SOUTHERN AFRICA. 131 
capital. It did more than this. Part of the original capital, 
which, at its highest point was about 680,000 rixdollars, was 
repaid hy the inhabitants, and restored to Government ; but, 
instead of cancelling such sums, as it should seem in honor 
bound to do, it applied them towards the payment of the 
pubhc expences, suifering the whole of the original capital 
to continue in circulation. 
The operation of such a loan, from the Government to the 
.subject, so much the reverse of what generally takes place in 
other states, might be supposed to produce on the minds of 
the people a disposition of ill-will towards the Government ; 
which, indeed, was assigned as one of the motives to shake 
off their dependence, and thus free themselves at once from 
a load of debt by the destruction of the creditor. These 
short-sighted people did not reflect that the whole amount 
of paper money issued through the bank was not half the 
amount of paper currency in circulation ; that a much greater 
sum, of the same fabric, but made on a different occasion, 
had been borrowed by Government from the inhabitants, for 
which the only security was its credit and stability. The con- 
sequence of SufFrein's visit to the Cape, and the expences of 
throvv'ing up the lines, and putting the works in repair, obliged 
the Dutch to borrow plate and silver money from the in- 
habitants for the exigencies of Government, which was pro- 
mised to be repaid on the arrival of the ships then expected 
from Holland ; and, in the mean time, stamped paper, in 
pieces bearing diftercnt values, was given and thrown into 
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