“ by both your fleets, -now bound for Surat and Bantam, the
“ firft day of July in the year of our Lord 1620, have fully
“ agreed to take pofleflion of the faid bay o f Saldania for and
“ in the name o f our fovereign lord the King, James by the
“ grace o f God, &c. and for . and in the name of the whole
“ continent near adjoining, fo far to be extended as that no
“ Chriftian prince or potentate have at prefent any fort or gar-
“ rifon for plantation within the limits aforefaid, as by a deed
“ publilhed, executed and fubfcribed in the faid bay of Sal-
“ dania the third day o f July 1620, herewith fent your
“ worihips, more plainly may appear ; which deed was pub-
“ lifhed with great folemnity before the Engliih and the
« Dutch; who feemed likewife much to approve the fame.
“ And in token o f pofieflion, taken as aforefaid, and for a
“ memorial hereafter, we have placed a heap o f ftones on a hill
“ lying Weft-fouth-weft from the road in the faid bay, and
“ call it by the name of King James his Mount. The main
“ and principle reafons which induced us to do this without
“ order were many. Firft, at our arrival in the Bay we found
“ nine great ihips of the States ready to fet fail for Bantam,
“ who declared to us plainly that the States did mean to make
“ a plantation here the next year, and that they had taken a
“ view of the bay, and made a road already in the country
« fome thirty or forty miles, & c. meaning, as we fuppofe, and
“ it is not to be doubted, to make us hereafter pay for our water
“ and anchorage towards defraying their intended plantation.
“ Likewife this great country, if it were well difcovered, would
“ be kept in fubjedion with a few men and little charge, con-
tt fidering how the inhabitants are but naked men and without
“ a leader
« a leader or policy. We alfo thought to entitle the King’s
“ Majefty thereto by this weak means than to let it fall for
“ want of prevention, into the hands o f the States, knowing
“ very well that his Majefty is able to maintain his title by his
“ word againft the States, and by his power againft any other
“ prince or potentate whatfoever; "and better it is that the
if Dutch, or any other nation whatfoever fliould be his fubjeds
“ in this place, than that his. fubjeds ihould be fubjed to them
“ or any other. To which may be added the pradice o f all
“ men of all times and in all places in the like caufe, entitling
« their fovereigns to be governors where no government is
“ already inftituted. Many more particulars might be alledged,
“ as the certain refreihing o f your fleets quickly acquired out
“ of your own means by plantation, and to be hoped for from
“ the Blacks when there is a government eftabliftied to keep
“ them in awe. The whale fiihery befides perfuades us that
“ it would be profitable to defray part of your charge. The
“ fruitfulnefs of the foil, together with the temper of the air,
“ aflures us that the Blacks, with the time, will come in, for
“ their eafe, and o f neceflity. Time will, no doubt, 'make
“ them your fervants, and by ferving you they will become
“ hereafter (we hope) the fervants of God.”
No further notice feems to have been taken by the Brhifli
government of this pofieflion, at that time ; nor does it appear
that any kind o f interference or contravention was made by
it when the Dutch Eaft India Company fent out Van Riebeck,
in order to form a fettlement there in the year 1650. Till this
period the Engliih, the Portugueze and the Dutch had indifcri-
minately refreihed their crews at the Cape. The Portugueze’,
who