SOUTHERN AFRICA. 141 
charges, in some degree, depend upon the quantity of paper 
written, such papers are generally pretty voluminous. The 
expences of a single suit will sometimes amount to 400/. or 
500/. sterling, when, at the same time, the object of litigation 
was not worth 100/. 
The office of Fiscal is one of the most important in the 
colony. As public accuser it is his duty to prosecute, in the 
Court of Justice, all high crimes and misdemeanors ; and as 
Solicitor-General to the Crown he is to act in all cases where 
the interest of Government is concerned. As Chief Magi- 
strate of the police, both within and without the town, he is 
authorised to inflict corporal punishment on slaves, Hotten- 
tots, and others, not being burghers, for petty offences, riot- 
ous behaviour, or other acts that cannot be considered as 
directly criminal. The Fiscal has also the power of impos- 
ing fines, and of accepting pecuniary composition for misde- 
meanors, insults, breach of contract in cases where the offender 
does not wish to risk a public trial. The sum, ho\vever, that 
in cases of compromise can be demanded by the Fiscal, was 
limited, under the British Government, to 200 rix dollars. 
For it appeared that, under former Fiscals, many and enor- 
sraous abuses had been practised in the levying of fines, par- 
ticularly in cases where the nature of the offence was such 
that the accused chose rather to pay a large sum of money 
than suffer his cause to be investigated before a full court. 
The Fiscal, being entitled to one-third of all such penalties, 
took care to lay them as heavy as he thought the cases would 
bear. What a temptatioyi was here laid for frail mortal man. 
