GOOD 
the laws of property, fo fatied and fo refpe^lable, tlie 
V ill of tlie ftronger party was a fuificient title for it to 
extend its poflpllions. The Diitcli feized indifcrimi- 
nately, it diifereiit times, and even without having oc- 
cafion for tlieni, on all the lands vs'hich individuals, fa¬ 
voured bv government, thought proper, or found con¬ 
venient, to claim for themfelvcs. The Hottentots, thus 
confined, prelTed, and haratfed on all fides, divided 
themfelves, and purfued plans entirely oppofite. Thofe 
who 'were dill interefted in the prefervation of their 
flocks, penetrated among the mountains towards the 
nortli and north-ead; whild others, and by far the 
greated number, for the fake of brandy and tobacco, 
at fird freely adminidered to them, became the daves 
of their new maders. 
It does not appear that thefe felf-intereded and wily 
people, at any period, have turned this acquifition to 
any great account; at lead not to fuch as its natural 
advantages and internal refources might eafily afford. 
Ever jealous of the commerce of other nations, the 
Dutch fuftercd no trade to be carried on with this fet- 
tlement but what paffed through the hands of their own 
fervants ; and thefe offered no encouragement to in- 
dudry or exertion amongd the farmers and planters in 
the interior ; fo that one general fydem of felfidinefs, 
of indolence, and fupinenels, pervaded the whole co¬ 
lony. Such was its condition, when tlie menacing 
drides of the French republican governjnent, and tlieir 
feizure of Holland, rendered it expedient that the Cape 
fliould fall into tlie hands of the Englilh. For this 
purpofe an armament was difpatched under admiral fir 
G. Filphindone, and major-generals Clarke and Craig, 
who took poffedion of the fettlement by capitulation, 
in September 1795, after a faint refidance, and very lit¬ 
tle lofs on either fide. It continued under the Britifh 
government till the peace of Amiens in 1802,when it 
was redored to the Batavian republic, lubjeCl to its 
being a free and open port for all the fhips of the other 
contrafting powers, feut immediately after the war 
was re-commenced, in confequence of the difpute con¬ 
cerning the podedion of Malta, another armament was 
difpatched to retake the Cape, under the command of 
admiral fir Home Popham, and general fir David Baird. 
This armament arrived at its dedination the beginning 
of January 1806 ; a defcent w'as made on the 6th and 
7th of January; and an engagement took place on the 
8 th between the Britifii troops confiding of 4000 men, and 
the troops of the garrifon confiding of 5000. The lols 
of the Englidi was about 200 men in killed and wound¬ 
ed ; while that of the Batavians amounted to upwards 
of 700. A capitulation was figned on the 10th of Janu¬ 
ary, by w'hich the whole colony was again furrendered 
to the king of Great Britain. 
While the fettlement of Good Hope continued in the 
hands of the Dutch, very little was known of its inter¬ 
nal polity, and fcarcely any thing was done towards af- 
certainingthe geography of the country. When it came 
into the hands of the Englilh, however, the interior of 
the country began to be explored, and a faithful and 
corredl defcription of it was given by our ow,n country¬ 
men, which we (hall here epitomile. 
On entering Cape Town by the way of the Cadle, 
the eye is druck with a number of elegant buildings. 
On one fide is prefented the whole length of the gardens 
formerly belonging to the Dutch Ead-India Company ; 
which are open to all genteel perfons. On the other 
are the fountains, whofe waters defcend from Table- 
Mountain by a channel, which may be feen from the 
town, and every part of the road. This water is excel¬ 
lent, and abundantly fupplies the inhabitants, as well 
as the (hipping in Table Bay. The number of houfes 
amounts to near fix hundred, inhabited by about 5500 
white people, and upwards of 10,000 blacks. In a town 
where fo many perfons are continually arriving, it feems 
furprifinr that there ftiould have been aeitlier coffee-. 
HOPE. 679 
houfe nor tavern ; but the truth ls, every private houle 
is made to anfwer that purpofe, by taking in ({rangers 
to board and lodge, and who are abundantly fupplied with 
the necedaries and comforts of life. But whatever enthufi- 
adsmay fay of the Cape, ir (eems that the European fruits 
have much degenerated there. Nothing of tlie kind is 
very delicious except the gi ape. Moitofihe European 
vegetables feem indeed naturalized, and are gathered 
all the year, if the fouth-ead wind does not dry the 
earth in (uch a manner as to render it incapable of cul¬ 
ture. This wind,when it lets in, rages vvitli fuch fury,that 
in order to prelerve the plants, they are obliged to maker 
a fence of hornbeam round each dividon of the garden. 
They take the fame care of the young trees; but not- 
withdanding all their precaution, tliey never put out 
branches on tJie dde next the winel, and always_in- 
cline in an oppodte diredlion, wliich gives them a very 
dilagreeable appearance; in general it is difficult to 
rear them; for the ravages of this wind are lb great, that 
in the fpace of twenty-four hours, the bed cultivated 
gardens are fometimes laid wade ; it rages mod from 
January to April about the Cape, and much earlier up 
the country. This wind announces itfelf at the Cape 
by a fmall white cloud, which at fird reds on the top of 
I'ajile Mountain, on that (ide next the Devil Moun¬ 
tain : the air foon begins to frelhen ; by degrees the 
cloud augments, enlarging in fuch a manner that the 
whole (ummit appears covered ; at this time tliey ufu- 
ally lay, “the mountain has put on its perriwig;” it 
iiov/ finks rapidly ; and, hovering over the town, (eems 
to threaten it with an immediate deluge; but as it ap¬ 
proaches tlie foot of the mountain," it begins to difap- 
pear, to evaporate, and reduce itfelf to nothing ; the (ky 
continues uninterruptedly calm and ferene ; the moun¬ 
tain alone appears in mourning, which (hroiids it from 
the radiance of the fun. The inhabitants account for 
this phenomenon in the following manner: the wind at 
fird blows very feebly, gently driving before it a Ibrt of 
mid, which feems to detach itfelf from the furface of 
the fea; this mid collet!s, and preded together by 
means of the obdacle it finds in its paffage on the louth 
fide of Table Mountain, not being able to free itfelf, 
heaps up by degrees, till it is elevated to the funimit; 
it then exhibits to the town that fmall white cloud which 
announces the wind, which in fatt, has begun to blow 
lome hours before on the Tides of the mountain, in the 
road or bay, and parts adjacent. The general duratioa 
of this kind of dorm is three days fucceffively; fome¬ 
times it continues witliout intermidion much longer ; it 
often likewife ceafes all at once, the atmofphere then 
becomes extremely (ultry ; and, if during three montlis 
(the time it ufually prevails) it diould happen in this 
manner to have feveral fudden intermidions, it is a cer¬ 
tain prognodic of a great deal of ficknefs.. 
Though this wind is not abiblutelydangerous to (hip¬ 
ping, in(tances are not wanting of its ill effects on (eve- 
ral ; and when it becomes very impetuous, it is prudent, 
in order to avoid an accident, to gain tlie open fea; 
when it does not bear the milts, it only blows in the 
road, and is of no confequence in the town, forit js only 
a vad coiiedtion of the(e fogs ruihing violently along, 
that occafions thofe terrible hurricanes which they thus 
experience, and which render it almod inipollible to 
walk in the dreets ; and notwithdanding the exactitude 
and care, with which they (hut their doors and windows, 
the diili at tliis time penetrates even into their cupboards 
and trunks. Yet whatever inconveniences may accom. 
pany it, this wind is of infinite fervice to the town, by 
purging it of thofe noxious vapours which arile from 
the filth that is naturally colledted about the fea coad, 
and from-its peculiar lituation. The mod cruel and 
dangerous difeafe here is the fore throat. People of the 
mod robud conditutions, fall vidtims to this malady in 
three or four days. It is 3 fudden and violent droke 
which gives no warning. While the fmail-pox is alfo 
another 
