of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 349 



caused the General Council (Breeden Raad) to be assembled. 

 Van Riebeck produced the letters he had lately received rela- 

 tive to the war, and other papers.* He at the same time 

 begged the assistance of 200 men from the fleet, (which was 

 homeward bound,) and then hoped to be able to put the Fort 

 in a state of defence within a fortnight.t But his application 

 could not be complied with, for reasons stated in the records 

 of this General Council; of which, however, there is no entry 

 in the Record Books of the Colony. He was supplied with 

 some necessary provision's ; and, in return, furnished the ships 

 with vegetables and fresh meat. 



Little further happened out of the routine already suffi- 

 ciently described to afford the reader an idea of the history of 

 this Settlement, and the daily occupations of its Commander. 

 A solemn trial before the General Council, when some persons 

 guilty of cattle-stealing, were condemned to be dropped from 

 the yard, and whipped, and to labour for a certain time in 

 chains, which was considered by Van Riebeck as a lenient 

 sentence; and the arrival of the yacht Hare, from Holland, 

 with goods and provisions, comprise the whole of what oc- 

 curred deserving notice. 



April. — Neither does the commencement of the month of 

 April offer any thing particular. We only find it mentioned 

 that 4105 .Cape seal-skins, being the first article exported 

 were sent to Amsterdam by this fleet. Van Riebeck had 

 formed great expectations from this branch of trade; but it 

 appears by a letter dated Amsterdam, 15th December, 1653, f 

 that he was much deceived in his calculations; for, in their 

 answer on this subject, they say,— "The seal-skins sent bv 

 you have been duly received according to invoice ; but whether 

 they will prove so profitable as you imagine, we shall learn 

 when the sale in January shall take place. In the mean time, 

 we have had them examined by competent persons; who 

 however, consider them very inferior." 



The yacht Greyhound arrived from Holland with news of 

 the continuation of war with England, and left again a few 

 days after, with the Hare, for Batavia. And, on the same 

 day, the 17th, the homeward-bound fleet sailed for Europe. 

 Some other ships arrived from Holland and Batavia, but 

 nothing remarkable took place respecting them. 



His relations and transactions with the aborigines gradually 

 increased, and grew more interesting. A new tribe, living 



* Only reserving, according to orders from his employers, secret instruc 

 turns which were to he privately communicated to the principal persons of 

 the fleet,, .mmediately before' its departure. See Van Rieheekl X" 

 •outh African Journal, vol. in. p. 197. "*» 



J- During which time the fleet was to remain here. Ibid 



t Book of Letters received, No. 33. 



