2i6 Voyage of the Novara. 



influence perceptible. Its 4000 inhabitants mostly speak 

 Dutch, and cultivate the vine, grain, and fruit. No country 

 town seen in the whole course of our long voyage made a 

 deeper impression, or left more pleasing recollections, than 

 Stellenbosch. The occasion of our visit was certainly of an 

 uncommonly cheerful and festive character. On the day of our 

 arrival the Governor was about to review a corps of volunteers, 

 raised in Cape Town and its neighbourhood, to supply the 

 place of the regular troops about to be dispatched to the Indian 

 battle-fields. Extraordinary enthusiasm and interest was mani- 

 fested everywhere in the military movements. Thousands of 

 visitors had assembled even from great distances to witness this 

 novel national spectacle. The Governor had proclaimed the 

 day as a general holiday ; all shops were closed ; the streets 

 presented an extremely animated appearance, and in front of 

 every house was a crowd. The Austrian Consul had been 

 kind enough to favour us with a letter of introduction to one of 

 the first families in the place ; but, taking into consideration 

 the general bustle and continual arrival of strangers, we were 

 much afraid of being, at this moment, very unwelcome guests, 

 as every nook and corner would already be occupied ; for in this 

 colony visitors do not come, as with us, for a short time, and with- 

 out encumbrance, but with waggons, horses, servants, household 

 and all, regularly to settle down for an indefinite period. 



Our own party consisted of five persons provided with four 

 horses, and we were now, for want of other lodgings, about 

 to claim the hospitality of Mynheer Van Schultze. A pretty. 



