hand, the greater advantage of carrying with me a judgment unbiassed
and unprejudiced by either the opinions or the mistakes, the
ignorance or the misrepresentations of others. I wished to see things
for myself, and to form my own opinions, independent of every
guide but facts.
For those who may feel a curiosity to know, more particularly,
the contents of my waggon when it left Cape Town, and in the hope
of its affording some assistance or useful hints to those who may
hereafter undertake a similar journey, a list of some of the articles is
here inserted.
Goods as presents to the chiefs, and for
bartering with the natives: —
Black, white, and blue porcelain beads,
of a small size; these being the
kinds most admired
Red porcelain and glass beads. These
sorts were less acceptable
Gilt rings, with factitious gems
Brass rings
Blue check handkerchiefs
Blue check cottons
Plain, gilt, and ornamented buttons
Tobacco
Snuff
Snuff-boxes
Knives
Pocket tinder-boxes, and steels
Looking-glasses
Brass wire
Sheets of copper and tin
Spike nails.
Clothing and blankets for my own Hottentots.
Arms and ammunition: —
Six muskets, and powder-horns
A fowling-piece, and shot-belt
A large riffle, carrying a ball of the
weight of two ounces
Two cases o f pistols, and belt
A cutlass
Musket balls
Foui barrels of gunpowder
Bags of shot, of all sizes
Gun-flints, and bullet-moulds
Lead and tin, in bars.
Carpenter’s tools: such as
Saws
Hammers
Hatchets
Felling-axe
Adze
Sledge-hammer
And a variety of the more useful sorts
Spikes and nails
Spades, pickaxe, and mattock.
Waggon-stores.
Ropes and lines
Sacks, and canvas bags
Spare canvas, and sail-needles
Prepared ox-hide, and goat-leather
Spare bamboo whip-stocks, and thongs
Spare yokes, and halters
Tar, pitch, grease, and resin
Spare linch-pins, hooks, and rings.
A horn lantern
A dark lantern
An iron melting-ladle.
The English colors.
Provisions: —
Rice
Bread and biscuit
Flour and wheat
Wine, rum, and brandy.
Fish-hooks and lines
Water-casks. Dutch Dictionary
A chest of select medicines. Nautical Almanacs
Books: consisting of various works on Atlas Celeste de Flamstead; par Forzoology,
mineralogy, natural philosophy, tin, (avec un Planisphère des Etoiles
mathematics, medicine, &c. ; amounting, Australes, dressé par M. l’Abbé de
all together, to more than fifty volumes, la Caille.)
among which were — A large assortment of stationary, and every
Linné. Systema Naturae, ed. Gmelini requisite for drawing in water and body-
Species Plantarum, ed. Will- colours ; together with prepared canvas,
denovii and the articles used for painting in oil.
Fabricius, Species Insectorum Spare deal packing-cases.
J ussieu, Genera Plantarum, ed. U steri And a multitude of other things, which are
Forster, Enchiridion Historiae Natu- not necessary to be here particularly
rali inserviens enumerated.
Portuguese Dictionary
It may, perhaps, seem difficult to imagine how so many things
could be packed into a waggon of these dimensions ; and indeed this
was not accomplished without much contrivance : but the fact is, that
the waggon was greatly overloaded, as the event afterwards proved.
Five very large chests, made to fit without any loss of space, occupied
nearly all the body of the waggon, leaving but just room enough
for one person to sit. To the inside of the tilt, were tied bags filial
with a variety of things, such as were expected to come frequently into
use : and bottles, muskets, pistols, powder-horns, the cutlass, and a
great number of other articles, were made fast with thongs of raw hide
to the bamboo frame. The fore half of the waggon, was separated
from the other part, by a canvas partition, to form a sleeping-place,
where the bedding lay very conveniently along the tops of the chests.
The remaining space was quite filled up with reams of papet, a press,
the smaller chests, a large tin collecting box, the brandy barrel,
the water casks, and other goods. In the bed, during the hours
of travelling, were placed the sextant, and such instruments as were
liable to be injured by the rough motion of the waggon. In the
chest, on which the driver sits, were the tools and implements for
repairing the waggon, and such things as more immediately related
to the office of waggon-driver. On the outside of the waggon, the
spare yokes, lever, tar-bucket, skid, spades, pick-axe, hatchets, and
whip-stocks, were fastened. Beneath, on the trap (or step-frame)