SOUTHERN AFRICA. 197 
arat the Cape of Good Hope, and, as I have shewn, at a 
much greater expence, it is certainly not fair to charge this 
sum to the account of the garrison of tlie Cape. Even in 
peace the commissioned officers would have received their 
half pay, which alone would amount to a sum from 100,000/. 
to 150,000/. 
There are not, therefore, any grounds for considering the 
Cape in the light of an expensive settlement. In fact, the 
sums of money, which have been expended there, dwindle into 
nothins: upon a comparison with those in some of the West In- 
diaislands, whose importance is a feather when weighed against 
that of the Cape of Good Hope. Viewing it only as a point 
of security to our Indian possessions, and as a nursery for 
maturing raw recruits into complete soldiers, the question of 
expence must fall to the ground. Of the several millions 
that are annually raised for the support of government at 
home, and its dependencies abroad, a small fraction of one 
of these millions may surely be allowed for the maintenance 
of a station whose advantages are incalculable. One single 
fact will sufficiently prove the fallacy of holding out the Cape 
as an expensive garrison. The price of good bread was one 
penny a pound, of good mutton and fresh beef twopence, 
of good sound wine little more than one shilling the gallon, 
of fruit and vegetables of every description a mere trifle. 
If in such a country the maintenance of the garrison be at- 
tended with great expence, the fault must rest with the go- 
vernment, and cannot be attributable to any unfavorable 
circumstances in the place itself. If full powers are en- 
