124 TRAVELS IN 
bis furniture, such as tbej are, he makes himself ; and he has 
no occasion for impJements of husbandry. The first luxury 
he purchases is a waggon, which, indeed, the wandering life 
he usuaily leads at setting out in the world, makes as neces- 
sary as a hut ; and frequently serves all the purposes of one. 
A musquet and a small quantity of powder and lead will 
procure him as much game as his whole family can consume. 
The spri?}gboks are so plentiful on the borders of the colony, 
and so easily got at, that a farmer sends out his Hottentot to 
kill a couple of these deer with as much certainty as if he 
sent him among his flock of sheep. In a word, an African 
peasant of the lowest condition never knows want ; and 
if he does not rise into affluence, the fault must be entirely 
bis ov/n. 
REVENUES OF GOVERNMENT. 
From what has already been stated, in the last section, it 
will appear, that the public burthens are not of that nature 
as to furnish any subject of complaint. In fact, the propor- 
tion of produce paid by the colonists for their protection is 
less than in most other countries. They are not required to 
pay any land-tax, window-tax, excise, or tax on any of the 
luxuries of life ; they are exempt from poor-rates, and from 
any assessment towards the maintenance of the clergy. Ex- 
cept the tenth on grain and wine, brought into Cape Town, 
and a small Custom-house duty on foreign articles imported, 
the duties to which they are liable are, in a great measure, 
optional, being levied on their extreme passion for buying, 
selling, and transferring property. The stamp duty, the 
