SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
J59 
colonifts, in this refped, are no better ferved than the Hotten- 
tots. In the whole diftrid of Graaff Reynet there is but one 
apothecary, and his refidence is at the Drofdy. 
Medicine and aftronomy are two fciences that may be fup- 
pofed to have dated their origin from the firft dawn of civiliza- 
tion ; by one, men were taught to reftore the vital fundions 
that had loft their tone, and to repair the injured frame ; by the 
other, they informed themfelves of the different periods of 
feed-time and harveft. Little as the Hottentots are acquainted 
with the one, they are ftill lefs fo with the other. They have 
a name for the fun, another for the moon, and a third for the 
ftars : but this is the extent of their aftronomical knowledge. 
The divifion of time, by the motion of the heavenly bodies, 
was too fubtle an operation, and required too much obfervation 
and profound thinking, for the carelefs and inattentive mind of 
a Hottentot. The period of a day may almoft be faid to be the 
extent of his reckoning. When he has occafion to refer to the 
time of the day, like all other nations who are without machines 
for marking the divifions of time, he will point out the place 
in the heavens where the fun then was. The periods that have 
paft he can exprefs only by faying they were before or after 
fome memorable event. The feafon of the year is indicated by 
being fo many moons before or after uytitjes tyd, or the time 
that the roots of the h'is edidis are in feafon ; a time particu- 
larly noticed by him, as thefe bulbs once conftituted a confider- 
able part of his vegetable food. I know not how far the nu- 
merals in his language proceed, but none of thofe of our party 
could tell beyond f ve^ nor could any of them put two numbers 
together 
