17-2 



mo- was dedicated to business, the evening to family meetings; 

 frequently enlivened by music and dancing. On the arrival of 

 any distinguished strangers the governor gave a public ball to the 

 principal inhabitants and passengers from the ships. 



Such is the pleasing side of the picture; for it must be con- 

 fessed, that, when compared with the refinements of Europe, or 

 the political, military, and commercial pursuits in India, the in- 

 habitants of the Cape appear to pass a dull, monotonous, indolent 

 life. With little employment in commerce or agriculture, no taste 

 for intellectual pleasures, or mental improvement, the gratifications 

 of animal appetite usurp a primary consideration, and the impor- 

 tant concerns of eating, drinking, and smoking, engross a large 

 portion of time which might be dedicated to nobler pursuits. The 

 women merit a more amiable character; the girls were educated 

 for domestic life, the mother instructed them in needle-work, and 

 the various branches of household economy. The father, assisted 

 by such masters as were procurable, taught them the French and 

 English languages, writing and arithmetic; nor were the elegant 

 accomplishments of music, drawing, dancing, and works of in- 

 genuity neglected in the higher classes of society. 



I was informed there were, at least, eight women to one man 

 among the white inhabitants at Cape-town. Naturalists have ob- 

 served that a larger proportion of females are born there than else- 

 where: but another cause may be ascribed for this deficiency; all 

 the girls remain at the colony, while the boys are generally sent 

 to Europe and the East Indies, to enter a more ample field for 

 fame and fortune. 



When I first visited the Cape there was no respectable tavern 



