Clode, the late proprietor of Conftantia, forms a folltary exception
from this remark. Having raifed himfelf from the fituation
of trumpeter to a regiment into affluence, his whole attention
was directed to the improvement of his eftates, which he divided
among his children. His favourite Conftantia he left to the foil
who hore hisown name, and it is provided, in his will, that this
eftate {hall defcend direaiy in the male line to him who bears
his chriftian name, or collaterally to the neareft of kin to his
own chriftian name and a Cloete.• The confequence of which
is, that Conftantia is the moft improving eftate in the colony.
There are, perhaps, few countries where property fo frequently
changes hands as at the Cape of Good Hope. Not
only do eftates go out of a family at the death of the parents,
when they are fure to be fold in order to make a divifion of the
property among the children, hut there fee ms to be an univerfal
propeniity to buy, fell, and exchange. Of this the Government
has taken the advantage, and impofed a duty of four per cent,
on all immovable property that is transferred from one perfon
to another. Two-thirds of the property, d.ifpofed of at the
Cape, is by public auCtion, on which the vendue matter charges
two per cent., i-t per.cent, for Government, and 4 per cent, for
himfelf; fo that the duty on transferring an eftate amounts to
6 per cent, upon the value. In fifteen fales, therefore, by adding
the expence of ftamps and writings, Government runs
away with the whole capital ; and I have been informed, there
are inftances, within the memory of many perfons, of eftates
being fold this number of times. I, myfelf, purchafed a fmall
eftate that, within the laft eight years, has changed hands fix
x times;
times; paying thrice a duty to Government of 6 per cent, and
thrice of 4 per cent., making a tax of 30 per cent, on the value
of the property. It may be obferved, that this rage for buying
and felling makes the transfer and the public vendue duties two
of the moft productive branches of the public revenue.
C o n d i t i o n o f t h e I n h a b i t a n t s .
If the condition of mankind was to be eftimated entirely by
the means it poffefled of fiipplying an abundance, or preventing
a fcarcity, of the neceflary articles of life, and it muft be con-
fefled they conftitute a very eflential part of its comforts', the
European colonifts of the Cape of Good Hope might be pronounced
amongft the happieft of men. But as all the pleafures
of this world are attended with evils, like rofes placed on items
that are furrounded with thorns, fo thefe people, in the midft of
plenty unknown in other countries, can fcarcely be confidered
as objeCts of envy. Debarred from every mental pleafure
arifirtg from the perufal of books or the frequent converfation
of friends, each fucceeding day is a repetition of the pail, whofe
iricfome famenefs is varied only by the accidental call of a traveller,
the lefs welcome vifits of the Bosjefmans, or the terror
of being put to death by their, own Haves, or the Hottentots
in their employ. The only counterpoife to this wearifomc
and miferable ftate of exiftence, is a fuperfluity of the ne-
ceffaries of life, as far as regards the fupport of the animal
functions, which all, of every defcription among the colonifts,
v o l . 1 1. 3 D h a v e