Topographical Description and Statiftical Sketch of the - Gape
Settlement.
G e n e r a l D e s c r i p t io n .— Dimenfions— Extent— Soil,— Climate— Winds.— Sear-
city o f Water.— Permanent Elvers enumerated and defcribed.— Mountains. D/W-
fions, Population, and Produce.— Provincial Judicature.— D i s t r i c t o f t h e
C a p e Extent o f and Quantity o f Land under Cultivation.— Cape Town.— Stock,
Produce, and Population afcertained by the Opgaaff.—Births and Mortality—
Criminals.— Natural ProduSs o f the Cape DiJlriB— D i s t r i c t o e S t e l l e n b
o s c h a n d D r a k e n s t e i n — Extent and Dhifions of.— The Drofdy or Village
Situation and Produce o f the other Divifons o f this D ifr ie l— Stock and Population
of, according to the Opgaaff— D i s t r i c t o f Z w e l l e n d a m — Dimenfions, E x tent,
and Divifons of— the Drofdy or Village of— Situation and Produce of the other
Divifons— Stock and Population according to the Opgaaff.— D i s t r i c t o e G r a a e
R e t n e t — Dimenfions, Extent, and Divifons of— Drofdy or Village of— Situation
and Produce o f the other Divifons o f this D ifr ia -S to c k and Population according
to the Opgaaff.—'T e n u r e s oe L a n d s— Loan Farms, Nature and Number o f —
Gratuity Lands— Q u it Rents Freeholds.— Reafons againfi Improvement o f Efates
in the Cape Property frequently changes Hands.— C o n d i t io n o f t h e I M IA *
B I T A N T S . Neceffaries o f Life obtained without Exertion— Four Clajfes of Colonifs
— Thofe o f the Town , Condition of.-T a xe s andAJfeffments moderate— Tythes or
Church Rates none-no Poor Rates— Police conduRed by a College of Burghers—
their FunBions— NegleB and Abufes of— Improvement fuggefed— Indifference o f
the Colonifs fo r rational Amufements.— T h e Wine Growers, Condition and Rejourns
of-State o f their Outgoings and Returns— Eafy Terms ofpurchafng Efates.
— Corn Boors, Condition of— State o f their Outgoings and Returns— Graziers,
inf l i nt and helplefs Condition of-their bad Charaaer-fubjeB to no Taxes— State
ff
a o f Outgoings and Returns.— R e v e n u e s o f G o v e r n m e n t -Nature o f the thirteen
Heads o f and Table of their Amount fo r four fuccefftve Tears.— J u r i s p r u d e n c e .
■—Nature and Confitution of the Court—its Members.— Civil CaUfes.— Attornies.
^— Office o f Fifcal.— Court o f Commtffaries fo r petty Suits, and matrimonial Affairs.
— The Weejkammery or Chamber fo r managing the E ffefts of Minors and Orphans
. — its Functions.— R e l i g i o n , that o f the Reformed Church.— Lutherans and others
barely tolerated.— Condition o f the Clergy— Duties of—direft the Funds raifed fo r
the Relief o f the Poor— are Curators o f the public School.— Amount o f Church
Funds.— Im p r o v e m e n t s s u g g e s t e d , by the Introduction o f Chinefe— eaftly
effefted by the Briti/h Government~by Moravian Eftabltfhments <ff Hottentots in
the dijtant Parts—by encToftng the Farms - leading their Vines up Props or Efpaliers.
— New Syfem in the Tillage o f Corn Lands.—~EjlabliJhment o f Fairs or Markets>
and erefting o f Villages — Confequences o f thefe.—Conclufion,
G e n e r a l D e s c r i p t i o n . .
J F from the fouthern point of the Cape peninfula, which,
however, is not the fouthernmoft point of Africa, a ftraight
ilrie be drawn in the direftion of eaft by north, it will cut the
mouth of the Great Fifh River, the Rio cT Tnfante of the Portuguese,
which is now confidered as the eaftern boundary of the
'colony.' The length of this line is about five hundred and
eighty miles.
If from the fame point a ftraight line be drawn in the direction
of north, with' a little inclination wefterly, it will fall in
with the mouth of the RiverKoujfie, the northern boundary
of the colony, at thediftance of about three hundred and-fifteen
miles.
And, if from the mouth of the Great Fiih River a line, drawn
in the diredion of north-north-weft, be continued to the diftance
of