384 
TRAVELS IN 
Cloete^ the lale proprietor of Conftantla, forms a folitary excep- 
tion from this remark. Having raifed himfelf from the fituation 
of trumpeter to a regiment into affluence, his whole attention 
was direded to the improvement of his eftates, which he divided 
among his children. His favourite Conftantia he left to the fon 
who bore his own name, and it is provided, in his will, that this 
Cilate fiiall defcend diredly in the male line to him who bears 
his chriftian name, or collaterally to the neareft of kin to his 
own chriftian name and a Cloete, The confequence of which 
is, that Conftantia is the moft improving eftate in the colony. 
There are, perhaps, few countries where property fo fre- 
quently changes hands as at the Cape of Good Hope. Not 
only do eftates go out of a family at the death of the parents, 
when they are fure to be fold in order to make a divifion of the 
property among the children, but there feems to be an univerfal 
propenfity to buy, fell, and exchange. Of this the Government 
has taken the advantage, and impofed a duty of four per cent, 
on all immovable property that is transferred from one perfoii 
to another. Tv^^o-thirds of the property, difpofed of at the 
Cape, is by public audiouj on which the vendue mafter charges 
two per cent., i^per cent, for Government, and ":^per cent, for 
himfelf ; fo that the duty on transferring an eftate amounts to 
6 per cent, upon the value. In fifteen fales, therefore, by ad- 
ding the expence of ftamps and writings. Government runs 
away with the whole capital ; and I have been informed, there 
are inftances, within the memory of many perfons, of eftates 
beipg fold this number of times, I, myfelf, purchafed a fmall 
eftate tliat, within the laft eight years, has changed hands fix 
I times; 
