SOUTHERN AFRICA. 319 
improvement from education, and none from travel, and are 
consequently ignorant of the nature of foreign trade. If 
their wines are once on board ship, they conclude there is an 
end of the transaction, and, if previously sold, whether they 
arrive in good or bad condition, is no concern of theirs. 
If the precaution was taken of separating the ripe from the 
unripe grapes, the sound fruit from the decayed, and the stalks 
rejected ; if the must was suffered to remain in open vessels, 
so that a large surface might be exposed to the free contact 
of the atmospheric air, until it had undergone the last degree 
of vinous fermentation ; if after this it was carefully drawn 
off into close vessels and kept unmolested for twelve months, 
there is little doubt that a good, pleasant, sound bodied 
wine might be obtained, free from that extraneous and pe- 
culiar taste which all the Cape wines possess in a greater pr 
less degree, owing entirely to the slovenly manner in w^hich 
the process is conducted, and the vines being cut down so low 
as to suffer the branches of fruit to rest on the soil. 
The country boor, having no surplus stock of casks, is 
under the necessity of selling to the merchant in the town his 
new wine ; and here it is mixed and adulterated in a variety 
of ways. The pipe is called a kgger, and contains 8 half 
aims or l60 gallons, and each legger pays to Government 
a duty, on entering the town, of three rixdollars. The 
price paid to the farmer is generally from 20 to 30 rixdollars 
the legger, which, after adulteration, is SQld again from 40 
