104 Prop'ess and present State of GeograpJdcat 



translated, and gave to the public, Van Reenen's diary of this 

 interesting expedition, which filled up, with something like an 

 approximation towards accuracy, the Geographical outline of 

 the countries from the Colonial Frontier to some miles beyond 

 the St. John's River. 



An American captain, Stout, of the " Hercules," wrecked 

 near the mouth of the Beka in 1795, some remains of which 

 are still visible there, having with his crew and passengers 

 succeeded in reaching the shore, and enabled to gain the Settle- 

 ment of the Frontier Farmers, was the next to publish an 

 account of the country to the eastward, which he recommended 

 to the attention of his Government as a desirable possession, 

 commanding the Indian Seas, but it is so overdrawn, and his 

 description of that portion traversed by himself so completely 

 at variance with the truth, as to be utterly worthless, whether 

 it regards the then state of the native tribes or the nature of 

 the country. 



Mr. Barrow, the able and clever writer, follows in chrono- 

 logical order, as an authority upon the Cape and the Southern 

 Peninsula of Africa, whom it would be improper not to men- 

 tion, although his work, celebrated as it is, adds but little to 

 the previously ascertained Geogmphy of these regions. His 

 book, however, imparts great information, especially as regards 

 the political advantages of the Settlement, and is the first, con- 

 sidered both in time and the correctness of its details, of use 

 to the general reader. It is tinctured by an evident and unfair 

 bias towards misrepresentation of the colonial character, which 

 has done much injury, and led the way to subsequent tra- 

 ducers, who have taken it up as a text book for their represen- 

 tations of the people of the Settlement. With this exception, 

 it is a faithful description of the state of the colony at the 

 eventful time when he transcribed his impressions. 



The Cape Colony having suffered greatly from a scarcity of 

 cattle, in consequence of a long protracted drought, the Govern- 

 ment, in 1801, dispatched Mr. Truter, Dr. Somerville, Mr. 

 Daniells, as draughtsman, two secretaries, seven farmers, 

 twenty-four Hottentots, and four slaves, in all forty persons, 

 to the northern frontier, to ascertain whether it was possible 

 to procure a supply of these necessary animals, when circum- 

 stances occurred which induced them to cross tlie Orange 

 River and proceed to the Bichuana Capital, Lcetakoo, then 

 in latitude about 27, and longitude 25, and they became ac- 

 quainted with the van-guard of these interesting tribes, whose 

 existence had been darkly shadowed forth for many previous 

 years, under the names of Briquas or Housouanas. Beyond the 

 mere line of the actual route of this expedition, little informa- 



