MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 



485 



he grinds not only all the corn for 

 the household and the Hottentots, 

 but a great deal for the neighbour- 

 ing colonists. 



The church, with the nearest 

 houses, lies in the deepest recess of 

 the valley, at the foot of the Ba- 

 vianskloof, from which, in winter, 

 the water sometimes rushes with 

 great force, so that it has more than 

 once overflowed the whole valley. 

 The channel has, therefore, lately 

 been enclosed between two strong 

 walls, and several bridges have 

 been made over it ; a work of no 

 small labour, and affording an ad- 

 ditional proof of the industry and 

 activity of these people. The Bre- 

 thren proposed carrying this canal 

 on as a benefit to the lands lying 

 without the valley, and when, two 

 years after, I visited this spot, for 

 the last time, it was already ex- 

 tended six hundred paces farther. 



But in order to form a just esti- 

 mate of the worth of these excel- 

 lent men, their manner of con- 

 ducting themselves towards the 

 Hottentots must be seen; the mild- 

 ness, yet dignity, with which they 

 instruct them, and the effect which 

 has already been produced in im- 

 proving the condition of their un- 

 civilized brethren, is truly ad- 

 mirable. It is the more astonish- 

 ing, since all has been accomplish- 

 ed by persuasion and exhortation, 

 no violence, or even harshness, has 

 ever been employed. No other 

 punishment is known but being 

 prohibited from attending divine 

 service, or being banished the 

 society ; but it is very rarely that 

 they are obliged to have recourse 

 to these things, only when repeat- 

 ed exhortations and remonstrances 

 have failed, and a determined per- 

 versoncss of disposition appears, 



which cannot otherwise be subdued. 

 The highest reward of industry, and 

 good behaviour is, to be baptized 

 and received into the society. Of 

 this, however, they are so sparing, 

 that the whole number of the 

 baptized scarcely yet amounts to 

 hfly. To the most distinguished 

 among these, the still higher ho- 

 nours are granted, of being ap- 

 pointed to little offices in the 

 church, such as elders and deacons. 

 The latter are also, very naturally, 

 from their diligence and industry, 

 in the best circumstances of any of 

 the community, and have houses, 

 built by themselves, not at all in- 

 ferior to those of the colonists on 

 the borders. The men are clothed 

 like the peasants, in linen jackets 

 and leather small clothes, and wear 

 hats ; the women have woollen 

 petticoats, cotton jackets, with long 

 sleeves, and caps : the lower class 

 are still clothed iij skins, but they 

 are made to keep themselves and 

 their cloathingclean, and no naked- 

 ness is permitted. 

 - Every family of Hottentots has 

 a garden behind the house, plant- 

 ed with vegetables, pulse, and 

 fruit-trees, with a portion of land, 

 according to the number of per- 

 sons to be fed from it; this they 

 cultivate themselves, under the 

 direction of the father, as he is 

 called, and they have the imple- 

 ments of agriculture and the seed- 

 corn given them. Industry is re- 

 warded by an occasional addition 

 to the portion of land, negligence 

 by being deprived of a part : but 

 the Brethren still find a disposition 

 to indolence the greatest subject 

 of complaint they have against 

 their disciples: many of them will 

 only gain their slender sustenance 

 by the same occasional labours to 



