of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope. 357 



French sailors Nicolas Raine, Martin Cordie, Louis Raine, 

 and Daniel Mulot.* These people related before the Council 

 many remarkable circumstances respecting Madagascar ; to 

 which island! they had been sent some years before by their 

 employers, the cardinal Mozaime, and other French nobles, 

 to seek gold. And Nicolas Raine had been in the # Bay of 

 Antiguil, when Van der Stel, commander of the Mauritius, 

 had touched there to trade in slaves. Much information was 

 also obtained from them respecting seal-catching, and other 

 matters to which Van Riebeck attached great importance. 

 This was followed by their admission into the Company's ser- 

 vice at their own earnest entreaty, and " from motives of 

 charity and commiseration." 



Little else happened during this month. Few Saldanhians 

 were seen, and nothing was heard of Harry. The only event 

 worthy of remark was the marriage of Jacob Ryniersz, 

 which, in the absence of a clergyman, was solemnised by the 

 Secretary in open court, in presence of the Council and the 

 people. % Some drunkards, also, were punished for disorderly 

 behaviour.^ 



December. — The last month of this year began with whip- 

 pings and other punishments inflicted upon some slanderers 

 who had occasioned a disturbance on board the Galiot.|| This 

 vessel was again despatched to Saldanha Bay; not, however, 

 without consulting the 4 Frenchmen, H in whose knowledge of 

 sealing the Commander placed great confidence. He ordered 

 that the Saldanhians, who now seemed to remain away fearing 

 revenge for the misconduct of Harry, should be sought for at 

 that place, and assured of his unremitted friendship. Soon 

 after, his people met 5 of them at Salt River, when they sent 

 him the shell of an ostrich egg as a present. They expressed 

 their disapprobation of Harry's conduct, and stated that one 

 of his companions, to whom the Dutch had given the name of 

 Lubbert, was the murderer of the boy at the Lion's Rump. 

 This was followed by several transactions, but confidence was 

 evidently diminished on both sides; so that, notwithstanding 

 the natural timidity of the natives, Van Riebeck considered it 

 necessary to give 10 muskets to the 50 persons employed daily 

 in cutting palisades in the woods, at a distance of between 7 

 and 8 miles from the Fort. However, from many circum- 

 stances he concluded they were not cannibals, nor of a san- 

 guinary disposition ; for the boy appeared to have been mur- 

 dered to prevent his informing that the cattle had been stolen. 



* Records of Council, 17th November, JC53,— 31st meeting-. 

 Y South African Journal, vol. iv. p. 118. 



5 Records of Council, 23d November, 1653,— 32d meeting 1 . 

 „ 28fh „ „ 33d n 



„ „ 3d December, „ 34th „ 



1 il ft 6th „ „ 35th „ 



