44 
JOURNAL OF A 
The house and premises were originally in possession of the Dutch 
Company, but latterly let to a farmer. After the expiration of 
his lease, in 1808, the Earl of Caledon, then Governor of the Cape, 
having observed the benefits arising to the Hottentot nation from 
Christian instruction, prevailed upon the Brethren's missionaries 
at Gnadenthal, to form a settlement at this place, where many 
facilities existed for the maintenance of a congregation of Christ- 
ian Hottentots. The Government at home having confirmed the 
grant, the Brethren were put in possession, and a number of Hot- 
tentots soon flocked to them from various places, both in and out 
of the colony. 
The tract of land, given to the Mission, comprehends Groene- 
kloof proper, with Lauweskloof and Cruywagens-Kraal, two Hot- 
tentot stations. At the former, a Hottentot captain, with about 
a hundred persons of that nation, resided, previous to the establish- 
ment of the Mission. At the end of the year 1815, the number 
of inhabitants in the settlement at Groenekloof amounted to three 
hundred, old and young. 
January 1, 1816. I took a walk to see the burial-ground, lying 
on the hill, north of the dwellings. It is a square piece of ground 
divided into four equal compartments by gravel-walks, and sur- 
rounded by a mound and ditch. On the mound is planted a fence 
of cactus or Indian fig, which, Avhen grown up, will be a strong bar- 
rier against the intrusion of cattle. About thirty graves are at pre- 
sent in the ground, placed, according to the custom of our Church, 
in regular rows. The graves of the Hottentots are not marked by 
grave-stones, but by an upright piece of wood at the head of each, 
with a number painted on it, referring to the church-register, Avhich 
shows the name and age of the person interred. From hence, 
the houses and hots of the Hottentots appear in the valley, the little 
wood separating them from the farm and missionaries' dwellings. 
The valley to the north and east is bounded by Igav bushy hills, on 
which lie several detached fragments of granite, of various shapes^ 
and sizes. A group of larger masses near tlie old stables forms a 
