VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA. 147 
George is a new district, town, and drosty, settled by Sir J. 
Cradock, when Governor of the Cape; Zwellendam liaving been 
divided into two separate districts, each governed by a landch'ost, 
Heemraaden, and other officers. The town has about one hun- 
dred inhabitants. The houses are two stories high, having an " er- 
ker," or bow-window over the door, They stand detached from 
each other by intermediate gardens, and form a broad street 
facing the drosty, or landdrost's mansion, from which, turning in a 
right angle towards the south, another street has been begun, con- 
taining the church, parsonage and school-house. The town is 
watered, rather scantily, by the Zwart Revier, a small stream from 
the mountains, but which, unlike others, flows both in the dry and 
rainy season. 
After dinner, the reverend Mr. Herold, minister of George, liaving, 
returned from Uitenhagen, called on the landdrost, to make a re- 
port of his attendance on the five rebellious boors, who were exe- 
cuted last Saturday in that district. He gave a most melancholy 
account of that event. The hangman was a black. The halters 
were too weak, or rather, as some suspected, intentionally cut; but 
no sooner had the delinquents been turned ofF, and the platform 
removed, than four of the five fell from the gallows. Having un- 
fortunately been persuaded to believe, that by English custom, a 
man thus falling down is free, the poor wretches cried for mercy, 
and one, addressing the by-standers, exclaimed, that by this acci- 
dent it was made manifest, that God would not permit them to 
be put to death. The landdrost, Colonel Cuyler, was, however, 
obliged to let justice take its course, and other halters being pro- 
cured, they were launched into eternity. The clergyman described 
them all as well prepared to die, acknowledging the justice of their 
sentence, and appearing truly penitent. Not many spectators at- 
tended ; but their wives and relatives were present, which is hardly 
to be explained by the standard of English feeling. No disturb- 
ance whatever took place, a party of dragoons and the Cape re- 
giment keeping guard. This is said to be the first time, that any 
