MANNERS AND CUStOMS. 



483 



esteemed, and I have myself more 

 than once seen a considerable num- 

 ber of colonists attending at the re- 

 ligious assemblies of the Brethren. 



In the year 1799, at the request 

 of the three original missionaries, 

 two others, of the names of Rose 

 and Korharamer, were sent from 

 Germany to join them ; the former 

 has now, in Marsveld's place, the 

 direction of the whole institution. 

 Both brought their wives with 

 them, and brought over also wives 

 for the Brethren already establish- 

 ed, women of their own persua- 

 sion, who made no hesitation in 

 crossing the seas to unite them- 

 selves in wedlock with persons 

 wholly unknown to them. Since 

 that time the society has increased 

 exceedingly both in numbers and 

 importance. The same year the 

 Brethren built a very neat church, 

 from remittances sent them by the 

 society in Europe, and the number 

 of their disciples now amounts to 

 nearly eleven hundred. Two hun- 

 dred houses and huts, with gar- 

 dens annexed to them, and built 

 in regular rows, give this place the 

 appearance of an European village; 

 a sight which surprised me exceed- 

 ingly, and for the first time brought 

 fn a lively manner to my mind the 

 idea of my native country. Ex- 

 cepting this place, I never saw any 

 thing in the whole colony bearing 

 the least resemblance to a German 

 village. 



The five Brethren, with their 

 wives, received us at the door of a 

 house where they lived all together. 

 One of them made a short speech 

 to welcome us; after which, a cho- 

 rus of perhaps a hundred Hotten- 

 tots, men and women, ranged in 

 two rows before the door, the wo- 

 men on the right hand, the men on 



the left, sung a hymn, which was 

 truly affecting and elevating to the 

 heart. At first the whole number 

 of voices sang the simple melody 

 in slow time, then the verses were 

 sung three voices together, by the 

 men and the women alternately, 

 and the melody was sung by two 

 voices, only, till the last verse, 

 when again they all joined in cho- 

 rus. I could not help remarking, 

 that among all the men's voices 

 there was not a counter-bass, much 

 less a bass. The natural tone of 

 the voice of the Hottentots has a 

 roughness, which makes it little 

 adapted to singing, yet it was by 

 the low tones of their not over- 

 strained tenor, that the principal 

 effect of the chorus was produced. 

 In the full chorus the voices of the 

 women were not to be distinguish- 

 ed above those of the men so much 

 by their fulness as by their clear- 

 ness and shrillness, hut the strong- 

 est effect was produced when the 

 men's voices predominated. 



The Hottentots have a strong 

 feeling of music, and are soon im- 

 pressed with the harmony of our 

 intervals ; yet hitherto I had never 

 supposed with these thin, and often 

 sharp, female voices, and these 

 hoarse men's voices, so much effect 

 could be produced. 



After we had rested a short 

 time in the house, we were carried 

 to a table extremely well set out, 

 and all prepared by the good wives 

 themselves, every one in her differ- 

 ent department. Instead of a 

 prayer before the meal, the five 

 couple sang a verse of a hymn, 

 and then with the utmost cheer- 

 fulness, and in a style equally re- 

 moved fiom studied seriousness and 

 from frivolity, entered into conver- 

 sation with us. This was carried 



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