206 
TRAVELS IN 
As tills, however, became the feat of the petty concerns in 
vx'^hich the Dutch Eaft India Company allowed its fervants to 
traffic, and, under certain reftridions, the other fettlers to carry 
on with foreign Ihips, a commerce that was chiefly confined to 
the fupply of provifions and refrefliments in exchange for In- 
dian and European articles, they found it neceflary to build a 
fort for the protedion of their property and of the Company's 
warehoufes againft the attempts of the natives. 
As the trade to India increafed, and the Cape, in confe- 
quence, became more frequented, it was deemed expedient to 
extend the works, and to ered a citadel that fliould ferve as a 
defence againft any attack either by land or by fea. This citadel 
is the prefent caftle, a regular pentagon fort, with two ravelins 
and fome other outworks, and furrounded by a wet ditch ; but 
fo injudicioufly placed, in the very ioweft part, or fink, of the 
valley, that although it commands the town and part of the an- 
chorage, itfelf is commanded by the ground rifmg from it in a 
flope to the Devil's Hill, which, therefore, renders it not de- 
fenfible. This flope is now occupied as high as the commence- 
ment of the perpendicular rocky fide of the Devil's Hill, by 
various redoubts, batteries, and block-houfes commanding each 
other, and the advance ground to the caftle, all of which were 
added by Sir James Craig. 
During the American war, when the French were at the 
Cape, they raifed lines with two redoubts to proted the ap- 
proach to the caftle on the land fide, the expence of which they 
paid in paper money, Thefe lines, however, extending no far- 
ther 
