48 
TRAVELS IN 
of merchants had a number of perfons in then* employ who 
were very ill paid. Their falaries indeed were infufficient to 
afford them a bare fubfiftence ; but it tacitly allowed them to 
negociate for themielves. The confequence of fuch a condudt 
was, that each became a kind of petty dealer. Each had his 
little private fhop in fome corner of his houfe. The moft pal- 
try articles were in the lift of their commodities for fale ; and 
thofe v/ho ranked high in the government, and alTumed a ftring 
of full-founding epithets to their names, felt no fort of indig- 
nity in retailing the produce of their gardens ; not indeed avow- 
edly, but through the medium of their flaves. In fa£t, the 
minds of every clafs, the governor, the clergy, the fifcal, and the 
fecretary of the court of juftice excepted, were wholly bent on 
trade. Koopman or merchant was a title that conferred rank at 
the Cape, to which the military even afpired. On this fubjed: 
the ideas of the Dutch differ widely from thofe of the Chinefe, 
who have degraded the merchant into the very loweft order of 
their fociety. 
That portion of the day, not employed in the concerns of 
trade, is ufually devoted to the gratification of the fenfual appe- 
tites. Few have any tafte for reading, and none for the culti- 
vation of the fine arts. They have no kind of public amufe- 
ments except occafional balls ; nor is there much focial inter- 
courfe but by family parties, which ufually confift of card- 
playing or dancing. Money-matters and merchandize engrofs 
their whole converfation. Yet none are opulent, though many 
in eafy circumftances. There are no beggars in the whole co- 
lony j and but a few who are the objeds of public charity. 
The 
