98 Progress and present State of Geographical 



Association of influential and enterprizing Colonists, I have 

 taken as a text to elucidate iu as far as possible, a topic of 

 great interest and curiosity, and which has occupied for several 

 weeUs past, almost exclusively, the public attention, and I shall 

 endeavour in the first place to shew, — 



1st. The State of our Knowledge of the Savage Countries 

 surrounding this Settlement previous to Cowan and 

 Donovan's attempt at Discovery in 1808 ; and, 

 2d. The Amount which we have since acquired, in order to 

 fix the precise boundary of our information previous to 

 the departure of the intended Expedition now pre- 

 paring to be sent out, under the direction of Assistant 

 Stall' Surgeon Dr. A. Smith. 

 I. The old Dutch Colonial Government, under the adminis- 

 tration of an exclusive Company, for whose legislative capacity 

 no subject was too elevated or too mean, who could soar to the 

 deposition* and disposal of a foreign Sovereign and independent 

 Prince, or sink to the regulation of a petty traffic in pickled 

 cabbagc,t and with all the viciousncss inherent in, and insepa- 

 rable to their grinding system of monopoly, were always Jecl- 

 ingly alive to the subject of discovery for " commercial pur- 

 poses," and in tracing the history of this Settlement, through 

 its intricate, interesting, and but little known archives, we find 

 the record of frequent attempts essayed with this view, and of 

 enterprises completed, of no ordinary nature, danger, difficulty, 

 and expense. 



For some time after the arrival of the admirable VanRiebeek 

 in 1G52, to establish the Settlement, little as might be expected 

 was known of the country beyond a few miles from the first 

 built Fort in the Table Valley, although occasional excursions 

 were made into the surrounding and tempting fields, partly at 

 the desire of the Government; and partly in consequence of 

 the curiosity and wants of tlie settlers themselves, which brought 

 them into contact with the Hottentot natives, from whom they 

 learned the fertile nature of the territory on which they had 

 intruded. The representations of the unsuspecting savages 

 soon excited the cupidity of the new comers, and rapidly led 

 to the occupation of their lands, their reduction to servitude, 

 and to many scenes of cruelty and oppression, which, however, 



* The Cape, during the prosperous state of the Dutch East Indian 

 Empire, was frequently made the place of banishment for the native 

 Sovereigns of the East; several of whom died in captivity here. The 

 names and histories of some of these are to be found in Raffles' interest- 

 ing work on Java, and the records of the <'ape Council make continual 

 mention of these wretched victims to mercantile ambition, especially 

 from 1C88 to 1730. 



t Minute of Resolution of Council, dated the 17th June 1722. 



Kesolved, That no more Pickled Cubliage sliall be sent to India. 



