NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY TO THE MOUTH OF THE KNYZNA.
NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY TO THE MOUTH OF THE KNYZNA.
“The result of all the information obtained respecting the Knyzna, and the report of its being admirably adapted as a shipping place for the timber required for the use of the dock yard, as well as for cargoes to send to England, induced me to form the resolution of visiting it, for the purpose of ascertaining how far it might be made to realize the idea which I had formed of its being made useful on a large scale, not only to the naval department but to the colony. It was not until the month of November, 1817, that I was enabled to fulfil my intentions.
“On the 24th of that month I left Sans Souci, the residence of my talented and well informed friend, Colonel Warre,[22]the Deputy Quarter Master General, accompanied by him and Colonel Graham, the Commandant of Simon’s Town. This officer had long commanded the Hottentot or Kaffer corps, on the eastern frontier, by whom, and by all the inhabitants of everypart of the colony where he was known, he was universally respected and beloved, as a gallant soldier and a most amiable man. His knowledge of the colony was perhaps greater than that of any other individual who had held military employment in it; and his knowledge of the character of the Dutch colonists and Hottentots, as well as his judgment in his intercourse with them was such, that a more valuable or more agreeable companion could not have been selected. His skill in field sports especially rendered him the idol of the Hottentots, who looked up to him as something more than mortal.
“For our convenience in travelling, the governor lent us one of the colonial wagons, admirably qualified by its strength, and as much lightness as such a vehicle is susceptible of possessing, for the purpose. In this we carried our baggage, and were enabled to take shelter from the weather, either from rain or heat. We had also our saddle horses and servants, and were supplied with such articles as we were not likely to find in the interior of the colony. Little however was needful, for we were assured of meeting with the most unbounded hospitality, wherever we might stop; nor were we disappointed in any one instance that I can recollect; and the only recompense that would ever be accepted, almost by the very poorest families, was the game that might have been killed by my two companions in the course of the day’s journey.
“We passed the first night in the hospitable and comfortable mansion of Mr. Lawrence Cloett, at Sandvliet; whose estate was daily increasing in value from the improvements he was making. His breed of horsesbids fair to be very valuable to the colony, and was very numerous. He spared no pains or expence in procuring thorough-bred stallions, and the colts were in consequence in great demand.
“Mr. Cloett also paid great attention to his vineyards, from which he made annually 1000 leaguers of wine upon an average. Limestone is another very profitable production of this estate, which is sent in large quantities to Cape town; as well as many loads of hay. This hay is made from oats sown for the purpose, and cut in time to prevent the grain from being easily separated from the stem. It is mown while green, and treated in the same manner as grass in England. This is considered to be the very best forage that can be given to horses; such at least was the opinion of Lord Charles Somerset, who would be considered as good authority on such a subject.
“Mr. Cloett, aware of the object of my journey as regarding the timber of the colony, directed my notice to the durability of the different kinds of wood according to the season in which it was cut. Comparing the timber felled in midwinter, when the sap was down, with that which had been promiscuously cut at all seasons, he had found that the former lasted for many years, the other being of a very short duration. This information was of great importance, as the yellow wood is almost universally employed for house carpenters’ work where deal is used in Europe, but we had found it would not bear exposure to wet or damp.
“On the 25th, at 8 o’clock, our party left Sandvliet, and crossing the Erste river, the horse of Colonel Warregot into one of the quicksands, which are very frequent on all the beaches along this coast; but he was soon extricated, and we found a fine hard sand, on which we galloped to Gordon’s Bay. This little bay, which is completely sheltered from the prevailing south-east wind, the only wind to be much dreaded in False bay, lies immediately under Hottentots Holland Kloof; and offers to the resident, means of transporting the corn and produce of the eastern districts to Simon’s bay. But the Dutch always appear to have had a decided aversion to a coasting trade; and when I was endeavouring to persuade a farmer (and one of a description that might be called educated) of the great advantage of having a schooner of seventy tons, which would take seventy loads of corn to the Cape Town market; while, if carried by land, it would be the work of 980 oxen, 140 slaves, with 70 wagons; he replied, ‘True, Commissioner, but then you see, mine fader and mine grandfader always send his corn mid de bullock vagen; and why not I?’ This argument is rarely to be got over.
“Were a mole carried out in Gordon’s bay, it would be attended with immense advantages, not only to the Naval and Victuallers’ Establishments in Simon’s bay, but to Cape Town also; to which wagons drawn by fourteen and often by sixteen oxen, laden with only one ton of farm produce, are dragged, through a deep sand for at least thirty miles, out of the whole distance, which is forty. The coasting vessels would then be in perfect security with all winds, and only leave the port when there was a moral certainty of a quick passage. A moderate S.E. wind, the prevailing wind nine monthsout of twelve, would carry them to Simon’s bay in less than six hours, and in twelve or fourteen to Table bay. No coaster should be employed in False bay of a greater burthen than 100 tons, as a light draught of water would enable them to get close in shore for loading and unloading, not only in Gordon’s, but in Simon’s bay and Table bay.
“The road over the western extremity of the great branch of the Swartberg, or mountains which run parallel with the south-east coast, which is called Hottentots Hollands Kloof, commences at Gordon’s bay, and was at this time so steep and rugged, as to be attended with much difficulty, especially to the heavy wagons of the country. Our party however having their saddle horses with them, found great enjoyment in ascending it, as in the frequent halts which it was necessary to make, they had a most splendid view of the Cape Flat, as the level or the isthmus is called, which stretches between the Table mountain and those of the Blueberg.
“From the summit of Hottentots Holland Kloof the view towards the north and the west is sublime and magnificent beyond description, and can scarcely be surpassed. The Table mountain, which forms a striking feature on the western side of the isthmus, appears from the height on which the spectator stands, diminished to a small island; whilst the Cape Flat, as the isthmus is called, which connects it with the range of mountains skirting the eastern side of it, is dotted with farms and vineyards, especially near the Table mountain, where the two Constantias, Newlands Wynburg, and Rendelinslook like clusters of ornamental cottages; and even the tracts of bare white sand, which are interspersed amidst the colouring of every hue, from that of the dark cypress to the brightest green of spring, produced by the innumerable shrubs which clothe the plain and the sides of the mountains, become features of extraordinary beauty, lighting up the landscape with the most forcible touches.
“The view on the S.E. side of this range of mountains is far less interesting. A wide extent of barren and broken ground, offering to the eye a fatiguing monotony without any grand or striking features as in Scotland or Wales; and wanting the little pan of cultivated land occasionally seen in the vallies bordering the silver stream.
“We at last surmounted this pass, which could only be effected by putting oxen to the wagon, which being trained to the task, and by nature more patient than the horse, slowly but certainly get up the mountain with the heaviest load. Where one span, or team, is found insufficient, it is frequently the case that two are put on, and as many as thirty-two oxen may be seen crawling up the mountain, at a distance resembling an immense caterpillar. The road from Hottentots Holland to the Palmut river is broken and irregular. The river which we had now to ford was but of little depth. The greater part of the summer it is nearly dry, but in the winter it is frequently impassable from the violence and depth of the torrents. This circumstance occasions great impediments in travelling through the colony; a delay of many days is frequently experienced, and even wholefamilies, who have left their homes for the purpose of going to a Church only a few miles distant, have been detained many days on the banks of one of these torrents, without the possibility of getting across: at the same time no house being near, they have been under the necessity of making their bivouac, in and under the wagon; the boor furnishing them with provisions by means of his gun, from which he is seldom separated, and which is his never failing companion in his journies.
“A most remarkable circumstance grew out of this uncertainty, as to passing the rivers, while I was a resident in the colony. Some farmers, residing within a few miles of Stellenbosch, were in the habit of going thither to church on the Sunday, and having to pass a river on the way, were frequently detained in the manner above mentioned. In consequence of this inconvenience, they determined to purchase a piece of land, on which they might, as they could collect the means, build a church for their own immediate neighbourhood; accordingly they collected amongst themselves 23,000 guilders—at that time about £330 sterling—and bought a considerable piece of ground with it. Having apportioned as much of this as they judged necessary for the church, the parsonage house, glebe, &c., &c., they divided the remainder into lots, for dwelling houses and gardens, and put them up to auction with a view of getting back some of the purchase money. Extraordinary as it may appear, it is nevertheless a fact, that the remnant of a piece of land, the whole of which had been purchased for 23,000 guilders, thus divided into small lots, fetched by auction the enormous sum of 163,000 guilders.It was of course the vicinity of the intended church, and the prospect of a town rising round it, which gave this immense increase of value to the land; and what encouragement does this hold out, even to worldly speculators, as to the expediency of building churches. We have heard it stated that the million sterling, which some years since, was appropriated by parliament for building churches, has brought in an immense interest in the shape of taxes of various descriptions levied upon the houses which have been built, and the population which has been collected round them; and if to these are added the produce of the excise, the gain must be very great—no money whatever, perhaps, ever brought in so large a return as this did.
“But the circumstance becomes deeply interesting in a much higher point of view. It shews the earnest desire even of the Cape Boor for religious instruction—and ‘that the fields are indeed white unto harvest while the labourers are few.’
“The Palmut river was not at this time very deep, but the water came up nearly to the bottom of the wagon. The dogs which accompanied the party had in consequence a very narrow escape from being drowned. In order to prevent their feet from being cut by the rough roads, and to keep them fresh against the time when their services might be called for, they were generally put in baskets in which their beds were made, and hung under the wagon, but so close to the bottom of it, as to prevent their jumping out. Upon this occasion they had been forgotten, and on passing through the river there wasbarely space between the surface of the water and the bottom of the wagon, to enable them to keep their noses out of it. Three inches more and they must have been lost. Towards evening the windings of the Palmut River, and the fine outline of the Swartberg mountains—the one contrasted with the deep shade thrown over the land, and the others with the bright blue sky, formed a magnificent picture.
“We passed the night at the house of a Dutch farmer, named Uric, where we were most comfortably accommodated. He was a very industrious man, and although a cripple from rheumatism, and only assisted by two slaves, had succeeded in the course of two years in building a house, in planting a large vineyard, and providing for his children and grand-children.
“On the 26th, having procured oxen for the purpose, we began to ascend the great Hac-hoek (or the great high corner) the road passing over a range of mountains diverging from the great chain of the Swartberg, and running towards the sea near Cape Lagullos. The view from the summit of this pass was highly picturesque. On the left, the grand chain of the Swartberg which runs along the coast from False Cape to Algoa bay was seen receding and losing itself in a vivid blue distance. At the foot of the Hac-hoek, on the eastern side, runs the Both Riviere, which in the summer like almost all the smaller Cape rivers, is little more than the bed of a winter torrent. Here we found again a labourious settler, living on a farm on the left bank of this river, in which but a very few years before he had considered himself with his large family as in a state ofindependence. He had built a mill just below his house, and by a lateral cut he had brought the water to turn it. This had cost him infinite labour to effect, but it answered admirably. His garden, containing abundance of fruit trees, and about two thousand vines, was contiguous to the mill, and was watered by the stream that turned it. But the river increased in the course of one night to a fearful torrent, which destroyed his garden and vineyard, ruined his mill, and covered the soil near his house with such a deluge of sand and rocks as to render it almost unfit for future cultivation. The worthy man was for some time in a state of despair, declared himself ruined, and saw nothing before him but a miserable old age. He however exerted himself with renewed energy, selected another spot for a mill and garden on the opposite side of the river, and his efforts have been crowned with success: only a very few years had elapsed when we saw him, with his mill restored and in use, and an extensive garden with a vineyard of twenty thousand vines. We found him in the full enjoyment of his well merited prosperity, an example of patience and industry to all his neighbours.
“After passing the Both Riviere the country lost its precipitous character, but was intersected by deep ravines extending from the base of the mountains to the sea on the S.E. coast, the hills sloping gradually into them, their sides abounding in verdure, but with few trees. The vallies were in general well supplied with water, and consequently fertile, better calculated for vines than corn, although the latter grows in abundance where there is moisture.
“We arrived in the middle of the day at Caledon, a town which may be supposed by its name to have had its origin under the British Government. It is situated in the Brandt valley, and near the hot baths. It was founded in 1810, and had at this period a very imposing appearance, with its church, town house, and magistrates’ houses; the other dwellings have also a pretty appearance, being white-washed and neatly painted. There is but little taste displayed in point of architecture, in which the Dutch taste is not only prevalent but exclusive.
“We here were most hospitably received and entertained by the chief magistrate, Mr. Frawenfeller, and passed a day with him in viewing the baths, the hospital, and the leper establishment. This hideous disease of leprosy is held perhaps in greater horror by the Dutch than by other nations, who are careful to keep those affected by it as separate as possible from the population; in which they are undoubtedly right, provided the afflicted are not made to suffer from these restrictions, which, from the information obtained here, was not suspected to be the case.
“From Caledon I proceeded with my friends to Bavian’s Kloof, as we were very desirous of seeing the Moravian establishment in that neighbourhood, called by them Genadendahl, or the vale of grace. The road on leaving Caledon, and until near Bavian’s Kloof, was very bad, winding round the sides of the mountain. The country had much of the same undulating appearance as that between the Hac-hoek and Caledon, but on approaching Bavian’s Kloof it became level and good.The morning had been wet, but clearing up as we approached the Moravian settlement, we saw it to great advantage. The Swartberg mountains, elevated, bleak, and bare, formed the back ground of the view, and appeared to overhang Genadendahl. The road ran between two moderately elevated hills on each hand, with a fertile and well cultivated valley between them, and led winding through extensive corn grounds, and large tracts of heath to the Moravian establishment. These corn grounds are in general the property of the Hottentots, who have sought refuge among the Moravians from the persecution of the boors, and many of them evince great proofs of skill and industry; others again shew that their owners had not entirely conquered that aversion to labour, which is so strikingly manifested by that people. The first view of Bavian’s Kloof and the vallies surrounding the missionary establishment is very striking, and reminded us forcibly of those affecting descriptions of the pastor and his flock in the wild and mountainous parts of Scotland, to which the Presbyterians had been driven in that country, in the days of persecution. The church, a modest but spacious building, with its roof of thatch, rose to a considerable height amidst the cottages of the Hottentots, which surrounded it in every direction, and in every variety of form and grade of civilization. They appeared to have sought and to have obtained protection under the shadow of the house of God, and the valley appeared to be at once the vale of grace, and the vale of peace. It was truly delightful to observe the gradual, but in many instances the very high degreeof improvement, which had taken place in the habits of this most interesting race, and the reverence, and gratitude, and love many of them shewed towards their kind and single-hearted protectors.
“The establishment was originally founded in 1733, by the Moravian Smyth, but in consequence of the hostility of the Dutch colonists it was broken up in 1742. A pear tree planted by Mr. Smyth during the period, now remained in the garden, as a monument of the first existence of the retreat. It was re-established in 1792; but during the government of Sir James Craddock, a conspiracy was formed by the Boors to murder the Moravians, and to seize upon the defenceless Hottentots. Timely information having however been sent to the Governor, due precaution was taken, and the conspirators dispersed.[23]Since that time the inmates have been suffered to remain in peace, although hated by the neighbouring Boors, as they prevent their exercising upon the Hottentots, the fraud and oppression which these people formerly suffered from them.
“The church, although a heavy unsightly building, with its very deep thatched roof and sharp gables, becomes deeply interesting, when filled with its attentive congregation. It is not possible to conceive more genuine and artless devotion than that which is manifested externally by the Hottentots; and we are justified in the hope, that a very large portion of them are deeply impressed with the blessed truths, which they hear from their truly pious instructors. Wecannot guess the heart, but if consistency of character, and a life evidently formed on true Christian principles will entitle people to be considered as genuine followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, that title may safely be conferred upon them. They themselves will never claim it, but they pursue the peaceful tenor of their way, through good report, and through evil report, having apparently only one object in view, which is the faithful fulfilment of their duty to their God, and to their fellow creatures. And what but the divine blessing upon their sincere and humble endeavours to promote the happiness of their fellow creature, could give that power, authority, and stability to their society, which they evidently possess? Neither having, nor wishing for the means of coercion, their influence over their flock is founded on love; and the fear of that love being withdrawn, is the only but effectual restraint by which the Hottentot is kept from infringing the rules of the society. It would be impossible on a hasty visit to form a just estimate of these most useful missionaries. We passed some days with them, and were delighted with their truly consistent method of civilizing the Hottentots. It seemed to be their object to make them feel that they were not only rational but immortal beings; and to guide them not only to improve the blessings which God had bestowed upon them for their advantage in this world, but also to use these blessings in such a manner as might prepare them for the everlasting happiness of heaven. In this system, the first use that man is taught to make of his reasoning powers is to learn that he is a sinner, as helpless with regard to therenovation of his soul from the state of corruption, into which for the first time he was made sensible that he had fallen, as he was in the state of savage nature, in which he had hitherto lived, to obtain the comforts and advantages possessed by the more enlightened European. In this way religion and civilization went hand in hand, and it was very remarkable that on observing a particularly neat cottage, and a well kept garden, it was almost always found to belong to the most advanced Christian; and this may in a great measure be accounted for by the unwearied patience observed by the Moravians over their charge. They are so far from being precipitate in making the Hottentots nominal Christians by the external rite of baptism, that it is possible they err on the other hand, and exact too much. If this be an error however, it is one on the safe side. But a long series of good conduct, an evident reformation from old habits, and a considerable acquirement of knowledge of the New Testament are considered indispensable before they can be baptized; and a much greater advance in Christianity is required before they can be admitted to the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper.
“In conversing with Mr. Lestner, the chief of the Missionary establishment, upon this subject, I learnt that even the qualifications last mentioned of an exemplary life of piety were not all that was expected from the candidate for the sacrament; but that he must, notwithstanding the most spotless character, be exposed to the lot—his name being put to into one vase, and when drawn out, a paper was drawn out of anothervase, containing either an affirmative or a negative. I put a case to Mr. Lestner, in which I supposed the candidate to have been educated under his own eye, and personally known to him; to have been from infancy most exemplary, as a child to his parents, as a servant to his master, as a companion to those around him, and, I asked, would he still be subjected to the lot? The answer was, ‘Most certainly,’ and the precedent of Matthias was given as a reason. It consequently happened that in some instances several negatives followed each other, but at length the affirmative came, and the candidate became a communicant. Whatever opinion may be formed of the apparently unnecessary strictness, it produced the very best effects in many instances; and could not well be abused, as the testimony of good character was necessary before the experiment of the lot could be tried, and there were therefore very few instances of unworthy members being admitted.
“The assistance and countenance the Hottentots received from the Missionaries depended much upon the grade the latter had taken as constituting the Christian, and this will readily account for the superior appearance of their dwellings.
“The service in the church was short, and very impressive, consisting of prayers, exhortations, hymns, and a sermon; and the greatest attention was observable in the congregation. Some manifested a most ardent devotion; and many undoubtedly felt it. The singing of the female Hottentots was delightful, and added powerfully to the effect produced by this view of the worship of God in the wilderness.
“The same gradation of improvement was observed in the dress of the Hottentots as was apparent in their dwellings. In the rows nearest the reading desk the females were clad in European manufactures, and displayed great neatness and cleanliness; some indeed went further, and had added what might be termed finery; but this was much discouraged by the Moravian ladies, who, while employing them in the beautiful work so well known and appreciated in Europe, taught them to consider that it should form no part of their own attire.
“On the middle benches there were mingled with an approach to the costume of the white inhabitant some remains of the sheep’s skin covering of their early state, and less of cleanliness might be remarked; and on those most remote, the genuine Hottentot was seen in the habiliments of his early days.
“On the first arrival of the Hottentot at the establishment, he is provided with a piece of ground, his only claim being the recommendation of one of his countrymen; and on this spot he is left to act at perfect liberty, without either direction or restraint. He is required, as the only tenure by which he holds the property, to attend the church at stated periods, and to receive religious instruction. The Missionaries are too wise to expect that these people should instantaneously throw off their habits of indolence; they are generally certain that these will disappear, as well as the sheep’s skin and the kraal, with the moral darkness which the light of the gospel will dispel; and leave them to experience gradually the change of disposition and habits which is likelyto result from the change in the mode of life. Their education is powerfully advanced and accelerated by observation, which with all savages is very acute. Man is an imitative animal, and easily induced to follow that which he sees in the conduct of those whom he is led to respect or love. Here every effort is made to give the mind a right bias; and there is no doubt that the fervent humble prayer, which is daily offered up for them by these single hearted Moravians, is accepted, and brings down many a blessing upon the early convert, who as yet is only capable of seeing the source of his progress in second causes. Habits of industry thus acquired are likely to become fixed and progressive, and are associated with all the instruction they receive, as effects proceeding from one first cause, and that cause Christianity.
“There is service in the church every evening, at which above 200 attend, but on the sabbath nearly 1200 assemble. The whole number under the care of Moravians at this time was rather more than 1300. On Mondays and Fridays they were instructed in singing. The catechism was the course of instruction for the adults. A school room had been built for the daily instruction of the children. The girls are received into this school in the morning, and the boys in the evening; they are educated upon Dr. Bell’s system, and many have made very considerable progress, reading the Bible in Dutch with great fluency.
“The Missionaries are naturally very anxious that the children thus educated should settle amongst them, and see them go away with great reluctance. Theyhowever seldom migrate, but marry at an early age, and settle under the immediate protection of their kind friends. We visited several of the cottages, which would have been admired for their neatness and cleanliness in any part of England.
“The Moravians receive all Hottentots from whatever part of the colony they may come, but admit with some jealousy such as have been long inhabitants of Cape Town; and this for a very obvious reason, as they have but too probably acquired habits of intemperance and profligacy, from which these were perhaps free in their savage state.
“The Boors make great complaints against the Moravians for encouraging the Hottentots in their disinclination to work, and in the preference they give to remaining in wretchedness and want in the neighbourhood of Genadendahl, to what they consider more useful labour upon the farms of the colony. The charge of indolence made against the Hottentots while in the service of the Boor may be admitted to a certain degree; but this must in a great measure be attributed to the treatment they receive from the Boor—where they are invariably overworked, wretchedly clad, and cruelly punished for the slightest offence, and even for no offence at all. This is a fearful weight in the scale, when the only counterpoise is a sufficiency of food. The wages rarely exceeded five rix dollars a month, and this payment was often withheld on the plea of a debt, for clothes, tobacco, or spirituous liquors; by which means from utter inability to pay what is demanded, the poor Hottentot became to all intents and purposes a slavefor life; but even should he by the utmost exertion and frugality, succeed in getting rid of this debt, he might be involved in others, being accused of having lost an ox by carelessness, or by breaking a wagon by an accident over which he could have no control. Conviction soon followed accusation at the field Cornet’s tribunal, and unless rescued by remonstrances from influential persons, there was little hope of their ever obtaining freedom. Dr. Philip by his arduous exertions, at length broke the neck of this most odious system of tyranny, and succeeded in placing the Hottentot in a situation nearer to that of the white colonist. But among the Boors of the Cape there are many who have dealt very differently with the Hottentot; who have been just and humane towards them, and who in consequence have had occasion to speak of them in a very different manner. Instead of denouncing the whole race as indolent, dishonest, and treacherous, they have found them active, industrious, faithful, and attached in an extraordinary degree, not only to the master and his family, but to his interest, which they hazarded their lives in defence of; as has been frequently evinced by the conduct of these people in defending their master’s property or cattle from wild beasts, or from Kaffer invaders. In truth perhaps there is no description of person who has evinced more ardent gratitude and self-devotion than the Hottentot has done when under kind treatment; there was also one trait of character in itself most honourable, which was so frequently manifested as to place them very high in moral eminence, and that was their determinedadherence to truth. Colonel Graham, our companion on this occasion, assured me, that during the whole time he commanded the Hottentot corps, which was some years, he remembered very few instances in which these people had recourse to falsehood; and that even in cases, when the offence from having been often repeated, must necessarily meet with punishment, it was confessed by the culprit with the same frankness as though it had been the first offence, and the confession pleaded in the hope of forgiveness. It is painful to think how much of this native morality of character has been lost, by communication with civilized Europeans.
“I confidently believe, that were the Hottentot always treated with kindness and paid his just due, his labour would far exceed the work assigned him, and that he would be, when uncorrupted by bad example, a most valuable and attached servant. Of this there are many instances, not only in the memory, but in the actual experience of respectable persons at the Cape.
“The Hottentots are in general remarkably intelligent, and are very quick sighted in discovering the track or footsteps of wild animals; they will even trace the steps of man over wild and extensive heaths, so covered with a stunted vegetation as to leave no apparent traces. Their vision is also particularly correct and clear. These last mentioned faculties seem to be possessed in a high degree by all savages, a circumstance easily accounted for by the supposition that their faculties are sharpened by the necessity of exerting them to the utmost, in the absence ofthose aids, which invention in civilized states has rendered so universal, and so indispensable.
“A Hottentot delights in the chase, a pursuit he was born to; and he is admirably adapted to it from his almost intuitive knowledge of the haunts and habits of wild animals, to whom he is a most formidable enemy.
“We have already adverted to the corps formed entirely of Hottentots, and in justice to them we should give the opinion formed of these people by General Sir James Craig, by whom they were embodied. It has already been given in the excellent and accurate work of Mr. now Sir John Barrow, but it should, whenever the Hottentot character is brought before the public, be referred to. ‘Never were people more contented, or more grateful, for the treatment they now receive. We have upwards of three hundred, who have been with us nearly nine months. It is therefore with the opportunity of knowing them well that I venture to pronounce them an intelligent race of men. All who bear arms exercise well, and understand immediately and perfectly whatever they are taught to perform. Many of them speak English tolerably well. We were told that so great was their propensity to drunkenness, we should never be able to reduce them to order or discipline; and that the habit of roving was so rooted in their disposition, we must expect the whole corps would desert the moment they had received their clothing. With respect to the first, I do not find they are more given to the vice of drinking than our own people; and as to their pretended propensity to roving, that charge is fully confuted by the circumstance of only one man having leftus, since I first adopted the measure of assembling them, and he was urged to this step by having lost his firelock. Of all the qualities that can be ascribed to a Hottentot, it will be little expected that I should expatiate upon their cleanliness, and yet it is certain, that at this moment our Hottentot parade would not suffer in comparison with that of some of our regular regiments. The clothing perhaps may have suffered more than it ought to have done, in the time since it was issued to them, from their ignorance of the means of preserving it; but those articles which are capable of being kept clean by washing, together with their arms and accoutrements, which they have been taught to keep bright, are always in good order. They are now likewise cleanly in their persons; the practice of smearing themselves with grease being entirely left off. I have frequently seen them washing themselves in a rivulet when they could have in view no other object but cleanliness.’[24]
“The Missionaries having received many who had belonged to the corps, are very rigid in prohibiting the use of fire arms amongst the people, lest they should be led away from the habits of industry they are anxious to bring them to, by their pursuit of game.
“Besides the schools there are two workshops in which the young Hottentots learn the useful craft of the blacksmith, and the carpenter. The work done here is highly creditable to them, and were there a great demand for their labour, they would soon equal theEuropean artificers. Chairs, tables, bureaus, and other cabinet work, as well as cutlery of every common description is the produce of these workshops. They also build excellent wagons, and are accounted capital wheelwrights. The smith’s house (a Hottentot) was in remarkable good order. They have also among them many respectable masons and thatchers. Their houses produce a very picturesque effect, as seen under the mountains, neatly white-washed. The white-wash is made by pouring boiling water upon bran, and then letting it run off upon lime.
“A very considerable business is carried on by the Missionaries, in the produce of their handicrafts, by trafficking with the interior. All implements for farm purposes are supplied by them of a good quality, and moderate prices; and the Boors of Graaf Reynet deal largely in the purchase of these articles in exchange for cattle.
“The produce of the girl’s workroom is too well known and estimated in Europe to require any account of it; but the neat, cleanly, and cheerful appearance of the young female Hottentots assembled is very striking to the strangers who visit the establishment, and offers a very convincing proof of the success of the Moravians in this most benevolent undertaking.
“The Hottentots express themselves surprisingly well upon the subject of religion, and are evidently capable of much serious reflection; this the Missionaries confirmed by quoting many instances.
“The holy sacrament is administered every month; there were generally about 400 communicants, and anindividual examination takes place previously to their receiving it. The females are all dressed in white when they approach the holy table. If any of the Hottentots are known to have quarrelled, they are not permitted to communicate until they are reconciled to each other; or rather they are enjoined to stay away, which in general produces the same effect.
“It is not to be expected that these people should be without their share of vices, which are so common among all communities of their fellow creatures, and amongst others that of drunkenness has been especially charged against them, but perhaps unjustly; for what Sir James Craig says of them as a military corps, may be urged in their favour in every other situation of life in which they are found, that they are not more given to drinking than Europeans. They are in addition surrounded by temptations, as the Boors in the neighbourhood are always pressing upon them wine and brandy of a most wretched description, in payment for any service they may render them; or if by sale, at a very low price. The Hottentots have also a great temptation from the abundance of a plant called the Daka, or wild hemp, which they smoke, and which has as intoxicating an effect as ardent spirits, and may even be considered as having more deleterious effects.
“The Moravians are not only anxious to avoid the exercise of any coercion or restraint over these Hottentots, but to remove all suspicion from the minds of the Boors that the establishment derives any interest or advantage from their labour. For this reason, they are particularly careful never to employ them, withoutcoming to an immediate settlement, as soon as the work is performed; and they make it a rule, never to accept any presents from them, however disposed from gratitude these people might be to offer them.
“A stream winds its way through the valley in which the settlement is situated, and the Hottentots having built their houses on the higher part of the ground allotted them, carried their gardens to the banks with the view of facilitating the watering of them; but two years before our visit, a torrent from the neighbouring mountains swept away the greater part of the gardens, and their labours have since been confined to the more elevated parts of these grounds.
“The Missionaries have tried the cultivation of flax in Genadendahl, but without success. They were in hopes to have produced the material for an useful employment to the Hottentots, and there is no good reason assigned for the failure. As the Commissioner I was so convinced of the advantage which might be derived to the Naval department from the growth of hemp, that I twice imported seed from England in the hope of establishing its culture; but in both instances the seed never germinated, which I attributed to the vital principle having been destroyed in the heated hold of the vessel in which it was brought out; and before I could make a third effort, the establishment was broken up. It is very probable that further endeavours may have been subsequently made, and it is to be hoped that they have been more fortunate.
“On the 29th of November we continued our journey to the Moful Bay, the road lay through a country wildand broken, but highly picturesque; the Swartberg and Hottentots Kloof on the left, and the valleys interspersed with numerous patches of fertile corn ground. We had to cross the river Sender End (without end) twice in the course of the day, but this is attended with no difficulty in the summer season. In the winter it is generally a furious torrent, and opportunities must be diligently sought, and readily made use of for getting over it. This river Sender End terminates among the sand-hills, through which it discharges itself into the sea.
“We arrived at six in the evening at the beautiful farm of Mr. —— in the Soctindals valley, and we were most hospitably received by that gentleman, who is highly respected throughout every part of the colony. He has brought up a large family, and his children are now settled round him, not only in comfort, but in opulence, promising him a happy old age. His house, which was originally a hospital, is still called Sicken Huis, and stands on the right bank of the Sender End river.
“It is generally observed that hospitality is the virtue most practised in the earliest stage of society, and that it declines as the conveniences of life multiply, and accommodations are provided for travellers on the road, by persons who look to them as the means of acquiring property. This is undoubtedly true, but it appears in the colony to have out-lived its term, and to continue to flourish where the absolute necessity for it has passed away; for such are the arrangements made for travelling by means of tents and beds fittedto wagons, and the custom of making a bivouac on the open heath, that no person undertakes a journey without the means of being independent in the course of it; and should there be an invincible repugnance to passing the night without the shelter of a roof, and a sure defence against wild beasts, there are farm houses of an inferior description, where admittance might be obtained on the payment of a small sum. It is true there are not many of them, for the principle of hospitality descends to the lowest class of farmers. Arrangements however may be made of this description, so as to prevent the necessity of intruding upon the domestic privacy of respectable families. Notwithstanding this, the master of the house near which respectable travellers should find themselves, expects that they would unhesitatingly come to him; and on their doing so, evinces the utmost readiness to accommodate them. Every effort is made by the whole family to shew that their hospitality comes from the heart; and the traveller, his servants, and his horses, are liberally provided for. No matter at what hour he arrives, a sumptuous, or at least an abundant repast is prepared for him, with the best of everything the house affords, and the best bed-room for his accommodation. At whatever hour the traveller proposes to continue his journey, he is sure to find his horses and his breakfast ready for him, with warm demonstrations of friendship and invitations to come again, should he return by the same road. This was the reception and hospitality that we met with, not only from Mr. ——, but in almost every part of the country; notalways upon the scale of comfort which we experienced here, but with the warmest welcome according to the means possessed of offering it.
“On the 29th we continued our route, and as the day’s journey was to be a very long one, Mr. —— kindly supplied us with a span of oxen to take the wagon as far as the Zout kraal, by which our horses were greatly spared. We arrived about two o’clock on the banks of the Salt lake, and dined on its banks. The water in this lake is too salt for use; and that which we procured from an adjacent farm was so brackish as to be scarcely drinkable; but this quality in water is by no means objectionable to those who are accustomed to it; on the contrary, persons visiting Cape Town from these districts have been known to put salt to the water to render it palatable before they could drink it.
“We traversed extensive plains this day, and saw abundance of game, consisting of stein bocks, riebocks, partridges, pavus, koar hens, &c. the two last a species of the bustard, and very good eating, resembling the Turkey in size, but of a fine wild flavour. We arrived in the evening at the extensive farm of Mr. Odendals, a most respectable and hospitable gentleman, whose estate lies on the western side of the Potteberg, a minor range of hills diverging from the Swartberg, and terminating near the S.E. coast.
“We were here received with the utmost hospitality, and every provision made for our comfort, not only for the night, but for the day and night following, as the day of our arrival was Saturday. We were delighted with the manner in which the family passed the sabbath,no church being within many miles of them. Mr. Odendals read the service to his household in the great hall, which appeared to be the constant practice. He had five children who bid fair to be a comfort to him.
“The farm was a very extensive and most productive one, and had it been cultivated to its full extent, would have yielded a very large supply of grain for the colonial market; but the want of vent for the produce prevented this being done. The distance from the farm to Cape Town required four days to perform it, and a wagon with two men, or a man and a boy, with sixteen oxen, could only take one load of corn, which taking the average prices of grain whilst I was residing at the Cape, may be taken at about sixty rix dollars, or £6 sterling, by far too small a sum to remunerate the farmer for his seed, his labour, the rent of his land, and the absence of his people, oxen and wagon nine days, independent of the probable loss of one or more oxen on the road, and the wear and tear of the wagon. It is true they brought back from Cape Town the articles of European produce required for the consumption of the family, but this was to a very small amount.
“What renders this want of a market more surprising is, that on the other side of the Potteberg, at a distance of only a few hours from this farm, was a river, with a safe port at its entrance, into which vessels of from 70 to 100 tons might enter with safety, and receive cargoes of grain, or other rural produce, lying in perfect security during the whole of the summer,and within two days’ sail of Simon’s Bay or Table Bay. Had a coasting trade existed, and a magazine been erected at the mouth of the Bride River, this district might have furnished a very large supply of grain; and had similar measures been adopted in other parts of the colony where the same advantages existed, not only would this valuable possession of Great Britain have abounded with corn for its own consumption, but it might have had a valuable article of export even to the mother country. It is to be hoped that British enterprize may before this time have laid the foundation of a very extensive coasting trade, which shall at once be the means of bringing into cultivation much valuable land now entirely neglected; whilst it supplies the interior of the colony with every article of European manufacture, of which it stands in need, at a moderate price. It may not be amiss to give here, by anticipation, a calculation which I made some weeks afterwards at George, when conversing with the leading inhabitants upon the subject of a coasting trade as indispensable to the prosperity of this new town.
“A merchant of George is supposed to order a ton of goods, either Manchester, or Birmingham, or Sheffield, (as it may be) from England, for the purpose of supplying the wants of his neighbourhood. These goods are accordingly shipped to his consignment in London, and arrive at the Cape in the course of ten or twelve weeks afterwards, paying a freight to the Cape of £l 10s. per ton. These goods have now to be carried by land to the town of George, a distance of scarcely two hundred miles from Cape Town, and forthe freight for this distance, not less than the sum of £9 sterling must be paid, and enormous as this sum must appear, it cannot be done for less, as the following calculation will shew.
“To bring one ton of goods from Cape Town to George would require one man, one boy, one wagon, and sixteen oxen, and the freight charged by the farmer, is five rix dollars per cwt., or one hundred rix dollars for the ton.
“A whole month is required for the journey, including the days of departure and arrival, and one day loading the wagon, in Cape Town, at little more than three rix dollars per day.
“But under the supposition that he might carry a load of the produce of his farm, say corn to Cape Town, the highest price of which in the market would be one hundred rix dollars, he could only estimate the freight at ten rix dollars at the utmost, making one hundred and ten rix dollars for freight going and returning.
“The least which can be set off against this profit would be—
or about 2s. sterling per day.
“Mr. Odendals assured me that he could afford to deliver 7000 muids of grain to a vessel at the mouth of the Bride River, at thirty rix dollars per load under the current price in Cape Town; and that were the means of exportation furnished to him by the river, the quantity of grain might be increased to a very great amount. Here would be a freight for a schooner, a small vessel of seventy tons, of £210 sterling, to be divided as profit between the merchant and the owner of the vessel, for a voyage that might be performed in a week, but which upon a fair average of winter and summer, might be certainly done eight times in the year; but in all probability twice that number of voyages might be performed. In addition to this freight, another sum might be added for that of European manufactures carried back, in exchange for the corn, and nearly equal in amount to the former. Iron, cutlery of all sorts, agricultural tools, brandy, tea, coffee, sugar, &c. &c. are in great demand in the interior, and having to pay the heavy land carriage already mentioned, reach the inland consumer at an enormous price.
“Mr. Odendals appeared to be very happy in his family, and much respected and beloved by his slaves. A very pleasing practice was observed in his house, which was, that of all the servants, slaves as well as others, coming in, in succession in the morning, to wish their master a good day. This was considered as a family muster.
“The garden here would probably have been very productive, had it been more sheltered from theS.E. winds, which might easily have been done, many shrubs such as the Rhinoceros bush, and many Proteas, braving its violence; under the lee of which the stunted oak, such as many of the vineyards in the Cape district are sheltered by, might be made to grow. The water is generally brackish through the extensive plains at the foot of the Potteberg; a quality for which it is not disrelished by the inhabitants, however objectionable to strangers. A beautiful specimen of the wild Jessamine was seen here, armed with thorns as sharp as those of the Mimosa.
“The roads in the neighbourhood are generally good, that from Sickenhuis to this place was excellent, running over level ironstone; and but for the ravines by which it was so frequently intercepted, might have been travelled upon at as great a rate as the best roads in England; and being formed on a hard surface, never wanted repair, in fact the only labour required in making them was to clear away the heath.
“On Monday, Dec. 1st, it rained too hard during the early part of the day for our party to begin their journey; but in the afternoon the weather clearing, our kind host insisted upon driving us in his wagon to Cape Lagullos. The road lay over a very extensive plain, capable of being made very productive in corn. In the neighbourhood of the Recty Lake the ground is so frequently flooded, that it produces only a rank coarse grass. There are many pools in the course of the Kleine River, called by the inhabitants “Sea cow holes,” from the resemblance to the haunts of these animals in the eastern parts of the colony, and probablyfrom their having been found here in the earlier part of the settlement; tradition being very common here of the country having been infested with all descriptions of wild animals, and particularly lions and buffalos, which are now rarely seen to the westward of the Gauritz River.
“From the Recty Lake a quantity of salt is collected every year, as much as 3000 muids. The plain formerly afforded excellent pasturage for horses, but the grass having become coarse, and rank, the value of the property has much diminished. The Boors on the small farms which are dispersed about this extensive tract of land, are of an athletic make, but of most indolent habits, as is evident from the wretched appearance of their farms and all around them. Their chief occupation is hunting, and here, and here only, their energies seem to be aroused; but the neglect of their farms has already been accounted for, in the want of a market for their produce. A little corn is sufficient for the consumption of their families, and as they have abundance of sheep, and plenty of game at hand, they want but little besides clothing and brandy, which they procure from Cape Town in exchange for what they send thither.
“On the evening of this day we reached Recty, a small horse farm, situated on the eastern side of a Lake, about seven miles from Cape Lagullos, a wretched hovel in a most dilapidated state, and bearing evident marks of the absence of its master. From the failure of the grass already alluded to, but few horses are used here. We passed the night with as much comfort as themeans offered us would admit of; but to travellers of cheerful disposition, good health and appetite, with wagons so provided, as to set scarcity at defiance, we did not suffer much; there was during the night a severe storm of thunder and lightning.
“On the following day we set out for Cape Lagullos, but found the Boor who conducted us, entirely mistaken as to the point they called the Cape; upon reaching it, another was seen bearing S.W. by W. from it, consequently further to the southward; and having got to this point, another appeared, at the distance of five or six miles, bearing W.S.W., which was probably the real Cape. The wrecks of many vessels were lying on the part of the shore we visited, which had been lost in the course of the preceding thirty years. One of the ships lost here a few years before, had a cargo of slaves, who having gained their liberty, marched up the country in a body, but they were too dangerous at liberty, and too useful in bondage, to be allowed to enjoy their freedom any length of time. An old woman then living in the house now occupied by Mr. Odendal’s, took great credit to herself, for having defended it against these invaders, and for being the cause of their being finally secured.
“At four p.m. on the 2nd, we continued our journey, crossing the Carse River, on our way to Morkels, a farm on the River, called a horse farm: there is another near it, but both evincing at this period a want of capital. Morkels is a valuable property, a good dwelling house, spacious out-buildings, capacious stables and barns, but in a ruinous state for want of repair, thewater here is excessively brackish, so much so, as to be scarcely drinkable to an European.
“We met here at dinner with young Schwartz, the person who first discovered the wreck of the unfortunate Arniston, a large East Indiaman, which was lost upon Cape Lagullos in June, 1815. He gave us a very interesting and most affecting account of the awful scene, which came suddenly before him as he rode down to the beach. The shore was covered with wreck of every description, masts, sails, timber, and planks, hove high upon the beach, which was strewed with dead bodies. The fatal event had taken place some days, as he learnt from the survivors. Six men whom he found in a small cavern on the coast, impressed with the idea that the ship had passed the Cape of Good Hope, and that she had been wrecked to the westward of it, had walked along the beach for two days, expecting every moment to see the Table Mountain, but at the end of that time were stopped by the Bride River, which convinced them of their error, and they had to retrace their steps to the wreck, which they reached at the end of the fourth day, worn out with fatigue and hunger, having only subsisted upon the shell fish they found on the coast. Their first object was to bury as many of their dead as they could, during the two days previously to their being discovered by Mr. Schwartz; they pointed out to him particularly the spot in which they had laid thefour childrenof Colonel Giels, of the 72nd Regiment, who had been sent home as passengers in the Arniston, under the care of Lord and Lady Molesworth, who also perished in her. These poor fellowshad evidently taken a very deep interest in the fate of these children, as it was the only grave which they distinctly marked. They had of course procured some salt provisions from the wreck, which had been washed ashore, but every thing else was spoiled by the salt water. They were also enabled to clothe themselves from the raiment of their unfortunate shipmates. They were afterwards most hospitably and kindly treated by the farmer, and having been sent to the nearest Magistrate, gave the deposition of which the following is a copy, and which was forwarded to the Commissioner of His Majesty’s Dock Yard, a few days afterwards.