1ESj laws of the mother country. He is to that end, commonly
well verfed in juridical affairs, and depends folely upon
the mother country. The major (at prefent Mr. Von Prehn,
who received us with great politenefs) has the rank of
koopmah or merchant: this circumftance furprifes a ftranger,
who in all other European ftates,. is ufed to fee military
honours confer diftinftion and precedence, and appears Hill
more Angular to one who knows the contrail: in this particular
between Holland and Ruffia, where the idea of military
rank is annexed to every, place, even that of a
profeffor at the univerfity. The number of regular fol-
diers at this colony amounts to about 700, of which 400
form the garrifon of the fort, near the Cape town. The
inhabitants capable of bearing arms form a militia of
4000 men, of whom a confiderable part may be affembled
in a few hours, by means of fignals made from alarm
places in different parts of the country. We may from
hence make fome eftimate of the number of white people
in this colony, which is at prefent fo extenlive, that the
diftant fettlements are above a month’s journey from the
Cape ; but thefe remote parts lie fometimes more1 than a
day’s journey from each other, are furrounded by various
nations of Hottentots, and too frequently feel the want of
proteftion from their own government at that diftance.
The Haves in the colony are at lead in the proportion of
five or more, to one white perfon. -The principal inhabitants
tants at the Cape have fometimes from 20 to 30 Haves, novemje«,
which are in general treated with great lenity, and fometimes
become favourites with their mailers, who give
them very good cloathing, but oblige them to wear neither
fhoes nor dockings, referving thefe articles to themfelves.
The Haves are chiefly brought from Madagafcar, and a
little veffel annually goes from the Cape thither on that
trade ; there are however, befides them, a number of Malays
and Bengalefe, and fome negroes. The colonifts
themfelves are for the greateft part Germans, with fome
families of Dutch, and fome of French proteftants. The
charafter of the inhabitants of the town is mixed. They
are induftrious, but fond of good living, hofpitable, and
fociable; though accuftomed to hire their apartments to
firangers *, for the time they touch at this fettlement, and
ufed to be complimented with rich prefents of fluffs, &c.
by the : officers of merchant fhips. They have no great
opportunities of acquiring knowledge, there being no
public fchools of note at-the Cape ; their young men are
therefore commonly fent to Holland for improvement, and
their female education is too much negledted. A kind of
dillike to reading, and the want of public amufements,
make their converfation unintereftirig and too frequently
* T h e terms are mentioned in 'Lient. Cook’s Voyage. See Hawkefworth’s
compilation, vol. I l l, p. 788. T h e members o f the council are an exception
in. this refpeft. -
VOL. I. L turn