144 DESCRIPTION OF THE April, 
here in perfection. An experienced farmer, in this district, informed 
me that the produce from good corn -land, is, in ordinary seasons, 
much greater than the same quantity of seed would have yielded in 
Europe.* The high mountains on either side of the town, add a 
grand feature, and great beauty, to the view ; although they circum- 
scribe rather narrowly the fields of the environs. But for all the 
purposes of horticulture, there is more land than will in all proba- 
bility ever be required. These mountains are the haunts of tigers, or, 
as they are called in Europe, leopards ; and abound in baboons of the 
same species which is common all over the Colony ; but, as a coun- 
terbalance to this, serpents, it is said, are rarely seen in this 
vicinity. 
This village, with its adjoining gardens and fields, is nearly 
surrounded by the Sunday river, and sheltered on each side by 
lofty mountains decorated with perpetual and beautiful verdure, by 
the abundance of Spek-boom [Portulacaria Afro) which covers their 
rocky declivities. It consists of one broad principal street, of 
detached houses, adjoining to each of which is a garden well planted 
with fruit-trees and continually supplied with water. The church, a 
* The following abstract from the official returns, will be the more interest- 
ing, as it may be taken as an example of the rapidly improving state of the whole 
Colony. 
1804. 
In the District of GraafiVeynet. 
1811. 
Increase 
in 7 years. 
764 
Men 
1541 
777 
575 
1154 
579 
950 
2001 
1051 
917 
Girls 
1987 
1070 
2397 
Male Hottentots - - - 
3057 
660 
2527 
Female Hottentots - - - 
5309 
782 
579 
Male Slaves 
1186 
607 
385 
Female Slaves - - 
784 
399 
1766 
Draught and Saddle Horses 
3274 
1508 
3149 
Breeding Horses - - - - 
5810 
2661 
9903 
Draught Oxen - - - 
15,637 
5734 
36,042 
Breeding Cattle - - - - 
54,747 
18,705 
55,5^1 
107,395 
51,798 
536,634 
1,293,740 
757,106 
Total in 1811. 
V White Population ... - 6683 
> Hottentots 6366 ') 
\ > Black Population 8336 
> Slaves - 1970 ) 
^ Horses 9084 
^ Large Cattle 70,384 
^ Small Cattle 1,401,135 
One circumstance in the above statement is remarkable; — while the numbers of the 
Dutch colonists and their slaves have more than doubled; the Hottentots have increased 
but little more than a fourth. A colonist's wife with twelve children, is not extraor- 
dinary ; but a Hottentot woman with six, is considered more unusual. 
