fociety but thofe of his family and his Hottentots, he is the
moft awkward and helplefs being on earth, yvhen he gets into
Cape Town, and neither buys nor fells but through his agent.
The emancipated Haves and people of colour are generally artificers
; many of them fupport their families by fifhing. During
the whole year t-here is great plenty and variety of filh
caught in Table Bay, and cheap enough for the very pooreft to
make a daily ufe of.
Houfe-rent, fuel, and clothing are all dear; yet, I will be
bold to fay, there is no town nor city in all Europe, where the
mafs of.the people are better lodged or better clothed; and fire
is lefs neceffary here than in moft parts of Europe. The keep
of a horfe in Cape Town was never lefs, under the Engliih
Government, than 25/. fterling a year, yet every butcher,
baker, petty ihopkeeper, and artificer, had his team.of four,
fix, or eight horfes and his chaife. It is true, his horfes were
lent out for hire one day, and drew himfelf and his family another
; but ftill it feemed inexplicable how they contrived to keep
up an eftablilhment fo much beyond their apparent means.
Their creditors, I imagine, long before this, will beft be able to
give a fatisfa&ory explanation, fince Britilh money has ceafed
to circulate among them.
It is true they are neither burthened with taxes nor affeff-
ments. Except on public vendues and transfer of immoveable
property. Government has been remarkably tender in impofing
on them burthens, which, however, they might very well afford
to bear. Their parochial affeffments are equally moderate. At
3 the
the firft eftablilhment of the colony a kind of capitation tax was
levied under the name of Lion and Tyger money. The fund fo
railed was applied to the encouragement of deftroying beafts of
prey, of which thefe two were confidered as the moft formidable.
But as lions and tygers have long been as fcarce in the
neighbourhood of the Cape, as wolves are in England, the name
of the affeffment has been changed, though the affeffment itfelf
remains, and is applied to the repairs of the roads, ftreets, water-
courfes, and other public works. The fum to be raifed is fixed
by the police, and the quota affigned to each is proportioned to
the circumftances of the individual; the limits of the affeffment
being from half a crown to forty ihillings. The perfons liable
muft be burghers, or fuch as are above fixteen years of age, and
enrolled among the burgher inhabitants. The ordinary amount
is fixed at about 5000 rix dollars a year.
Another affeffment to which helras of families are liable is
called Chimney and Hearth money. This is, properly fpeaking,
a houfe tax, fixed at the rate of eighteenpence a month, or 4$
rix dollars a year, for every houfe or fire-place. This fliould
feem to be an unfair’affeffment, as the richeft and the pooreft inhabitant,
the man with a large houfe and he who poffefles only
a cottage, are liable to the fame contribution; as it is prefumed
that every houfe has its kitchen fire-place and no other. The
amount of this affeffment is about 5200 rix dollars, which, at
the above rate, correfponds very nearly with the number of
hpufes in the town.
They