142 TRAVELS IN 
in his'fiscal capacity to be guilty of injustice and extortion, 
by leaving th^power of fixing the penalty in the breast of the 
very man who was to reap the benefit of it ! To the honor 
of the man be it spoken, who held this important but odious 
situation, during the British government at the Cape, his 
most inveterate enemies, and he and every one wlio fills the 
office must daily make such, never accused him either of 
making an undUe use of his authority, or of studying his own 
interest in this respect. The English found him poor, and 
]eft him so, but not without making some though not per- 
haps an adequate acknowledgment of his services. 
The office of Fiscal consisted of the principal and a de- 
puty, a clerk, two bailiffs, two jailors, eight constables, and 
nineteen blacks and Malays, usually called Kaffers. The 
whole expence to Government was under 10,000 rix dollars ; 
the Court of Justice and Secretary's Office to the Court was 
about the same sum, so that the administration of justice cost 
the Government about 4000/. sterling a year. 
Tfie Court of Commissaries for trying petty suits^ and for 
matrimonial affairs, consists of a President, a Vice-president, 
and four members, whose situations are merely honorary, 
and are biennial. The duties of the Court, as the name im- 
plies, are divided into two distinct classes : first, to decide 
insults where the sum in litigation does not exceed 40/.; 
and secondly, to grant licences of marriage where, on ex- 
amination of the parties, there appears to be no legal im- 
pediment. 
