lOO 
TRAVELS IN 
" menscheii zyn mooij dik en vet cle huizen mooy wit en groen : 
" The people are all nice and plump ; the houses are prettihj 
" whitewashed and painted green." I believe there is no coun- 
try in the world that atfords so large a proportion of unwieldy 
and bulky people ; and I am certain there is none where the 
animal appetites are indulged with less restraint, the most pre- 
dominant of which are eating and drinking, or where the powers 
of body or mind are capable of less exertion. " When the 
«* Devil catches a man idle he generally sets him to work,'" is a 
proverb which is every day exemplified at the Cape of Good 
Hope. They are active only in mischief; and crimes against 
morality meet with applause if the end be successful. A man, 
who in his dealings can cheat his neighbour, is considered as 
a slim mensch, a clever fellow ; even stealing is not regarded as 
criminal, nor does it materially affect the character of the 
thief. Truth is not held as a moral virtue, and lying passes 
for ingenuity. 
There is agreatwant of affection among near relations; it has 
been observed, indeed, that there are scarcely two brothers in 
the Cape who will speak to each other. The manner in which 
children are brought up, and in which the economy of a 
family is manag^fd, is little favourable to social intercourse, or 
likely to excite that harmony of sentiment and union of inte- 
rests which, in more civilized countries, are cherished and 
grow to maturit}'^ by the genial warmth and cheerfulness and 
comfort of a family fire-side. Here the members of the same 
family seldom meet together. The husband, having slept the 
greater part of the day, finds his bed irksome in the morning 
and rises with the dawn. He takes his solitary cup of coffee, 
2 
