and brutal puniihments for every trifling fault, they have a con-
ftant practice of retaining the wife and children and turning
“ C a f e s croiantque la demiete paix awrit. finie tout démile entri , eut-envoyerent
“ une bête a tiler au noveau commandant du fort, comme une marque d’amitié
et de reconciliation ; le Cafre le-fit conduire par un Hottentot et Ferreifa par
reconnoiOance fe faifit du Caffre, le brûla tout vif, attacha le pauvre Hot ten Lot
: LL.on arbre, lui coupa un morceau de la chair de Ja cuijfe, le lui f t manger tout crete» eto
e(t le rçlacha enfuite.’ ’ . ■
As fiçon as thç. Engliffi had abandoned the fort (at Algoa Bay).a boor named
Offrira», of a JPpffljgneze family, made himfelf mailer o f it, andhept poifsffion •
i till the arfiyal o f a detachment o f troops which Government fent thither, untfer
“ ..the. compand o f Major Van.. Gilten,. who is Hill there. The KuiFcre, &31y
, p.erfuadçd that tfie Iqte peace had. put an end to. all’ difturbances between them,
“ . fent to the new commander o f the fort a bullock to be.flain, as. the tell of re- ‘
conciliation and friendlhip. The Kaffer Cent On the occaiion put himfelf under *
*V.thç guide o f à Hottentot ; and Ferreira, by way o f returning the kind inten-
% tion, laid-hold o f the. Kaffer and broiled him alive.} bound the poor Hottentot to
“ a tree, cut a piece o f JleJb out o f his thigh, made him eat it raw, and i-h-n releafed ’
him !”
I f any one ihouldbe difpofed to think that I have exaggerated the cruelties committed
by .thefe inhuman brutes, I only requefi o f them to read the pamphlet
written by the private Secretary to the prefent Governor Janfern.
Nothing can be more deplorable than the fiate o f the colony, as defcribed in
this pamphlet, which was written juft before they had heard o f the war ; and nothing
can exceed the difappointment o f the Hutch in their expeélatiohs with regard
to the Cape. The Hottentot corps was dilbanded ; moll o f them fled’into the interior
to join their oppreffed countrymens the Kaffers. were in arms again® t ie
boors; the. garrifomin a fiate o f complete’ iniiibordination ; the.people detefting the
Government and the Government afraid o f the- troops ; its credit deftroyed, money
difappear.ed, commerce ruined, bankruptcies withnut end, and they wanted only a
war to complete their, mifery. Under fuqh circumftances, how cheaply might
England, regain poffeflton .of. this, important feulement !
adrift
adrift the huiband ; thus diflolving the tender ties of focial iii-
tercourfe, and cutting off even the natural refources of wretch-
ednefs and forrow. It is in vain for the Hottentot to complain.
To1 whom, indeed; ihould he complain ? The Landroft is a mere
cypher, and muff either enter into all the views of the boors,
or lead a moft uncomfortable life. The laft, who was a very
honeft man, and anxious to fulfil the duties of his office, was
turned out of his diftriCt, and afterwards threatened to be put
to death by thefe unprincipled people, beeaufe he would not
give them his permilfion to make war upon the Kaffers 5 and
beeaufe he heard the complaints of the injured Hottentots. The
boor, indeed, is above all law. At the diftance of five or fix
hundred miles from the feat of Government he knows he is
not to be compelled to do what is right, nor prohibited from
putting in pra£tice what is wrong. To be debarred from vifit-
ing the Cape is no punifhment to him. His Wants,- as we have
feen, are very few, nor is he nice in his' choice of fiibftitutes
for thofe which he cannot conveniently obtain. Perhaps the
only indifpeflfable articles are gunpowder and lead, Without
thefe a boor would not live one moment alone, and with thefe
he knows himfelf more than a match for the native Hottentots
and for beafts of prey.
The produce of the grazier is fubjeCt to no colonial tux
whatfoever. The butcher fends his fervants round the country
to colIeCt iheep and cattle, -and gives the boors notes upon his
matter, which are paid on their coming to the Cape. They
are fubjeCt only to a fmall parochial affeffment, proportioned to
their