484 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



on ia a manner which sliewed so 

 nnicli coirociness of thinking, and 

 soundness of understanding, that 

 oui good opinion of them was in- 

 creased every moment: we were 

 so well entertained that we did not 

 break up the party till near mid- 

 night. 



The next morning every differ- 

 ent part of the institution was 

 sliewn to us; the church in the 

 first place. It is a simple, neat, 

 quadrangular edifice, but the roof 

 is too steep, and carried up to too 

 sharp a ridge : this was done to 

 give height to the building, and 

 render it more conspicuous. With- 

 in are two rows of benches, and a 

 simple pulpit; the utmost simpli- 

 city is, indeed, observable in every 

 part of the building, but, at the 

 same time, the due proportions are 

 exceedingly well observed, and the 

 workmanship is extremely neat. 

 The timbers are all of sumach 

 wood, the yellow tint and polish 

 of which gives a sort of simple 

 elegance to the appearance of the 

 whole. The English government 

 gave the Brethren permission to 

 cut down as much timber as they 

 wanted, from the woods belonging 

 to the company, free of expense. 



By the side of the church is the 

 garden of the pastors, in the midst 

 of which stands the large old pear- 

 tree, planted by Schmidt himself, 

 the original founder of the Institu- 

 tion: benches are standing under 

 its shade, and this is a favourite 

 place of resort among the Brethren. 

 The garden is two hundred paces 

 long, and about a hundred and 

 fifty broad; it is well stored with 

 all kinds of kitchen vegetables and 

 pulse, and intersected all over with 

 little channels, by which it is con- 

 stantly well watered. Brother 



Schwin, who is an excellent gar- 

 dener, has the management of it. 

 The church-yard is directly behind 

 it, and is laid out exactly in the 

 manner of the Herrenhuters in 

 Germany : a walk divides it ia 

 two, on the right hand of which lie 

 the men, on the left the women. 

 Tlie graves follow each other in 

 regular rows, and the utmost care 

 is taken of them: each has over it 

 a little wooden cross, on which is 

 inscribed the name of the deceased, 

 his age, and the day of his death. 

 The graves of two children of the 

 Brethren have tomb-stones, and 

 those of the Hottentots that had 

 been baptized are distinguished, 

 from the rest. 



The house inhabited by the Bre- 

 thren has, besides the hall in which 

 they assemble, and where they take 

 their meals, two chambers for two 

 of the couples, and various house- 

 hold conveniences; the other three 

 couples lodge in small houses close 

 by. Another house is appropriated 

 to the manufacture of knives, of 

 which Kuhnel is the director, and 

 which begins already to be very 

 profitable. Four Hottentots were 

 employed in it, who, when first 

 they began learning had no pay; 

 they are now paid wages by the 

 day, and when they are perfect in 

 their vvork, are to be paid by the 

 piece. The knives are strong and 

 well made, and are much sought 

 after at the Cape Town, though they 

 are dear : pocket knives sell from 

 a dollar to a dollar and a half. 

 Kuhnel complained much of the 

 want of tools, and the difficulty of 

 getting them from Europe, so that 

 he is obliged to make them almost 

 all himself. Marsveld is the mil- 

 ler, and has built a waterrmill after 

 the European maimer, in which 



