the whole, by the ties that a ftate o f fociety neceffarily impofes,
could poffibly expedt, and much greater than under their former
government. Property has been fecure in every inftance,
and has been raifed to double its former value: and none has
the lofs of life of any friend or relation to lament at the time of,
or fince, the capture. Their paper currency, fabricated by the
government in order to get over a temporary diftrefs, but which
it had never been able to take out of circulation, bore a depreciation
o f 40 per cent, and a filver dollar was fcarcely to be
feen. The former is now at par with fpecie, and not lefs
than two millions o f the latter have been fent from England and
thrown into circulation. Every perfon enjoys his fhare of the
general profperity. The proprietor of houfes in town has more
than doubled his rent; and the farmer in the country, where
formerly he received a rixdollar for each of his Iheep, now receives
three. Four years of increaiing profperity, of uninterrupted
peace and domeftic tranquillity, have been the happy lot
o f the inhabitants of the Cape of Good Hope.
Scenes very different from thefe would, in all probability,
have been exhibited here, had not the Englilh taken poffeffion
o f the colony at the very time they were ripe for execution.
Jacobinifm, or fubverfion o f all order, had induftrioufly been
propagated by the ill-difpofed, among the ignorant part of the
colonifts, both in the town and country diftriits. A weak and
timid government, inftead of crulhing it in its infancy, fuffered
it to grow to maturity. Its principal officers were infulted
with impunity. The Landrofts, or Chief Magiftrates o f the
police in the country, were driven out of their diftrids, and the
farmers
farmers refufed to pay the rents of the loan lands. Profcribed
lifts were adually made out of fuch as were firft to fuffer; and
the Haves were anxioufly waiting for the fignal of a general
emancipation. Even after the capture the people of the diftant
diftrid of Graaff Reynet had indignantly ufed, and then turned
away, the landroft and the clergyman that had been appointed
and fent thither by Sir James Craig, who immediately ordered
a detachment of light infantry with a fquadron of dragoons to
march to the Drofdy. Intimidated at the news of fuch a mea-
fure, they fent a fupplicating letter, figned by fome of the principal
inhabitants, praying that the troops might be recalled, and
promiiing good order and obedience to the laws.
About this time (May 1797) the Earl of Macartney arrived at
the Cape to take charge of his government; and one o f his firft
meafures was that of fending back to Graaff Reynet the fame
landroft whom they had expelled, in order to convince them
that the Britiih government, though lenient and juft in its proceedings,
was not lefs firm in carrying them into execution.
In addition to the political motives which induced his Excellency
to fend his own fecretary in company with the landroft,
he thought it at the fame time a fair opportunity for fupplying
fome information refpeCting the diftant parts of the colony, and
the countries bordering upon it, hitherto fo little vifited, and fo
imperfectly known. His inftruCtions, on this occafion, embraced
a variety of objeCts, as well for the fcientific inquirer as
for the promotion of the public benefit: and ihould the following
pages be found to contain nothing conducive to the
ends propofed by thefe inftruCtions, the fault mull reft folely