312 TRAVELS IN 
be raised may be considered as indefinite ; but the great dis- 
tance from any market, the badness of the roads, and the 
weak state of the cattle, will always operate against an ex- 
tended cultivation. In addition to these obstacles, the farmer 
had no encouragement given to him to raise more than a 
limited quantity, as the prices were always fixed by the Go- 
vernment, and bore a proportion to the state of the harvest. 
If, therefore, the harvest happened to fail, it was an advan- 
tageous circumstance to the farmer; as he received the same 
money for a smaller quantity, and had less trouble and less 
expence in bringing it up to town. 
The surplus, purchased by Government, in fruitful years, 
was laid up in magazines against a season of scarcity. At 
the time of the capture there were found in store near 40,000 
muids, part of which was sent to England ; but the following 
year not affording a productive crop, the scarcity was so 
great, that Government found it necessary to prohibit the 
use of white bread ; nor, since that period, has it been able 
to lay up in store a single bushel of wheat ; nor to allow of 
any exportation, beyond what was necessary for the con- 
sumption of the crews of the several ships during their 
voyage; and this was generally sent on board in biscuit 
and flour. 
The Dutch seldom paid more than from 20 to 40 rixdollars 
the load ; the English never less than from 40 to 60 rix- 
dollars, five of which make a pound currency, and which, 
being paper money, was generally 20 per cent, under a 
pound sterling. The bakers of the Cape were required to 
