is stated that this Council consisted of old and experienced men. From this it may be inferred that the government of the Hottentot clans was similar in form to that of the KafHrs of the present day. The aiTival of a large East Indiaman enabled the Com- mander to strengthen the garrison with twenty-five additional soldiers, and to exchange some of his old hands for more useful ones. From another Indiamun he obtained eighty soldiers to assist in an expedition into the country. A Gorachouqua spy was captm'ed, and tlu'ough the interpretation of Ilany, who was ..-1^ > km^^^^ r iinii m M 1 hi ■, H I -I M CHKON'irT-ES or CAPE COMMAXDKnS. brouglit from Robboii Island for tho purpose, was compollod by tlironts of doatli to load tho way to tho camping })laco of the Kaapmans. Tho party marohod only at night, so as to avoid bt'ng soon, and intended to fall upon tho enemy at break of day. To encoiu-age the members of the expedition, thoy were promised a share of any captured (^attle, a reward of forty gulden for each prisoner, and twenty gulden for each one oi" the enemy killed. A premium of a hundred gulden was offered to any one who should apprehend Doman. But the expedition was a faiUire, though every precaution was taken to ensure success. The enemy always escaped in time, and at last Harry pointed out that the attempt to pursue them was useless, for they had men posted as sentinels on every hill. Shortly after this f ailiu'o, the fiscal Gabbema, with three horse- men, almost by accident encountered a party of five Hottentots, and killed three of them. Tho remaining two were wounded, one of them being Doman, who managed to escape, but the other was taken prisoner and conveyed to the fort. A fortnight later Corporal Elias Giers, with eleven soldiers, came across a camp of beach- rangers, which they quickly dispersed, killing three and wounding many. The beachrangers then solicited peace, and were pemiitted to return to their old location in Table Valley, while the Kaapmans and Gorachouquas removed from the neighbourhood, and for some months nothing was 1' ird of them. Harry was sent back to Robben Island, and with him was sent the captui-ed Gorachouqua spy. One night the prisoners succeeded in launching an old and leaky boat, with which they put to sea, and though the chances were all against them, they were driven ashore on the coast below Saldanha Bay, and safely effected their escape. As soon as the field was deserted by the enemy, the Council began to debate schemes for protecting the settlement from future attacks. Mr Van Riebeek brought to mind what he had seen in the Caribbee Islands, and favoured the plan of a thick hedge of thorn trees beyond the cultivated grounds. It was decided finally, as a temporary measure, to deepen the fords of the Liesbeek, to build three watchhouses along the outer line, and to put up a strong fence, throiigh which cattle could not be diiven. A thick hedge or belt of thorn bushes was afterwards to be set out. The watch-houses were built, and received the names of Tmii the Cow, Hold the Bull, and Look out (Keert de Koe, Houdt den Bui, ende Kyck uijt). Between them a strong fence was made, and in them were stationed a few horsemen, whose duty it was to patrol JAN VAN UIFHKRK. 97 along tlio lino. This t'orco wu.s tlu> Frontior Armed and Mounlod Police of the day, for th<^ lino was tlio wlonial border. At the commenooniont of Jiostilitios Mr Van UiebHek urged the Batavian Aiithoritii>s to supply him with a few more horses, as he iiad then only about twenty, inelinling young foals, and with the return fleet .sixteen were forwarded from Java. Some powerful , so that the Euroi)eans now felt themselves more than a match for a legiou of Hottentots. Towards the close of tlie year a plot was discovered, just in time to save a richly laden vessel lying in the bay. The sm-goon of the fort, William liobertson by name, a native of Dundee, came to learn one Sunday at noon that a largo party of men intended to run away witli tlie3-aclit Erdsimis that same niglit, and he at once gave hiformation to the Connuander. Thereupon some of the consjurators were arrested, when they confessed that they had planned to desert and march overland to Angola, but that when the Iji-asimis arrived in Table I^ay they changed their views and resolved to seize that ves.sel. Twenty-nine men in all were ascertained to have agreed to this project, of whom fifteen were slaves, and among the remainder wore individuals with such names as Colin Lawsou, John Brown, John Beck, and Alexander Craw- ford, all of Dundee, Jacob Born, of Gla-sgow, and Peter Barber, of llampstead. The principal conspirators were sent to Batavia for trial, and those who were implicated in a lower degree were heavily punished here. A result of this plot was that the Council resolved to send all the English and Scotch from the Cape to Batavia, so as to rid this place as much as possible of rubbish (omme soo veel doenlijck dese plaetse van alle oncruijt te suijveren). An exception was of course made in favour of the surgeon, who received a reward equal to £10 for having detected and made known the conspiracy. The losses from cattle sickness and the Hottentot war were to some extent compensated by a remarkably good season for agriculture. The crops exceeded the utmost hopes, and never before had food been so plentiful. During the short time the Cochoquas remained in the neighbourhood a great many cattle were obtained in barter, so that notwithstanding the mortality the Commander was able to supply the farmers with fresh stock. One of the regulations made during this year was to the effect that every burgher was to be at liberty to buy or sell anything whatever, except com and cattle, but the prices of all articles likely to be brought into the market were fixed by the government. The A-- 14' , I i I-' - m CHROXICLKS Ol- CAPE COMMAXDERS. iM fiscal and the two bnrg'lior councillors were required to go round at least once a month and see that everything Avas sold at the legal rates. In the early months of 1660 the settlement was apparently in a state of peace, but this wa? only because the Cape clans had removed inland f^r a time. AVitli their return to the peninsida, it was anticipated that hostilities would he renewed, unless some arrangement Avith tliem could he entered into beforehand. For such a settlement as would allow the Europeans to pursue tlieir avocations unmolested, Mr Van lliebeek and the members of his Council were most sincerely anxious. There Avas not a doTibt on the mind of any one as to the cause of the war. The Avounded Hottentot sA'ho had been made prisoner and brought to the fort by the fiscal spoke Dutch Avell enough to be understood, and upon being asked Avhy his countr3'men Avere stealing the farmers' cattle, lie replied that it Avas because the farmers Avere occupying Avithout their leaA-e land Avliieh had from time immemorial belonged to them. They could no longer even drive their cattle to the river to drink, said he, Avithout crossing cultivated ground, which they Avere not permitted to do, and the}' had therefore determined to try to force the intruders to leaA'e the countr3^ Soon after making this statement tlie prisoner died, and from that time Mr Van lliebeek ahvays gave this as the true origin of tlie Avar, Yet admitting tliat the natiA'es had natural cause for enmity, as tlie Authorities at Bata\'ia candidly did, it AA'as not possible to grant them redivss. The (piestion Avas A'ery simple. "Was the right of the nomad Hottentot elans to the soil to be admitted so far tiiat Europeans ought not to deprive them of any portion of it, or Avas the Euro])ean justified in planting his outposts in such positions as the Cape ? AssureiUy there could be but one answer, though it could be admitted at the same time that it Avas natural for the natives to resist the intruders. The Kaapmans Avere the first to make overtures for peace. Early in tlie year 1()G0 they sent a message to the Conuuander from 8aldanlia Bay by the coast traders, proposing a treaty of friendship. They asked for a Avritttni safe conduct, to be signed by the Com- mander, the Secunde, and the Fiscal, that tlieir delegates might visit tlie fort. This proposal emanated from JIarry nnd Doman, Avho had observed that a bond Avas preferable to a verbal promise. The safe conduct Avas sent as desiretl, and under its i»roteetion the tAVo former interpreters presented themseh'es before the Commander and settled the preliminary arrangements. mi TAN VAX KIKHKKK. 99 On the Btli of April, the fat captain Gogosoa, aocompaiiiGd by Harry, Doman, and forty of the leading men of tlib Kaapnian clan, arrived at the fort and eoncluded a treaty. The terms were that neither party was to molest the other in future, that the Kaap- nians were to endea\'oiu- to induce the inland clans to bring cattle for sale to make up for those which they had stolen, that the Europeans were to retain possession of the land occupied by them, that roads were to be pointed out along which the Kaapmans could come to the fort, and that Europeans doing wrong to the natives were to be severely punished. These terms Avere not aiTanged vuitil after long discussion and much argument, which was only ended by Mr Van lliebeek's plain declaration that the groimd would be held by th e sword. The Kaapmans, after ceding the point of possession of the land under cultivation, entreated per- mission to be allowed to come Avithin the boundaries to gather the bitter almonds and edible roots found in abundance on this side, but this it^quest was refused, because the bitter almonds were ne(ided for the liodge which was to enclose the settlement. They brought forward numerous instances of ill treatment from burghers, but Avere fain to be conteiated Avith an assurance that if they re- ported any such cases to the Dutch Authorities thereafter they Avould receive ample redress. Soon after the conclusion of peace Avith the Kaapmans, the (jorachouquas sent three delegates to the fort to ask if terms would be entered into Avith them also. The ansAver Avas in the affinnatiA'e, and on the oth of May, Choro, Avith Harry and Doman as his interpii'ters, and about a h'.indred folloAvers, appeared at the fort. Ankaisoa, a petty chief -of Gogosoa's clan, but Avho Avas not included in the treaty nf the Gth of A]iril, Avas there also. They Avantedto enter into a discussion about the ownership of the giomid along the Liesbeek, but the Counuandor abruptly informed them that notlung nuist be said on this subject again. Terms of peace similar to those Avitli Gogosoa AA^ere then agreed upon, in ratification of Avhich Choro presented the (.^ommander Avith thirteen head of cattle, and received in return a gift of copper, beads, pipes, and tobacco. The Gorachouquas Avere entertained, as the Kaapmans had been, with n feast of rice and bread, and as much spirits as they chose to drink. A tub Avas placed in Ww courtyard of the fort, and was filled Avith a mixture of arrack and brandy. The Gorachouquas then prepared to ct'lebrato the conclusion of peace Avith a grand danc(> after their nmnner. The men ranged in order, Avhile the Avomen seated themselves on the ground and set up a monotonous G 2 100 CHROXICl-ES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. chant, clapping their hands sharply at the same time. The dancing, or rather springing up and down and quivering the hody, continued for two hoiu's, while one after another the Grorachouquas fell to the ground, overcome by exertion and the strength of the mixtiu'e in the tub. . As each man fell he was picked up and cai'ried outside of the fort, where he was laid down in the grass to sleep. When at last the dance ended, only three or four men were able to keep their feet. This was the concluding festivity, and the Commander was thereafter enabled to say that he was at peace with all the people of Africa. About this time the Secretary Grysbert van Campen left the Cape for Batavia, and the clerk Hendrik Lacus was promoted to the vacant post. The duties of this ofHcer were then different from what they were at a later period, as the government changed to some extent with the growth of the colony. He kept a record of the proceedings of the Council of Policy, but had neither vote nor voice in the debates ; in the absence of a clergyman he performed the marriage ceremony ; he drew up contracts and agreements ; before him declarations concerning crime were made, thougli prosecutions were conducted by the fiscal ; and a great amount of work in copying letters, journals, and other documents, was per- formed by his hands. One of his most necessary qualifications was that his penmanship should be good, and now after the lapse of more than two centmies the beautiful black letter which the early secretaries wrote can be read b}^ those who know its characters almost as easily as print. The paper which they used was rougher in surface, but tougher and stronger than Ihat of om* times. Age has altered its colour, but the characters upon it, traced with a quill dipped in the blackest of ink, stand out in bold clear lines as evenly arranged as if the work had been done by machinery. They used fine sand to dry their writing, and today if the pages are held aslant in tlie rays of the sim the finishing flourishes are seen to sparkle in the light. Yet the g-eat grandsons of the great grandoliildren of those ^\•ho in early manhood traced those floarishes may have been in theh' graves long b(3fore any of the readers of these pages wore bom. It was necessary in this year to ai)])oint two new burgher councillors, as Jan lieyniers, having been ruined by the war, had returned into the Company's service, and llendrik Boom had served the full term. The free men nominated Jacob Cloete, Leendert Cornelissen, AVouter Mostert, and Jurien Janssen, of whom the (vouucil of Policy selected the second and third. The Council of .IAN VAN UIEliEEK. 101 Militia at the same time presented a list of six names, out of whicli Ilenclrik van Siirwerden was appointed Sergeant, and Herman Remajenne and Elbert Dirksen were chosen to be Corporals for the ensuing year. On the 9th of May 1660 the French sliip Mariclial, Captain Simon Vesron, from Nantes bound to Madagascar, put into Table Bay. She had all told one hundred and forty-eight souls on board, among whom were Lieutenant Pierre Grelton who was going out to assume the government of one of the French factories at Mada- gascar, a bishop, and three minor ecclesiastics of the chiu'ch of llome. On the morning of the 16th the wind set in from the northwest with rain, and gradually increased in force iintil on the 18th it was blowing a gale, while a heavy sea Avas rolling into the bay. The Marichal was riding with three anchors out, but her ground t",ckle was much weaker than that of a Dutch Indiaman of her size. Before daylight on the 19th the cables parted, and then, as there was no possibility of saving the ship, tlie fore-staj^sail was run up to cause her to swing, so that she struck the beach with her bows on near the mouth of Salt River. Some of her spars were then cut away, and a boat was got out, but was swamped and broken on the beach. When day dawned, the people on the wreck were seen to be making rafts, but they did not succeed in getting any of them to land. In the afternoon they sent two letters on shore in a cask, iu which they earnestly prayed for Jielp, and a whale-boat was then mounted on a waggon and conveyed to the beach. A line was floated in, and a strong rope followed, along which the whale boat plied once or twice, but only half a dozen men reached the shore that afternoon. In the night the gale abated and the sea went doAvn, so that there was no longer anj danger of loss of life, A place was then assigned to the shipwrecked crew, where they could put up tents and store the cargo. Several restrictions were imposed upon their liberty. One was that all munitions of war, except the arms of the six officers highest in rank, should be given into the custody of the Commander, another, that they should not go beyond assigned limits, a third, that no meetings should be held for the celebration of worship according to the ritual of the chiu'ch of Rome. A proclamation was also issued by Mr Van Riebeek, one clause of which prohibited all religious ceremonies in the settleanont, except those of the reformed church of Holland. This seemed to every one so reasonable that no denuu- was made to it, but Lieutenant Gelton objected in forcible language to the sui-rguder 102 rimOXICl.KS OF C.WE COMMANDERS. i • of the arms. The Coramatider was firm, however, and the Lieu- tenant was compelled to submit. Captain Vesron and forty-four of the crew were Huguenots, and the sympathy between them and the Netherlanders seems to have been stronger than between them and their own coxmtrymen of the other faith. Thirty-fivo of the Frenchmen entered the Company's service at the Cape, and the remainder of the crew did the same as soon as they reached Batavia, to which place the}^ were sent in the first ships that left South Africa after the disaster. The ecclesiastics remained hero for nearly a year, and then took passage for Europe, after having in vain endeavoiired to engage a conveyance to Madagascar. The bishop, Estienne by name, was a man of great wealth and of good family, who had suddenly exchanged a career of profligacy for a life of fervent piety. He had devoted himself to the establi-'lunent of missions in Mada- gascar, and though this was the tliird time he had been thwarted in the attempt to reach that island, he informed Mr Van liiebeek that he intended as soon as he arrived in Europe to charter a vessel at his own cost, if none were being sent out by the owners of the factories. It has frequently been (observed in South Africa that an individual European has accpiircd enormous influence with the natives. This has sometimes been the result of confidence on the part of the weaker race in the good judgment, truthfulness, and friendly feeling of some particular Em'opean ; sometiuu's it lias been the result of the white man's descent to the le\'ol of the native in everything but energy, daring, and skill. An instance of this occurred in the earliest days of the settlement. It was discovered in 16G0 that Herman Ramajenne, the man Avhose name lieads the list of South African settlers, had long been r^arrjang on an illicit trade with the Hottentots. Dui'ing the period of hostilities, when the government was making every effort to find the Kaapmans, he had twice visited their camp secretly. AVlien the Mat'icJidl was lost, he managed by niglit to supply tlio crew Avith abundance of fresh beef in exchange for articles saved from the v/reck. He was carrying on a large cattle trade unobserved under the very eye of Mr Van Hiebeek's government, and when ho was at last taken red-handed, it appeared that he liad few other accomplices or assistants than natives. One night he was detected with a party of Hottentots driving a herd of bartered cattle to his kraid, and then tlie whole of liis past transactions became known. His punishment, taking into consideration the circmustances of his case JAN \AN UlKl'.KKK. 103 m and the ideas of tliat period, was very light. The bartered nittlo were forfeited to the Company, and a smal' fine was inflieted upon him. Large herds of cattle were at this time frequently brought for sale by the chiefs of inland clans. The natives Avero very eager to obtain beads, and parted with many himdreds of oxen and cows to gratify their fondness for these trifles. The quantity of beads given for an ox cost only from eight to ten pence, but there were other and larger expenses connected with the trade. Presents, con- sisting of copper plates, iron rods, axes, tobacco, pipes, and other articles, were continually being made to the chiefs to seciu'e their friendship, while all who came to the fort Avere liberally entertained. The mode of conducting the barter was somewhat ceremonious. A party approaching from the interior sent a couple of messengers in advance to inform the Commander of the number of cattle on the way. At the gate close to the watch-house Keert de Koe, the party was met by a horseman and escorted to the fort. The leader was perhaps Ocdasoa, chief of the Cochoqua, a tribe estimated to consist of seventeen or eighteen thousand souls. If so, he was mounted on an ox, and at his side rode his favourite daughter Namies, who Avas liis constant attendant. Behind came a tJurd draught ox laden Avitli mats and necessaries for the journey, Avhilo forty or fifty men brought up the rear and drove the cattle for sale. Or perhaps it Avas Sousoa, chief of the Chainonqua, a tribe even more numerous and powerfid than the Cochoqua. In that case, he Avas accompanied by his son Goeboe, and the train behind Avas similar to Oedasoa's. Arrived at the fort, the chiefs disraomited, and Avere conducted to the Commander's own apartments, Avhere they Avere seated iipon mats spread on the floor. For Oedasoa, Eva, or Krotoa as she Avas called by the natives, ahvays interpreted, but Avlien any other chief Avas the Commander's guest, Doman or Harry attended. After being seated, a complimentary conversation Avas carried on for a short time, and then an entertainment of bread, rice, cheese, sugar, and Avine Avas serA'ed up in tin dishes and cans, Avhicli the guests were informed Avere used only by persons of rank in Holland, never by common people. Sometimes they Avere treated to music from the virginals, and if it happened to be Sunday tlie military and bm-gher infantry Avero revioAvod after divine service, and sahiles Avere fired in thoh honour. AVhilo the cliiefs A\'ero entertained in this manner iu the Commander's quarters, theu- retainers Avore - 1, I ^l sii ,f 1 ^ ^ 8 104 CllRONICLKS OF ( API'. (OMMAXDKRS. feasting in the courtyard of the fort on bread, rice, and brandy. As a rule, no trade was done on the day of their amval, but on the following morning the cattle barter took place. This was followed by another entertainment, which sometimes lasted for two or three days. When the visitors left, their pack oxen carried presents which had been made to the chiefs and a good supply of biscuits and brandy for use on the road. The behaviour of the Hottentots on these visits Avas always satisfactory, and pleasing traits in their character were often noticed. If a present was made to one, it Avas by him inmiediately divided among them all. The attachment of Oedasoa to his daughter Namies has been mentioned. Once when the Cochoqua chief with a party of his followers was endeavouring to secure some young zebras for the Commander, who wished to try if they could be tamed and used as horses, a great lion sprang upon him and dreadfully mangled one of his arms, llis followers rushed to the rescue, and after killing the lion with then- assagais, carried the bleeding chief to his hut. Namies then proved her filial aifectiou. She woidd permit no one else to dress the Avounds, and Avatched day and night by her father's side till lie Avas able again to assist him- self. Once she Avas ill, and then Ave are told nothing Avould tempt her father to leave her, though the Commander sent most pressing invitations to him. An attachment such as this shoAvs that the natives Avere by no means destitute of humanity. Yet events are recorded AA'hich are in strange contrast Avith these. The mother of Namies Avas an elder sister of EA^a. When she Avas a girl the Chainouquas visited the Cape and she Avas carried aAvay by one of them. Alter a time the Cochoquas made a foray upon the Chainouquas, and among the spoil Avas this young woman, Avho then attracted the attention of Oedasoa and became his Avife. In a state of society where such CA'ents Avere of common occurrence, it might be thought that family ties Avoidd not be very strong. It seems to have been otherAvise. ft frequently happened that ships AA'ere blown past the Cape Avithout being able to put into Table Bay, and sometimes vessels Avere actually at the mouth of the harboiu' Avhen a strong southeast galo sent them to sea again. It Avas therefore considered advisable by the Directors to have a second place of refreshment somcAvhere in the Atlantic, and as by order of the Protector CroniAvell the English had taken possession of the island of St Helena, search Avas at this time being made for another equally convenient station. It Avas believed that there Avas a beautiful and fertile .TAN VAN UIEHEKK. 1 05 «■ island, Avell adapted for this purpose, somewhere between St Helena and the African coast. One Lodewyk '^laessen, of Delft, who was serving at this time as master ship's caroenter at Batavia, gave out that in the year 1652 he had been twice on St Helena Nova, as the Portuguese named the island. Hereupon he was requested by the Governor General and Council of India to give them all the information in his possession, and a very pretty story he put together for their gratification. For four years, he said, he had been a prisoner in the hands of the Portuguese, and dming a portion of that time had been compelled to serve in one of their ships cruising about the Atlantic. They came once to a very fertile and lovely island, abounding with fruit, vegetables, and cattle. He knew nothing of navigation, and consequently could not tell its position, but he had heard from the sailors on board that it was half a degree south of old St Helena, He went ashore t^vice, and observed that the Portuguese had two small fortresses there, and were building a third and larger one. In his opinion, the island would make an admirable station for refreshment, as it had a good harbour and everything else that could be desired. It was not only from Claessen's account that the existence of St Helena Nova Avas believed in, for it Avas laid down in various charts long before his story was told. Various expeditions Avere sent from the Cape to search for this island, but all to no purpose. The fleets, Avhen they left for Em'ope, sailed in a long line Avith the ships a few miles apart, and so the ocean Avas scoured for years, until St Helena Nova Avas erased from the maps. An attempt to reach the Empire of Monomotapa Avas also made from the Cape in this year 1660, Under the stimulus of large reAvards, Avhich Avere offered for any discoveries of import- ance, a number of volunteers offered their serA'ices to the Commander. Since the return of the last exploring expedition, Mr Van Riebeek had been diligently studying diiferent books Avhich treated of the geography of South Africa, and ho believed, therefore, that he coidd uoav fix the exact position of Monomotapa and its chief cities. As authori ies he had Linschoten's celebrated Avork, Father Martinus Martini's verbal description of the country, and the Portuguese books of travel, geography, and history. The Commander Avas of course familiar Avith the Portuguese language, Avhich Avas then the common medium of conversation betAveen Europeans of diiferent nationalities in the East, and it must have lf>'V ■.If ';--i 106 CHlJONtrT.ES OF fAPK (OMMAN'DKKS. been frequontl}^ used at the fort Good Hope, for it is stated that Eva could speak it tolei ably well. From tlie sources of information at his command, Mr Yan Eiebeek laid down the city of Davagtd, in which the Emperor of Monomotapa kept his treasures, as eight hundred and tAventy-eight English miles in a north-easterly direction from the Cape of Grood Hope, and three hundred and tAventy-two miles westward from the coast of the Indian Sea, that is, in tlio neighbourhood of the present town of Pretoria. It was built on the bank of the ri^'er Spirito Santo. The city of Cortado on Rio Infante was believed to be in the same direction, but much nearer than Davagul. The inhabitants on the route are stated to be the Oochoqua, the Chainouqua, and the Hancumqua. Next to these last were the Chobona, who were believed to be the civilized people of Monomotapa. The volunteers were thirteen in number, arid were under the leadership of an intelligent petty ofHcer named Jan Danckert. Two of them -were men whose names A\'ill frequently be met with again. One of these was Greorge Frederick Wreede, a German of good education, avIio had by some means got into the lower ranks of the East India Company's service. The other Avas Pieter van Meerhof, a Dane, who came to this country as a soldier, but as he possessed some skill in dressing wounds, was soon afterwards promoted to the rank of under-surgeon. With the party went also the interpreter Doman, who had been living at the fort since the peace, and Avas now doing his utmost to regain the confidence of the Commander. They left the fort on the 12th of November, taking Avith them a supply of bread and other food on three pack oxen, and trusting to obtain a sufficiency of meat Avith their muskets. The explorers travelled northAvard, keeping along the base of the mour ' 'n range Avhich separates the Avestern coast belt froln the interxor. Here and there they encoimtered small parties of Bushmen, some of Avhom dropped their arms and fled in consterna- tion at sight of the strangers, Avhile others held friendly communication Avith them. They passed thiougli a region Avhich they described as the veritable kingdom of the moles, Avhere travelling Avas most difficult, as at every step the ground gave Avay beneath them. At length they came to a river floAving toAvards the Atlantic, and on its banks Avere tAVO or three hundred elephants feeding, from Avhich circumstance thcA' gave it the name Avhich it still bears. 1!^ JAN VAN RIKHKEK. lor At the Elephant River some of tlio party rested, while the loader and a few others pushed on a little furtlier to tlie north. At the most distant point i-eached they saw smoke rising- far away ahead, and Avero informed by some Bushmen that it Avas from the fires of a Namaqua encampment. Most of the party were by this time 80 fatigued that they Avere indisposed to go further, and the leader was therefore compelled to timi homewards. They made no discoveries of importance on the return march to the fort, Avhich they reached safely on the 20t]i of January IGlil. The intelligence Avhicli they brought of having seen the fires of the Namaquas called forth such a spirit of advent m-e that in ten days another exploring party was ready to set out. It consisted of thirteen Em'opeans and two Hottentots, under the leadership of Corporal Pieter Cruythof, Avith the uncler-sm'geon Pieter van Meerliof as journalist and second in command. This party folloAved the same route as the last, along by a mountain to Avhich they noAv gave the name of liiebeek's Kasteel, and then selecting the least rugged patliAvay to the north. Not far beyond the Elephant lliAer they fell in Avitli eighteen or tAventy Namaqmx hunters, Avho, after some hesitation and repeated invitations giA'en through the intei'preters, came up to them in a friendly manner. Presents of trinkets Avere made to them, and in a fcAv minutes confidence on both sides Avas fully established. Some of the natives remained Avith the Em-opeans that night, and on the foUoAving morning village at no great the chief i^kembie, a circle, Avith a fcAV conducted them to a distance. This kraal of the Namacpias, imder consisted of seventy-three huts ranged in others in a group outside. Meerliof estimated the OAvners of the huts at three hundred men and foiu* hundred Avomen and children, the proportion of these last being small because the kraal Avas only a temporary outpost. They hud about fom* thousand head of horned cattle and three thousand sheep, Avitli Avhich they Avere moving from place to place AA^hercA'er pasturnge Avas to be found. The travellers Avere Avelcomed Avitli many demonstrations of joy. A calf and a sheep Avere presented to them for food, and the leaders Avere invited into the chief's hut, Avhere a kaross Avas spread upon the gromid for them to sit upon Avhile they Avere regaled Avith milk. In the evening a grand dance took place in their honour. A ring Avas formed of betAveen one and tAvo hundred men, each of whom held in his hand a holloAv reed differing in length or i ■ 1 : , ■ : i ' ; . : ■ 1 ■ ; ■■ (■■ ^ I t ' <■ r 108 (HRONHLIS (,F (\rv. ( OMMANDERS. • thickness from that of his neighbour. In the centre stood a man "with a long stick, singing and giving directions. Those in the ring blew into their reeds and went through various evolutions, while outside of the circle the women were dancing vigorously. This entertainment lasted about two hours. Meerhof describes the Namaquas as larger in person than other Hottentots, and as being better di'essed. They wore karosses of leather, or of leopard, wild cat, or coney skins. Their hair was the same as that of the Cape clans, but by attaching copper ornaments to some of the tufts, they managed to stretch them out so as to fall round their heads. On their arms they wore ivory and copper rings. They were acquainted with the art of smelting copper and ii'on, of which metals they manufactm'ed ornaments and weapons. Their habitations, like those of tlieir race else- where, were merely hemispherical frame works of wood covered with mats, and could be moved from place to place almost as readily as canvas tents. The most important article of their food was milk, which t]\ey kept in large calabashes and in vessels hollowed out of wood. The Namaqua warriors carried shields of double oxhide so large that they could conceal their persons behind them. As arms of offence they used the assagai, clubbed stick, and bow and arrow. At the time of Cruythof's visit there was a feud between them and the Cochoquas. Some Bushmen had recently robbed them of a lot of cattle, and they were seeking an oi)portunit3" for vengeance upon that plundering race. Presents of beads, copper plates, tobacco, and other aj**;icles, Avere made to these people, but that which seemed to please them most was a red nightcap. The strangers were well entertained as long as they remained, and when they left presents were made to them, of which they took to the fort a yovuig ox and a goat, the last named animal being the first of the kind seen at the Cape. They reached the fort on the 11th of March, having been absent only forty days. It has more than once been mentioned that the Hottentot clans were generally at war with each other when Europeans first became acquainted with them. Some of their feuds appear to have been hereditary, but others were only petty quarrels. The ill feeling between the Namaquas and the Cochoquas at this time was not very deep-seated. It had its origin in a deed of spoliation, such as is common among all uncivilised people. Oedasoa, the Cochoqua chief, had fallen upon the clan known as the Great Chaiiguriquas, and had taken their cattle, upon which they had fled to 80 lul Cruyt messer good \ i ♦ . ■M;i TAX VAN UIKHRKK. 10!) flod to the Namaquas. Those had espoused their cause, but were hikewann in the matter tliat Akenibie infonued Corporal so Cruythof lie would ninko peace at once if (^edasoa would send messengers for that purpose. The Commander Avas anxious that tlie clans in the interior shovdd be on good terms with each other, so that they all might come unmolested to the fort with cattle for sale, lie had therefore no sooner heard (.'ruythof's report, and read the journal of the expedition, than he paid a visit to Oedasoa, whom he addressed and spoke of as the ally of the Honourable East India Company. The Cochoqua cliief was requested to observe that the Nether- landers were the friends of all people, their desire being that all should live in peace and trade in friendship. For this reason he, Commander Van liiebeek, requested his good friend and ally to appoint delegates to enter into a treaty with the Namaquas, when a party of Europeans would be sent v/ith them and the tranquillity of the country be secured. Oedasoa replied that he knew the Commander wished all people to live in peace, but he was not so good himself. His followers were more nimierous and more powerful than the Namaquas and the Great Chariguriquas combined, and he was disposed to make them feel his strength. He was persuaded, however, to change his views, and after a short delay three delegates of the Cochoquas were appointed to aiTange for peace. Volunteers offered again, and on the 21st of March a party consisting of nine Eluropeans, the thi-ee Cochoqua delegates, and two interjiroters, under the leadership of Pieter van Meerhof, left the fort for the country of the Nama(pias. They took Avith them large presents for Akombie, his three grown up sons, and the leading men of his clan. The country as far as the Elephant River was now well known, and when Meerhof reached that stream for the third time he Avas not sorry to find no Naninquas near its banks, as their absence gave him an opportimity to lead his party into regions AA'here no explorers had previously been. Six days longer he pushed on northAvard, through a country more bai'ren and desolate than he had ever before seen or had any conception of. On the sixth day of this Avearisome march the party came upon an encampmont of the Grreat Chariguriquas, and found in it some of Akembie's people, Avho had been left there purposely to receive any Europeans that might arrive dming the chief's absence. The main body of the Namaquas had emigrated to the north. However, the object of the expedition was attained, •:'f I* 110 CHHONICI.KS or (AIM-, t'OMM \M)F,HS. for |)onpo wns concluded l)Hw('pn (ho bolligoront clnns by their roproscntarivos, aiul Moorhofs party rotuniod lo tlic fort Gooil lIo])(% wlicro tli'V arrived on tlie 'J;5rd of April, brin<;iiig with tliem every ])rn8pc(l of a very large increase to the (.'ompauy's cattle trade. AVhile efforts wore thus being- made to open np South Africa to coninieree, tlie iniiirnveni(>nt of the natives was not altogotlier unthouglit of. There were indeed no missionaries, in the present meaning of tliat word, sent from llie Netherlands, but there was at least one man at the Cape who was doing the work of an evangelist. Ilis name Avas I'ieter van di>r Stael, and tlie olfiee which he filled was that of Sick Comforter. lie was brother-in-law of the Commander A^'in liiebeek. In IGGl his term of service expired, and a new engagement was entered into for three years, of which the original record is still in existence. In this document it is stated that the Sick Comforter has been very zealous in trying to teach the Hottentots and slaves the Dutch language and the principles of Christianity. Ilis conduct in this respect having been brought to the notice of the Directors in the Fatherland, they entirely ap])rovcd of it, and to signify their satisfaction they issued instructions that his pay was to be increased to forty-five gulden (£'i los) a month, which was then considered a very largo salary for his office. In the agreement, the work in which ho had been engaged Avas recognized as part of his future duty, though he was still to attend to the sick in the hospital, and conduct tlio Sunday services. The whole number of Hottentots AA'ithin the settlement at this time did not exceed fifty souls, so that the Dominie, as he was sonn times called, had not many i,2 that people to labour among. Their manner of living, t^lso, was such that any elfoi-ts to improve their minds must uave been almost hopeless. Already there was a suspicion in the minds of some observers that the onlv method of civilizing the Hottentots was the plan followed in the case of Eva. She had grown up in the Com- mander's ho\isehold, where she had acquired Ein'opean habits and tastes, and where she had learned to read and to act outwardly as a Christian, though as yet she was unl)aptized. It appeared as if tAvo systems Avere upon their trial, each of Avliich finds advocates to this day. Pieter van der Stael exhorting the beachrangers among their Avrctched hovels under the Lion's Head, trying to make them comprehend the Christian faith, teaching naked and half famished savages the A B C, w^as the forerunner of a band of men as .IAN VAN lUKItFKK. Ill >g carnost and self sa(nMficing as any wlinsp nanios adorn tlio ]iagOH of Eui'fJpoan historv. Eva, woanod in childhood IVoni the oustoniH of her iTiCO, was \hv lirst in this rountrv wlio undorwi'nt a trainini;' in habits of industry and conturnuty with civilizi'd nio(h's-()l' living, boforo any purely roligious tfaching was altcniptcd. ^Ir Van liiebeck •was desirous of ontcrin}^' into a treaty of alliance with tho Nauiaijuas, as he anticipated groat advantages to the Company from trade Avith that tribe. The old b(>lief concern- ing their high eivili/ation had been broken by personal intercourse, and it was now known that they wi're nuTely ordinary ILoltentots, far even from being so nunu'rous or so powerful as tlie ('ocluxpias. But it was also known that they -were very rich in cattle, and it ■was hoped that by their moans those golden regions laid down in tho charts might at length bo reacheil. As yet, the Commander's faith in tho accuracy of the maps f)f tho time was unshaken, lie still spoke of Yigiti Magna and of the great river which ran past it as if tluy won; well-known geographical facts. Beyond this river was tho land of wealth, and to g(>t to that land it was necessary to have the Nama(]uas as friends. A party was therefore made ready to visit Akombie for the purpose of inviting him and his throe sons to the fort. Most friendly messages were to bo eonvej'od to thorn, and such presents as were known to bo acceptable Avere to be taken. In tho outfits for journeys such as this wo can soo tho style of living of the Company's servants at that time. The food was ample, though coarse ; tea and coffee were unused ; arrack or brandy :*'omied part of the ration ; but that which woidd strike as strangest anyone unacquainted with colonial tastes was th(i large (ptantity of s])ico — cloves, nutmegs, and especially cinnamon, — which was consinncd. The expedition to the Namaquas consisted of thirteen volun- teers, of whom Sergeant Pieter Everaort wac loader, Pieter van Meerhof second in command, and Cornells do Cretzor journalist. They left the fort on the 14tli of November IGUI, and did not retm-u before the l-ith of February 1(502. North of the Elephant lliver they siifforod greatl}' from scarcity of water, and oven when they found a little, it Avas so bitter that thej' could hardly drink it. The country Avas a dreary desolate A\ilderness, burnt up by the rays of a fiery sun, a vast expanse of sand iu Avhich tliey Avandered for days together Avithout encoiuitering a sign of human life. At length they learned from some Bushmen that tho Namaquas Avero far aAvay to tho north, and thougli they tried to foUoAV, they did not succeed iu reacliing them. By this V.'* h§ II : :' 112 CHROXK'LTilS OF ('APR OOMMAMIERS. ex])edition no discovery of any importance was made, nor did anything transpire on the journey ^nore worthy of record than the trampling to death of one of the vohmteers by an elephant.* In the settlement at this time only a few trifling events occurred. The burgher councillor, Leendert Cornelissen, had suffered heavy losses by the desertion of his slaves, the distiu'b- ance with the Hottentots, and mishaps in his business as a dealer in timber. These troubles had di'iven him to habits of carelessness and intemperance unbecoming his position. It was then the custom for the Coiu-t of Justice, of which he was a member, to meet every alternate Satm-day afternoon at two o'clock. On one occasion when a ease came on for hearing he was found in a tavern unfit to make his appearance. Hereupon the Council of Policy deprived him of office, and from a double nomination by the freemen appointed Ilendrik Boom in his stead. The two burghers who had an exclusive privilege to shoot and sell game had also become dissipated in their habits, so that a supply of venison was only procm-able at irregular and uncertain intervals. The Commniider hereupon gave permission to all the freemen to kill wild animals for the consumption of their own families, but not for sale, on the ground that the public welfare demanded such a modification of the privileges of 'the licensed hunters. The farmers, instead of attending to their work when ships were in the bay, were frequently visiting the port, on such occasions generally bringing in a waggon load of firewood for disposal. To prevent this waste of time, the Council enacted that no firewood should be brought for sale except on Saturday afternoons or on Sunday mornings before nine o'clock, and an official was sent to Rondebosch to compel the farmers to plough their lands. But such iMiactments were by no means confined to the Cape Colony. In England, for instance, at this date labourers were not permitted to receive more than an arbitrary rate of wages fixed by the county authorities. A dozen regu- lations of as despotic a nature as any enforced in South Africa *Tlu> orifiinal clinvt of this oxpoilitioii is in tlio nrcliivos of Ifolliiiid, and ii copy of it on tmciuK liiion, nunk' by niP, is in possi'ssiou of tlio colonial p;ovcinnicnt. Tlio iH'ur- ings nro very inaccurately laid downi. Tlio point aimed at is shown to be the town of Vigiti MaRnti. i !'< I •TAX VAX UIEHEEK. 113 h1 to date trary rogu- Lfrica y of it iHMir- iwii of could probably be selected from the records of the freest country in Eiu'ope. Early in 16(32 the ancient feud between the Cape clans and the Coehoquas under the chief Oedasoa, which had been donnant for a short time, was revived, when the Cape clans di'ove their cattle as close as tliey could to the European settle- ment, and sent messtrngers to the Commander to imploi'e his protection. Hereupon Mr Van Eiebeek with a small guard rode out to see for himself how matters stood, and just beyond Wj'^nberg found four kraals containing in all one hundred and four large huts, occupied by fully two thousand Goringhaiquas and Q-orachouquas, The Commander dismounted and sat down vmder a screen which the natives hastily made by planting poles in the ground and spreading a mat upon them. The chiefs then informed him that from Oedasoa they need expect no mercy, that unless they could fall back upon the mountains tliey were unable to defend themselves, and as the Em'opeans now held those mountains they thought they were entitled to protection. Mr Van Riebeek replied that if they would undertake to deliver ten head of horned cattle and ten sheep for every vessel that entered the bay he would take them under the guardianship of the Honourable Company. The chiefs requested the Commander to allow them to consult with their people about this important matter, and asked him to remain till the consultation was over. This being agreed to, an old man was sent round to call the sages together. They met, and under the presidency of Choro discussed the question for fully four hours, when a small committee of the leading men went apart and finally arranged an answer for the Commander. This was, that it Avould be impossible for them to dispose of so many cattle without destroying their breeding stock, but tliey were willing to sell all lliat could be spared, witliout, however, binding themselves to any number. Mr Van liiebeek tried to ])er8uade them that by his jilan they could easily enrich tliem- selves tlu'ougli barter witli tlieir countryuien inland, but his reasonings were of no avail. Finding tliat his terms would not be agreed to, he at last left tlie Hoitentot encampment, after informing the chiefs tliat as the grass was tlien becoming scarce in that neiglibourhood they must at once move away. Yet at that moment Mr Van liiebeek had no intention oi leaving the Goringliaiquas and llie (rorachouquas to the mercy of the Coehoquas. He says that although Oedasoa was the friend II I n i^ 114 CHRONICI.KS OF CAPE COMMANDERS. and ally of the Honourable Company, he was so powerful that it would not be judicious to allow him to destroy the others and to become the immediate neighbour of the settlement. In that case he would probably soon become troublesome, and would certainly prevent intercourse betAveen the fort and the tribes inland. The Commander chose therefore to watch the course of events and to maintain the balance of power. On the morning after the conference Gogosoa and Choro with Harry and a troop of followers, in hope of appeasing him, brought fourteen oxen and eleven sheep for sale, when they were liberally entertained and given to understand that the Europeans were friendly to them, though no promise of protection by means of arms would be made. The Company was at this time preparing a fleet to attack ^Mozambique, and orders were sent out to the Cape to detain two hundred and fifty soldiers from homeward bound ships and to hold this force in readiness to embark upon the amval of the expedition. In April the soldiei's were landed, and were placed under oommand of Lieutenant Francois Tulleken, who, during the short period of his residence here, took military precedence of Sergeant Everaert. The accounts of the condition of the settlement given verbally to the Directors by the skippers of their vessels did not always accord with the despatches prepared by Mr Van Riebeek. There was a tendency on the part of the Commander to overrate the advantages of the Cape station, and a tendency on the part of the skippers to underrate them. It was, said the Commander, a place abounding with frc^li meat and vegetables and having a certainty immediately before it of an equally plentiful supply of fruit. It was, said the skippei's, tlie dreariest ])lace in the world, where the meat was so tough and lean that they could liardly eat it, and where often tlie ships were straining and chafing their cables half the time of their stay, riding in a heavy sea witli a furious gale blowing. It was, said the Connnander, a place witli many conveniences and comforts for the otHccrs and sailors whenever they wanted to take a run ashore. It was, said the skippers, a place where the town burgliers obtained a living by keeping lodging houses and brandy shops, and selliug poultry and eggs, without having the fear of God before their eyes when making charges, but as for such comforts as could be procured in the smallest village of Euro])e or India, they wore entirely wanting. On board JAN VAN KIEHREK. 115 every retiuii fleet some of the garrison or freemen managed to secrete themselves, and these runaways, upon arriving in the Fatherland, naturally supported tlio statements of the skippers. The Directors called tlie Commander's attention to the complaints of the skijipers, wliich, they observed, they were inclined to believe must rest upon a good foundation, as in one instance beyond dispute he had misled them. lie had often held out prospects of the Cape being able to furnish its own food, and still the Company was compelled to import rice. Most certainly this charge Avas unjust, for the imported rice was a very small item to be placed as a set off against the supplies of provisions to the fleets. But the belief had come to be general in the Fatliorland that the resources of the Cape were by no means so groat as Mr Van Riebeek was constantly reiiresonting. Stiict orders were therefore sent out that no more men were to be released from service to become town burghers. We do not see, said the Directors, of what advantage they are in a country that does not raise its own food. Farmers are needed first of all. Mr Van liiebeek had long been anxious for removal from South Africa. He had a high opinion of his own abilities, and believed that he deserved promotion. Further advancement here being im]nssible, he had more than once requested an appointment iu India, though he always added that he was content to abii!'> by the decision of his superiors. In 1060 the Directors resolved upon his removal, and appointed Mr Geri'it van Ilarn as his successor, without intimating their intentions regarding himself further than that he was to proceed to Batavia and there receive instructions. Mr Van llarn sailed from i]\e. Texel in tlie Wapon van IIoll(t))''i,| oirciul thou^ afterAJ taken! ZACHARTAS WAOENAAR. 125 be destroyed in revenge for the injuries which the Europeans had sustained. But he met with an indignant and unanimous refusal from the volunteers, wlio stood by Pioter van Meerliof and replied that tliey would not slicd innocent blood. Cruythof was therefore compelled to abandon his atrocious design. Upon the return of the party to the fort, which tlioy readied on tlie 1st of February lOd-'i, the Authorities expressed approval of what imder other oircimistances would hav(> been treated as mutiny, and Cruythof, though he imderwent no trial, at once lost favour. Shortly afterwards he committed a trivial offence, of which advantage was taken to degrade him in rank. Towards the eluse of the year 1662 another expedition, but of a different nature, left the Cape. A fleet of six large ships and a tender, under conmiand of Admii-al Hubert de Lairesse, put into Table Bay where the soldiers who had been waiting some months were taken on board, and the fleet then left for the purpose of trying to wrest Mozambique from the Portuguese. All went well until the latitude of Delagoa Bay Avas reached. Then stormy weather was encountered, with a head wind which blew violently for nearly two months. The crews at length became exliausted, scurvy broke out, and the Admiral was compelled to seek a place of refreshment. The ships were put about, and by the following noon were as far south as the}^ liad been five weeks before. They Avere then close to the coast some distance above Delagoa Bay. Here good holding ground was found in a haven or bight, so they let go their anchors and sent some men ashore to ascertain if any refreshments were to be had. In a short time it was known that cattle in plenty were to be obtained from the natives in exchange for iron or other articles of merchandize which they had on board. Every one now thought that all would yet be well, for as soon as they were assured of refreshment they considered their troubles as past, and anticipated the time when the monsoon should change and permit them to renew their design against Mozambique. But their joy was of short duration. The scurvy had not left them when the fever which is endemic on that line of coast suddenly made its appear- ance, prostrating whole companies at once. One hundred and fourteen men died witliiu a few days, and lialf the remainder were laid up when the Admiral gave orders to raise the anchors and set sail for Batavia. At this time another effort was made to open up a trade between the Cape and the Isla-ud of Madagascar. By order of the 126 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. Directors a small vessel was fitted out and sent to the Bay of St Augustine with a trading party and a wooden house ready for putting up, as it was intended to form a permanent establishment there if the prospects should be found at all good. The Directors appointed the Secunde Eoelof de Man head of the expedition, but that faithful and deserving officer died on the 5th of March 1663, before the vessel was ready to sail. The Council of Policy then selected Joachim Blan^- the ablest clerk on the Cape establishment, for the command. In December Blank returned to the Cape -with a report of failure. He stated that there was very little trade to be done either at the Bay of St Augustine or at other places which he had visited, as the inhabitants were impoverished by constant wars which they carried on among themselves. He had only been able to obtain eight or nine tons of rice and seven slaves. The many failir-ps in the efforts to reach Vigiti Magna by a northern route had Uii yet caused the Cape Authorities to try in another direction. Accordingly, the exploring expedition of 1663 followed the path of those which had preceded it. The leader was Sergeant Jonas de la Guen*e, Pieter van Meerhof was second in command, and there were besides these fourteen European volunteers and three Hottentots. Among the volunteers was a soldier named Hieronymus Cruse, who was for man}"- years afterwards a prominent jierson at the Cape. The instnictions given to De la Guerre wore that he was to take no part in any native quarrels, but to endeavour to induce the interior clans to make peace with each other and to come to the foi't to trade. If the Namaquas should act as they had done towards Cruythof's party, he was first to threaten them with the enmity of tlie Commander, and if tliat had no effect he was to march his men forward when if thov attacked him he was to pour a volley of small shot in among them. Tlie sixteen men with firearms in their hands, it was believed, would be more than a match for the Namaqua horde. They had with tliem a waggou,* in whidi tlieir stores were conveyed as far as the Elephant Piver, wliere they took it to • The Ciipo tout wiigpou is nothing nuiro than tho wapKon in coniinon uso in tho Low Countrii's when thi> ilrft 8i>ttU'rs ciiiutf to South Africa, oxcopt thnt tho ■wliools luv soniowhiit highi-r. Whon tho 1lr.-»t wiifjpjnnvvktT.-* sot to work in this colony, thoy ino(lolli>(l iixh' and schiiiiiol, (Irii!\ih.)!iril and toiif^iic, (li.i,-<(>ll)ooni and lon;;\Viif^);on, jircciscly as fhcy had done in tlio Fnthcrliind. Tiio rivers and the saml Hats nci'ossitatcd iiifihor who(>ls, then hmg jonrncys called I'or cnliugoniont of the vehicle, hut tho model ivniiviniHl unnltertxl In nil other respects down to tho days of iron njjles and patent brnkos. ZACHARIAS WAGENAAR. 127 pieces and buried it in the ground, together with some provisions. Starting fresh from this point with pack -oxen and having a supply of food in reserve against their return, they had hardly a doubt that they would be able to retieh the great river of the map. But the want of water in that arid region destroyed all their hopes. They pushed on bravely, though their sufferings were intense, but at length they were compelled either to turn back or to lie down and die. Fainting with thirst they reached the Elephant River again, and found that during their absence their stores had been discovered and removed. The waggon had been buriit, probably for the sake of the iron work. Still the oxen were left, so that they were in no danger of starvation, but they arrived at the fort after an absence of more than three months in a very different condition from that in which they left it. In this year a public work of considerable importance was completed. A water tank sixteen roods long, four roods wide, and from four to five feet deep, was constructed about a stone's thi'ov/ westward of the fort and near the margin of the bay. It was intended for the convenience of the shipping. Shortly after the establishment of a Residency at the Cape, the East India Company had withdrawn its garrison from Mauritius, as that island was not in a good position for a victualling station and nothing of commercial value except ebony and a small quantity of ambergris was then procurable there. Before they embarked the Dutch turned loose a number of cows, goats, and pigs, which in a few years multiplied into large herds. Mauritius remained unpeopled from this date until 1GG4, when the Directors resolved to take possession of it again, more for the purpose of keeping other nations away than for any direct profit which they could draw from it. Just then the French were making strenuous efforts to form settlements in that part of tlio world. Their king had taken into his own hands tlie direction of the factories at Madagascar, and that great island soomcd likely under his guidance to become an important colony. Bishoj) Estionne had at length succeeded in reaching tlie field upon which his hopes had so long been set, and now with a large staff of ecclesiastics he was engaged in erecting a monastery near Port Daiiithin, from whioh mi.ssionaries were to be sent ou^. to convert the natives. The French had also just taken poss(>s8ion of Mascarenhas, and placed a small garrison upon that island, which they named Bom-bon. It was evident therefore that Mauritius must be reoccupied, or the Company would bo 128 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. excluded from a large poitiou of the ludiau Sea. It was not intended, however, to form an expensive establishment there, but merely to keep a few men upon the island, which was to be an outpost of the Cape Residency. In May 1664 a small party was sent from this place under the leadership of Jacobus van Nieuwland, an officer selected in Holland and sent out for the purpose. On the 26th of June they landed on the island and resumed possession on behalf of the Honourable Company. They had with them a wooden house, a quantity of seeds and tools, and a twelvemonth's supply of provisions. These were put on vshore, and then the vessel in which they arrived set sail, leaving the little gan'ison in loneliness. j.^'^or a whole year after this the island remained unvisited. Then a cutter was sent from the Cape with supplies, and in case the garrison had in the mean time met with any disaster, a fresh party of men and a new commandant were sent also. This party found the establishment at Mauritius completely disorganized. Jacobus van Nieuwland was dead, and the soldiers had thrown off all restraint. Most of them had left the residency as soon as the last keg of spirits was drawn off, and were then leading a half savage life, depending upon the %vild goats for food, though the stock of foreign provisions was still ample and the garden only wanted attending to. The new commandant was imable to restore order until three of the chief mutineers were seized and put in irons on board the cutter. They were brought to the Cape, where they were tried and punished, one of them very severely. From this time matters went on smoothly at the Mauritius, though the growth of the establishment there was very slow. Every year a vessel sailed from Table Bay with supplies, and brought back ebony logs. Sometimes a soldier would request to be discharged tliere, when ho became a burgher just as at the Cape. Once, three families were forcibly deported from Rondebosch to that island by Commander Wagonaar, because their heads were worthless characters, and the Council of Policy thought a change of residence might bring them to tlieir senses. In process of time councils were formed there similar to those in this country, but all of them were subordinate to the Cape Authorities. Thus a num who lost a case in tlio court of justice at Mauritius could appeal to the court of justice at the Cape. Mauritius, in fact, stood in the same relationship to this country as this country did to liatavia. The commandant who was set)t to that island in 1665 was a man who deserves more tlian mere passing notice. His name was Greorge many ot oame to Europe as did Many o^ the rani ability which cf connectel no soonJ inner lif 1 the task acquired death of employee at a disti an'angin of whicli Novemb( request ec might be of these hitherto there is Historiai death. ' the nati\ Europea the wor appears TIk not bein to presei pounds situation There w islands r viotualli ivt the C was rece he askec m ZACIIAUIAS W VtiF.XAAR, 129 Greorge Frederick Wreede. A runaway Q-erman student, like Tiiauy others in similar cirounistanoes lie enlisted as a soldier, and piime to South Africa in Kio!). At that time no government in p]urope offered suoh opportunities of advancement to men of merit as did the East India Company of the Netherlands Republic. Many of its foremost commanders and governors had risen from the ranks, and the Directors were always ready to make use of ability wherever they could find it. Whatever the fault was which caused Wreede to leave Gremiany, it could not have been connected with want of brain power or distaste of study. He was no sooner in Africa among a strange race of savages, of whose inner life absolutely nothing was kno^vn, than he set himself to the task of studying their characteristics. In a few years he had acquired a thorough knowledge of their language, so that after the death of the old interpreters Harry and Doman the Commander employed him on all important occasions as his messenger to chiefs at a distance. He was at this time utilizing his spare hours by an'anging a vocabulary of Dutch and Hottentot words, two copies of which he sent to the Directors, to whom he dedicated it, in November 1663. The Commander, when forwarding the work, requested that it might be printed, and asked that some copies might be sent to the Cape where it would be useful. What became of these manuscripts cannot be ascertained from any documents hitherto found in South Africa or in the archives of Holland, but there is strong reason to believe that they were lent to the Historian Ludolf, and were among his ])apers at the time of his death. The Directors, tliough they deemed it more advisable that the natives should learn the language of the Dutch than t'^at the Europeans sli dd learn that of the Hottentots, promised to have the work printed, but whether that promise was carried out appears to be doubtful. The first Cape author had no reason to complain of his labour not being remunerated. The Directors instructed the Commander to present him in their name with a sum of money equal to twenty pounds sterling, and they ordered him to be promoted to a good situation in any branch of their service that he should select. There Avas then a design to establish a residency on one of the islands of Martin Vaz, which were believed to be suitable for a victualling station in time of war. A vessel was being fitted out at the Cape for that purpose when the dispatch of the Directors was received, and upon the order being communicated to Wreede he asked for the oommaudautship of the new statiou. His request I'i m 130 CHROWICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. was at once acceded to, but upon arriving with his party at Martin Vaz, he found that his government comprised nothing more than a group of bare and almost inaccessible rocks. It was impossible to form a station there, and as the master of the vessel objected to cruise about in search of a habitable island, he was obliged to return disappointed to the Cape. His journal of the voyage to Martin Vaz and his report to Commander Wagenaar are still to be seen in the colonial archives. Upon his return from this expedition he was sent to the Mauritius, and assumed the command there. In September 1664, int. lligence was received it the Cape of the likelihood of war between England and the letherlands. The Directors wrote that the Grovernment of Charles II seemed bent upon a rupture, though the States were anxiously striving to maintain peace, if that was possible without loss of honour. It would appear that commercial rivalry was at the bottom of this ill-feeling, and that the English Grovernment could not suppress the war spirit of the people. But though it is usual for historians of all nations to throw the blame of the humiliating war which followed entirely upon the English, there is proof extant that outrages were by no means confined to one side. Piratical acts were committed in distant seas by Dutch and English alike, without the perpetrators being punished. In the colonial archives there is a detailed account of one such act, which was committed by the crew of an 'ndiaman that put into Table Bay. On the passage out they overhauled two English vessels and searched them for treasure. The officers of one they tortured with bm-niug ropeyarn to make them confess whether they had anything of value on board. For many months matters remained in a state of suspense. On .the 24th of October the Directors wrote that news had been that day received at the Hague of the capitulation of the West India Company's possessions in North America to an English fieet. The Dutch factories on the coast of Guinea had also been attacked, though war was not yet formally declared. At length, on the 9th of June 1665, tidings reached South Africa that the English had seized a great number of ships in the Channel, that the Dutch were retaliating, and that the two nations were openly at war. During the period of uncertainty preceding the forma! declaration of hostilities, the Directors took into consideration the impoftance of their llt^sideuoy at the, Cape, as commaudiug 13ultl /.A( ll.VlUAS WA(i;;N\.VK. 131 the highway to India, and its defenceless condition in the event of -i sudden attack. The oUl eai-tlien fort was indeed sufficient protection against the largest force that the natives could bring against it, but it could not be held against a Eui'opean enemy of any strength. Its walls were frequently falling, especially after heavy rains, and the guns mounted upon it were harmless to a ship at the usual anchorage. After much consideration the Directors resolved to erect in Table Valley a strong stone fortress capable of sustaining heavy guns and sufficiently commodious for the accommodation of a large garrisi.n. With this view they caused plans to be prepared, and Laving approved of that one which seemed most suitable, tliey gave the necessary orders for putting their design into execution. Instructions were sent to Commander Wagenaar to detain three hundred soldiers from passing ships, and to employ them in ge!;ting materials ready. Pieter Dombaer, an engineer, was appointed to superintend the work. The selection of a site for the new fortress, being a matter of the first im- portance, was entrusted to the Commir-sioner Isbrand Goske,* one of the ablest officers in the Company's service. A scene of unwonted acti"vity was no\ presented at the Cape. Tlie 'hree hundred soldiers were landed and were immediately set to work quarrying stone. A party of convicts and slaves was sent to Robben Island to gather shells, and three or fom* large decked boats were kept busy transpoi-ting these shells as well as fuel from II out Bay for the lime kilns. On the IStli of August Mr Q-oske arrived in the Niora- Middclhiirg, and after eight days inspection of the valley, with the approval of a large board consisting of the ordinary Coimcil of Policy and a number of naval and military officers he selected the site of the Castlo. The spot chosen was sixty Rhynland roods (two hundred and forty-eight Imperial yards) to the eastward of the old fort. It was supposed that solid rock wo Ad be found near the surface, but upon opening trenches this supposition was proved io be incorrect. At no point could the foundation walls be com- menced nearer to the smiaco than eleven feet, while in some parts excavations morf> tlian double that depth were needed. All the waggons in the settlement Avhich werf not required for agri- cultui-e wert> engaged in the transport of building material. The * Spelt viirioiu'ly in tho (loiuiiieiitu nl' tlu' period (JoiUsiCoii, Oot>■ 1 1 !• ; 134 (HKONICI.KS or f Al'K COMM.WnKHS. hi Table Bay aud dropped au anchor without furling her sails. The Loosduyncn, a clumsily rigged, slow sailing flute, just in port after a long passage from Texel, was the only vessel lying in the roadstead at the time. The stranger sent ashore a small boat with a petty oflicer, who infoi-med the Commander that the ship was the Royal Charlen, of thirty-six guns, bound homewards from Surat with a cargo of pepper and calico. The captain, James Barker by name, requested permission to take in a supply of water and to purchase some fresh provisions. The English had not ths faintest suspicion that their country was at war with the Netherlands, and as soon as Commander Wagenaar became aware of this he determined to take advan- tage of their ignorance and get possession of their ship by strategy. The four men who had come on shore were therefore hospitably entertained, their request was apparently acceded to, and when they returned to their ship a present of fruit and wine was sent to Captain Barker. The object in this was to induce the captain to visit the fort, so that he could be detained as a prisoner without any trouble or danger. The scheme was nearly thwarted by a drunken mate of the Loosdiij/nen, who happened to be coming on shore with a strong Crew as the English were going off. He pulled alongside of them, took their boat in tow, and forced them to return to the fort. There he was instantly conmiitted to prison for his trouble, and many apologies were ofPercd to the Englishmen for the rudeness and violence to which they had been subjected. During the night arrangements were made to caiTy the Roi/al Charles by surprise as soon as the captain should land. About two hundred and fifty men were armed, and distributed in the Loosdiiynen and the large decked boats which were employed to bring shells from Robben Island. It was intended that these should approach as if by chance, and suddenly board the unsus- pecting stranger. At daybreak next morning the Royal Charles sent her empty wateroasks ashore in the longboat with the captain's brother and ten seamen, who took a present of some value for the Commander in return for his courtesy of the preceding evening. The English- men were invited into the courtyard of the fort, when to their astonishment the gate was closed upon them and they were in- formed that they were prisoners of war. Meantime all the non-combatants of the settlement, male and female, betook themselves to the side of the Lion's Rump to ZA( II A K 1 AS \VA(; F,\A A I!. 135 lis. The >ort after g in the •oat with ship was rds from James of water country nmander advan- ship by herefore eded to, md wine induce led as a s of the a strong gside of itnvn to for his men for 1. le Eoi/al About i in the oyed to it these ; unsus- ' empty ber and mander luglish- their ere in- ile and imp to witness the capture of tlie Indianuin. About seven in the morning Captain Barker bectinic suddenly uware that something was wrong. There was no sign of the return of his longboat, a couple of cutters were evidently creeping alongside, the Loo-sdiii/twn was shaking out her canvas, and tAvo or three shallops full of men were seen at different points along the shore. The sails of the Royal C/iorlcs were still hanging loose from her yards, and a light breeze from the northwest Avas rippling the surface of the bay. There Avas not a moment to be lost. In a feAV seconds the topsails Avere sheeted home, the hempen cable Avas severed by a couple of strokes from an axe, and the Indiaman, gathering Avay as her c invas Avas spread to the breeze, Avas soon standing over towards the Blueberg shore. All hope of carrying her by sm'prise being noAv dispellel, the LooHduynoi and the cutters hoisted their colours and folloAved in pursuit, keeping close together. Then commenced a chase Avhich may have seemed exciting to the onlookers from the Lion's Riump, but the story of Avhich is calculated only to create mirth at the present day. The lioi/al Charlcn had the Aveather-gauge and Avas the fastest sailer, but she could not beat out of the bay, and so she kept tacking about for three or four hoiu-s, the pur- suers in vain attempting to get alongside. About eleven o'clock the breeze died away, and then she let go an anchor and fired several shots of defiance. There Avere not enough rowing boats in the bay to attack her Avith, so she Avas .safe as long as the calm should last. At noon Captain Barker Avaved a Avhite flag as a signal that he would like to communicate Avith his pursuers. A boat Avas sent alongside, when he demanded to knoAV the cause of all the commo- tion and why his men Avere detained on shore. He Avas informed that he would learn all particulars if he Avould go on board the Loosduyncn, and he was thei. requested to strike his flag. To this request his reply Avas more emphatic than polite. It AA'as to the effect that he had no intention of doing anything of the kind. He Avas so obliging, hoAvever, as to throAV to the boat a package of letters he had brought from Sm'at, but added to them a scornful message for the Commander. ToAvards evening the breeze sprang up again, and the chase began once more. After a couple of tacks, hoAvever, the Royal Charh'H Avas fortunate enough to Aveather Green Point, passing close to the hostile squadron as she did so. The pursuers and the pursued had not been within range of each other during the whole \/^ 136 CHUONM'J.KS OF (AI'K COMMANDKKS. day, but at last there waa a cliaiice for a shot. It was getting dusk when the LooHdai/ncti fired a broadside, to wliich tlie liotjnl Charlca replied with her four stern guns. Nobod_y was hurt ou either side, and before the culvorins could be loaded again the Englishman had disappeared in the darkness. Commander Wagenaar was disajjpointed, but he made the most of what had fallen to him. That evening he calculated to a gulden the value of the longboat and the water casks, iL3 present that the captives had brought nshoi-o Avith them, and the two anchors and cables in the bay, allowing, of coiu-se, a reasonable margin for the expense of searching for these last and fishing them up when found. The prisoners offered to work without payment if the Com- mander would promise to send them to Europe with the first return fleet. This offer was declined, and they were sent to Batavia, after having been provided with a very scanty outfit. For thirteen years after its foundation the settlement was considered too small to demand the services of a resident J<^rgy- man. A sermon and prayers were read regularly every Suuv y and on special occasions by the Sick Comforter, and the other rites of the church were perfoiined occasionally by ships' chap- lains. Marriages were usually celebrated before the Secretary of the Council. The first Sick Comforter, Willem Barents Wylant, and his successor, Pieter van der Stael, have already been mentioned. Van der Stael left the Cape for Batavia in Sep- tember 1663, when Ernestus Back, who had previously held the same office on board a ship, wa,s appointed to the vacant place. This man was so addicted to intemperance that at times he was unfit to perfonn his duties. lie was repeatedly suspended, on which occasions the Fiscal conducted the services, but punishment and disgrace seemed only to harden him. The Commander was fearful that his conduct would bring down divine vengeance upon the community, all the members of which by some method of reasoning were considered subject to the consequences of his guilt. Mr Wagenaar's olarm was increased by the appearance of a comet, which for two months was seen nightly in the sky. He and his Council did not doubt that the terl-ible star with a tail was put there by God as a threat of righteous punishment, and therefore they considered that it was high time to get rid of the chief offenc Batav on b( later Jan . every remov some with Z.\( HAKIAS WA(JENAAK. 187 offender.* A yacht was lying in the bay ready to 8ail for Batavia. Back and liis family were unceremoniously hiu'ried on board, and the offioo was once luore vacant. A fortnight later it was filled by the transfer of a Sick Comforter named Jan Joris Graa from a ship that called. This man was giving every promise of a useful and honourable career, when he was removed by death in June lOOo. Thus there had always been some one whose special duty it was to represent the church, though in a very humble capacity. But when it was decided to replace the old earthen fort with a substantial stone castle, it was also decided to provide a resident clergyman who should attend to the spiritual in- struction of the constantly growing congregation. The Rev Johan van Arckel, who received the appointment, arrived in South Africa in the ship Nieiiic Miildi'lhury, which cast anchor in Table Bay on the 18th of August 1(305. A few days later an ecclesiastical court was established, the constitution of which shows the intimate relationship which existed at that time between the Church and the State. The court consisted of a member of the Council of Policy, who was termed the Political Commissioner (Commissaris Politicque), the Clergyman, who was a servant of the Company, the Deacons, who were selected by the Council of Policy from a double list of names furnished yearly by the court itself, and the Elders, who were indeed elected by the court as representatives of the congrega- tion, but who could perform no duties until the elections were confirmed by the terapori 1 authorities. Such was the constitution of the Consistory or Ecclesiastical Comt, which had primary control of all purely religious obser- vances and the direction in the first instance of ail educational institutions during the whole period of the East India Company's government of this colony. It was in one sense merely an engine of the State, and it was always and in every case subordinate to the Council of Policy. In practicS^ it was guided by the decrees of the Synod of Dort and by precedents of the courts of the ■*! * " oindat ona Godt alreede met sijn rechtvaerdige strafE over onse vuijU en sondich bedrijffi nu wel twee maendon alls nachtcn achter con door een ijzelicken steert sterre aen den hemel is eonien te dreijgen, weswegen dan nu oock hooch noodich gcucht hebben ons do gemt'lte ouwaerdige Iceraer quijt te maken en de solve nevens sijn faniilie per dit jacht niede na Batavia vertrecken te latcn." Despatch of the Cape Council to Governor- General Joan Maetsuijker and the Councillors of India, of date 7th Febniary 1665. Stringent regulations against sabbath breaking also followed tho appearance of this comet, and were attributable to it. — Proclamation of the 16th January 1665. HAl I • 1 t 1 i 138 CHKONICLES <»K (APK « OM.M WMKUs. n a Fatherland, which were never disputed, and its decisions appear generally to have been in accord with public opinion. Not long before this time a fierce disjiute had arisen among the clergy of the Reformed Church in India, and the strife was hotly carried on in every congregation and often in the very households of the laity. The question debated was whether the children of unbelieving parents should be baptized or not. At the Cape the custom had been for the ships' cliaplains to baptize all slave children that were brought to them for that purjiose, at the same time admonishing the o^vners that it was their duty to have such children educated in Christian principles. Many of these children were half breeds and on that account entitled by law to freedom, but even in the case of pure blacks baptism and a profession of Christianity were always at this time con- sidered substantial groimds for claiming emancipation. Yet it does not seem to have been a mercenary spirit so raiich as genuine conviction that the act was not in accordance with the teaching of the bible which induced many persons even here at the Cape to object to such baptisms. The members of the Council of PoHcy as well as the burghers were divided in opinion, and as no agreement could be come to here, reference was made to Batavia. A reply was received from the Governor- General and Council of India (dated 25th of January 1664) in which the Authorities at t^e Cape were informed that the Ecclesiastical Court at Bata\ . in conjimction with the Classis of Amsterdam had de- cided that the children of unbelieving slaves ought to be baptized, provided that those with whom they lived bound themselves to have such children educated in the Christian religion. They had arrived at this opinion, it was stated, from the precedent furnished by the Patriarch Abraham, all the males of whose household had been circumcised on account of then* master's faith. In conformity with this decision, the Honourable Company had established a school at Batavia for the education of the children of its ovti slaves, all of whom were baptized in infancy, and the Citpe Government was directed to act in the same manner. In some of the Company's possessions, however, the burning question could not be set at rest even by all the authority of the Indian Government and the Amsterdam Classis, supported by the precedent of the Hebrew Patriarch. Many clergymen took a different view of that prece asunder and were ranged anew in hostile order. The strife even extended into families and created bitterness between the nearest relatives. Mr Van Arckel embraced the views held by the Classis, and bapti/ed all the children that were brought to him, whether they were of believing or imbelieving parents. The Company's own glave children were sent to school, where they were taught to say their prayers and to repeat the Heidelberg Catechism. For a time all strife ceajed in matters ecclesiastical, for the clergyman had won the affection of the people by his gentleness and piety. But he had hardly time to do more than take his work well in hand when on the 12th of January 1G66, less than six months from the date of his ari'ival, he died after a very brief illness. To supply his place temporarily the Council detained the chaplain of the next ship that called, pending the appointment of a per- manent successor by the Supreme Authorities. The chaplain so detained, Johannes de Voocht* by name, remained at the Cape for several months, during which time he followed the same course as Mr Van Ai'ckel. The burning question of the day was nearly forgotten, when an incident occurred which revived it for a moment. On the afternoon of Sunday the 21st of March 1666 the con- gregation was assembled for worship in the great hall of the Commander's house in the old fort. The room did not much resemble the interior of a church in its fittings, but as yet the building which was to be specially set apart for religious services was not completed, and this apartment had always been used for the purpose. Round the walls hung various trophies of the chase, chiefly skins of slaughtered lions and leopards, and over the end windows and the doors which on each side opened into smaller rooms were polished horns of some of the larger antelopes. At the end opposite the entrance usually stood the figure of a zebra made by stuffing the hide of one of those animals with straw, but this was removed before the service commenced. When Commander Wagenaar came to the colony the windows of the hall like those of the private rooms were unglazed, Mr Van Eiebeek having been satisfied with calico screens, but this defect had been re- medied, and now the congregation had plenty of light to read their bibles and psalm books. * This name is spelt variously in the documents of that date Voocht, Vooght, and Voogt. 140 (HROM(I,ES OF CAPE COMMAXDKHS. i ' t :« ■!, The preacher was the Kev Johannes de Voocht. Ocoiipying an elevated eeat just in front of tlie little platform which served for a pulpit was the Commander, behind whom sat the Secunde and the Fiscal. The Elders and the Deacons had stools to them- selves on one side of the platform, and on the other side sat the Rev Philippus Baldens, chapliiin of tli(> ship Vmrnbunj. The body of the hall was filled with people (>f less note. After the sermon a child of European parentage was brought forward and baptized. Then a slave woman went up to the platform with her infant in her arms, but before Mr De Voocht could dip his fingers in the water up rose the llev Mr Baldeus and protested against the performance of the rite. The Com- mander was astonished at the audacity of the man who dared in such a manner to interfere Avith a service conducted with the approval of the Indian Authorities in one of their own forts, but he chose to remain silent. The Rev Mr Baldeus went on to say that he was better informed in such matters than any one here, and that the practice in vogue was decidedly wi'ong. Ui)on this interruption, the officiating clergyman desisted from performing the baptism, and the service Avas abnrj.tly terminated. Next morning the Coimcil met and went over in debate the whole history of the dispute. It was then unanimously resolved that the orders received be implicitly obeyed, so as to preserve harmony and peace in religious as well as in political matters, and that therefore the Rev Mr De Voocht be instriu-ted to baptize tlie slave child on the following Sunday, together with any others brought to him for that piupose. This settled the qiiestion for a time at the Cape, but some j'ears subsequently it came to the Burfaoe again, and down to a recent date continued to cause disruptions, happily however not attended by the violent ani- mosities of a bygone age. Subsidiary to the church was the school of that period, in which the children were tauglit to read and write, to cast up accounts in gidden and stivers, and to repent the catechism and sundry prayers. The first school at the Cape was that opened by Pieter van der Stael for the in.struction of the slave children from the West Coast. It was closed after a few weeks, owing to events that have been related. Towards tlio close (»f \(nu\ a school was again opened, with Ernest us Back as teacher. The fees were at first fi.ted at two shillings a montli for each child of a burgher, but this chnrgc was shortly reduced to one half. Slave and Hottentot childi-eu were to be taught without charge, — for God (pro men yout mist of Eng pup to ii "a ■ -J ZAtllAKIAS WAGENAV:;. 141 tlie (pro Deo) as stated in the regulations. The school was com- menced with seventeen pupils, foui* being slave children, one a vouthful Hottentot, and the remaining twelve Europeans. Back's misconduct, liowevor, soon necessitated his suspension as a teacher of youth, when a steady well-behaved soldier named Daniel Engelgraeff was appointed sclioolmaster. Under his care the ])upil8 increased in number, and nothing occurred until his death to interrupt his work. The early settlers at the Cape -showed even by their school regulations how thoroughly practical u people they were. Thus, there was no fixed time for holidays, because the loft in which the school was kept was needed for the acconmiodation of visitors whenever a fleet was in the bay, during which period the children were of necessity released. During the period of Mr Wagenaar's government of the settlement the Europeans and Hottentots lived generally on the best, of terms with each other. Once only an event occurred which caused a little unpleasantness. A pai-ty of Cochoquas with cattle for sale encamped one evening close to the watchhouse Keeri de Koe, where the gate was through which tliey must pass to entm* the C'omjtan^'s territory. There a soldier on guard de- tected some of them in the act of breaking down the fence to make a fire, and upon his ordering them off they belaboured him severely with their sticks.* Next morning they came on to the f<»rt as if nothing had happened, but the soldier was there before them, and upon makuig his complaint two of them were arrested and placed in confinemyat. Tiie others were informed that upon their producing the actual assailants the prisoners would be released, but not until then. Thereupon they returned to their clan to arrange as to what should be done, and after a siiort delay ton good oxi'U and as many sheep were sent to tiie (/ommander as a reeompenso for what had oceurred. Mr Wageuaar acee[)ted the cattle instead of the iiostages, with a promise on liis j)art that tiiey would be returned at any lime niton the produ(!ti(m of the distui'bers of the peace. These never were produced, and so ♦ Tlio wonl korii', I>y wliich this wi-iqv.u !■< imu generally known to Dutch nnd Knf{li!*h alike in South Africa, Imd not yet io,iii» into ncnonil xxxo. Thi.t wonl 1 loi'tly ivmMubh'K in souml the nutivo niiiup for u siiort stick with u jnckiirs Uiil iittiiclicd to it, usod for l>ru^'l'iun away flics niiil other jiuriKw.i, and which the lliittciitot men carried alxiut wHli them just as the Hechuaiias do now. Tiiere Ihmuk no Diiti'ii niinie lor either this or tlic tiffiitiuK stick with a clulihed head, thn li)tt«r niiy en»ily have had the native name of the loniier given to it. 1 f n i !? " ! 142 (•HKONT(;r-F,S ()!■• (AIM'; COMMANniiRS. award for was made to the benefit of after waiting some months a pecuniary the soldier and the cattle were slaughtei the Company. The Cochoquai and Chainouquas* were by this time so well supplied mth copper and trinkets that they seldom brought cattle for sale except when they were in want of tobacco, but from the Hessequas large herds were frequently bartered. All were anxious to procure iron, and the Commander could at any time have obtained from the nearest Cape clans as many oxen as he required in exchange for the much-coveted article, had he chosen to supply it. But under no circumstances would he part with as much iron as would make an assagai, for fear of the ultimate consequences to the Europeans. Some of the natives understood how to smelt this metal for themselves, but the quantity in general use was very small. In the disputes between the clans the policy of Mr Wagenaar was that of strict neutrality whenever he could not mediate so as to preserve peace. In 10(34 the Coehoquas and the Hessequas were at war with each other, when Oe^tasoa offered to pay six liimdi-ed head of good cattle in advance for military assistance, and as many more after the return of an expedition which he was planning, if it should succeed in crushing his enemy. The offer was declined without hesitation, and Oedasoa was informed that the Dutch were determined to quarrel with no one luiless they were compelled in defence to do so. In the following year the Hottentots suffered very severely from a disease which broke out among tliom. AVhat its nature was is not stated, but as the Eiu'opeRus were not attacked by it, it is not probable that it was introduced by tliem. It was certainly not smallpox. + Mr Wagenaar computed the loss of the Goiinghaiipias • About this timo the CliuinoiKinivd bof^iin to be cnlled Soeswas by tlu> Knropciins, thougli the old chief Sousoa, from whom tlio now imiiu^ was durivod, diitl in 1664. In the same niuuncr, one branch of tlio CochnqunM hnd now tlio name of Gonneinas given to it. t The sniallixjx first iippciiitil in South .\fiic.i in tlie yonr 1713. It wiw bmuglit in <\ ship from Indi:i, iinil wa« tlu> cuuw of onormouM 1o.- of the dreadful wourge. It wa.s tlicn lor the si'cond lime introduced V)y a .iliij) from Ceylon. During tlu' winter mouths it nined witii ".M-ent violence iii Cape Town, but wa.-* ui'ver so dc.-'tructive of life a.i on its llr.st vi.-arauie. ZACH ARIAS WAORXAAU. 143 and Gorachouquas at one fifth of their original number, so that they were left with only about eiglit humlred fighting men. The ( 'odiocjuas suffered even more. In the words of the Commander, they melted away. AVlw'ther other clans were affected is not men- tioned, but the disease, whatever it was, can hardly have been confined only to those nearest the Cape. The number of Hottentots residing i»ermanently in Table Valley increased during Mr AVagenaar's administration to about eighty souls. This intirtmse was owing to an inlhix of some of the most worthless individuals fror\ the patstoral clans. They had a kraal of their own on the slope under the Lion's Head, where after Harry's death in lOCvJ they weie nominally under the government of Jan Cou. The Commander never interfered in any quarrels among themselves, but he gave them notice that if any of them were caught stealing from Europeans he would have them soundly fiogged. They lived, according to Mr Wagenaar, by sending their women to collect firewood for sale, placing their little daughters in service, and further by fishing occasionally and begging constantly. The nu^n could seldom be induced to do any other work than tend cattle, and that only in return for spirits and tobacco. They could all understand Dutch so well that an inter- preter was no Liiger needed. Eva, who had been brought up in Mr Van lliobeek's house, was baptized soon after the anival of Mr Wagenaar, and two years later was married to that sturdy explorer l*ieter van Meerhof. The Commander and Council believed that this union would tend to promote good will betwecMi the two races, and they resolved to show their approbation of it in a substantial manner. Eva was considered a ciiild of the Company, having served as an intor- j)reter for many years without other payment than food and clothing. A bridal feast was tiierefore prepared for her at the Company's exjiense in the Commander's house, and a wedding present of ten pounds in money was nuide to her. The bride- groom was promoted to tin' full rank of a surgeon, with pay at the ratarty of men was placed to collect shells and dress stones fm' ])artieular work in the castle. The prices paid by the Company for grain were raised at this time, as the burghei-s (•onii)lained that the old rates allow«>d them no profit. Wheat was raised to eleven shillings and eight ponce, 144 (TIROXTCLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. f' rye and barley to nine shillings and two penoo, and oats to six shillings and eight pence the niuid. The fanners were paying from sixteen shillings and eight pence to twenty-fiAe shillings a month to European men servants as wages. The Javanese horses had increased so greatly in number that the Company began now to supply the farmers with them. In 1665 the first troop of sixteen were sold by public auction, and brought on an average foiir pounds five shillings each.* In 1666 there were sixteen free families living in Table Valley. Of these, four kept canteens, one had a retail grocery, one was a baker, and the remainder were mechanics. The government fixed the price of everything that was sold. An officer went round periodically to test all weights and measures. Such as were coiTect were stamped by him, and such as were not according to the Amsterdam standard were destroyed. Commander Wagenaar had not been two years in South Africa when he requested the Directors to relieve him of the cares of government, owing to his ill health. In December 1664 his request was so far complied with that he was infomied of the api)ointment of a successor in the person of Comelis van Uuaelberg, who, however, was unable to leave Eui'ope jus then. It was intended that the Commissioner Isbrand Goske should remain here until Mr Van (iuaelberg's arrival, but when he reached the colony the Commander's health was so improved that it was unnecessary for him to stay after the site of the castle was fixed. Mr Van Quaelberg left Holland in the ship Doiuhrrht on the 19th December 1665, b\it did not reach South Africa imtil the 25tli August 1666. During the war ships sailing from tlie Netherlands for the Indies did not attempt to jmss through tlie English Channel, but stood away to the northwest and rounded the British Islands. In midwinter the Dordrecht was so battered and tossed about in the stormy North Sea that she was compelled * It wild till' (■iistdin to poHt up copicK of proclmniitioiis anrttl)i('(l('ndi' otl uijt do iiiiiit to vononpcn. dio duor giidinp' in liooft dio (u)nio op wiM'nwlttgh aonstuondo doi* iiclitorniiddnoKs to drio uijron zijndo don 25on dosor in dos E Conip.-* Piionlostiil en doe goet oo, Koort do Koc, and K3'ck uyt, were kejit in good repair. The number of men to whom free papere were given during this period vas very small indeed. A few women, either wives of or botrotliod to men already in the colony, and a couple of families from the Netherlands constituted the additions to tho settled population. Mr Wagonaar's o])ini()n was unfavom'able to colonization of this country by Eurojjoans. lie scorns to have been projiulicod against tho free burghers, for tlni statistics which he was obliged to furnish show that they were far from being as idle as on more than one occasion ho pronounc(>d them to be. In tlic Inst oiKoial document which boars his nanu» ho wrote that in his opinion twonty-fivo industrious ('iiinosc familios would bo of as nnich sorvioo to tho (Jonipany as fifty families of such Euiopeans as wc ostablished here, and regretted that thov could I ill : I !' I ' li V » ,» •I '1 146 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. not be obtained. The poor opinion which he entertained of his countrymen was probably a reflection of their feelings regarding him, for there is no trace of the slightest sign of regret shown by any one on his departm-e. Two years later Mr Wagenaar's name occurs again in the colonial archives. He Avas Vice Admiral of the return fleet of 1G68, and in that capacity spent a few days in the settlement. Not long after this it is foimd once more, when information arrived of his death, and that he had bequeathed a sum of money for the use of the guardians of the poor at the Cape, so that this outwardly cold impassive man was at heart a philanthropist. J-'^ .■ CHAPTER VII. CORNELIS VAN QuAELRERG, INSTALLED 27tH OF SEPTEMBER 1666, HELD OFFICE UNTIL IStH OF JuNE 1668, Jacob Borghorst, installed ISlh of June 1668, held office UNTIL 25th of March 1670. Character of Comintindor Van Qunelbcrg. — Grootings from Hottentot chiefs. — Progress in the construction of tlie ciistlo.— South Africivu foi-ests. — Establishment of a French East India Company. — Tlio first fleet sent out by it. — Arrival of the fleet in Table Bay. — Assistance given to the French by Coniinander Van Quaelberg. — The French set u]) marks of possession in Saklanha Bay. — Trading expetlitions. — Corporal Cnise visits the Hosscquas. — On a second expctlition he visits the Gauri(]ua8 and reaches Mossei Bay. — Instructions are received to discontinue the work at the castle. — Expedition to Mauritius and Madagascar.— Murder of Pieter van Meerhof and eight men at the Bay of Antongil. — Intelligence is received of peace with England. — Dealings with the Hottentots. — Harsh regulations of Commander Van Quaelberg. — Dismissal of Mr Van Quaelberg fr ■>< the Company's service. — Appointment of Jacob Borghorst as his successoi. ' rrival of Mv Borghorst and his assumption of the government. — Officers in the settlement at this time. — Succession of clergjnnen.— New free burgheix. — Departure of Mr Van Quitelberg for Batavia. — His subsequent career.— Ill health of Commander Borghorst. — Comelis de Cretzer. — Removal of the French beacons fi"om Saldanha Bay. — Kn()wle. — Various regulations. — Hunting parties.— Mr florghoi-st's desire to be relievwl.— Appointment of Pieter Hnckius as his succi'-ssor. — .\iTival of Mr Hackius and his assumption of the government.— Return of Mr lJinghor«t to Europe. Of Commnnder Van Quaelberg, previous to his arrival in South Africa, no infonnation is given in the aroliivos, except that he was the head of the Company's factory at Masulipatani from 1602 to 1657, and that he had amassed considerable property. He was a younger ana more active but in many respects a less estimable man than Mr "Wagenaar. It is impossible to read a dozen pages of the mass of documents bearing liis signature without observing that he was intensely soltish, harsh towards liis dependents, cringing towards his superiors, a man who studied no one's J 2 ^ !!1 ill 3 ' ill iU-i 148 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. happiness but his own. He was such a man as no one loves or respects or imitates, but Avho is nevci-theless obeyed by reason of necessity. He was a skilful naval commander, and must have possessed some special qualifications for tho post he now filled, or the Directors of tlie East India Company would not haA'e selected him for it, but what these were cannot bo ascei-tained from his ■writings. In his letters he was fond of calling attention to the mistakes of his predecessor and of boasting of the different way in which he was managing affairs, but neither the Supreme Authorities nor the residents at tlie Cape looked upon that different way as a better wa}'. To the fise biu-ghers he was a tyrant, who acted on the prii i )lr that j-rosperous subjects are insolent subjects and theref. he; should be kept poor. The freemen were not long in finu ^ out that if Commander Wagenaar had personified King Log, Commaju.!' i Van Quaelberg knew well the part of King Stork. As soon as the Hottentot clans in the neighbourhood heard that the Eui'opeans had a new head, their chiefs sent compli- mentary messages and pi'esents of oxen and sheep to him, as was customary among themselves. These fi'iendly greetings were replied to in the same manner, for upon tlie cattle trade rested to a large extent t]\e utility of the Cape Residency, and the instructions of the Directors were emphatic that the natives were to be conciliated in every possible wa}'. Mr Van Quaelberg found the walls of the western point of the castle rising slowly out of tlie ground. One of the difficulties which the workmen complained of was the scarcity of timber such as they needed for a variety of iJiu'poses at the quarries as well as at the walls. The forests which Mr Van Riebeek had found in the kloofs of the mountain side above Rondebosch were already exhausted, so that no timber was obtainable closer at hand than Wynberg. The govenmient tried to prevent reckless waste of the few natural iorests of the country, but to the present day no system has been devised for working them without speedy destruction. All our indigenous \iseful timber is of exceedingly slow growth, and the best is found in sitxuitions dilHcult of access. A South African forest is composed of a variety of trees mingled together, in which it rarely happens that half a dozen of one kind are found growing side by side. Gigantic creepers twine among them, and the spaces between the trunks are filled with tangled underwood and enormous ferns, so that one cannot proceed far without the aid of the axe. fall can 't: CORNELIS NAN gi'.\KJ,HKRr.. 140 JIS In such a forest the woodman fells a tree, which in its fall clears a large open space where afterwanls only a useless scrub springs up. To get the log out, a pathway must be opened broad enough for a team of oxen to move in and straight enough to prevent jamming. For this purpose great nu..ibers of smaller trees must be cut down, so that the quantity of wood contained in a waggon or the roof of a house represents but a very small percentage of the quantity deducted from the forest. And of that, none is ever replaced. In this way the forests of the Knysna and Zitzikama, of the Winterberg and Amatol as, are disappearing now just as those in the Cape Peninsula disappeared two hundred years ago. They cannot be used and preserved too, as in countries where timber is of rapid growth or as artificial forests where waste can be avoided. About three months after Mr Van Quaelberg took ,er the government a fleet of twelve ships under command of i..'or r(>hibit('d from keeping any other than those showing P]uroi)ean blood, so that if tlu-y ])erf*isted in setting tho law at di'flanc'o they would be easily oppressivi- laws caused much discontent in tho settl(, and it was not until the following Novemlier that what had occin-red here beeiime known in Amsterdam. It may be imagined that the Directors weiu not u little iucvused to ilud thut the Uetit lif C'OUXKLIS VAX QIAELUKKO. loo wlioso outfit had caused them sucli uneasiness had been assisted so greatly by one of their own servants. They considered that there could be no excuse for liis conduct either in leaving the fort and placing his person in the power of the foreigners, or in furnishing strangers and rivals with stores kept at the Capo for their own service. There were sixteen out of the seventeen Directors present when this subject was discussed, and they resolved unanimously to dismiss Mr Van Quaelberg from their employment. A successor was immediately ai)pointed jmd instructed to proceetl to South Africa and take over the government as soon as possible. In the letter of dismissal (20th November 1()()7) Mr Van tiuaelberg was required to transfer everything without delay to the new Commander, Jacob Borghorst, and either to return to the Fatherland or to proceed to Batavia as a free man by the /irst opportunity. Instructions were laid down in the most jtoaitivo terms that in future foreign vessels were not to bo supplied with the Company's stores, but were to be left to their own resources. Mr Borghorst sailed from Toxel in the Hot' niti Birtla, and after a wofU'isome passage airived in Table Bay in the evening of the Kith of June 1(1(58. The next morning l:e landetl, but as it was Sunday he did not produce his commission. On Monday the iHth the Council of Policy was assembled, and the two hurglu'r councillors tvorc invited to be present. Then the authority of the Directors was produ(!ed, and without further ceremony Mr Borghorst assumed the control of alfairs. Of the leading men whom Mr Wagcnaar left in the settle- ment, few now rt'inained. Tlu) Socunde llendrik Lacus had been Kiisp«>ndc(l from odifc on account of a deficiency in the stores miller his eliarge, and was at this tinu' a jirisoner on liobben Island. Conmlif. do Cretzer, formerly Secretary, was now Fiscal. The Ensign Smient was on the point of leaving SnutJi Africa for u better situation elsewhere. In November KitiG the Kov Johann(»s do VikhjIiI left for Hatavia, and was 8ueeeed(>d as acting chaplain by the Ittw I'etrus Waehtendorp. Mr Waehtejuloq) died on the l.'ith of llie following February, just bef))re the arrival of the llev Adriaan do Vooeht, who had been appointed by the Directors permanent clergyman of the settlement. To the hurgher population had Ix^m added two names now well known ill and far b(\vond the (^>h)ny. One was that of (lerrit voii der Byl, a farmer, thf other that of Tiieuuis van Schalkwyk, a carpenter. I i^ n J 5 t ; -'Ud* ^.-.^, loH (HmWlcrKS OF (Al'K COMMAMIKKS. Mr Van (iunollifif; left Un- Halavm on the 12th of Angust. lie Avns nftcr a time taken into the Company's service again and rose to bo (rovernor of Mahicoa, bit o\ir records give no information as to whfthcr he gainod this position through the iafhicnce of others or by his own exertions, lie was never afterwards connofttMl witli South Africa. C'omninn(h'r IJorghorst was in ill lunilth when he landed, and he remainecl an invalid during the whole period of his stay, so that l)raetieally the govenunent was for three fourths of the time camed on by his subordinates. Of these, tlie altlest was the Fi.-ieal, Cornelif' (h- Oet/er. The Se<'unde, llendrik Lacus, remained in tlie settlement, but under suspension of office, until Maich l(i70, when lie was at length brought to trial, and tiiough the greater jmrt of the deficiency in his stores was satisfactorily accounted for, hi" was sentenced to be rediu'cd to the rank of a common soldier an«l in that capacity to 1m' sent to Ihitavia. During the long jieriod that he was kept awaiting trial the situation was virtually vacant, except for a few months in 1(>()!> when it was provisionally fill'd by an officer named Abraham Zecuw, who was detaiiUHl fnmi a passing .^hip. The Lieutenant Abraham Schut was a man without weight of character, and was even dejirived of his seat in the Council soon after Mr Horghorst's airival I tr having slanihn'cd the widow of the late acting chaplain. The olliee of the S. ;retary, .lacidi (irauaal, gave him little or no authority in the direction of alfairs. Cpon He Cret/cr then-fore rested the oversight of nearly evcrytliing, but as the times were (|uiet there was very little to look after beyond the cattle trade and the gardens. Some of the landmarks which liatl been set up around Saldanha. iiay by order of the Viceroy l>e Mondcvcrgne were still standing. They consisted of the French coat of arms painted on boards attached to posts, and were so frail that one had hwu «lestroyc(l by a rhinoceros and another had been us«kI by a pariy of Hottentots to nudic a fire of. Tlu" Commander lost no time in n'moving thos(< that were left and causing all traces of the offensive beacons to be cbliterated. Where they had stood shi»>lds bearing the Company's arms were jijaced. i\\ thi,< time tlie c(»untry along the coast had b«'cii thoroughly explored northward to sonu' distance beyontl the mouth of the Klcjihaut Uiver, and eastward iis far as Mossel May. The Ih-rg liiver had been trat'cd from its sourc<> to the sea, and MuroM(>anH hud been in the Tulbugh Ihtsin and the valley of the Jiruedu JAfOB BOROHf>RST. 1")7 Ilivor. }\ni no wliito num had yot cliiiilK'd tho f(irnii(lal)l(» wall which Hkii*ts the ]^okk(>voM and tho Ivarrno. No niic Imd snti^^ht cntranoo to tho unknown interior tIirou<»'h the m Captain Thickhead gives no due by which to follow the tra(h>rH, unless the circumstance under which that name was given to souM' eliief liappcn to have been mentioned previously. This is less to be regretted, however, as frc h discoveries fire still carefully reported. In August |(1(»S the yjicht Vturnniii was sent to examine the east coast ('areluUy as fai- as Terra Ic Natal. Ctirporal Cr.ise and fifteen men '.v«>re sent in h(>r, with instructions to Innd at Mos.sel l»ay and exjtiore the eountry in that neighbourhood. Thi» Vomiiiiti got no fuH her ea.sf ward than the bend in the coast now called St Francis May, then termed Maya Confant. where she put iiboiit on aceount of springing a leak in a storm. Ilei- ollieers iliseovrrcd nothing, but they must luive been incompi-tent oi- fiiithless, for there is no part of the South African scaboind iuor<' worthy of close attention. They hLouM at least l)av«« noticed the grand cleft in the lofty coast line by whicii the K'nysna Lagoon commimicatcs with the nea, and Iuim' looked through it upon the charming seeu-jry beyonil. Further eastward they ought to havo i I •(! i ■'' ■ 4 1 : 1 1 ; i i ill m 158 CHRONICLES OF CAI'K COMMA ^ I>K1\.S. observed t! - bight known fo us as Plett(»nberg''8 Bay, n\ii rurtUe. stiil the fores.: clad bills and vvlos of the Zitzikania. The \'i\rty lut ashore a* Mossel Bay did ninoh Hntiftr. (J.-ipor.il Cruse visited for the first time a tribe called the Attaqua, of whom ho had heanl dm-ing his previous journey. lie found them very wealtliy in cattle, and was able to exchange his merchandize to such advantage that he returned to the fort with bonio hundreds of oxen and sheep. The Att aquas occupied the country between Mossel Bay and the present village of (ieorge, and had as their eastern neighbours a tnb(^ called the Outeniqua. Corporal Crusc's success induccul the Commander t<» send him back without delay at the head of another trading party. Cn the way he encountered a company of Bushmen, having in their possession a gn>at herd of cattle which they had stolen from the Hottentots of those ])art8. This Btishman band a|)})ear8 to hijve been a jterfeet jiest to tin? i>astoral ciuns between the Breede and the (laurit/. The llotti'Utols called them the ||obi(pin, and in the jounuUs they are s])oken of by that name as if it was the title of a clan, though in one place the (^imrnander states oxpre:wly that they wei-e Sonqua. But the Hottentot word ||obiqiui ni nfiis simply f/ic niiirdont'M, which aeeounts for all that would, otheTsvise be olmcun> in the records, U])on the ajipearancc of the lvurop«>ans, thci nushnu u. having no conception of firearms and believing the little parly of strangers to be at their mercy, attempted to soi'" their merchandize. Cruse tried to conciliate them by olferiiig pivHnus, but in vain. There Avas then only one oojii-so open to him, and that was to resist, w' ' h he di of the cattle as lawful spoil of war. and witii them returned to the fort. It was a viduablu herd, for there were many breeding cows in it. suiili as it wns Jiardly ever possible* to obtain in baHer. This exploit raised the Kuropeans high in ihe estinuition of the Ilcsse(|uas and their neighbouif). Tln\v sent complimentary messages, und expressed their tjninks in grateful language for the service rciidere*! by the chasiisetnent of the HuHhiu> .1. There is in the jo'inml of this date a n(»tice of a cruel eustom wt'.fJwnt aTuong the primitive Hottentots. TlieH«» p<'(tple. unlike .lACOU n()R(5^inKST. 159 some other African races, did not expose tlieir ilood, l>ut buiiod them in any cavity in the gr( nnd f^a^ they could find. AVheu the niotlier of a lielpless irJant died, the l-'hig tlr'U was buried with its parent, booause no one wonkl oe at the trouble of nourishing it and this was the customarv method of ending its existence. Some Dutch women happened one afternoon to observe a party of llotientots working in the ground, and were attracted by curiosity to the spot. They found that a corpse had been thrust into an excavation made by some wild animal and that an infant was about to be placed with it. The women were shocked at such barbarity, but they could not prevail upon any of the natives to rescue tlie child. No one however objected to their taking it themselves, as they seemed so interested in its fate, and with a view of saving its life they carried it home with them. Among the means adopted by the Netherlands East India (^ompany to attach its ofrioei*s to the service was a regulation which gave each one liberty to trade to a certain extent on his own account. Hardly a skipper left 10uro])e or the Indies without si,nu» little venture of his own (»n board, and even the unites and »ailoi*s often took articles of merchandize with them to barter at any port they nnght put into. The officers on shore had corrcsjtonding privileges whenever it was possiljle to grant them without detriment to the pul)lic welfare. The fti-st (Jommander at the Cape, for itistance, had a farm of his own, 101 morgen in extent, at Wynberg.* His iiumt'diat*' succossoi's had also lamhnl j)roperti('s which they cultivated for tlioir exclusive benefit. IJut the Company was at this time anxious to encourage the free men, ?.'!;oijo largj'st gains were derived from the sale of produce to visilorSit so, to pnn'ent rivalry, instructions were issued that nono v-»- • It wnn iiKr<'<'.V Ml" Co'iii'il I'f Policy hcfiiro Mr Van l'i«'JM'«»k'K ilciiariuro that tliix tr.rm hIioiiIiI )<<' takrii over l>y tlu' ('<>iii|iiiiiy iit ii vitliiiitioii, litit tin ii, to li<> iMiiil ill yearly iiMtaiiiii-iitK, (•xtH a.t wt'll iw I > n'KiiU'iit.i at tlu; ('ai'f. t ()ii« of till' coiidilioiiit under niticli inn) mpem were ^r'tnt^xl wiih thnt tho fiiniiers wen- to lie at full liliiTly to m-II their produce (hut not homed cattle, uliceji, or Kriiin). '<> 'In- i fwi* of vch-. N tlii'i «• dayn after arrival. SiiliHCipiently to Mr Van (iuaellHij^'H diKiiiiwMil, cai>taiii< of liiiviun venwU were invarialdy referriil to the fiieiiieii, uiider the |ili'u that the ('oiii|Niny hiul nothiiii; to HiMir.-. 'I'licr<> in i(t llii.x periiHl no iiiHtance of tli(> farnu'i-H iM-inv; debarreii fnmi m'IIIii^ v(>Ketnl)le)«, l>onUiy, cfifc.., milk, "tntler, ami i«iiiii!ar artl.le^, to the cp'wk of any .Mliiiw, i)ur< li or foreii^n, lait fiii|ucnt »ucntion l» made of tlieir IntviiiK dii<|H)ni>d oi muu urticle-M, tJniiii lUid cattle were re»ervi'«l for the ConiiiHiyV own Ufe, and ■nuM not bi' uolj wiUiout sjtcriiii jH"rmi*«lou, which wn^ however «ometiiue» gruntitl. ini) CIIUOMCLES or f'AVR COMMAXDEKS. »!.■. of tlin ni('ml)oiv of the ('ouiu'il of Policy wore to kpcp oattlo or to cultivate !> a small vessel niiuied the (ivnudrl was sent out hv ih. Su]:'vuie Authorities to explore the eonsts of Southern Africa. On the way she visited the roeks of ^lartin Vaz, and sf^arched in vain in their neighhourhood f(U' a fertile island suitahle for the ostahlislunent of a liesidoncy, George Frederick Wreede, the same who visite(l ^lartin Vaz in the Piinpvl in KiUo, was on board tht> (li'iiiidcl on this octeasion. It will be remembered that he had been a])pointed (ommander of the party oceui>ying ^rauritius. but on account of some of the jieople there beiug mutinous he was unable to caiTV out his instructions. For this he was held ri'sponsible by Conunander A'^nn (iuaelberg. who not only rcealled him, but caused him to be tried by the Council of a Fleet on a charge of negleot of duty. 1I<> was Kentence»l to be reducecl airain to the rank of a soldier, with nav at the rate of fifteen shillings a mouth. l»ut Wreeih- fouu-, with instructions to station a ]iarty of men permanently at Saldanha Jhiy, to prevent any other KiirtJitean jiower from taking possession of that iiort. It WHS Ix^lieved t1i:it the French had at last resolved to abandon Madagascar, where they had nu't with nothing but loss, an I it was suspc( tt d that they had an intention of establishing theinseUes toniewhere in the neigh)tourli(H>d (t jf'l n;it; ■ of ;. shi]), who had lie«'n sentenced to a long term of imjnisontnent io' insi;boi'dination. I'ndcr his guidance the J,ifir/oai' was eMp*uref the country as far as she sailed along it apjx^arcd tf) bo an uninhabited desert. South of the Tro))i(! there were no other peopl(> than Hottentots. Her skipper wished to change the nanu; of the inlet in latitude 20" 'iO' from Angra Pecpu'na to (Jrundel Bay, but his desire was not gratified, . In the follo\ving year she was sent to the eastward, bnt discovered nothing woilhy of note. The furthest point nmehed by her was a bay oalled in the rejiort Os Medos do Ouro, and said to be iji latitude 27*^ 17' S. Hen? an ollicer and sixteen num went ashore to examine the country, but never returned, and owing to this disaster the druinlcl put alxnit and sailed for the Cajie. In KUI!) a strong ]iarty of experienced miners and assayers was sent fnmi Kiirope to sean-h btr metals in the n»«ighbourhood of the Cai>e. They examined Table N'alley carefully, and then proceeded to the Paarl Moinitaiu and Uiebeek's Kasteel. For several years they were busy making excavations all over the eoimtry, sonu-fimes believing ihey were in a fnir way of finding valuabli' ores, though always disappointed in the end. In ablest of the Company's oinccrs, autl was then acting as adnn'ral of a richly laden redu'i Meet (»f fifteen ships. His instrtU'tictns from tlie Indian Authi»rities W(>re to rectify finythiiig that he shoidil find amiss at the Cape after d)ie investigation. Upon his arrival, Mr Van der Hroeek iianded »o Commander jJorghorst a list of «pi(»stious, to whieh he desired written replies, anort a large rnig bi>fore it left his farm. The fnwlom of tho Indian iiiarkft wa« thus no induoetment to them to increase their vinevarils. •• 4,*I1*, JVCOIJ HOIKJlIOKsr. 103 In the niattor of public works, tbo Council resolved to construct a stono watorcourso from the reservoir to ^he jetty, au»l to plant twenty-fom- niorgen of ground with trees, half alders for timber and half kreupel bushes for fuel.* The watercourse was thrown open to tender, and a contract for its construction was entered into by the bm'gher Woutor Mostert for the sum of £t>2o. It was further resolved that in future all bricks and tiles required by the Company should bo purchased from freemen by public tender. The duties of each member of the government were aocurately defined. Comelis de Cretzer was promoted from Fiscal to be Secundo, and Jacob Granaat from Secretary to be Fiscal. In the Council of Policy, the Secunde Cornells de Cretzer, the Lieutenant Johannes Coon, the Fiscal Jacob Granaat, and the Bookkeeper Anthonio de Raaf, were to have seats, while liberty was left to the Commander to admit one or two other fit persons, if he should deem it necessary to do so. In the written instructions of the Commissioner, the Cape Authorities were directed to encourage and assist the free farmers, not alone on account of the produce of their fields and flocks, but because of the assistance to be derived from them in time of war. The freemen then constituted a company of militia eighty-uine strong. Mr Van der ])roeck, in ordering the lease of the Comjiany's farm at llondebosch, had in view an immediate increase of this number, lie directed also that as soon as the Company had made a good start at Hottentots Holland, that tract of country should likewise be given out to freemen. During Commandt»r liorghorst's administration licences were ftret granted to the burghers to hunt largo game wherever they chose. IHpi)opotanu abounded at that time in the Berg Itiver, and parties were frerpioutly fittocl out for the puq)ose of shooting them. The flesh of these auinuils was brought in large (piantities to the settlement, whert* it was useil for food, and tlie hides were soon fotuul to bo useful for making whips. During these expeditions the burghers were exposed to the temptation of bartering cattle from the natives, but the government kept a watchful eye upon their Hocks and herds, and confiscated every hoof that could not bo satisfactorily acooiuited for. * The planttitions wcro iipvcr Inld out, howovi>r, iw upon further oonrtltlomtlon tho Couiinimilfr cninc t^o tlio coiicItiMion tlint they wmiKl 1)<> (luiiKcrtiun ju T(ilili) Vnlloy on iiotwuit of the whultcr they would wflonX to mveuuuii iininuili). <-? 164 CHRONICLES OF (JAPE COMMANDEHS. It • Owing to the Commiuulor's ill-healtli, ho liad no desire to roniiiin long in South Afrioa, and only a few months after his arrival the JDireetors sent out instructions that the M(U'chant Jan van Aelni )nden, who was oxpeoted with the next return fleet, should be detained lujre us his sucecssor. But that offieer was not on hoard the fleet, and ^Ir liorghorst then sent a ju'essing reqiiest for the appointment of scmio one else to relieve him. The Direetors seh^eted I'ieter Ilaekius, another of their old servants whost* health was completely shattend by long residence hi India, and who was then on furlough in Europe. Mr Haekius and his family sailed from home in the 67/r/f/ ran Utireld on the 7th of December Hit)!), and reached Table Bay on the IHth of the following March. The new CJommander landed a moio oonfirmed invalid even than the officer whom he had come to relieve. But he too, like Mr iJorghorst, hoped that after a short term of service in this country ho would be permitted to return to the Fatherland to end his days there. On the 2.jth of March 1()70 the government was formally t ransf(»rred, and a few weeks later Mr Borghoist embarked in the Jiirttixtcr and retui'ned to Europe. CHArTER VIII. PlKTKH HAfKIl'S, I.\STAI-I-KI) 2oTli OF MaU( II 1070, DIKI) JjOlH {»F Nov KM II KK 1071. Interval bktwkkx thk l'Eath of Commander ITackh's and THE ARRIVAL OF THE SeC INDK Al-HERT \ AN UrEI'OEL, 'M)th of No\EMHER 11171 TO 2-Vni of Makc h 1072. liH- Albert van BRKifiEL, Skcixde, A(TiN(i Commander, from 2oxji OF March to 2nu of OcTouiiu 1072. lUuc'tta ol C'(imnm)iii ot nivimouH nniiuiils.— Arrival of a Fivncii lltiot uiulcr Adiitinil Do In Uiiye. — IliiMtili' condiH't of tlio French iit Suliliinha Uiiy. — KoKiiliitioiiM of C'onuniH- dioner lt1ion of thrrimeiits in tho ciiltiiro of various iilants.— Distillation of brandy at the Cajie. — Intelligence in receive. — Arraiigemonts for defence. — Arrival of (iovenior Isbiaiul Uinke.— His reeei)titm and assumption of the govornmont. For several iDontlis after tlio arrival of Mr Ilackitis nothing beyond tho ortUnary (luiet routine of life occurred in tho scttlo- nient. Tlie Comniand(>r hiniHi-lf wm for some time unable to take an aetive jiart in tho adniinibtration of affairn, and it was not until Juuo that he ht^Id his first CuuiioU met)tiiig. It liod becorno I ' jS #» IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // .5^%. 1.0 I.I 11.25 Mi US ■it m 1^ IIIIM IIIIIJi 1^ I 40 2.0 1.8 M. IIIIII.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation ,\ M ^v ^q> ^ ';^^ ^^ :\ ^ 4 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14SS0 (716) 873-4503 ^^ /a ;\ O^ 16d CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. 'M ■Ii' necessary to make greater efforts to destroy the lions and leopards which were preying upon the flocks and herds in the settlement. As this was a matter affecting the taxation of the burghers, their Councillors, now increased to three in number, were invited to assist in the deliberations. It was resolved that the premiums for the destruction of ravenous animals should be increased, and that in general half the rewards should be paid out of funds raised by the burghers. In the particular case of lions killed between Table Mountain and the Tigerberg the premium was raised to six pounds five shillings for each, two thirds of which was to be paid by the freemen. In September the second large fleet fitted out by the French Company put into South African waters on its way to the East. Admiral De la Haye saluted the fort with five guns, and was answered with only one, which he complained of as an insTilt to his King. He seems to have expected to be able to get here whatever fresh provisions and sea stores he needed, but he was soon undeceived. Commander Hackius made no objection to his purchasing vegetables from the farmers, but informed him that the Company could not furnish him with anjiihing from its own gardens or magazines. The Admiral was indignant at receiving such treatment, but at the very time he was asking for supplies he was acting towards the Dutch as enemies. Six of his ships had put into Saldanha Bay. They found at- the place now called the Old Post^ a station occupied by a few soldiers under command of Sergeant Hieronymus Cruse. Of this station they took forcible possession, and made prisoners of the soldiers. Some burgher fishermen who were caiTying on their ordinary employment in the bay were also seize 1 and made prisoners. The Company's flag was taken down, and its beacons were destroyed, the French substituting the flag and arms of their king. The Council of Policy entered a formal protest against these acts of violence, but they had no force with which to resist, and so they prudently did nothing to provoke the French further. After a short detention, Admiral De la Haye was good enough to release his prisoners, and ho then sailed without leaving any garrison behind. The French flag was not disturbed for four months. Then the garrison at the Cape was reinforced with three hundred men, and the station at Saldanha Bay was again taken in possession and occupied. At this period there was less distinction made between black men and white than between professing Christians and heathens. rir.TER HA(K1US. 167 A baptized black, indeed, enjoyed ail the rights and privileges of a Eiiropean, but a heathen could hardly be said to have any rights at all. At the Cape there were a few Mohammedan slaves, natives of the Indian Islands, who had been banished to this country as a punishment for crime. Some of these were sentenced to slavery for a limited number of years, after wliich they became free. The great majority of the slaves were negroes from Madagascar or the mainland of Africa, mostly males, who had been made prisoners in war and had been sold by the chiefs of victorious tribes. Of the children bom here of slave mothers only about one fourth Avere black, the remainder being half breeds. The Commissioner Isbrand Goske, who visited the settlement in February 1671, considered this circumstance so scandalous and demoralizing to the whites that he attempted to legislate against it. The Commissioner had no idea that heathen Africans under- stood the obligations of maniage or respected fidelity between man and wife. In his opinion, therefore, the slaves could not be married as long ;.s they remained heathens, but he issued instruc- tions that the females should be matched with males of their own class. They were all to be sent to church twice on Sundays, and every evening they were to be assembled for instruction. The Sick Comforter was then to recite prayers slowly, wliich they were to be required to repeat after him. As soon as they should be sufficiently advanced in knowledge and should profess belief in Christianity, they were to be baptized and married. All the children were as heretofore to be sent to school, so that none might grow up heathens. And, lastly, especial care was to be taken that no half breeds were retained in slavery. For a long time the Secunde Comelis de Cretzer had been the most active member of the Cape government. He was a favourite with the biu^ghers and stood high in the estimation of the superior officers with whom he. had come in contact, for he was able, honest, and attentive to his duties. From being a copying clerk he had successively held the offices of Secretary to the Council, Fiscal, and Sec ande, and had now the title of Meuhant and a good prospect of being Commander of the settle- ment at no very distant date. It was customary for the principal officers of ships in the bay to be invited frequently to dine on shore, and as both Mr Borghorst and Mr Ilackius were confirmed invalids the duty of receiving and entertaining such guests was sometimes imdertaken by Mr De Cretzer. On the 10th of April 1671 the 168 ftONlCI.ES OF CAPE COMMAN'DEllS. I' 4 skipper of an Indiaman and a passenger by the same ship dined at the Secunde's house, where they revived an old quarrel between them, De Crefczer endeavoured to pacify them, but the skipper at length became so violent that he assaulted the passsenger and it was necessary to employ force to remove him. He went out of the house, but presently returned using threatening language, when the Secunde giving way to passion drew his rapier and ran the brawler through the body. It was the act of an instant, but its penalty was life long. De Cretzer at once fled from his home and concealed himself somewhere in the settlement. As a matter of form the Govern- ment cited him to appear before the Council of Justice and offered rewards for his apprehension, but no one wished to see him brought to trial and he was never arrested. After a time he left the colony quietly in a homeward bound ship, and returned to Amsterdam, There the case was investigated, and he was pronounced free of blame. The Directors then restored him to the position of Secimde at the Cape, but the ship in which he took passage was captured at sea by a Moorish corsair, and the last that is known of De Cretzer is that he was sold ao a slave in Algiers. This unfortunate event left the Cape without any man of note to direct affairs. The Commander was so feeble that he seldom appeared abroad. Jacob Granaat had gone to Batavia some time before. The three offices of Secunde, Fiscal, and Dispenser of the Magazines had all been filled by De Cretzer, and there was no one to succeed to any of them. The chief military officer was Lieutenant Coenraad van Breitenbach, Avho had only been a month in the settlement, and whoso experience was confined to matters connected with his own profession. Next to him was Brevet- Lieutenant Johannes Coon, who was little more than a cipher. The two ablest men at the Cape were both in subordinate situations. One of these, by name Ilendrik Crudop, was a young man of good birth and education, -who had taken sendee in the East India Company as a means of pushing his fortune. He had passed througli the stages of copying clerk and bookkeeper, and was at this time Secretary of the Council, with the rank of Junior Merchant and the address of Sieiu", hxit had no voice or vote in the proceedings. The other was Sergeant Hieronymus Cruse, a man with little education, but intelligent, active, and capable of carrying through any business that lie undertook. He was the explorer of the day, the iman who knew most of the interior of the country and of t the emei of forti bear I'lETER HACKirs. 169 of the native tribes. But though his opinion had weight outside the Council, and men of lower rank were often admitted in an emergency, he had no voice given to him in the management of affairs. Such being the personnel of the government, it was fortunate that no disturbing element was at this time brought to bear upon the harmony of the settlement. For ten or a dozen years the authorities of the East India Company had been endeavouring to induce gardeners and small farmers to emigrate from Europe to South Africa, but with little success. Now and again they were able to send out to their eastern possessions a few families who were attracted by the glowing tales told of those wondrous isles from which wealth was being poured into the Netherlands. But the Cape had no charms of this kind, for its inhabitants Avere savages and it contributed nothing to commerce. Oi all the Dutch dependencies it was the one that possessed least attraction for emigrants. In October 1670, however, the Chamber of Amsterdam Avas able to annoimco that it had seciu-ed a few families who would be sent in the next fleet, and in the foUomng December another party is spoken of as being about to leave for the Cape and Mauritius. The families were dispersed among the ships in such a manner as best to secure their comfortable accommodation. Some vessels had only one spare cabin, and thus took only one family as passengers, others took two or three. Among those who came to the Cape at this time were Jacob and Dirk van Niekerk, Johannes van As, Franoois Villion, GysLort Verwey, and Jacob Brouwer.* To the tyranny of the governraerii; has usually been ascribed the small nr ;iiber of free inmiigrants that arrived in South Africa between the years 1652 and 1820. But upon close examination this will be found incorrect. It is true that if we judge by the standard of the present day and take representation of the people by election and parliamentary institutions into consideration, the * Eoi'ore Icavii.g the JTetherlaiids the emigrants subscribed the following oath of fidelity :— Ick belovo en sweere diit ick do IIo : Mo : Heercn Staton Gonerael der Vernenichde Nederlandon als onse hooghstc en Souvercijue overheijt, de Bewinthebberen van de Goneiale Gcoctroyeerde Oost Indische Comp ; in deselve lauden, mitsgaders don Gouvemeur Generael en de Raden in Indie, en voorts alio Gouvemeurs, Commandcurs, en Bevelhebberen, die geduyrende deso reyse to water, en voort te lando over ons sullen weHen gestclt, gehouw en getrouw sal wesen, dat ick alio wetten, placcaten, en ordonnantien bij de Pewinthebberen voom : of to den Gouvemeur Geucruel cude de Radon alrede gemaockt olf noch te niaken getrouwelijck in allc pointen nao niijn vemiogen sal onderhouden en naokomen, en voort luij in alles soodaenich draegen en fiuijt/en alfl een goot en getrouw onderdaen schuldich en gehoudeu is te doeu. •»> I'lT! Si 'i' 1: ,'" ■ft •l^- 1 n 'U 1 J 1 170 (HROMCLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. government of that period will appear to be an arbitrary despotism. But before the French Eevolution the nation^ of Europb judged by a very different standard. The people of the United Netherlands were in name and reality the freest on the Continent of Europe, yet the great majority of them had no direct voice in the government. The municipalities which were the seats of power were self-pei-petuating corporations. On the part of the masses the idea of good govern- ment was light taxation, coupled with the making and administra- tion of laws that agreed with their views and prejudices. They did not care to be at the trouble of assisting to make the laws themselves. That was in their opinion the duty of the authorities as constituted by the customs and traditions of time immemorial. The veto of the citizens consisted in the T of protest, a right which they sometimes exercised in the form of an armed and clamorous body. The requests of the burghers made in this manner were not to be disregarded, and hence in a country where prudence is the commonest of virtues, those in authority usually took care to avoid any action which might lead to discontent. Without being a representative govern- ment, the government of the United Netherlands existed for the good of the people and by the will of the people. It was their ideal of what a good government ought to be. The directories of commercial bodies were modelled after this pattern. In the first charter of the East India Company, which was signed at the Hague on the 20th March 1602, the directors of the different chambers were appointed by name, and provision was made for filling any vacancies that might thereafter occur by the States Provincial selecting from a triple number nominated by the remaining Directors. Yet the capital of the Company was subscribed at once, no shareholder imagining that his interests would be safer if he had a dii'ect voice in the management. The charter terminated in 1623, and when it was renewed some new clauses were added. By one of these the shareholders were empowered to assist in certain elections, but in no manner resembling the proceedings of a commercial association of the present day. Such then was the ideal of good government, and to sustain this ideal there was the plain fact that the people of the United Netherlands were the most prosperous on the face of the globe. It was taken for granted that the institutions of the parent country would as far as practicable be transplanted to the colonies. No the the CroNAl see riETER HACKIIS. 171 spotism. judged t me and great The 3tuating govem- linistra- They make luty of ions of in the in the of the ed, and virtues, I which arovem- for the IS their d after npanj, )2, the name, might triple capital fining in the it was le the but in iation ment, pie of ace of arent 3nies. No Netherlander thought then that by going abroad he would lose the rights to which he was born, any more than an Englishman of the present day thinks he forfeits his privileges by residing in a Crown Colony, Looking back upon those times it is easy for us to see that a Colonial Burgher Council was but a shadow of the institution to which it corresponded in name in Holland, that the power of the Colonial Authorities was infinitely greater than that of the Dutch Town Governments, because they had not the fear of an offended and indignant populace always before their eyes. But these simple truths were only discovered after long experience, and could not have been predicted in 1671. Modem colonization was then in its infancy. The most advanced nations, among which were England and Holland, had as yet no conception of colonies governed as they now are. There was no machinery in their systems either to build up or to regulate distant depen- dencies, hence all of them created powerful trading companies for the purpose. The Netherlands East India Company was then the greatest and most powerful trading association in the world, and it was even more than that. It was the owner of vast and wealthy provinces. Yet it was itself subject and responsible to the States General, and its administration was watched with a jealous eye by all who were not shareholders in it. There was always a strong party ready to arraign it when guilty of oppression or abuse of power. That in later years it was on many occasions oppressive and often did abuse its power is no less true, but at this time such charges could not fairly be made against it. The dread of its tyranny probably did not prevent a single indi\'idual from settling in its dependencies. The cause of so few Dutch families settling in South Africa at this period was that there was no necessity for any large number of the people of the Netherlands to leave their homes. A prosperous country, where there is abundance of employment for all, is not a country from which people migrate. The people of the Netherlands were attached to their Fatherland, there was no sectarian persecution to drive them into exile, and so they did not choose to remove to far away regions where the conditions of life were uncertain or unknown. Their territory is small, and though ic was thickly populated the whole number of individuals woidd have been insufficient to send forih large bands of colonists without exhausting the parent state. The Cape was but one of its many dependencies, and received its fair share of the few Dutchmen 172 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COlMMANnERS. of that period who chose to settle abroad. Foreigners, indeed, could have been obtained, but no nation has ever yet chosen to plant colonies of alien blood. The Dutch Avent as far in this direction as prudence would pennit, by s(}ttling in their colonies as many foreigners as coidd be absorbed Avithout danger of losing their own language and predilections. There was little communication between the European is and the natives at this time, and that little was not altogether fri(3ndly. In December 1670 the branch of the Cochoquas under the chief Gonnema paid a visit to the settlement. Their presence caused quite a panic among the frontier farmers at "Wynberg, some of whom abandoned their houses, which the Hottentots afterwards broke into. Happily they did not remain long in the neighbour- hood. In the following year a war broke out between tlie Cochoquas and the Chainouquas, and the first named tribe was nearly ruined. While the clans were fighting with each other, two burghers who went into the country to shoot game were surprised by some Bushmen and murdered. An account of this event was brought to the fort by a party of Chpinouquas, who asserted that the obiquas had been instigated by Gonnema to commit the crime. Their statement was believed, but the accu- sations of their enemies by savages can seldom be received as trustworthy evidence, and there is no other proof of Gonnema's guilt in this matter. The illness of Commander Hackius at length assumed a foim which forbade all hope of recovery. For some months after his arrival he had buoyed himself up with the prospect of a speedy return to the Fatherland, but as time wore on this comfort failed him. The spring of 1671 found him bedridden and hardly conscious of what was transpiring about him, and in this condition he lingered until his death on the night of the 30th November. The funeral took place three days later. It was attended by all the inhabitants of the settlement, but could not be conducted with much pomp owing to the circumstances of the time. The body was laid in the interior of the building used as a church, in the ground now enclosed by the castle walls. Another escutcheon was added to those already hanging there, but in the course of a few years grave and escutcheon were alike imdistinguishable and nothing was left to pei-petuate the memory of Commander Hackius. On the morning after the death of Mr Hackius, the Council assembled for the purpose of making arrangements to can-y on THE COIINCIL OF POLICY. 178 the government. There were present the two military officers Coenraad van Breitenbach and Joliannes Coon, a Junior Merchant named Daniel Froymantean, who had been detained from a ship some time before to act as Issuer of Stores, and the Secretary jlendrik Crud'^p, to wliom a vote in the proceedings Avas now for the first time given. There was no one in the settlojuent whose rank would warrant the Council in placing the adiiinistraticn of affairs temporarily in hi.-i hands. It was liierefore arranged that each member of the government should retain the exact position which he held before the late Commander's death, and that there should be no other distinction batween the Councillors than that reports of unusual occurrences were to be made by the officers at the outposts to Lieutenant Van Breitenbach, who was immediately to lay them before his colleagues. The settlement was thus for a few months governed by a board of officers without any local head or chief. There was at this time throughout the United Netherlands a general feeling of impending danger. Hostilities mth France were believed to bo inevitable at no distant date, and it was beginning to be suspected that England would not much longer abide by the Triple Alliance. That the conquest and partition of the Free Netherlands had actually been arranged by Charles II and Louis XIV as long before as May 1670 was unknown to the Dutch people. But though the Treaty of Dover was a secret to the intended victims, the unfriendly conduct of the English court gave abundant cause for alarm. With so gloomy an outlook the Dii-ectors of the East India Company considered it advisable to strengthen the defences of their possessions, and the Cape was one of the points which they resolved to secure more firmly. The castle, the building of which had been for some time suspended, was to be completed according to the original design, ^he garrison was to be increased, and the adminis- tration of affairs was to be confided to a class of men superior to those hitherto employed. Instructions were received here in February 1672 to utilize all the available force of the settlement in collecting shells, quarrying stone, and conveying these materiaLj to the site of the new fortress. The wood work for the various buildings connected vnth. the Castle was being prepared in Amsterdam, and was sent out as oppoi*tunities offered in the fleets that followed. Large quantities of bricks and tiles were also sent out, and in the same ships came skilled mechanics to do the work, The position of the Castle Hi' rt * t 174 OHRONICLRS OF tlAPE COMMANDERS. is considered so faulty by modern engineers that it is difficult to realize that Avheu it was built it was believed to be almost impregnable. Yet that it was so considered is beyond all question. A few years after its completion, a constable ventured to express an opinion that if the French were to land and take possession of the slope of the Devil's Peak they would be able to shell the garrison out. The Governor came to hear of this, and as he considered that if such a belief gained ground among the burgher militia it would cause them to lose confidence, he ordered the constable to be placed in confinement. His Honour, with Lieutenant Cruse and Surveyor AVittebol, then measured the distance carefully, and came to the conclusion that no cannon which could be brought out in a ship and landed here could harm the Castle. After a few days the constable's wife went to the Governor, and asked that her husband might be set at liberty. Everybody knew, she said, that he was a man who allowed his tongue to run too freely, but just on that account no one paid any attention to what he said, and so there was no harm done. He was a sober and diligent person, and if His Honour would but pardon him this time she would guarantee that he would never again be guilty of talking so foolishly of the Company's strong- hold. He does not get di*unk, I will admit, replied the Governor, and he does his duty reasonably well, but this is a serious matter of which he has been guilty. He must be brought before the Council. The Council decided to be lenient with him, but that he must counteract the mischief which his seditious language might have occasioned. He was therefore to select the two best cannons at the Cape, which should be conveyed to the place that he had asserted commanded the Castle. There he wac to load them with full charges, and if he could throw a ball into the fortress he was to be free c f fine or punishment. The experiment was canied out, and the Castle remained un- scathed. The constable was then compelled to proclaim himself a foolish fellow, and was fined three months' wages to cover the expense of removing the cannon.* The officers selected at this troublous time to conduct the government were Isbrand Goske, Albert van Breugel, and Pieter ♦ A dozen years later the authorities atimitted that their predecessors had been mistaken. In 1685 a Commissioner of high standing advised the Chamber of Seventeen that there was no site in Table Valley upon which a fortress could be built to command the anchorage without being itself commanded by higher ground. THE COUNCIL OF POLICY. 1 to de Neyii. The first w ; a man who had filled various responsible situations in the Indies, and had always ac'cjuitted himself creditably. lie had won distinction in Ceylon and on the coast of Malabar. Twice he had been Commissioner at the Cape. It was he who selected the site of the Castle, when on his way from Europe to Peisia to assume the direction of the Company's trade there, and again when returning home in 1671 he was charged with the duty of rectifying anything here that might bo amiss. Judged bj' the standard of the nineteenth century his views would bo called naiTow, in his own day he was held to be not only a good but a wise and liberal man. In rank he was already higher than a Commander, and when he was requested to assume the direction of affair.^ at the Cape, the Residency was raised to be a Government, and he was entitled Governor. At the same time he was appointed Councillor Extraordinary of India. His salary was to be at the rate of i/25 a month, or double that of a Commander, with a very liberal table allowance, and besides quarters in the fort he was to have a pleasure house or country seat with an ornamental garden at Kondebosoh, where he cuuld entertain visitors at his ease. Albert van Breugel, who was appointed Secunde, was a man of less experience than Mr Goske, but was believed to be a staid, upright, and able officer. Advocate Pieter de Neyn, who was sent out is Fiscal, was a good-natured, witty personage, well read in law .horoughly competent for his post as far as talent was nmed, but his moral character was not altogether above ro^uoach. A book of poetry which he composed and published after his return to Europe bears the impress of a man of some genius, to whom close thinking was familiar. Many of the verses are characterised by the same peculiarities as the writings of Sterne, but the expressions are coarser. He also prepared a work upon the marriage customs of various nations, which gives proof of extensive reading. The fiscal was the first of the three new officers appointed, and when he arrived at the Cape he experienced some difficulty in getting himself recognised by the grave God- fearing councillors who were then ruling the settlement. During the ten years from the 1st of January 1662 to the Slst of December 1671, three hundred and seventy of the Company's ships put into Table Bay, either on the outward or homeward passage, and all found ample refreshment. In the same period 176 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDEllS i\ > i twenty-six Freueh, nine English, and two Danish ships cast anchor hero.* The only other stranger was a small Portugnese vessel brought in as a prize. There were no wreeks or losses in Table Bay (luring this period, but on the coast nearly opposite Dassen Island, a cutter was run ashore by a drunken skipper in June 1668, when two men were drowned, and in May 1671 another small vessel was wrecked on the Foundlings, when the crew got safely away in the boat. It was estimated that for the refreshment of the Company's ships thi'ee hundred and fifty head of horned cattle and three thousand seven hundred sheep were required yearly. This was exclusive of the hospital and the ])oople on shore. The average inunber of men on board each vessel that called in time of peace was about one hundi-ed and eighty, but first class Indiamen carried from three to four hundred. It needed seventy or eighty hands to set the enormous mainsail of such a ship, for they were ignorant of many of the modem, appliances for multiplying power. Shipbuilders were only beginning to leani that by reducing the size of the sails and increasing the number they could do with fewer men. Large crews were needed also for defence in case of attack by pirates, and allowance had to be made for at least one third of the complement being laid uj) with scmwy in a passage exceeding four months. Thus, notwithstanding the number of ships appears small, over seven thousand strangers visited the Cape every 3'ear, who after consuming fresh provisions for ten or twelve daja earned away with them as much as woidd keep good. id i * Instructions ns to the treatment of foreigners wore very frequently given. They are all aunnueil up concisely in the following extract :— " VVij wunschen met U E dat do Deenen en andcro Europiaensche natien het aondoen van de Caep quamen to excu.seren, alsoo wij doch niet als moeijton, krachelrn, en onlusten daeraijt kininen te verwachten liebben, maer evenwell als zij om water en eenige verversiuge daer soeken aen te wesen, poude het een seer harde aaecke sijn liaer afE te wijseu. Dan sullen U E moeten verdacht zijn gelijek wij U E oock te meermalen hebben aengesz, en bij U E oock seer well schijnt begrepen to wesen, dat die verver- siuge haer niet als met een siiaersanie hant werde toegereijcht, men kan op eijgen behoeff en benodichtheijt vcell excuseren. Maer ala die natien daer den beest souden willen speelen ofE een dootslach aan iemand van ons volck comen te begaan, gelijek sulx jonghst met den Chimrgijn vant Deens schip Oldcnbiirgh nae genoech is geweest, verstaen wij dat U E de sodanige sullen hebben bij de kop te vatten, recht daer over te spreken, en tselve ter executie te leggen, in twelck geene natien ons met ivden qualijck eunnen afCnemen, belioudelijck nochtan;: dat wij des meester en sij soo sterclc niet en sijn dat sij ons sulx fcijtelijck souden eunnen beletten, off under gewelt togens ons gebruijkeu." Extract from a despatch of the Chamber of Seventeen, of date 4th November 1673. ttit: cmNf'Ti. ov vo\.m\. \7: anelior B vessel I Table Dassen u June another le crew iipany's cl three ^his was average time of icliamen r eighty ley were g power, reducing jould do defence be made h scurvy standing trangeis rovisions uch as litly given. Ischmi iiiot de Caep Jl OlllUPtPl) en eenige I Imer af£ te Inieennalen I die verver- op eijgen pest souden Ijelijck sulx geweest, It daer over met reden Icn sij soo Idcr gowelt l-enteen, of Nearly every year the hranoh of the (•ochoquas under Gonnema paid a visit to the Ca))e peninsula, whon; they seldom failed to create trouble by their pilfering pr()])ensities. The normal condition of this particular clan was that of a roving band, always at feud with its neighbours, either plundering the Namaquas, or the Chainoiiquas, or the Kaapmans of their cattle, or itself plundered and reduced to want. They had yet to learn that a European settlement was not to be dealt with in this manner. At this period the Europeans felt themselves more secure than ever before. There was a gan-ison of three hundred men in Table Valley. The burghers formed a body of militia one hundred strong, a fair proportion of them mounted on Javanese ponies. The Council was in no mood to brook either affront or wi'ong. The members were plain men, who looked at the native question as a very simple one. They had no thought or desire of harming a Hottentot or of interfering in the slightest manner with the internal government of the clans. But they were determined to punish any one who should molest a European, and to do it in such a manner as to inspire all others with a feeling of ten'or. On the first opportunity that offered they put this principle into practice. Five of Gonnema's people Avere taken redhanded in the act of sheepstealing, three of the number being guilty also of assaulting the herdsman. They were bound and carried to the fort, where shortly a party of theii' friends appeared with cattle for their ransom. The Council declined to release the prisoners on any terms. Day after day came messengers ofPering more and more cattle, but always without effect. The five prisoners were brought to trial, and were sentenced all to be soundly flogged, the three most guilty to be branded and to be banished to Robben Island for fifteen years to collect shells for the public benefit in return for their food, the other two to be banished for seven years. The first part of the sentence was strictly carried out, and the latter part would have been so likewise if the convicts had not made their escape from the island in a boat. On the 23rd of March 1672 the ship J/irm.9.sY?>* arrived from Texel, having as passenger the Secimde Albert van Breugel. The Councillors went on board to welcome him and to escort him to the fort, but a strong southeaster springing up suddenly they were unable to return to land before the 25th. Mr Van Breugel's M t* ■■.li *■ n ri: 178 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. oomraission empowered him to act as Commander in case of no one higher in rank in the service being at the Cape, so that - he at once assumed the direction of affairs. On the same day there anived in a homeward bound ship a .. Commissioner of the Cape llesidency in the person of Amout.r' van Overbeke, member of the Council of Justice at Batavia • and Admiral of the return fleet of 1672. The Commissioner was received with the ordinary state observed towards officers of his rank. The walls of the old fort would not admit of the cannon being used too freely, but the ships at anchor lent assistance with theu* great guns. Amid the roar of their discharges Mr Yan Overbeke landed on the jetty, where the officers of the settlement met him. The troops with as many of the burgher militia as could be assembled were drawn up and presented arms as lie passed along the lines, and as he entered the fort his flag was hoisted and saluttd. After investigating the affairs of the settlement, the Com- missioner Van Overbeke thought it would be expedient in order to prevent future disputes to make a formal purchase of the country about the Cape from the Hottentot claimants, A negotiation was accordingly entered into with the chief formerly called by his countrymen Osirgkima and now Mankagou, to whom the Dutch had given the name of Sohacher. When Mr Van Eiebeek arrived in South Africa, Schacher's father, the Fat Captain Grogosoa, was tlie principal chief of the three clans, Goringhaiquas, Gorachouquas, and Goringhaiko- nas, then in occupation of the Cape Peninsula and the adjacent country. Since that time some clianges in the internal condition of these clans had taken place. The largest of them had been subdivided into several little bands. The permanent residents of the peninsula had increased in mmiber, owing to the facility of obtaining food afforded by the presence of the European settlors. The others had not yet recovered from the loss sustained during the pestilence of 1605. But to them all Schacher's position was the same as that of his father had been, so that if any one had a right to barter away the country, that one was he. Tlie Hottentot chief, when applied to, readily consented to the conditions ])roposed, for they took nothing from him Avhich he had not already lost. The agreement, which is still preserved in tlie Registry of Deeds in Cape Town, contains eight clauses. In the first, the Hottentot Prince, as he is called, agi'ees for i^ ■: AI.BKUT VAX l»REU i. 184 CURONICI.ES OF CAPE COMMAXDERsi. ■■'.■. Ml. In the face of such opposition the allies were compelled to pause. Then a change in the situation took place. A combination of great European Powers was foi-med against France. The English government, which had entered into the war and carried it on against the wishes and interests of the people, was obliged to make peace (February 1674). Six months later the Dutch had recovered all their territory except the towns of Maestrioht and Graave, their fleet was keeping the coast of France in continual alarm, and the Prince of Orange with seventy thousand men, haL" of them Germans and Spaniards, was preparing to attack the Prince of Conde at Charleroi. The efPect of the troubles of the mother country upon the Cape settlement was felt for many years. The number of ships that called fell ofF very considerably, for even after the recovery of their territory by the Dutch, it took a long time to establish again their European trade. In the east the Company suffered no reverses of any importance, but its commerce was crippled by the necessity of maintaining a large fleet on a war footing. The High Admiral there was the elder Ryklof van Goens, subsequently Governor General of Netherlands India, and associated both before and after this date with Cape affairs. Under him, commanding a division of the fleet, was Cornells van Quaelberg, once Commander of the Cape settlement. The best contested battle fought in Indian waters during ihe war was between Van Quaelberg's division of the fleet and a squadron of ten English ships that met off Masulipatam. The English were outnumbered, but they fought bravely, and it was not until one of their ships went down and two others were surrounded and reduced to wrecks that the remaining seven made sail for the Hoogly. The first and most important object that Governor Goske had to attend to was to prepare the Cape for defence in the event of its being attacked, and for this purpose he had authority to land from passing ships as many men as could be spared and he might require. But the troubles in Europe caused a falling off in the number of ships sent out, and further made it so difficult to obtain soldiers and seamen that for some years hardly a vessel sailed with her full complement of hands. Urgent, therefore, as was the necessity for completing the Castle, it was not possible at any time to employ more than two hundred and fifty to three hundred men upon it. AVhat the Free Netherlands did in those days cannot be compared with what the present raotJ rescj etfoj of the crui It bt b\ ISHRAND GOSKE. 18o mother country is capable of doing. But if measured by their resources, and especially by the number of their inhabitants, the efPorts which they put forth are worthy of the wamiest admiration of all liberty loving people. The Governor resolved as a temporary measm-e to repair the old fort, the earthen walls of which had by this time so crumbled away that he described it as being like a ruined molehill. It was hastily built up again, and then every man that could hi spared was set to work upon the Castle. It was now nearly three years since the Commissioner Van der Broeek authorized the Cape Government to form a farming establishment at Hottentots Holland, but owing to the illness of Commander Hackius and the absence of any one of high authority after his death, nothing had yet been done in the matter beyond surveying the ground. But besides the original object in view there was now a special reason for forming an outpost in the country, as a place was needed to which the cattle could be sent, and upon which the garrison could fall back if compelled to abandon the Cape. On the 18tli of October 1672 Sergeant Cruythof and twelve men left to commence putting up the necessary buildings, and thus the first step was taken to extend the settlement towai'ds the interior. ■ The description of Hottentots Holland which was sent to the Netherlands for the information of the Directors Avould seem at the present day to be too highly colom'ed if we did not know that within the period which has since elapsed the face of the country has undergone a great change. Western valleys were then covered with long rich grass, just as KafEraria is now. Every summer a party of men used to be sent out with scythes to the Tigerberg, and tlurty or forty waggon loads of hay were brought back to the Company's stables as forage for the horses. The recesses in the mountain sides facing the sea contained patches of evergreen forest, in which were foimd great varieties of useful timber. The grass at Hottentots Holland and the forests in the immediate neighbourhood were mentioned as being superior to those of any ether part of the country as yet visited. The soil was described as rich, and the south-east wind, that scoiu'ge of the husbandman in Table Valley, was far less violent there. It was a bountifully watered land, its streams were stocked with fish, and on its pastures at certain seasons browsed elands and hartebeests and other game. It was easy of access by sea. A h; %^ 186 CIIROXICLES OF f'Al'K COMM ANDKR:*. I» '■■ cutter could run \vp to the head of False Bay, where without any difficulty produce could be shipped, and thiis the joiuney through the heavy saud of the Cape Flats he avoided. It seems to have been almost a uatiu-al law in South Africa that all the advantages of a locality shoidd be seen at first, and its defects only become known gradually afterwards. "With a view of crippling the English East India Company, orders were at this time received from Holland to fit out an expedition to attack and endeavour to destroy its victualling station at St Helona. For this purpose the ships Vryhekl, Zuid PoJfihroek, Cattenhurgh, and Vliegencle Stvaan were made ready at the Cape, and one himdred and eighty soldiers and one hundred and fifty sailors above their ordinary crews were embarked in them. The expedition was placed under the direction of Jacob de G-eus, skipper of the Vnjhml, and subject to his general orders Lieutenant Coenrad van Breitenbach had command of the land forces. The little fleet sailed from Table Bay on the 13th of December 1672. Upon arriving at St Helena they foimd the garrison of the island too small to offer effectual resistance. The few men there thought it more prudent to spike theii' camion and to make their escape in a ship lying ready for sea. Several who had not time to embark surrendered. Skipper De Geus took possession of the abandoned island and of an English slave ship from Madagascar boimd to Barbadoes with two hundred and forty negroes on board, which had put in for refreshment. Lieutenant Johannes Coon was installed as Commander, and when the fleet sailed he was left with a small garrison to occupy the new acquisition. ... A few weeks later intelligence reached the Gape that Lieutenant Coon had died, and Lieutenaht Van Breitenbach was then sent to assume the command. He had hardly taken over the duties when an English homeward bound fleet touched at the island, and speedily put an end to its new government. Lieutenant Van Breitenbach and the garrison were taken to England as prisoners of war, and were there exchanged for some Englishmen detained in the Netherlands. The Lieutenant sub- sequently committed a military offence for which he was cashiered, and he then went out to India as a free colonist, calling at the Cape on the way. Just at that time the Company was at war with some of the rative powers, and Van Breitenbach, who carried with him excellent recommendations from Governor without journey It seems it all the ts defects ompaiiy, out an otualling eld, Znid ready at hundred arked in Jacob de x\ orders the land 13th of >und the 38. The cannon Several ^e Geus ish slave hundred 'shment. ler, and occupy pe that ich was en over 3hed at mment. iken to )r some Qt sub- jhiered, at the at war 1, who >vemor TSBRAXn onsKE. ni Goske, was requested to return into the service, where he soon regained his former rank. For a considerable time no trading expeditions had been sent inland, because the Directors thought the Hottentots would bring cattle to the Cape for sale if they could not obtain tobacco, copper, and beads at their own kraals. But in this expectation they were disappointed. The rich clans living at a distance were unable to come, o\ving to the constant feuds in which they were engaged with others nearer at hand. Those in the neighbourhood of the Cape occasionally brought a lean cow or a few sheep for sale, but they had become impoverished through being plundered, and could not supply as many as were needed. It was therefore determined to send a trading p rty of twelve men to the kraal of the Chainouqua Captain Dorha, who had intimated a wish to obtain some tobacco and copper in exchange for cattle. This Captain Dorha, or Klaas as he was called by tlie Europeans, who now appears for the first time, was for many years to come intimately connected with the colony and regarded as its most faithful ally. The tribal government of the Hottentots was so weak that the slightest cause seems to have been sufhcient to break them up into little clans virtually independent of each other. This was the case at least with all those who came into contact with the white people. There was still in name a chief of the Chainouquas, but in fact that tribe was now divided into two clans under the Captains Klaas and Koopman. Each of these was recognized as a ruler by the Cape Grovernment, in proof of which staffs with brass heads upon which the Company's coat of arms was engraved had been presented to them, just as - Buch symbols had previously been given to six or eight captains -clearer the settlement. These staffs soon came to be regarded ' by the Hottentots not only as recognizing but as conferring . authority, and thenceforth it became an object of ambition with ' every head of a few families to obtain one. Klaas attached himself to the Europeans, but not fi"om any : inclination to acquiro civilized habits, for he remained a savage till ; his death. Successive Governors, indeed, maintained that he was i a model of virtue and fidelity, but ihe proofs they give ai'e far from conclusive. As an instance, he once brought a little . Hottentot boy whom he had captured in war, and offered him • as a present to the Governor to be a slave. Hereupon the Governor described him as having the merciful heart of Christian, inasmuch as he spared the life of an enemy. Pi ,11 V a 188 ( IIROMCLKS OF ( APF, ( OMMAXDKUS. V^' mM i 1' it fl J. 1 Whatever his object may have been, he proved a firm supporter of the European government, always ready to take part with it against his own countrymen. On this occasion he bortered away two hundred and fifty-six head of horned cattle and three hundred and seventy sheep, a very seasonable supph- for the Governor, whose slaughter ' was nearly exhausted. Klaas was then requested to furni^.x .^y young oxen to draw stone to the Castle, and in less than a fortnight he collected them among his people and sent a message that they were ready. Such conduct on his part naturally called for a return of favours. The Chainouquas and the Cochoquas were at this time at war, and whenever Klaas wished to visit the Cape an escort was sent to Hottentots Holland to protect him on the journey. Presents were frequently sent to him with compli- mentary messages, and he was provided with a showy suit of European clothing that he might appear at the fort with such dignity as became a faithful ally of the Honourable Company. The attention paid to him may partly explain the hostile conduct of Gonnema, chief of the largest division of the Cochoquas. Gonnema, who was kno"vni to the first settlers as the Black Captain, usually had hia kraals in the neighbourhood of Eiebeek's Kasteel and Twenty-four Rivers, but occasionally he wandered to the shores of Saldanha Bay or eastward to Hottentots Holland. AU his neighbours were in dread of him, for whenever there was an opportunity he was in the habit of plundering them. It was from him that the whole of the Hottentots in the neighbourhood of the Cape were fifty years later called Gunjemans by the Dutch. The people of his own clan were even at this time called Gonnemas, and the word gradually became Gonne- mans, Gonjemans, and Gunjemans. And as the Goringhaiquas and others soon lost their distinguishing tribal titles they all became blended together under this one name, by which alone Europeans knew them. Among themselves the old names were probably preserved, but when speaking to white men they employed the word in common use. In precisely the same manner various bodies of natives have lost the titles of their clans and acquired more general ones from some corrupted name, down to our own day. In November 1672 three burghers obtained permission from the Governor to shoot hippopotami, and for this purpose they travelled along the banks of the Berg River down to Riebeek's Kasteel. There Gonnema with forty or fifty of his followers came upo| Avhatevcr escape wi' the Gove game in enmity t could be therefore In Jl the Gove waggons skins and] for sale. they cro into the n which loi surrounde (lays and On burghers to send oi furnish a soldiers, v Cruse. ^ eight day been usei Gonnema would be Captain 1 (jonnemo act as gu reached t so that 1 were res party of burgher The Gonnem Corapan selling corporal to a fre ISBRAXl) OOSKE. 189 came upon them and seized their waggon, oxen, provisions, and whatever else they had with them, barely permitting them to escape with theii- lives. It does not seem to have occurred to the Governor that Gonuema might object to the destruction of game in his district, and so the act was attributed solely to his enmity to the Company. But there was then no force that could be spared to chastise the offender, and the injury was therefore left unpunished. In June 1673 eight bvu-ghers and a slave went out with the Governor's permission to shoot large game. They had two Avaggons with them, which it was their intention to load with skins and dried meat for the sustenance of their families and for sale. Finding no antelopes this side of the Berg River, they crossed at a ford near Riebeek's Kasteel and went up into the moimtains beyond Twenty-four Rivers. There, at a place which long afterwards bore the name of Moord Kuil, they were surrounded by Gonnema's people, who detained them for several days and then murdered them all. On the 11th of July a rumour reached the fort that the hurghers were hemmed in, and the Council immediately resolved to send out a relief expedition. The freemen were called upon to furnish a contingent of thirty-six men, who, with a like number of soldiers, were placed under the command of Ensign Ilieronymus Cruse. Next morning the expedition left the fort, provisioned for eight days, and with orders that if they should find violence had been used towards the burghers they were to retaliate upon Gonuema and his people in such a manner that their descendants would be too terrified ever to offend Netherlanders again. At Captain Kuiper's kraal across the Cape Flats they found one of (jonnema's people, whom they compelled under tlireat of death to act as guide. Passing by Paardeberg and Riebeek's Kasteel they reached the Berg River, which they found too deep to be forded, so that they were detained until a raft could be made. They were resting on the other side when they were joined by a party of eighteen horsemen from the fort under command of the burgher officer Elbert Diemer. These brought word that on the 6th of July some of Gonnema's people under the petty captain Kees appeared at the Company's post at Saldanha Bay with the apparent object of selling sheep. The post was occupied at the time by only a corporal and two soldiers, but <-here was a fishing boat belonging to a freeman afloat close by, and two of her crew were on shore. Mr ^:( nr ft I p : [■5-:* : •t >..B1 I 100 ( HKOMCI.Kfl OF ( M'l; ( OMNiANDKR-S. Suddenly and without any warning tlio Ilottontots rose ujioii llio Europeans and niurdoivd four ol' them, only one hoklim- managing to esoai»o to the Loat. Tbo Hottentots then pluudeivd the post. The boat dailed f(jr Table Bay, but owing to eontrary winds was detained at Jutten and Dassen islands, and did nut reaeh her diistination until the 14th. Upon receipt of this intelligence the Council at ouce dispatched the horsemen to Ensign Cnise's assistance, and they brought instructions to attack Gonueraa's people and endeavour to punish them severely, sjjaring none of the men. The combined forces marched across the district of Twenty- four llivers, and on the 18tli saw smoke rising at a distance among the mountains. They then halted and lent out scoiits, who returned in the evening with information that they had discovered the position of a kraal and had observed a nimiber of women digging bulbs. Next morning before daylight Ensign Cruse marched upon the kraal in hope of surprising its inmates, but upon reaching it he found that they had fled with their cattle. The huts were standing and the fires were still alight, showing that the place had not been long abandoned. In the huts were found the cooking utensils, clothing, and other property of the murdered biu-ghers. At daybreak the horsemen followed the fugitives and soon overtook th'^ra, when the Hottentots abandoned their cattle and fled into the mountains with their women and children. The cattle were then taken possession of, and without any further attempt to reach the enemy the expedition commenced its homeward march. But they had not proceeded far before they discovered that the Hottentots were following them. At their first resting place an attempt was made to recover the cattle, and though it failed the enemy kept hovering about for some time. The casualties during the march were one burgher wounded and two horses killed, while ten or twelve Hottentots were shot. The expedition reached the fort again on the 25th, and delivered to the Governor eight hundred head of homed cattle and nine hundred sheep. Captains Klaas, Schacher, and Kuiper now tendered their services against Gonnema, Klaas especially being delighted at the prospect of his enemy's ruin. The others immediately commenced soom-ing the country in search of stragglers. On tlie 20th of August Schacher and Kuiper w'ith more than a liundred of their people appeared again at the fort, bringing with They cause as a the n their execu ^mm I8MUAM) <;(>SKK. I9h rose upon 110 sf)l(linr pluudt-nd contnirj id did Hut it of this to lOnsigu to attack ly, sj)aring f Twenty. a distance )ut scouts, they bad a number fat Ensign ts inmates, with their ill alight, 1. In the r propei-ty and soon cattle and ren. The y further enced its fore they At their he cattle, for some burgher [ottentots the 25th, tf homed Ted their Ighted at nediately ers. On ' than a bringing with them four of Gonnoma's followers whom they had captured. They delivered those prisoners to the Governor, who at once caused thom to bo tried by a committee of the Council actmg as a court martial. They worJICLES OF CAPE COMMAKDEIlS. peculiarities in the personal appearance of Bushmen which enable men like the late Dr Bleek to pronounce imfailingly, at first sight, and before a word has been spoken, as to their nationality, and scientific examination into the structure of their language has shown them to be a people far removed in point of relationship from the other races of South Africa, but the Europeans who first came into contact with them did not detect these differences. Very likely a party of Afghans, if transported to Ireland without any previous knowledge of the country and its people, would be a long time in making the discovery that the Saxon speaking English and the Celt speak- ing Irish were not closely related in blood. To them the Celt would be undistinguishable from the Saxon. And this was precisely the position that the Bushmen and the Hottentots stood in to the Dutch of the seventeenth century. The Hottentots called the Bushmen Sana, a title dis- tinguishing them as a distinct race from their own, but spoke of them usually as ||obiqua, or robbers nnd murderers. They seldom spared any who fell into their hands. Still, necessity had in some instances brought about an arrangement by which parties of Bushmen were either in alliance with Hottentot clans or were in a condition of dependence upon them, serving as scouts and spies and receiving in return a precarious protection.* The Hottentot chiefs without exception denied that they had any right of control over the Bushmen in their neighboia'hood. The Toropean authorities frequently called upon them to preserve order in the districts in which they were residing by suppressiag the brigandage of ^their subjects, but their reply was always to the effect that the robbers were not their subjects and that they would cheerfully exterminate them if they could. It is thus very unlikely that Gonnema had anj^hing to do with the acts of Bushmen in a district occupied not by his people but by the Hessequas. The Coimcil decided to send an expedition against them, for which purpose a commando was assembled consisting of fifty foot soldiers and twenty-three horsemen, fifty burghers under Wouter Mostert, and a large • Tliis is the case with regard to the Bushmen along the eastern margin of the Kalihari and the Bechuana clans in that country to the present day. AU the natives of South Africa have distinct race names for Hottentots and Bushmen. The Kaffirs on the frontier of the Cape Colony call the Hottentots Amalawo, and the Bushmen Abatws. JOHAN BAX. 203 m whicli ingly, at to their of their in point but the did not ^hans, if B of the cing the it speak- fche Celt this was ottentots itle dis- it spoke Ihev necessity y which tot clans •ving as >tection.* hej had ourhood. hem to ding by ir reply 3t their them if ig to do by his send an ido was ty-three a large margin of , AU the Bushmen. >, and the land of Hottentots under the Captains Klaas, Koopman, Schacher, Kmper, and Sousoa. The commando was provisiDned for three weeks, and was under the general orders of Lieu- tenant Cruse. Soon after setting out, a stranger who was held to be a spy was seized and compelled to act as guide, but as he led the expedition to some abandoned kraals he was handed over to Captaia Klaas who put him to death. The Bushmen could not be found, and after a wearisome march the com- mando returned to the castle without having effected anything. Six months after this a petty captain, who was called Jacob by the Dutch, came roimd from Saldanha Bay in a small vessel belonging to a freeman, and tendered his services to look for Gonnema. Under pretence of purchasing cattle this man was sent out as a spy, and returned with information that the enemy was encamped in the Sugarbergen only a day's march beyond the Berg Eiver. Behind were the Namaquas and the Chariguriquas, hereditary enemies of the Cochoquas, so that escape in that direction would be impossible. Hereupon a large commando was assembled, and under guidance of Jacob left the Cape in expectation of being able to surprise Gonnema, and to punish him severely. The expedition marched only at night, and took every precaution to avoid detection, but by some means the enemy became aware of its approach and escaped in good time. Foiled in its principal object, the commando then made a detour to Saldanha Bay, and fell upon Captain Kees, who had destroyed the Company's post there three years before. Several of his followers were killed, and the whole of his stock, which consisted of one hundred and sixty-five head of homed cattle and thirty sheep, was seized. The booty taken on this occasion being so small, the Hottentot allies were rewarded for their fidelity by presents of such articles as they most desired out of the Company's stores. This was the last expedition sent out during the v/ar with Gonnema, whicli for four years kept the country in a disturbed condition. On the 8th of June 1677, Kuiper and another petty captain living near by appeared at the castle accompanied by some messengers from Gonnema, who reported that their mission was to ascertain if peace could not be established. They were persons of no rank, and brought no peace offerings, having merely been sent to make enquiries. They asserted that if the prospects were favourable it was Gonnema's inten- !::■ 204 (HROMCLE8 OF iATK COMMANDERS. tion to visit the Governor, and thereafter to trade in friendship with the Europeans. The Covmcil hereupon decided to let the messengers know that the overture was agreeable, and that if the Cochoquas would send a more respectable deputation to make due sub- mission to the Honourable Company, the government was pre- pared to enter into a firm peace, in which, however, the allies of the Eiu-opeans must also be included. A safe conduct to hold good for three months was given to the messengers, and a small present was sent to Gonnema as coming from Lieutenant Cruse. On the 24th the same messengers returned to the castle, bringing with them a present of nine head of cattle, and accompanied by three men of position, named Nengue, Harru, and Nuguma, who were empowered to ask for peace. The ambassadors with their followers were admitted to the council chamber, the burgher councillors and the chief officer of the militia being present also. There the conditions, which were purposely embodied in a few short clauses, were interpreted and explained to them, and to these they signified their assent by a general exclamation of sam ! sam ! or peace ! peace ! They were as follow : — In the first place the ambassadors request forgiveness for the acts which occasioned the war, and ask that a friendly intercourse may be established as before. They offer and promise to deliver as tribute thirty head of cattle upon the arrival of the first return fleet in every year. They promise to punish their people in ^^e same manner as the Honourable Company does.* They promise not to wage war agaii '. any of the Honour- able Company's allies without the knowledge of the govern- ment. In this peace are included the captains Kuiper and Schacher, also the petty captain Kees, and all who are subject to Gonnema, Schacher, and Kuiper. The above conditions having been placed on record with the signatures of the officials and the marks of the envoys attached, presents were made to each of the Hottentots, and a * This clause would seem to be Bomewhat obscure, but subsequent transactions show that it was intended to mean that the Cochoquas should regard certain offences, particularly thefts of stock, as crimes of magnitude to be punished severely and not to be lightly passed over as had been their custom. JOIIAN U\\. 205 good quantity of tobacco, pipes, beads, &c, was sent to Gonneraa in return for the nine head of cattle. And so the country was restored to a state of tranquillity again. Notwithstanding the strict regulations that had from time to time been enaoted prohibiting trade between the burghers ond the Hottentots, it had not been prevented. It was now discovered that the forbidden traffic was being carried on to a large extent, and laws even more severe than the old ones were therefore issued and enforced. It was made a capital offence to furnish a Hottentot with firearms or any kind of munitions of war. Two guns that had been bartered by farmers to Hot- tentots for cattle v/ere recovered mth great difficulty and at considerable expense. It was made a penal offence to pay natives for labour in money, because they did not know the value of it, and rated their services altogether too dear, or in half-bred sheep, because robberies could not be traced if they were in possession of such animals. One of the reasons assigned for desiring to prevent traffic between the two races was the fear of the government that the farmers might im- prudently commit some act which would lead to serious difficulties. No doubt there was good cause for such fear. There ore instances on record of some lawless deeds committed in Commander Borghorst's days, and at this time there was a case which was giving no little trouble. In the year 1672 a lawless character named Willem Willems deliberately shot a Hottentot upon very slight provocation, and afterwards escaped to Europe in a Danish ship. Arrived in Holland, he presented himself before the Prince of Orange, and by means of false representations procured from him a safe conduct to return to this country where he had a family and some property. Upon making his appearance here again, the Coimcil felt itself bound to respect the safe conduct, but as the Hottentots far and wide clamoured for justice the criminal was placed upon Robben Island until instructions could be received from the Directors. A close investigation into the particulars of the homicide was made, and the evidence was sent to Europe. In course of time instruc- tions came back to send Willems with his family to Mauritius, but his wife, who in the meantime had been causing a great deal of trouble by her misconduct, objected to this scheme, and some delay took place. Eventually the family was deported to Batavia, but as they returned again to the Cape they were banished to Mauritius and not permitted afterwards to leave that island. 1 ^11 i it. ' ■ : r^- 206 CTrROXICLES OF CAPE OOMMAXDERS. ■I -{j I Another reason for prohibiting the bui'ghers from trading with the Hottentots was to keep do^^^^ the price of cattle. In this traffic the Company could not permit its subjects to become its rivals. The government was anxious that the farmers should be in possession of large herds and flocks, and it not only supplied them with stock at rates very little above cost price, but it hired breeding cows and ewes to them on equal shares of the increase. It even promised that if they would bring to its stores any Hottentots who might come to them with anything for sale, they might purchase it again out of the stores at exactly cost price. Offering these inducements to obedience, it prohibited the purchase of cattle by a burgher from a Hottentot under penalty of severe corporal punislmient, and the purchase of any other merchandize, such as ivory, ostrich feathers, peltries, &c, imder penalty of a fine of £4 and such other punishment as the court of justice might deem proper to inflict. To protect its cattle trade, the Hottentot captains who were under the influence of the govern- ment were required not to purchase from those further inland, under pain of being considered unfriendly. All these restrictions, combined with police regulations for searching waggons passing the barrier beyond the castle and the watch-house Keert de Koe, as well as frequent inspection of the kraals of the farmers, could not entirely suppress the forbidden traffic. That these severe regulations produced no remonstrance fi'om the burghers shows how different were the opinions then held from those of the present day. There was never a people more unwilling than the Dutch to keep silent when they felt themselves aggrieved. They never scmpled to raise their voices and claim what they believed to be their rights whenever they thought they were oppressed. But in this case they did not con- sider that their privileges had been invaded. A quarter of a century had now elapsed since the arrival of the Europeans, during which time the habits of the natives living pennanently in the Cape Peninsula seem to have undergone very little change. They had increased considerably in number and had a kraal in Table Valley, on the upper side of the present Hottentot Square, but in general they were to be found lounging about the houses of the biu-ghers. The men could not be induced to do anj' other work than tend cattle, but the women gathered fuel for sale, and the young girls were mostly in service. They were dressed in sheepskins and cast-off European clothing, and depended for food principally u]wn supplies of rice obtained in 111 [(.'ft JOHAN BAX. 207 return for such service as they performed. They had become passionately fond of arrack and tobacco. Early in 1678 there was such a scarcity of rice in the settlement that the burghers were compelled to discharge their de- pendents, and as these were no longer able to live as their ancestors had done, they were driven by hunger to seize sheep and even to plunder the houses of the Europeans in open day. Just at that time a party of Bushmen took up their abode in the mountains at the back of Wynberg and descended at night upon the kraals of the farmers. In great alarm the burghers appealed to the Council for protection, and measures were promptly adopted to suppress the disorder. There was a large supply of ships' biscuits in the magazines, and it was resolved to sell these at a very cheap rate to the burghers, so that they might again employ and feed the Hottentots. Food was to be offered in payment to all who would work at the moat which was then being made round the castle. The country was to be patrolled night and day by horsemen. Eewards were offered for the apprehension of robbers. Schacher and Kuiper were sent for, and upon their arrival at the castle were informed that they would be detained as prisoners until their followers brought in such of the robbers as were known to be their people. These were accordingly captured and delivered over without delay, when with some others they were transported to Robben Island. These captains subsequently captured five of the Bushmen, whom they brought to the castle and delivered to the Governor, requesting that the prisoners might either be punished by the Europeans or be given back to them to be put to death. The Council decided that as their crimes had been committed against the Honourable Company, they should be tried by the Court of Justice. A present of goods to the value of £5 was made to the captains in return for their faithful services ond to encourage them to search for such of the brigands as were still at liberty. The prisoners were tried by the Court of Justice, were sentenced to death as highwaymen, and were executed. The principles upon which the government dealt with the natives were that the European power was supreme, entitled to take cognizance of all cases between whites and Hottentots, and to settle all differences between the olnns so as to preserve peace and to secure its own interests, but it rarely interferetl in matters affecting natives only. The Hottentot captains accepted without murmur the positions assigned to them, ■'H^ ijif m iliil 208 CHHOXTCLTilS OF CAPE rOlSfMANOERS. and at this time Klaas, Koopman, Oedasoa, Gonneraa, Schacher, Kuiper, and ilio others were on such good terms with Governor Bax that they were ready to do whatever he ■\\'i8hed. A large cattle trade was carried on mth them and the Hessequas. Occa- sionally there were cases of violence on one side or the other, and in one instance two Hottentots were shot in a quarrel with the Company's hunters, but the government did all that was in its power to prevent such disturbances, and upon the whole succeeded very wcil. In 1676 a matrimonial court was established. It consisted of four commissioners, two being servants of the Company and two burghers. Half the members retired yearly, and their places M'ere supplied by election of the Council of Policy from a double list furnished by the court itself. Before these commissioners all persons intending to marry were obliged to appear, for the purpose of showing that no legal impediment existed. As long- as the frontier was only a few miles distant this was no hard- ship to anyone, but with the extension of the colony it came to be felt as oppressive. The slave population was at this time considerably increased by importations from Madagascar and Ceylon. Most of these slaves were men, but there were a few women and children among them. The children were sent to school, but it was resolved not to baptize them imtil their parents should be instructed in Chris- tianity, when all could be baptized at the same time. A person was employed to recite prayers morning and evening, which the adults were required to repeat. Some of the cleverest youths were selected and placed with master mechanics to be taught trades, so that they might become more useful. The price charged by the Company to the burghers for an adult slave was equal to six pounds sterling, barely the cost of introduction, and it could be paid in seven and a half muids of wheat each weighing 160 Amsterdam pounds. In January 1677 a little yacht named the Bodo was sent along the west coast to examine it carefully, to ascertain how far the Hottentot race extended, and to endeavour to discover the island of St Helena Nova. She was accompanied by a cutter drawing very little water and t)ierefore adapted to run close in shore. The Bode went as far as latitude 12*^ 47 'S, where she foimd a small Portuguese fort named Soinbreira. Some distance to the southward the last Hottentots had been seen, but the line of demarcation between them and the negro races could not be of exist orbi and was the eng{ JOIIAN liAX. •>09 be exactly ascertained. The Portuguese knew nothing whatever of such an island as 8t Helena Nova, and from this date its existence was held to be a fiction. Along the coast various bays or bights were discovered, but all were found wanting in fresh water and fuel. It is surprising that the mouth of the Orange River was not noticed in passing. The Bode returned to Table Bay at the end of May, having been rather more than four months engaged in the survey of the west coast. The seaboard of the district now called Zululand was at this time carefully examined by the Voorhout and Quartel, two smell vessels that were sent to the Bay of St Augustine to trade fov slaves. As the work at the castle was proceeding very slowly owing to the small number of labourers engaged, a plan which seems somewhat whimsical was adopted to expedite the excavation of the moat. On the 25th of November 1677 the Governor himself, his lady, his little son, all the Company's officers and their wives, the burgher councillors, and other leading inhabitants with their Avives, sot to work for a considerable time carrying out earth. The Governor carried out twelve baskets full and his lady six. After this a regulation was made that everyone who passed the castle, male or female, irrespective of rank, should contribute labour to the same extent. The litthi wooden church inside the fortress was now quite full of gravps. The gi'ound on which it stood was higher than the general surf; o, and it was considered advisable to level it and to remove the old building. It was therefore necessary to select a site for a new church. It was resolved to take a portion of the lower end of the gi'eat garden for this purpose, as the garden could be extended with advantage towards the mountain. A plot of ground sufficiently large for a cemetery was enclosed with a strong wall, and on the flth of April 1678 the foundation stone of the new church was laid in the centre of it. That store still rests under the church, the present building being only an enlargement of the original one, the end walls of which were left standing. The church was not completed until December 1703,* but the ground was used as a cemetery. The first interment in it was the * On ihc 6t.h of Jnnunry 1704 the first aerviro wns held in it, the Rev Petnin Calilon bcinp tho im'achcr. In tlic intcrviil forviee wim held in the livrgo hnll of the OoTonior's oflicinl ro»i(l(-^m :■%: ■ i 218 CHRONltl.KS (»F ('.MM-; (OMMANDKUS. the oak avenue, wuioh was once its central walk.* By Simon van der Stel the ground was divided into a great number of small parallelograms separated from each other by live hedges high enough to be capable of breaking the force of the wind. Some of these plots were devoted to the production of fruit, others to the production of vegetables, others again were nurseries of European timber trees. In some of them experiments were being made with various foreign trees and shrubs, in others the wild plants of Africa were collected in order that their properties might be ascertained. Twenty years after Simon van der Stel laid out the ground afresh, visitors who had seen the most celebrated gardens of Europe and India were agreed that liO- where else in the world was so great a variety of trees and shrabs, of vegetables and flowers, to be met with together. The Commander enlarged the garden towards the mountain, but he out off a narrow strip at the lower end on which he intended in course of time to erect a hospital and a building for the accommodation of the Company's slaves. Just inside the new main entrance, where the Houses of Parliament are now being built, he had a pleasure house or lodge put up, and there he usually entertained visitors of rank. The whole garden could be irrigated by the stream then called the Sweet liiver, and its drainage was also oarefolly attended to. Over a hundred slaves were usually employed in keeping it in order. These slaves worked under the supervision of skilful Europeans, who in their turn received directions from a Chief Gardener or Superintendent. Next to Simon van der Stel the credit of beautifying the Company's garden is due to Hendrik Bernard Oldenland, a native of Lubee, who occupied the post of Superintendent shortly after this date, while the most important improvements were being made. Oldenland, who had studied medicine for three years at Leiden, was a skiKul botanist and a man devoted to his work. Apart from his duties in the Company's garden, he collected and dried specimens of a great number of South African plants, which he intended to send to the Netherlands to be preserved for the use of botanists there, and he was preparing * The trees now forming the avenue are not of very great age. Those first planted were orange trees, which were shortly afterwards replaced by other kinds which could be used for timber when full grown. On two or three occiisiona the avenue has been utilized in this manner, but whenever a row or part of a row was removed, young tree* were set out again in the same order. wh ma 01( int< wei wh MMoN \ AN I i:i: SIKI,. 2V.) a descriptive catalogue of those plants in the Latin language, when sudden death arrested the work. Before that time Com- mander Van der Htel had retired from tlie government, and Oldenland's collection of plants together with his papers fell into the hands of a man who could not make use of them. They were seen some years afterwards by the historian Valent3ai, who speaks very highly of the herbarium and copies several pages of the Catalogue of Plants. Kolbe quotes even more largely from the same work, though he has given the author's name incorrectly. Stavorinus also gives an abstract of it. Long after Oldenland's death the herbarium was sent to the Nether- lands, where, in 1770, Thunberg found it in possession of Professor Burmann of Amsterdam. The under gardener at this time, Jan Ilertog by name, was also a skilful botanist, though less highly educated than the Superintendent. At this time the Hottentots were living on the best of terms with the Europeans, but now and again a X'^^'^y o^ hunters was molested by Bushmen. A large cuttle trade was carried on, principally with the Hessequas. The Commander was anxious to become better acquainted with the Namaquas, as he was of opinion that there must be some sources of commercial wealth in the part of th country in which they resided. In August 1681, he sent Captain Kees to endeavour to induce some of the leading men of this tribe to visit the Cape, and a few, months later he was gratified to hear that a party of them had reached the Grigriqua kraals on their way to see him. He immediately sent a sergeant and some soldiers with presents and complimentary messages, and under their escort the Namaqua deputation arrived at the castle on the 2l8t of December. The men were accompanied by their wives, all riding on pack oxen. They brought their huts with them, these consisting merely of a framework of long twigs fastened together in the form of a beehive and covered with rush mats. These huts could be taken from the backs of the oxon and be put up almost as quickly as tents could be pitched. They were habita- tions such as none but nomads would use. To furnish food, the travellers brought with them a herd of cows, for they depended almost entirely upon milk for subsistence. The Namaquas presented some specimens of very rich copper ore, which they asserted they had taken out of a mountain with their own hands. This information was exceedingly interest- ing to the Commander, who concluded with reason that the '■¥. 226 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. f'>\ n ii ore must exist there in great abundance when such specimens could be collected without any appliances for mining. He questioned them eagerly about their country. Were they acquainted with the great river Camissa and the town of Vigiti Magna ? They had never heard of any town near their country, but they knew of a great river, very wide and deep. Was it far away from their kraals, and in what direction was it? It was far, and it was on the side of the sun at noon. In what direction did it flow ? The opposite from that in which they had come to the castle. Were they sure of this ? Quite sure. And so the first authentic information of the Gariep or Orange River wa'^ obtained, though it was long yet before European eyes weri^ to see it. The Namaquas of course knew nothing of the fabulous empire of Monomotapa, They informed the Commander that they were acquainted with a race of people whom they called Briquas, the same who are known to us as Bechuanas. They also told some stories which they had heard of tribes still more distant, but these accounts were merely visionary tales. Of their own tribe they gave such information as satisfied the Commander that the only trade to be carried on with them would be in cattle, unless soiaothing could be done with the copper ore. After a stay of five days the visitors left the castle to return to their own country, .aking with them a variety of presents including a staff of ofl&ce for their chief. They promised to return in the following year with cattle to trade and more specimens of copper ore. At the beginning of his government Simon van der Stel interpreted the instructions received from the Directors concerning the treatment of foreigners to mean that he was not to permit them to obtain other refreshments than water. Some Danes and Englishmen who visited Table Bay were unable to purchase anything whatever. The Commander treated the officers with politeness, and invited them to his own table, but declined to supply their ships with meat or vegetables. He informed some of them that they were at liberty to purchase what they could from the burghers, but privately he sent messengers round to the farmers forbidding them in some instances to sell anything under as to inst SIMON VAN DfiU STEL. 221 very heavy penalties, and in other cases requiring them to charge four or five times the usual rates. Complaints of such treatment as this speedily reached Europe, and representations were made to the Chamber of Seventeen which caused that body to issue instructions that foreigners were to be treated as of old. They were not to be supplied except in very urgent cases with sea stores out of the magazines, as such stores were sent here solely for the use of the Company's own ships. They were to be at liberty to purchase refreshments from the burghers. No wheat or fuel was to be sold to them, as the Company needed all and more than all that was procurable of both. They were to be at liberty to refresh themselves in the lodging houses kept by the town burghers. They were not to be permitted to sell any mer- chandize. The restrictions of Commander Van der Stel lasted only until November 1683, after which date foreigners, though not encouraged to visit the Cape, were treated here quite as fairly as subjects of the Netherlands were in the colonies of other European nations. A system was gradually introduced by which they were indirectly taxed for the benefit of the Company. This was done in the farming out of the privilege to sell bread, meat, wine, &c. The exclusive right to sell bread, for instance, was put up for sale with the cocdition that a certain fixed price should be charged to burghers, but the purchaser had the right to charge foreigners a highor rate, which was sometimes fixed and sometimes as much as he could obtain. There were two methods of holding sales of this kind. One was to farm out a privilege for the highest sum obtainable at public auction, when the bids were successively enlarged, and a sum of money was paid into the revenue. The other was when the Company required for its own use supplies of the same article, when the bids were successively reduced, and something was saved to the revenue. Thus A might bid up to five hundred gulden for the sole privilego of selling salt for a y(iar to burghers at one stiver, and to foreigners at a stiver and a half a pound. B might bid down to seven eighths of a stiver a pound to supply the Company with beef, with the right to sell to burghers at two stivers and to foreigners at throe and a half stivers a pound. In each case the foreigner was taxed for the benefit of the Company. But where was this not the case in those days ? The number of ships that put into Table Bay from the Ist of January 1672 to the 3 Ist of December 1681 was three hundred 4 !■! I 222 CHROXICIJiS OF CVl'E COMMANDERS. and sixty-eight. Of these, three hundred and forty-foui" belonged to the East India Company, eleven were English, ten were Danish, and the remaining three were French. The Colony had now fairly commenced to expand, though its growth was necessarily slow. In 1681 several families were added to those already living in the Stellenbosch valley. That season the wheat crops there were so exceptionally good that for the first time the soldiers as well as the burghers could be supplied for several months w'th as much fresh bread as they needed instead of the biscuits and rice to which they had been accustomed. The farmers had been permitted to select ground for themselves, but th'' liberty had given rise to various disputes and contentions, to settle Avhich the Commander paid them a visit. His presence and the friendly interest which he took in the welfare of all had the effect of restoring concord, and after fixing limits to each man's estate he arranged for a proper survey of the ground and the issue of title deeds. The fruitfulness of the soil, as proved by the abundant crops, caused many of the most industrious individuals in Rondebosch and Wynberg to turn theu' a.ttention towards Stellenbosch, and in May 1682, when the ploughing season commenced, a party of fifteen or sixteen farmers removed to the new district. But this year a plague appeared which threatened the ruin of the settlement, for the crops were attacked by prodigious swarms of small insects, which nearly destroyed them. On the same ground where in November 1681 the Commander had counted one hundred and five grains of wheat in ear on a single stalk, in Novem.ber 1682 there was hardly a sound ear to be seen. This plague continued for several successive seasons to inflict severe loss upon the farmers, though it was never again so destructive, and gradually it disappeared. To provide for the settlement of trivial disputes between the burghers of the new district, a court of heemraad was established on the 30th of August 1682. This court consisted of four of the leading inhabitants, who held office for two years, without receiving any salaries for their services. Tlie powers of the heemraad were not at first very accurately defined, but its decisions appear in every instance to have been treated with respect. Two members retired annually, when the court itself sent to the Council of Policy a list of four new names from which to select sunoRssors. The first heemradon were G-errit van der Byl, Henniug Huisiug, Hans Jurgeu Orirap, and Hendrik Elberts. SIMON TAX DER STEL. 223 At the end of 1683 the two first-named retired, when Doiiwe Steyn and Matthys Grreef were elected to take their places. Grimp and Elherts retired at the end of 1684, and were succeeded hy Jan Mostert and Harnien Smit. In 1683 the first school at Stellenhosch was estabHshed. On the 28th of September of that year a petition of the burghers was presented to the Coimcil of Policy, in which they represented that there were then about thirty landowners in the district, many of whom had families, but as yet there was no school in which the children could be taught the principles of Christianity as well as to read and write, so that the young were in danger of growing up as barbarians. That they were living at too great a distance from the Castle to be able to attend Divine Service on the Lord's days, and were thus liable to fall into careless habits. On this account the present condition of both young and old was very unsatisfactory and if it continued God's blessing could not be expected upon themselves or their crops. They therefore requested that a suitable person should be appointed to keep a school, to read a sermon on Sundays, and to act as visitor of the sick. TJie}^ asked further for some assistance towards the erection of the necessary building. The Council ot Policy viewed this petition with great favour. The members resolved at once to send masons and carpenters at the expense of the Company to put up a residence for the teacher with a large hail in it for a school- room, and also to supply the nails free of charge, the inhabitants providing the other materials. As soon as the budding could be got ready a teacher was appointed, by name Sybrand Mankndan, and the school was opened. The Commander took as wai I an interest in it as did any of the parents, for he regarded Stellenhosch as a place of his own founding, and anythii'ig that tended to the welfare of its people secured his sympathy. It was his custom whenever it was ])os5ible to spend his birthday there. He usually arrived in tlie village a few days earlier, bo as to have time to inspect all the im- provements made during the preceding twelvemonth, to inquire after everyone's prospects, and to make himself acquainted with all that was transpiring. On these occasions he did not fail to visit the school and asointain what progress the pupils were making. His birthday was of course a general holiday. Every man and woman in the flistrict, dressed in their best, oame to his pavilion to compliment him and to drink his health in ■ft- i - ■• t. '- r ♦.. I*- 224 CHRONKXKS Ol' CAPK t'OMMANDERS. a glass of wine. The school children came also, marching in procession with Dominie Mankadan at their head, and carrying a hanner which he had presented to them. Each was sure of a friendly greeting, and of receiving some little token of kindness. The boys over nine years of age were drilled every Saturday in the use of arms, and the juvenile corps always took part in the parade in honour of the Commander. The course of instmction at the school did not extend in seculav subjects beyond reading, writing, and the elements of arithmetic, a large portion of the time being occupied with religious teaching. At the ige of thirteen yea: the pupils were supposed to have completed their education. • le standard aimed at was the ability to pass an oxamination before the Consistory preparatory to being publicly admitted as members of the church. It was necessary to be able to read the Bible, to repeat the Heidelberg Catechism, and to write a little. The pupils were also taught to sing psalms in the tunes then commonly used. At Christmns prizes were given at the expense of the Company. Each of the three most advanced and best behaved pupils received a prize of the value of four shillings, the next three carried off prizes valued at two shillings, and each of the others received one shilling in money. The Com- mander added a cake for every child, the size to depend upon the merit of the recipient. Dominie Mankadan, the first teacher at Stellenbosch, remained there in that capacity for many years. He acted also as Sick Visitor and conducted Divine Service every Sunday. After a time he united with these duties that of District Secretary, so that he was by no means an idle man. Yet his salary for all these services combined was only about fifty shillings a month, in addition to which, however, he had a free house, a large garden, and some small school fees. Probably he was as well off wiih that trifling salary in those simple times as many district schoolmasters are at the present day. In 1681 the Cape was first made a place of confinement for prisoners of state of high rank, who were sent into exile by the Indian authorities. Some Macassar princes with their families and attendants were at this time lodged in the castle, huh owing to their violent conduct it afterwards became necessary to disperse them among the outstations. As long as South Africa remained a dependency of the East India Company, it continued to be used for this purpose, and many tragic narratives might SOIOX VAX DKR STEL. 225 e, BS \hing in rying a re of a ^indness. Saturday in the tend in ents of id with pupils itandard 'ore the nembers Bible, The then expense nd best billings, gs, and e Com- id upon Jmained as Sick Ifter a ;ary, so for all month, I large IS well many lement ) exile their castle, essary A.frioa inued might be written in connection with the unfortunate exiles who were doomed to pass wear}' j'cars in banisliment here. Their treatment varied according to their offences. On the 16th of February 1682, the Governor General, Eyklof van Goens the elder, amved at the Cape on his way to Europe in pursuit of health. Though he was very feeble he managed to \'isit Stellenbosch, and to issue instructions upon a good many subjects. He directed that experiments should be made in the cultivation of flax, hemp, and indigo, but none of these were foand on trial to answer sufficiently well to encourage the farmers io undertake their growth. He strictly prohibited the planting of tobacco, lest it might interfere with the existing trade, from which a large profit was derived. The Governor General remained here until the end of April. Before embarking he ordered the 13th of May to be kept as a day of prayer that God would be pleased to avert warlike attacks and protect the homeward bound fleet. He died soon after his return io Europe. In the following year his widow called at the Cape on her way to the Fatherland, and was treated while here with all possible respect and attention. On the night of the 8th of June 1682, the English East Indiaman Joanna, from the Downs bound to Bengal, was wrecked twelve miles to the westwaixi of Cape *giUhas. One hundred and four of her crew saved themselves on a raft, the remainder were drowned. Those who reached the shore found themselves destitute of provisions, and were beginning to suffer from hunger when some Hottentots made their appearance who conducted them to the kraal of Captain Klaas. There they were supplied by this hospitable native mth. abundance of milk and meat as long as they remained, and were provided with food for the journey and guides to conduct them to the Cape. The master of the Joanna, who was too infimi to walk any further, stayed behind as the guest of Klaas until a waggon could be sent /or him. The shipwrecked seamen met wi.n equal kindness from the Company's officers. They were comfortably lodged and furnished with provisions until they could get away. The Joanna had a large amount of speci'? on board, and as the wreck cov' \ be reached mth a boat in calm weather a party of men was sent from the Cape to try to recover it. They succeeded only in getting coin to the value of twenty-nine thousand florins, but a consider- able quantity of cargo and >vTeckago which was washed ashore was also secured. ! j i; n ,, , J A- I ;i!Hi; 11, .p: 226 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. With the growth of the settlement, it was found that too much of the time of the Council of Justice was taken up with hearii;g petty civil cases, and it was therefore decided to establish an inferior covu't to have jurisdiction within the Cape peninsula. This court was to be composed of foiu- members, two of whom were to be servants of the Company and two biu-ghers. It was to sit at least once a week, and had power to adjudicate in all oases wherein the amount in dispute was less than three hundred gulden as current in India, equal to twenty pounds sixteen shillings and eight pence of English sterling money. For conve- nience sake it was aiTanged that the last retired burgher councillor could at any time take a seat instead of one of the burgher members. The body thus constituted was termed the Court of Commissioners for Petty Cases. It was first established on the 31st of August 1682 The specimens of copper ore brought to the Cape by the Namaqua visitors in 1681 excited the curiosity of the Directors to know more about the country in which the metal was foxmd, and instructions were sent out to Commander Van der Stel to cause it to be carefidly explored. At the end of October 1682, an expedition consisting of thirty biildiers, a journalist, and a chart- maker, under command of Ensign Olof Bergh, was dispatched for that purpose, biit after a month's absence it returned with a report that the country was so parched with drought that it was impossible to proceed. The attempt was renewed on a larger scale in the following year. On the 27th of August 1683, an expedition better equipped than any that had previously left the Cape set out for the Namaqua country. It consisted of forty-two Europeans, among whom were draughtsmen, miners, and journalists, and ten Hottentots, all under command of Ensign Olof Bergh. It was provisioned for four months. It had a "^rain of waggons and carts to convey its supplies as far as possible, two boats so that no delay need be caused by swollen rivers, and a herd of pack oxen and five horses for use when the waggons could get no further. The expedition proceeded by the way of Eiebeek's Kasteel to the Berg River, which was found too deep to be forded. The boats were then brought into service, and after ever^'thing was ferried over the march was resumed. At the Elephant River it was the same. There a camp was formed, as the boats would not be needed again. Across this river a party of Grigriquas was encountered, and with tlieiu were four or five Namaquas who SIMOX VAX DER STEI,, 22: offered to act as guides. Soon after this a sterile district was entered, but they pushed on until they reached the nearest of the Namaqua kraals. Close to the kraal was a high mountain, from ihe top of which the Atlantic could be seen at no groat distance. Beyond it to the northward the whole country was a desert without grass or water, for rain had only fallen once within the preceding twelve months. It was impossible to get any further. The Ensign was obliged to retrace his steps, and on the 24th of October he reported at the castle that the expedition had failed. In February 1684 a party of Namaquas visited the Cape, and when they returned Sergeant Izaak Schryver with fifteen soldiers and three miners was sent with them. The sergeant succeeded very little better than Ensign Bergh, though he managed to proceed somewhat further and to collect from the people he visited a number of pieces of copper ore which he brought back on a pack ox. This ore was melted in crucibles, and the pure metal was sent as a specimen to the Directors. The Commander had been informed by the Directors that they would gladly send out families of agricultural labourers if it were possible to find such people willing to emigrate, but that it was rarely any were to be had, owing to there being no lack of employment at home for all who could work. There was there- fore no way of obtaining colonists except by discharging servants of the Company. In the past this system had entailed heavy expense without any compensating good result. Fully nine out of every ten discharged soldiers and sailors who had been assisted by the Company to commence farming failed in that occupation, and either returned into the service in debt or found their way to some other country. Commander Van der Stel tried to improve upon this plan of obtaining settlers. Instead of waiting until the men's terra of service had expired and then giving ground indiscriminately to all who offered to take it, he was willing at any time to release individuals of good character and industrious habits, especially if they had families. Still the proportion of those who became permanent colonists was very small compared with the whole number discharged. In 1683 a tract of ground at Klapmuts was turned into a stockfarm for the Company's use, so that the cattle kept at Hottentots Holland might have a change of pasturage. In 1684 the Company discontinued sending trading expeditions into the interior to pui-chase cattle, and handed over that business entirely P 2 j ^ri% > n ■ M •^ , vi, %, 228 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. !t to Captain Klaas, who bought up large herds at very low rates upon receiving one head for himself out of every five. By this agency so many oxen and sheep were obtained that it was necessary to select fresh stock-farms. The Company, therefore, formed outposts at the Kuilen, Diop lliver, Visser's Hoek, and Riet Vlei. At each of these places four or five soldiers and a few slaves were stationed, the same as at Hottentots Holland, Tigerberg, and Klapmuts, The office of Secunde had now for some time been vacant, owing to Hendrik Crudop having been advanced to a higher post in India. In Jime 16.S4 the Chamber of Seventeen appointed the Fiscal Andries de Man to it. In October 1684 llyklof van Goens the younger. Ordinary Councillor of India, and previously Governor of Ceylon, arrived in South Africa, on his way from Europe to the East, and assumed authority here abov(^ that of the Commander. He remained in this Colony until the following May, but as he was an invalid during the whole of that period he seldom left his room in the government country house at Rustonburg, where he resided. He made some changes in the official staff by the promotion of the clerk Johannes Willem de Grovenbroek to be Secretary of the Council, and the bookkeeper Cornelis Linnes to be Chief Salesman. He also appointed the Jimior Merchant Albert van Breugel to act as Fiscal, but tliis officer was obliged soon afterwards to resign the situation to Johannes van Keulen, who was sent out by the Supreme Authorities. To all the officers in the Company's service who desired it he allotted ground for cultivation, but titles were not to be issued until the Directors should approve of the measure. To Adriaan van der Stel, a son of the Commander, he granted several exclusive privileges. This young man had been Issuer of Stores, but he now became a burgher and obtained a grant of land in full property. The right to put up a fowling net, within five hundi-ed roods of which no one was to be permitted to shoot, nor was any one else to put up another within a distance of five hours' jomTiey ; the right to catch fish in False Bay without payment of any taxes ; the right to shoot all kinds of game and birds, were privileges granted by Mr Van Goens to his favourite and at his instance approved of by the Council. These monopolies natm-ally caused dissatisfaction to the other burgli'n-s. The Commander Van der Stel liimself was beloved by all and no one would have thought of offending him, but from this time it br^gan to be freely said that the sons were not likely to at I SIMON VAN DKR STEf.. 229 were to follow in tlio father's footsteps. The privilege of sliooting game at any time and in any f VAX DKK SJl-.I. 23o At ihe Cape there was not as yet an opportunity for the oflficers of government to carry on business on their own account, except in a very small way, and they had therefore seldom been content to remain here. To go on to the East, where fortimes were to be made, was the aim of their ambition. As a remedy, the High Commissioner approved of a g^rant of land in full property being made to each of them, that they might carry on farming and sell their produce to tlie Company on the same terms as the burghers. There was no likeMhoofl of rivalry, he thought, because the demand in India for various products was much greater than any supply the Cape could be made to yield. Subsequent events proved how greatly he was mistaken, but at this time no one objected to the experiment being tried. The Commander Van der Stel selected for himself a tract of land next to the last farm that was occupied at Wynberg. Most of the burghers who had once been living on that side of the mountain had removed to Stellenboech, so that there were then only twenty-four families remaining between this ground and the castle. The boundaries chosen were agreed to by the High Commissioner, a surveyor was instructed to measure the land and make a chart of it without delay, and on the 13th of July the title was issued. In it the Commissioner granted to Simon van der Stel 891 morgen 380 roods and 2S square feet of ground, to be held by him in full property. This farm the Commander named Constantia, in remembrance of his lady who was then living in Amsterdam. For several years a number of miners had been engaged in searching about the Cape for valuable ores. Before 1671 the country as far as lliebeek's Kasteel was examined for this purpose, but the search was then abandoned, and it was not resumed until the specimens of copper ore from Namaqualand attracted attention. The Directors then sent out a party of men under the master miners Frederick Mattheus van Werlinghof and Gabriel Muller, with instructions to cause a thorough search to bo made. The miners were divided into two parties, one of which examined the country around Stelleubosch, the other the mountains along the Cape peninsula. In some places they sank pits fifteen or sixteen fathoms deep, but wthout finding nnvthing until the beginning of the year 1685, when great expectations were raised by the discovery in I'lrgo quantities of a new kind of mineral. Neither the miners nor anyone else at the Capo could say what it was, but it was assumed by all to be very valuable. Some thought 4r. 236 CHKONICI.KS OF ( Al'F, ( OMMANDEKS, f\ it was gold, others silver, others a kind of copper. There is little doubt that it was only manganese. In February four packets of the ore, eacli of fifty pounds weight, were sent to the Directors, and when the High Commissioner was here its value was not yet ascertained. He therefore gave instructions for the miners to oontiniie their work, and he further authori^sed the CommandeT, who was veiy anxious to undertake this duty, to proceed in person to examine the copper mountains of Namaqualand. The High Commissioner added another item of revenue to those already existing. He ordered that whenever landed property was sold two and a half per cent of the purchase money should be paid to the government. If such property changed hands within three years of the first grant of it by tho Company ten per cent was to be paid, or half that amoimt if it was sold before the grantee had been in possession of it for ten years. No transfer of land was to be valid until these dues were paid. He fixed the price to be paid in cash for wheat at fifteen shillings the muid of 160 pounds, thnt being in his opinion tho highest rate at which it could be sent lo India with advantage to the Company. But he instructed the Commander to receive it at sixteen shillings and yight pence the muid in payment of debt or in exchange for goods. Some other regulations, but only of temporary importance, were made by the High Commissioner during his stay at the Cape. The orders which he issued were laws in a different sense from those of the ordinary Commissioners wlio visited the settlement. Their instructions could be repealed by their successors or by the Indian Authorities, but the laws made by the Lord of Mydrecht could only bo reversed by the Chamber of Seventeen. Several of his regulations remained in force during the whole period of the East India Company's rule in South Africa. On the 1 6th of July, Laving established the government here, as he believed, on a satisfactory footing, he left for India, when the Commander and Comieil, whose authority had b(>cn in abeyance while ho was present, again assumed the direction of affairs. CHAPTER XII. Explorations and Discoveries in South Ai-rk A, Commander Van dor Stel's journey to Namaqualand. — Description of the train. — Hottentot custom of treating visitors of rank. — Description of the country along the valley of the Berg River. — Bushmen only inhabitants of tho moun- tains. — Bushmen huts. — Description of Bushmen met with. — Adventure of the Commander with a rhinoceros. — Occurrences on the march. — Favourable season. — Hottentot metliod of killing biras. — The Commander's plan of tra- velling and forming camp. — The Grigriquas are met at the Elephant River. — Desolate country beyond the Elephant River. — Bushmen met with. — Some Namaqua kraals are readied. —Naniaqua guides are obtained.— Friendly inter- course between the Europeans and the Natives. — Celebration of the Com- mander's birthday. — Namaqua music and dancing. — Reports are recei. "d of the great river to the north. — The Copper Mountain is reached. — The country around is found to be desolate. — Diftioulty of travfdliug. — Scarcity of water. — The expedition reaches the coast. — Driftwood found from the great river. — Examination of the coast. — Suffering from want of fresh water. — Tlie return march to the Eh^phaut River. — Meeting with the Cochoquas. — Death of Gonnema. — Hottentxit mark of mourning. — Oonnema's son is confirmed as his successor by the Commander. — Arrival of the expetUtion at the castle. — Knowledge obtained by this expedition. The wreck of the Staveni.sxe on the Kaftir coast. — Forty-seven of the crew leave the wreck and attempt to march overland to the Capo. — The remainder repair a, ))oat ana endeavour to get away in licr, but the boat is lost in the surf. — Natives in great immlKirs Hock to the scone of tlie wreck. — Two Englishmen visit the wreck and invito the Dutch to return witli tliem to Natal where they have been living in plenty since the \nH!^ of their vessel nearly a year before. — Skipper Kuyf and his party gratefully accept tlie invitation. — Account of the loss of the (rood Hope at tlu! Bay of Natal.— Tlie Dutch and English set t« work to Iniild a small ve.^sel.— jsative labourers are employed. — Arrival of another party of wreckid nun. — .\c(;ount of tlie loss of the Jiotiu I'vuturit at St Lueia Bay. — Tlio little vessi'l is finished and named the centaurnn. — She is provisioned for sea. — Slie .sails from Niital, leaving four Englishmen and one Frenehmiiii behind, and arrives safely in Tatile Bay. The Voyage of the Centaurus.—'\\\Q Cvtitnur'at is refitted at the Cape and sent along the coast to look for lli(! forty-S(!von missing aien of tlie Sti(>:enis>ie. — She recovers eighteen of tiieiii at Cove Rock —She anchors at tile mouth of the Buffalo River.— Shi; returns to Table Bay. The First Voyage of the Nuord. — The galiot Noord is siMit from Table Bay along the oast coast. — Delagoa Bay is surveyed. — I'lie Bay of Natal is entered.— Two seameii of the tStnrrni.sui- are recovered tlicre. — Food is pur(;liiis(Hl from the natives.— At the mouth of th" Biifl'alo another seaman of tlio Stareniniie ia recovonil. — Return of tlie galiot to Table Bay. Information obtained from tlie wreiua the most distant Hottentot clan known to th(> eastwani. — .\ m('s.>'('iig('r i'roiu tie' chief of the IiKjuas reaches the Cape.— I're.senti are sent to tin' chief wim is for a time believ(Hl to be the Einjieror of MoTioiuotnpa. — lie sends a de|es between the Inquas and the Katlii's. Return of the ('X(H>Uition. Encounter with Bushmen. Large bmity in cattle. • t I « II 1 i«' 4 2-38 rHROXIcr.ES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. The Wreck of the Noord.— The Xoord ia again sent eastward.— Her officpra purrliase the country surrounding tho Bay of Natal from a native chief. — Three more of the crew or the Stavenisse are recovered. — Algoa Bay is visited. — The galiot is lost on Klippen Point. — Sufferings of the crew. — Iho mate Theunis van der Schelliug and a few others arc assisted by Captain Klaas and reach the Cape. Various titles in the early records of the people since known as Bushmen. — Causes of the hostility of all other races towards them. fOMMAXDER VAN DER STEL's JOURNEY TO NAMAQUALAND. As soon as the Lord of Mydrechi left South Africa, the Commander began to make ready for the expedition to Namaqua- land which that officer had sanctioned. He had long been anxious to make an inspection of the country from which the specimens of copper ore had been brought, but it would have been contrary to established rules for him to have gone so far from the castle with- out special permission. The arrangements were completed by the 25th of August 1685, on the morning of which day the baggage waggons were sent forward, the Commander himself following on horseback in the afternoon. The Secunde Andries de Man, Captain Hieronymus Cruse, and some other members of the Council rode with the Commander until they overtook the advance party, when his Honour was saluted with three rounds of dis- charges from the muskets of the whole company. The train as now completed consisted of fifteen waggons, each drawn by eight oxen, eight earts, and one coach. Of the waggons, eight belonged to burghers, and it was intended to take them no further than the Elephant River. There were two hundred spare oxen, most of them trained to carry burdens on their backs, thirteen horses, and eight mules. There was a boat for the purpose of crossing the Berg and Elephant rivers, and thare were two small cannons to impress the natives with proper respect for the power of the Europeans. The travelling party consisted of Commander Van der Stel, with three slaves as personal attendants, fifty -six Eiu-opeans of various callings, including soldiers, a Macas- sar prisoner of state, named Dain Bengale, with a slave as his attendant, forty-six drivers and leaders, mostly of mixed blood, and a number of Hottentots to serve as interpreters. Even to-day the train would foi-m an imposing sight, and it must have been considered a very gi-and spectacle by those who saw it moving slowly northward in that eventful year 1685. At the Tigerberg the kraals of Sohacher and Kiiiper were passed, the last of whom presented the Commander with an ox -Causes COMMiiXDER VAN PER ^TKl's JOrUXEY TO XAMAQUALAXD. 239 for slaughter, according to the Hottentot custom of treating visitors of rank. The country was covered with grass, which has long since disappeared, and with beautiful flowers of many colours, such as are yet to be seen in the months of August and September. Keeping down the valley of the Berg River, which was found tenantless, Paardenberg, Dassenberg, and llie- beek's Kasteel were passed, while boimding the view on the right was a range of rocky moimtains. inhabited solely by obiquas. These obiquas lived by the chase and plunder, but savage as they were they have left memorials of their existence in rude paintings upon the rocks, which are still as perfect as if the pigments had been laid on but yesterday. On the -Slet the expedition readied the Berg River, at the place called the Sonqua Ford, but as the Commander preferred to keep along the western bank, he did not cross there. About Twenty-four Rivers and the Honev Mountains, many Bushmen huts were seen, but no people. These huts were merely branches of trees fastened together and covered with loose reeds. Further down two kraals of Cochoquas were passed. On the evening of the 2nd of September an encampment was formed at the Misver- stand Ford, and next morning at daybreak, after prayers had been said and a psalm sung as usual, the boat was put upon the river and a commencement was made in ferrying the baggage across. Tv '> days were occupied in transfei-ring the camp tf the other bauk. At this place a trading party which had been sent in ad- vance to purchase slaughter oxen and sheop joined the expedition with an ample supply. On the second day five natives were seen, who took to flight as soon as they observed the Europeans, but upon a sergeant and two men being sent after them \vith a present of pipes and tobacco, they were induced to retiuTi. Thoy stated that they were Sonquas and li" '^d upon honey and such game as th(;y could shoot, and that they were then following up an eland which they liad wounded with a poisoned arrow the day before, and wliich would die about that time. They were armed with assagais and bows and arrows. Their skins were covered with scurf, as they had undergone grcat want some time before, and were without greo- 1 to rub upon them- selves. The Commander made them a present of a sheep which they immediately killed, and they did not cease eating until every particle of tlio meat and entrails was consumed. They rejected nothing except the gall and four llttl»> pieces from the tliighs, whi(;h they said it was not their custom to eat. Tht^y cooked the 1 i ■t h 1 ' 240 rTinOMCl.RS OF OAPF, rOMMAXDRRS. ' 1 i rfl flesh by laying it in hot ashes. In return for the Commander's kindness, they presented him with three wild cats' skins which they had with them. On the day after leaving the river, wlien near the Pioketberg, an incident occurred which nearly cost the Commander his life. Of a sudden an enormous rhinoceros rushed through the middle of the train, and then charged the carriage in which His Honour was seated. The Commander sprang out, upon which the rhinoceros made towards him, but was fortunately turned just in time by a ball. The brute then charged in the direction of some horsemen, who in their fright threw themselves from their saddles to the ground and were severely bruised. The cause of the confusion did no further harm, however, but rushed away with incredible swiftness, followed by a volley of musket balls fired at random. Owing to this incident the place received the name of Rhenoster Rug. At the Pioketberg the grass was observed to be very rich, and there was timber in abundance in the kloofs, as well as thorn trees for fuel in plenty along the banks of the rivulets. At one encampment an eland weighing a thousand poimds was shot, from which circumstance the place was called Elands Vlakte. On the 9th of September the Little Elephant River was reached, and the train followed its course through a district which was little better thai? a solitary wilderness, but where some ele- phants were seen. On the 14th a hill was passed, which was named Uilenberg, on account of the great number of owls found there. At this place a fountain of sweet water was discovered and named Klipfontein, and a remarkable echo which the hill gave back was noticed. The next encampment was at the foot of Dassenberg, in a spot where there was abundance of wood, water, grass, and game. On the 15th the train moved on to the Elephant River, where preparations were made for crossing. The banks of the river were found to be clothed with willow and thorn trees, and in its waters were fish of largo size and good flavour. A kraal of Grigriquas (called in other places Chari- guriquas !ii I Gierigriquas) was met with, audit was ascertained that Sonquas were nunnTous along the whole course of the stream. The burghers now turned back, having first obtained per- mission from the Commander to load tlioir waggons with the flesh of elands, rhinocen ^scs, and seacows on their homeward journey. It occupi»Mi three (la3's to get evmything across the river, and in the afternoon of the ISth the train again moved on. COMMAXDRU VAN' DF-R STRl/s JOtRVEY TO NAMAUrvr .M). 241 It was by this time ovidoiit that the season was an exoep- tionally favoui'able one for exploration. In the north, after four years of drought, heavy and continuous rains had fallen, so that there was good hope of meeting with gi'ass and water in the country to be traversed. Where the Siu*goon Van Meerhof in bygone years, and the Ensign Bergh only recently, had found bare and parched ravines, there were now streams of water three feet in depth. Animal life was abundant. The day after crossing the river quails in great number were met with, which the Hotten- tots who were with the expedition knocked over nndth great dexterity by throwing their knobbed sticks at them when on the wing. Hares and antelopes of different kinds were seen sporting about in grass a foot and a half in depth, and were sometimes secured for the table. The whole party was in excellent health and spirits. Everj morning and evening they sang a psalm, listened to a chapter of the Bible, and repeated a prayer, no one but the cattle herds being permitted to be absent on these occa- sions. When on the march, a party rode on ahead to select the best paths and the most suitable places for encamping. And when a halt was called, and the cattle were turned loose to graze, the scene resembled a pleasure excursion of a picnic party. If the sun was bright an awning was spread for the Commander's iise, and if it was dull a tent was pi^ ''°d ; in either case the Batanan tricolour being hoisted in front, and irie pennant of the Honourable East India Company floating above. On the 20th the expedition halted in a narrow valley, with the Elephant River on one side of the camp and a rocky moun- tain on the other. In this neighbourhood most of the Grigriquas were then living, and as a quarrel had broken out among them, in which a section of the clan had rebelled against the chief, the Commander was detained four days in making peace. He suc- ceeded in reconciling the belligerents, and in purchosing a number of cattle from them. On the 26th the mountain called Meerhof's Kasteel was passed. The coimtry was now becoming every day more barren in appearance. There was plenty of water, though it was strongly impregnated with salt, and there was a sufficiency of grass for the cattle, but there was no wood for fuel. The only inhabitants were Sonquas. On th3 29th ihe Little Doom Bosch River was reached, and from an eminence the sea was visible at a distance of about twenty- eight English miles. The following day an encampment was made at the Groat Doom Bosch River, which was found a ddep I a U II 242 CHRONICJiES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. 1^- and rapid stream with numoious troes on its hanks. Here some Sonquas were seen, and after a little scheming were induced to visit the camj», wlicrc they were j)re8onted with a sheep and a flask of hrandy. They were wretchedly thin, for they were living upon nothing better tlian tortoises, caterpillars, locusts, and bulbs of wild i)lant8. They made very merry over the feast pro- vided for them, and danced Jind sang right joyfully. The treatment they received was so much to their liking that for some days they accompanied the expedition, making themselves useful as guides. On the 4th of October the Commander was infonned by the Sonquas tha^ \ re we -e some Namaqua kraals in the neigh- bouriu)od, wher, n « '^alt was made at a place where there was plenty of grass u wiitt", and four Hottentots were sent wit li pipes and tobacco as presev ■ o the chiefs. A full week was spent here in making enciuiries concerning the country, and in arranging treaties witli the uiiiefs, of whoiu there were six, over as many kraals. The intercourse was v;>ry friendly exce])t with two or three individuals, but the Commander asserted and maintained a position of authority, to whicli tlicy submitted without question. He entertainei tha chiefs and their wives with European food, but pleased them more by supplj'ing them ^v^th a little brandy and tobacco. On the 11th the march was resumed. The country was now found to bo so rugged that progress was very difficult. Fortunately there was water and grass, and Captain Oedesou, who claiitted the Copper Mountain, and some other Namaquas acted as guides. Along the route various kraals were ])assed, and at nearly every halting ])hico fresh visitors were found. Witli all the chiefs treaties of [)eaoe and friendship were made, and they further promised not to (juarrel with each other or with the Hottentots in the neighbourhood of the Cape, the Commander on his part undertaking to prevent these last named from attacking or molesting them, so that they co\dd trade with the Company without let or hindrance. Sunday, the 14th of October, was the Commander's birthday, and in corajdiment to him the camp, which was in a good position, was not broken up. The oannons were taken from the waggons and loaded, and at noon thr<*e voll(»vs of musketry were fired by the whole c(mi])any, each volley being followed by the discharge of a cannon. There vvas a large party of Nanuiquas present, and they arrangcil a dauee, which was their manner of complimenting COMMANDER \'\N Df.R ° 8. This was not quite correct, owing to the means at the conmiand of the expedition for detennining latitudes being faulty. In reality the Copper Mountain is more than half a degree fuithor to the southward. The distance from the castle in a straight line is about three hundred miles, and the diiection is a very little to the westward of north. . A fortnight was now occupied in getting out ore and examining the country around. It was found to be a very uninviting district. The Namaquas who were with the party acied as guides and gave all the information which they possessed, which was indeed not very much. Aloes were found in Q 2 ;|- 344 CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. abundance, but wood for fuel was very scarce. Barren mountains, oakeK ( OMMANDF.RS. of the inlet now known as Lambert's Bay. At the Little Elephant River the Coohoqvia kraals were met with, and the men were found with their heads shaved clean as a mark of mourning. They stated that it was on account of the death of the old chief Gonnema, which had recently taken place. At their request, the Commander confirmed his son as his successor. Nothing further of any lasting interest occurred on the homeward journey, which ended by the safe arrival of the expedition at the castle on the 26th of January 1686. The Commander had been absent from the seat of govern- ment five months and one day. During that time a great deal of geographical information had been acquired, and what was perhaps equally important, much that had formerly been received as accuri\te was ascertained to be incorrect. From this date the maps of \he western portion of what is now the Cape Colony were fair representations of the country. They did not give the correct courses and lengths of the rivers it is true, nor did they place them in their exact positions, the latitude being out in some instances as much as forty miles, but the general features of the country were accurately delineated. The river known to us as the Orange was laid down from report only, but its size and its course from east to west were known. The Commander brought back with him to the Cape a Hottentot of the " Camissons nation,"- who had passed \m youth in wandering about the country along the lower course of the great river, and who was therefore well acquainted with it. This man was dressed in European clothing, and was placed where he could acquire a knowledge of the Dutch language. The Commander hoped in course of time to get a great deal of information from him. But he was deceived in this expectation, for the Namaqua was never able to tell much more than was already known of the country. The map facwg thin paye /.s copied from the original chart of Commander Simon van der Ste^ti Expedition to the Copper Mountains of JVamaqiialiUid, which in preserved in the Archiven of the Nether- lands. It has been reduced to one third of t/w nize of the original, and in not coloured an that in, hut no other altcrationn have been made in it. Even the npelling of the namen of places has been preserved. The red line indicates the outu-ard Journey ; the black line the course followed from the Doom Bosch liiver to tlie coast. .V > 37-1 < J - J^ 1-- "^ 1 1? ' ■ / ■ ' '\ i 'V"f i''VT ""b"! 1 'tt /vjrft a^« Goecfe Hoof3 16 Oltp/tanta Ooordnft 2 Hooge Craa/ 13 Baviaans Bargh 3 SUnck Riv'iar 20 Bac/te/eiJ F/aats 4 Ronde Bossies ei DaGoadoHoop 5 Doom Cramt 22 Meerhofs Castee/ 6 Hoi Rivier 23 C/ei/ne Doom Bosch Hivier 7 Riheecx Casteel 24 K9er\r\/aer 8 Drfe Huijyns Ooordrifl 25 D'Eerste Cooper Bargh 9 D'Honing Bargh 26 OaTMeeda Cooper Bargh iO MiSverstAnt^ Doordrift Nota—OHean reijs naa. da II Rhinossers CrtiB/ Cooper Bargh ¥o/gansda 12 /■/ants CrAa/ Rooda Linien 13 JacAAa/s C/oof D'Optocht naa de 14 Doo//iofs /ioecA Strandt ¥o/gon3 da 15 O/iphants HUe/J Swarte Linien 16 n/iphancs Jagt 17 Dasaen Bargh , ___ , ,/ \. ./ \. . 1 T- -V 1 nAHiCnAftoa ASOfta uTMOCMAr'HtMs CAft rom>M 38'- L. Oliphants Door drift B&viamns Bergh BickefeiJ Pfa,a.ta DaCoedgHoop Meerhofs dstee/ Cleijne Doom Oosch Hivier HwrWver D'Eerstt) Cooper Ber^h OeTi^eede Cooper Bergh NottL—O'Megn reijs naa. o'e Cooper Bergh vo/gansefe fioode Union D'Optocht ftUL de Strandt volgnna de Swarte Lin ion T i ll L _L__[_ i I r- T" r -r-T- i i i i i i i | i i i i .i - t — r - i i i i i i i [ i I ' l l 33' 32' 31' '^■:^m •^-^»«&>. *^*^ ■ ■^■■■i . ui'i I T I., lit ill H JUOlll • |uai consi matt fomi iniru 1 !-5 !l v^, „': ;i' i&|^<< .: '1 BB^WB 1 1 ■HMh i ♦ , HHpi.$.' 1 WIB,.v. ' -t" 1 HCb^^^rtA K J rV.rn Iridii HriKl (»V('li llicni ulwji_ uiiw: it t u tr()u ol ]> tiltll very caliii m fii Itrcii tllr wit in V (lav tlu- the OVtl COMMA NDKi; \AN IM'W Sll'.i's !'>ri{\r.Y lo \\M\ffll)s. WiOi ilie means at the ('onipany's (Ji«'].')f«'il, i< codul uot bo reni<»vt' East India ('onifiauy's third (lass ship Sfnroii.ssr, on her return voyage from India to Europe, wan wreekeil on the African coast about iseventy Hnjflish miles south ol the Bay of Natal. The weather h.id becm overcast, and Ski[iper Willeui Kuyf and his ollicers lielieved iheniselves far from laud. In tlios*! days longitude at sea was always uui'ertaiu. but in this instance the latitude had al.so been mis(al<'ulated. When tln' lookout reported that he snw laud, the chief unite, who was the ollii er of the watch, replied sharply that it could only be a bank of mist. Jle wouhl not even take the trouble to j^'o forward and look for himself, so oonlident was he of beinj; well out at sea. Presently the lookout reported again that land was vagers barely escaping with their lives. Meantime \ho uatives in great luunbers lloekedto the scene of the wreck. At times there were as numy as a thousand armed men jireaent. The Euj-opeans numaged to p .rchase a little breiul and millet from thcv>i for uails and bolts, but they soon set to work to burn and out out iron f<»r themselves. Having now nothing to buy food with, the wre(;ked seamen ^^•|•re in great distress, when cue day two Englislimen made their appi^arance. These strangers stated that on the ITtb of May of the proc(>ding year they had lost their vessel at the I'ay of Natul V»r nine months they had been living with flie natives at tliid place, and ujwm hearing the report of the wreck of a shiji to tli<' southward they luid come to oil r assistanct . They un(h'n'')oil the nativ*- langiuige sufiiciently well to make themselves understood, and had ]»lenty of beads and copper rings u, trad< with. At th(f Hay of Natal, tliey stated, they and tluii titne <.mipanions had sutficient merchan carry tbcni, so they were left in the tent TUF \Mil< K iiK IMK M V\ 1:M>S1-. 'Jlf) with oiip of the Englislimen as their ]»roto(tor. Ten of thcra, guitled by the other Englishman, innnodiatoly set out for tlie Bay of Natal. After a while one of the sick men died, and the remaining two recovered and joined the main party. Jn the mean time a petty officer had hmn trampled to y a squall and driven on the I'oint, when; she renuiiiu'fl immovable. Her cnnv then ]iro(!ee(led > jnit topflicr a large decked boat, the materials for whicli were <»n board, and when this was finished fho master and nine men left tor Mozambique. Another English ketch about this time ])ut into the Way of Natal to procure a supply of bi'ef, and four more of the cnnv of the (i'odi/ JIo/h got away in her. Five had previously died of «lysciiterv, and the remaining five were thow who welcomed the jieople of tluj Sffimiissi . They had a good supply of beads and cojjpcr vings, with whicli to ])urihasc food, uny had no saw, ami without one it would be vain to attempt to build a vessel. Kingston set to work, and with only the shank <>f an anchor for an anvil, he turned a stout iron ring into a tool that answered for (me. Then they laid the keel of a vessel fifty feet long and fourteen feet beam. They employer,o CUKCINTCI.VS it|- c.WV . uMM VM)i:i;s. I H%^: m ti '\L 1 from tlio fiirosf. and to do the rough work in h('\vinlet«'d. Karly in M)M7 another jiarty of shipwrecked men arrived at the liay of Natal. On the 'J^'jth of Deceniher Mi.Sti the Jiouff l^i'iifui-if, of I/mdon. a keteli of twj-nty tons l)iird(>n, was lost at St Lueia l^ay. One of hrr eri'W was drowned, and the remaining eight men and a boy set out witii the intention of walking overland to the ('a[>e oi (Jood Hope, but to their grcMit joy they foimd at Natid a [larty (f lOuropeans and a vc'ssel nearly ready for j>ea. The new ertmers were wehiDmed lrovisions was pun^hased from the natives, consisting of al)out six or seven tlKUisand |iounds of millet, a thousau)] ])nunds of salted and smoked meat, a (piantity of Tuillet ground into meal, twenty goats, between two aud three hundred jowls, and a hniidred and lll'ty pumjikins. iSeveuteen small casks of water were ]»ut on boaid, and the ivory which the Knglishmeii had obtained in bailer was shipped. The dillicult task whirh they had undertaken was at lenglh iiniHlnMl, aneen heard <»f the fort \ -.seven m»'n who Kit the \\r«'ck of the StiiniiiHuf on f^Ui. 1 'IMi: \o\ \f.i. OK illK ( lATAl Kl'f VA tlio l;>tii ol Kfhruarv l^i'^'i. Th(^ CDumil, utter tiikiiipj a imniltcr (if 'Impositions, considcrtHl that tlicy miglit to bo srardu'il for, and with this oV>ji't't tho (■riihiufiis was ]>nrchas('(l from hrr hiiilders. Her hull was found to need only a little iinishing oil", a!id after she was ri^'^ed afresh she [iroved (o he a stauiuth sea boat and an exeelleni sader. Kin«,'ston and (Jhristian were [taid t'-V-i <)s hd in cash for their share in her, and were then (*n{.^aged .-is (|uarterinasters in the ('otn])any's service, on the understanding that they wr-ru to bo t'in|»loved in any expedition scMJt to Natal, Tho ercv/ of the Hona yiiifm-ft worked their passages to Batavia in the next east ward bound ship that callfd. After th(* ('iniinirn.s was rehttecl she was used u\ the ('ajie for a few months, and it was not until the Idth k\ Novenibei' that who was sent to look for the niissin'r iiicn. Eastward of St Hlai/e she en(^ountered a succession of head winds, so that ou the <)th of February HiSS hIic was oidy as far as the ni<»uth nf the Kei. It was then a mhu, and the current setting soul li^vist ward, carried her back with it. (Mi the afternoon of the 7tii she was oil the Collin, or as now called Cove Kock, which she had previously passeonie persons on shore were utjlicid making signals, but whether they w(>re Euro]»eans or Hottentots waving karosses was uncertain. Tho boat n»turned with an unbivourable report, and, m a ligli! breeze was then rising, sail was again made on the ('ciidiiifiis. But next morning the olliccrs ]»cgan to rellect that the signals which they had seen were pr(»babl\- made by l^uropeans, and they thercbtro deternuncd to go back and make sure. On the afternoon of the -sth it was nearly calm and the sea was tpiite smooth. Sonu'thing which could not at first be clearly lUado out was noticed on the wati'r at a distance, Imt as it came nearer it was seen to be a small raft with three naked white men noon it |>aassing shiji. Upon hearing this, every effort was made to get close in to the laml, ami at sunset the anchor was dropped in sixteen fathoms of water and the natinual Hag was lioihtod. That evening anoth«'r of tho iSA//v«/«.ir'.s crew was got on board. 252 (HROM(I.K> or (M'K < OMM VNDFKS. On the Mth tlio sen was so Muouth that t'oiumimiratioii Avith the Axuvo was easy. lAnirtccn men of flu' Sfiinniwr and the French hoy were hioji^lif off, as also the fh'sh of a fat ox which wa« harton'd from tlic nalivc cliiof for an arm ring of the value of foiir shillings. Tho following day a proscnt of fivo [lounds of hetuls, a nock ring, and two ann rings, was sent to the chief in tho nafn«! of the Ilonourabh* ('oinyiany, as an a(^knowle(lgment of the kindness with which lie had treated the Dutch sailors. The chiof was highly plea.M'd with this present, which was to him one of considerahle value. Two more oxon were j)»ircha»ed for an arm ring each, hut before they could ho slaught,<'r(!d and the moat got ou board, a stiff south-easterly breeze sprang up, and it was necessary to get the Ccttttiitrns away from her dangerous jtosition. She accordingly nuide sail for the mouth of a river, which was •listant about six or 8(*veji English miles to the eastward, and then; drofiped \wi anchor again. This is the river known to us as tho Buffalo, but it was called the Kerste by the !)utch sailors. Tho surf at its mouth was so high that it was not found possible to enter it with a boat. There W(>re still three men of the Sf'irfni.\sf on shore, but as it was believed that they pref(!rred to remain with the natives, aning out of tho wa}', the officers of tho Cvntnnrii.s detennincd to wait no longer for them. On the 11th sail was set for Table Bay, where tho little vessel arrived safely cm the l!>th. I iK THK FIRST VoYAfiF. »)F THE NOOHD. A fow months after this it was resolved to send another search expoditicm along the east coast. For this juirpose the galiot Noon/ was nuido ready, and was despatched on the lOth :>£ October HiSS, with a crew of nineteen men iiuluding the quarter- master William (/hristiaii. Her instructions were to proceed first to Delagoi). Buy, and carefully examine that harV)our and tho country around it, and then in returning to search along the coast for tho still missing men. Tho Nonnt amvod in l)t>lngoa Bay oti the |i*»th of Novomlier, and found there two vessels, one r>f them Knglish, the other Portuguese. On one of the islands the crew of th(> Knglish vessel h«»d put up a tent, where they veie trading with tho natives in a friendly manner. On the main laml the I'ortugueso had a small v\iv b'\n<\ \ov\(.K 1)1 rifi: vooud. •2-1.3 fort, but fht» natlvos won» not subjiMt to them. Tlu> I'oi'tuguosn were known at this time to bo in tho Imbit of sondinfj^ out trading parties to proruro ivory as far aor.th us St Tjucia Bay. Tiio Dutch found tho luitivcs friendly upon the whoh\ but inclined to bo thievish. 'Piu'y rcniaitKul in the Bay, surveying it roughly and making a ciiart of it, until the 'JDtli of Deeoniber, when they sailed with four men down with fc^ver. On the 4th of January KJSO, the Noont oame to anehor off tho Bluff of Natal. People w.-rc seen making sigiuils on shore, and when a boat was sent in two white men (Mime running into the water to meet lu-r, thanking (rod that they once more saw (christian faces. They i)roved to be two of the Sfnrr)iissr''.s crew, who had returned from the nuiin \)av\y thmugh Kafhrlaud. It was two days only before full moon, and on the shallowest part of tho bar then* was sixteen fe(>t of water. On the following day tho Noon/ went inside. The sick men were taken on shore, Avhere two of them died of the fever whi(!h they hiul l)rought from I)elagoa Bay. Tho mxtives were friendly as before. Sup])lie8 of food w(n'e brought by them for sale, and wei-e ))urehased at very eheap rates. A hen eouM be bought for three beads, thrt^e |nimi)kins for four l>eads, milk, millet bread, i^e, on the same s(*ale. Tho water casks were emptied and sent on shore in the boat, and the women filled th(>m with fresh water, whiith they carried in large (Mirthenware jars poised ujjou their heads. A party of men, with whom were William O'lristian and an experienced miner, went inland seanthing for iMdi(!ati(>ns of ore, and were away for eight days, but discovercil notliing of any eonsetpieno^ TwcMity-three nmnths before this, when the Crufminis sailed from Natal, four biiiglishmen and one I'Venchman were left behind. They were not there now, and not a word is said of their fate by the journalist of tho Nooi'il. But when the galiot was ready to sail, William (/hristian gave three letters into the (,'ustody of a native, a faithful friend of his in bygone (hiys. It may therid'ore lie presumed that his old companions were still in tho eounti-y, and that tliey had probably gone on a journey inland. On th(! 2;Jrd of January the guliot loft Natal. On tlio 2(Jth «he was off the mouth of a river in latitude ;{;{ ^ 2' S, aeeording to the skipp<>r's reckoning. The great rock where the men of the Sft/rciii-i-sr Were picked up the year befon* was visible to the westward at a distance of about a l)iifch mile and a half, or seven English miles, fifteen 1 Mitch miles being eresent century it was still there, under the siinu^ name, but divided into several sections, the chief of whi(>h W(>re the Amiddubi and tlie Abasekuneue. The Atcorxr oi'- rur, KArFiit-:. 2o5 she was lior, and to pass, ., taking re. He /es, and bar was ) of the ,rd. He D of the 'European the aOth surf was him. Ho 'sist from 1 for the assed the ^r officers Ceiskania, entered, ining the the only he ()th of // isxr full ith Africa upon the ons of ith g enough ignage, so '^■en more (M'S. For prmdo the mien) the il was the 1 was still eHd to proceed on their journey westward, but some of liyiWIMHA.. IT J t^Ot) ('TIII()\I(,i,t;<; nv cArF. commandrks. them were induced not to do so by being int'orniod tliat tlie next people were Abatwa (Bushmen) who would certainly murder them. Twelve of the boldest, however, made the attempt, and reports had been received that they had all perished by the hands of the Bushmen. Of the whole foi-ty-seven who had left the wreck of the Starcnme to travel southward, seventeen were dead twenty-one had been rescued, and the fate of the remaining nine was unknown, but it was supposed that they were still living- among the natives in different parts of the country. Among the Amampondo the travellers had found an old Portuguese, Avho had been wrecked on the coast forty years before. He had entirely forgotten his mother tongue, and had become in all respects except colour like the natives. They had not discovered a single haven along the coast, nor anything in which a profitable trade could be opened up by the Honourable Company. Slaves, they stated, were certainly not to be procured, as the inhabitants were friendly in disposition and were very fond of each other. Of the customs of the KafRrs the seamen of the Sfriroimp gave as accurate and almost as complete an account as any which is extant at the present day. The men did no work except milking the cows and making the kraals, the women being required to till the gro\ind and to perform all the household labour. Circumcision, with its attendant ceremonies and the rights which it confers, polygamy, ^^'ith the method of obtaining wives and the marriage customs, superstition, with tlie sacrifice of cattle and the punishments for alleged dealing in witchcraft, were among the subjects noted by them and fairly described just as they are to-day. They spoke of the nati\'es of that part of tlie country as more handsome in person than the Hottentots of the Cape, as so hospitable that at every kraal there was a hut kept purposely for the accommodation of strangers, as sf) social thnt they never passed each other without stopping and conversing. They described the ceremonies of mourning, the laws of the chase, the rules for the division of spoil taken in war. They gave an account of the knowledge possessed by those natives f)f smelting iron and copper, and of making various tools and ornaments. The mountainous districts were infested with Abatwa, that inhuman race who not only stole cattle, but murdered men, women, and children alike, wh(>never they had an opportunity. These savages, who were aimed with bow anu poisoned arrow, had I* h ArrOUNT OF THE KAFFIRS. an old before. every man's hand against tlieni hero, just as everywhere else in South Africa. The stalwart Kaffirs used the assagai and shield in figliting with them and in all their wars. The system of government was described, together with the method of trying and punishing ciiminals, nor is it omitted to be stated that fines for assault of a subject were paid to the chief. The name of the chief who governed the clan occupying what is now the district of East London was Magamma. The wrecked seamen called him king, but he was not the paramount chief of the Amaxosa. It is impossible now to ascertain what section of the tribe he ruled over, but that is a matter of small importance compared witJi the fact that in 1686 a branch of the Kaffirs was found firmly settled so far westward. The principal plants cidtivated by this people are stated to have been millet, pimipkins, and beans. Tobacco was found also in the northern districts. The Em-opeans considered the beer which was made from millet very palatable. The grain was preserved from weevil by storing it in pits underground, precisely as it Is today. The country was exceedingly well stocked with horned cattle and goats, and teemed with wild animals of many kinds. These particulars show that the travellers had made themselves thoroughly well acquainted with the domestic life of the people among whom they had been li\ing. Their statements, coupled with the logbook of the Noord, supplied such information as enabled the Commander to frame a rough chart of the southeastern coast region. The chart was certainly far from accm-ate, but it was a great improvement upon the old maps. Monomotapa was now removed to the distant interior, and Cortado and kindred fabulous to\/ns disappeared altogether. F.XSION SCHRYVEr's EXPEDITION TO THE IXQTTAS. f At this date the most distant Hottentot tribe known to the eastward was the Outeniqua, which occupied tlie district beyond the jircsent village of George. Of them even very little more thnn the nnme was known, as no European liad over penetrated further than the kraals of the Attaquas, who adjoined them to the westward. Between tlie Attaquas and IJottentots Holland lay the districts of the Gauiiquas, the Hessequas, and tlie B ft 'l« \ * '4 258 CHRONICLES OV CAT :) COMMANDERS. Chainouquas, all well known people. Beyond the Outeniquas many hordes were reported to exist, and some fifteen or twenty words then held to ho trihal names were written down by different Commanders, a repetition of which would only cause confusion. They may have been imitations of the sounds of titles of petty clans, but supposition is needless, for in whatever manner the words were obtained, they disappeared as soon as the light of exploration fell upon the country. In February l()87 there came to the castle an individual who represented that lie had been sent by a very powerful chief li\ing far in the interior, to ascertain what kind of people the white men were, of whom nmiours had reached him, and what kind of things the wonderful articles were which it was reported they exchanged for cattle. According to the messenger's account, he was himself a chief, but from the way in wliich he boasted of the exploits of himself and h* jeople, the Commander concluded that his following was a baud of robbers. He told just such a story, in short, as a Kaffir bard would recite today, and which would deceive anyone who was a stranger to native customs. From the statements which he made concerning the powerful ruler by whom he had been sent, the Europeans were led to believe that this could be no other than the Em})eror of Monomotapa, the great potentate whom they had so long been searching for in vain. The messenger remained at tlie castle onl}^ two daj^s, dming which time he was well entertained, and upon leaving he promised soon to return mth the brother of the great chief wlio had sent him. During the next two years presents were frequently forwarded by the Commander through the medium of Captain Klaas to the individual who, from being considered a mighty Emperor, soon oamo to bo termed the chief of the Inqua Hottentots. In Decem- ber 1088 another deputation from him arrived at the Cape, and announced that the chief was desirous of entering into a friendly agreement with the Europeans, so that they could carry on trade with each other. He sent word further that his country was very populous, that it wiis well stocked with horned cattle and sheep, and that no white mm had ever ^^et visited it. The Council inmiediately resolved to send a party back with the chief's messengers, and for this pm'pose an expedition was organised which left the castle on the 4th of January 1689, It consisted of twenty-two Europeans and a number of Cape Hot- tentots, the whole being j)laced under command of Ensign Izaak ENSIfiX SCHRYVKk's FAPK1)IT[()\ lO Tlir. IXi.'l AX. ■io[) teniquas twenty iifferent infusion, of petty mer the light of Lual who if li\ing liite men )f things :changed 1 himself ploits of that his story, in i deceive 'rom the by whom ;his could ;he great xin. The ig which promised had sent orwarded las to the eror, soon n Decera- Cape, and a friendly ■f on trade was very md sheep, back with lition was 1689. It Jape Hot- lign Izaak Schryver. Two waggons ladon with .su])plies of food and articles for barter accompanied the expedition. Passing over Hottentots Holland Kloof, the party reached the kraal of (Jhainouquas or Soeswas, under Oa]»tain Klaas, where some pack oxen were obtained. Thence eastward a course was followed the same as that of the high road which passes through the present villages of (Jaledon and Swellendam to Heidelberg. From this place the guides led the expedition to within a few miles of the site of the present village of Oudtshoorn, and then crossing the Zwarte Bergen went on some distance further to the north-eastward, until on tlie thirty-ninth day after leaving the castle the kraals of the Inqua tribe were found, under a chief called by the Dutch Hykon. The point reached cannot be fixed with precision. It was described as being on the bank of a river running from north-east to south-Avest, north-east by east was a lofty mountain Avith a long and crooked pass through it, and to the south-south-east beyond the river was a high peak whose summit resembled a castle in ruins, from which circumstance the name of Vervallen Casteel was given to it. Captain Hykon is described by Ensign Schryver as a man of much greater authority than any of the captains about the Cape, and his people are stated to be larger and better proportioned than other Hottentots. More than five hundred head of cattle and a good many sheep were obtained from them in barter, and the in- tercourse with them was of a most friendly nature. On one occa- sion only there was a slight misimderstanding. It was a law of Hykon's tribe that any one killing game was not to eat of it until a present had been made to the chief. In ignorance of this custom, one of Ensign Sehryver's party shot a bird and cooked it, upon which Hykon expressed his displeasure. As soon, however, as the Ensign Avas made aware of the circumstance and of the law of the tribe, he sent the chief a present of beads, which was received as ample atonement for the mistake. From the Incpias the Europeans obtained information con- cerning other tribes, which enabled them to fill up the vacant place on the map between the country of the Outeniquas and tnat of the Amaxosa. They stated that the people Avhom they called Kobona, and we call Kafhrs, were to be reached in a journey of five days to the east-south-east. They described the dwellings of the Kobona as differing from those of the Hottentots, inasmuch as the frames were closely wattled and covered AS-ith clay and the roofs were thatched. Between the two races there was often war> R 2 'i l"\ )\ • f 1,1 Mi Rn the party one night, but upon information being given to the chief he took steps to recover them, and put to death one of the thieves who was captured. On the 6th of April the Ensign re- ported himself at tJie castle, having brought back his party in safety, and having mtli him ov^er a thousand head of homed cattle, a herd larger than any obtained by the most successful trading expedition hitherto sent out. THE WRECK OF THE NOORD. In October 1689 the Council of Policy resolved to send the galiot Noord for the second time along the coast as far as Natal. The objects in view were, fiist, to rescue the nine missing men of the Stavonmo who were believed to be still living with the natives, second, to endeavour to purchase for the Honourable Company the Bay of Natal and the land around it, and third, to survey Algoa THK \VKE(K OF THE NOOHD. 2d1 J away South ith the ist were I Dama- Inquas d as the tie north 3 people, rs. horde of elonging lied with ;ong sus- ,n attack, 5 Ensign fell, and )k posses- lace, they h such a nportance re stolen an to the ne of the nsign re- party in f homed successful o send the as Natal. IS men of he natives, mpany the vey Algoa Bay and purchase it and the countiy about it from tlie native proprietors. The galiot sailed from Table Bay on the 28th of October, but owing to contrary winds, did not arrive before the Bay of Natal until the 9th of December. There three men of the Sfocoiisxr were found and taken on board, and the desired purchase of territory was ejected. A formal contract was drawn up by Laurt-rs van Swaanswyk, the journalist of the expedition, to which the chief residing near the Bay affixed his mark. In this the Honourable Company was acknowledged to be the proprietov of the lagoon and surrounding land, for which merchandise in rings, beads, copper- plates, wire, &c, to the vahie of about £j.,650 English sterling money was said to have been paid, though in fact £50 would more nearly have represented its value. Landmarks with the Com- pany's arms upon them were erected in several prominent positions. On the 11th of January 1690, the Noord sailed from Natal, and on the 15th arrived in Algoa Bay, or as it was then called, Baya de Lagoa. The Poiiuguese had given it this name, which means the Bay of the Lake, nearly two centuries earlier, but Skipper Pietor Timmerman did not find it answering such a description. A stiff breeze was blowing in, and the bay instead of being glassy as a lake was like a stormy sea. The skipper pro- nounced it nothing better than an exposed bight, and deeming it worthless to the Company, he did not even drop his anchor. On the evening of the 16th the galiot was believed to be well off the land, when about half -past nine o'clock she struck suddenly, and with the next wave was washed high up on the reef called Klippen Point, about fifteen or sixteen English mijes west of Caj.e St Francis. Her officers were afterwards severely blamed for her loss, but they appear to have used due precaution. The night was dark, and it is now known that the Agulhas c^irrent at this place often sets dead in shore. At low water the crew foimd that they could walk to land without wetting their feet. They numbered eighteen men, all strong and hearty The wi'eck was full of water at high tide, but tliey had no difficulty in getting what they wnnted out of her. No natives whatever were to be seen in the neighbourhood. On the 23rd they started from tho scene of the disaster to make their way as best they could overland to the castle. Each man took with him a matchlock with ammunition, and as much food as he could carry. For several days they kept together, but at length they broke up into parties, the sturdiest pushing on ahead. ! 262 (IlIlOMrLES OP' f'APK rOMMANDKKS. On the 27th of March the mate Theunis van dor Selielling with three companions arrived at the Cape and reported the loss of the Noon/. These men had suffered much from hvmger until they reached the kraal of Captain Klaao, by whom they had been enter- tained and cared for in the most generous manner. Indeed they attributed their preservation to his kindness. Klaas immediately sent some of his people to search for the other men, but most of them perished before aid could reach them. The few that were rescued told piteous tales of the misery they had gone through and the cruel treatment they had received at the hands of Bushmen. WW: f^.' 'J t One result of these expeditions and disasters was a knowledge of the country and its inhabitants such as was hardly added to for the next hundred years. From this time forward also the Euro- peans in South Africa regarded one class of those inhabitants less favourably than they had done before. That class was the wild, untameable,* cruel race previously known as Sonquas, Obiquas, Hougliquas, Makriggas, Batuas, &c, but lienoeforth commonly called Bossiemans or Bushmen. t Tlie country from Delagoa Bay to the Cape of Good Hope could be travelled over in jierfect safety, wrote the Commander, if it were not for these banditti. The hand of the Hottentot and the Kaffir everywhere was against them, and now the European was added to the number of their foes. By all alike they were regarded as thieves and murderers, and ere long it came to be considered the duty of honest, law abiding people, to aid in purging the settled districts of their presence. A struggle then commenced between the colonists and these savages, which continued until the present century was well advanced, and which left the Europeans in sole possession here, as in all other coimtries where the battle between civilized and barbarois races has been fought in modern times. * To the present clay tliere is no instance that I am aware of on record of a pure Bushman having permanently adopted tlie ways of civilized life, lender missionary in- fluence a few have been induced to abandon their roving habits for a season, but as with those who have been compelled to take service, they have afterwards relapsed into as near an approach to the mode of living of their ancestors as was practicable in the altered circumstances of the country. 1686. t The word Bossittmans first occurs in a manuscript dated 20tb of October chelling e loss of itil they m enter- sed they lediately )ut most hat were High aud hmen. riowledge ed to for he Euro- :aiits less the wild, Obiquas, ommonly agoa Bay 'ct safety, The hand :hein, and s. By all )ro long it people, to i struggle ^es, which and which all other xoi s races )rcl of a pure missionary in- seasoii, but as i rplapsed into cticable in the J of October r f^.A RiCIIAROS UHllHS i.iTHOG'^t^fH^tl'iS. CAi^E TQl^.'N ff'Se/^/f ^^^^l Mmth^4/n^aa»d the position of the. principal irwi '^^pju^:^:'^:''"''''' ""^'^'""" "^ '^'^^"^ ,Jr,j'"'p •"* f** ""mediate neighhimrhmnl of th yve Pmmmla were the Gorinyhaiom, the (r. » t»«7««, aud tU Goriuqhaiknna. ^ ' '"* -i/ui y tribal names found in the earlu records air «.< » nuoned in this v^ap. Some .ttreme/ftUel ;!cZ'e ""'■' *"^*«2«*"%/«"W to Lena ,X1 ..ri", n i'""-^* pronounceable names, and ttjkrv ards to call their people hy the same titles it om ^,mnce at least the/ called a clan Xer the ZdU^l,:? .Wo**«i««rf Algoa hays, and the t/ww oKff.s ordamtouers. ^fno ""'l-nm"-^'"".'''./" "" """■ "fountains of South 'It ! « , ,*• '™* '*"«■ 2V,«y ,„•« ,,.o«,„,„„/y termed tZ vf.:;':!:'^ :l ^'"""' '" .""■ ""-'^ '•^'=°''<'*. *« iiurtivu sueiui oUier names fur them. 1!' S p!il Ii hf tb of pr w< H pe en 01 du of be< an( 80 to to varii 011(1 niuc long thirl CHAPTER XIII. 1685—1687. Call of French astrononiers at the Cape. — Their calculations of longitude and variation of the magnetic needle. — Emigration from the Netherlands to the Cape. — Some orphan girls are sent out. — Establishment of a yearly Fair at Stellenbosch. — Target shooting. — Arrangements for divine service at Stollenbosch. — Erection of a .jhurch there. — Also of a residence for the landdrost, a courthouse, and a mill. — Progress in \'ino planting. — Placaat concerning the manufacture of wine. — Experiments with the olive. — Tree planting. — Wreck ot the Portuguese ship Nostra Scnora de (os Milagroa. — Treatment of the Siamese ambassadors to the Court of I'ortugal — Enmity towards the Bushmen. — Captain Klaas is rewarded for killing eight of them.— Various Placaats. — Registration of titles to land. — Destructive epidemic. — Death of notable persons. — Call of a French fleet of war. — Farms are given out along the Berg River in the Jiistrict named Drakcnstein. — Survey of False Bay. — Simon's Bay is named.— Condition of the colonists. — Sumptuary regulations. — Plague of locusts. — .\bundant crops. — Census of the 31st December 1687. In June 1685 a French ship bound to Siam put into Table Bay, having on board an embasey sent by Louis XIV to the Court of that country. Accompanying the embassy were six missionaries of the Society of Jesus, among whom were two astronomers provided with the best instruments of the day. The missionaries were treated in the most courteous and considerate manner by the High Commissioner and the Cominander, though they were not permitted to celebrate Mass on shore. The pleasure house at the entrance to the Company's garden was assigned to them for an Observatory, and there they made astronomical observations during the few nights of their stay at the Cape. From an eclipse of one of Jupiter's satellites they calculated the dilference of time between Paris and their station to be one hour, twelve minutes* and forty seconds, which is about eight minutes too much> 80 that they laid down the African const line two degrees too far to the eastward. The variation of the magnetic needle they found to be eleven degrees and thirty minutes west.* * Wlien the Portvgucse first doubled Africa, the needle was found to bo without variation at Agulhas, from which circumstaiue that Ciipo rovoived its name. At the end of the .-sixteenth century, when tlie Dutch commerce Wiw V(>ry rapidly oxtciuling, much thought was cxpend(>d in endeavouring to iind out some means of a,"cortaining longitudes. Christopher Columbus, who found a point of no variation two degrees and thirty minutes cast of Corvo, was the first to suggest that the position of a ehip at sea 264 ( HJIOMCI.KS OF CAl'K fOMMANOKKS. KU m In the year 1685 the Directors renewed the attempt to induce emigration from the Netherlands to this Colony. They distributed notices throughout the provinces, offering to industrious families free passages to the Cape, farms in full property as large as each could cidtivate, and a supply of agricultural implements, seed, and cattle, at cost price on credit. The emigrants were to be required to remain in South Africa at least fif+een years, and should they desire to retiu'u to Europe at the expiration of this period, they were to bo conveyed back at rates which wore specified. Before embarking they were to take an oath of allegiance to the States General as the Sovereign and Supreme Authorities, to the Prince of Orange as Governor, Captain, and Admiral General, and to the East India Company. In a despatch from the Chamber of Seventeen to the Commander and Council, dated on the Sth of October of tliis year, the request often made for female immigrants was referred to, and an intention was expressed of sending out forty-eiglit marriageable girls as a commencement. To obtain them the Directors rpplied to the Orphan Masters of some Oi the great towns of the Netherlands. Homes for orphans were then, as they are still, among the most important charitable institutions of the Low Countries. They partook of the practical character of the people, and had for their object the maintenance and education of poor orphan children. In tliese institutions the inmates wore a particular kind of dress to distinguish them from other children, strict discipline was maintained, and habits of indue^try, cleanliness, and frugolity, were enforced. The masters or guardians acted as parents of the orphans, they apprenticed the boys to trades, placed the girls in service, and generally watched over them until tliey could make for themselves a fair commencement in life. All classes of people inipht lie known ^>y moans of oliscrvations of the nompasa. A contuvy lator the idea of Colmnlms was adopted by many men of uoto, but l)y no one was it so claboratnly worked out as by Dr Tetrns I'laiuius, a- clergyman of Amsterdam, famous for his peograpliieal knowledfre and for liis activity in promoting commercial enterprise. His plan for determining longitudes was based upon the supposition tliat the variation of the compass increased regularly from a minimum to a maximum point, and tlien decreased regularly in the opposite direction. One of the minimum points, or jilaces of no perceptibl(> variation, ho set down from the observations of numerous seamen at seventeen Duteli miles east of Agnllias, or about tlie ('ap(\ now called iJarraeouta. Tliis was in 1596. Tlio scheme of riancius was approved of by thp greatest authorities of liis time, and it was not altogether discardcnl when the French expedition was here. Calculations of longitude, based upon the variation of the compass, are freiiuently found in tlie old log books, tliough the experience of nearly a century showed they were in moat mstancea valueless. SIMON VAN T)KR STKI,. 5265 regarded the inmates of the Homes with a friendly eye, presents were often sent to them, and it was considered a scandalous action to harm them in any way. Better schools than these there could not 1)0 for training boys and girls to become useful members of the commonwealth. The children did not receive, it is time, more than a very elementary education from books, but they were taught to fear God and to do their duty in that station of life in which it had pleased Him to place them. They formed a community like a large family presid(xl over b}-- careful and devout parents. The Orphan Guardians of Amsterdam and Rotterdam consented to allow marriageable girls who were so inclined to en.igrate to the Cape, but only under conditions which SC' far as himian means can go should serve to screen them from harm. They were not to embark unless accompanied by other emigrants and under tlie care of a respectable elderly female. The Commandor of the Cape was to see that they were comfortably j)rovidcd for and jtroperly protected until they were married to lionourable, sober, and industrious burghers. They were not to be detained in the Colony against their will if after five years' residence ihey or their husbands wished to return to Europe. Even imder these conditions very few young women were found Avilling to leave the Fatherland, so that instead of the forty-eight that tlio Directors wished to send out in I680, only three embarked in the fleet of that year. They were from Rotterdam. An emigrant, Cornells Swart by name, and his family were fellow passengers. In 1(5S() they were followed by seven or eight more, who also came from Rotterdam. During several years small parties of them continued to arrive, though never more than seven or eight at a time. They were married to the most prosperous of the Cape biu'ghers, generally witliin ^ few weeks after landing. Each outward b')und fleet now brought to South Africa a few families of people accustomed to till the ground for their maintenance. Nearly all of them were located in the district of Stellenbosch, as were also many of those indi^iduals who tv'ere dis('luu'g(^d from the Company's service, but who rarely remained long in the position of burghers. In 1686 a fair was established at Stellenbosch, and was thereafter held yearly from the 1st to the 14th of October. It was intended by the (.\immander to be similar in ever}^ respect to a Kermis in tlie Fatlierland, such as is still kept up in many Dutch towns, though tlie kindred institution of an English fair is almost forgotten. At this fair every one was at liberty to buy and 266 (IIKOXICLES OF (AVE COMMANDEliS. , ill ■ t 'J I h" sell tlie products of the country without restriction. It was intended also to be a season of general recreation, and it was provided that the drilling of the tailitia and target shooting should then take place. The method of target shooting in those days was so peculiar as to merit a description. A figure resembling a parrot, and hence called a papegaai, was fixed upon a pole in the centre of a circle with a radius of sixty feet. The marksmen chose their positions upon an arc of this circle in the order in which they paid the subscription fees, which were to residents of Stellenbosch one shilling, and to all others four shillings. They fired in the same order, standing and without rests for their guns. The small prizes were, for knocking off the head four shillings, the right wing two shillings, the left wing one shilling and six pence, the tail one shilling, and a splinter six pence. The great prize was given to him who knocked off the rump and by doing so destroyed the whole figure. It was five pormds in cash from the Honourable Company and whatever subscription money wa'^. in hand. The winner was escorted home in state by the whole body of shooters, and haci the title of King of the Marksmen imtil some one else could wrest it from him. Target shooting was also practised with pistols. In this exercise a small object was set up ten paces on one side of a straight furrow. The marksmen were mounted, and rode at full gallop along the furrow, firing os they passed. The drillmaster, who was always a man of experience, arranged for target shooting, and was the sole judge in disputes. He received one-fifth of all prizes, more as a mark of his authority than as payment for his services. The Government encouraged these exercises as a means of keeping the biu'ghers skMled in the use of their weapons. Towards the end of September in every year the drillmaster appeared at the castle and received from the Issuer of Stores, as the Honourable Company's contribution to the sjiorts, one hundred and fifty pounds of gunpowder, one hundred pounds of lead, and three hundred gun flints. During the period of the fair, the colonists of the Cape District usually went in then* waggons to Stellenbosch, and gave themselves up to the enjoyments of the season. If there were ships in port, as many of their people as could get away generally did the same. It was the pleasiu-e time of the year, when laboiu* laid aside for a short space, and friends renewed their ws acquaintanceship. The Commai: :ler, who loved to see his people " V |i SIMON VAN DKK SIEL. 267 ! Cape happy, was always present on these occasions. On the closing day of the fair, which was his birthday, everyone waited upon him and wished him happiness, the school children marched in procession, carrying their banner and directed by Dominie Mankadan, and in the afternoon the whole body of militia was drawn up and fired three volleys in his honour. Any Hottentot chiefs who were in the neighbourhood were also in the habit of paying their respects on iliese occasions. They were always well entertained according to their ideas, and it was not unusual for them to present an ox in return. When the Commander visited Stellenbosch to be present at the fair of 1086 he was accompanied by the Eev Johannes Overney, who on Sunday the l-'ith of October conducted divine service in the house of one of tlie residents. It was the first service held by a clergyman in the new settlement. A sermon was delivered from the text Isaiah 52nd chapter and 7th verse, and in the afternoon three infants bom at Stellenbosch were baptized. On the following day the cpiestion of putting up a building expressly for public worship Avas discussed, and it was resolved to take it in hand as soon as the crops were gathered. An arrangement was made that the clergyman of the Cape should visit the village once every three months, to conduct divine service and administer the sacraments, and that the Sick Visitor Mankadan should continue to read a sermon and prayers regularly on all other Sabbaths in the year. In January 1687, when the liev Mr Overney visited Stellenbosch in accordance with this plan, a deacon and an elder who had been chosen by the congregation and approved of by the Council, were installed in office. The deacon was Dirk Coetsee, a burgher who had been several years in the Colony. A few weeks later, on the 14tli of February, the first stone of the cluirch was laid. The building was forty feet in length by twenty-two in width. Tlie Commander was a liberal contributor towards the cost of its erection, and took such a warm interest in the undertaking that he sometimes visited the village purposely to superintend the work in person. It was opened for use during his next birthday tour, on the 19th of October 1687, on which occasi(m the Rev Johannes van Andel delivered a sermon from the 6th chapter of Numbers, verses 23 to 27. A residence for the landdrost and a courthouse were erected in 1686, and a mill was built at the expense of the district. The \ V V ' 268 (HRO.NK I,i:s OF ( ATF, ( <>.MMA:F,US. Pf ■ j3 n price for grinding corn was fixed, and the mill was then leased b}' auction to the highest bidder, the rental going to the district funds. The cidtivation of the vine was advancing in the new district, and already Stellenbosch had the reputation of producing better wine than Rondebosch or Wynberg. But the very best was so far inferior to the wines of Europe that the Coniraander believed either that the grapes were pressed too soon or the right kind had not yet been introduced. He therefore issued a placaat prohibiting every one andei a penalty of ten pounds from pressing grapes before the vineyards had been visited by a committee and pronounced by himself to be of the requisite maturity, and he not only obtained new cuttings of different varieties from France, Germany, and Spain, but managed to produce Persian vines from seed. With all these he was experimenting on his own farm Constantia, as well as in the Company's gardens in Table Valley, and at Rustenburg, and he was encouraging the biu'ghers of Stellenbosch to do the same. Experin^ents were repeated at this time in the cultivation of rice, cassava, and hops, which were found to answer no better than on former occasions. Millet, obtained from Natal, did very well, and it was found to make good beer. The olive, which had excited such hopes in the first Commander of the settlement, was tried again and again by Simon van der Stel. He had the trees planted in every variety of soil and position, but he could not make them bear to his liking. In some seasons the fruit would fall before it was mature, in other seasons there would be no fruit at all. Only occasionally a few good olives would be obtained, just sufficient to keep up hope. At last all the trees died off except three or foui*. The Commander was an enthusiastic tree planter. He observed that the indigenous forests of the country were rapidly being destroyed, and that nature unaided was not replacing them. Unless trees were planted by man there would soon be neither timber nor fuel to be had. The fuel used by the garrison was indeed even then obtained from a grove of alders beyond Rondebosch, which had been planted by Mr Crudop in 1679. Various kinds of European and Indian timber trees were being produced from seeds in the niu-series of the Company's garden, but of them all none seemed to thrive like the oak. The Commander therefore endeavoured to get as man 3^ oaks planted as possible. He offered young trees to the burghers, and at a date somewhat ^ i^' '■^^\ SIMON VAN DER STEL. 260 later he issued a positive order that every farmer Avas to plant at least one hundred. lie set the example at Constantia and on the Company's farms. In the spring of 1687 he had tlie satisfaction of seeing between four and five thonsond oaks already beginning to bear acorns in the Stellenbosch and Cape districts. He had at this time over fifty thousand in the nurseries nearly ready to transplant. In the night of the 16th of April 1686 the Portuguese ship I'^odra Senora do Ion Milaciros, on her retiu-n voyage to Euiope was wrecked on the coast between Capes Agulhas and False. She had a crew ot se\eral himdred souls, besides a good many passengers, injiuding three ecclesiastics and three ambassadors from the king of Siam to the king of Portugal, with their servants and other attendants. The night was fine and clear, but the master of the ship, believing he had rounded the Cape, neglected to set a watch and was steering directly on shore. Many lost theu* lives in tiying to get to land after the ship struck, and those who succeeded in reaching the beach found themselves without food and half naked. The eldest of the Siamese ambassadors died of grief and distress shortly after getting to land, and the others left with a party of Portuguese to make their way to the Cape. On the 8th of May ten of the seamen reached the castle, where they were kindly received. Some waggons and horses, with provisions, were immediately sent to meet the other unfortunate travellers. Two days later Captain Emanuel da Silva, a nimiber of officers, Roman Catholio priests, sailors, and soldiers arrived. They had undergone such terrible suffering from hunger and thirst tliat a large proportion of those who left the -wi'eck had perished on the way to the Cape. They informed the Commander that tlicy had saved nothing whatever from the Avi-eck except diamonds to the value of one hundred thousand pounds. The Siamese had been abandoned by then* Portuguese companions on the way, and no one could tell what had become of them. The Council resolved to lodge the Portuguese officers and priests at Rondebosch, and the sailors and soldiers in the hospital, which happened to be free of patients. Rations according to their rank, on the same scale as those supplied to the Company's servants, were issued to them, and a sum of £100 in money was lent to the officers to purchase clothing. The priests were required not to give offence to the inhabitants by public celebration of their worship. They were all forwarded to Eui'ope Avith the Is 270 CIIROMCI.K-; ()!•• (AVE COMM V\1)1",US. next fleet, except some sailors who chose to enter the Company's service. A sergeant and six soldiers were sent to look for tlie Siamese and to give them all the assistanco in their power. After the lapse of about a month from the date t)f the Avreck most of them were found in a Avi'otched condition wandering- about among the mountains. They were rodoived at the castle with firing of cannon and other marks of honour, on account cf the friendly feeling of the Siamese government toAvards tlie East India Company. A present of clothing was made to them, they were furnished with £200 in cash on loan, and at their owti request they were lodged at the house of a burgher rather than with the Portuguese. About four months after being rescued, the two sm-viving ambassadors wi^h *heir attendants, twenty-eight in number, were forwarded to Batavia, where they found a ship in which they returned to tlieir own country. In 168() an incident occur. ed which illustrates the enmity that was already felt towards the Bushmen. Some little time before this a party of Europeans who vv'ent out hunting was attacked by a band of these savages, Ashen one of their number was killed b}' a poisoned arrow, sixteen oxen were stolen, and their two waggons were burnt. There was no possibility of retaliating in the same way as with an agricultural or even a pastoral people, for it was useless looking for ||obi(pias when they did not wish to be seen. Thi (.'hainouqua country was infested with them, so that travelling was unsafe. The Commander called upon Captains Klaas and Koopman to suppress their depredations, but Klaas was himself so sorely pressed by the marauders that on one occasion he was compelled to abandon his kraals and flee to the neighboui'hood of Cape Agulhas, At length this good and taithful friend of the Company, as he is often called, appeared at the castle and stated that he had succeeded in inflicting a sliglit ])unishi lent upon the common enemy. His account was that as he was preparing to attack them they sent three women to recpiest a renewal oi the friendship that had once existed between them. He returned a favourable answer Avith a present of tobacco, b}' which means he decoyed eleven of them, including their leader, to his kraal. There he caused a sheej) to be killed for their entertainment, and while they were dancing and rejoicing he had theui seized and ordered them to be put to death. This order was instantly carried out upon eight of them, the other three having managed to escape by the fieetness of their SIMON VAX DEU STEL. •271 feet. For this act of retaliation for the injuries done to the Europeans, as the Council chose to view it, Klaas was rewarded with a present of twenty pounds of Virginia tobacco, an anker of arrack, one hundred and fifty pounds of rice, and a few trifles. Among the various placaats which had been issued from time to time since the formation of the settlement, there were many which had fallen into disuse. Some were no longer adapted to the condition of affairs, others were only enforced by particular Commanders. It thus became necessary to revise and publish them afresh, so that there might be no uncertainty about the local laws. Most of the revised placaats had reference to Avhat would now be termed municipal matters, and by them not only was individual liberty more restricted, but the penalties for infringe- ment were much severer than at present. In these respects, how(*ver, the Cape did not differ from the most enlightened Eiu'opean countries. A fe^v of the general placaats are here given to show the character of the collection. The breed of horses in this coimtry liaving degenerated iu size, any one who shall use for labom* a horse under three years of age shall be subject to a penalty of ten pounds. Many slaves having deserted from service and caused great trouble and danger by forming themselves into bands of robbers, no one is to permit a slave to carry a gun, even when tending cattle, under penalty of a fine of twenty pounds. No one is to sell any implement of war, even a knife, to a slave, under penalty of arbitrary correction. To prevent fraud, the Company's cattle are to be branded C & on both ears, and no one is to keep cattle with clipped ears, under penalty of confiscation. Another useful measure was the more perfect registration of titles to land. On the 1st of July 1686 a resolution was passed by the Council of Policy, calling upon all persons to produce within two months their title deeds and leases, for the pui'pose of having them copied iuto a strong book and authenticated by the Secretary. The existing records were also to be copied into the same book, so that all cause of dispute and actions at law might be prevented. The volume framed in accordance with this resolution is now in the office of the Sm'veyor-Greneral in Cape Town. From this date a record of titles has been kept, but it must not be inferred that the names of all, or even a majority of those who obtained grants of land, will be found recorded at the time of their arrival in this country. As a means of tracing the progress ■ .;-«rfr«" (;riRO\r('i.r,< of rvi'K cdmm ^^•|)Klls. [• i r? y-' % of immigration, for iiistanco, these records are nearly valueless. Title deeds were never issued until the ground was properly surveyed, and this was sometimes delayed twenty-five or thirty years after it was allotted.* The occupant in the meantime hold merely a note authori/i.ig him to take possession of and cultivate the land. In very many instances the original occupier died or sold out and removed, in which case the titles were issi ' ' the name of the one in possession when the survey was ni. ■ x^his will account for the a])parently defective condition of the Land liecord Books for a long series of years. Towards the beginning of the winter of 1(j87 the Colony was visited by a destructive disease, a kind of fever which carried olf many of the inhabitants. The natives suffered very severely from it, so much so that one kraal is mentioned in which half the peo])]e were dead while the others were all sick. Schacher, chief of the Goringhaiquas or Kaapmans, died at this time. The clan was so thoroughly subject to the Company that the ajipointuKnit of his successor was made by the Commander. lie chose a nephew of the deceased chief, whom he named Massanissa, and to whom he gave one of the ordinary staffs of office. Among the Europeans who were carried off were the Ilov Johannes Overney and Captain Hieronymus Cruse. The clergyman died on the 5th of May. The pidpit was not long vacant, for on the 4th of Juno, the Eev Johannes van Andel called hc^re in a ship of which he was chaplain, and consented to remain. The old explorer Captain Cruse, often mentioned in former years, died on the 20th of June. He was succeeded in the command of the garrison by Lieutenant Dominique de Chavonnes. In June lOcSJ a fleet of six ships of war, sent by the king of France with a second embassy to the king of Siam, put into Table Bay. The Admiral's request to be permitted to purchase refresh- ments and to lodge his sick in the hospital was at once acceded to, but on condition that all healthy men were to go on board before sunset and that arms were not to be carried by any of them when ashore. The garrison of the castle was at the time very small, but to make a brave show, the Commander called in some men from the outposts and required the Cape militia to mount guard. SteUenbosch also furnished a contingent of forty armed burghers.t * Thirty yenrs undisputed possession of prouud gave the occupier a legal claim to .1 free title. t Tliero was a systoio. of signals by moans of guns and flags Ix^twccn tlio rastlo and 1,1)0 drostdy at StclionhoHch, by moans of whioli tlie militia could be called to the Uefence of the Cape at very short notice. ■^TMON \\\ DEIt STEl, \7-) vahioless. properly or thirty inio hold cultivate • died or ■ the i^his he Land loiiy was irried off ely from 10 people 9f of the 1 was so nt of his jpliew of tvhoin he luropeans I Caiitain of May, inio, the . he was Captain of June, ieutenant e king- of ito Tahlo refresh - iceded to, fd before oni whon mall, hut nen from t guard, irghers.t fj;ftl claim to e castle and illod to the In Ootoher KJS? ;i fresh traot of land was given out t » settlors. About lifty individuals beh)nging to the homeward bound Hoot which put into Table Bay in Se])tomber, being charmtMl with the appearance of the country, petitioned the Conmiander to allow them to make a trial of farming, lie would very cheerfully have done so if tlu\y had been married men, but as only a few had wives he thought it best to reject two-thirds of them. At the close of the fair at 8tolleuboscli there were twenty-three individuals in all ready to take possession of farms. The Commander therefore resolved to found a new settlement with tliem, and for this purpose he selected the beautifid valley first visited by Abraham Gabbema thirty years before. At daylight on the morning of the 16th of October the new burghers left Stellenbosch, and were followed a little later by His Ilonoui* with a party of attendants on horseback. At Simonsberg they halted to rest, and there the Commander overtook them, It was a lovely view that met their eyes as they looked do-wn into the valley where they were about to make their homes. A stranger cannot gaze upon it in the pleasant spring time without feeling a thrill of delight, and if to-day the many homesteads and groves add to its beauty, it has lost almost as much in that rich carpeting of grass and flowers which covered it in 1687. It had as yet no name, so the Commander called it Drakenstein, in honom* of the Lord of Mydrecht. That afternoon the frontage of the twenty-three farms was marked out along the Berg River. Each farm was to extend backwards six hundred roods and was sixty roods in width, thus containing nearly one hundred and twenty-seven English acres. Ijike all other landed proi)ei'ty in the Colony, that now given out was legally burdened Avith the payment to the Government of tithes of the produce. This tax was, however, not very rigidly exacted, and was generally either wholly or in part remitted in bad seasons or when the occupants of the ground met with any heav}^ losses. An experiment was once made in fanning it out at public auction. The purchaser had the right to every eleventh sheaf as it stood in the field, for though called the tithe, a full tenth was seldom demanded. But the plan gave rise to complaints, and it was soon abandoned. The only other charge upon the ground was the cost of measurement and title deeds when it was surveyed. The farms were given out in full propert}', subject to these conditions only, but they could be forfeited if the grantees to commence cultivating them within a 3'ear or if they . ■•* neglected S PI 274 ( IIRO.MK l,i:s OF rATK COMMANDEIUS. aftorwavcls aljandonod tliom. It was necoseary to mal^o tliis jmn'isioii, as tlio groat iviajority of tho Company's sfrvantb w}io became farmers soon got tirod of that occupation. In November of tliis year False Bay was examined by tho Commander in penon. In Marcli 1682 it had been surveyed, but not so carefully as to satisfy tho Directors. Tlio galiot Noord conveyed the Commander with some sm'voj'ors and a draughtsman round from Table Bay, and while she was engaged taking soundings, a party proceeding along the shore was measming distances and angles. The biglit previously known as Yselstein Bay was found to be capable of affording good shelter for a small licet. It was ascertained that fresh water was to be had there, and tisli in great abundance and of excellent quality. Its advantages were observed as a place of call and refreshment for the (Company's sliips in time of war, when i'n enemy's fleet might be watching Table Bay. Tho Commander gave it his own Christian name, and as Simon's Bay it has ever since been known. The colonists were at this time in a fairly prosperous coj'dition. There were no avenues to great wealth open to them, but on the other hand no one was suffering from want of the necessaries of life. There were no beggars in the Colony. The thriftless and unstable burghers who had given so much trouble in the earlier days of the settlement had died out or returned into the Comi)any's service, and their jilaces were occuj)ied by a more industrious class of men. Still, there was one circumstance in connection with the colonists which canst-. a the Commander much uneasiness. Only about one-third of them were manned, and none but these could be considered pennanently settled. Everything th;it was possible had been done to procm-e female immigrants, but tho number that arrived was very small indeed. Notwithstanding the laws against European men forming connections with slave and native women, immorality of tliat kind could not be entirely checked, and many children of mixed blood were bom in the settlement. These natm'ally grew up as a class inferior to the Europeans, but priding themselves upon being better than either pure Hottentots oi negroes. The burghers of the towai, who were all discharged servants of the Company, were chiefly dependent upon the shipping for the means of li^'ing. They showed their prosperit}'' by a tendency to display in dress, ^^•hich tho Commander deemed so unbecoming that he forbade it. He did not want any spmious grandees here, he said, but honest, industrious people, of whom alone good SIMON VAX DF.U ;•) e:»lonist8 t'ouM 1).' niiKl". His iJwis in tliis rospoot W(^re those of the clovovpst stalt'siuou ot liis age.* Wlioii, for iustaiici', ho proliihitod tho wives of m(>ohauio,s from carrying sunshades and (wpro.s.sod an opinion that tsuch a practice wns too outrageous to bo tolerated, ho was l)ut followin;^' the example of the most a87 a plague of hjcusts did much danuigo to the gardens, but notwithstanding this the crops were so good tliat there was not room in the magazines for all the grain and wine and other produce that was brought in. On the Jilst of iJecembcr, when the yearly census was taken, it appeared that the (Jompany had at Uustenburg in round numbers one hundred thousand vines bearing, and had on the several farms 1,104 head of horned cattle, 140 horses, and 9,218 sheep. The returns in connection with the colonists,t their stock and produce, were as follow : — liurghers . . . . . . . . ' . . . . 254 Wives of Burghers and Widows . . . . 88 Children of Bm'ghers . . . . . . . . 231 European Men Servants , . . . . . . . 39 Men Slaves 230 Women Slaves . . . . . . . . . . 44 Slave Oliildi'en . . . . . . . . . . 36 Horses in possession of Burghers . . . . 155 Horned Cattle . . . . . . . . . . 2,951 Sheep 30,142 Muids of Wheat from last crop 1,857 Muids of Rye . . . . . . . . . . 197 Muids of Barley 205 Vines bearing 402,900 * In Ootoher 1686 certain Sumptuary Laws wore put in force in India by the Director?. t The number of burnher.-! is always understated in the yearly lists, owiiis' to thu omission of names through carelessness or for some other cause. s 2 I ^\ If ■'. CHArTER XIV. ARRIVAL OF A PARTY OF FRENCH REFUGEES. 1687—1691. Einigrntion from tliP Southern to tho Northern Netherlnnd Provinces after the Pacilication of Ghent. — Formation of Walloon Churches. — Increased emigra- tion from France after 1670. — Desire of tho Directors of the East India Company to obtain some of tho Refugees as colonists. — Revocation of tlie Edict of Nantes. — Emigration ivom Piedmont. — Terms offered by the East India Company to Refugees willing to become colonists. — OV)jects of tho East India Company in sending out Huguenot colonists. — Embarkation of various small parties. — Their .arrival at the Cape. — The clergyman Simond. — Ast^istiince given to the Huguenots after their arrival. — Tlieir location at Stellenbosch and Drakensteiu. — Arrangements for cliurch services. — Com- mencement made in agriculture. — Establishment of a school at Drakenstcin. — Aid from Batavia, — Names of the Huguenots in South Africa in 1690. — Failure of a i)roject to send out a party of A'audois to the colony. — Cause of the ce.S'^ation of emigration of Huguenots to the Cape, except of a fow individuals occasionally. — Bearing of the Commander toward a tho Huguenots. — Grievances of the Immigrants. — Reception of a Deputation by the Commander. — Apjieal of the clergynum to the Supreme Autlioritios. — 111 feeling between the French and Dutch Immigrants. — The Chamber XVII permit the establishment of a separate church at Drakenstein. — Constitution of the new church. — In->tructions regai-ding schools, — Method of locating immigrants. — Blendmg of tho two nationalities. I)t:k:n(; tlie last twenty years of the sixteenth century the population of Holland and Zeeland was largely increased by ii>imigrants of the Protestant faith from the Soutliern Netherland Provinces. Many of these immigrants spoke no other language ;han French, and wherever they settled in sufticient numbers clergymen using that language were appointed to conduct religious services for them. In this manner numerous French and Walloon congregations were established throughout the Free Netherlands. These congregations, however, did not form separate churches, but only new branches of churches which previously existed in the towns where the}' settled. To each ecclesiastical fabric several clergymen were usually attached, and when a French congregation was formed one of these clergymen was selected to atrend to it. In the same biulding where tho ordinary Dutcli services were held French servi(!es were conducted at different hours, tho whole body ARRIVA], OF A PARTY OF FRENCH REFl GEKS. 277 of worshippers being united in one cliurch with its deacons, elders, and other officers.* During the century following the Pacification of Gheut, these congregations were constantly being augmented in size and in number by immigrants from France and Belgium, though gradually the settlers became undistinguishable, except by name, from other Netherlanders. Strong sympathy in religious matters and facility of obtaining employment were the attractions which drew French Protestants in numbers that more thau compensated for the loss of those who by long residence became thoroughly Dutch. When, therefore, about the year 1670 the larger stream of emigration, which was the result of the cruelties inflicted by Louis XIV upon his Protestant subjects, commenced to set out of France, there was no country to which the refugees looked more hopefidly than towards the United Provinces. Numerous Protestant French families had branches already long settled there, so that when the immigrants arrived, they found men of their own tongue and blood, and very often of their own name, ready to welcome them. The world wide commerce also, which had its centre in the Free Netherlands, had created such a demand for labour of all kinds that many thousands of them found no difficidty in making new homes. But owing to this very cause the Republic, though it had vast foreign possessions, could not become a great colonizing country. A few of the refugees who left France between 1670 and 1685 entered into the service of the East India Company, and some of these were stationed in South Africa. Dominique de Chavonnes, the officer in conmiand of the garrison at this time, was one. On the 3rd of October 1685 the Chamber of Seventeen passed a resolution to send out French refugees with other emigrants, but so few were found willing to leave Europe * The baptismal and marriage registers of these churches liave recently been very carefully cxaniincil by the French and Walloon Church Historical Society, as they furnish a groat amount of curious as well as valuable information. Tlie names and dates have been written on slips of paper and arranged alphabetically, so tliat investigation is now very easy. Througli the kindness of Mr Enschede, the highly esteemed Archivarius of Haarlem, in whose charge these slips are at present, 1 had an oiiportunity of inspecting them, and thereby of obtaining in the ccmrse of a few minutes some knowledge which I needed, and which otherwise would have taken mo weeks to acquire. Tlie Walloon Library, belonfjiug to this Society, is kept in two rooms at Leiden It contains only one South Afrii-au work, a Fr(>ncli sermon preadied in the Colony shortly after tlie arrival of the Huguenots. The talented Sc<'retary, ])r Du Kieu, who is also Librarian of the University, kindly gave mo all possible assistance in prosecuting such resfin'ches as I was able to make during a short visit. mK^ if!- 278 (HRONICLES OF CM'K fOMMAXDRUS. that in the course of two years only three or fom* were obtainerl. These were persons of irreproachable character, who gave no trouble to the government or employment to the courts of law. The ordinances which anniilled the Edict of Nantes, — issued by Louis XIV in October I680, — though they forbade the emigration of the Protestants, gave a tremendous impetus to the movement. But now, as it Avas not possible to leave the kingdom openly, every kind of property except money and jewels was of necessity abandoned. The fugitives, escaping in various disguises, were glad to cross the frontier in utter destitution as far as worldly wealth was concerned. One of the saddest features in this sad chapter in the history of human woe was the small umnber of women and children who escaped, compared with that of young and strong men. Very often a single youth found himself in safety after every other member of his family haa perished or had been lost to sight for ever in prisons and convents. Dm'ing the two years that followed the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the towns of the Free Netherlands were filled with refugees, still those who were s^iited to make good colonists generally managed to find employment. At the same time the Protestants were migrating in great numbers from the valleys of Piedmont, and though most of these found homes in Switzerland and Germany, a fcAV made their way into the United xrovinces. When the Directors of the East India Company met in the autumn of 1687, it seemed possible to obtain some Piedmont ese and French families as colonists, and thoy therefore resolved to make an attempt. With this view they promised, in addition to the advantages previously held out, that a clergyman spealiing the French Language ohoidd be engaged to accompany the emigrants, and that they should be at liberty to return to Europe after the expiration of five years if they should desire to do so. On the 28tli of October they engaged the Eev Pierre Simond, Minister of the liefugee congregation at Zierickzee, at a salary of seven pounds ten shillings a month, to proceed to the Cape, and on the 5th of November they resolved, as a further inducement, to offer a gratuity of from five pounds to eight pounds six shillings and eight pence, according to circumstances, to every head of a family, and from two pounds ten shillings to four pounds three shillings and four pence to every young unmamed man or wonum, to assist in procuring an outfit. Several snuill parties then consented to emigrate, and on the Kith of this month the Directors wrote to ARRIVAL OF A PARTY OF FKKX( U RF.FKiKF,^. 27» the Commander aud Coiiucil that tlicso would be sent out at t>n(jv. The conditions under which the Huguenots agreed to eonie here as colonists were, with the exception already named, the stuue as those previously offered to natural subjects of the NetlierLmds. They were to be provided with free passages and with farms in full property without payment. They were to be supplied Avitli all requisite farming stock at cost price on credit. They Avcre to subscribe to the same oaths of allegiance as those taken by persons born in the United Provinces, and were to be in all respects treated in the same manner and to enjoy the same privileges. While making such efforts to procure Huguenot emigrants, however, the Directors had no intention of making the Cape a French colony. Owing to the competition arising from the influx of such numlaers of refugees, it was now less difficult than it had hitherto been to obtain emigrants of Dutch blood, of whom more families than of French origin were being sent out at the same time, so that these together with the settlers already in South Africa would absorb the foreign element without undergoing any change. At no time did the French exceed in number one sixth of the colonists, or one eighth of the whole European population, the Company's servants included. The Directors hoped that the Huguenots would supiily the knowledge Avhicli the Dutch colonists lacked in some particular kinds of industry believed to be suited to South Africa, such as the manufactiu'e of wine and brandy and the cultivation of olives. The vine bore grapes here equal in flavour to any in the world, yet the Avine and brandy hitherto made were greatly inferior to those of Europe. The olive tree was found wild, and the varieties introduced floiu'ished as well apparently as in France or Spain, but the production of fruit had so far been a failure. Some of the Huguenots sent out were men who had been reared among the vineyards and olive groves of France, and who were acquainted not only Avith the best methods of cidtivating the vines aud trees, but with the manufacture of wine, brandy, and oil. At the same time, tlie Directors were careful to lay down the rule that such occupations were not to be pursued to the neglect of the more impoiiant industries of growing wheat and rearing cattle. Arrangements were made by the dilferent chambers of tlie East India Company for tlu? passages of the Huguenot emigrants to this colony, as they had been engaged in diil'ert'ut provinces and coidd not all embark at the same port. As much as was possible, families nnd friends Avere kept together. 280 CHROXKI.KS OF (APK ( OMMANDERS. The emigrants were sent out in the ships Voorsc/iofcn, Bor.s,sc)i,bin'(j, Oosterhnid, C/iina, and Zi(i(/ Bcvehoid. The Voor- .s(//of('n sailed from Delftshaven on the 31st of Decemher 1687, with the following passengers, according to a despatch from the Chamber of Delft to the Cape Government : — Charles Marais, of Plessis, Catherine Taboxu-eux, his wife, Claude Marais, 24 years old, \ Charles Marais, 19 years old, f j^-^ ^.iiii(^ii,(.j^_ Isaac Marais, 10 years old, i David Marais, 6 years old, Philippe Fouche, Anne Fouche, his wife, Anne Fouche, 6 years old, Esther Fouche, 5 years old. L ^oiuci j-uuuue, 'J vcaio uiu, / his children. Jacques Fouche, 3 years old, ) Jacciues Pinard, a carpenter, 28 years old, Esther Fouche, his wife, 21 3'ears old. Marguerite Bache, unmarried woman, 23 years old. Etienne Bruere, a waggonmaker, bachelor, 23 years old. Pierre Sabatier, bachelor, 22 years old. Jean le Eoux, bachelor, 21 years old, ) , ,-, -^>^ • ii -u ' ^ A i:> T7 ^l i brothers, of Blois. (iabriel lo lioux, 17 years old, ) Gideon Malherbe, bachelor, 25 years old. Jean Paste, bachelor, 25 years old. Paul Godefroy, bachelor, 22 years old. Gaspar Fouche, bachelor, 21 years old. The Borssenhurg sailed on the 6th of January 1688, Her passenger list seems to have been lost from the archives of this colony and also from those at the Hague. Tlie Oostcrloud left Middelburg on the 20t]i of January 1(588, having as passengers, according to a despatch of the Chamber of that place to the Cape Government : — . Jacques de Savoye, of Ath, Marie Madeleine le Clere, his wife, Antoinette Carnoy, his mother-in-law. Marguerite de Savoye, 17 years old, ] Barbere de Savoye, 15 years old, ; his oliildren. Jacques de Savoye, 9 months old, ) Jean Prieur du Plessis, surgeon, of Poitiers, Madeleine Menanteau, his wife. Sarah Avice, young immarried woman. ARttlAAl, OF A rAKTY OF FKEX( H KEFUGEES. 281 Vhis childi'en. Jean Nortier, agricultiirist. Jacob Nortier, do. Daniel Nortier, carpenter, M.arie Vytou, his wife. Isaac Taillefer, vinedresser, of Thierry, Snsanne Briet, his wife, Elizabeth Taillefer, 14 years old, ^ Jean Taillefer, 12 years old, Isaac Taillefer, 7 years old, Pierre Taillefer, 5 years old, Susanne Taillefer, 2| years old, Marie Taillefer, 1 year old, Jean Cloudon, shoemaker, of Conde. Jean dii Buis, agriculturist, of Paris. Jean Parisel, agi'ieulturist, of Paris. The China sniled from Kotterdam on tlie '2()th of March 1688, with the following passengers, according to a despatch from the (.liamber of that place : — Jean Mesnard, Louise Corboinie, his wife, Je.inne Mesnard, 10 years old,^ Creorges Mesnard, 9 years old, Jacques Mesnard, 8 years old, Jean Mesnai'd, 7 years old, Philippe Mesnard, 6 years old, Andre Mesnard, 5 months old, J Louis Corbonne, bachelor, 20 years old. Jean Jourdan, bachelor, 28 years old. Pierre Joiu'dan, of Cabriere, bachelor, 21 years old. Marie Roux, 10 years old, \ Orphans, nieces of Jean and Marguerite Eoux, 7 years old, I Pierre Jom'dan. (A second) Pierre Jourdan, also a bachelor, 21 years old. Pierre Joiibert,* 23 years old, Isabeau Richard, his wife. Susanne Rene, 20 yeais old, young unmaiTied woman. Jacques Verdeau, 20 years old, | , , Hercule Verdeau, 16 years old, | Pierre la Grange, bachelor, 23 j'ears old. Matthieu Fracasse, bachelor, 26 years old. Vhis children. * In one (Incnment in the Cape Archivos this ntvnio is ontererl "Pierre Malnn, " Imt tliiit this is an c rrt)r in copying inay ho seen upon rofcronee to any one of five and twenty or thirty otlier lists of the time. n > ip 11 ' ft i .* ^ 282 niKOMd.ES OF (Al'K COMMANHKHS. Andre Pelanchon, 15 years old. Aud twelve others who died before the ship reached her destination. From thvj Orphan Chamber of Rotterdam eight young women at this time consented to emigrate to South Africa, and were sent out with the French refugees in the Chinn. They were described as being of unblemished reputation, industrious, and skilled in farm work. They were all married in the Colony within a few months after their arrival. Their names were, Adriana van Son AYilhelmina de Witt, Adriana van den Berg, Judith Verbeek? Petronella van Capelle, Judith van der Bout, Catharina van der Zee, and Anna van Kleef . The Zuld Beveland sailed from Middelbiu-g on the 22nd of April 1688. She brought out a number of passengers, but the list is missing at the Hague as well as in Cape Town, and the ouly names known are those of Pierre Simond, of Dauphine, Minister of the Gospel, and Anne de Beront, his wife. The lists of names show that more men came out than women. But this disproportion of the sexes was just wjiat the Company wished to prevent, for it was the very evil that Commander Van der Stel was continually complaining of. And yet it could not be rectified, as in every group of refugees who escaped from France the nimiber of males was enormously greater than that of females. Among the emigrants were several individuals who had occupied very good positions in their own country before the commencement of the persecution. The surgeon Du Plessis was of an ancient and noble family of Poitiers, though he was now penniless. Mr De Savoye had been a wealthy merchant, but had saved nothing except his life and his family. On the 13th of April 1688 the Voorsvhoten arrived in Saldanha Bay, having put into that harbour on account of a strong south-east wind, against which she could not beat up to Table Bay. The rocky islands covered with seabirds and the desolate country around formed a striking contrast to the beautiful France which the emigrants had left. Yet they would be cheered, by the knowledge that in this secluded wilderness there was at any rate freedom to worship God in the manner their consciences approved of. From the Company's outpost at Saldanha Bay a message was sent overland to the castle reporting the Voornc/ioten^n arrival, and stating that as the ship needed some repairs her officers thought it would be advisable to remain there to effect them. The AUKIVAI, OF A I'AiriY OF FllKMlF RKFIGEES. 28.3 cutter Jupiter was therefore sent from Table Bay with fresh provisions, and when she returned she brought the immigrants to the Gape. On the 26th of April the Oo-'^erkiud cast anchor in Table Bay, having made the passage from Middelburg in eighty-seven days, then one of the quickest runs on record. She was followed on the rith of May by the Bor>i>icnhi(i'ij. On the 4th of August the Cliina reached Table Bay, after a disastrous run of seven months from Rotterdam. Her crew and passengers were nearly all sick, and twenty individuals, twelve of whom were French refugees, had died diuiug the passage. Fifteen days later the Znid Beveldiid cast anchor in Table Bay. The arrival of their pastor had been looked forward to with anxiety by the Huguenots already here, so that by the time the first boat put off, there was a little crowd of people waiting to welcome him on the wooden jetty, then the only pier in Table Bay. But just after the boat left the ship she was capsized by a siidden squall, and those on the jetty had the horror of seeing eight men drown before their eyes, without being able to render them any aid. A fcAv hours passed before communication could V.e had with the Ziiid Beadatid, when it Avas ascertained that the drowned men were throe officers and five seamen of the ship. The Dutch were accustomed to treat their clergymen with great respect, but they were incapable of participating in such feelings as those with which the Huguenots regarded their pastor. A French Protestant clergyman in those days was of necessity a man of earnest faith, of great bravery, of entire self-devotion, and such a man naturally inspired strong attachment. In the great persecution imdev Louis XIV the pastors stand out prominently as the most fearless of men. Nothing short of death could silence them, there was no form of suffering which they were not prepared to endure ratlier than forsake what they believed to be the truth. It was not from any superstitious reverence for their office, but on account of tlioir force of character, that they were regarded with the highest esteem and affection. The Eev Mr Simond was a man of determined Avill, who possessed just those qualifications which ould cause him to be regarded by his flock as a fit guide and counsellor in secidar as well as in religious matters. A quantity of his correspondence is still in existence, and in it he shows himself to have been sadly lacking in charity towards those who differed from him in , •Mfl\'^^' ' ! t W il i. jl .1 I '■ i I ^ I 1 284 ('H»(>M( !.KS OF ( Al'K (OMMANDKRS, m^ p b t'l opinion, but that was the fault of the age rather than of the man. For his faith he gloried in having suffered, and for those of his o-\vn religion there was no honest sacrifice which he was not capable of making. As for the members of his congregation, their interests and his own were inseparable. The little band of refugees who were about to make a home on South African soil for themselves and their ehiltlren therefore felt their cii'cle more complete after his arrival. The Huguenots landed in South Africa without any property in goods or money. The East India Company sent out a quantity of ships' biscuit, peas, and salt meat, to be served out to them as provisions for a few months, and deal planks to make the woodwork of temporary houses. Whatever else they needed was to be supplied on credit from the Company's stores. From Europe they had no assistance to expect, for the demands upon the purses of the benevolent there were unceasing. A fund for their benefit was raised in the colony, to which each individual contributed in cattle, grain, or money, according to his circumstances. The amount subscribed is not mentioned, but Commander Van der Stel reported that it was very creditable to the old colonists and very serviceable to the refugees. It was given to the Rev Mr Simond and the deacons of Stellenbosch for distribution. The burgher council furnished six waggons free of charge to convey the immigrants to their destination. The heemraad of Stellenbosch supplied six more to be used until the refugees should be all settled. Some of the Huguenots were located in and about Stellenbosch, but the larger number at Drakenstein and Fransche Hoek. Particular care was taken not to locate them by themselves, but to mix them as much as possible with the Dutch colonists who were already here or who were arriving at the same time. This was almost from the day of their landing a point of disagreement between them and the Commander, for they expressed a strong desirt ot to be separated. Several e^en refused to accept the allotments of ground which were offered to them, and in preference engaged themselves as servants to some of the others. With regard to church services, an arrangement was made that the Rev Mr Simond should preo-ch in French on alternate Sundays at Stellenbosch and at the house of a burgher at Drakenstein. The Sick Comforter Mankadan was to read a sermon and prayers in Dutch at Stellenbosch when the minister was at Drakenstein, and at Drakenstein when the minister was at ARIIIVAL OF A PARTY OF FRENCH REFIGRES, 285 le man. of his ras not jgation, )and of 3an soil le more >roperty quantity ;hem as ake the d was to Europe e purses r benefit 3uted in ?s. The der Stel md very Simond harge to uraad of 8 should id about iVansche lem by e Dutch he same point of 'or they refused them, le of the IS made ilternate [gher at sermon was at was at Stellenbosch. Once in three months the Ilev Mr Simond was to preach at the Cape, and then the Eev Mr Yan Andel was to hold service in Dutch and administer the sacraments at Stellenbosch. This was in accordance with the custom of the Netherlands, or as closely so as circumstances would permit. There, the refugees as they arrived formed branch congregations of established churches ; here, they formed a branch congregation of the church of Stellenbosch. That church, though as yet without a resident Dutch clergyman, had a fully organized consistory, which was presided over by the minister of the Cape acting as consulent. It was an arrangement which was designed to meet the wants of both sections of the community, but it did not satisfy the French, who desired to have a church entu'ely of their own. The refugees commenced the work of building and planting "«'ith alacritj''. Those who had been accustomed to manual labour soon erected rough dwellings of clay walls and thatched roofs and laid out vegetable gardens, but there were men among them who had b: 'U bred in the lap of ease, and to whom such toil was exceptionally severe. These fared badly at first, but with some assistance in labom- from their countrymen they also were able to make i good commencement in farming. The Company had promised to supply them with slaves as soon as possible, but was at this time unable to procure any. Those who were located at Drakenstein had hardly got roofs above their heads when they addressed the Commander ujion the subject of a school for the education of their childi'en. Ho approved of their request, and on the 8th of November 168(S Paul Iloux, of Orange in France, wlio understood both languages, was appointed sehoolraasttn* of Drakenstein. He was to receive a salary of twenty-five shillings and a ration allowance of twelve shillings and six pence a month, and in addition to his duties as a teacher he was to act as chm-ch clerk. A few months after the first party of Huguenots left the Netherlands, a number of others were engaged to come out as colonists. They embarked in the ships Wapeii ran Alhwaar and Zion. The first of these vessels left Texel on the 27th of July 1688, and arrived in Table Bay on the '27th of January 168}). She brought out about forty immigrants, young and old. The Zion arrived on the 6th of May 1689, and in her came three brothers named Abraham, Pierre, and Jacob de Yilliers, who were vinedressers from the neighbourhood of La Kochelle. '2m CHKOMCI.KS OK (M'K COMM kXDKUS. liy' Shortly after the refugees arrived in South Africa, the board of deacons of Batavia sent a sum of money equal to twelve hundred and fifty English sovereigns to be distributed among them accorc.Ung to their needs. Nowadays £1250 may not seem a very large amonnt, but if its purchasing power at that time be considered it will be found to have been a generous and noble gift, and it was appreciated as such by tliose whose wants it was intended to relieve. It was decided that all the Huguenots should share in this present, except a very few who were otherwise provided for. The money was distributed on the 18th and 19th of April 1690, by commissioners who had previously taken every individual's needs into consideration. A copy of the list of distribution is in the archives at the Hague, and it is given here, as it contains the names of those who arrived in the Bot.'^.st'Hhiinj, Zii'ul BcvehtniJ, and Wapen ran Allnnaar, and shows further what havoc death had made in the little band of refugees previous to this date, mth some other particulars. With a few names added from another document, it foims a complete list of the Huguenots who settled in South Africa at this period. The amounts are given in gulden of Indian currency, equal to one shilling fom'pence and two thirds of a pennj' of English money. Pierre Lombard, a sick man, wdth wife and one child, Isaac Taillefer, with wife and four children, Pierre Jacob, with wife and three children, Widow of Charles Marais, with four childi'en, Philippe Fouche, with wife and two childi-en, Abraham de YiUiers, with wife and two brotuers, . . Matthieu Arniel, with wife and two children, Hercule du Pre, witli wife and five children, Louis Cordier, with wife and fom* childi-en, Jean le Long, with ^^'ife and two children, . . Widow of Charles Prevot (remarried to Hendrik Eekhof) with four children by her deceased husband, . . Marguerite Perrotit, widow with two children, Jean du Plessis, with wife and one child, . . Daniel de Ruelle, with wife and one child, . . Jean Mesnard, widower with foxu' children, Pierre Jouberi, ^^ith wife and one child, Nicolas de Laney. 's\itli mother and brother, Pierre Kousseau, with wife and one child, . . Guillaume Nel, with wife and two children, /■750 ' Ai 720 Ja( 640 Ni 600 Ab 600 Eli 570 An( 550 510 475 Jeai 470 Pier Jeai 450 Abn 440 Jear 480 Jeai) 420 Pier 405 Guil 405 Frar 400 400 assist 360 AKRTVAI, Ol A PAH'I'Y OV 1-'HEN(T{ REFIOERS. 287 board twelve iniong Beeni a ime be le gift, it was sbould herwise ,i April every list of m bere, ler what )vioiis to es added iiguenots ire given ence and /'750 720 640 600 600 70 )50 o< ^f). 510 475 470 450 440 480 420 405 405 400 400 360 iJaniel Nortier, Avith wife and one chikl, Gideon Malherbe, Avith wife, Jacques Pinard, with wife, . . Etienne Bruere, with his espoused Esther de Ruelle, Mane and Marguerite lloux, two li'tle orjilians, . . Esaias and Susanne Costeux, two orphans now living with Nicholas Kleef, . . . . . . Jean Jourdan, with wife, Jean Margra, with wife, Widow Antoinette Camoy, . . Louis Fourie, . . Jacob Vivier and Etienne Vivet, each /1 50 Jean Cloudon and Jean Dui'and, each ./'1 40 Louis Barre, Pierre Jourdan, Pierre Roux, Jacques Therond, Francois Retif, Jean le Roux, Gabriel le Roux, David Senechal, Salomon Goumai, Jean Joubert, Jeau Nortier, Daniel Couvat, and Pierre Meyer, each ,/'130 Jean Roi and Jean Roux, of Provence, and Matthieu Fracasse, together, 1^'Eaiie le Long (married to Adriaan van Wyk), . . Daniel Hugod, Michel Martineau, and Hercule Verdeau, each./'120, Antoine Gros, Danitl Femer, and Paul Godefroj'-^ together, Jacques Malan and PieiTe Jourdan, each ./'115, . . Nicolas la Tatte and Jean Garde, each ,/'110, Abraham YiA^ier and Pien-e Vivier, each ,/'105, . . Elizabeth du Pre, young unmanied woman, Andre Pelanchon, Louis Oorbonne, Pierre la Grange, Pierre Batti, Antoine Martin, Zacharie Mantior, Jacob Nortier, Jean Parisel, and Pierre Roijliefort, each. /'1 00 Jean Magnet . . l-*ierre Sabatier ant! Pierre Reneset, together, Jean du Buis, Abraham Beluze, Jean Roux, of Normandy, . . Jean Mysal, . . Pierre le Febre, (wife and two children), . . Guillaume du Toit, (wife and one child), . . Francois du Toit, (wife). Those who were otherwise provided for, or who did not assistance from this fund Wf^re : — Rev Pierre Simond, with wife and one child, 350 310 300 285 280 250 230 200 200 160 300 280 1,090 380 120 360 355 230 220 210 100 900 90 170 80 75 70 60 50 50 50 need 1 288 (•HR<>NI('I,1> or (VIM; rOMMANDKKS. It If Jacques de Savoye, with wit'o and two ohildren, Tjouis de PioiTon, with wife and three children, Pierre BariUe, with wife, Andre Gaucher, Guillaume Basson, Abraham du Plessis, Paul Brasier, and Paul Roux. This list gives a total of one hundred and seventy -seven souls, while in despatches of nearly the same date from the Cape Government the number of Huguenots of all ages in the colony is stated to be one hundred and fifty-five. But in the last case those in the service of the Company were certainly not included and possibly those who were manied into Dutch families woidd not be reckoned. It is more than likely also that out of these hundred and seventy-seven souls there must have been several who, from long residence in the Netherlands, A\'ould not bo considered Refugees by Commander Van der Stel. Tliis supposition is strengthened by the fact that many names in the list had been familiar in the Low Countries for two or three generations. Thus, a branch of the family Le Febre had been settled at Middelburg since 1574, there had been De Lanoys at Leiden since 1G48, Nels nt Utrecht since 1G44, Du Toits at Leiden since 1G05, Cordiers at Haarlem since 1G27, Jouberts at Leiden gince 1G45, Malans at Leiden since 1G25, Malherbes at Dordrecht since 1618, and Mesnards at Leiden since 1G.'J8. Before the Wapo) rtnt AlJaiuiar sailed, the Directors had it in contemplation to send out a i^arty of six or seven hundred Yaudois, all of the labouring class, and most of them understanding some handiwork as well as agriculture. This party had taken refuge in Nuremberg, where they Avere in such distress that they a«>iit deputies to beg assistance from the States Provincial of Holland and West Friesland, ami off(n'ed t<> emigrate in a body to any colony of the Netherlands. Their wretched condition incited tlie warmest compassion of the States, who, after i)roviding for their temporary relief, addressed the Directors of the East and AVest India Companies, asking whether either of those Associations would be willing to receive the applicants as colonists. The Chamber of Seventeen replied, offering to settle these poor people, their oldest co-religionists as they termed them, at the Cape of Good Hope, and arrangements were thereafter made for sending them out. The States Provincial agreed to contribute a \HKIVAI, dl' \ ]'\H\\ OK 1 Hi;\( H Hl-.l I (iKKS. •,^S«) sum of money. ('(|ii!il to Wmv jioinuls thioc shilling's iuid four piMi,'.' for each ciiii^iiiiit, towards tlu' i\\])rMis.> of furnishing thnni with outfits for tli(> voyago and (jonveyino' IJuMn from Xurenihorg to Amstordam, where thoy Avoro to embark. The C(mipany was to ])rovido thorn with free pas-^agos, to su]i|)ly thora on credit witli building materiabi and provisions for weven or eight months after their arri\al in tlio colony, and was furtlior to treat tliem in every respect as Dnteli subjects and to allow them all the privileges granted to previous emigrants. But A\hile the ari-angements were being concluded, the Yaudois obtained omi)loyment in Europe, and then declined to go so far away, so that the project of sending them hero fell through. During the next twenty years individuals of French origin continued to arrive with other immigrants occasionally in the colony,* but never more than one or two families at a time. The subject of their emigration, from having been a prominent one in the discussions of the Directors of the East India Company, disajipears from their records after Juno 10H8. Exciting events were taking place in Europe, which occupied their attention to the exclusion of everything that was not of primary importance. The Slimmer of this year was passed in anxiety, for it was feared that war with France and England combined was imminent, and the first thought of the Directors was the pro- tection, not the enlargement of their possessions. In the autumn the gaiTison of the Cape was increased by one hundred and fifty men. Then followed the landing of the Prince of Orange in England, the seiziu'e of Dutch ships and the imprisonment of their crews by the French Government, and finally war with France. AVliile such events were transpiring, no thought could be bestowed upon colonization. The Commander Simon van der Stel would much rather have seen Netherlanders alone coming to South Africa, but as the Supreme Authorities chose to send out French refugees he could not do otherwise than receive them and deal with them according to his instructions. It was impossible for him to be as friendly with them as with his own countrN'men, still he did not at first treat them with undue reserve. In 1680 he appointed Jacques do Savoye a lieemraad of Stellenbosch, and he stood sponsor at the baptism of one of his children and of a child of the Kev Mr Simond. * Their nnnies will he found nt the end of the next chapter. 290 niKONlCLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. ii? i * ,-. rr i 1 i J i ' ' ! 1 (1 11'- 1 r' .(I ; ■ ■ /I r- 1 ^''i ".>, 1 i 1 i'r; . .. k it' :jH: 1 !■ i 1 ■ 1 With most of the lliigiieiiots the fii'st difficulties of settling in a new country Avei*e speedily overcome, houses were built, very small and ro\igh it is true, but still giving shelter from sun and storm, gardens were placed under cultivation, and as the crops of the first season were particidarly good there was no wart of the necessaries of life. A few, however, who declined to accei)t farms at Stellenbosch, were in very poor circumstances. The manner in Avhich they had been located was by all felt as a grievance, though as each one gradually improved his property, it was a grievance which would natm'ally soon disappear. But there was another cause of discontent, which was that they were con- sidered by the government as part of the congregation of ^tellen- bosch, whereas thej' understood the promise of the Directors that they should have a clergyman of their own as implying that they slioidd form a congregation by themselves. The Commander declined to take any notice of individual representa- tions on this subject, and the Huguenots therefore resolved to proceed in a more formal manner. On the 28th of November 1689, a deputation consisting of the Rev Pierre Simond, Jacques de Savoye, Daniel de Huelle, A-braham de Villiers, and Louis Cordier, appeared at the castle, and on belialf of their countrymen requested to be permitted to establish a separate church of their own. The Commander broke into a furious passion. He declared that the project was rank sedition, and that the Frenoli were the most impertinent and ungrateful people on the face of the earth. It is not only their own chm'ch, said he, that they want, but tlioir own magistrate and their own prince. They shall have nothing of the kind. Here liave we been treating them aiitually better than our own Netherlanders, and this is tlie wa}' they turn upon us. The Commander called the ( -ouncil together, but not to ask advice so much as to express his opinion of the French. The deput'.ition was left waiting in an outer room. By and bye a Diessage was sent reminding them of the oath of idlegiance which tht'v had taken, ordering them to retm-n to their homes, and informing them that they must be satisfied to remain as they were, a branch ccjugregation of t\u) chm'cli of Stellenbosch. The clergyman Simond had written to the Supreme Authorities concerning tlu' grievances of the Huguenots some fi\e months {'VeNiously, and nothing furtlier could be done until a reply to his let! or should be received. And now for a time the two nationalities, which were so soon thereafter to be \R1{1\M. OK V I'KlirV Oh' FRKNCll KEl'l (; KKS. '2n inse])aral)lv l)loii(l(>(l tog-ctliw, rt'giir(l(>il (nidi other with ;i hillcf spirit of hostility. The ( ■oiuniaiuler saw in tiie jivojects of the Huguenots nothing- but an atteni]it to tliwart liis darling solieme of a pure Dutch eok>ny, they saw in him notliing but a deterniiuation to compel them to be Dutch, whether they would or not. On both sides very rasli words were uttered. In open meeting the French resolved not to intermarry Avith the Dutch, forgetting apparently that if sucli a resolution could be carried out, most of them could never marry at all. Tliere were individuals among them who did not scruple to say that having braved the anger of the great King of France, they would be ashamed of them- selves if they were afraid of the Commander Van der Stel. Many of the Dutch colonists ceased to hold intercourse with the French, and some Avere even reported to have said that they would rather give bread to a Hottentot or to a dog than to a Frenchman, On the 6tli of December KJDO, the Chamber of Seventeen took the request of the llev Mr 8imond on behalf of the Huguenots at the Cape into consideration, and resolved to permit them to establish a chiu'ch at Drakenstein under the followina: conditions • — 1. The deacons and elders chosen yearly were to be approved of by the Council of Policy, which meant in practice that a double list of names should be submitted b}' the retiring officers, the same as at Stellenboscli, from which the Council should make a selection of deacons, and that the elders nominated by the consistory could be rejected if they were not considered suitable persons. 2. A Political Commissioner was to have a seat in the consistory. '^. Important nuitters were to be brought before the Chujch Council of the Cape, in whidi dejiuties horn the country con- sistories were then to have seats, 4. The consistory of Drakenstein was to have control of poor funds raised liy tlie congregation, but contributions sinit from abroad were to be under the control of the combined Church (Council. AVith regard to schools, the teachers at Stellenboscli rnd Drakenstein wen^ to be men who understood both languages, and care was to he taken that tin? Fri>n(>h cliildreu shovdd bo instrui'tcd in Dutch. ul 2 292 CIIKONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. ?■ m §1. ■' h'i Lastly, the request of the Huguenots to be located together was refused, and the govenmient of the Cape was instructed when granting ground to mix the nationalities together so that they might speedily amalrimate. The despatch in which these resolutions were embodied reached the Cape in June 1691, after which date the parishes of Drakenstein and Stellenbosch were separated. Before this time most of the Huguenots Avho had been located elsewhere had managed to pui'chase ground at Drakenstein, and when the next census was taken only three French families were found residing in Stellonbosch. Ah'eady there had been several inter- marriages, and henceforward the blending of the two nationalities proceeded so rapidly that in the course of two generations the descendants of the Huguenot refugees were not to be dis- tinguished from other colonists except by their names. I'.i' 111 CHAPTER XV. 1688— 1G91. Intercourse between the Europeans antl Hottentots. —Quarrels between different Hot- tentot clans.— Interference of the Government. — Hostility towards the Bush- men. — Progress of Agriculture.— Improvements in the breed of cattle. — Introduction of Persian horses and asses and of Spanish rams. — Occupations of the farmers. — Intelligence of the seizure of Dutch ships in French harbours, of the declaration of war by Louis XIV, and of the landing of the Prince of Orange in England. — Capture in Table Bay of the French ships Normandc and Cache. — Plans of the Directors for reducing their expenditure at the Cape. — Experiments with vines and olive trees. — Extent of the town in Table Valley and of the colony. — The Settlement is raised to the rank of a Government. — The Commander's promotion to the rank of Governor. — Members of the Council of Policy. — The Clergymen. — The Landdrost of Stcllenbosch. — Names of the principal burghers in the Districts of the Cape, Stellenbosch, and Drakenstein. — Census returns: number and description of inhabiUmts, slaves, horses, horned cattle, sheep, goats, vines, &c. — Kevenue ri^turns. — Number of ships that put into Table Bay. — Concluding remarks. — List of nauuis added to the colonial population during the next twenty years. Tracts of laud of considerable extent were at this time being taken in occupation for the use of European immigrants, yet the natives were never more friendly. There was room enough, and to spare, for all. The colonis<^?j would gladly have employed some hundreds of Hottentots, if Ihey could have been induced to take service, but the men loved tlipir Avild, free, idle life too well to exehnnge it for one of toil. They had no objection, however, to do light work occasionally to earn tobacco and spirits, and in harvesting especially they were found very useful. They were ahvays ready also to hire out their female children, and by this means household servants were obtained and a knowledge of the Dutch language was spread. None of them had yet progressed so far in civilization as to make gardens for themselves, or in any way to cultivate the grotind. The clans could not always bo prevented from engaging in hostilities with each other. The two captains of the Chainouquas, Klaas and Koopman, were frequently quarrelling, but whenever they came to open war the Commander interfered on behalf of Klaas, who was held to be a faithful ally of the Company. Througli his agency large herds of cattle were obtained, as they were required for the use of the fleets. lilH'' f;' 1!,, \> ■f f . i hi |r I i |i: t^ i. ' !!■: 294 f'HROXKLEs OF (ATE (OMMANDKUs. In March 1G89 the Namaquas and Grigriqnas crossed the Elephant liiver in sueh force that fifty- two kraals were counted on the southern side. Less than tAvo years previously the Gri- griquas had sent a present of six oxen to the castle, and had stated theii' Avish to continue in friendship with the Europeans. The messengers had been well received, and had left pleased and satisfied. Though nothing had occurred since that time to dis- turb the peace with either them or the Namaquas, this inroad alarmed the settlers, and the farmers of Drakenstein and tStcllen- bosch prepared for defence. But it soon ajipeared that the Cochoquas, not the Europeans, were to be tlie victims. The invaders attacked a kraal near Saldanha Bav, killed the chief and as many of the men as they could get hold of, and carried off the women, children, and cattle as booty. The Commander did not see fit to interfere in this disturbance, though the Cochoquas were said to be under the protection of the Dutch. But when "a similar raid Avas made at the end of the folloAving year, he sent thirty or foi-ty soldiers to preserve order. The invaders Avero then attacked, and several thousand head of cattle Avere captured. The Avhole of tlie booty Avas restored, how- ever, and in addition some presents of tobacco and s])irits Avere made, upon the late disturbers of the peace entreating a reneAval of friendship and promising not to repeat tlie offence. In the interval betAveen these events the old (•hi(^f Oedasoa died. One of his brothers thereupon applied to the Commandor to be appointed in his stead, Avhen he received a staff of othce and Avas named Hannibal. It happened occasionally that crimes Avere committed by Hottentots against Europeans, and in such instances the oifenders Avere tried by the Dutch tribunals, and punished according to Dutch laAv. Thefts were not uncommim, but otiier olfeuces were rare. During a long course of years oi iy one crime more serious than cattle-lifting occurred, a colonist having been murdered by a Hottentot at Drakenstein in April 1(>S9. The offender Avas tried and executed. Natives committing crimes against their own people Avere left to be dealt Avith by their oavu laws, the policy of the time being not to interfere Avitli tliem further than Avas neces- sary for the safety and AA'elfare of the Em-o])eans. The Hottentots Avere generally at full liberty to wander over the open country, provided they did not trespass on ground occupied by settlers. But Avhonover this liberty interfered Avith the interests of the Em-opeans, it Avas suspended. Thus during SniOX VVN DER STKr. 295 the w introduced. Spanish rams wore sent out, as the Directors Avere of opinion that the valuable kinnan wool could be ■■: "i :l 206 ClIRONK LKS OF (ATE COMMANDKRS. Ii;:; If T ll' ii''<' produced by a cross between such animals and sheep lilco those of South i\irica. The cultivation of wheat was the lirst object with the farmers, because it brought relatively a higher price than any other product. Next to growing wheat, rearing cattle was the most profitable occupation. The production of wine followed, the Company pur- chasing it at £o a legger for the use of the fleets. It was not saleable in India, on account of its being of very inferior quality . Some of it was converted into vinegar for the use of the sea- men. In March 10(S9, intelligence rea(^hed South Africa that all Dutch ships in French harbours had been seized, and that on the 26th of the preceding November the King of France had declared war against the United Netherlands. It was feared that England Avould join the enemy, but that apprehension was removed a few days later, when desjiatches Avere received in which it Avas stated that the Prince of Orange had landed at Torbay and had been Avelcomed by tl"^ English people as their deliverer. On th'3 26th of April the French ship Nornntu'lr^ from i*ondi- cherry, Avith a vakiable cargo on board, put into Table Bay. Captain Do ('ourcelles, her C(jmmander, knew nothui of recent events in Europe, and believed ho was anchoring in a friendly port, lie sent a boat asliore Avith a complimentary message to the Dutch authorities, the bearers of Avhich were made prisoners as soon as they entered the castle. The boat Avas then manned Avith Dutcli sailors dressed like the French, who kept her f ig flying, and pretended to put off from the shore. The Nonnande now commenced to fire a salute, and Avhile her people Avere thus engaged, she was boarded by the crcAVs of tlio Dutch ships in port. There Avas a short scutfle, in Avhich no one was killed, though two Diitcluuen and eight Frencliraen Avere wounded, and Avhicli ended in the surrender of Captain De Courcelles and his crew. The French flag Avas left flying on the Norma iidc, so as to decoy her consort, the Coc/ir, to a similar fate. On the CA'cning of the olli of May the Coc/k' came to anchor, and shortly afterwards saluted the Dutch flag Avith nine guns, a compliment AA'hich was at once ri^turnod Avitli the same nimiber. She had no communii-atlon Avith the shore, but late in the evening she sent a boat to tlie Xor/iKiiK/r. As the boat did not return, and as !i large Dutch ship was cviMciidy ranging alongside, shortly after midniglit Captain Df Armagnan became alarmed and com- SIMON VAN IjEK iSTEL, ^y< menced to prepare the Coc/ie for action. Seeing this, the master of the iVcdcrland poured in a broadside at less distance than his own ship's length, when Captain De Armagnan and three of his crew were killed and eight others were wounded. With five liostile ships around them, the officers of the Coche saw no chance of de- fending her successfully, and they therefore surrendered. Both the prizes were plundered by the Dutch seamen imme- diately after their eajtture. The value of their cargoes was estimated at £00,00(1. The Norinanda and the Coche were renamed the Goede Hoop and the Afrikd, and " are sent to Europe with the next fleet of ':he Company. The prisoners, one hundred and forty in number, were forwarded to Batavia to be detained there luitil an exchange could be effected. The captm'e of these vessels was a fortunate occurrence for C'Ommander Van der tStel. Some time before the war broke out he had received from the king of France a present of a gold chain and medal with a jiortrait of that monarch, in return for the civilities shown by him to the fleets which called at Table Bay in 1G85 and 10H7. The Directors did not approve of his receiving this present, and it might have fared ill with him if fortune had not given him an opjiortunity of clearing himself of suspicion. There seemed now to the Directors to be a good prospect of attaining the objects which the East India Company had in view when forming a settlement at the Cape. Refreshments for the crews of their fleets coidd be had in iunple quantities. Hitherto, however, the expense of their establishment had been so great that they looked upon it as the dearest victualling station in the world. The formation of what was for those days a considerable liolony should, they thought, enable them to reduce their expendi- ture, first, by furnishing a body of militia so that a large garrison would be unnecessary, and secondly, by producing food at cheaper rates than formerly. In their despatches they point out that while wheat was being sold in the Netlierlands at six shillings and eight pence the muid, they wore then paying twelve shillings and six pence, and even thirteen shillings and eleven pence, the muid for it at the Cape. In the Netherlands the fju-mers had to ray rent as well as tithes and heavy taxes, while at the Cape tliey had no rent whatever to pay, and hardly any taxes. They wore of opinion therefore that the price could gradually bo reduced to that of the Fatherland, and tluit file farmers would still be left in a much better condition than those in Europe. I! !,..;: i I i^ 298 (;HR()Mt'LL^ OF ( Al'E COMMANDERS. They were further of opinion thpt the colony o\ight to produce for exportation a sufficient quantity of wheat, wine, and olive oil, to enable them, after jtayiug- a fair price to the farmers, to defi'ay a considerable poition of the cost of government out of the profits of the sale of such aiiicles. With this view they directed the Commander to continue making experiments with dilferent kinds of vines until he should ascertain which was best, that the colonists might know what was the right sort to plant. With regard to the olive, they expressed great disappointment that its culture had apparently not been persf^vered in, and directed that it should be carefully attended to. The Commander replied that experiments with vines were being made in the Company's gardens, by several of the farmers, and by himself at Constantia. As for the olive, he had spared no pains with it, and though it had hitherto b^en a failure, except in occasional seasons, it was still being tried. A few of the Hugue- nots were making experiments with it also, and were not only trj'ing the cultivated variety, but were grafting upon the wild olive of the country. Generally, however, the burghers could not be induced to take any trouble with it, because not only was its success doubtful, but xmder any circumstances they would have to wait a long time before enjoying the profit. The plans of Table Valley of this date show the town as covering part of the ground between the Company's garden and the shore of the bay, while extensive private gardens occupied a large portion of the remaining space. There were no private residences beyond the present Plein street on one side and Burg street on the other. On the north side of the Heeregracht the' Company's garden extended as far down as the present Long- market street, bat on the opposite side it terminated where it does still. There was a reservoir near the site of the original eiirtlien fort on the parade ground, to which water was conducted from the Fresh River in a Avooden pipe laid down in the year 1686, and from which it could be conveyed along the jetty to ships' boats. Close to the reservoir was a mill for grinding corn. As far as the buildings extended the streets were regularly laid out, and crossed each other at right angles, but none of them bore the same names that they do now. The plan fnn'iii/ fhix paf/i> i.s hi .sizr one-fourth of the orif/inol in the Archicen of the Net heriamh, from tchlch it hm been vopied. might to vine, and ( farmers, nt out of iew they snts with was best, to plant. )ointnient 1 directed nes were farmers, ?pared no except iu ) Hugue- not only the wild could not ly was its I have to town as irden and •ccupied a private and Burg fracht the' it Long- re it does 1 eiirthen from the 1686, and ps' boats, far as the id crossed me names original in icd. f^< S i "S^ Ih i a- ^■: jr t Nicuwefort. n npgoma.a.lit!C pnlihuijBpn b woonhui/sen voorofTicmrs cLop^ema.aMi/e Corps da Gardes. SlA('enhi'iJ.,en C WAt^rputaf pomp. f. pen eot vnnvorclFfa vVonnftu/'/sen Rjnn ■ •ndH.n t project vartnnn nieunfikerk.wAA.r va.ndi>funda.mttrf£nii.l ^olpyt fyn t hfrk hot'zynde dp finds mrntcn va.nde mnurumdc ae/ve meercndettlagelpyt t on twerp van eenala.venhuys.Mrlhprn fUndiinient muuren rn gd t> by na, geleyt is^ n Ee" gedeclt-C^HJi tvopr-warh vfuit oudefhrt staMnde: mat den nerslen aJvfrvolgcjts afgehronhnn «-^r grhruyliljarf) mnterialon toi vocre sla ^onhuyli vuro^-hrrt f/» wnrdffn F H'jyi'irg V im t oudetort stillf^itdr by dp ocr .fr gelKgnnt.hoyt mnde iitgHbroohr!n,ri Jprsnivn'' nt: rot t m^ken van ean InS't^murt voor doze en ffff^ne ininfjiennlyhn m:rTsij'rs vAn dn CompiisQ r uyt- 1 Vriderlnnt en Inefinn alhirr O-Ankomendc igebruykt wnrdcn ofook am t synnr tyt Uit- , Wenfihuys Le diennn C Tgniprojnetcerde Lrf en de pia.fite sva.d,r t grmrldc huys esj ^ehiju wt wei d.f'n H tHoott zyndr tot drtnngte van 9S Pnodrn.ria.n boyde rydnn mnr een Khpstecne muuf- ci[igeh,).nJt { [en Brug^stiP of helling, wa^r Ungs de wHtar ".itrn vi-.rdi^n a.f^rr-nlt nm de selveuyi. dt> stfrne I wf^.tergoot Ufr ploAtaP grte kernt / f-n h dnor aftapping uyt e'en dak tc vullcn ' I. n Wa.terta.no M.deWatargoof N Lnrntcuwpr.^0 >\Oorn hji Flt:ri malcn ? Hinl'fnhuys QCi.'"p p,%ardpBttL\ B Ccrnp' StKijnot/nn. r^ Lorts voor dnSlHven S Niiuv/eSLenntiAclary va.n deCoi^p 1 C'nnp' t t^uvii '^ t.huyr,hiiyis X.cenComp'' huyc. t-ot een Hroutvcrv geprq/fi^teffrtgoweeftt V Nmiwrhuysnn dooi' drBiir^nrn ^cbutiwL.wt.'kemet nii^roude waonhi^or CO n3 onnnnt r;iruwnf'ort. I WAr'rn guiegrn.en dinrhalven gBordmcfrt firvs'ccftt deselve .j.t'1jCOreh>in ■i d Ingitng vA-n Comp'^ thuyh t t ^rootpAd i'^ n dothuyn rUtr beyda ayden mrtlimoe. boomen bep^H-nt I 2 3 A5 e 7B 9 N ,euj^'e£r'vfin die DiWStMin hebouwt. t/fwnrdifn \0. Huys en rn Crvtf! .an de Bur i^e''S II Burger.-; afpa.rt.icuhrrc thuynpn \Z loopondc B^rkjens aJ'stroniendcvAn '. £f?/5f,-i,> li'Stilfp n-sjerpoei 14- /ccs'.r.i.rit 15 Heerp!!ti\irit\b Ftep ant^straa.t \7 thuynstraat. \B Oer^ktrjujA. IB Hcrhatra^t SO Stet^n.itfs at. <^5 ■HdWfjo.ii 'ycMR LuHO C'it'ii Town Byrila.n1.Sohe roedcr \ V- — ^a^ns niK'nda.n 'ht.»Jt ■jyri icuwf? i'ort ■ boomen ■.■a.n do Bur XT' 4 'S COM PI TUYN, ENEENICEPUBLIQUE EN PARTICUUERE GEBOUWEN DAAR OMTRENT. TIk' foiiiid li 'Iinin^f tl l>011[l(|f'(l iMiriullf)!! •lown the WVlliii^rt Ncthcrlai Tho a sett If -11 1 liigliLT ra rcgiirdcfl ti.ey rais tuilarv ab shilliii{4's r<)ll()\viii;^- io tliis ( ]n'esi(lf!(,l In li f onsistod do Alan, the Troas -Tan lhn\ * rrevenbi'i ("ajio and van Andt and liad Tho oliurt Oioiigh it rontinnod jireaclied i Johai from oIKI 299 Tlif colony wliich Simon van dov Stel at thv close of 1670 had foiiiiil limllcd to a portion <.f tlio Cape IN^ninsula liad spread diirin','' flic next Iwolvo years over flic })oautit'ul Irnct (»f (oiiiitry lK)iiri(lf'(l l»v tlio mountains of Drakcnsfpin and llottontols Holland. l'\'irnilif)ns('K w li;ey raised him to the dignity of (roverncu-, and granted him a tudary above his mainti'nance expenses of sixteen jiounds thirtei'U shillings and I'oiir ]ienee a month. On the jst of June of the following year the ship J(ir], Avhen this change took pla(;e, the (.'(mncil of ]V)licy consisted of the (Tovcriu)r Simon van der St el, tlie Secunde Andrie-j (le Man, the Fiscal Cornelis Simons, the Cajitain AVillcm Tadt, the Treasurer Ludowyk van der St el, the (xarrisnu Bookkeeper •Tan Hendrik Blum, and the Secretary Johe.iuies AVillem de ( rrevenbrock.* There -were tv;o elergynvn in the colony, stationed at the Cayte ami at I)rakenstein. In January 1(IS;» the Rev .lohamies vati An(hd had been succeeded by the Rev Leonardus Tcrwold, aiid had gone to Batavia as cliajdain of the JFa/icn nm ^Vkimnu'. The cluirch of Stellenboseh was still without a resident clergyman, though it was organized as a consistory. The Sick Visitor continued to read the services, except when the Afinister Simond preached there in French, or Mr Terwold in Dutch. Johannes Mulder, the first landdrost of Stelh'ubosch, retired from office at his own request, and on the I'ith of June 1601 was suceee 'od by !Mr Cnmolis Liunes. In the heemraad and in the consistory men were taking part whose descendants ai'c to be * Tliis pontlcniun was one of the able.M civil .-'erviints tho Capo Colony luul yot liml. Ho went to Ceylon with tlic Lord of Mydrcilit, )nit soon returned to this country, whore lie spent his l(Msure hours in collecting infonnntion concerning tlie niitives, imd arranging it for publication. An early ileath previ'nted the issue of his work. The Alilic l)e la Caille -ays that Kolbc got pos.-is'^ioii nf his manur-cripts, which were in the Latin language, and from them constructed a large portion of his book. i ->■ 300 CHK()NlCLl:s OF CAPJ: COMMANDKKS. M' ■M found there to the present day. The same may be said of many of the members of the various boards at the Gape, for in the burgher council, the consistory, the orphan chamber, the matri- monial court, and the court of comraission(3rs for petty cases, were men with names nov, well known throughout South Africa. In a roll call of the militia, a large proportion of the names would be familiar today anywhere between Cape Point and the Limpopo. The most notable burghers in the Cape district were van As, Louris, with wife, Barrille, Pierre, with wife, de Beer, Johannes, with wife and six children, van der Bol, Johannes, with wife and three children, Botma, Comelis, with wife and seven children, Botma, Johmmes, with wife, Bouwman, Hendrik, with wife and five children, van Brakel, Adriaan, widower with six cliildren, Brasier, Paul, Burger, Barend, with wife aiui one child, Coetsee, Johannes, with wiftr aud two children, Colyn, Bastiaan, with wif ^ and four children, Comelissen, Hendi-ik, with wiie and seven children. Diepenhout, Hendrik, with \>'ife, Eems, Willem, with wife and one child, Esterhuis, Christoffcl, Gerrits, Comelis, with wife and one child, Gildenhuis, Albertus, with wift. and five children, Gildenhuis, Arend, Gunnewoud, Christiaau, Avith wife, Ilarst, Hendi'ik, with wife and tlvec children, llartog, Abraham, with wife, van Heusden, Anthonie, Heyns, Paul, with vdie and two cliildron, lluising, Henning, with wife, Jurgens, Nicholas, Kruywagen, Johannes, with wife, Loubser, Nicholas, with wife and throe children, Louw, widow of Johannes, with one child, IjOUW, Pieter, Lubbe, Barend, witli wife and two children, Meihuixon, (lodfried, with wife and two ohildron, Michielscii, Matthys, with wife mid tliroo cliildrcMi, Mostert, Joliauncis, with wife and six cliildren, SIMON NAN DHK STKI, 301 Mulder, Ilendi'ik, with wife and seven cliildi\ni, Myburgh, Albertus, Mybiu'gh, Johannes, with wife, Persyn, Hcndiik, with wife and five children, . Phyffer, Johannes, with wife and one child, du Plessis, Jean, with wife and two children, van der Poel, Pieter, Potter, Diederik, with wife and six children, Pousioen, Marthinus, with Avife and thi'ee children, Pretorius, Johannes, Avith wife and six children, Prinsloo, Adriaau, Avith wife and three children, lias, widow of Hans, with three childi-en, lleyniers, Willem, with wife and one child, vo.n Schalkwyk, Theunis, widower with two children, Simons, Lambert, with wife and two children, Smit, Johannes, with wife and four children, Srait, Johannes llendiik, witli wife. Smuts, Michiel, with wife and one child, Snee^Ndnd, Hendrik, with wife and three children, Strydom, Joost, with wife and three children, Verschuur, Hendrik, Avith -wife and six children, Victor, Comelis, with Avife and one child, Victor, Gerrit, \vith wife and one child, Villion, widow of Frangois, -with two children, Visagie, Izaak, Visagie, widow of Pieter, with one child, Visagie, Willem, Visser, Coenraad, with wife and three children, Visser, Gemt, with, wife and nine children, Visser, Johannes, with wife and one child, Visser, Johannes Coenraad, Vlok, Joliannes, Vogel, Jacobus, Wossels, Johannes, with \viie and three children, van der Westhuizen, Pieter, -with wife and six children, de Witt, Frederick llussouw, with wife and one child. The most notable inhabitants of Stellenbosch were Appel, Ferdinand, with wife and one child. Boom, Coenraad, Boshof, Adriaan, Botma, Johannes, Botma, Stophanus, witli wife, 302 (HRONICl.ES OV r'APH COMMAXDF.RS. Brand, IJorolinrd, van den Brink, Barend, with wife and two childi'en, B^om^•el•, Jacob, with wife, van der Byl, Gerrit, with wife, Campher, Loui'ens, with wdfe, Cloete, Gen-it, with Avife and six children, Coetsee, Dirk, with wife and six children, van Daaleu, Cornelis, with Avife, van T>yk, Johannes, with wife, le F(Vbre, PieiTe, with wife and three children, Gerrits, Pieter, \n.th. wife and hve children, Greef, Matthys, with wife and tour children, Grimp, Hans, with wife, Groenewald, Christoffel, van Ilof, Lambert, with wife and two children, Holder, Albertiis, with wife, Jacobs, llendrik, with wife and one child, Janssen, Araoud, with wife and four childi'en, Jooste, Cornelis, Kleef, Nicholas, with wife and two children, Kolc, Johannes, Konterraan, Hans, with wife and two children, Ijinnes, Cornelis, with wife and one child, van der Lit, Anthonie, with wife, Mankadan, Sybrand, with wife and one child, Mol, Dirk, with wife, Morkel, Philip, with wife, Mulder, Johannes, ynth wife and one child, Nel, Guillaunie, with wife and three children, van < )lder.berg, Johanufs, with wife and four children, van ()udbev<'rland, .Idluuuics, with wife and five children, van Oiultshdorn, lli'rinanu.s, with wife and seven children, l*asinan, Koelof, with wile and two children, Pasnian, Wyniar, with wife and six childn.'u, Patorb(»rn, .lohannos, with wifo and one (!hild, Pyl, Abi-ahani, with wife and three* children, Scheepers, Izaak, with wife, Steyn, Douwe, with wife and eight children, Tas, Adam, with wife. du Toit. (Juilhuune. with wife and three children, Venter, llendrik, with wife and one child, Verbrugge, Loiirens, with wife, SIMON VAN 1>KR STKL. 303 Vosloo, Johannes, de "Wereld, Willem, with wife, Wismer, Johannes, with wife and two chiklron. The most notable inhabitants in Drakenstein were Arniel, Matthieu, with wife and two children, van As, Jacobus, with wife and one child, Barre, Louis, Basson, Guillaume, with wife, Bastiaans, Frans, with wife and two children, Batte, Pierre, Becker, Pieter, with wife and one child, lieluze, Abraham, Boysen, Boy, with wife and two children, Bruere, Etienne, with wife, de Bruyn, Theunis, du Buis, Jean, van der Byl, Pieter, with wife and one child, Claassen, Johannes, with wife and one child, Cloete, Coenraad, Cloudon, Jean, Corbonue, Louis, Cordier, Louis, ^^•ith wife and five children, Oouvat, Daniel, van Deventer, Gerrit, with wife and two children, Dui'and, Jean, van Eck, Adriaan, van Eden, Johannes, Eekhof, Ilendrik, witli wife and four children, Erasmus, Pieter, Ferrier, Daniel, Fouch*', Philippe, wi..i wife and tour ohildivn, Fourie, liouis, Fracasso, Matthieu, Garde, Jean, Gaucher, Andre, with wife and one child, Godefroy, Paul, Gournai, Sah)mon, la Grange, Pierre, Gros, Antoiue, Hatting, Hans Hendrik, van der Heyden, Jacob, with wife and one cliiM, Hugod, Daniel, 304 CHROMCLKS OV CAPK (OMM AN'OKKS. Jacob, PitMiv, with wit'o and two (iliildrtin, Joubert, Jean, Joubert, Pierre, -with vdie and two children, Jourdan, Jean, with wife and one child, Jourdan, Pierre, Joiu'dan, Pierre, of Cabriere, Kniger, Andries, Kruger, Matthys, with wife, de Lanoy, Nicolas, Ijombard, Pierre, with \vife and three children, le Long, Jean, with wife and one child, van Maarseveen, Pieter, with wife and one child, Magnet, Jean, Malan, Jacques, Mallierbe, Gideon, with wife and one child, Mantior, Zacharie, Marais, Charles, Marais, Claude, witli wife and one child, Marais, widow of Charles the elder, with two children, Margra, Jean, with wife, Martin, A.ntoine, 'M;;)'tineau, Micliel, van der Merwe, ►Schalk, van der Marwe, "Willem, with wife and eiglit children, Mesnard, Jean, widower \nth two children, Meyer, Pierre, Mysal, Jean, van Niekork, Comelis, Nortier, Daniel, with wife and one child, Nortier, Jacob, Nortier, Jean, Oosthuizen, Johannes, Parisel, Jean, Pelanchon, Andre, de Pierron, Louis, ^\^th wife and four children, Pinard, Jacques, witli wife and two children, du Plessis, Abrahnni, du Pre, Hercule the elder, with wife and four children, du Pre, Ileroule the younger, Reneset, Pierre, R<^tif, Franoois, Rochefort, Pierre, SIMON VAX !))•;){ SIEF, im Roi, Jean, Itomond, Gen-it, lloinond, Michiel, Itousseau, Pierre, with vife and two children, Koiix, Jean, of Normandy, Iloux, Jean, of Provence, Ronx, Paul, Roux, Pierre, le Roux, Gabriel, le Roux, Jean, de Ruelle, Daniel, widower with one child, Sabatier, Pierre, de Savoy e, Jacques, with wife and thiee childi-en, Senechal, David, Simond, Pierre, with wife and two children, Snyman, Chi'istoffel, with wife and two children, van Staden, Marthinus, with wife and eight children, Swart, Cornelis, Avith wife and two children, Swart, Pieter, with wife, Swol, Barend, Taillefer, Isaac, with wife and three children, la Tatte, Nicolas, Therond, Jacqi^es, du Toit, Francois, with wife and two children, Verdeau, Hercule, Vermey, Stephanus, with wife and one child. Verwey, Duk, with wife and two children, de Villiers, Abraham, with v/ife and two children, de Yilliers, Jacob, with wife and two children, de Villiers, Pierre, with wife and one child, Vivet, Etienne, Vivier, Abraham, Vivier, Jacob, Yivier, Pierre, van Vuiu'en, Gerrit, with wife, van Wyk, Adriaan, with wife and one child, van W3'k, Roelof, with wife and one child. van Wyk, Willem, with wife and two children, van Zyl, Willem, with wife and one child. In addition to those mentioned in these lists, there were in th(« wliole s«^ttlement in UVM about two hundred and fifty male colonists with fifty women and sixty or seventy children. Those U 000 CHRONTiLES OF CAFE lOMMANPERS. \ [ 1 ! ( i who wero Tnavrit.\i wore oitlior Asiatics or heed slavos. who ou- jovod idontioally tho saino priviU^ges n* Kiiropoau hurphorjs, and who woiv olas^stnl ^^ith theiu in olHcinl doeiimonts without any ilistinotiou whatever. Tliose who were unmarried were disehargixl servants of the Company, very few of whom nnnaimnl U->ng in the eountry or h>ft descendants to perpet\iate their names. They were of nearly every nationality of Europe. The o«>Uinists of all ages numbered rather over a thousand souls. Thev owned two Inuuli-ed and eightv-five men slaves, tiftv- seven women slaves, and forty-four slave children. The children were all haptizixl. and were reviving instruction in the principles of Christianity. The disproportion of the sexes Wiis tiie cause of much crime with them as xWth the Europeans. Several parties of runjiway slaves maintained th^MUselves in the mo\intains, and com- . litted depredations upon the fannere, others took refuge with ilottentot clans, l\v whom, however, they were genemlly surren- dered sooner or later. The colonists possessed 'JtU horses, 4,lJ>S liead of horneil cattle. 4S,70;? sheep, and 'J'JO goats. They had 584,5)00 vines bearing, and had harvested in the last season 4,181 maids of wheat, 808 muids of rye, and '20'2 muids of barley. The revenue draAAni from the coloiiv at this time was almost entirely derived from the following sources : — Licenser- to sell wines, spirits, bread, meat, and various other ai'ticles, which were put up at auction yearly, and brought in altogether about t' 1,000; the tithes, which tluctmited greatly, and with the deductions allowed to tho sick, the very poor, and gene- rally in bad seasons, were not worth more than about £70l) ; and transfer dues on the sales of fixed pn'perty, which brought the whole up to about £2,2')0 yearly. The eolonists were thus ap- parently taxed at the rate of about forty-tive shillings for each individual, over and above the profits ilerived from le sale of goods by the Company, but in reality strangers contributed the largest piu'tion of the license money. The number of ships that put into Table Bay during the ten years which ended on the JUst of December 1001 was 4'24. Of tlieso, 330 belonged to the Company, 4(5 were English, '23 were French, 13 were Danish, and 3 were rortuguese. TIk^sc tigiu'cs are the symbols of a community so small that its history would scarcely be worth recording, if it had not occu- piivl such a commanding position, if it wore not that from it the present Colonies and States of South Africa havt> grtnni, and if it ■iiM(>N \ vN nru rtvo it in 1(?^M in fairly priisponnis iMivniustaiu'os. with tu> ono aivumuhuinj; gnw! woalth, but on l]w otlior hand with no ono wantinix iy'toA. Aooonlinir to tlio tostinionv not only ot' otlioial iloonmonts. bnt ot" tho writinirs of travolUn-s of varions natiiMUili- ti»^s, Knirlish. Fivnoh, rtonnan. Dani.-ih. and Pntoh. tho littlo colony was a sottloinont in whioh lifo ivnld bo passod as oon\fort- rtbly and happily as anywhoro in tho world. A fow yoars moro woro lo show that its jrvntn'nintMit was oapablt* of boing toin]iorarily oonvortod ii\to an instrnnuM\t v^f op- jMVssion. bnt as yot no fanlt was found with its oonstitntivni. Tho Inirghors did not oonsidor thonisolvos any tho loss froo on aooonnt of havinj; no voioo in tho solootion o{ thoir rnlors. Thoy rogardod all aliko as bonnd by tho law and protootod by \\\o law. And that thoy woro uo\ tho poi^plo tanioly to snbniit to any in- fringoniont npon what thoy boliovod to bo tiunr rijrhts and thoir libortios, was sluu'tly to bo provod. Thoir views of rights and libortios woiv not those of tii-thiy, booanso thoy woro nio'.i M tho sovontoonth, ni>t of tho ninotoonth o»Mitnrv. Bnt thoy pi^ssossod a fnll sharo of tho stnixly spirit of indopondonoo whioh lod tho pooplo of tho Nothorlands on nioro than ono oooasion within that ooi\tnrv ti^ risk lito and property in dofenoo oi froedoni. Thoy nn\y 1u> tho poinvst. Imt thoy are not the least eonra';;e(>ns or liberty-lovinj>^ ]nv>plo of any eonntry wlh> g() forth to f(nnul eoh>nios in distant lands. Ami assnredly the nitMi who bnilt np the Kiu'ojvan pmvor in Sonth Afriea wore, in those qnalities whioh ought \o eotnmand esteem, no whit behiml the pioneers of any eolony in the world. They bronght to this eonntry an uneom|nerabh» love of liberty, a spirit of patitMit indnstry, a dei>p-seated feehng of trnst in the Almighty tuxl, and with virtnes suoh as these we ean safely leave them to do th(> work whioh Providenet> had marked ont for them in the land of their (children's home. The eolonial popnlation had add»>d to it thiring tho \\o\t twenty years the na»nes in the following list, whioh, howevtM", eanni>t be given as absolnttdy aeomnite, bnt only as being as eoniploto as it is mnv possible to m«k«> it. 'IMu> bnrgher rolls an' I 2 30S CHRONICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. not only very defective, but the custom of omitting sm'names, which at this period was prevalent in the colony, adds to the difficulty of obtaining information from them. It is thus quite possible that some of the individuals named below were here before the dates assigned. Between 1691 and 1700 :— Bakhuizen, Dirk, Bezuidenhout, Wynand, Blom, Barend, with wife and three children, de Boer, Gerrit, with wife and one child, Breda, Hubert, Brink, Johannes, with wife and one child, Coenradie, Frederick, Couvret, Paul, with wife and two children, Cronje, Pieter, (spelt also Crognet), Cronje, Stephanus, Delport, Jacques, with wife and one child, Diemer, Abraham, with wife, Douker, Hendrik, Dumont, Pierre, with wife, Faber, Johannes, with %vife, Fleuris, Loui><. Avith wife and five children, Gardiol, Jean, Haak, Johannes, ■with vnie and one child, de Haas, Willem, with vnie, Heems, Guillaimie, with wife, Helm, Coenraad, with wife and one child, Heupenaar, Pieter, with wife and one child, Hofman, Johannes, van Jaarsveld, Adriaau, Kerver, Jurgen, with wife and five children, de Klerk, Abraham, de Klerk, Joost, de Kok, Barend, Kruisman, Andries, with wife, de Lange, Jacobus, with Avife, Lutters, Christoffel, mth wife, Maritz, Johannes, with wife and one child, van Meerland, Johannes, >vith wife and one child, Menssinck, Willem, Mouton, Jacques, with wife and two children, 1^ IMMIGRANTS. 300 Moiiy, Pierre, mth wife and five children, Niel, Etienne, witli wife and one child, Odendaal, Willem, Oertman, Nicholas, with wife, Pleunis, Jacob, with wife, Potgieter, Johannes, with wife and children, van Eensburg, Nicholas, with wife, le Eiche, Louis, with wife, Rotterdam, Johannes, van de Sande, Eeynier, with wife and one child, SchefPer, Hendrik, Sohryver, Izaak, with wife, Slabbart, Floris, with wife and three children, Swanepoel, Pieter, Syfer, Coenraad, Terreblanche, Etienne, de Vos, Pieter, Wiederhold, Willem, Wynoch, Christiaan, Zevenhoven, Daniel, with wife. Between 1700 and 1710 :— van Aardt, Gerrit, with wife and two children, Badeuliorst, Casper, Badenhorst, Frans, Bek, Hendrik, van den Berg, Jacobus, with wife and seven children, van den Berg, Matthys, with wife and one child, Bernard, Anthonie, Bernard, Johannes, with wife, Beukers, Johannes, with wife and three children, Beyers, ChristofEel, Bisseux, Jacques, with ■wife and i vo children, Blankenberg, Johannes, with wife, Bok, Christiaan, Bosman, Hermanus, with wife and childi'en, Bourbonnois, Jacques, du Buisson, David, Buys, Hermanus, Ditmaar, Michiel, Eksteen, Hendrik, with wife, Faure, Antoine, 1^^ i 310 rHR(K«CLES OF CAVE COMMANDERS. le Grand, Gideon, Hasselaar, Jacob, with ^vife, van Heerden, Pieter, with wife and one child, Horbst, Johannes, with wife and three children, Holland, Jacob, Holm, Christiaan, with wife, Kleinveld, Valentyn, with wife and one child, Langebeig, Jacob, with wife, Lecheret, Jean, Lens, Pieter, Ley, Michiel, van der Linde, Frederick, Loots, Hendrik, with wife and three children, Lore, Giiillaume, with ^vife, Lourens, Johannes, with wife and one child, Lo^irens, Reynier, with wife and two children, Maasdorp, Christiaan, with wife, Mare, Ignace, Meyboom, Hendiik, with wife and one child, Meyboom, Nicholas, with wife and two children, Moolraan, Casper, van Nek, Comelis, Oberholster, Johannes, Ockers, Comelis, with wife and three children, Olivier, Comelis, Olivier, Gysbert, Olivier, Johannes, Paassen, Jacob, with wife and three children, Pottier, Jacques, with wife and four children, Richter, Philippus, van Reenen, Joost, van Rooyen, Anthonie, Avith wife and two children, Scholtz, Michiel, Sellier,* Durand, -with wife and one child, Sellier, Gilles, with wife, SelKer, Josu^, ^nth wife and two children, Steenekamp, Johannes, Stols, Gabriel, * No care was taken in tlie reconls of this colony to spell proper names correctly or wnifoniily. This name, in particular, is found written in a great varictj of forms, Bucb as Sellier, Sillier, Cillieis, Celliers, Celli^, Silje, and even Zulje. IMMIGRANTS. 311 Swoetman, Johannes, Sweris, Lourens, ^^'itll wife and throe children, Uys, Cornolis, with wife and three children, Vermeulen, Sybrand, Verron, Amman, Vlotman, Anthonie, with wife and two children, Voogt, Johannes, Voogt, Nicholas, de Vries, Hendrik, with wife, van der Walt, Hendrik, de Wet, Jacobus, with wife and three children, Zaaiman, Daniel, with wife and two children. I A T^ T II O in T I E .^ 1. Uxrnu.isiiKi) Maxvschii'ts. TiiK (locumputs which hjivo been cdiulcnsod into the foregoing rhapters arc too numerous to ho (jnoted soparatoly 'u these pages, but generally they may bo elassified as follows : — I. Proceedings and Resolutions of the Council of Policy at the Cape. These are complete for this peiiod in the Cape Archives. After arranging those which were loosely tied together and having them bound, I made an Abstract of them all from 1051 to 1687, as the originals are not indexed and in addition to being somewhat bulky are not easily read by persons unaccustomed to decipher the writing of the seventeenth century. This Abstract has been printed by the Cape (rovernment, and forms a compact volume of 233 pages. II. The Cape Journal. A Diary in which records of all events of importance were entered was commenced by Mr Van Picbeek when he embarked at Amsterdam, and was continued Avith only a break c an occasional day until the beginning of the present century. Tae occurrences of each year originally formed a volinne of three or four hundred pages of foolscap, but by some means between I80G and 1830 a large proportion of these volumes disappeared from the Cape Archives. Fortunately, there wore duplicates of most of them in the Archives of the Netherlands, of which copies have been procured by the Cape Government. I carefully read the (topies for this period upon their arrival, comparing them with the fragments of the originals preserved here and filling in one year that was wanting in Holland. I then paged the whole and had it bound. It is now complete, excepting for the years 1675, 1688, and 1G91. III. Despatches from the Cape Government to the Directors and several Chambers of the East India Companj', to the Governor General and Council of India, to the Government of Ceylon, and letters to various officers in the service, foreigners calling here, and AriHOIUTIVs. 'M'.] others. Copies of thoso papers ior the years 165'2 to l(i7''{ and 1076 to l()!H, made "wlion tlio originals wcro written, form several bulky volumes in the Cape Archives. Tlioso for 1()74 and lG7o are missing here, but I examined such of them as are at the 1 1 ague. IV. Despatches received by the Cape Government from the Anthoiities in the Netherlands and in India, and letters received from various persons. These form several thick volumes in the Cape Archives. V. Journals of Exploring Prrtics. Copies of the following are in the Cape Archives : — Joui-nal kojit by Jan Blanx from 2 'Ah .September to 3rd October lOO'i. Kept by 8kii)per Tnrver from 21st October to 14th November U)o'2. Kept by Frederick Verburg from 21st October to 14th November KiO'i and from 2nd December l(i-")2 to lOth January KJo^i. Kept by Corporal Willeni Muller from 7th September to oth October liyijo. Kept by Abraham Gabbema from IDth October to oth November 1057. Of the Exploring Expedition under Sergeant Jon van Harwarden from 27th February to 2]st March 1058. Of the Expedition under Jan Danckert in search of Monomotapa from 12th November 1660 to 20th January 1001. Of the Expedition to the Namaquas \mder Pieter Cruythof from UOth January to 11th March 1601. Of the Expedition under Pieter van Meerhof from 21st March to 2'3rd April 1()()1. Of the Expedition under Pieter Everaert from 14th November 1001 to 18tli February 1002. Of Ensign Cruse's Expedition against Gonnema from 12th to 25th July 1073. Of the Expedition under Commander Simon van der Stel to Namaqualand from 25tli August 1085 to 20th January J 080. Kept (m board the Cciifaiinis from 10th November 1087 to 10th February 1088. Kept on board the galiot Noord from 10th October 1088 to Oth February 1080. Of the Expedition under Ensign Schrj-ver to the Inqua Hottentots from 4th January to Oth April 1680. VI. Instructions. These are papers of considerable histoiical value. There are in the Capo Archives, refen-ing to this period: — Instructions of the Chamber of Amsterdam for the heads of the party proceeding in the service of the Netherlands Chartered East India Company to the Cape of Good Hope, 25th March 1051. Further Instructions of the same for the same, 12th December 1651. Of the Directors for the guidance of the Ketum Fleet, 20th August 1652. Of Mr Van lliebeek for the officers of the yacht Goede Hooj), 14th October and 22nd November 1652, and m 314 ( IlKONKl.KS OF (Al'K COMMANDKRS. 2l8t January 1653 ; tor the otHcere of the galiot Zirarfe Vos, livd February, 13tli May, and 9tli June 1653 ; for the ofHcei-s of the galiot liooiu' T'os', 26th July, 4th Aiigust, 3rd and Kith October, and — December 1653, and 21st February and 6th April 1654; for the officers of the ship Vm/i', 20th January 1654 ; for the officers of the galiot Ti(/j>, 26th June 1654. Of the Commissioner Ryklof van Gocns for the Commander and Coimcil of the fort Good Hope, 1 6th April 1657. Of the Commissioner Joan Cuneus for ('ommnnder Van lliebeek, 18th March 1658. Of the Com- missioner Pieter Sterthemius ^or Commander Van lliebeok, 12th March 1660. Of Commander Van lliebeek for the Exploring Party under Jan Danckert, 10th November 1660. Of Comman- der Van lliebeek for the Exploring Party under Pieter C'ruythof, 20th January 1661. Of the Commissioner Andries Frisius for Connnander Van Riebeek, 11th March 1661. Of Commander Van Riebeek for the Expedition under Pieter van Meeihof, 2l8t March 1661. Of Commander Van Riebeek for the Expedition under Pieter Everaert, 10th November 1661. Of the Com- missioner Hubert de Lairesse for Commander Wagenaar. 22nd and 27th September 1662. Of Commander AVagenaar for the Exploring Expedition under Corporal Pieter Cruythof, 19th October 1662. Of the Commissioner Herman Klencko for Commander Wagenaar, 16th April 1663. Of the Chamber XVII for the Party proceeding to Madagascar, with Addenda by Conmiander Wagenaar, 26th May 1663. Of the Commissioner P. A. Overtwater for Commander Wagenaar, 7th September 1663. Of Commander Wagenaar for the Exploring Expedition under Sergeant Jonas de la Guenv, 10th October 1663. Of Commander Wagenaar for the Assistant Joachim Blank, Head of the Madagascar Party, 10th May 1664. Of Commander Wagenaar for the Assistant Jacobus van Nieuwland, Head of the Mauritius Party, — May 1(564. Of the Commissioner Mattheus van der Broeck for Commander Jacob Borghorst and his successor Pieter Ilackius, 14th March 1670. Of the Commissioner Isbrand Goske for Commander Hackius, 23rd February 1671. Of the Com- missioner Nicholas Verburg for Governor ]3ax, 15th March 1676. Of the Commissioner Sybrand Abbema for Commander Simon van der Stel, 27th March l(i80. Of the Commissioner Ryklof van Goens the younger for C-ommander Van der Stol and the Council, 20th March 1(581, Of the retired Governor General Ryklof van Goens the elder for ('ommanilor Simon van der Stol and the Council, 24th April 1682. Of the High Commissioner llendrik A U Tin HUT IKS. ai5 Adriaaii van Ilheede tot Drakeustein tor the Commander and Council, intli July 1685. VII. Proclamations, Placaats, and Notices issued by the Cape Government. The first volume ot the original record of those in the Cape Archives is slightly damaged, but nothing of any consequence seems to be missing. VIII. Burgher UoUs or C^ensus Returns. Every year a list was framed and sent to the Directors of the East India (Company, giving the names of the burghers and their wives, the number of their children, slaves, guns, horses, oxen, shoep, vines, morgen of cultivated ground, &(. The lists are in the Archives of the Netherlands, but there is not one of them that can be relied upon as absolutely accurate. I examined them all from 1057 to 17*20, and made a copy of the one for KiO'i for the Cape Government. It is probably the least imperfect of them all, though many names of burghers that are to be found in earlier and later rolls and other documents are not in it. Home years after this date the Directors called the attention of the Cape Government to the defective condition of the Burgher Rolls, and issued instructions that they should be framed by a member of the Cyouncil of Jiistice. But later ones are even more faidty. TX. Uesolutions of the Chamber of Seventeen, the Ciiambcr of Amsterdam, the States l*rovin(;ial of Uollnnd luid AVest Friesland, and other governing bodies, referring to the < 'ape. The originals are to be seen only in the Archives of the Netherlands, but while at the Hague I made copiers for the Cape Government of such of thi'ui as are of any importance. X. Declarations concerning t\"ime. A mass of documents of this nature passed through my hands while arranging the early records of the Colony. They are bound in separate volunu>.^. XI, Miscellaneous Documents. I"^nder this heading there is an enormous mass of manuscript at the (^ipe and at the Hague, among which there are a few papers of considerable value. Such are the foUowng : — (1) Statement, dated at Amsterdam, '2()th July 1640, in which is briefly shown what service, advantair<>;', and profit the IJnitpd Netherlands Chartered East India Company miglit derive from building a fort and making a gard«Mi at the Cape of Good, Hope. (2) Further considerations upon certain points in the Statement submitted by Mr Ticendert Janssen, con- cerning tlie ]iroject of constructing a fort and planting a g!ird(>n at the Cape of Good Hope, Amsterdam, June 1651. (''i) Extract of a letter from the Chamber of Middelburg to the Chamber of 316 fURONTCI.ES OF (APE COMMAXDFRS. Amsterdam, otli December 1651. (4) Statement of the Condition of Affairs at the Cape drawn up by Mr Van Riebeek for the use of liis successor, oth May 1062, (o) Uueries concerning Cape affairs by the Commissioner Hubert de Lairesse, and replies of Commander Wagenaar, loth September 1()62. (6) Statement of the Condition of Affairs at the Cape drawn up by Mr Wagenaar fpr the use of his successor, 24th September 1666. (7) Memo- randmn for the use of Governor Bax drawn up by the retiring Governor Isbrand Goske, March 1676. The greater number of the miscellaneous documents in the Cape Archives are, however, of little or no value for historical purposes. There are sailing directions, directions for signalling, ships' log books, &c, &c. In the Siu'veyor General's oflBce are records of land grants, in the liegistry of Deeds are records of mortgages, and in the Church safe are records of mamages and baptisms, all of which I have examined. In the Archives of the Netherlands there are full details of the East India Company's accounts with the Cape, embracing salaries, expenses of all kinds, sale of goods, &c, &c. 2. Charts, Maps, axd Atlases. In the Archives of the Netherlands there nxe over fifty mipublished charts refoning to South Africa, but many of them are of little or no value. I copied the following on tracing linen for the Cape Government : — One of the Fort and Garden in Table Valley in 1054, One of the Fort and Garden in Table Valley in 1656, One of the Castle, Garden, and To^vn in Table Valley in 1698, which is given in a smiUler form in this book. One of the llouto of the Exploring Parties of 1661, An Elaborate Chart of the Jomney of Commander Simon van der Stel to the Copper Mines of Namaqualand in 1685, being the first map upon which any indication of the Orange River appears. This chart, in a smaller form, is given in this volume. I also examined cai'cfully the maps and atlases of the sixteenth, sev(>nteenth, and eighteenth centuries in the libraries of the IJritish Museum and of the University of Leiden. In the collection of atlases ii. the South African Tublio Library the following works, among others, are to be seen : — ArXHORITIES. ;;u7 Ortelius, Abraham : Theatmm Oi'hi'i Ten-am tn. This work, so celebrated in its day, is iu cue great volume. It contaius a large map of Africa, engraved at Antwerp in 1570, Mercator, Gerard, et Hondius, Jodocus : Af/aa, .sirr Co!i on RepreHeutation dii Monde Uiiiirrsel. This is an edition of the above work, improved by means of the discoveries made in the interval. Thougli the title is French, the work is iu Dutch, and was published at Amsterdam in IGli;], by a son of the celebrated Jodocus Hondius. It contains one large map of Africa, drawn by Henry Hondius and engraved in Ui'Sl. Donoker, Hendrick : Zee At/as of Wtder Wa'trif, published at Amsterdam in 1666. This volume contains a chart of the west coast of Africa from the Equator to the Cape of Good Hope, engraved in 1659 ; and one of the east coast from the Cape of Good Hope to the lied Sea, engraved in 1660. Blaeu, Joan : Groofcii Atlm, oft Werelt BeHc/iri/n'iKj. This was the standard atlas of its da}', aw\ is still of the greatest value as an unerring guide to tho knowledge possessed by the most eminent geographers iu the middle of the seventeenth century. Seven enomious volumes and part of tlie eiglith are devoted to Europe ; Africa and America are described in the remainder of the eiglith ; and the ninth is given to Asia. Among the African maps is one of that poi-tion of the continent south of tlie tenth parallel of latitude, engraved in 1665. A reduced copy appears iu this volume. Goos, rieter : Zee At/a-s offe Witter Wereld. After the Great Atlas of Blaeu, it would bo unnecessary to mention any other, if it were uot for the estimation in which the marine charts of Goos as well as of Doncker were held iu their day. This volume, splendidly engraved, ornamented, and printed in colours, was istacd at Amsterdam in 166S. It ecmtains a large diart of tlie coast fi-om Cape Verde to the Cajio of Good ll<>i>e ; another from Cape Negro to Mossel Bay, with cartoons of tlie coast and country from St Hflena Bay to Cape False, and Vices Bay or Agoa de S Bras ; and a largo chart of the coast from the Cape of Good Hope to the Head of the Red Sea. V¥ 318 ( IIKOXK l,F,S Ol- CAI'K CllMMAXDERS. 3. Printed Books. I consulted also the books, of which notices follow : — do Barros, Jonno : Du Asia. Barros, who lived from 149G to lo7(>, held important offices under the CroAvu of Portugal. From lo'2'2 to 15'25 he was Governor of St George del Mina on the West Coast of Africa, after which he became Treasurer of the Indian branch of the Revenue, Councillor, and Historian. The first decade of his work was published at Lisbon in lo5'2, the second in loorJ, the thii'd in l66'-i, and the fourth not imtil after its author's ath. In compiling the narratives of the first voyages Barros had the advantage of reference to the journals kept by the officers of the expeditions. The edition of his work in the South African Public Ijibrary was published at Lisbon in nine volumes in 1778. Thert! is a Dutch translation of the Voyage3 of the First Explorers ami of the successive Indian Fleets, published at Leiden in 1707. Osorius, llieronynms : J)r Rrhns EitinmtnteliH Itrtjifi Luxi- titiiid'. Lisbon, I*)7I, This work has always been regarded k'j one of great authority. Its autiior, who was Bishop of Silves, was a man of high education, with a fondness f(>r research and an exceedingly graceful style of writing. He lived from 150() to loSO. His work covers a period of twenty-six years, the niosf glorious in the history' of Portugal. Tliere is a recent edition in three volumes in the original Latin in the South African Public Library, and 1 have also a translation in Dutch made by Franyois van Hoog.stra(>ten, and published in two volumes at Potterdam in lOGl. This translation is entilltHl Lm'ti en J)ci(r/nr/ifi(/ JivdnJ/ mil Eiiiiiiincl ilrn Kvr-sfvn, Knniiitj ran Porfin/ac/, holiclzciidi' r/' Oiitdci'hiiKj rail OiiKf Indii'ii, I'li th'rimPi'fn dr ermfr Toi'hfrii drr Portuffi'Zi'ii, ilfr. Correa, Gaspar : Lmdas da India. This work is well known t•^ Ki glish readers from tho translation entitled T/u- T/irrr Voi/aijes of- I'l'sct) (hi (laiiHi and Ins Viirronalt;/, published at London for the llakluyt Society in IS(i!». Alxmt the year 1-")14 Correa went to India, where, during the following half cfntury, he filled situations which gave hin> opportunities of bncomiug W(»ll actiuaintod witli what was transpiring. Tliere, towards tin* (ilose of his lift», he wrote his historv. which is an account of ihe transactions of the Porliigucse in the Last iluring a period of fifty-three years. The manuseript was remov»*d to l*ortugal in 15H.'J, but the work was not published until IS.YS, when it was printed at AITIIORITIES. ;U9 Lisbon. The dates given by Correa differ considerably from those of Osorius and Burros. Tims he makes Da Gama sail from Lisbon in ;March 1497, while both Osorius and Barros state that the expedition left in July of that year. He differs also in many respects from those writers in his account of events. van Linschoten, Jan Huy^hen : various works pul-iished in 1595 and 1596. See first chapter. Eerste Sc/iijiracrf der IloUandir^ luicr Oont ludien, nwt rifi- Scfiepeu oudcf '/ behi/dt ran Conw/i-s HoHtman ii>/f Terr/ (f/icf/ncn, Anno 1595. Contained in the collection of voyages known as licfjin I'nde Voorf(/fH)(/h ran dr Vn is als 't hayr van een menscho die een tijdt langh ghehanghen heeft," an alt(H'ation which turns a grai)hic sentence into nonsense. Beijin cndi' Voorff/an(/l) ran dr J'^rrfriu'i/lalr yrdirlaafsr/tt' Gcoctroi/ovrdv Oost Indisc/if Coinpaijnic, nrratnnlc df roornarnisfe krifsen hi/ de Imroondrrrn dernrlrrr Prorinricn dmrarrfs (jrdmn. In two thick volumes. Printed in 1646. Tliis work contains the jom-nals in a condensed f ."•'n of the fleets under Cornclis llout- nuin, Pieter Both, Joris van Si)ilb(>rg('n, and others, as also the first charter of the East Imlia Company. Journal i ran dr Voi/aijir i/rdarn na't drir Srhrprn, (fmarnif dm Ram, Srharp, rndr lirt Lam, l-' rW'V. COMMWDKUS. editions thereafter. An aououut of the iiaiuiug of Table Bay is to be foiiud iu this work. Shilliuge, Audi'ew : An account of a voyage to Sui'at in the years 1G"20 — Hj'2'2. I have been unable as yet to obtain a copy of this piimpldot iu the origijial EugHsh. A Dutch traushition, entitled Korf Dinjeerhaal can da Zec-To'jt no ISHi'ntte en Jd-sqitcn in f/r Golf van PcfKicn, (jcdaan in het Jaav 1620, ca rcrro/tjens, was published at Leiden in 1707. It is only twelve pages iu length, but in it is recorded the declaration of English sovereignty over Table Bpy and the surrounding country. A copy of the declaration is to be found iu the first volume of the first edition of BaiTow's Account of Trarck info the Interior of Southern Africa, published at London in 1801. Herbert, Sir Thomas ; Some Years Trarcls into Dicers Parts of Africa and Asia the Great. The second edition was published at London in KhiS, the fourth in 1077. The author when on his way eastward called at Table Bav in July 102G, and remained here nineteen days. Seven pages of a moderately sized volume are devoted to an account of this visit. He states that at Agidhas there was little or no variation of the compass, while in Table Valley he found the westerly variation one degree and forty minutes. Herbert's d(\8cription of the people, whom he called llattentotes, is in some respects hardly more correct than his estimate of tln^ height of Table Mountain, which ho sets down as eleven thousand eight hundred and sixty feet. The work is inter- esting rather as a curiosity than on account of any information to be obtaiued from it. Ilondius, Jodocus (publisher, — author's name not given) : KItirc cndc Kortc Bc.st/rf/rinf/e ran het Land aan Cain) de lionti Espcrance. A little work published at Amsterdam hi \i\-)2. This book fixes accurately the standard of the knowledge of South Africa ])ossessed by Europeans in the year when Mr Van Riebiiek landed. It professes to be a descrijjtion of the country about the Cape of Good llo])e, and was published by Jodocus Ilondius,* makor of land and sea charts, whose name is a guarantee that all ]»ossibl<' care was taken in tV' preparation of the work. The nmuerous authoritir'S referred to in this early South African hand- book prove further that the compiler was not only well read, ])ut that he spared no trouble to colled oral information from the ofilcci-s of ships. And yet he knew absolutely nothing of any • GiiukIbou of tho world rpiiowiiotl map iiinker of tl>o sumo lutmc. ACTHOniTTKS. •^21 part of tlie ooimtrv now conij^risod in the Cape (Jolony oxoept tlie sea coast from St Helena Hay to Mossel Bay, and even tliat very imperfectly. IClizabeth and (Jornelia or Dassen and Robben Islands he describes accurately, l)ut of Saldanha Bay he could give no other information than the name and position. Table Bay and the country a few miles «,round he could delineate with precision, as he had information from persons who had been 8hip^vTecked and had lived here for many months. That there was such a river as the Camissa he had no doubt, but he believed it to be an open question if it did not enter the sea much fui-ther eastward than Linsclioten had placed its mouth. To the natives in the neighbourhood of the Cape he gives both the names Hottentots and (Jaffres, and says they were called Hottentots on account of their manner of .^peaking, Caffres from theu' being held to have no religion. Thei/ personal appearance, filthy habits, manner of subsistence, clothing, weapons, and hut? are fairly described, but the writer had no idea that they were a distinct race from those li\'ing on the east coast. He thought it probable, indeed, that they were degraded offshoots from the empire of Mono- motapa. This was the extent of the knowledge of South Africa ])0S8e8se(I by Europeans a century and a half after the Portuguese discovered the sea route to India. Saar, Johan Jacobsz : Mcisbi'sc/in/viiig iiacr Oo-st Indlen. Translated from the original Grorman, and pr^^b'shed at Amster- dam in 1G72. The author, a native of Nuremuorg, was in the service of the East India Company from 1644 to 1060, AVTiou returning to Europe with the homeward bound fleet of the last named year, he visited Table Bay. In a pamphlet of eighty- eight pages he has given four to the Cape, but there is nothing of very much interest in them except an account of the conspii'acy to seize the Ermmm, and this is more completely recorded in manuscripts in the Cape Archives. Schouten, Wouter : Hiu/h Togten iiaar en door Oost Imiicn. The second edition was published at Amsterdam in 1708, the fourth, large qxiarto with plates, in 1780. The author, who was in the service of the East India Company, called at the Cape on his outward passage in 1658. Of this visit he gives a short, but interesting account. When returning homo in 1(565 he was here for six weeks. He devotes a chapter to the observations which he made at this time?, in which he describes {\\o colonists and the uativ«>8, as well as the condition of the settlement. The book is well written, and the chajitor upon the Cape is not the least W 322 CHROXICLES OF CAPE COMMANDERS. valuable poi-tion of it, though it contains no information which is not also to be gathered in a more perfect form from the official records of the period. Evei-tsen, Volkert : Beschrijring dcr Reizen naar Oost Indien ran. Translated from the original German, and published at Amsterdam in 1670. The author was a German who entered into the service of the East Indiu Company in 1655, and proceeded as a midshipman to Batavia. In the outward passage and again when retm'uiug to Em'ope in 1667 he called at the Cape. On the last occasion he remained here a month. His work is a pamphlet of forty pages only, but his account of the condition of the infant colony, though very short, is highly interesting. van Overbeke, Aemout : Ri/ W-j'k> n. The copy in my possession is of the tenth editioi i-TLfhed at Amsterdam in 1719. The seventh edition was issu in o ^9. The author was the same officer who first i^urchaseu. terri\ *.;• from Hottentot chiefs in South Africa. Some of the verses are written with spirit, but there is nothing in the book to give it an enduring place among the works of the Dutch poets. The volume contains also in prose a Geentigc eu verniakeJijki' Rci/s Besehrijving run Mr Aemout ran Orcrhrhe, naav Ooxt Iiidicn utftqeraren roor Raet ran Jufttifit; in den Jart' 1668. This is a comivi det^cription of a sea voyage, and would be quite useless for historioal jjurposes, if it were not for the mention that is made of Commander Van Quaelberg. The character of that Commander is delineated therein identically the same as I found it to bo from his writings. Mr Van Overbeke adds that even the Hottentots regarded him with aversion. Dapper, Dr O : Nankeuriyc Jbeschrijringo dor A/rikaenschc Oi'ircsfcn, ^r. Amsterdam, 1668. This is a splendidly printed and illustrated volume of eight hundred and fifty large pages, and contains a great number of maps and plans. It was carefully compiled from the best sources of information. As far as the Cape sottlein*;nt is concerned, .Dapner states that his descriptions are ])rineipally from documents forwarded to him by a certain diligent observer in South Africa, to which he has added but little from books of travel. The twenty-nine pages which are devoted to this country and its peoj)le were prepared by some one who was not here at the commencement of the occupation, who had not access to official 1 tapers, but who had been in the settlement long enough to know all about it, and who was studying the customs, manners, and language of the natives. Such a man was George Frederick Wreede, who was probably the writer. The order of events is not ArTHORITIF.S. :i23 given exactly in accordance '..-ith official documents, though there is generally an agreement between them. Ogilby, John : Africa, Iriiuj an Accamtc Desoripfion of, Sfe. Collected and fraiis/afcd from inosf Aufhentleh Authors. London, 1670. All the information of value in this large volume is obtained from Dapper, to whom the compiler acknowledges his indebtedness. It is, indeed, almost a literal translation of Dapper's work, and contains most of his maps and plates. An extract will show how little was then known of the people we call Kaffirs : — " The Cabona's are a very black People, with Haii- that hangs down their Backs to the Grround. These are such inhumane Cannibals, that if they can get any Men, they broyl them alive, and eat them up. They have some Cattel, and plant Calbasses, with which they sustain themselves. They have, by report of the Hottentots, rare Portraitures, which they find in the Mountains, and other Rarities : But by reason of their distance and barbarous qualities, the "Whites have never had any converse with them." ten Rhyne, Wilhehn : Sched'umna de Pt'omonfovio Bona> Spei, Sfc. Schaffhausen, 1686, This little volume of seventy-six pages ui the Latin language is the work of a medical man in the service of the East India Company, who visited the Cape in 1673. It consists of a geographical description of the country in the neighbourhood of Table Bay, and a very interesting account of the Hottentots. The author obtained his knowledge of the customs of these people from careful observation and from information supplied by a native woman in the settlement who spoke the Dutch language. de Noyn, Pieter : Lmfhof der Huwelyken, hebchendc venchcyde seldsame ccremonicn en plcc/ifighcden, die root' desen by rerscheyde Natien en Volckeren soo in Asia, Enrojm, Africa, ah America in iiehruik zyn (jewccst, aln wel die roor meerendcel noch hedcndaega (ichrnyhf ende onderhouden wcrden ; mitsgadcm dcsseifs Vrohjcke Vyren, uyf rersclieyde morten ran Mengel-Dichten bentaande. Amsteixlam, 1697. The author of this book held the office of Fiscal at the Cape of Good Hope from February 1672 to October 1674. He states that he had prepared a description of the Cape and had kept a journal, but that u])on his retimi to Europe ho was robbed of the whole of his papers and letters. The Luxthof der IFnnrhikcn is a treatise upon the marriage customs of various nations, and is compiled from the writings of numerous authoi-s. The Vrolykc Uyren are scraps of poetry of no particular merit. \\ 2 324 (•|IIU)N"KT.F,S OF CAPE fOMMANDERS. lihi^ Among thorn are several ivforriug to South Afi-ioa. In the Lnsfhof (Icr Ifiiirt'/i/hcn are eight or ten pages of original matter eoncerning the 1 lottentots, written from memory. The story of the mnrdor of the burghers by (ironnema's people in June 1073 is told, but not very correctly. An accoimt of the execution in the following August of the four lEottentot prisoners is given, which agrees with the records, and is even more complete in its details. The story of the rescue of the Hottentot infant by Dutch women in the time of Commander Borghorst is also told more fully than in the journal of the fort. The names of the women are given, and it is added that one of them afterwards became the wife of Johannes Pretorius, who had been a fellow student with the ■writer at Leiden. It is also stated that the child was baptized, but died shortly afterwards. Several otlier items of information are given in these few pages more fully tlian elsewhere. Tftchard, Gruy : Voi/niji dr Sinm doft Peren Josuitosi, Envoycz par Ic Jioi/ ni(.r Iinics 4* a la Chine, aire kiirs Obscrvafions Axfronoi)ii(jiirii, of lours Roinarqaesi do PhtHiquo, do Geographic, d* Ili/droffrnphie, d^' d^ Ilinfoire. Paris, 1686. {Par ordre crprez de m 3fajexfe.) Father Tachard was one of a party of six Jesuit missionaries, who accompanied an embassy sent by Louis XIV to the Court of Siam. The embassy arrived at the Cape iu June 16iS.j, and remained here for about a week. Some of the missionaT-ios were astronomers, who were provided with the best instruments known in their day, including a telescope twelve feet in length. The High Commissioner Van llheede tot Drakenstein, whom they found in supremo command, placed at their disposal the pleasure house in the Company's garden, which they converted into an Observatory. They found the variation of the magnetic needle to be eleven degrees and thirty minutes west. From observations of the first satellite of Jupiter, they calculated the difference of time between Pans and the Cape to be one hour twelve minutes and forty seconds, from which they placed the Cape in longitud<.' forty degrees thirty minutes east of Ferro. During the time that some of the missionaries were engaged iu making astronomical observations, others were employed in investigating the natural history of the countrv and the customs of its native inhabitants. They made the acquaintance of a physician and naturalist named Claudiiis, a native of Breslau in Silesia, who was here in the service of the East India Company, and who had been with severnl exploring expeditions in South Afiica. From him and from the Commander Van dor Stol they obtained a gi'eat deal AiiTiiourniis. 325 of inforinatioii, to which thoy adch-d uh much us camo uiuler thfi" own notioo. Tho missionaries found a ji^ood many peo[)le of their own creed in the colony, both among tho skives and the servants of the Company, but thougli no one was questioned as to his religion, they were not permitted to celebrate the Mass on shore. Father Tachard speaks in uncpialitied terms of the very cordial reception which the members of the embassy had at the Cape. They were astonished as well as gratified, he says, to meet with so much politeness and kindness from tho officers of the govorumont. On his return to Europe in the following year he called again, and was equally well received, lie devotes about fifty pages of his very interesting book to South Africa, and gives several illustrations of natives, animals, &c. Cowley, Captain : A Voi/atje round the Globe, niwlc by the Aiif/ior in (he yvarn 1683 to 1686. London, 1687, With several editions subsequently. The writer was in Table i3ay for about a fortnight in June 1686. His Avork is a pamphlet of forty-four pages, six of which are devoted to an account of what ho saw at the Cape of Good Hope. He has managed to compress a good deal of information into a very small compass. do Graaff, Nicolans : Itcinai na de ricr Gcdce/tcn.s dcs JVirelda. Hooni, 1701. The author of this very interesting book was a surgeon, and in that capacity visited various parts of the world between the years 163'J and 1688. He was in Table Bay in 1640, 1669, 167'2, 1676, 1679, 1683, and 1687. His observations upon occurrences at the Cape are entirely in accordance with the docimients preserved in the archives. His calcidations of heights are more accurate than those of any other early traveller. In l(i79 he estimated the height of Table Mountain from his nieasiu'emonts at 3,578 llhynland feet. He speaks at the same time of the Duivelsberg by this name. The book is admirably written, but contains no infonuation of value that is not also to bo foimd in the government records of the time. Dampier, "William : A new Voi/df/c round the World, S(e, The second edition in two voliunes was published at Loudon in 1697. The work was translated into Dutch, uud a beautiful edition was issued at Amsterdam in 1717. In these vohunes Dampier gives a very interesting account of his adventm'es between his dejiarture from England in 1679 and his return in 1691. He was at the Cape for six weeks in April and May 1691, and fifteen pages of his first volume are taken up with an account of this visit. Fom- pages of an api)endix to the second volume are devoted to an 326 ( JIUOXICLES OF (APE ( OMMANOKKS. account of Natal, as fiirnishod to tho writer by his friend Captain Rogers, who had been there several times. Moodie, D. : The Record; or a ScricH of OJficial Papern rr/afirc to the CoiKfifion and Treatment of the Xafire Trihes of South Africa. Compiled, translated, and edited by D. Moodie, Lieut. K. N., and late Protector of Slaves for the Eastern Division of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town, 1HIJ8. This work, now unfortunately so rare that a copy is only obtainable by chance, is a literal translation of a great number of original docu- ments relating to the native tribes of South Afiica from 1651 to June 1690, and from 1769 to 1809. A vast amount of labour and patience must have been expended in the preparation of this large and valuable book. I have not had occasion to make use of it because, first, the early records are now much more complete than they were when Mr Moodie examined them, and secondly, my aim was to collect information concerning the colonists as well as the natives. Nevertheless, it woiUd be an act of injustice on my part not to acknowledge the eminent service performed by Mr Moodie in this field of literary labour forty years before the archives were entrusted to my care. Lauts, G. : Geschiedeiiis ran de Kaap de Goede IIooj), Nedcr- taansche Votkphtntiny. 1652 — 1806. Boor den Ilooyleeraar G. Lauts. Amsterdam, 1854. A pamphlet of 186 pages. The author had access to the .^irchives of South Africa at the Hague, and made good use of them. He was uuacqiuiinted with the country, and has made some very strange blunders, but his work as fai' as it goes is superior to anything previously produced in tho colony. de Jonge, J. K. J. : De Opkomst van het Nederlannch Gezay in Oofst Indie. Verza meting van onuitfjeyeven Stukken nit het oud- koloniaal Archief. Uityegeven en bewerkt door Jhr. Mr. J, K. J. de Jonge. The Hague and Amsterdam. The first part of this valuable history was published in 1862, the second part in 1864, and the third part in 1865. These three volimies embrace the general history of Dutch intercourse with tho East Indies from 1595 to 1610. They contain accounts of the several early trading associa- tions, of the voyages and successes of the fleets sent out, of the events which led to the establishment by the States General of the great Chartered East India Company, and of the progress of the Company until the appointment of Peter Both as first Governor General. Rather more than half of the work is composed of copies of original documents of interest. The fourth part, published in 1869, is devoted to Java, and \vith it a pai-tioular account of the AITIIOKITIES. 1127 Eastern rossosBions Ib fomnioiu't'd. Tlie liistory was caniocl on as far as tho tonth vohinio, whidi was imblitthctl in IHTS, but the work was unfinished at tho time of the author's doatli in 1880. van Kampen, N. G. : Gewhicderix der Nedet'hniilerii 1m inn Europa. This is a work publisliod in 4 octavo vohimos at Ilaarhnn in 1831. Tho references to the Capo Colony are incorrect, botli as to occurrences and dates. as it asocia- of the of tlie of the ivemor copies hed in of the APPENDIX A. SpK(IMKNS ok TIIK \V(»KI)IN(i (th l)(t( I MKN is it)' IHK SkVKXTKKNTH CeXTI'HY in TIIK Cvi'K AunilVHS. I. PrayiT used hofori' Mootings of tlio (^ounml of Policy: — Parmhortigo, (rocMlortiorcn (lodt oudo Iloniolscho Viuler, niidieu hot uwo {^oddcl Maij' p»liolft liooITt ons to boroopon ovor 't bostior dor siuickon van do (Jonomlo voroonio- vanco, ondo wij ton dion oijndo mot onson biihobbondon rao(U in uwon II. nani(» vorf^ador*^ "ij'i : omnio mot advijs van ]tlant ondo vorbroijt wordon, tot uwos II. naonis loll' I'lidc I'ioro. ond(> wolstant onsor 11" pn Kipalon, \vaorto(> wij mondor dijno }j:onadip<' liul]i(» 'I aldon "Insto on vormop'n. Soi> biddon wij ii dorhalvon, (> aldorp:onad:}^list«» Vador, dat jfij ons mot uwo Vad<>rlijoko wijs- iioijt wilt bijwoonon, ondo in d<'HO onso vorpadiTiiiffo prosulorondo onso II)>rton huIx vrrliohti'ii, dat alio vorkoordo ]>aHsion nuHVor- ipon ffowoort blijvi'U, ton oijndo onsf Ilorttn van alio nH'iischolijoko aifooton roijn, ondo onso p>moodoron soo postolt sijndo wij in onw rai'dtslajrp'* niot amlors voornomon nocbto bo.duijton als 't gono ma lolf van uwon ald«'rln'ij- lijj:liston nacmo ondo don moo.-iOMi dionst van onso Ilroron on MofHliTs, sondor in oonipcr maton op oijpon baot off partioulior prollijt aoht to nemon. Ilct woloko on wos moor ons tot uijtvoo- rin>i;o onsos bovolon dionnto ondo /alip:li' nodijfh sij, wij biddon ond^ bogooron in ilon naomo uwos Wol liovon /ooiib onson Iloijlandt ontb' /ali;;;makor .!osu ('jiristij, dio ons hooft lo(>n»n Bidden UuM) Vodor i^" API'F.NDIX. 829 2. Oath takeu by biu'ghcr councillor : Ik bolovo eiulo swore ilo hooj^niogcnde lleeren 8tateii Crcneraol (l<>r vrije verenigdo Nedcrlniulou onsc 8ouvcrainen, do lioercn bowiiitliobbtrou dor g'octroijeordo Oost Indiso Coinjmgnic, mits- gadors d' Iloer Comniaudour on Uaod alliier, gohou on gotrouw te wosen, (lit ainpt van borgorraot (niroclitclijck to bodionon, llaor I[() : Ato : rooh na vonn()g<'U tc h»'li»on niaintonorm, van nioniant dio voor dew; vorgadoringc proofssic hci'l't oito apparent hcbbon sal onigo gifton nf goschonkcn t' ontfangcn dirootolijk of jndireete- lijk, do sooroton Salo by Sohachor : — Accord bij (b-n K : II' CoiiiniisHarlH Anumt van Ovcrbcok on den liaad aon t'abo dc bi)a Ksp(>ninco, wcgciiH dc(ioncraclo Nodor- lanlsc g'(»ctroijccr(b» OoHt Indisiflic I'mup tiisscn dcsclvc en den llottontoKon IVincc Mankkhagou a/ia^ ScUadier, orlllioor vanileu Lando de ( 'abo do boa Es[ii'ranee. In don oorston so bcloott <'einelde I'rinco !Schach«'r voor honi cn(b» cii cr zijnoi •lf(>lijk ;eot't < 'lo (lis n (*rvon en naekoniclmgen m volUfii oijgcndnin eiiwigii overt cg(^rcn in tc niijnien en tc vereopcn, gelijk hij vorgcot't en vcrcoopt mils desen aeu de CJenielde Tonip bet geboelo district van d' Cabo de boa lOsperanco, bogimiondo van don licuwonbcrgli ron«ls(nn aon deu souni der taelfclbbaeij met d Ilnut on Saldanbiabacij incluijs, novcns alb- Lan(b'rijcii, rivioron, inhanimon, bortcliugien, on vdden daerinne gelegen cji bogn^pon met den aanolcvc vaii dien, omme tsclve uveral t(* mogon bcbctii- wcn en itossKlcren, wm* h der ij cniiiiitH contradictio nil' turberingh. Met (lien vcrHtaiKb' nogtans, diit bij ncvcnH/.ijno craob'n n\ kndtb-n bestiaol vrijclijk en ongomob'stcert sal niogcn comen omtront d'uijttcrsto plaatscn van't vonrs: district, on alwaor a I'j : Comp nogb vrijliiijden luKn- b(>stiai'l niel en wcijdiMi, s(ind(T diit by met geweld on Rondor rodent n door onso nalie daervandaer. /al mogcn \vord( n g C( lr(*v on. Ton twccdon, dat hij iicgtc do sijne mmmcrmccr eenig(m ovorlast, injurio, olfcnsien, scbacdo, en v 'rlios sal en sullen docn, nogt(» lijdcn dat /.nlx donr andcre gedaan werde, direclclijk nogli indircctclijk aon d' V. : comp d.-rsclver nndcrsaten (»l'te dicnaren, hunno huijsou, bouwlandon, tliuijuen, voo, otto lioodanicU hot .130 (URONK'I.KS OF CAPE (OMMAXI)EKS. zoikIo niogou gonaanit werdon, maor dat d' ondordanen van de Gomoldo Comp" vrijelijk en ^TOodicll sondor oonigo do niinsto molestio niet allcenioli door 't voors: Caapso district, maor ook zijno andero vrijo landcn ziillon mogon passorcn en repasseren, worwaorts luuuio rcijao zoud(^ mog(>n tondoivn, daerin traffiquoron en laten doon, so als den Staat mogto eomon te vereijschen, sondor d' minste vexatie. Ten derden, dat hij Prince Sclmcher alio andere vrcmd© Eiiropeische natien, die hiin in tijden on wijlo op 't voors district sonden mogen comen ter neder to slaan, met zijn niaeht sal daervan tragten te drijven en verjaogon, niet gedoogendo dat deselve elders mogten komen te timmeven, bouwen on possideron, onder wat schijn en pretext zulx ook zondo mogen geschieden, veel min dat eenige Ilottentosen buijten dese Ligno zijnde, tsolve off diergelyx te doon zouden mogen practiseren. Ten vierden, dat hij on zijne naecomelingen ton onwigen daegs sullen wesen (?n blijveii 's Comps goede vrunden en niiobuoren, mitsgaeilers \'ijanden van alio d' geeno, niomand exempt, die deselve en haere onderdaenen off dersolver goederon eenigsints soudon raogon beledigen be8»'haetligen en olfonsoron, alio desulke werendo, resisteren en afbrouck doendo, so voel en waer zij zuUen kimnen on vormogen, Ilolponde on adsisterondo n, ook hem on zijn volcq veijlich on ongomolostoert laten panseron en ropasfloron door 't gebiot van d' E: com])" worwaorts zij niogtcn goiiogen zijn mits zulx niot on Htrocko tot haere off hiioror dionaron proju«licio, schaode, of^ ongonmck. Endo off hot geviol dat dc voors: ]>rincr Rclmchor mot zijne bondgonoten in zijn(» \Tijo Lajidon van andere llottontose nation API'ENDIX. ;i:U desselffs vijanden soiulo mogon worden Leoorloogt eiulo daoriiij't verjaogt dat hij mot zijn ningt en voo tot in hot district on 't land van d' E: Comp vrijolijk zal mogon aftcomon, als wannoor hom dosolvo dai>rin hijstant doon, liem besoliennon on dossolffs vijanden resistoron zall. Entle iu cas datter onder d' llottontosilie bandtgonoton enige questio . Aldus gomorokt by don ]»rinH, X SCllACllEK vooi-b. (L.S.) Aornout van Ovcrbrko, (L.8.) Albert van Brciigcl, (L.S.) Coonrad van IJroitonbach. (L.S.) J. Coon. AldiiM gomorokt bij 'TTACllOU X naest Mij presont, IL Cnidop, Soo. oorste persoon don prins. 4. School Ilogulations for Slavo Cbl^lren :— Do II(M«ro (jod en hot wolvaron van do lloog I'Molo Oroot Aohtbaro Heoron IJowinthebboron van i\o I Conipagnio zij do hoogsto wet. 3:J2 rnKONiri.Ks OF (MM-; comm andkhs. Voor deu Schoolmeestor : — 1 Dat liij hom snl scliick'^'i te wosen uroeittc smorgous ten F* uuivn eii ac'U Tiirnkkg^s tot 4 ii .rt'!>, 2 Dat liij ho '^' lori.d)s {woeiuijnl telkons sal vorhoorou. '{ lla : aI? CliriHtolyke zeedon en nianiorou leeren, goen ijiiiad of vriiij-rcekeu duldon. 4 Alio andore slaven of Duytsen in do school nict toclaton. 5 iiuar Zondags na dc kcrk achtor iia volgon, do vragon van hot I loidolborgse Catochisimis off van hot kort bogrip oik nn li<';jfrii» tAsccmaal alio woekou AVocuHdags on Zaturdags dotsn boantwoordon. () De moordore looron psalm singen, bohrijven ou hare ordimuiho gobedon dagolyx doon opsoggon, 7 Gecn blanko kindoru on zullon in do sohool luiugonomon wordon. Voor de kindoron : — 1 Dat hiu'o oudors haar oni gono oor/akou van do sohool zullon vormf)gon af to houden. 2 Dat /ij haron nioo8t«»r gohoorzaanihoid bowijzou zullon. 3 Dat zij of)k do Kd Aoht: Ucht C<»niniandour on alio andoro lagor rodikant 'J maal tor weeko do sohool zal visitooron on vornonion hoo zij al vordoron. I') July, 1085. Al'l'KNDlX B. Tho following KoturnM for iho yoai-H 177S, 177!>, and I7H(I are givon for tin- i)ur)M»M> of onnipariHon vviih thoHo of a oontury oarlior, Tln« v(tortH of HITS, l<;r!», and \(')X^^ W(-ro liniitod to a Muall (jiiantity t 1 soal oil,)' f»»w ox hidoM and Hoal Bkins, and a ft'W tuukH of ivory, Hont to Indiu, • v;'jm;xi>ix. Bi-yrvix OF Ships that called. ;i;33 Nat'oxality. 1778 1 r;7» . 178<* 1 i Dutch E. T. CoiniMiiiy . . English Fr.-^nch Da- ish Othor .. 62 27 20 8 3 1 46 27 20 11 6 46 21 28 6 Total 12!) ..» lOfl Exi'ouis OF rnr. (Jolony. 177S lUilUA uno I77tt Ot lutms •1 lUimn 17m) 60 liniiiR M iiiiniH 'KK>'r> IfgglTH. oiin l.'l-JIfggl'IH . )((> IcgglTM !M(» lt»f;g.'|-M . 'I'M IcffglTH . lo,7()0 iiiuids lO.l.JO in.iiils t:i7 iniiiH. 10,020 llm. . . I2.H0J llw. . , Ill' l:{.i)IM)ll)H. . Noni' . . •X) llm. l7.2Hillm. .. 7.H2I n.H. Uf ',).\m Um. . . ;{.om;j lit*. ill- 000 ills. ' Vr.tl.- <'IS1 iiiuids 120 iMuiils The inuul wan cumituUHi at l«iO lbs AiuHtonliim wi'i^'ht. UI FOUR SHORT TAPERS UPON SUBJECTS CONNECTED WITH THE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S GOVERNMENT AT A LATER I^^nUOD. Reimunted fuom C(»i,<)ma[. Peiuodkals. I. A FKW LkvVKS or TlIK .Sti;LI.KMI()S( H Ur.COKDS. 'I'm-', village of Slcllciibosch, tho first countrv soat of magistracy f(»rmt'(l in South Afri'-u, posst'swcs in its rt'cnnls ii troasurc that ought to satisfy thn dcniands of the grt'olicst aiiliijuary. Scores of volumes of manuscripts, proceedings of the llonourahle ('olloge of Lauddrost ami I leemraden, resolutions of the Hoard of Militia, letters in packages, great hundlea of documents of various kinds, are all to ])e found in a l»aek room of the puhlic offices there. This rich mine of Iiistoricnl wealfli is at the present day guarded, as well as cireumwtances iiermit, hy the very worthy gentleman who oceupi<;s the seat nf the landdrosts of old, hut it was not always watched with suoh tender and loving care. There was a time when any one who chose couM walk away with a volume uniicr his arm, and there is a ^tory told and generally he'liovod that some of ihe old(>st documenis were once ised to kindle a fire with. In eon»e(|uenee of this neglect, whioh arose from ignorance of their great value to the South Africa of the futiire, tho records are not hy any nn-ans so complete as they should ho. They do not form a continuous chain, hut are hrokeu uj» into defaohod links. hut though the series is not complete, it is of such value that it makes one feol \inoasy to ft(»o it exposed to loss by flro. A huilding can he replaced, a village can he rchuilt, hut suc.'h docu- m"nts as these if once io.st ean never he r<'covered. They are nearly all written in a cli>ar and heaiitiful style, for in tho.se olden days good handwriting was considered a necessary (lualificatiou for a secretary. 'J'he .lufographs of (rovernoi-s Simon van into fashion, and some of these ap- (iittieult to nuike out. The spelling is less p(>rfect. In ;h<< first place, -oine of the seer(>fanes were foreigners, and in tho next, the ride^ for spelling wore not fixed by the I>ufch themselves 338 A Fi:W I.EAVKS OF TIIK STF.LI.KNHOSCH UK<"ORl)f». hoforo ihc commonooniont of \]\o prcsoiit oontury. ^raiiy foreign words, no long'cr used l»y Dutch writers, are found in tlu'so docu- ments. Nearly all of them are English, hut there are a few j)hras(>s in Lalin so simple that one ncfd not have studied anything more dillicidf than \'ali>y's I)ili'ctuH (o understand th(>m all. ]ieyoud the occasional use of MoTisicur and Alessieiu's during the latter half of lust century, Fi'encli W(mls ar«^ not found. The length of the sentences is very great. Sometimes a whole ])age is written without a single full sto|», and the exact id(»a which the writer intcndcfl to convey is not always immediately apparent. Short, jtithy ex[)ressions are unknown. The district accounts are ver}' eom[>leto. They were kept in rixdollars, gulden, schellings, and Btiv«>rs. The Capo guidon had not th(» same value as that of tin- Nctheilands. Here, as in India, three* gulden were etpial to one rixdoljar, or a gulden was of the same value as one shilling four jtence and two thirds of a jienny of English money, it hore tie- same projiortion as long as the nanu' even was used in South iVfrica, for when in lS'i."» th(» value of the papi'r ii\d<»llMr was hxcd at one shilling and sixpence Knglish silver, a gulden was commonly spoken of as eijual to sixpence. Let us ni»w look at a few docunuMits hearing the dales of ir I'J, '•), 4, and '">. In them wo can see the ]»riccs current, and some other parliculiirs intei-csting to fanners, and we can also loam how the villages of ^lalmeshury and Tulhagh had their origin. In those days the tanners were ohliged to accept the East India C'oin]»any's own prices for evei-ything tli(>v (>ould not sell to the masters of | ssing ships or to the residents in ('a]>e Town, for there was no other exporter than the govcnuncnt. I'nces were therefore always low, sometimes so low that fai'iu ]iroduce hrought litthj more than the cost of transport. Thus in 17 14 the jn-ice of wlicat was reiluced hy order of Ihe Indian Authoriti<"i to seven gulden (!>s!((l) the muid of one himdred and nint>ty Dutch pounds. 'J'hereupon 8onu» of the n»ost suoslantial farmers assemhled at St(>llenhosch to confer witli the Landdrost and lleemraad, anavour to ohtain a more reasonahle price. Tin* sealo of wages then paid, and the prices ((uoted, will show the pecuniar}' condition of the eorn-farmers anil stock-hreed(>rs. The ordinary woik of th<' corn-farmer was perfoiniod by his slaves, hut at harvest time ho reipiired more labourers. Thone he obtained by hiring slaves from the townspeoph', and paying for A I'KW I.KWKS (»r Till- :h oooaHionallv an inferior workman conld !)»' hircil ut t'i a month. It is evich^it that attiT iiayin;,'- wa^'ps nl tliis rato, and dnhieling the Company's duos, farmers oould not alford to sell wheut at !>s!ld tho muid. On tho oooasiou referred to, thi? Jianddnrst and lleomraad camo to t\w game eonehision, for they resolved to request the Governor and Council to petition thehij^h Indian Authorities to raise the priee of wheat delivered at ihema^nizine in Cape Town to 1 In Id thcMuuid. A dispateh f;(jm Jhitavia of June 17io slunvs tiuit tin* request was aeoeded to. Tho priee of hiiteher's meat is also mentioned in these old rooords of the resolutions of Jianddrost and Tleemraden. Thus iu Deeoniher I74'i, permission was given to the Ihu'ghor Peter AVion to o]icn a hutdior's sliop in the village of Stelhuibosch, on tho following' conditions. Kvi-iy Wednesday and Satiu'day ho was to offer for sale good wholesome fresh mutton at the rate of two peiipe per single ]»ound. or sixpence for four pounds, and to refuse no one at that price. Four times a year he was to olfor beef for sale at the flanie rates. Failing tlieso conditions he was to pay a tine of t'o to the deacons |'oi- the l)en»'lit of the poor. One source of trouble to the lianddrost and lleomraad at this time was that some of the burghers wert^ in tho habit of grinding their corn with han Honourable Colh^ge anticipate(l nf)thing less from this custom than a s(n'ious decrease in the ]>rico paid for the l(>as(^s of the ]ml)lic mills at Stellenbosdi and Oraken- slein, which carried with them the exilusive |»rivilege of grinding all tlu' corn consumed within llxod liniits at certain stated charges. Tho district was then receiving 4' I '20 l;}8 Id a year for the lease of each of th(>so mills. Yet the mend)ers of the board were v( ry willing to assist their fellow burghers, if it could be done without alfecling the revenue, anetitioned the II onotu'able College to be allowed to grind sullicient corn for the use of his househohl with a small watermill which he had erected on his farm. His ro- ipiost was acceded to, upon eonditicm that he should pay to tho miller of Stellenbosch the same fees us if ho had his corn ground A -I IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 2.0 1.8 U ill 1.6 P 7 (^ /a W > •> W Jh 4> Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872 4503 V V \\ ^9> y O^ ^ '^,* •^^ '^ ^ :\ \ 340 A FEW LEAVES OF THE STELLENBOSCH RECORDS. at the district mill, and that this permission should not form a precedent. In January 1743, the Baron Gustaf Willem van Imhof, Governor General of Netherlands India, called at the Cape on his way to Batavia, and was installed here with much ceremony. He instituted an enquiry into the affairs of the settlement, the result of which, so far as regards churches and schools, must have been very unsatisfactory, for in a formal document he has left on record that the residents in the country districts could better be compared to an assemblage of blind heathens than to a colony of Europeans and Christians. He consulted the clergj^men Francois le Sueur and Willem van Gendt, who informed him that the carelessness and ignorance "which he so much deplored were attri- butable to the population being scattered about in remote districts. Up to this date there were only three churches in South Africa, namely, one in Cape Town, one in Stellenbosch, and one in Drakenstein. Thereupon the Governoi- General called the members of the Council of Policy together, and issued certain instructions. Two new ehm'ches were to be erected in the outlying districts with as little delay as possible, and at each were to be stationed a olerg^mian and a catechist (zirhrnf rooster), the last of whom should also act as a schoolmaster. The clergymen were to be detained from the first Indiumen calling at the Cape with chaplains on board. A catechist was also to be sent witliout delay to labour among the scattered inhabitants beyond the Breede liiver. The catechist were to be selected from the most competent persons in the settlement, and were to undergo an examination as to their qualifications by the Cluu'ch Council in (-ape To^vn. The places selected for the new churches were the sites of the present villages of Tulbagli and Malmcsbury. The site of the first was selected as the most convenient place of meeting for the farmers occupying the country on tliat side of Hiebeek's Kastfel, the Land of Waveren or present Tulbagh Basin, the Wann Bokkeveld, and the valleys of the Hex and Upper Breede rivers. It was beyond tlie first range of mountains, but it was accessible by a road over the old Koodezand Pass. This ])as8 is not far from the ravine through which the Little Berg River fiows, and where tlie railway now enters the Tulbagh Basin. The course of the old road can still be clearly traced, and a formi- dable rock that nearly blocked up the ]iassage is yet an object of interest to the inhabitants in the neighbourhood. The rock is A FEW LKAVES OF THK STKl.l.ENnoSCH RECORDS. .341 called the Preekstoel (Pulpit), and it is said to hiave obtained its name from the shouting to the oxen mingled with the imprecations which were always heard when a waggon passed it. Every now and again the Landdrost and Heemi-aad of Stellenbosch used to spend an hour or two trying to devise some plan of getting rid of the Preekstoel, but they never succeeded in their object. Some few years after this date the Roodezand Pass was abandoned altogether, and a rough waggon road was made through the New Kloof, which is the gateway of the valley at the present day. The Tulbagh Basin presents to a student of physical geo- graphy a somewhat remarkable appearance. It is a depression at the head of an elevated valley, with a water system of its own. Lay a cane Avith a large round head upon soft ground and the im- pression made will give a good idea of its form. The hollow caused by the head of the cane will represent the Tulbagh Basin, the long narrow groove will mark the valley of the Upper Breede River. That valley has an average A\idtli of six or seven miles, and is enclosed on each side by a formidable rocky bamer. The Breede River has its som-oe in the high plateau of the Bokkeveld, and comes rushing down through an enormous rent in the furthest inland of the two ranges, at the point in our model where the depression of the cane head commences. P'own this gorge in the olden times the produce of the Bokkovelden and the Karroo was brought, though how waggons ever passed safely up and down the precipices on that road is a marvel to every one who has not seen what South African drivers can do. The gorge is now known as Michell's Pass, and an excellent carriage drive has been constructed through it. After issuing from the mountains, the Breede flows through the valley in a south-easterly du-ection, and some twenty-five miles further down meets the Hex, the next stream that finds a way through the same range.* Looking northward from the entrance to Michell's Pass, the valley is seen to expand and to continue some fifteen miles further, until at length the two ranges are united by a gi'and arch, the keystone of which is the Great Winterhoek. The district thus enclosed is the old Land of Waveren, the present Tulbfigh Basin. It is drained by the Little * The railway from Capo Town to tlio iiitorior pusses iilong thu viilley of the Borg lliver, by tlio New Kloof or clmnnd of tlio Little Uorg llivur into the Tulbagh Basin, through that ba*iin up iuto the valloy of tho Brooilo River, down the valley of the Breede to the Hex lliver Kloof, and up that Kloof iuto tho Karroo. 342 A FEW LEAVES OF THE STEI,LENI«)SIH KECOKDS. 'am I3erg liiver and its iiumoroas tributaiy rills, whose waters escape through a gorge iu the circular rim. The basin is lower than the vallej further dow^u, and the watershed between the Breede and Little Berg rivers, is merely a gentle swell in the surface of the ground. At the foot of Michell's Pass, at the present day, a mill race is led out of the Breede, and tui-ned into the Little Berg, and thus a few shovels full of earth can divert water from the Indian to the Atlantic Ocean. In this basin a site was selected along a gentle slope, where water coidd easily be laid on, and here the foundations of a church and parsonage were laid without delay. The original buildings are standing yet, the parsonage, which is partly built of materials imported from Holland, still serving the piu'pose for which it was designed. The church was repaired and enlarged in 1795, but was turned into a school-house in 1878, when a more commodious and ornamental building took its stead. A few months after the Governor General's instructions were given, a ship put into Table Bay, having on board as chaplain the Rev Arnoldus Maurits Meyriiig, who consented to become pastor of the newly fonned congregation. The first service was held in September 1743. Between the church and the parsonage gradually arose the bouses of a little village. Difficult of access and with no trade whatever, the secluded hamlet for many years had no other name than Roodezands Kerk. It was in existence sixty years before it became a seat of magistracy, and it has not even succeeded in retaining that dislinetion. No great higlnvay of traffic passes through it, for it is three miles from the railway and the mountains behind it forbid access from that direction, thus to the present day it is little more than a church centre for the farmers whose homesteads among cornlands, vineyards, gardens, and groves, are scattered about the basin. In this respect, however, it has grown, for it contains now three large churches. The Tulbagh Basin from the date of its occupation has always been regarded, not only as a very beautiful, but as a very fertile district. It excels all other parts of South Africa in the variety and splendour of its wild flowers, which in early spring almost cover the surface of the untilled ground. There was a little difficulty in selecting a site for the second clim-ch. It w^as recognised that the situation in which it would be of the greatest service was iu the centre of the district known as the Zwartland, then as now the best wl.eat prodiicing tract of A FEW LEAVES OE THE STEI.LENBOSt H KE(()KI)S. ^13 country in South Africa. But upon close inspe(;tion it was found that there was no suitable place which was not already occupied as a farm. At length the widow of Pieter van der Westhuizen made an offer, which the Council of Policy accepted on the IGth of June 1744. She received in exchange for her farm another which she had previously selected, and the congregation paid her two thoiisand five liundred gulden for the buildings. The erection of a church was then commenced, and thus the nucleus of a village was established. On the 9th of May 1745, an agreftment was made with the Rev Rutger Andries Weerman, chaplain of a passing ship, and he became the first pastor of the Zwartland* congregation. Not far from the church is one of those hot mineral springs which are found in various parts of South Africa, and which are resorted to for bathing purposes by persons afflicted with rheumatism and some other diseases. But even with the triple advantages of a central situation, a church, and a mineral bath, besides having no mountain barrier between it and Cape Town, the site was not an attractive one. The ground on which the present village stands is very uneven, and the colonists of those days were partial to tolerably level surfaces for building upon. There is no permanent stream of water which can be led out for household purposes and to irrigate gardens, the supply in summer being obtained from wells, and this was a formidable bar to growth. Further, the belief was general that the brackish soil, though capable of producing the finest wheat in the world, was unfit for the growth of trees, a matter always of primary importance in a Dutch village. This belief had some slight f oimdation, but of late years it has been put to the test, and the trees now flou. ishing in the streets of Malmesbmy and on many farms in the district prove that with industry and care the defects of the soil can be overcome. While the number of parishes connected with thv, state religion was thus being increased, dissenters were prohibited from establishing chiu'ches in which a different form of worship should be carried out. There were many Lutherans in Cape Town, and they were anxious to have a resident clergyman, but could not obtain permission from the government. In 1742 a strong petition of theirs was refused. No objection was raised to any * Tho place had no other designution than Zwartlauds Kerk until it received its present name during the goveniinent of Sir Lowry Cole. Lady Cole, after whom the village is called, v.ii.^ of tho Mnl7iici?biuy family. na A FEW I^KAVES OF THE STELLEN BOSCH RKCORDS. Lutlieran chaplain of a Danish or Swedish ship hokling service in a private house, but this was the utmost liberty that was granted. Another instance of the same kind of treatment occurred in connection with a Moravian missionary who was sent from Germany to attempt the conversion of the Hottentots to Christianity, and who established himself for tliat purpose at Baviaans Kloof, noAv Genadendal, in the district of Stellenbosch. The first mention of this missionary is found in the Proceedings of the Council of Policy of the 11th July 1737, in which it is stated that a certain person named George Schmit had come here in the ship JTidft fe Roisb/oy, with the object of converting the Hottentots to Christianity, if that were possible ; that it was to be hoped such a desirable result would be attained by the blessing of the Lord upon the means to be employed, so that those people niigh^ be brought to the true knowledge of God ; and that all possibi sistance was to be given to the said person in the prosecution of that meritorious work and for the attainment of his good object.* It was not contemplated that the missionary would attempt to foiTii a separate congregation of Hottentots with rules differing from those of the Dutch Reformed Chureli, but that if any Hottentots should be converted to the Christian faith he would present them to the clergyman of the parish for baptism. He collected together a party of Hottentots, Avith whom he labovired for five years, doing his utmost to teach them the doctrines of Christianity and the advantages of a settled industrious life. All this time he met with nothing but kindness from the Government, but when in 1742 he baptized five of his converts he was immediately called to account.' On the 4th of September of that year the matter was discussed by the Council of Policy. Schmit's authority to administer the sacraments was examined and found to be a document signed by the head of a foreign Society, which the Council ruled could not be held to have any force in South Africa. * " En dewijl met gem. bodom 'c huijs te reiisburg alliicr is coomen nantclanden seeker poi.soou geiuiiimt George Schmit met oogmoik om do liottentotteii wuaro hat mogelijk uijt het lieijden tot 't Cln-istoiulom te hekeereii, wil men lioopcn dat zulx van eon gewousclite nijtworkiug sal mogen ;^ijn, dat do liecr do middelen die danr toe znllcn werden aangewond pal gelievcii to zcegenoii, op dat die menpohen dug tot de waare kennifse Gods inogon gebragt werden, .vaaroni onk aan gem. Per/onn tot voortsetting van dat Godvrugtig work en Ijereijking van desselfs good oogmerk daar omtrent allu niogolijke behulp/.anmlied'^i zulloii In'wcofi'n \v(Tdcn." The but whic the Coun the c A FEW LEAVKS OF THK STKI.LKNHOSIH KECORDS. 345 was the I'ica. The missionary was therefore forbidden to baptize any more^ but he was advised to continue instructing the Hottentots, in which work his great zeal was admitted. The clergymen of the Cape, Stellenbosch, and Drakenstein were requested by the Council to draw up a report of the circumstance and submit it to the classis of Amsterdam for instructions. This decision seemed to the missionary to make his position if not quite untenable, at least very impleasant. In his own account, he says that he thought it very absurd that he should teach the Hottentots and send them for baptism to ministers who did not concern themselves about their conversion. But now he had to contend against popular prejudice, for his conduct caused many of the colonists to regard him as a heretic, jmd it came to be generally believed that the Moravians were fanatics who held wild views of Christianity. Under these circumstances Sohmit found himself incapable of effecting any good, and he therefore requested permission from his Society to return to Europe. He hoped that upon his representa- tions the Moravian body Avoidd be able to obtain from the Sujireme Directory a reversal of the order concerning baptism, and tliat he might return to South Africa with assistants to carry on his work. The Society acceded to his request, and on the 28th of January 17-14 he appeared in person before the Council of Policy and asked for a free passage in one of the Company's ships to Holland. This was granted, and he returned to Europe. But the Directory declined positively to pennit nny other church than the Dutch Reformed to be established in the colony, and therefore the Moravians were compelled to abandon their benevolent enterprise. In the records for these four years, as indeed throughout the whole series, are founo! various regulations regarding the preserva- tion of certain Avild animals. Among others an order was issued in 1742 prohibiting the destruction of zebras under a penalty of £10 for each offence. The remarks of the Council of Policy with regard to the extirpation of this beautiful animal, show that they could look at the question in a broader light than that of mere profit. Its presence on the hillsides, according to them, vas an attractive feature. They thought also that it could be tamed, and with a view of making an experiment in that direction, they offered a premium of £20 each for three young ones to be delivered in (kpe Town. At this period premiums were still paid for the destruction of ravenous animals, though not so large as in earlier years. By a 346 A i-'K^v lkaVes of thk stei i.enhosch recoros. regulation of the lird of November 1739, that for a lion was re- duced from £8 Os 5d to £2 Is 8d, for a leopard from £2 Is 8d to £1 OS, and for a hyena from 128 Gd to 88 4d. Half of these premiimis were paid by the Company, and the other half by the Burgher Council if the animal was destroyed in the Cape District, and by the Court of Laiiddrost and Ileeraraden if it was de- stroyed in the District of Stellenbosch ard Drakenstein. On the 7th of December 1745 a regulation was made that in order to obtain the premium the dead animal must be exhibited at the castle or at the office of the Landdrost. Previous to that date it had been paid upon exhibition of the skin, but at this time it was suspected that some unprincipled persons were bartering furs from the Hottentots of the interior. The colonists were constantly taking possession of new tracts of country, and occupying them in farms of five or six thousand acres in extent, for each of which they paid the Company a yearly rental of £5.* Upon the slightest fault being discovered in a farm, the occupier did not hesitate to abandon it and move to another fui'ther in the interior. A vast region, almost un- tenanted since its desolation by small pox in 1713, lay open before the colonists. The Governor G-eneral Van Imhof regarded this condition of things as boding no good to the future of the Eiu'opean race in South Africa. In his opinion it would tend to unsettle the farmers and turn them into a body of half barbarous nomads. To remedy the evil, if possible, and to attempt to fix the people to the soil, he issued instructions in 1743 that any one who so desired could con- vert his yearly into perpetual leasehold upon application to the Council of Policy and payment of from £10 8s 4d to £41 13s 4d according to the value of the farm. But the measure, although well intended, had no effect whatever, for no one cared to avail himself of the privilege. Every one who has visited Q-root Drak>3nstein will have heard of certain deep pits there, which go by the name of the Silver Mine. It was at this period that they were made. In 1743 one Frans Diederik MuUer persuaded the Council that he had dis- covered a rich mine there, and a large pi>i'ty of men was placed under his direction to work it. The excavations were carried on at great expense for more than five years, but on the 8th of October 1748 they were brought to a close by the Council declaring Muller * Previous to 1732 the rental was 12 lixdollars per annum, raised to 24 rds. In that year it was an m banihii '1 silver A FEW LKAVES oi- IHK STEI-L1;NH()S( H KECOHDS. •rU: an impost er, confiscatir;^ his property, and sentencing him to banihlnneut to Batavia. The resolution states that Miiller first stoutly maintained that silver was abundant there, then he pronounced the metal to be co})per, and finally he asserted that it was a very rich gold mine. At length the government caused some of the ore which he pro- diioed to be tested by competent persons, when it was found to contain only '• a very inexpensive metal which woe raixed in small quantities with other materials in casting bells to improve their soimd." In the middle of last century there were fewer European in- habitants in the whole colony than thjre are in the city of Cape Town in 1879, but so heavily did commercial restrictions press upon the community that those few objected to any increase of their nimiber by immigration. In 1750 the government called for re- ports upon this subject, and the correspondence which followed shows most clearly the condition of the country and the views of the people. The reply of the Board of Heemraad of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein is dated lltli of January 1751. In it the Ileemraden express their opinion that there were too many European families then in the country to get a good living, and that people were anxious about the future for their children's sake. They describe also the change then rapidly taking place in the old settled districts, in the disappearance of grass and the springing up of Bmall bushy plants in its stead. The Burgher Councillors went to the ver}'- root of the matter. In their reply they state they knew of no means by which a greater number of people coula obtain a living in Cape Town unless free exportation of produce was l)ermitted. It is evident that the co\mtry could never have become of much importance under the goveriuncnt of the East India Com- pany, such as that government had developed itself within the preceding half century Stellenbo-h, March 1879. If- II. A Glance at tiir Old Records of Swellendam. % The seventeenth centmy had not come to a close when the colo- nists began to make their way across the mountain barrier which separates the interior of South Africa from the districts about the Cape. They were obeying the law which governs all the people of European blood : the law of progress, the law that impels men to endeavour to improve their circumstances whenever they can. Before them stretched away limitless pastiu-es, to be had for the asking and taking, and so they crossed the mountains and chose out for themselves great tracts of land on which they made their homes. Some of thom followed the course of the Berg River northward to Riebeek's Kasteel, and then, clambering over the old Roodezand Pass, descended into the Tulbagh Basin and gradually crept down the Breede River Valley, occupying the choicest sites as they moved along. Others journeyed eastward through Hottentots Holland Kloof, keeping a sharp eye open for grassy glades and limpid streams, and whenever these were found they came to a halt. There was then outside of Cape Town but one seat of magis- tracy in South Africa. Oyer all these wanderers the Landdrost and Heemraad of Stellenbosoh legally held jurisdiction, but practically many of them were soon beyond the reach of law. The land rents, especially, were slow and uncerlf in in coming in, and as each occupier of a farm was required to pay yearly a rental equal to £5 of our money, the representatives of the Honourable the Netherlands Chartered East India Company, sitting in Council in the Castle of Good Hope, aiter a time came to the conclusion that an additional collector of revenue was necessary. To this end, in January 1744 Mr Johannes Theophilus Rhenius, previously a bookkeeper in the Company's service, was sent to the " far outlying districts beyond the Breede River," to act tlj to the select ed.l all impo| of the Secretari ])art coi officer. The Mr He; decided was to pi oldest mJ This arr year, on separatio Stellenbc Landdrof The: magistrac of the 1] Town wi Some exc was a ma' meiit teni doing so. took time agreed uj Council, 1 ground S( and otliei Mr : very pret places litl drains a i »■ Ou ti for the far increased to nizo of the d in this very of tlio Ilonr sending a dt were chosen ,1 M. the colo- ier which ibout the people of Is men to hey can. ,d for the ains and ich they the Berg ring over iami and y^ing the eastward jye open .ese were magis- mddrost ion, but of law. ling in, reaAy a of the ^rapany, a time Irevenue pophilus (ce, was liver," A 0LAN(;E .Vr the old UKtOKDS Ol' .><\VKLI.EM)AM. 349 to act there as Assistant Landdrost and Secretary, in subordination to the Landdrost of Stellenbo' -^h. lleemraden had already been selected.* But almost immediately a violent dispute arose on the all important question of the rank of the oflioials. The members of the Ileemraad maintained that Mr lihenius, being their Secretary, was beneath them in dignity, wliile he on his part contended that as Assistant Landdrost he was their superior officer. The question was rcfen'ed for settlement to the Governor, Mr Ifondrik Swellengrebel, and the Council of Policy. They decided that when the Court sat to hear judicial cases Mr lihenius Avas to preside, but when it sat to aiTange the district affaii's the oldest member of the llccmiraad present was to occupy the chair. This arrangement did not answer at all. But in the following year, on the 3l8t of August 1740, the dispute was ended by the separation of the " far outlyhig districts " from the District of Stellenbosch, and the elevation of Mr lihenius to the full rank of Landdrost. There Avas as yet no place selected for the seat of the new magistracy, and for a time tlie Court met at the residence of one of the Heemraden. The members of the jovernment in Cape Town wisely left this to bo arranged by the local authorities. Some excellent sites were already occupied as farms, and though it was a matter of no great difficulty in those days to eject a govern- ment tenant, it was in this instance considered advisable < > avoid doing so. The Board of Landdrost and Ileemraad pr' dently took time, and only after much inspection and discussion wa; te agreed upon. Application was then made to the Cover id Council, by whom the necessary permission was given to use .ue ground selected for the purpose of erecting thereon such houses and otlier buildings as might be needed (2'3th October 1746). Mr Rhonius and the District Councillors certainly chose a very pretty locality. From the Langebergen issue at various places little streams of clear fresh Avater, feeders of a river which drains a valley stretching from the Warm Bokkeveld to the sea. ' On the 12th of November 1743 four lieoinrailen were iippoiiitod to form a court for the far jutlyiug districts. On tlic 14th of December 1745 tlie number was iucreased to six, the reason assigned foi the enlargement of the Board being the great size of the district. At this time the boundary of the colony was undefined ; indeed, in this very year 1745 it was stated by the Council of Policy to be " where the power of the Honourable Company ends." Half of the lleemraden retired every year, after s(>Tiding a doul)le list of names to the Council of Policy, from which list their successors were chosen by that body. 350 A or.ANCK AT THK OLD HKCdRDS OF SWHI,I,KM)AM. % Uuo of those streams which, for waut of a more original name, was oalloil the Cornlands Eiver, winds through a dell some miles in length before it luiites its waters with those of the Breede. Hero, with the mountains close in front and rich soil capable of being iii'igated around, a Drostdy and otlier necessary buildings speedily arose. At the present day the village, with its scattered houses and gardens on each side of a single winding street, extends quite three miles along the vale, but in those olden times the population was decidedly rm-al rather than urban, and hence many years elapsed before it could fairly be called more than a handet. It received a name in 1747, as on the 2tJth of October of that year the Council of Policy decided that the far outlying districts should thencefoiih be known as the Colony of Swellendam, and in conformity with the usage of the time the seat of magistracy took the same name as the district of which it was the centre. The district of Swellendam comprised the whole countrj- bordering upon the sea from the Breede Uiver eastward as far as there were European inhabitants. For some years after its fomia- tion the Bushman's River Avas considered as its boundary in that direction. In this enormous expanse of territory the farmers were thiidy scattered about, and were almost entirely cut off from a knowledge of what was going on in the outside world. They were living under a government which prohibited free commercial inter- course. They w(n'e slave owners, and the nature of the slave code was such that a less humane aiid religious peojile would inevitably have been turned into barbarians under it. The price of every- thing was fixed by law, even to ])utting a spoke into a broken waggon wheel. These are not mere assertions, for the documentary evidence upon which they rest is beyond all contradiction. The Cape Colony was in these respects perhaps no whit worse than many of the iiiost advanced Em'opean countries, but that does not make the contrast between the middle of the eighteenth and the close of the nineteenth century in South Africa any the less striking. Some of the sentences recorded and carried out in those days were so brutal, so horribly ferocious, that one cannot read them without shuddering. They cannot be written down A\'itliout a sense of pain, or thought of at all Avithout a feeling of gratitude to the merciful God that those times have passed away. Some of the laws, however, may here be quoted to show the spirit of that age. In 1744 a proclamation of the G-overnor and Council was issued, in which the price to be charged by waggon- lie, was miles in Here, f being speedily houses ds quite pulation y yeii's det. It liat year districts 1, and in igistracy e eentre. eountry as far as 8 fonna- f in that lers were \ from a ley were al inter- ave code evitably f every- broken lentary X\i worse )ut that fhteenth any the Id out in cannot ;n down leling of Id away. lie spirit I Council mggon- A GLANCE Al' llIK ()l,l) RiaoilDs OF SWKI.LKNDAM. ;i51 makers and blacksmiths for every part of their work was nunutely fixed. In 175'} a law was enacted concerning tlio sale of ivory. The East India Company had been anxious to procure a large (piantity of this article, and had therefore raised its price, but without any increase in the number of tusks brought to their warehouses.* This circumstance led to the suspicion that the burghers were by some means managing to sell ivory stealthily to the captains and crews of such vessels as from time to time put into Table Bay. In 1750 such practices were forbidden, and the price was reduced. Still no more ivory came in than before, and lience the new law. It fixed the price of prime tusks at a sum equal to one shilling and five pence of oiu* money per pound, and stated that infisrior tusks Avould bo paid for in propoiiion. Any one detected selling or disposing of ivory in any maimer or to any l)erson whatever, except to the llonoiu'able Company, should pay a fine of £69 9s 2d, plus £0 18s lid for every tusk so sold, and be immediately^ sent from South Africa to Europe. The pm-chaser should be punished in the same manner. Any sergeant, corporal, or soldier of the patrol who siiould throiigli want of proper dili- gence allow as mucli as a single tusk to pass the barrier by day or by night, except to the Company's magazine, should be severely whipi)ed on the bare back, be branded, and ser-ve ten years in chains. But it is in the slave code that the wide difference between the spirit of those times and these in which we live is most ob- servable. During the long period that had elapsed since the first appearance of the Dutch in India and Afi'ica, the views of Europeans with regard to African slavery had been gradually changing. At first blacks were enslaved on the plea that they were heathens, but a profession of Christianity sufficed to free them and place them on a level in civil rights with their former masters. * I\^ry wna ulwnya in demand by the East India Company, and elephants in oon- soquouco were already nearly exterminated within the settled districts. In July 1737 elephant hnnting towards Knffirland was proliibitod, owing to a serious quarrel between some natives and a party of hunters. The love of gain was, hoAvever, so strong that in the following October the prohibition was cancelled, and the only restriction placed upon elephant shooting was that cirh Imnter should pay two shillings and a penny for a license. In the license it was forbidden to molest or trade with any natives. In 17')9 the skipper of a vessel from Delagoa liay brought word tliat elephants were very numerous in the country thereabouts. Th(> government at once resolved to send some liuntcrs to collect ivory, and a vessel was despatclied with four burghers of Swellendam who offered their services. 352 A OLAXCK AT THE 01,1) UKroKHS (M" SWKI.LENDAM. .or As time wore on, it became apparent that in most instances emancipation meant the conversion of a useful individual into an indolent pauper and a pest to society. Habits of industry, which in Em'opeans are the result of pressm'e of circumstances operating upon the race through hundreds of generations, were found to be altogether opposed to the disposition of Africans. Experience showed that a freed slave usually chose to live upon coarse and scanty food in a fiUhy hovel rather than toil for something better. Decent clothing was not a necessary of life to him, neither did he need other fiu-nitm'e in his hovel than a few cooking utensils. He put nothing by, and when sickness came he was a burden upon the public. Such in general was the negro when left to himself in a country where sufficient food to keep life in his body was to be had without much exertion. Emancipation then became less common, and the view began to be held and asserted that slavery was the proper condition of the black race. Meantime slaves v/ere being constantly imported, and more stringent laws were supposed to be necessary to keep them in subjection. It was tlius that the South African slave code in the time of Grovernor Tulbagh, the most benevolent of men, was harsher far than it had been three quarters of a century earlier. The nature of the industries carried on in the country- prevented slavery from becoming here what it was on a cotton or sugar plantation, and very few cases of extreme cruelty are on record, but the power to do with the slave almost as he chose was placed by the law in the master's hands. In the preamble of the slave code drawn up by Governor Jlyk Tulbagli and the Council of Policy it is stated that notwithstanding all the stringent proclamations that had from time to time been issued, the misconduct and brutality of the slaves was such that for the preservation of peace and good order it was necessary to collect into one Ordinance all the lows relating to slaves, and to amplify tu<=;m to meet the ciroumstant es then existing. After matm'e deliberation, the code was drawn up in the Castle of Crood Hope on the 3i'd of September 1754, and two days afterwards was published by being atfixed to the notice board witli the great seal of the Company attached to it. The second paragraph condemns to death without mercy any male or female slave who shall raise his or her hand, though without weapons, against master or mistress. The twenty-third condemns every slave found at the entrance of a church, when the A GLANCE AT THE OT,T) RECORDS OF SWKTJ.EXnAM. 353 congregation \vqs leaving, to be severely Hogged by the ministers of justice. The twenty-f(jiirth inflicts the same punishment upon any slave, big or little, found within a churchyard at the time of a funeral. The twenty-eighth prohibits more than six, eight, or at the utmost ten pairs of slaves, from following the corj^se of a dead slave to its bm-ial. The number was to be regulated according to the rank of the owner of the deceased, 1 whom a fine equal to £5 48 2d was to be paid if the rule wa.s transgressed. In many cases slaves were to be flogged at once by the officers of justice, without any trial. Such were the laws under which the inhabitants of the Cape Colony lived dming last centur3^ It would be interesting to trace the steps which led fi'om this kind of government to its natural result, the anarchy which prevailed in the district towards the end of the century, but the official records of that period have been lost.* We do not meet with them again imtil the last Landdrost under the East India Company, Mr Anthony Alexander Faure, has taken office in Swellendam. The first document of this later period that meets the eye shows that a great change had taken place. Resistance to authority was common, poverty and disorder were general. The district was hea\dly in debt : in addition to other items twenty-two thousand gulden had been borrowed from the Masters of the Orphan Chamber in Cape Town, and the interest even had not been paid for years. In 1789 the Secunde, Mr Joliannes Isaac Rhenius, and the Treasurer, Mr Olof Godlieb de Wet, were sent as a Special Commission to Swellendam to endeavour to rectify matters there. The only measure they could suggest was that patriotic individuals should lend the district sufficient money to meet its liabilities, and claim no interest for seventeen years. But the patriots of the day, if they bad the will, lacked the means, and the scheme was a failure. Many of the fanners had fallen in arrear with their land rents, which, in fact, some of them took little trouble to pay, even when the goveiTiment was willing to receive cattle instead of money.! The only other direct tax which they were supposed to * They are very complete in the Colonial Archives nt Cape Town, but this paper deals only with the Records lying in the office nf the Civil Commissioner of Swellendam. + On tlie 24th of Augui^t 1728 the govcrnmont resolved that two years rent of a farm ctmld be paid in three four-year-old oxen. The rental was at that time twelve rix dollars or £2 10s per annum. On the I8th of July 1730 this re.solution was cancelled, as no more cattle were needed. On the 27th of August 1750 the Council of 854 A GLANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OF 8WELLENDAM. pay to the Company was the tithe of all produce taken to Cape Town for sale, but they were required to pay to the funds of their own district one sliilling and five pence for every hundred sheep and one penny for every head of homed cattle in their possession, besides rates for special purposes. The poverty of the farmers was increasing, and in addition to other troubles many of them were exposed to depredations by Bushmen and Kaffirs. In 1794 the Landdi'ost and Heemraad forwarded to Government a list of names of over fifty heads of families who were altogether too poor to pay the overdue land rents, and of nearly as many more who could only pay one half. Poverty breeds discontent, especially when there is no hope of improvement without a change in the existing order of affairs. One of the prominent grievances of the time was a tax for the maintenance of a pontoon on the Breede River. Every holder of a farm in the district was required to pay eleven shillings and a penny (8 Cape gulden) yearly for that purpose, whether he used the pontoon or not. To many of them this seemed to be gross injustice, and they used very strong language about it. Theii* petitions on t}"'.s subject ■•vere strange mixtures of requests, demands, and biblical arguments. At length, in 1792, one of these petitions proved so offensive that the complainants were informed by the Governor and Council of Policy that if they did not pay the tax their farms would be forfeited and given to those who would pay it, and furthei-more the Landdrost was instructed to proFecute the authors of the seditious paper before the High Court cf Justice. One cause of the restlessness and anarchy that prevailed in the district is to be found in the fact that there was no clergyman resident there, and consequently there were no regular public religious services. The people of Swellendam were written down as members of the Stellenbosch, Drakenstein, or Eoodezand churches, but it was impossible for them to travel so far oftener than once in thi-ee mouths at the utmost. The clergymen of the Dutch Reformed Church have always exercised enormous influence over their congregations, and that influence has of course been thrown upon the side of obedience to the laws and legitimate modes of seeking redress for grievances. It was therefore unfortunate, looking at it from a political as well as a moral and Policy resolved tlmt the yearly rental of ii farm, then twenty-four rixdollars or £6, eould be pnid in tliroo foiir-year-old oxen, but tlio privilcRo was abused, and such inferior cattle W'To delivered tlmt on the 11th March 1756 the regtdatiou was repealed. A Or.ANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OK SWEI.LENDAM. 355 or £5, il such ipealod. religious point of view, that thei'e was no clergyman resident in the district. The government indeed was willing to provide a minister, but the inhabitants could not agree about the site for the ohiu'ch. The official documents which still remain in the district records give no insigjit into the immediate cause of the well- known rebellion of 1705, and the particulars of that bloodless affair are but scantily furnished in the reports of the meetings of Landdrost and Heemi'aden.* The following is the whole record concerning that subject : — 9 a.m., Wednesday, 17th June, 1795. Present : The Landdrost Anthony Alexander Faure, and Messrs Petnis Pionaar, Laurens de Jager, juraor, Hillegard MuUer, and Peter du Preez. . The following letter from the Honourable Commissioner Abraham Josias Sluysken was read and placed upon the table : — ^* Good Friends, — The unwearied cares and efforts which I have made for the welfare of this Colony and of its good and peaceable burghers and inhabitants, in the hope that it might please Heaven to make this Irnd as happy as my heart wishes it to be, are at present being hindered and distui'bed by some of the inhabitants of the Colony of Graaff Eeinet, people who appear to be weary of the quietness and good order which at all times and in all countries are the foundations of the happiness of the people, who are causing the country to become imsettled, and are endeavoming to draw their fellow burghers into the path of error and unhappiness by causing them to sign documents full of disrespectful words such as do not become any loyal subject of a State. On this account I wiite to j'ou, and require of you, conjointly and individually, to admonish and to warn all loyal burghers and inhabitants who love their fatherland and esteem good order and quietness, to avoid such like writings and representations, which are filled with words of disrespect to the Sovereign authority or the representative of the same, not to sign such, or to allow themselves to be drawn into sedition by persuasions of any nature whatever. Also by doing so those persons prevent me from promoting their prosperity and happiness, to which end God knows that no one can be more inclined than I am, — while everyone who has any complaint to make against any * The document!" on this subject are very complete in the Archives nt Cape Town, I nirftngi^ them and hnd them bound some time after this paper was written. Y 2 856 A GLANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OF SWELLENDAM. person Avhatever can bring the same before me, as my house is always open to each and every 07ie without exception, from early morning till late at night, and can be certain that I shall stedfastly consider as my first duty the administration of justice, the preservation and maintenance of good order, and the assistance of the unfortunate as much as possible." Eesolved. — That the Heemraden who are present make known the contents of this letter to the burghers of the colony, and that copies of it be sent to the absent members. Hereupon the burgher Paul Fouche with eight other armed burghers appeared at the meeting, and declared that they were sent by order of the valiant J. J. Botha, Esaias Meyer, and P. J. Delport, for the purpose of commanding the meeting not to separate, and that no one here present should absent himself from Swellendam. Upon being questioned, they also declared that it was in accordance with orders from the abovementioned that they came armed. AVhereupon the said Fouche was charged to inform the beforementioned gentlemen that on account of the militia officers being required to proceed to Cape Towti, in accordance with the signals that had been made, the Court could not remain long sitting, and . therefore they m\i.-t come at once and make known their desires and intentions. The Court having remained sitting ".ntil after midday, without the aforesaid gentlemen making their appearance, it was resolved to send the messenger to them and let them know that the Court was waiting for them. The messenger returned with information that they had given for answer that it was unnecessary for them to appear today, and requesting that the Court would meet on the foUovdng morning at eight o'clock, and that before that time no one should leave the place. The messenger was sent back with word that the Court, having received their request and orders, would meet the next morning, not at eight, but at the usual hoiu" of nine o'clock. Thursday, 18th June, 1795. Present : The Landdrost A. A. Faure, and Messrs Laurens de Jager, jimior, Petrus Pienaar, Hermanns StejTi, junior, Hillegard Muller, and Peter du Pree/,. After the members liad assembled, at their request were admitted Messrs Esaias Meyer, Jacobus Steyn, senior, Gr. F. Rautenbaoh, and J. J. Botha, whereupon they were asked by the Landdrost to declare the reasons why they had sent word to the Court yesterday, and that by armed men, that the meeting must A GLANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OF SWELJ.ENDAM. 357 not separate, and that none of the members should remove from the place. Upon which it was answered by them unanimously, that they in the name of the whole body of citizens still present had found themselves compelled to take this step, for the purpose of representing their grievances and desires, and of accomplishing these. The Landdrost then caused the respected letter of the Honourable Commissioner to be read to them, as also the minutes of yesterday's meeting, when it was further resolved to cause the same also to be read to the multitude assembled before the courthouse. Which having been done, by and on account of the assembled burghers, their grievances against the Landdrost, Mr Laurens de Jager, junior, the Secretary, and the messenger, were put forward, when these were commanded to resign their offices, to leave Swellendam, and to give over the Drostdy, the Secretary's house, and all the papers, documents, and funds belonging to the Colony, to Mr Hermanns Steyn, junior. Friday, 4th November, 1795. (Special Meeting). Present : The Landdrost ..i. A. Faure, Messrs Hillegard Muller, Petrus Pienaar, Peter du Preez, and Hermanns Steyn, junior ; besides also Jacobus Steyn, senior, Ernest du Toit, and H. A. van VoUenhoven. The Landdrost produced and read the following letter from the English Commanders to himself : — " Sir, — You will receive here>vith a copy of the capitulation by which this Colony surrendered to the arms of His Britannic Majesty on the 16th of last month. *' You will likewise receive a power from us to continue the office of Landdrost till His Majesty's further pleasure therein be communicated to you by us or any other Governor or Commander- in-Chief, and these will be accompanied by several proclamations on different subjects. For the sake of example, as well as to qualify you for the execution of the trust hereby reposed in you, it is indispensably necessary that you do yoiu'self take the oath of allegiance and fidelity as contained in the proclamation hereunto annexed, and as you are empowered to administer it to the inhabitants, you will observe in so doing to take an exact account oi them, so as to be able to transmit to us at the expiration of a month the names of those who have given this testimony of their allegiance. li 358 A GLANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OF SWELLENDAM.. " You will take the earliest opportunity of publishing the articles of capitulation, as well as the several proclamations enclosed, in the usual form, and we require you to exert your utmost endeavours to convince the inhabitants committed to your care of the benevolent and paternal intentions of the British Government, and of our earnest wish mosf. punctually to fulfil our instructions by promoting the general welfare of the Colony and the happiness of the inhabitants. You will at the same time add your best exhortations to those contained in our proclamation for the preservati'^n of good order and the public peace, and the maintenance of the hnvs, and in doing so you will assure the people of our determination to enforce and support the latter by every vigorous means which may be necessary. " His Majesty the King of Great Britain being now the only Sovereign of this Colony, you will take care that no other Power of what nature soever be acknowledged or permitted to exercise any act of Sovereignty within your district, and you will observe that the laws and all other public proceedings are in future to be executed in the name of His Majesty instead of that of the United States or the East India Company. " You will correspond with the Commander of the Colony on all matters relating to the discharge of your duty as Landdrost, giving him the earliest and true account of all such matters as shall occur in your district, which may in any wise coAcem the King's Government, the interest of the people, or the public peace. We are. Sir, Your most obedient humble Servants, " Alured Clarke, " G. K. Elphinstone, " J. H. Craig, Major-Geueral. " Castle of Good Hope, *' This 15th day of October, 1795." The following oath of allegiance to the King of England was then taken first by the Landdrost, and afterwards by all the members present, as well as by the Secretary : — " I swear to be true and faithful to His Majesty George the Third, by God's grace King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c, for so long a time .as His Majesty shall remain in possession of this Colony." The 14th of December was fixed as the day when all the inhabitants of the district should apjicar nnd take the oath. A OLANCIE AT THY. OLT> RECORDS OF 8WELLENDAM. 359 Further, Mr Hermanus Steyn was called upon to gi.e over to the Landdrost aud Secretary the Drostdy and Secretary's house, in the same good order as when it was taken possession of on the 18th of June, In this quiet and businesslike manner ended the Swellendam attempt at self government. What occurred during the time Mr Steyn was at the head of affairs we are not told, except casually that Mr Jacob van Reenen, the Commandant of the Swellendam Invalides, v/as deprived of his office. By Mr Steyn's order, one Jan Crafford, with seven armed men, \'isited the Commandant, took away eight guns, and terrified his wife and children.* On the 14th of December, Mr Hermanus Steyn is found again in his seat as a member of the Heemraad, when sixty-six burghers presented themselves and took the oath of allegiance. After this the Landdrost was able to report that perfect order prevailed in the district. How it came to pass that quietness was restored so easily is explained in a document dated only two days after the capitulation of Cape Town, and sent to Swellendam by Mr Du Plessis, who was requested to make its contents known to every one with whom he should come in contact. It reads as follows : — " The monopoly and the oppression hitherto practised for the profit of the East India Company is at an end. From this day forward there is free trade and a free market. Every one may buy from whom he will, sell to whom he will, employ whom he will, and come and go whenever and wherever he chooses, by land or by water. '* The inhabitants are invited to send their cattle, &c, to Cape Town, where they are at liberty to sell the same in such a manner as thoy may find best and most profitable for themselves. " No new taxes will be levied ; such as are at present in existence as soon as possible will be taken imder consideration, and those which are found to be oppressive to the people will be done away with. " The paper money shall continue to hold its value, but the English make their payments in hard coin. " Lastly, the inhabitants of the different districts are invited by the English Commander, if there is any subject which has not been explained to them, to choose fit persons and send them to * Full particulars are to be obtained from documents in the Colonial Archives in Capo Town. 360 A GLANCE AT THE OLD RECORDS OF SWELLEIVDAM. Cape Town, for the purpose of conferring with him upon such subject. "J. H. Craig, '* Major General and Commander. ** In the Castle of Good Hope, " this 18th of September, 1795." If this document had really been acted upon with integrity, how different the history of South Africa might since have been. But the blunders of the new administration, added to the total absence of sympathy between the rulers and the ruled, were soon to produce evils as great as any the colonists had laboured under during the government of the Netherlands East India Company. Swellendam, 8th January, 1879. ill. Kyk Tulbagh, A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF A OOOl) AND GREAT MAN. Of all the men of the past, he whose name heads this paper holds the first place in the traditional regard of a very large number of South Africans. But with maix/ even of these he has become almost like a shadowy hero, whose deeds are mythical and capable of bemg magnified indefinitely. It is only a hundred and ten years since he died, but in that short space of time tradition has become distorted, and written history there has been none. Few Englishmen know more of the man than that the name he bore has been given to a village and district of the colony. Yet his was a life which no one can study without advantage, and his a character which the best of us all might take pattern by. Ryk Tulbagh was bom in the city of Utrecht on the 2l8t of May 1699. He was of a plain, but honest and respectable family, many of the members of which had done good service for their country in time of war. Several of his near relatives, and among them in later years his father, laid down their lives on the battle field, fighting in the cause of the Fatherland. His parents removed from Utrecht to Bergen-op-Zoom while he was still an infant, and at this place his early life was spent. Here he remained at school until he was sixteen years of age, when liis friends considered him sufficiently well educated to make his way in the world. Other capital than his own good qualities and the knowledge gained at school he had none. In those days the East India Company's service offered special inducements to lads like young Tulbagh. Whatever were the faults in colonizing and ruling immense territories by means of such an Association, — and they were many and glaring, — it is beyond question that there were merits also which ordinary governments do not possess. Among these 362 HYK TULBAOH. merits not the least was this, that the Company regarded ability in its officers as so much capital to be turned to account. Its agents abroad were far more competent, taken man for man, than the civil servants of the mother country. Men of genius and intellect, of energy and mdustry, were sure of rapid promotion, while the d;illard and the idler were equally certain of remaining in the lowest ranks. Every one was obliged to enter in the same capacity, and from the same point f ' ed in the race for honour and distinction. Tulbagh entered the Company's service at a nominal rate of pay and- under an agreement for five years to do whatever was required of him, to shoulder a musket, or wield a pen, or act in whatever capacity he should be found most competent for. The Directors resolved to send him to South Africa, and in the year 1716 he bade his friends at Bergen op Zoom farewell and embarked in the ship Terhorst. He was not quite seventeen years of age when he landed at Cape Town. The lad had not been long here when he attracted the attention of his superiors by his excellent conduct. There was an earnestness in his demeanour that recommended him, and it was observed that everything that was given him to do, no matter how trivial it might be, was thoroughly well done. Even at this early age, and often thrown as he was into the society of boisterous companions, no one ever detected anything like frivolity or levity in his language or conduct. He was without sprightliness of wit, yet his obliging disposition, his utter forgetfulness of self when he could serve others, made him a imiversal favourite. No one was ever jealous when Eyk Tulbagh was promoted, but there are instances on record of his equals in rank petitioning for his advancement above themselves. Mr De Chavonnes,* who was then Governor, observed that young Tulbagh spent his leisure hours principally in reading useful books. He found, on enquiry, that the youth was a fair accountant, and that his style of composition was much better than that of many old clerks. The neatness of his papers and the clearness of his handwriting pointed in the same direction. The Governor decided that he would be of greater service to the Company in a civil than in a military capacity, and he was there of th * Maurits Pasquea de Chi onnes arrived in South Africa on the 24th of March 1714, and on the 28th of the eaiae month was installed as Governor. He died on the 8th of Soplwmber 1724. KVK TULHAGH. 363 tliereforo placed as an assistant clerk in the office of the Secretary of tho (Joimcil of Policy. This was in the year 1718. The change was beneficial to tho young man in several ways. It fixed the groove in whicli his lifework was to lie, and enabled him to concentrate his energies in that direction. It gave him a slight increase of pay, which he much needed, and it afforded him greater opportunities for study. His memory to the day of his death was exceedingly retentive, and it was at this period of his life that he laid by much of that great store of knowledge which those who came in contact with him half a century later considered marvellous in one whose schooldays had been so short. In his new employment his first care was to make himself master of his work, and thereafter to do it in a masterly manner. The chief motor in the conduct of Ryk Tulbagh throughout his noble life, the powerful instrument which directed his every movement, was his religion. A sketch of his career without mentioning this would be as incomplete as a description of a steamer without noticing her engines. If he had not been a Christian he might have been a man of energy and note, but he would not have been tho Father Tulbagh of South African traditions. The book that he studied most and loved besit, the book whose teachings he applied to his conduct on every occasion, was the Bible. There was a peculiarity in the religious teaching of those days, and especially in the pulpit utterances, which must be here refeiTed to. Models for imitation were almost invariably selected from the Old Testament, not from the New. Of the numerous sermons and texts of sermons that have been handed down to us, nearly all are taken from that source. The power and majesty and wrath of Q-od are continually dwelt upon, and tho terrible judgments that overtake the wicked may almost be teiined a favourite theme. Under this tuition men grew up to fear Ood, as undoubtedly they ought to do, but the gentler teaching of the New Testament seems in many instances to have been uaduly lost sight of. But with Hyk Tulbagh this was certainly not the case. His conduct as well as his language shows how deeply he was penetrated by the spirit of the Oospel. In all his dealings with others he did as he would have wished to be done by. His word was ever known to be strictly the truth. His generosity and his sympathy with misfortune were so great that he often left himself without comforts, such as most men in his position would have regarded as neceriaries of life, and no one would 364 RYK TUl.BAOH. ■i* know tho reason why until some poor widow or orphan or other distressed person would give the explanation. He disliked to have his charity spoken of, and it was remarked of him that bis judgment was never at fault except in the estimation of Jiis ovn good deeds. Of these he was sure to make light. Tulbagh remained as junior until the year 1722, when he was raised to the post of chief clerk to tho Secretary of the Council of Policy and the Government Auctioneer. In the following year, 1723, upon the promotion of Mr Hendrik Swellengrebel to be Master of the Warehouses, Tulbagh was chosen to succeed him as clerk in that department. In 1725 the Secretary, Adriaan van Kervel, became Fiscal, when Tulbagh was appointed to the vacant office. He remained in it without a vote until the 16th of September 1728, when he became a member of the Council of Policy, and at the same time had a seat given to him in the High Court of Justice.* In 1726 he had been named by the local authorities a Junior Merchant on approbation, and this dignity was now confirmed by the Chamber of Seventeen. In 1732 he was further elevated in rank by having the title of Merchant conferred upon him. Thus gradually he was making his way upward in society, in every post giving entire satisfaction, and always esteemed and beloved by his colleagues. He had taken to wife a young lady who was by birth a colonist. Several of her relatives were then in the service of the E^st India Company, and among them her brother, Mr Hendrik Swellengrebel, who was on several occasions Tulbagh's immediate superior in office. He remained Secretary of the Council of Policy until 1739, when he was further promoted. The events which led to his becoming Seounde may here be briefly traced, as they will serve to throw a faint glimmer of light upon the intense darkness which covers that period of South African history. On the 3l8t of August 1737 Mr De la Fontaine retired from the office of Governor of the Colony, and by order of the Directors was succeeded by Adriaan van Kervel, previously Secunde. Under the same instructions Mr Hendrik Swellengrebel took the place vacated by the new Governor. Mr Van Kervel held the * At this time Pieter Gysbert Nood was Governor. The Secunde Jan de la Fontaine acted as head of the government from the death of Mr De Chavonnes until the installation of Mr Nood on the 25th of February 1727. Governor Nood died on the 23rd of April 1729, and on tho following morning Mr De la Fontaine again assumed the chief administration. At the recju^st of the Council of Policy, the Supreme Authorities conferred the permanent uppoiutnient upon him. "JUw, . RYK TULBAOH. 365 highest offioi in tho land less than thrao weeks, and only presided in the Council on one occasion. lie died suddenly on the 19th of Septemher. On the following moniing the Council met for the purpose of selecting an acting head. There were six meniberB present, and of these, two put forward claims to the vacant place. The Secunde, Mr Swollen grebel, based his pretensions on precedents, the custom having invariably been that upon the death of a Governor the second in command should act until the pleasure of the Supremo Authorities could be made known. It was true he had only been Secunde nineteen days, but that did not affect his position, for, as ho had been a member of the Council of Policy for thirteen years, he had ample experience. Tho Fiscal, Mr Daniel van den Henghel, claimed the vacant dignity, on the ground that he had been a Senior Merchant longer than Mr Swellengrebel. The question was then put to tho vote, when Messrs Nicholas Heyning and Christoffel Brand were found to favour the Fiscal's claim, while the Captain Johannes Tobias Rhenius and the Secretary Ryk Tulbagh supported the Secunde. Hereupon the Fiscal objected to Mr Tulbagh having a voice in the matter, because he was married to Mr Swellengrebel's sister, and must therefore be held to be prejudiced in his favour. The Secretary replied that the right to vote had never before been disputed on such grounds. He had been a member of the Council of Policy for nine years. During that time he had always voted according to his conscience, and he would continue to do so. The others maintained Mr Tulbagh's right, upon which the Master of the Warehouses, Mr Brand, proposed that as the members were equally divided and no decision could be arrived at, the lot should be cast. This was agreed to, when, the result being in favour of the Fiscal, he took the vacant chair. The Chamber of Seventeen did not approve of the appoint- ment of Mr Van den Henghel, because they considered the Secunde the proper person to assume the chief authority upon the death of a Governor. They therefore sent out instructions that he should return to his office of Fiscal,* that Mr Swellengrebel should * He remained in the colony as Fifxml until the 18th of September 1741, when he was relieved by Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshof)ni, who was sent out by the Supremo Authorities. A few months later Mr Van den Henghel returned to Europe as Commander of a squadron of four vessels. 11 366 RYK TI'LUAGH. take the place of Q-overnor, and Mr Ryk Tulbagh that of Secunde. These changes took effect on the 14th of April 1739. At the samo time Mr Tulbagh wat raised to the dignity of Senior Merchant. He had long been a member of the High Court of Justice, and now he became its President, an office at this period always held by the Secunde. After holding the post of Governor for about ten years, Mr Swellengrebel requested permission from the Directors to retire. The ship that conveyed his application to the Fatherland con- veyed also a request from the members of the Council of Policy, that if the present Grovemor were removed, the Secunde, Mr Tulbagh, might be appointed in his stead. It was the strongest testimony that could be given of the esteem in which he was held by his colleagues, but it was not needed, for the Chamber of Seventeen fully recognized his worth. At this time the East India Company was more closely incorporated vnth the State thpn it had been in earlier years, and high appointments in its service required to be confirmed by the Stadtholder. The Directors therefore nominated Mr Tulbagh as Q-ovemor of the Cape Colony, and upon their recommendation the Prince of Orange issued his commission. Mr Sergius Swellengrebel was appointed to succeed him as Secunde, and instructions were given that whenever Governor Swellengrebel Avished to leave, the new officers were to be installed. The retiring Governor, who intended to visit Europe, was to take command as Admiral of the first return fleet that called at the Cape. Despatches to this effect were read at the meeting of the Council of Policy on the 1st of April 1750. It was not, however, until the i^7th of February 1751, that Governor Swellengrebel took leave officially of the Heads of the Departments, and as he remained in the colony some weeks longer Mr Tulbagh was not formally installed before the 15th of April. He was now, at the age of fifty-two years, in the highest position in the country, with great power for good or evil in his hands. "While he had been a member of the High Court of Justice, he had been noted for the clearness of his decisions and his strict impartiality. But in that capacity he was bound to be guided by written law, and the law in many cases was unquestionably severe. Now, as Governor, he could exercise the quality of mercy, and no man ever knew better how to use this power without encouraging crime. He, a Christian, regarded by all who knew him as one of the most perfect of mortals, felt how much he RYK TULBAGH. 367 needed the mercy of his Q-od, and tried to be merciful to his fellowmen. He was accessible without the least difficulty to all who wished to see him. The humblest individual in the land could pour his grievances, if he had any, into the ears of the father of the country, and be sure of a patient hearing. If his complaints were well groimded, he obtained speedy redress, and in any case he was sure of good counsel. It was this quality that more than any other endeared him to the people. They knew that he studied their interests, that although he was their Governor he was still their adviser and friend. No man, however good and wise he might be, could ever gain the affections of a people like the African colonists, if he held himself aloof from them. It was not, however, studied policy with Ryk Tulbagh, but his benevolent disposition, strengthened and guided by his religion, that made him act in this manner. His probity was beyond suspicion, and that in an age when probity was hardly looked for in men holding positions such as his. The salaries of officers in the Company's service were small, and it was taken almost as a matter of course that all who could do so would supplement theu* incomes in any way not punishable by law. Some of the practices resorted to were perhaps harmless, but they had a tendency to lead on to real pilfering. They had further the effect of causing men to look upon commercial immorahty as after all not a very serious crime. He who became wealthy through dishonest, even fraudulent transactions was too often admired as a sharp, clever, business man, and not regarded as a swindler should be. Ryk Tulbagh set his face firmly against everything of this nature. He neither traded on his own account, nor would he pennit any other officer of the Government to do so. The fees which they were permitted to receive in certain transactions were fixed, and they were restricted from talking more. As for himself, he regulated his expenses so that he lived well within his income, and used what he had to spare in relieving the wants of others. With all his gentleness of disposition, Governor Tulbagh was the firmest of men in enforcing the laws. There was no such thing as anarchy or contempt of authority tolerated. An instance or two may be quoted as illustrations. There was a regulation by which every foreign vessel that put into Table Bay was obliged to fire a salute of nine guns, upon which the castle replied with seven. A Fi*enuh East Indiaman 363 RNK Tl'LBAOH. came to anchor in March 1754, and hor captain dech'ned to salute unless the fortress would return an equal number of shots. The Governor was staying at his country seat at Newlauds at the time, but the Secunde Swellengrebel informed the French captain, who had come on shore, that no provisions would be supplied until he conformed to the usual custom. He could get water and firewood, but nothing more. The Frenchman returned to his vessel, but disdained to fire a shot. Early in April a second French ship came in, and met with the same reception. Governor Tulbagh would not allow even a boat to go oft' to one of them. At length one of the French captains offered to fire the required number of guns for both vessels. The Governor replied that each must fire. They held out a little longer, but at last submitted, fired their gims, and were afterwards treated in the most friendly manner and supplied with as much food as they needed. In the same yeax there was a widow living in Cape Town who refueed to allow her two cliildren to attend school. The elders of the church reminded her of her duty, and the clergyman reprimanded her, but to no purpose. The consistory next reported the circumstance to the Council of Policy, and by that body she was admonislied not to bring up her children as heathens. Still she remained obdurate, maintaining her right to have the children educated or not, as she pleased. The matter came again before tlie Council, but now the Governor settled it. The widow was ordered at once to consign her children to the church authorities that they might he instructed in the duties of Christians. If she did not comply, it was added, she should be flogged. She knew well that this was no empty threat, and there- fore wisely STibmitted. In January 1762 His Britannic Majesty's ships of war Chatham and York put into Table Bay, where they received much greater assistance tlian their officers appear to have anticipated that they would obtain in a foreign port. The Commodore, Thomas Lynn, taking the Governor to be an obliging, good natiu-ed individual, who would do almost anything he was requested to, hereupon wrote a very polite letter asking that all the English seamen on board Dutch ships in the Bay should be sent on boai*d his vessel. He added, "The civilities I have already received from Your Excellency and readiness to assist us to the utmost of your power since our arrival are strong indications that you will please to comply with my request." But he was mistaken, for he met with a very decided refusal. RYK TULHAGH. 3(39 war jeived have The Tulbagh was a faithful servant of the East India Company and was deeply attached to his Fatherland, but he knew also how to maintain the interests of the people committed to his charge. A few years before he became Governor of this colony, the Free Netherlands had been involved in war with France, and had been put to enormous expense. The public finances were in such a condition that it became necessary to resort to special taxation for the purpose of raising a large sum of money. On the 29th of December 1750, the States General imposed a tax called the Fiftieth Penny tipon the inhabitants of the United Provinces, that is, every one was required to pay a single rate nearly equal to fivepence in the pound upon the value of his property of all kinds. The Governor-General, Jacob Mossel, and the Council of India, on the 20th of December 1751, decreed that the tax should also be paid by all the Europeans in the Company's Eastern Possessions. Governor Tulbagh and the Council of Policy at the Cape followed suit, and resolved Vnai to aid the Mother Country in her distress it should be paid by all persons living in this Colony. And the very first names upon the list of those who paid the tax are those of Ryk Tulbagh and his wife Elizabeth Swellengrebel. Then come those of the members of the Council of Policy as follows : The Independent Fiscal, Pieter van Rheede van Oudtshoorn, his wife Sophia Boesses, and eight children. Lieutenant-Colonel Izaak Meinertzhagen. Captain Rudolph Sigfried Allemann, his wife Alberta Meyboom, and eight children. The Issuer of Stores, Nicholas Heyning, his wife Gertruyd Vermey, and six children. The Master of the Ware- houses, Christoffel Brand, and his wife Sarah van Brakel, also for the children of Bm'gert Brand and Anna van der Byl. The Chief Salesman, Cornelis Eelders, his wife Johanna Catharina van der Poel, and three children. The Secretary, Joseph de Grand- preez, and his wife Louisa Adriana Slotsboo. In 1754 the Council of India, as a means of deriving greater benefit than previously from this colony, proposed to reduce by one third the prices paid by the Company for produce, to charge a duty of a penny a pound upon meat, two shillings and eight pence a muid upon wheat, and thirty-two shillings a legger upon wine supplied to foreign ships, and further to permit the importation of clothing materials in foreign ships upon payment of a duty of twenty per cent upon the value. The Council of Policy, guided by Governor Tulbagh, objected 2 370 RYK TULI5AGH. to all these proposals, for the following reasons. The prices of colonial produce were such that only a reasonable profit was made by the farmers, and a reduction of one third would ruin them. A duty of a penny a pound upon meat supplied to foreign ships would not benefit the Company in the least. Already foreigners were complaining because they had to pay twice as much as the inhabitants for meat, and it was this privilege of charging double prices to them which enabled the contractors to supply the Company at very cheap rates. The proposed duties on meat, wheat, and wine would drive foreigners away from the port, and upon the shipping the townspeople depended for a sub- sistence. As for the importation of clothing materials in foreign bottoms, it would hardly be wortli while to make one kind of merchandize an exception to tho general rules. The question was submitted to the Chamber of Seventeen, where these views were endorsed, and matters were left as they always had been. Under the just administi ation of Governor Tulbagh, the country people were more contented than ever before. Every man was certain of getting his dues. The petty, shameless, pilfering system often practised before and after bis time, under which the farmers were compelled to bribe the officers at the magazines before they would receive their produce and then bribe them again before they could get proper accounts, was entirely suppressed. The Governor's orders were that no man was to be put to unnecessary delay, and that no bribes were to be taken or false accounts rendered, under penalty of instant dismissal of the offender besides other punishment. The actual amount of money saN'ed by each producer may have been small, but he felt that ho was fr^ed from injustice and vexatious treatment, such as had often galled him before. This feeling induced the country people to cultivate more ground, and to bring produce for sale that would otherwise have been wasted. The townspeople gained less by the Governor's lionesty. Thej were mainly dependent upon the shipping, and when this failed they could not avoid suffering. Thus from 1757 to 1759 numerous insolvencies are recorded, until a French fleet of war put into Table Bay in want of every kind of supplies, which gave an opportunity to the residents to make large profits. In the Indies there had been of late years a growing tendency with Europeans towards luxurious habits, so that the Authorities became alannod lest the descendants of the sturdy pioneers should sink into effeminacy. It was observed that the RYK TUIiBAGH. 371 inesty. when 1757 eet of which children or grandchildren of men who had toiled with their hands to earn their food were not content unless they could ride in carriages and be waited upon by menials. The Directors did not reflect that this was inevitable in colonies where there were subject races and where the road to wealth was open, they regarded it simply as an evil that would lead to ru'n, unless checked in time. They attempted therefore to prevent it by issuing stringent sumptuary laws, by which all undue display was pro- hibited. These laws failed in their object, but while they were still on trial the Council of India sent a copy of them to the Cape with orders to enforce them here also. There was no dependency of the Company in which such regulations could have less effect than in this colony, because there was very little accumulated wealth here except in the form of farming stock. The people generally were above fear of want, but there were few who could pretend to live in luxury. Yet the Q-ovemor favoured the sumptuary laws, not only beei^use he was instructed to put them in force, but because he believed them to be good and necessary. He thought they were well adapted to form a simple, honest, manly race of colonists, to preserve the hardy virtues which had made the people of the Netherlands as powerful as they were. No doubt he was wrong according to modern political economists, but in this matter he should not be judged as if he had had the experience which has since been gained. On the 25th of March 1755, the Sumptuary Laws of India were referred to a committee to make such alterations as were necessary to adapt them to the condition of this country, and they were thereafter promulgated. They comprised such regulations as the following : No one except the Governor may use a gilded coach or one with a coat of arms emblazoned on it. No one except a member of the Council of Policy may di'ess his coachman in livery. No one may use large umbrellas except Senior Merchants and ladies whose husbands or fathers have seats at any of the public boards. There have been few men in South Africa who have done more to promote scientific researches than Ryk Tulbagh, though he had enjoyed only an ordinary school education in the days of his youth. To the real honest worker in any branch of study he was ever a firm friend. The Abbe De la Caille found him such when he was performing that astronomical work in this colony which has made his name so justly celebrated. So did the English z 2 ^ |1 ' T' :.r i 372 RYK TULBAGH. astronomers Charles Masou and Jeremiah Dixon, who were sent by the lloyal Society to observe at Beneoolen the transit of Venus on the 6th of June 1761, but who were delayed so long on the passage out that they remained at the Cape and observed it here.* Exploring expeditions sent out at his instigation brought back much additional knowledge of distant parts of the country and of the customs of the natives. The great museums of natural history in Holland were enriched with numerous specimens of South African animals and plants presented by him, for zoology and botany were among his favourite studies.! By the people over whom he was placed the Governor was regarded with more and more affection as years rolled on. Nor was he less esteemed by his superiors in India and Europe, by all of whom he was regarded as a model ofl&cer. In the year 1755 he was raised to the dignity of Councillor Extraordinary of Netherlands India, a position which gave him higher rank than that of Governor, though it did not add to his duties. In 1767 he was further elevated to be an Ordinary Councillor. He had now only two Superiors out of Europe, the Governor-General and the Director-General. In his declining years Governor Tulbagh was often laid upon a bed of sickness, when fervent were the prayers put up by the several congregations in the land that the Almighty would be pleased to spare him to them a little longer. In 1766 his life was despaired of, but he rallied, though he never recovered his former strength. At length, in the winter of 1771, he was prostrated by * They did not reach the Capo until the Ist of May. From the Governor they received all the assi.stance that hn could possibly give them. The 6tli of June wiis showeiy, but at the time of the transit tliero were no clouda over the sun's disc, ao that they were able to observe it. They remained in the colony until the 29tU of Sep- tember. t It was during the government of Mr Tulbagh that a Public Library was established m Capo Town, but it did not originate with liina. In 1761 Mr Joachim Nichola-s van Dessin, an officer of the Cape government, bequeathed to the colony hia library consisting of three thousand eight hundred printed books, many manuscripts, some mathematical and astronomical instruments, several oil paintings, &c. He ap- pointed the Consistory of tlie Dutch Reformed Church guardians of this bequest. He also left the sum of one thousand rix dollars, equal to two hundred and eight pounds six shillings and cightpence sterling, to form a capital fund, the interest of which was to bo applied to the preservation and enlargement of tlio library. The books are those known as the De.ssinian Collection, now kept in the gallery of the South African Public Library. Among them are many works of permanent value. These books are bound in wl^jto vellum, apparently the moht durabje form of covering yet invented. US. RYK TULKAGH. 3 -'11 illness which he felt was to be the last, for to other ailments was now added a painful attack of gout in the feet. His deathbed, on which he lay for eleven weeks, was one of patient suffering auj calm contemplation of the hereafter. In the afternoon of the 11th of August he appeared to be better than usual, bu. between five and six o'clock in the evening, without a struggle, his brave yet gentle spirit returned to God who gave it. He died at the age of seventy-two years and nearly three months. When it was kno^vn in the toAvn and country that Father Tulbagh was no more, every man felt not only that a prince and a great man in Israel had fallen, but that one who was like a dear and esteemed personal friend had been taken away. No man was ever so mourned for in South Africa. The members of the Council of Policy met next morning and formally elected the Secunde, Joachim van Plettenberg, to act as G-overnor provisionally, and then they resolved to go into full mourning with their families for six weeks. The townspeople did the same. The funeral was kept back until the 17th, so as to allow the people of the Bokke- veld and Swellendam to attend. On that day the town was filled as it had never been before, and with all the solemnity and state that was possible, the remains of the landsfather were laid at rest in the church. On the following day a funeral sermon was delivered by the Rev Johannes Petrus Serrurier in the church which was draped with crape. The building was filled till it could contain no more, and every face was sorrowful. All men knew that the seat which was vacant would never again be filled by one like him who was gone from their eyes for ever. The minister spoke for nearly three horn's from the text Psalm 103, verses 15 to 17. The sermon vas printed at Amsterdam in 1772, and from it I borrow the substance of a couple of sentences which will aptly conclude this paper. The merits of Tulbagh the beloved will cause him to live in the hearts of this people when the proudest inscription that could be engraved in the hardest marble would be worn away and forgotten. Long yet will, long yet must his memory remain blessed among us. June, 1881. h VTt-: IV. A HuNDiiED Tears Ago. A SKETCH OF EVENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA IN THE YEAR 1781. if^' On the 31 st of March 1781 a ship arrived in Table Bay with despatches announcing that the United Netherlands were allied with France and at war with England. The intelligence was received with alarm by the government, for the mother country no longer occupied the proud position among nations which was hers a century earKer, and it was certain that England was casting longing eyes upon the Cape, as the key to the Indian Seas. The colony was almost defenceless at the time. The East India Company was declining in power, and its troops were too few to do more than mount guard at the castle and the different forts. Its principal reliance for a long time past had been upon the burghers, but the South African militia, though nearly three thousand strong on paper, could not furnish a fourth of that number of men for the defence of Cape Town. These three thousand burghers were scattered over an immense area, covering not less than sixty or seventy thousand square miles.* Along the * In December 1769 a commission consisting of Lucas Sigismundus I'aber, Land- drost of Stellenboach, Joachim Frederick Mentz, Landdrost of Swellendam, two heemraden from each district, and the two secretaries, was sent out to lay down a permanent boundary between the two colonies, as they were called. The Zwartberg range was settled upon as a good dividing line, the country to the north being allotted to Stellenbosch -vnd that to the south to Swellendam. The comraisdion was also re- quired to insp( bho most distant farms, and report to the Governor upon the state of affairs on the frontier. Tliey reported that they found between the Gamtoos and Fish Rivers many persons with large herds of cattle, who were not paying any rent whatever to the Company, and others who were paying for a farm within the colonial limits, but who were moving about with their cattle wliere"er they pleased. They had reason also to believe that notwithstanding the placaat of the 8th of December 1739, which pro- hibited the purcLase of cattle from natives, an extensive trade with the Kaffirs was being carried on, for they found a well beaten waggon road from Swellendam into KafBrland. The Council of Policy therefore resolved,— 13th of February 1770,— that no farms should thereafter be given out beyond the Gamtoos River, that all persons then beyond that river should be called upon to return to tliis side, that all cattle found away from farms held on lease as well as all found in possession of nomads sliould be forfeited to the Company, and that in future landdroste who neglected to prevent such A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 375 frontier, east and north, they were constantly struggling to hold their ot\ti, against Kaffirs advancing like themselves with a view to permanent settlement, or Bushmen to whom thei» flocks and herds presented an iiTesistible temptation to plunder.* The men of the border considered their first duty to be the protection of their families against savage neighbours, and hardly gave a thought to the Company's interests at the remote seat of government. Further, at this time a general feeling of disaffection prevailed among the burghers of the colony. The officials, from the Gover- nor Joachim van Plettenbergt down to the humblest clerk, were acting as if personal emolument was their sole object. Many of them were shamelessly corrupt. The farmer who brought his pro- duce to the Company's magazines for sale was compelled to pay a bribe before he could discharge his waggon, and another before he received the purchase money. He could obtain no claim to land without a fee additional to that imposed by law. The head of the irregularities should be dismissecl nnd aeclared incapable of serving the Company. These resolutions, however, could not bo enforced, and on the 11th of July 1775 the Council of Policy decreed the extension of the District of Stellenbosch eastward to the Fish River, and that of Swellendam to the Bushman River. This was the result of a petition from some fanners who had previously taken possession of tracts of land at Bruintjes Hoogte. The boundary between the now portions of the two districts was referred for settlement to the combined landdrosts and heomraden, who fixed upon the large mountain range corresponding to the Zwartberg and parallel to the coast. The distiict of Swellendam 'was thus clearly defined on all sides, but Stellenbosch had no fixed limits on the north. On the 14th of November 1780 the Council of Policy decreed that the Fish River (which since 1756 had been considered the western limit of the KafBr country, as previous to that date the Keiskama had been) should be the colonial boundary, thus adding to the Company's possessions the district usually known as the ZuuiTeld. * Hundreds of instances might be given to exemplify the desperate nature of the struggle between the farnidrs and the Bushmen. It was impossible for the two races to live side by side in peace. In 1778 the Council of Policy resolved to excuse the militia of the countrjr districts from meeting for drill that year, on the ground that they could not leave their homes owing to the continual depredations of the Bushmen. t Joachim van Plottenberg was at the head of the govftrament from the death of Tulbagh until the 14tli of February 1785, when he was succeeded by Coi-nelis Jacobus van de Graaff. He was almost as much detested by the colonists as his predecessor had been beloved. A bay on the south coast bears his name, given under the following cir- cumstances : — The Governor, being desirous of seeing something of the interior of the tiuntry, and especially of inspecting the extensive and valuoble forests in Outeniqua- land, commenced early in 1778 to make preparations for a journey. Four months before he intended to leave, orders were issued to Martinus Bergh, Landdrost of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein, and Daniel van llyneveld, Landdrost of Swellendam, to have every- thing in readiness for his accommodation. On the 3rd of September 1778 he left Cape Town with two travelling and four baggage waggons, taking with him the Junior Merchant Olof Godlieb de Wet as Secretorj', the Chief Surgeon Johan Michiel Seyd as medical attendant, and the Captain Christiaan Philip von Heyden as PurveyoT and Conductor of the troin. He travelled by way of the Berg River Valley, through Roodezand Kloof, down the valley of the Breede River, past Swellendam, and onward to the bay into which the Keurboom River falls. On the 3rd of November he gave his name to the .bay, and issued instructions that a landmark with the Honourable Com- pany's arms upon it should be erected as a sign of possession. This stone is still standing. The Governor went no further, and arrived in Cape Town again on the 26tl^ of November. ■■T!j-mf- 376 A HUNDRFD YEARS AGO. government was no longer accessible to the burghers, as in the days of Father Tulbagh. In Cape Town and its neighbourhood, where the administration could make its power felt, the people were obliged to submit to the rule of men who required the door to favour and even to justice to be opened with a golden key, while in the outlying districts, beyond the reach of the fiscal's arm, the colonists were in a state little better than that of anarchy. Under such circumstances, the militia was not a force likely to be of any great service in case of an attack upon the Cape. An immediate call was, however, made upon the burghers of Stellenbosch to come to the assistance of the garrison, and on the 2nd of April a detachment arrived at the castle. It was arranged that half of the Stellenbosch militia should remain under arms in Cape Town for a month, and then be relieved by the other half, who would remain for the same period. There were several richly laden Indiamen, homeward bound, lying in Table Bay, and their officers as well as the Cape Council considered it injudicious for them to proceed upon their voyage until they could sail under the protection of a fleet of war. But as the winter was approaching they could not be kept in Table Bay, and in Simon's Bay there were no means of defending them in the event of an attack by an English fleet. Under these circimistances it was resolved to protect the entrance to Hout Bay by constructing a battery upon the western point and mounting twenty cannon upon it. Within the next few weeks the ships Batacia, Amsterdam, Morgcnstet; and Indiaan were sent there for safety. But Hout Bay is too sn^iU to contain more than four or five ships of heavy burden, and it was therefore resolved to send any others that might arrive to Saldanha Bay, which was con- sidered less liable than Simon's Bay to be visited. On the 13th of May the homeward bound ships Hoogkarspel, Uonkoop, Middcl- hurg, Paarl, and Dnnkhaarhcid were sent there, and with them was sent the Held Woltemaade, an outward bound Indiaman, that she might undergo some necessary repairs and refresh her crew before proceeding to Ceylon. Grerrit Harmeyer, skipper of the Iloog- karspel, v/as appointed Commodore of the squadron. He was directed to anchor in a sheltered position and then unbend all the sails of the ships, which he was to stow away in the cutters Zon and Snelheid. The cutters were to be sent some distance up the bay, so that they could be easily destroyed in case of necessity. Ihe Comnwdore was enjoined to make the best possible prepai'a- ■]A>i A HUNDRED YEARS AOO. Ot » tions for defence, but no means could be provided by the govern- ment beyond the ordinary armaments of the Indiaraen. The day after the intelli|jenoe was received that the United Provinces were at war, the English ship Brfs// came into Table Bay and dropped her anchors without suspicion of danger. Some French cruisers were lying in the bay, and as soon as the Betsi/s yards were lowered they sent their boats and took possession of her without resistance. Having been seized in the Company's waters, she was transferred by the French to the Governor of the Colony, by whom she was renamed the Postiljon and was sent to Ceylon with intelligence of the war. The French also seized a vessel under Tuscan colours lying in the bay, and retained her as a prize on the ground that she was really English property. There were several English visitors at the Cape, passengers by Dutch Indiamen to Europe, and others. These, with the officers of the Betsy, were sent to one of the Company's outposts, to prevent them from communicating with their countrymen. The English sailors were distributed among the Dutch ships. Seven weeks of suspense and anxiety passed away without any further knowledge of what was transpiring in the outer world. At length, on the 20th of May, a French frigate dropped anchor in Simon's Bay, and her captain reported that a French fleet with a strong body of troops might shortly be expected to protect the Cape. The intelligence was correct. As soon as war was proclaimed with the Netherlands, the English government commenced to fit out an expedition to seize this colony. Every particular concerning it, however, was made known to the French court by a spy named De la Motte, who had been for some time resident in London, and who was detected, tried for high treason, and condemned to death a few months later. At this time a French fleet was being prepared to assist in the operations against Sir Edward Hughes in the East Indies. Its equipment was therefore hurried on with the utmost expedition, and some transports were added to it for the purpose of conveying land forces to South Africa. It was seen to be a trial of speed, in which the possession of the Cape was to be the prize of the winner. On the 13th of March 1781 the English fleet sailed from Spithead. It consisted of the Rom-ney, of 50 guns, carrying the flag of Commodore George Johnstone, Commander-in-Chief of the expedition, the Hero, 74, Monmouth, 64, Jupiter, 50, Isis, 50, Apollo, 38, Jason, 36, Active, 32, Diana, 28, Infernal, fireship, 378 \ HUNlVREn YEAK8 AGO. • ,f -^ % Terror, bomb, seven light armed cruisers, two cutters and a sloop as despatch vessels, four transports, eight storoship* and victuallers, and thirteen Indiamen, in all forty-six sail. Three thousand troops, under General Meadows, were on board. On the foiu'th day after sailing a Dutch merchantman was chased by the Rattlesnake cutter, and captured after a sharp action. All went well until the arrival of the fleet at St Jago, where the Commodore intended to take in a supply of fresh water, for which purpose he came to anchor in Porto Praya Eoads. He had no suspicion of danger, as he did not consider it possible that his destination was known to the enemy. No precautions were therefore taken against surprise, but, on the contrary, the decks of the ships of war were encumbered "with casks and lumber of various kinds, and the best of the seamen were sent ashore to bring water to the boats. While in this condition, on the 16th of April some strange ships with no colours flying were observed from the Isis to be standing in under all sail, and immediately the intelligence was conveyed by signal to the rest of the fleet. There was hardly time to clear the guns before the strangers were abreast of the outermost English ships, and dropping anchor within cable's length of the Isis, the leading vessel poured a broadside into that frigate and then ran the "French flag to her mizen peak. The fleet which made the attack was under command of Pierre Andre de Suffren, Vice Admiral of France, and consisted of the Hcros, 74, Hannibal, 74, Vengeur 64, Artisan, 64, and Sphinx, 64. A corvette and eight transports with troops on board remained in the offing and took no part in the engagement. Suffren sailed from Brest on the 2nd of March hoping to reach the Cape before Johnstone. When off St Jago the Artisan, which was in advance, observed the English f^*^^, and Captain De Cardaillao, her commander, at once put about and informed the Admiral. It seemed as if fortune had specially favoured them with an opportunity to destroy their rivals. Suffren instantly prepared to attack. Captain De Cardaillao hailed him, and inquired what was to be done if fire should be opened upon them from a fort on land, as the Portuguese, the owners of the island, were neutral in the war. "Open fire in return" replied the Admiral. The EngKsli fleet was taken at a tremendous disadvantage. The Commodore's ship, moored inside the Iidiamen, could take little or no part in the defence. The smaller men-of-war were ■ i A HINDRKD YEARS AGO. 370 loop ler8, to almost useless against Buch formidable assailants, and the transpoi-ts, victuallers, and merchantmen, were in even a worse condition. The five French ships of the line were anchored to windward, and were pouring in broadsides as fast as their guns could be loaded. As th(> smoke rolled over the English fleet the enemy could not be clearly distinguished, and some of the transports in the confusion fired into the Indiamen. But the English seamen were neither idle nor dismayed. Soon after the Isis received the broadside of the Scros they were answering shot for shot, and in ten minutes from the commence- ment of the action a cheer arose from the outermost ship and was echoed throughout the fieet as the French Admiral's mizen topmast and ensign were carried away. One worthy scion of the seakings, Captain Ward of the Hero, was not content with mere defence, but resolved to become the assailant. Having got hands from the nearest ships to assist in working his guns, he boarded the Atiimn with some of his own crew, and though he did not succeed in capturing that vessel, after a desperate fight in which Captain De Cardaillac was killed, he actually took twenty-five prisoners and brought them away vdi\\ him. From these prisoners the English officers and sailors first learnt that their destination was the Cape of Good Hope, for the fleet was sailing imder sealed orders, no one except the Commodore himself being acquainted with the object of the expedition. After cannonading each other at cable's length for nearly two hours it was still doubtful which side would be victorious, when the Hannibal's fire slackened, her mizen mast was seen to fall, and almost immediately afterwards her main and fore masts tottered and went over. Cheer after cheer now went up in the English fleet, and hundreds of men stood ready for the order to spring into the boats and board the wreck. Suffren hailed the Hannibal, and asked after the condition of the crew. The captain had been killed and nearly two hundred men were lying dead or wounded on the decks, was the reply he received. There was not a moment therefore to lose, so the cables of the French ships were cut, the Hannibal was taken in tow by the Hcros, and SufPren stood out to sea. He took with him the Hinchinbroke and Fortitude, Indiamen, the Infernal, fireship, and the Edward, victualler, which had been cut out and placed in charge of prize crews. Johnstone at once gave orders for the ships of war under his command to follow the enemy. But some of them were quite 380 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. unprepared for sea, and it was not until after three hours delay that they assembled outside. The Isis was then found to be crippled by the loss of a topmast and several yards, besides having her sails and rigging cut to pieces, nod two or three others had sustained injuries which needed prompt attention. Meanwhile the French fleet was increasing its distance, and as night was setting in the Commodore judged it expedient to abandon pursuit. In the action at Porto Praya the English loss was only forty- two killed and one hundred and forty-one woimded, that of the French was somewhat heavier. Both suffered more in material comparatively than in men. Several of the Indiamen were badly cut up. The Terror, bomb, lost her bowsprit and foremast, she then caught fire, and her cable parting she drifted out to sea, but managed to get back in the night. The Hinchinbroke, Fort mule, Edicard, and Infernal were made prizes, but none of them remained under the French flag. The first three were so shattered that the prize crews abandoned them, and they were all recovered within a few days. The Infernal was retaken by her own crew while the captors were ofP their guard. Twenty-one Englishmen, however, had been removed from this vessel and remained prisoners in the Heros, against whom, on the other side, must be counted the twenty-five Frenchmen carried off by Captain Ward from the Artisan. Suffren, after the action, made the best of his way to the Cape. Jiu'y masts were fitted up in the Hannibal, and as the wind was generally fair, a quick passage, under the circumstances, was made. On the 21st of Jime the Heros arrived in Simon's Bay in advance of the rest of the squadron, but within a few weeks the transports 'came in and the troops were landed. They consisted of a company of French artillery, a Swiss regiment in the French service, commanded by Colonel De Meuron, and a regiment of French infantry, commanded by Colonel Conway, an Irishman by birth. These troops were marched overland to Cape Town, where they at once set to work to put the fortifications in order. At this time food was scarce, as a large quantity of grain and wine had been sold to foreigners after the last harv'est. The prices asked by those who had provisions to dispose of were 'onsequently higher than usual. Ilcreupon the Council of Policy invited the acting and retired burgher councillors to form a committee with two government officers to draw up a scale of A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 381 prices which should be adhered to while the war lasted. It does not seem to have oocuiTed to any of them that fixing a maximum would assm'edly prevent the farmers from cultivating as much ground as they would do if permitted to sell for whatever they could obtain, and that it would therefore tend to make food less plentiful. The committee proposed as a maximum : wheat to strangers not higher than twelve shillings and six pence a muid, meal sixteen shillings and eight pence the hundred pounds, wine to strangers nine pounds seven shillings and sixpence a legger (of which one pound and eight pence was to be paid to the licensed dealer), wine to inhabitants twenty shillings and eight pence the half aam, beef two pence a pound, and mutton a penny a pound. To this scale the Council of Policy agreed, and all persons were prohibited under heavy penalties from selling at a dearer rate. To prevent intelligence being conveyed to the English of the condition of Cape Town before the arrival of 'the French garrison, two Danish Indiamen, homeward bound, that put into Simon's Bay for supplies, were detained there, as it was feared that they might either touch at St Helena or meet with strangers at sea. The Hehl WoJtemaiulc, liowever, having completed her repairs, was permitted to sail for Ceylon. On the moniing of the 22nd of July a report reached Cape Town that a fleet of thirty-three sail was in sight ofP Saldanha Bay. The Burgher Lieutenant Van Reenen was thereupon hurried off with a troop of moimted men to ascertain particulars, and a messenger was despatched to Ilout Bay with orders to the skippers of the vessels there to retm'u at once to Table Bay, to keep close in shore on the passage, and if attacked to run their ships aground and destroy them. Lieutenant Van Reenen had not proceeded far when lie met a company of sailors who informed him that an Englisli fleet was in possession of Saldanha Bay. As soon as Johnstone could refit his ships after the action at Porto Praya, he had sailed for the Cape, which he still had some liope of reaching before Suffren, as he thought it likely that the French Admiral would be compelled to put into a Brazilian port to repair his damages. This being doubtful, however, when near his destination he sent the Ariirr on ahearl, for the purpose of reconnoitring Table Bay. Soon after parting from the fleet, a strange sail standing to the southward was observed by the Actiir's lookout, upon M ,^Ml 382 A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. which Captain Mackenzie hoisted French colours and ran towards her. It was the Held Woltcmaade, just out of Saldanha Bay, Being hailed in French, the officers of the Indiaman were unsuspicious of danger, and they gave full information concerning the arrival of Suifren and the condition of the five ships they had recently parted from. Captain Mackenzie then hauled down the French flag and demanded the surrender of the WoUemaade under pain of instantly sinking her. She was given up without a blow. On taking possession the captors found in addition to a valuable cargo a sum of money equal to forty thousand poimds sterling, which was intended to aid the government of Ceylon. The Active immediately returned with her prize and reported to the Commodore, who, upon learning that the Cape was now too strong to be attacked, resolved to make himself master of the five Indiamen. At half past nine on the morning of the 21st of July, a signal was made from the look out station at Saldanha Bay that a large fleet under French colours was in sight and standing straight in. An hour later the leading ships were within the entrance, when they hauled down the French and hoisted English colours. According to their instructions, the Dutch officers should now have destroyed their ships, seeing that defence and escape were alilce impossible. But the skipper of thj Middclburg was the only one of the five who had taken the precaution to have a quantity of inflammable materials in readiness for such an occasion, and the consequence was that although all the ships were hastily set on fire and abandoned, the English sailors got possession of the Hoogkarspel, Honkoop, Paarf, and Dankhaarhcid in time to extinguish the flames before any material inj iry was done. As for the Middelhurg, no exertions couid save her. The fire, kindled in the lower hold, poured volumes of smoke and flame through the hatches of her main deck, so tliat it could not be got at. It had even made its way between decks by the time the English boats were alongside. Only one English sailor went on board the burning ship, and he went, on a mission of mercy. In the haste of abandoning their vessel, the crew of the Middelbnrg had neglected to release two prisoners of war who were confined in her, and the cries of these unfortunate Englishmen were heard through the open ports. A gallant sailoi- climbed on board, descended fi'om the upper deck, made his way to the prison through smoke and flame, and released his captive countrymen. A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 383 ■were All tliree then threw themselves out of the portholes and were picked up by the boats, but the brave rescuer was so badly burnt that he lost the use of one of his arms. At length the fire reached the ship's magazine, and an explosion took place which hm-led chests of tea and bales of cotton goods together with fragments of timber high into the air. A moment afterwards what was left of the hull sank to the bottom, but as the water was shallow the remains of the cargo were easily recovered some years later. There was ample time to destroy the Zon and SnelJmd, which were lying at anchor a long way up the bay, but their crews abandoned them just as they were, and thus the captors obtained possession of all the equipage of their prizes. At Saldanha Bay two Indian princes were found, who had been banished by the Batavian government from Temate and Tidor for political offences. These exiles were released from captivity, and were received as guests on board one of the men-of-war. In two days the Indiamen were got ready for sea, and on the 24th the fleet sailed, leaving nothing afloat behind but the two empty cutters. The main object of the expedition having been fniStrated, Commodore Johnstone resolved to send the troops on to India and to take a portion of the fleet back to Eui'ope. He therefore placed Captain Alms in command of the convoy, for the protection of which he left five of his best ships of war ; and with the Romney, Jupiter, DiatDi, Jawn, Terror, Infernal, one Hght cniiser, three victuallers, aid the Dutch prizes, he stood away for England. While tiiese events were taking place on the western border of the colony, the eastern frontier was the scene of hostiUties with the Kaffirs. The Imidauge, then as now the most restless and prone to robbery of all the Kaffir clans, together with some others an enumeration of whose exact titles would only cause confusion. Crossed the Fish River under their chiefs, and spread themselves over a large tract of country on this side. They had done the same thing in the preceding year, when they were driven back by burgher forces under command of Josua Joubert and Pieter Ferreira, Adriaan van Jaarsveld, a man very well known in later days, was at this time Commandant of the Eastern Frontier, and no one in the colony was better qualified for the post than he. Accustomed from his earliest boyhood to savage warfare, com- pelled to be ever ready to defend his family and his flocks from ■•iii .'■^. -Ml 384 A HUNDRED ^i rs AGO. Bushmen marauders, he knew exactly how to act in such an emergency. He raised a commando of mounted farmers and Hottentots, and leaving the women and children in laagers* with a few men to protect them, he first endeavoured to persuade the intruders to retm'n to their own side of the boundary, and when that was ineffectual he fell upon them and smote them hip and thigh. The spoil,— -five thousand three hundred head of horned cattle, among which, however, were many recently taken from the farmers, — was then divided by the Commandant among the members of his force, and when all was over he sent a report of what he had done to the Landdrost and Heemraad of Stelienbosch, whose jurisdiction was supposed to extend over the groimd where the war had been carried on. The Landdrost and Heemraad referred the report to the Council of Policy, because, as they asserted, the Commandant had acted entirely upon his own responsibiHty, without asking for their consent, and indeed without their knowing anything at all about the matter until it was all over. On the 9th of October the matter was discussed by the Council of Policy, when it was resolved that the cattle which were taken from the Kaffirs and divided among the men of the com- mando might be retained on this occasion, but that this decision was not to form a precedent, much less was it to serve as a basis for the colonists to seek a quarrel with the Kaffirs and to rob them of anything that belonged to them. It was necessary, perhaps, for form's sake, to adopt such a resolution, but the members of the Council of Policy must have seen that the actual government of the frontier colonists had wellnigh passed away from them. The necessities of the government were at this time pressing, and the treasmy was empty. On the 6th of November the Council resolved to 1 orrow from the colonists as much money as was urgently needed, to pay interest monthly for the loan at the rate of half per cent, and to promise to repay the principal upon the arrival of the outward bound fleet. This was the commencement of a system of borrowing money to defray the * Laagers are camps formed by drawing up waggons close together so ns to form circular enclosures, and filling the Bi)ace8 beneath them with thorn trees. It was not an hour's work for frontier colonists, who were then leading senii-nonmdic lives, to s( ciu'e themselves in such a fortrcps. A laager could bo defended by a few men, for the women usually assisted by loading spare guns and wlien hai-d pressed by making use of them. Care was taken t« select high ground, fi-oni which the opproachea on all sides could be swept as far as guus would cuiTy. A HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 385 ordinary expenses of government, and of issuing paper promises to pay, wliioh had very bad effects upon the colony in after years. At this period there is little on record that is pleasant to dwell upon. In the preceding year the Lutherans had at last obtained permission to have a resident clergyman of their own denomination, after repeatedly petitioning for this privilege dui'ing more than half a century. On the 10th of December 1780 the liev Andreas Kolver held his first service in the church in Strand Street, which had been erected and presented to the congregation by a wealthy burgher named Martin Melk. On the 28th of the following January the number of resident clergymen connected with the Dutch Reformed Church in Cape Town was increased to three by the induction of the Rev C. Fleck. With these exceptions signs of progress are entirely wanting, for the last thirty years of the eighteenth century form the gloomiest period in the history of the colony. BC NO' NOTES ON ENGLISH, DUTCH, AND FEENCH BOOKS, Published before 1796", Containing References to South Africa. BB 2 ■=«% Notes on Books referring to South Africa. (For the earliest works see page 318.) Ovingtoii, John : Tmre/s of. I have been unable to procure a copy of this work in the original English, the volume in my possession being a Dutch translation entitled Reysen gedaan na Suratte en andere Plaatsen ran Asic en Afrikn, published at Amsterdam in 1729. Ovington, a clergyman, saUed from London for the Indies in April 1689 and reached home again in December 1693. He called at Table Bay on his return passage, and remained here seventeen days. In the thirteenth chapter of his book, which is devoted to the Cape, he gives an interesting account of the colonists, the natives, and the condition of the settlement. His description of the Governor Simon van der Stel is of a friendly and courteous, but at the same time energetic man, who knew how to maintain his position with becoming dignity. He considered it worthy of mention that silver dishes only were used at the Grovernor's table. Ovington thought there was probably no other place in the world where such a variety of wares and curiosities could be found, as every Dutch ship that put into Table Bay brought something from Europe or India to trade with. He has made several slight errors, as, for instance, in overestimating the European population and in describing inaccurately the method of raising revenue by licenses for the sale of wines and spirits, otherwise his account of the Cape corresponds with that given in official records. Silleman, Daniel, and Thyssen, Lourens: Ongcluckig of Drocrigh Vcrhaal ran 't Sc/iip Do Gouden Buys. Enkhuizen, 1694- The Gouden Buys sailed from Enkhuizen on the 4th of May 1693, with one hundred and ninety souls on board, and on the 19th of October dropped anchor in St Helena Bay, when there were only six men capable of working, all the others having died or being ill with scm-vy. On the 11th of November seven men left the ship '«'J 390 XOTKS OX HOOKS'. with the object of seeking assistance inland. The pampiiloi, of twenty-eight pages is principally taken up with an account of the terrible sufferings which they underwent in their wanderings along the Berg Eiver until, ultimately, Thyssen was rescued by Hottentots and taken to the Company's post at Saldanha Bay, and Silleman, after roaming about for seven weeks and a half, returned to St Helena Bay and found some small vessels there which had been sent by th Governor to the assistance of the Goik/oii Bi(>/s. The remaining hundred and eighty-eight all perished. Silleman and Thyssen relate but little that is of importance concerning the condition of the country, but their account of the friendly disposition of the Hottentots towards the Europeans 's interesting. Leguat, Frangois : Do gcraarhjhe en zeldzame Reyzcn ran den Jlcore Fran^'ois Leguat met zyn hyhehhend Gezehchap naar twee Oiihewoonde Oost Indische Ei/tanden, gedaan zedert denjare 1690, tot 1698 toe. Originally written in French, but translated into Dutch and published at Utrecht in 1708. The author of this book was a French Eefugee of noble blood, who was sent out at the head of a small party to inspect and report upon the island of Bourbon, where the Marquis Du Queue proposed to establish a colony under the protection of the States General and the East India Company of the Netherlands. (This project is fully described in despntches in the Cape Archives.) The captain of the vessel, however, passed by Bourbon, or Eden as the Refugees had named it, and set the party ashore on the island of Rodriguez. There the author remained for two years, when with the whole of his party he • passed over to the island of Mauritius in an open boat. From the Commander of Mauritius the Refugees received most cruel treatment. He confined them on an islet for a long time without any just cause, but they were at length sent to Batavia, from whence the survivors returned to Europe. Leguat was at the Cape for about three weeks on the outward passage in 1691, and again for about a month on the homeward passage in 1698. In the cliapter of his book which is devoted to the Cape Colony, he gives a very interesting account of the settlement and the condition of the natives. He has made one or two notable errors, however, as, for instance, in estimating the European inhabitants of Drakenstein at three thousand souls. This traveller could find no drawback to the prosperity and happiness of the colonists, except the violent south-easters which damaged their crops. He thought the Company's garden in Table Valley was generally too ':j XOTKS OX HOOKS. -'50 I highly pvaised, as tho trees in it could not attain a great size, owing to the furious south-eastors proceeding from a mountain usually called on that account the Devil's Peak. Maxwell, John : An Account of the Cape of Good Hope. A paper furnislied to the Koyal Society of London, and published in the P/iihsop/iicdf Tnin.wt((iti Willidin I)(niipicr'.s Kcjx'f/ifion info Ihc Soiffh Svom in the ship St Gvonjc. The edition before mo is in one volume, published in London in 1720. Funnell was an otlicer under Uampier in this voyage, which lasted from 17013 to 1700, lie was at the Capo from the 3rd of February to the 24th of March 1700, and devotes seven pages of his work to a description of the place and the people. Juncker, Christian : CominentariuH dv Vita, Script ixquc ac Meritin, I//n.strin Viri Join Lndolfi. Leipsic and Frankfort, 1710. This little volume contains in an appendix an extract from the Cape Journal of 1001, and a short Dutch, Hottentot, and Latin Vocabulary. It is quite valueless to a student of Cape history, except as indicating what may have become of Wreede's Vocabulary and several missing documents of that period. IVobably they were lent by the Amsterdam Burgomaster Nicolaas Witsen, who was also a Director of the East India Company, to the Historian Ludolf, and had not been returned when Ludolf died. llogers. Captain Woodes : A Criiiniiiff Voi/age round the World, heynn in 1708 and fin'-shed in 1711. An octavo volume publffehed at London in 17 12. The author was in Table Bay from the 28th December 1710 to the 5th of April 1711. He gives an account of his observations and opinions upon the country and its people, which covers four pages, but contains no information of any particular value. Purry, Jean Pierre : Menioirr .siir Ic Pais dcs Cafres ct la Tcrre de Niiz/ts. Par raport a Putilite que la Conipaynic des Indea Oricntale-s en pourroit retircr pour .son Commerce. And Second Mcnwire nur le Pais des Cafres et la Terre de Nuyts. Servant d'eclaircissemenf aujc. propositions faites dans le premier, pour futility de la Compaynie des Indes Orientates. These treatises form a little volume of 160 pages, published at Amsterdam in 1718. The speculations of the author upon climatic effects are interesting, but there is nothing in his work that can add to one's knowledge of the countries he refers to. Kolbe, Peter : Caput Bona' Spei Hodiernum. This work, originally published in the German language at Nuremberg in 1719, professes to be a complete account of the Cape Colony and its inhabitants, European and native. Kolbe, a German who 394 NOTES OX HOOKS. I 'id V :■- '■4'': 'i*. . "'f i had recinved a tolerably good educatiou, was seut to this country by the Baron Von Krosink to make astronomical observations. He reached the Cape in June 1705. As he enjoyed the favour and patronage of the learned Bui'gomaster of Amsterdam, Nicolaas Witsen, wlio was a Director of the East India Company, all possible assistance in carrying out his mission Avas tendered by the oflicers of the Cape government. But Kolbe did not prove worthy of the confidence that was placed in him. Too indolent or too conceited for patient research, too credulous in believing idle tales, too imscrupulous to abstain from writing fancies and tenning them facts, he f^x-feited the esteem of his patrons, and after a time found himself in South A f rica without employment and without means of hving. In February 1710 the Cape Council resolved to send him back to Europe as being a person of no use in the settlement, unless he chose to become a burgher. He was saved from being deported, however, by taking service under the government. Kolbe was for a considerable time Secretary of the Court of Landd;obt and Heemraad at Stellenbosch, and a mass of records in hi-: handwriting is still in existence. That he did not make n ^^os for reference is seen upon comparing his own entries with his printed statements. In April 1713 he left the colony to return to Germany, where at the time of the publication of his work he filled the post of principal of a high school. Kolbe 's writings were the basis of nearly everything that was publislied concerning South Africa dming the next half century. To those wh^^ . an compare them Avith the official records of the time, thoy aie unquestionably of very great value, but others should be careful nc t to rely too much upon them. They are often misleading as to dates and causes of occurrences, while facts are frequently distorted, ^.nd imagination is allowed to take the place of investigation. The handsomest edition of Kolbe's work is a Dutch translation entitled Nmuirkeurige Besc/in/riiiff van de Knap do Govde Hoop, published at Amsterdam .in two great volumes in 1727. Those volumes are illustrated with numerous full page engravings and maps, and the pnnting is beautifully executed. A second Dutch edition, though smaller in size, is but little inferior in style of printing and binding. There is no good translation of Kolbe's work in English that I know of. A compendium, publithed in two small octavo volumes in London in 1731, has caused even more discredit to bo cast upon liim than ho deserves, It is merely a selection of his paragraphs, badly trans- lated, and condensed by a man absolutely ignorant of his subject. NOTES ON HOOKS. 395 Valentyn, Franoois : Bcucln-i/vinge van dc Kaap dev Goede lloojjc, met dc Zaaken daar toe fje/ioorciidc. Amsterdam, 1726. This is a portion of Valentjoi's great work upou the Dutch Possessions in India. The author, who was a clergj-man, called at the Cape in the years 1085, 1695, 1705, and 1714. He was supplied by the government with a great amount of information, including copies of charts and of several important documents. Using this as a basis, he added to it from personal observation and from communications, oral and WTitten, from many of the principal residents in the colony. The whole is worked up into an admirable description of the country. de Bucquoi, Jakob : Aanmcrhehjh-e Ontmoctinfjcn in de Zestien Jaariye lieize naa de Indien. A small quarto volume published at Haarlem in 1744. This book gives an account of the formation of the Dutch trading station at Delagoa Bay, with some particulars of that event not found in the Cape Archives. The Portuguese having abandoned Delagoa Bay in 1692, in 1720 the Dutch East India Company resolved to form an establishment there, chiefly with a view of opening up a trade in gold, Avhich was reported to be foimd in enormous quantities in the neighbom'ing districts. The establishment was to be a dependency of the Cape Government, and in the Proceedings of the Cape Council of Policy of 10th December 1720, and subsequently, the details concerning its constitution may be gathered. De Bucquoi was attached to the party sent to form the station, in the capacity of surveyor and chartmaker. The expedition left Table Bay in February 1721 in three little vessels named the Kaap, Gouda, and Zevkindia. The Supreme Authorities had appointed and sent out a Commander, but he died shortly after his an'ival in Cape To^vn, and in his stead tlie Council of Policy selected Mr Willem van Taak. At this point De Bucquoi's nan-ative commences. He gives the particulars of the arrival of the expedition at Delagoa Bay, of the selection of a site for the station, of the intercourse with the natives, and of the dreadful sickness of which two- thirds of the party, including the Commander, Secunde, and Engineer, died within six weeks. At length with the assistance of the natives a foit was constructed, and then two of the vessels were sent back to the Cape with a little ivory, wax, &c, obtained in bai'ter. Time jmssed in trading, exploring, and gathering information concerning the natives, until the 11th of April 1722, when a report was brought by some blacks that throe ships had entered the bay. These proved to be manned by buccaneers, 396 XOTESJ ON HOOKS. If i:t^ - ; \- ) ■ ■,-i " ■^ *^|r - who attacked the fort and very quickly took possession of it and plundered the store. They did not, however, otherwise ill treat the party of occupation, but when they were ready for sea they compelled De Bucquoi to pilot them out, as he had surveyed the bay and made a chart of its soundings. They also took the Dutch vessel and her crew with them, under pretence of needing it to send the pilot back when they got outside. They failed to keep their word, however, and De Bucquoi and the sailors were obliged to remain with the buccaneers until they reached another port, from whence they made their way to India. Thirteen years later the author of this book was in South Africa again when returning to Europe, and he gives a short description of Cape Town at that time, but the interest of his work centres in his account of what he witnessed at Delagoa Bay. Hct Onfroerd IloUaiid, of Kort Vcrlidal can do Voornaatthste Onlusfoi, Oprocirii^cii Oiii'ciii(//ied<')i die in de Vcrecnigde Nedcrlanden in voorirjc tjtdcn, en (lUoi'hi/zoiuh'r-st in drzc hudtitc Jaaren zyn voorye- rdllen. This work was issued at Ilarderwyk in three neat volumes, the first volume in 1748, the others subsequently. The author's name is not given. The first volume contains Eon beknopte Hintoric can de Opxchiiddinyen aan Caho de Goede IIooj), which covers twenty-two pages. It is an account of the disturbances which arose in South Africa through the rapacity and tyranny of Governor Willera Adriaan van der Stel, and is compiled from the Kocte Dedncfic, Contra Dcdacfic, and Neutralv Gedachten, together with the testimony of Bogaert and Kolbe. De la Caille, M I'Abbe : In the volume for the year 1751 of the MemoivcH de P Academic liotiale dc Sciences, Paris, 1755, there are three papers by the Abbe De la Caille. The first is entitled Snite den Ohserrafions faifcs an Cap de Bo nne-cxpe ranee pour In parallajre de la Lane, the second Dicernoi Ob-scrcation-s anfrononiiques ef p/ii/siqi(esfaife.s an Cap dc lion nc-cspe ranee, and the thii'd Relation ahref/ee dn Vojfatje fait par on/re da lloi an Cap de Bonnc-enpcranee. The first of these papers is of no interest except to astronomers, and the last needs no comment, as the Diary of the Journey ■vvill be refeiTed to under another head. The second paper contains an account of a variety of Avork performed and observations recorded by the author at the Capo, which can be studied with pleasure and interest by ordinary readers as well as l)y tliose who make a special study of astronomy and meteorology. This paper covers fifty- eight pages of the Memoiren. NOTES ON BOOKS, 397 de la Caille, Nicolas Loiiis (I'Abbe) : Journal Hisforique du Voi/age an Cap (k Bonne Rsperance. Paris, 1763. This is a small octavo volume, of wliicli a considerable portion is occupied with a biography of the Abbe De la Caille, who died in 1762, a year before the publication of his journal. Having already attained eminence by his astronomical researches and his writings, at the age of thirty-eight years De la Caille left France and proceeded to the Cape of Good Hope, with the object of making a sidereal chart of the southern skies and of measuring an arc of the meri- dian. He landed at Cape Town on the 20th of April 1751, and remained in the colony until the 8th of March 1753, During that short time he performed an almost incredible amount of astronomical work, and all that he did was surprisingly well done, especially when it is considered that his only assistants were untrained and uneducated men. The chapters of this book which were written by him are the journal kept during his residence in the Colony, 85 pages, remarks upon the customs of the Hottentots and other inhabitants of the Cape, 55 pages, and noces upon Kolbe's work, 41 pages. In. point of interest these chapters come very far short of the instructive paper mentioned under another heading, for tlieir author was dealing with subjects outside of his line of work, still they are not without considerable value. Perhaps their chief worth, historically considered, is the exposure given in them to some of Kolbe's errors, though in correcting his descriptions of the Hottentots De la Caille really made almost as great blunders himself. From this date, at least, Kolbe ceased to be considered a standard author, which was an enormous gain to students of Cape history. Franckon, Jacob : Jtampftpot'i/ifff Rrize ran hot 0. I. Schip Do ^aarxtiff/iohf, in de teriajveize ran Bataria orer Bongale naar Holland. Haarlem, 1761. This is an illustrated quarto pamphlet of \Vi pages, written by the catechist (krankbezoeker) of the Naai'Htiijheid. That richly laden ship sailed from ]3engal in January 1757, and on the 9th of the following April was dismasted in a hun'icane. From this date until the middle of May her crew strove to reach False 13ay under jury masts, but finding this impossible in the winter season, and being in great distress, they put the ship about and steered for Delagoa Bay, which they were fortunate enough to reach towards the end of June. Tiie Dutch factory there hnd been abandoned some years before, so that they found no European inhabitants. They brought the wreck to anchor in the river Marques before the ruins of the 398 NOTES ON HOOKS. ['■'0 ^ old Dutch fort, where upon examination the ship was found so shattered that they could not make her seaworthy again. Rather more than two years elapsed before they were rescued and brought to the Cape. In his book, Francken gives an interesting account of the smTOunding country and of the natiA'es at the bay, as well as of the people met by various parties that endeavoured to make their way overland to the Cape but were compelled to return. The last chapter, which is a short one, is devoted to an account of the Cape Colony. Ilcdcmlaagfiehc Jlistorie of Tcgemcoordige Sfaat ran Afrika, waarin nifinunt dc Beschrijring van Barbaric, Senegal, Gainee, de JTaap der Goede Rope, i^r. This i? one of a collection of works upon Contemporary History published by Isaak T.v jn at Amsterdam, of which the twelve volumes upon the Netherlands form most perfect pictm-es of that country in the middle of last century. The volume upon Africa contains 810 pages, and was published in 1763. One hundred and eighteen pages are devoted to this colony. A description of the Hottentots, compiled from earlier authors, takes up a considerable space, and the geography of the country as tlien kiiowii is described at length. The historical references are less correct than one could wish to see them, and in all parts inaccuracies may be found, such as are unavoidable in a compilation in which a woi'k like Kolbe's was largely drawni from. De la Caille's chart of the south-west coast is attached, and thert- is also a general map of South Africa, which is ^'ery erroneous. du Bois, J. P. I. : Vies des Goiirenieurs Generauv, aver. VAhregt'' de VIIiHtoire des EfaMi-ssemens Hollandoin aux Inden Or lent ales. A large quarto volume with portraits and numerous maps and plates. Published at the Hague in 1763. This work is a standard biography of the Governors General of Netherlands India from Peter Both to Jacob Mossel, and is therefore of considerable interest. Beyond tliis, it does not contain much special information of value to a student of South African history. Half a page only is devoted to an account of the establishment of the Cape Colony, and even that is not altogether free of error. A plan of the castle and town is given. The work, as far as I am aware, exists only in the original French. Wolradi WoltJn'madii Apotheosis. Amsterdam, 1775. A pamphlet containing a few pages of Imtin verse, a large plate of the wreck of the Jonge Thomas in Table Bay on the Ist of July 1773, and an account of the lioroism displayed by Woltemaade NOTES ON HOOKS, 399 who, after reselling fourteen of the crew, sacrificed his life in a vain attempt to save others. de St Pierre, J. H. Bernardin : A Voi/arfe to the Ink of Franco, the IhJo of Bonvtwii, and the Cape of Good Hope; with Observations and Jtefeetions upon Nature and Manhind, As I have not seen a copy of this work in the language in Avhich it was written, I am indebted for my knowledge of it to an English Translation which was published in an octavo volume of 334 pages at London in 1800. Anything from the pen of the amiable author of Paul et Virginie could not fail to be interesting, and the 44 pages of this book in which he gives his observations upon the Cape, Lnade during a stay of six weeks wlien he was returning to Europe in 1771, are very pleasantly written. Unfortunately, several of the statemen^«< made are very inaccurate. As a sample of his style, liere is his description of Governor Tulbagh : — " Magistrates, and especially the Governor, are here treated with the utmost deference. His house is distinguished only from others by the sentinel at the dr^or, and by the custom of sounding a trumpet when he sits down to dinner. This piece of respect is annexed to his place. No other pomp attends his person. He goes out without retinue, and is easy of access. His house stands by the side of a cu,nal, shaded with chestnut trees planted before his door. In it are the pictures of De Euyter, Tromp, and some other illustrious persons of Holland. It is small and plain, and suited to the very few people who have affairs to solicit with him ; but the Governor himself is so respected and beloved that the inhabitants do not even pass his door without showinj^ some mark or other of their respect. The Governor gives no public entertainments ; but what is better, though less practised, his purse is always open for the service of worthy and indigent people. They need pay no court to him. If they seek for justice, they obtain it of the council,- - if succour, this he takes upon himself as a duty ; injustice only can bo solicited, but it constantly mee^ , with the merited success. His leisure, of which he has much upon his hands, he emp'i oys for the preservation of peace and concord, being persuaded of their tendency to the well being of all societies. He is not J opinion that the power of the chie*' magistrate depends upon discord and dissension among individuals. 1 have heard him say that the best policy was to deal justly and honestly with every man. He frequently invites strangers to his table. Though more than eighty yeai-s old, his conversation is lively ; he is 400 XOTKS ()\ HOOKS. ^■ " acquainted mth most of oiu^ works of genius, and is fond of " them." Ninnrsfo en Beknopfe Besc/ii't/n'ng ran de Kaap der Goede Koop ; nevena een Dag- Vcrhnal ran cenen Landfo(/f naar het Binnenste ran Africa, door hot Land der Moine en groote Namacquas. An octavo volume published at Amsterdam in 1778. Simulta- neously with the Dutch a French edition appeared, which bears the title Nourelle De-scripfion da Cap de Bonne Experanee, arec an Journal Hhtorique d'nn Voyage de ferre, fait jyr/r ordre da Qoarerneur Feu Mgr. llyk Tulhagh, dam Vlnteriour de VAfriqae. The first part consists of a description of the Cape Colony and the Hottentotis, compiled from earlier authors, principally from Kolbe and De la Caille. It contains many inaccuracies. Next follows the journal of the expedition under the leadership of the Burgher Captain Hendiik Hop from the Cape to Great Namaqualand, mth long notes added by the compiler in Holland. The expedition in question consisted of eighty-five persons. It left the Cape on the 16th of July 1761, and was absent until the 27th of April 1762, during which time it penetrated the country some considerable distance noith of the great river. This part of the tv^ork is illustrated with full page prints of the elephant, giraffe, zebra, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, gnu, wild hog, and other South African animals, some of them being very well, others indifferently, executed. It is noteworthy that in this journal the Orange River is said to be called the Charie and Eyn by the Hottentots, the last being the name by which it was known from native report to Commander Simou van der Stel, and which is given to it in the chart of the exploring expedition of 1685, the first map on which it appeared. Follo^nng the joui'nal come two reports to Grovemor Tulbagh by members of the expedition, the one upon the natives and their customs being by far the most valuable portion of the volume. The men who drew it up were dil'jent observers, and one of them had the advantage of being conversant with the Hottentot language. This document is therefore not only highly interesting but of great permanent worth. The other report is upon copper ore, and was drawn up by the surgeon who accompanied the expedition. An article upon the wax plant completes the volume. Masson, Francis : On page i3 of the Fourteenth Volume of the Abridged Edition of the Philosophieal Tranmetionn of the Roi/al Soeief// of London, under the year 1776, appears the following: — ^^ An Aeeount of Three Journei/s from the Cape Town NOTES ON BOOKS. 401 " i))to the Sotif/ieri) Parfs of Africa ; itndcrfffkcn for the Discovfrt/ '•'• of Nor P/finfn, fon-at'th fhv Improremcut of the Roi/al Botanical " Gan/rihs at Kc>/(i(i(' (oivnnh the South Pole and round the World, performed in Hix JLt/rxti/s xhipn lie/to/ntion brief to bo of mueh value. Some short remarks are also to bo found in the account of Capt iin Cook's la':! voyage, the third edition of which, in tnree quarto volumes, was published at London in 1785. This work is entitled A Voi/atje to the Paeifie Ocean 'in// the eomnuind of JUn 3Tn/est// for ni((hin(/ Di'icorrrie.'^ in the Northern Hemisphere ; performed under the direction of Ciiptainx Cook, Clerke, am/ Gore, in His Majei^tf/^s .s7//}w the Resotution and Dixcoren/, in the i/ears 1776- 1780. Volumes I and II were written by Captain Cook, volume III by Dr King. The expedition w is at the Cape in November 1770 and in April 1780. Sonnerat : Voyaoe. I have not yet been so fortunate as to procure an oinghial copy of this work, and must therefore refer to the Dutch translation published in tliree octavo volumes at Tjeiu "• in 1786, and entitled licizc naar (/,■ Ooxt Indien en China in de Jaaren 1774-1781, op taxt des Koninf/n ran Franhri/k, gcdaan door den Heor Sonnerat. The French naturalist Somierat, having spent five years in travelling in Mauritius, Bourbon, Madagascar, New Guinea, the Moluccas, and the Philippine Islands, Avhero he made rich collections of specimens in the animal and vegetable kingdoms, returr.od to Paris and ]>ublished a work in quarto illustrated with 120 plates, lie wo? then sent by the King to make further researclies in other parts oi the East, and was absent fi'om France on this occasion for seven years. He returned in 1781 with a magnificent collection of animals and plants. Sonnerat called at the Cape on several occasions, and in 1781 spent some weeks here. lie is mentioned by other travellers of the time, wlio considered the meeting of a man of such eminence in the study of natural history a note wort liy event. In the volumes here refeiTed to there is but one cha])ter upon the Cape Colony, anTi it covers only f?ve pages. These are pages of correct information, if a brief statement (Concerning the effect of thni visit of a French fleet be excepted, but the whole is too short to draw attention, were it not for the name of the author. Raynal, Guillaume Thomas r Hi">foire PJnloHophique et PoJiti/jue dr.) that the Council of Justice should consist of an equal number of burghers and servants of the Comj)any. In their comments upon this petition, the officers of the Cape government described the condition of the colony as most flourishing. The Fiscal, Willem Cornells Boers, said : — " Indien het ontsteken van " den regtmatigen tooru van den Almngtigen God over eenig " Land imraer of ooit met reden gevrecsd heeft kunnen worden uit " hoofde van onbesonnen klagten van gebrek in het midden van •' den overvloed, het is wezentlyk thans in dit Land, waar in men •' daarvoor met het uiterste f(jndament bevreesd zou moeten zijn. ** Zoo men ooit reden heeft geliad om met een dankbaar hart *' erkentelijk te zijn aan de zigtbare teekous van zegon en •' voorspoed, v/aarvan men in eene ruime mate jouisseerd, is het "buiten alien tegenspraak geweest alhier juist op dat zelfde " oogenblik, &c." Of the burgluTS Mr Boers spoke almost con- temptuously as *' de zoodanigen aan wien als eene gratie op huT' " verzoek gepennitteerd wordt om in een Land waarvan uit den " naam van onzen Souverain in possessie genomen, als landbouwer, " kleedermaker, schoenmaker, oi zadelmaker te mogen blijven " wonen." The Governor pointed out that there were nearly throe thoup-md registered burghers in tlie colony, and tliat the petition did not (>ontain four hundred names, though it had been sent round for signature, lie held tliat it could not bo taken to represent the views of the colonists. The Chamber of Seventeen appointeil a commission to examine all the docimients. The commissioners drew up a long report, ojiposed on the whole to the aesires of the petitioners. They said : — '* Er is geen land of ** jilaats bekeufl daar men zoo spoedig tot den staat van een *' gezeeten en goed Burgher kan geraaken als hier, doch het of it ■ NOTES ON HOOKS, 409 "ontbreekt de jonge liodon aan de Caab juist aan do noodige " naarstigheid." Almost the only result was a reformation of the High Court of Justice. In 1784 it consisted of the Secunde as President, nine servants of the Company, and three burghers. Thereafter it consisted of the Secunde, six Company's servants, and six burghers. le Vaillaut, FranQois : Second Voi/atjc danx Plnt^yieui' de PAfnqne, par Ic Cap d<' Bonne Expe ranee, dans len Annees 1783, 1784, ef 1785. Paris, I'An 3 de la Republique une et indivisible. This work is in three octavo volumes, in which Le Vaillant gives an account of his journey from the Cape to Naniaqualand. It has the same faults as the account of his journey to Kaffraria, and would have been greatly improved by the omission of many of the adventures described with wearisome minuteness as well as such tales as that of his bursting into tears and throwing himself into the arms of a savage. Yet the work contains passages that have not been surpassed by any South African traveller in force and accuracy of description, though the style is not that of a highly polished writer. Here, for instance, is his account of a storm in Naraaqualand. " Deja nous y avions marche pendant '* trois heiu'es, devoros par un soloil brCdant, quand tout-a-coup " I'horison s'obf curcit et envoya sur nos t^tes un orage affreux. *' De longs ei frequens eclairs sillonnoient la nue. Le tonnerre " grondoit d'une mani^re epouvantable ; et nos animaux, par leur " agitation et I'inquietude de leurs raouvemens, annon^oieut que " la tempete alioit etre terrible. Sans perdre de tems, on dechargea " les bcouf 8 ; on dressa ma tonte ; on fit des abris aveo des poaux et '* des nattes ; enfin, tout le monde rait la main k I'ouvrage. Mais " nos precautions furent inutiles. Le vent deveuoit si impetueux " qu'aucun do nos abris no put resistor. Ma tente fut renversee, *' et je fus reduit k me caeher sous la toile ; tandis que tons mes " gens se garantissoient comme ils pouvoient. Pendant ce tems, " la pluie tomboit en torrens, et I'averso etoit telle qu'on eut " dit que rAfriquo alioit etre noyee. Neanmoins ce oiel, qui *' sembloit se fondre en eau, etoit tout en feu par lea eclairs. lis " embrasoient I'atmosphere touto entiere, peiidant que la foudro, " ('elatunt do toutes parts autour de nous, nous faisoit oraindre a " tous d'en etre frappt's. J'avois vu, dans la Cafrrerie, do violens " ornges. Je connoissois ceux clu Cap, si redout<'« des mntelots et " des voyageurs. Jo n'avois point oubli«' ceux do Surinam, qui " chaquo jour, pendant d^ux mois, s'rlevant regulierement avec la *' mar»5e, annonoent la saison des seoheresses. Mais jusqu'alors je 410 NOTES ON BOOKS, i "if- 'A- t k "n'en avois point vu encore qui fubsent aussi effrayans. Pour "la premiere fois de ma vie, le tonnerre me fit trembler. U " est vrai que pjur garantir et preserver ma provision de poudre, " je I'avois placee, avec moi, sous la toile ; et qu'en craignant pour '* nous la chute de In foudre, je la craignois encore pour mon ** magasin, qui, par son explosion, m'eut fait sauter avec lui. Mes " transes sur ce double danger durerant plus d'une heure. Enfin, " le tonnerre cessa, quoique la pluie continuat encore ; et alors " chaoun de nous tiraut la tete de dessous ses couvertiires, " nous nous cherchA,mes des yeux les uns les autres. Surpris de *' nous retrouver vivans, nous nous felicitions d'avoir echappe a un " pareil danger." The great defects in this book of Le Vaillant have caused some of his critics to express an opinion that he never really crossed the Orange River into Great Namaqualand, but drew upon his imagination for the account he has given. This view is incorrect, and there can be no reasonable doubt that he went as far as he states tliat he did. His account of the lower portion of Great Namaqualand and its people will be found fairly correct, if separated from his own 'exploits. His troubles south of the Orange, the suffering from thirst, the loss of his cattle, and the abandonment of his waggons until he procured aid from a Hottentot clan, coincide with the experiences of many other travellers. When idtimately he reached the great river, he found himself compelled to leave his waggons on the southern bank, and to push forward with horses and pack oxen. He states that he had formed a design to traverse the continent from south to north, and only abandoned it wlien it was proved to be absolutely hopeless. The work is illustrated, but is not divided into chapters. Degrandpr^, L. (Officier de la Marine frangaise) : Voyaye a la Cdte Occidentale (CAfriquc^fait dam les armies 1786 et 1787 ; Suivi d^un Voyage fait an cap de Bonne-Esperaiice, eonfenant la description tnilitaire de cette colonic. Two volumes octavo. Paris, 1801. Nearly the whole of the second vohmie is devoted to the Cape Colony. The author was a man of keen observation and of extensive read- ing. His work is therefore valuable as well as interesting. His description of the Cape is of a period just before the first English conquest of the colony, though it was written after that event. Of the country beyond the isthmus Degrandpre says but little, as his furthest jo\imoy inland was only along the Berg River to its mouth. He treats very fully of the navigation and winds at Table Bay, and describes Robben Islan 1, Cape Town, and m ^OTES ON BOOKS. 411 Table Mountain at great length. Into military matters he enters largely, as stated in the title of his work. Speculative remarks upon the formation of Table Mountain and upon the circum- navigation of Africa by the ancients also occupy a good deal of space. This author is very severe upon the colonists, to whom he attributes the destruction of the Hottentot race, lie speaks in the highest terms of Sparrman's work, and exposes many romances in that of his own countryman Le Vaillant, to whose ability, industry, and extensive researches in natural history, however, he testifies. It produces a smile to find Degrandpre in his preface indignantly denouncing Bamberger as an impostor, and seriously pointing out errors that this African Munchausen had fallen into. A good chart of the coast from Saldanha Bay to False Capo and a plan of the Cape Castle are attached to the work. Huysers, Ary : Bcknopte BoHchri/cing der Ood Indim'hy, Etublissementen. Utrecht, 1789. Only four pages of this volume are devoted to the Cape Colony, and those chiefly to its finances, but there is some interesting matter in the appendix. lliou, Capt. Edward: A JonvnnJ of a Journc}/ from the Cape of Good Hope, undertaken in 1790 and 1791 b>/ Jaeob ran Reencn and others of his eonntri/men,' in seareh of the nreek of the Honourable the Eusf India Compani/s ship The Grosvenor, to diseorer xf there remained alive any of the unfortunate sufferers. With additional Notes and a Map. A quarto pamplilet of 51 pages published at London in 1792. It is a literal translation of the Journal of an Expedition that travelled through Kaffirland to about the mouth of the Umzimkulu. The map added by Captain Riou is a curiosity. In it Natal and even St Lucia River are placed a long way south of the LTmzuorivubu. With a knowledge of Kafl&r proper names and a good modem map of South Africa, there is not the slightest difficulty in following the course of Van Reenen's party from the Joimial, but Captain lliou believed that it nearly reached Delagoa Bay. There are Dutch and French editions of the work. Staat d^r Generate Ned^r/aiidsche Oost Indixche Compatjnie, hehelzendi' Fapporten ran de Heeren Haar Ed. Groot Mog. Geeommitteerden G. J. Boi/s, Baron ran der Does, Heer van Noordu'i/k, Mr. P. H. ran de Wall, Mr. J. Rendorp, Heer van Marquette, en Mr. H. ran Straa/en, alx mede Nader Rapport van (jemelde heeren f/eeommitteerden, en Bi//aagen. 2 Volumeb. Am- sterdam, 1792. These volumes contain a largo amount of 412 NOTK.S ON HOOFvS, A '1 statistical aud other valuable iuiorraation couceruing the Cape Colony. de Jong, Cornelius : Ri'izen imar do Knap dr (facile JIocp, Jerlnnd, m Noorurf/cii, in dc Jairn 17!) I tot 1797. Three octavo volumes, published at Haarlem in 1802. The author of this work was captain of the Dutch frigate Sci'pio. His ship was one of those selected to escort the Commissioners Nederburgh and Frykenius from Holland to India, but he reached Table Bay on the 27th of March 1702, nearly tliree months before th<; Ainazoon, in which frigate those officers had embarked. The Scipio lay at anchor in Table or Simon's Bay until the JJlst of May 1793, when she and the Co/ncct were sent to convoy a fleet of Indiaraen to Europe. In the following year Captain Ho Jong returned to the Cape with a number of outward bound Indiamen and remained on this occasion rather longer than six months, as he waited to convoy the return fleet, with which he sailed from Simon's Bay on the 19th of May 1795. He was thus altogether in South Africa about twenty months, at the period immediately preceding the first British oecupation. His official position, combined with his being an intimate friend of the Commissioner Sluisken, gave him a thorough knowledge of the events then taking place in the colony. Several short tours afforded him opportunities of observing the country and jeople, and his man-\age with a Cape lady must have added to the interest which he took in the colony. In the form of a series of well written and lively letters addi'essod to a friend. Captain De Jong has placed on record his observations of this country aud its people. He describes in a graphic manner the inhabitants of Cape Town in 1792, when nearly every one was engaged in a kind of petty trade with foreigners, and when the expensive and showy stylo of living, copied from the French ten years before, was making altogether a false impression upon strangers as to the prosperity of the citizens. With this he compares Cape Town in 1794, when the changes made by the Commissioners had completely altered the aspect of affairs. In the short space of eighteen months the people seemed to have become thoroughly impoverished. The illicit trade with foreigners had been suppressed, and from all sides a despairing wail was lu^ard, "wij leven van God en van de vreomdon." There was a scarcity of manufactured goods, as the East India Company could not keej) up the supply, and prices ha*l consetiuently risen to ruinous rates. Tho inconvertible paper currency was adding to tho general distress. 1(1'' XOTRS ON BOOKS. 413 Tlie Comniissionoi's had ostablislied what they were pleased to term free trade with Iiidiii and the Notheriands, but it was really hedged about with so many restrictions that the colonists were unable to profit by it. Sucli is the picture, as given by an educated Dutch gentleman, of tlie last days of the East India Company's rule in South Africa. In point of value to a student of Cape history, this work of Captain De Jong ranks liigh. It contains many particulars (ioncerning the Commissioners Neder- burgh and Frykeniiis, concerning Mr Sluifken, &c, «S:c. It is ornamented with a view of Shnon's Town and harbour, and with two large pictures of Table Mountain and Bay, one of which is from the pencil of the celebrated Kobell. Masson, Francis : Sfapcfia' None, or A Collection of several neir Sjiecics of tJiat Genm, discorcrvd in the Interior Parts of Africa. London, 170G. Masson was attached to the lioyal Gardens at Kew as collector of exotic plants. In that capacity he visited South Africa in 1772, and remained here for two years and a half. In 1780 he relumed again, and on this occasion he remained for ten years collecting plants and seeds. The work is a quarto volume containing about forty full page coloured plates of different varieties of Stapelias, with a description of each in Latin. Nederbm'gh, S. C. : Verhnmleling orer tie Vragen of en in hoe rerre, het :>iittig en nooilzahelijh- zljn zomlr, ile Oost In linehe Jirzittin/fcn ran deezen Sfaaf, ofte .wniniii/en derzelren, fe brengen op den roet der Went Indische Volkplantingen ; en of en in hoe vcfre, het roordee.iger rear (/if Genieenehesf, en des.seljk Int/ezeetenen, zi/n zoiiile, den Handel op roornielde Bezittingen hij aanhondendlieid door eene iiif.sliiifende Contpngnie te dri/ren, dan art die roor alien '.s Lumix Ingezcetenen open te ntellen ; en in dit haitxte geral : op leelke rooncaarden, en onder urlke fnp/ilingen. An octavo volume of 252 pages tublished at the Hague in 1.S02. The author of this work, Mr Sebastian ('ornelis Nederburgh, had been Coni- raiHsion«'r General of the whole of Netherlands India and the (Jape of Good Ho])o. There are only a few pages of the book devoted to this colony. These contain little beyond some severe comments upon the i)urghers and some remarks i'.,)on the intro- duction of Sprmish rams and the in-odii'-tion of merino wool. NcKlerburgh, S. ( ', : I'Jelife Stahh), hetri'Jf'ende het rolhragt onderzork drr rcrrirhtingrn ran df General Conitnissic In den Jare 1701 Itenoenal geare^t crer dr (). ]. Jhzittingen ran den Staaf en de Kaah de Goede Hoop, lienrreii-s den Fin-lien Uitxlag ran hetzelve. 414 NOTES ON H00K8. An ootavo volume of 156 pages published at the Hague in 1803. The items in this work of greatest interest to a student of Cape history are some official documents connected with the anival of Admiral Elphinstone's fleet in Simon's Bay in 1795, and to the subsequent intercourse between the English and Dutch officers. Some important State Papers are to be found in the Annual Register or View of Histon/, Politics, and Literature, published at London. Thus the volume for 1795 contains despatches, copied from the London Gazette, concerning the conquest of the Cape Colony, from the officers commanding the English Expedi- tion ; the volume for 1796 contains despatches concerning the capture of the Dutch fleet in Saldanha Bay ; &o. m 1803. [ Cape ival of to the innital jlished itches, of the xpedi- ig the INDEX IN UEX Akembie: Chiot' of the Namaquas, 107. Ale : first manufactiiro of at the Capo, {»(). Alooa Bay : visit of the Noonl to, 261. D'ALMEibA, Fraxcisco : first Viceroy of Portuguese India, 7 ; is killed with sixty-four others on the shore of Table Bay, 8. v^vx AxDEL, Johannes : clergyman at the Cape, 272 ; proceeds to Batavia, 299. Apple Trees : introduction of, 54. VAN Arckel, Joiian : first resident clergyman at the Cape, 137 ; death of, 139. Attaquas : first visited, 158. AuTiiORiTiES from which the Chronicha of Caix Commandvra have been condensed, 312 e< aeq. Back, Ernes rus : Sick Comforter at the Cape, 136 ; intemperate Ijabits of, 136 ; deportation to Batavia of, 137. Baptism • dissensions concerning, 138 ; tUrections from Batavia conceir«inv 138. deBarros : work of, 318. Bax, Johan: is appointed Governor of the Cape, 199 ; arrives from Ceylon, 199; administration of the govemmont, 200 to 211 ; death of, i I ; is interred within the church, 211. Beaciiranoers : see Goringhaikonas. Beroii, Olof : fruitless exi)odition8 under command of, 226. Berg River : visited and named, 77. Bday : seizui-e m Table Bay of the English ship, 377. Blaeu: atlas of, 317. Blanx, Jan : attempted journey to Mozambique, 39. Bode : voyage of exploration along the west coast, 208. BOOAERT : book of, 392. DU Bois : book of, 398. Bima Ventura : wreck at St Lucia Bay of the English ketch, 250. Books: notes upon those referring to South Africa, 318 et aeq., and 389 et aeq. BOROIIORST, Jacob: is appointed Commander of the Cape, 155 ; arrives and takes over the government, 155; ill health of, 156; administration of the government, 156 to 164 ; requests to be relieved, 164 ; retm-ns toEui-ope, 164. BoTMA, Stephen : first Burgher Councillor, 71. Boundaries of the Colony : particulars concerning, 374. Brandy : first distillation of at the Cape, 180. VAN Breitenuacu, Coenraad : is the highest military officer at the Cape, 168 ; is chosen to receive reports and convene the Council after the death of Commander Hackius, 173; is appointed Commander of St Helena, 186; is taken prisoner at St Ilelenii by the English, 186; subsequent career, 186. DD 418 INDEX. :i? m I* VAN Breuoel, Albert: i» appointed Secunde, 175'; arrives at the Capo, 177 ; uHsuniPs diroction of affairs as Acting Commander, 178; is removed from the office of Seciindo, 198. VAN DER Broec'K, Mattheus : is Commissioner at the Cape, 161. PE BrcQUOi : book of, 395. Burghers : names of the first in South Africa, 69 ; conditions under which they bacasne colonists, 69 ; names and occupations of those who settled during 16oV, 72 ; names of the most notable in South Africa in 1691, 'MOffsi'i/; names of those who settled between 1691 and 1710, 60S et aei/. BuROUER Councillors : duties of, 71 ; selection of two, 88 ; method of election of, 100 and 112. BusiiMEN : first mooting with, 58 ; particulars concerning, 76, 158, 172, 201, 207, 239, 242, 236, 260, 262, 270, 295, and 375. Cabral, Pedro Alvarez : voyage of, 6. VAN Caerden, Paulus : voyage of, 15. DE la Caille : works of, 39(J and 397. Cape of Good Hope : named by King John II of Portugal, 3. Carter : book of, 406. Cassava : experiments i» the cultivation of, 180. Castle of Good Hope : construction resolved upon by the Directors, 131 ; site selected by Mr Gosko, 131 ; ceremony of laying the foundation stones, 132; suspension of work upon, 152; building resumed, 173; opinions concerning its position, 174 ; occupation .of , 192; completion of, 212. Cattle Barter : infringement of regulations regarding, 102 ; method of conducting \vith Hottentots, 103. Cattle Pest : account of, 94. Census Returns : 182, 212, 275, and 306. Centunrns : a little vessel built at Natal, 250 ; runs along the coast, 251 ; anchors at the mouth of the Buffalo River, 252. CnAlNOUQUAS : sale of gromid to the East India Company by, 180. Ciiavonnes, Maurits Pasqubs : Governor of the Capo Colony, 362. Chinese: considered desirable settlers by Mr Van Riebeek, 38; and by Mr Wagenaar, 145. Chord : Chief of Ihe Gorachouqu'is, 31. Christianity: effects of a profession of, 66. Church Building in Table Valley : the first structure of wood within the walls of the castle, 133 ; foundation stone of the present building between the Heerogracht and Church Square laid, 209 ; completion and opening of the building, 209. Church Funds : particulars concerning, 195. Clergymen: succession of the earliest at the Cape, 137 and 155. Coche : capture in Table Bay of the French ship, 296. CocHOQUAS : trade with, 86 ; feud with the Capo clans, 86 ; are visited by Commander Wagenaar, 123; dealings with, 141; war with the Ilesse- quas, 142; visit the Cape, 172; are nearly ruined by the Chainouquas, 172 ; character of the clan imdor Gonnoma, 177. Colonists : condition in 168" of, 274. CoNsisTOUY, or Ecclesiastical Court: constitution of, 137; subordination, to the Council of Policy, 196. INDEX. 410 Higli C0N8T.VNTIA: fiinii gviintud L>) Comin.iu.ltr Si nuii van a. r ,Stcl Ly th.' CoiumiHsioncr Hendrik Adrimin viin R1k'(,iIc' tot DriikouHtoiu, 2:id. Cook: books of, 404. Copper Ore : specimens brought to the Cape by Namiiqiias, 219. Correa: work of, 31H. Council of Policy : constitution of, 31 ; enlargement by the Lord of Mydrccht of, 230 ; personnel of, 66, 93, 14.j, 163, 299, and 365. Court of Commissioners for Petty Cases : establishment, constitution, and powers of, 226. Cowley : pamphlet of, 325. DE Cretzer, Cornelis : is journalist of the exjjloring expedition under Pieter Everaert, 111; is Fiscal, 145; is Hecunde, 163; is a genend favourite, 167 ; runs a brawler through the body, 168 ; returns to Europe, is tried, jicquitted, and sent baek to the Cape as Secunde, 168 ; is ca-ptured by u corsair and sold in Algiers, 168. Crudop, Hendrik: is Secretary of the Council of Policy, 168; is admitted to be a member of the Council of Policy, 173 ; is first President of the • Orphan Chamber, 196; is appointed Secunde, 198; is Acting Com- mander after the death of Governor Bax, 211 ; administration of the government, 211 to 213 ; proceeds to India, 228. Cruse, Hieronymus : goes on trading journeys to the eastward, 152 and 168 ; is made prisoner by the French at Saldanha Bay, but is again released, 166 ; character of, 16S ; connuands expeditions against the Cochoquas under Oonneraa, 189 and 193 ; commands an expedition against Bushmen, 202 ; death of, 272. Cruyihof, Pieter: exploring expeditions under command of, 107 and 124. Customs Duties : first levied at the Cape, 210. Dalrymple : book of, 406. Dampier : book of, 325. Danckert, Jan : exploring expedition under command of, 106. Dapper : book of, 322. Defence measures against the Hottentots, 96. Degrandpre : book of, 410. Delaqoa Bay : visited by Antonio do Campo, 7 ; tragedy theie, ^ ; visited by the Noord, 252 ; establishment of a Dutch factory at, 395. D1A8, Bartholomew : commands an exploring expedition which doubles the southern extremity of Africa, 1 ; names the island St Croix in Algoa Bay, 2 ; reaches u river which he names Do Infante, 3 ; discovers in returning a cape which he names Cabo Tormentoso, 3 ; assists in fitting out the next expedition, 4 ; accompanies the next expedition as far as St Jago, 4 ; perishes at sea, 6. ^ Distress from scai-city of food, 53. DoMAN : becomes an interpreter, 60 ; goes to Batavia, 76 ; returns to the Cape, 82 ; leads a party of marauders, 92 ; takes part in the murder of a colonist, U4 ; int<'rpret8 during the negotiations for peace between the Europeans and the Cape clans, 99 ; goes as intei-pretcr with an exploring party, 106. Doncker: atlas of, 317. DoRHA : see Klaas. Drakenstein : receives its name, 273 ; first settlement of Europeans in the valley, 273 ; location of Huguenot innuigi-ants, 284 ; formation of a chm-ch, 291 ; names of the most notable residents in 1691, 303 ct 8e<2. DD 2 420 INDEX. Ecclesiastical CorRT: SCO Consistory. Elephant R^ver : tiiscovorcd and named, 10(5. Enqlisii AsTnoxoMERS Mason and Dixon at the Cape, 372. English Sailors at Xatal, 248 d sfj. Krasmiia : particulars of a jilot to seize the, {>7. Eva, the first Hottentot tliat professt'd ('hristianity : as a g\r\ is taken into Mr Van Riebeek's honsehohl, 4.S; speaks Dutch fluently and is employed as an interpreter, 7(5 ; is the means of opening up a trade in cattle with the Cochoquas, 8(5 ; is baptized and married to a European, 143; leads a dissolute life after her husband's death, 194 ; death of, 104 ; is buried in the church, 195. Home particidars concerning her children, 195. Everaert, Pieter: is in command of an expedition to the Namaquas, 111. EvERTSEN : pamphlet of, 322. ExPLOliATlONS by sea of tlie South African coast, 161. Fair : establishment at Stcllenbosch of an annual, 263. FlH Trees : introduction of, 63. , Fisii Bay : named by Paulus vun Caerden, 16. FiTZiiERBERT : sto Shillingc. Flesh Bay : namei by Paulus van Caerden, 16. DE la Fontaine. Jvn: Governor of the Cape Colony, .'{64. Foreign Visitors . particulars concerning the treatment of, 65, 67, 117, 176, 220, 269, 272, and 36H. Forests : particulars concerning, 39, 40, and 148. Fort Good Hope: selection of a site for, 29 ; plan of, 32. Francken: pamphlet of, 397. French Astronomers of the Society of Jesus at the Cape, 263 and 324. French East India Company : ostublishmeut of, 149. Funnell : book of, 393. Gabbema, Abraham : is Secrotaiy of the Council of Policy, 74 ; is in command of an exploring party, 77 ; is made a member of the Council of Policy, 91 ; succeeds Roelof de Man as Secunde, 145 ; goes to Batavia, 145. DA Gam A, Vasco : conmiands the first expedition from Portugal that reached India by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, 4 ; visits and names St Helena Bay, 4 ; names Natal, 6 ; makes second voyage to India, 7. Game : abundance of, 37 ; trouble caiisod by ravenotis animals, 48 ; regula- tions for the preservation of herbiverous animals, 65 and 346 ; licenses to hunt, 163 ; premiums for the destruction of ravenous animals, 65, 71, 166, and 345. Garden of the Company in Table Valley : is beautified by Commander Simon van der Stel, 217. Gauriquas : first visited, 152. Gauuitz River : visited and named, 152. VAN GoKNS, Ryklof the Elder: proposes to convert the Cape Peninsula into an island by cutting a canal across the isthmus, 63 ; ^^sits South Africa, 70 ; makes various regidations, 71 ct «(l th'^ Hliiok Captain, (iO ; sills a largo ninnber of oxi'U iiiul hIici'I), (50; is accuci'd of instif^ating tho imirrlcr of two burghprs, 172; par- ticulars concerning, 188 ; hostile conduct of, 188 ; niunlcrs eight burghers and a slave, 1H9; war with, 18{) it stq. ; seizes the Com- pany's 2>o8t at Haldanha Bay and murdeis foiu' Euro])oan8, 190 ; makes peace with the Europeans, '201 ; death of, 24(). (hxnl Hope : wreck at Nutal of the English ketch, 249. Goos : atlas of, 317. G0RACHOUQUA8 : particulars concerning, 31; war with, 92 (t «(■'/.; peace with, 99. GoRlNOiiAllcoxAS, or Bo'ichranj^iTS : particuliirs concerning, .'50 ; intercourse with the Dutch, 33 ; feud with the Goringhaiquas, ;J3 ; services per- formed by, 50 ; murder the herd boy and run off with the Company's cattle, 50; return to Table Valley, 53 ; thefts by, (54 ; method of obtain- ing a living, 80 and 143; treatment of, 153; particulars conceding, 206. GoiilNOllAlQUAS, orKaapmans: particulars concerning, 30; intercourse and trade with, 41 e and Councillor Ex- traordinary of Netncrhinds India, 175 ; character and position of, 175; arrival and reception of, 181 ; administration of the government, 182 to ■ 199. Graa, Jax Jokis : Sick Comforter at the Cape, 137. DE Graaff ; book of, 325. GnANAAT, Jacob : is appointed Fiscal, 163 ; goes to Batavia, 168. DE Grevenbroek, Jotianxes "Willem : is appointed Secretary of the Council of Policy, 22s ; abilities and work of, 299. (rrosvenor : loss of the English East Indiaman, 406. Grunihl : examination of the coast by the, 161 ; wreck of the, 191. DE LA Guerre, Joxas: inland jouraey of, 126. Haarlem : wreck of the Dutch East Indiaman, 21. IIackius, Pieter : is apj)ointed Commander of the Cape, 164 ; arrives and is installed, 104 ; administration of the government, 165 to 172; death of, 172 ; burial in the church, 172. VAN Harx, Gerrit: is appointed Commander of the Capo, 115; his death on the passage out, 115. Harry, the Hottentot Intei-preter : account of, 30 ; takes part in an act of murder and robbery, 50 ; runs away from Table Valley, 50 ; returns to the fort, 59 ; goes inland to purchase cattle for the East India Company, 59 ; knavish conduct of, 00 ; dealings with, (54 ; is made a prisoner by Mr Van Kiebeek, 84 ; is transport<.id to Eobben Island, 85 ; is brought from Rol en Island to servo as a guide and intei-preter , but is sent back again, 95 ., nd 96 ; makes his escape in a boat to the mainland, 96 ; in- terprets wlieu peace is concluded between the Europeans and the Cape clans, 99 ; death of, 143. VAX Harwardex, Jax : inland journey of, 79. DE la Have, French Admiral : visits the Cape, 160 ; takes forcible posst^s- sion of the Company's post at Saldanha Bay on behalf of the French King, 106. 422 INDEX. Heemraad ov Si'Et.LEXiJoscni : cstiibl'shniont, dutioH, iukI constitution of, 222 ; nunies of first niembcrH, 222 ; court of Landdrost tmd Heenirtiad as constituted by the Lord of Mydrecht, 231 ; personnel of, 331. VAN DEX Hexohel, Damel : Acting Governor of the Cai)e Colony, 365. Hekbert : book of, 320. Hi;*6EQrAs: send a messenger to the Capi>, 110; send cattle for sale, 124 ; trade with, 152. High Court ok Justice : perwonnel of us constituted by the Lord of My- drecht, 230 ; amended constitution of, 409. HoNDlus: atlas of, 317. HoXPlus : pamphlet published by, 320. Hop, Hexduik, exploring expedition of, 400. Horses: iHtrticulars concerning the importation odid price of, 50, 56, 61, »7, 144, and 205. Hospital : erection of. 62. Hottentots : first intercourse with Europeans, 5 ; kill 65 Portuguese in Iwttle, 8; bart<'r cattle with English fleets, 10; clans occuiiying the country adjacent to the Cape Peninsula in 1652, 30; clans known to Euroijoansm 1662, 119. Hottentots: particulars concerning condition, customs, arts, &c, 41, 43, 52, 59, 60, 75, 99, 104, 107, 108, 113, 123, 159. 191, 193, 201, 219, 239, 241, 242, 243, 240, 257, 259. 260, 272, 293, and 294. Hottentots : particulars concerning treatuient of and intercourse with, 56, 73, 87, 177, 205, 233, and 294. Hottentots Holland : visited and named, 74 ; occupation of authorized, 163; firpt occuiuition of, 185 ; description of, 186. HOUTMAN, '''ORXELIS : voyage of, 14. HuouEXOT Immjohaxts : particulars concerning, 276 to 292. HULSEXAAR, Petrus : clergjnuan at the Cape, 210. HUYSERS: boo;- of, 411. VAN IvnoFF, the Baron Oustaf Willoin, Governor General of Netherlands lu 'la: visits the Cape, 340. Immiorants: purticulars ccmcerning, 169, 211, '2M, 282, and 299. Inqua ; journey to tho Hottentot tribe of, 258 tt ten. Ivory: traffic in, 351. James: bock of, 407. Janssen, David : is murdered by Hottentots, 50. JaNssbn, Leendert: memorial to the ChamlKj,, 253, 254 d snj., 383, and 384. ^'AN KAterXN : book of, 327. INDEX. 423 VAX Kervel, Adulvan: Governor of tlio Ciipt> Colony. 364. Klaas or Dorhft, a Hottentot Ciiptiiin: particulars conconiing. 187 ; attach- ment to th«> Europeans, 187; assists against Gonneina, 190; kindness to shipwreckcfl Englishmen, 225 ; kindness to wrecked Dutch seamen, 262 ; massacres some Bushuu'n, 270 ; is protected by the East India Company, 203. KlaI'MUTs: why so named, 77 ; stock farm at, 227. KoLBE : book of, 393. KoLVEU, Andueas : lirst resident Lutheran clergyman at the Cape, 3HJ. KooPMAN, Hottentot Captain : particulars concerning, 187. Lacus, Hendrik : is Secretary of the Council of Policy, 100; is Hecunde, 145 ; is suspended from ofnco, 153 ; is reduced to the rank of a common soldier and sent to Batavia, 156. L.vxnniio.sT : appscription Of South Afriai, 12. LirrLE Berq River : first visited, 79. Mad.\oascau : intercourse and trodu with, 125 and 126. Mai/b : introduction of, 87. Malays : the first at the Cape, 55. Mai.xesuuuy : dosuription of, 343 ; ostublishmont of a church at, 343. »E M.vn, Andries ; Socundo at tho Capo, 228. DE Man, Uoeujf: Secundu at the Capo, 74 ; doath of, 126. Mankadan, Syhranu: tlrst Schoolmastor at Stellonbosch, 223 ; Sick Visitor, &c., 224. Murichul : wreck in Table Bay of the French shij), 101. Marriages : method of cel'-bratiou during the absonco of clergymen, (W and 136. Martini, Martinus, a Missionary of the Si»eeuii(itiou in IrtOI as a Dej^teii.lpncy of the Capo Oovonnnunt, 127; account ot events at, 128; particulars oonouniinjj, 198. MbasituEi? of length and land, 74. van Mkeuhok, Piktkr : is one of the (>xph)ring party iinder Jan Danckert, 10(i; is journalist and se(!()nd in comm I nd of the exploring (>xpedition ' under Pieter Cruythof, H'T : is in command of an exploring e.xj[K>dition, 109 ; is sec()t\(l in command of tlie expe(litiini under Pieter Kveraert, 111 ; ac(!iimpanief< th«' ex|M'ilition under Pieter Cniytliof, 124; aooom- luuiies the ex|M-diti(m under J(»nas de la IJuerre, 126 ; nianies the intfrpreter Eva, 143 ; is pron\(>t(Ml to be a surgeon and overseer at UoblH'U Island, H3 ; is appoiiitid head of a trading and exploring 42 \ INDEX. oxpodition to Madagiiscnr ami tbo Southpast coast of Africa, I.V2 ; is luui-deroil by nativos ut the Bay oi Aiitonp;il, l>y,i. Merrlaxd, llUDOLPHUS : clergyman at tho Capo, 1»7. Meiu'atou: atlas of, 317. Meyrino, Arxoldus Maurits: first cli«rgyman at Tulbagh. M'l. MiilfMhuri/ : destruction in Saklanlia Buy of the Dutch East Indianum, 382. Militia : first formation at the Capo of, 90 ; constitution of the Council of Militia, !M). MiNlxa Operatioxs : particulars concerning, 235 and 34(i. DE MoxuEVEROXE, French Viceroy: calls at the Cape with a fleet, 140; refits his fleet with Commander Van Quaelberg's assistance, 151. Moxomotapa: search for the fabulous empire of, 105. MooDiE : book of, 326. MosSEL Bay: named by Paulus van Cacrden, lo. Mjzamuique: ox^iOilition against, 125. Ml'L,I)E:i, Joiiaxnks: first Landdrost of StcUenboscb , 231. MuLLEU, Corporal : uneventful journey of, 59. Namaqi?ai-aXI): particulars of the joxmiey of Comnumder Simon van der Ht<'l to, 2.JH to 247. NAMAQirAs: first visited, 107; feud with the Coehoquas, 108; foray upon Cochoans, 154 ; visit of u party to the Capts 219. Natal: account of Europeans living there, 248 ef, »«/ ; purchase by the East India Company of the country arouni>rif : voyage of the galiot to Delagoa Bay and Natal, 252 ef M'/ ; wreck of. 2H1. Xin-utmi'li : captur«» in Table Bay of tho French ship, 29» • wreck near Agulhas of the PortugiU'se ship, 2«U». j)E Nova, Joax : voyage of, 7. Oak Trees: introduction of. «3 ; arc extonHively plantiHl by Commander •Simon van d.-r Stel, 2««. Occl'TAl'lox : tho first by burghers of land beyond the Cape PoninsuUi, 210. Oedasoa, a Cochoqua Chief: dealing.^ with, 95; makes ]Ka(!e with the NanuKpias at tho riHjuest of Coniniander Van Ritln'ok, 109 ; foud with the Cape clans, 113; death of. 294. tkilLliV : book of, 323. ()Ll)K.\LANi>. IIkxdkik Bkunaud : is Hiiporintondont of tho Coinixuiy's \lardoii lit tlx' C'ape, 2lH; parti<;ulars eonecrning his Herbarium and Cutuluguo uf PlunUt, 211^ INDEX. 42.? Ol.lVE : particuliirfl concfrninp; early attempts to (iultivato the tree at the Capo, IIH, 1S(),2«)K, aiifl 2!»8. OuANOE Trees: introduction of, oi. OlM'llAN' Cii.vMUEu: eHtablisluncnit, diitiPR, and powers of , 105; constitution of, 1!M5. OuTELirs : atlas of, ;}17. Osonius : book of, 31K. OliTEXKitA : . Pretouh's, JoirANNK.s: first St-cretary of tin- Orphan Chamber, ".HO. PuisoxEUa (»K State at the Cajio, 224. PliooT. Nicholas: calls the attention of the East India Comjiaiiy to tli<> udvantaj^fs of a setth-mt nt in Table Valley, 21 itjicj ; deijline.-* tin' poi*t of Comman
  • r at the Cap« , 24. Pfnt.K' WollKS : aceount of, lU.'J. VAX QrAEl.JiKlcd, C!ouxKl,ls: is appointeil Commander ; connnands a s<|ua. TEN RllVN'i; : I look of. .'J2;J. VAX RlKm;::K, .Xiii-aiiam; birtb at the (]ape of, 4!» ; rises to tlie rank of Governor General of Netlieiinnils India, .')(). VAN RlKliEEK, Jan : is w«lecte.l b> th.' Directors of Ih.' Ned.crh.nds East India Company to fonu a Victualling .Station ni 'h.M.' Nall.y. .1. qualifi.iati.M.s. 2."); chara(;t«-r, 12C»; administration ..f tli- p.v.rmiMnt ..f the Ci.p.' S.'ttl.iM.'nt. 2!» t.- I'.M ; o. .Mii.ations subH...pieMl l..l.i:..l<|mrtnn* from Soutli Afri.-a, 121. Utor : lMM»k of, 411. RonKUH : liook of, '>W>i. •126 INDEX. Roman Catholic Worship : itruhibition of public c<>l<'l)iation of, 101 RoNDEUOSCH : origin of the imiuc, GIJ; first funning ojj'Ti'tions at, 03. ROODKZAXDS KeKK : HOO Tllll'lgll. Roux, Pa'I-: first Holi'iolmii- t nt Drnkmstcin, 2S.>. Jloyiif < JinrliH • niti'MitU'd wiptan in Tnl>l(> liay of tlio English ship, l;M. R¥XI'^i.:», ?.vt1 ; removal of the Freneh lantlmiirks, l.'ifi; establisl.ment of un outpost at, KM); is tftken possession of by the French Admiral De la Haye, 100; is re- ix'«;nj>ied by the Dutch, HiO; «iipture of Dutili Fast Indianieii by an English fleet lit, 3M2. Nt'UACHKlt, Chief of the (Joringhai<{uas : is made a prisoner by the Duti-h, 8'J ; is released, N,j ; various names of, 178; sells territory to the East Indiu Company, l"'^ : partieidurs of the sale, 171> ; assists against Goiiuema, li<(»; death of, 272. floiIMIT, Gkokuk, Hrst Moravian Missionary in South Africa: jiartieuhn-s concerning, .'til. Hi-'HOOLMAHTKUs : succession of the earlii-st at the Ciijx', 140. RcnoUTE.N : book of, 321. HcHHYVKU, I/AAK : is head of all ex]>edition to the Niiiiimpias, 227 : is heatl of an expedition to thi; Intpias, 2ri7 to 200. Hei'KVY : instjiuces of great loss '><>, 02i HH, and 3H}>. Hbai«'U for metals at the Ca]M>, 101. Skcuktauy ok Tin: Corxcii, oi" Pomi'Y: duties of the, loo. iSllREI*: introtluetion of European, 03 and 2t> liay, 10. Him'Jl.\(i ; statisti.s of, 117, 17.'i, 221, 300, ami 333. KlA.\lKsK Amiiassadous to I'oUTroAl,: are wrecked on the .Suuth Afiicuii coast, 20t> ; treatment of, 270. MU'K CoMI-dUTKKs : sueee>ision of the earl>-'st at the Car ""'. HiM.KMW; J»ailiphlet of, :JS0. Hi.mo.n's Day : examined and named, 271. HiMON'K, PlKiiKi: : Hist clergyman of Drakenstein, 278 and 283. Hr.AVKH: particulars conceriiiiig, HO, Kl, 107. 20S, 231, .300, 3j1 it iinj, Kmali. Po.x : note upon, 1 12. So.nnrhat: bttok of, KH. Hi'AUUMV.N : iMM.k of, 102. VAN Si'li.liKlioKN', JoKis: voyage of, 10; IhioU of, 310. VA.\ OKK Htaki., I'IKTKU; Hick (.'omforter at the Cajs', HI ; o|»eiis a s,;|iim>1 for slave children, 81 ; iiuikeN exertioiiM to iiiipruvi* tin.' JkiM.liranger ]I<»tt<'iitotN, no. Stiii'fiiin partieularii <.'oneernitig thu wntuk of the, 2-17. HTAVOitl.N " . IkhiW of, 103. VAN liKH Htei., Himon )* ftpiM)inted Comni'uider of tho Cujmj, 2'3 ; urrive* !Nl)EX. 4. '7 lilt i..f is iiii Iroir 1 u'^tonlam, 213 ; inlminish-at''.^ nt" tlif wovcniiiK'nt, 'il I to ;«)7 ; (•ar)y ^ifeof, 211 ; .lijiracti r !>f, ^i,,, r promotcfl to In- Oovcrnor, 2!M). Stkllk.Vi ' •«, ,^ ; first visit f^f Simon van licr .S;lish fleet umler ('ommodore ,Johnstns van Spilberf^en, KJ; is made a jiort of call for outward bound Dutch fleets, 20. TsciiARI) : l)Ook of, IVn. 'rAiiuKT SilooTlxu: description of in tho Hcventeenth century at the- Capo, 20•'». Vauiation ()!• THE Maoneth' NKEnr.E: ]•'>, 2(i:t. and .L'l. VEIi^i't IKi, FuEDEUli u : visits SaManiia Hay, »'.» ; is sent to Nt Ifeh-na (nr a 8Uj)ply of provisions, .V5; is api-oiiit^.l Secmule. ol ; visits Madagascar and nrocurcH a oiiaiitity of ric.-, itl; visits MaUagascu;- tln' second tiuic, in Bhipwrcckcd tiMre, and 'lies of fever, R ^'oociiT, Johannes : acting chaplain at the Capo, 139. WAOnTEXTtORP, Petuus : acting chaplain at the Capo, 155. Waoe.vaau, Zacuakias: is appointed Commander of the Capo, 115; arrives and iH installed, 11(»; character of , 122; administration of thn govern- ment, 122 to H5 ; leaves for Batavia, 11') ; subsequent visit to ihi) Cape, 14(5 ; bequeaths a sum of money to the Cai»e poor funds, 146. Weekman, RlTTGER Anbuies : first clergyman of Malmesbui-y, 'M',i. Wiieat: price of, 87, 144, lf)2, 230, 297, 3.38, 339, and 381 ; exportation of, 295 and 333. Wine : manufiicture ot the first in South Africa, 89 ; exporiment.s in the manufacture of, 2(58 ; samples sent to Batavia, 1(J2 ; exportation of, 333 ; price of, 2!>G. WtXTEnvooEL, Jan, the first South African Explorer : account of previous exploits, 58 ; journey inland of, 58. W'UECK : first on South African coast, 7. WiiEEDE, Oeouoe Fkedehick : is a volunteer in the <«xploi-ing expedition under Jan Danckort, KMi ; particulars concerning, 129 ; studies the Hottentot langiuigc and is employed as an iuteri)retor, 129 ; prepares a Viicabulary of Dutch and Hottentot words, 129; is rewarded by the Directors of Hie East India Company, 129; is sent from the CajKJ to fonii a Victualling St^ition iit Martin Vaz, 129 ; finds only bar«> rocks theies 130 ; n-turns to the CajK*, 130 ; is iipp«)int(>(l Connnandcr of Miiuritias, !30 ; is reduced by Conimamler Van Quiicllx;rg tothe rank of a Kol< licr, 1(>0 ; is rrinstiited by the Din'tstors as Conimander of Mauritius, 100 ; is drowned, ]''.i. WYl,v\r. Wli.r.EM Baukxts: is .Si^^k Visitor at the Cai)e, 30; is father of the first Kiiro|MiUi child bom in the Colony, 3(i; in reprinnmded for boidii.^ {■'< tempore . i rucos, 37. WYNliiiitd; is planted and nu. e