are* jhg" ftables, and a houfe for their flaves. Th©:ffifjsprr$i9
'>a°ber‘ . a handfome range of buildingsf.capable o f eontainiifg,: an
incredibje ..number of". horfesfo Thofe they have at the Cape
are fmall, fpiriteds and full of l-ifei. jFheJatter iis^aybuilding
of confiderable extent, where the c: flaves^ both taaie and
fetnale, havetfepatafè apattments,in a. Very comfortable ftilej
/to refi.de in after the ;£atagues and .toil «.of 'jfehe^daywhich
•undoubtedly is great, but by .no means equal,; in. myopinjon-,-
.to^that endured- by. the flavts;. in ; dta .own- colonies.; How?
ever lèvere and: cruel the Dutch may be- cohfideredf in other
Tefpedfs, they cerfainly ;treat their flayes. withgreat humahrty
■ and kffidnefs $ j , which,I-.1 ami forryi.to fay^
donqinftheWeft Indfe^ during a«efidèbc^ft%Öioffthtee yeajs.’'
On ;the contrary, I have jfrequently been wifideS tó jthedri?
fliiStion of the moft brutal, cruel j. and wanton pnniflairicrits on
port o f the fplendour of the Creoles* Thé; bare.'retröfpGö of
the cruelties I have feen exercifed there, e lite s a kind of hor-;
' ror that chills my blood, .A t | the, Cape,, there .are;, fey era],
officers placed,ovèr; the^ijaves, wh° have commodious apartments,
.and treat them humanely."
. Thefirft week after quï arrival at this place, the militia*-
confiding
ponfiftingJ&lfoith o f horfe and! foot,/? were .embodied} and 1787.
held ifieir anniuah meeting:'. I fay annual,' as that is the r
ufufcl period jr «but this, wasi the firft time of theirs affembling
linqei the cjsnclufion of the !war in 17.8 3. - The Cape militia
differ;from the.Englifh, in no£;,fieceivingtypa}r, or.wearing
.regimentals; Inhfadt they fhould rather be called volunteers,
who turmout for the>prote£tion of their awn property, and
are -not-fubje^t Ito ;ftri£t military dafcipline. Moft of:.them
Wore, blue c,oafsVi with white metalbutions} aukwardly long,
and ,injh'e cutandfhape of.which uniformity had not'been
attended toy* Neither $vas Jtf.yifibie.dn/ the other parts of
tfieir-ftdrefs t orjaccoutremehts'; jfome wore powder, others
,non.e;, fo”thatj-upon the whole, theymade a, very unmilitary
appeaj:^npe>'ji The officers areheboien annually from among
ffiemfelvesfr/’ JSjbme of thelejoindeed, I obferved to becvery
yrpll drefthdcr^Kegledt, imn?attbhdanb&^ ,and-. .every other
bretcfchof their military rules,Js punifhedby fine. o.B,forfeiture,
and} not corporally./ At this?burIffi|_udcon the profeffidii of
a foldier, I, Could,. not- help -obfervingii that many of them had
either got tintoxicatedi-that'. morning,» or were- not recovered
from, their, overnight’s.' debauch; notwithftanding which
they marched to the field, and went .through their evolutions
with.