SOUTHERN AFRICA. 147 
entitled to seek connections with the first and wealthiest 
families In the colony. None would think of refusing his 
daughter s hand to the solicitations of a clergyman ; and the 
lady usually considered the precedence at church as a full 
compensation for the loss of balls, cards, and other amuse- 
ments which her new situation obliged her to relinquish. 
Some changes, however, of such sentiments were said to have 
taken place, on the part of the ladies, with the change of 
their former Government, and that whatever might still 
be the opinion of the parents, they began to doubt whether 
the easy and unrestrained gaiety of a red coat might no£ 
be equally productive of happiness with the gravity of a 
black one. 
But the introduction of new manners and new sentiments 
produced no direliction in the pious deportment of the clergy 
and their families ; nor was there any change in the exterior 
marks of devotion among the laity. The former are scrupu- 
lously exact in the observance of the several duties of their 
office, and the latter equally so 'in their attendance of public 
worship. In the country the boors carry their devotion to 
an excess of inconvenience that looks very like hypocrisy. 
From some parts of the colony it requires a journey of a 
week or ten days to go to the nearest church, 3'et the whole 
family seldom fails in its attendance twice or thrice in a 
year. 
The duties of the clergy are not very laborious, though 
pretty much the same as in Europe. They attend church 
twice on Sundays, visit the sick when sent for, and bestow 
u 2 
