42 . » 
HOTTEN 
The habitations of the Hottentots are as fimple'as their 
dreis, and equally adapted to the wandering paftoral life 
they lead. In faft, they fcarcely merit ally other name 
than that of huts; though they are luffic-ient for'the Hot¬ 
tentots’ wants and defires; who may therefore be confi- 
dered as happy men, in being able in this point likewite 
lo ealily to latisfy them. Every hut is difpofed in the fol¬ 
lowing manner: They are of a circular form, refembling a 
round bee-hive or vault. The ground-plot is from eigh¬ 
teen no twenty-four feet in diameter. The higheft of them 
are lo low, that a middle-fized man can fcarcely ftand^up- 
right. From the Ijtuatioft of the fire-place, which is in 
the centre, the Hottentots likevvife have this advantage, 
that, when they lit or lie in a circle round the lire, the 
whole company equally enjoy the benefit of its warmth. 
The door, which js low,, is the only place that lets in the 
day-light; and at the fame time the only outlet that is 
left for the fmoke. The frame of tins arched roof is com-_ 
poled of (lender rods or lprays of trees. Thele rods, be¬ 
ing. previously bent into a proper form, are laid either 
whole or pieced, fome parallel with each other, others 
crollwife ; they are then ftrengthened. by binding others 
round them, in a circular form, with withies. Large mats 
are then laid very neatly over this lattice-work, lb as per¬ 
fectly to cover the whole. The aperture which is left for 
the door is doled, whenever there i^ occafion for it, with 
a Ikin fitted to it, or a piece of matting. Thefe mats are 
made of a piece of cane or reed. The reeds, being laid 
parallel to each other, are fattened together with lhicw.s, 
or catguts, or elle fome kind of packthread, fuch as they 
have had an opportunity of procuring from Europeans'. 
The order or diftribution of thefe huts in a kraal, or clan, 
is molf frequently in the form of a circle, with the doors 
inwards; by this means a kind of yard or court is formed, 
where the cattle is kept at night. The milk, as foon as 
taken from the cow, is put to other milk which is cur¬ 
dled, and is kept in a leather fack ; of this the hairy fide, 
being conlldered as the cleaned:, is turned inwards ; lb 
that the milk is never drunk while it is fweet. 
Many falfeliopds have been related of this people, which 
feem to have originated in the prejudices and m il rep re fe il¬ 
lations of the planters, to which Kolben, as well as other 
travellers fince his time, feem to have given too eafy credit. 
Vaillant, who certainly had the bell opportunities of be¬ 
ing acquainted with them, from learning their language 
and living among them, fpeaks of them with a degree of 
attention. Some authors have laid that the families of the 
lavages lleep all promifcuouiiy together in the fame hut;' 
and are neither acquainted with difference of age, nor 
that iuvincible horror which feparates beings connected 
by blood. The favages, indeed, confined to what is 
ffriccly neceflary,' have never thought of prelerving, under 
an apparent decency, all the turpitude of unnatural incli¬ 
nations ; and feparate apartments for brother and filler, 
mother and fon, are not to be found among them. But to 
conclude, becaule they have only one habitation, one bed, 
and one mat to repofe on, after the labours of the day, 
that they live like the brutes, would be to calumniate in¬ 
nocence, and offer an intuit to nature. Vaillant fays, lie 
vifited many hordes of Hottentots, and never found any 
where but modefty and referve aniongff the women, and 
among the men alfo. He thinks that the women'of la¬ 
vage nations, once vifited by corrupted Europeans, and 
too well acquainted with their perverfe inclinations, prof- 
titute themfelves to all thofe who choofe to enjoy them, 
and gratify their taffe, from a dread of the barbarous crur 
‘cities which the whites are capable of committing. If 
there be a corner of the earth where a d-ecency of con¬ 
duct and manners is llili honoured, he thinks we- muff 
feek for its temple in the bofoms of the deferts. 
There is lbmething peculiaivin the features of the Hot¬ 
tentot, which, in a certain degree, feparates him from the 
generality of mankind. His cheek-bones are exceedingly 
prominent, fo that his face, being very broad in that part, 
and the jaw-bones, on the contrary, extremely narrow, his 
Vol. X'. No. 672. 
T O T T I A. 
vifage continues llili decreasing even to the point of the 
chin. This configuration gives him an air of lanknefs, 
which makes his head appear very much difproportioned, 
and too fmall for his full and plump body. His'flat note, 
rifes fcarcely half an inch at its highell elevation, and his 
noltrils, which are excellive'y wide, often exceed in height 
the ridge of his nofe. His mouth is large; and furnilhed 
with fmall teeth, well enamelled, and perfectly white: His 
eyes, very beautiful and.open, incline a little towards the' 
nofe, like thofe of the Chiriefe ; and to the fight and 
touch his hair has the refemblance of woo! ; it is very lliort, 
curls naturally, and in colour is as black as ebony'. He 
has very little hair, yet he employs no fmall care to puli 
out by the roots part of what he has; but the.natural 
thinnefs of his eve-brows laves him from this trouble. Hi 
that part. Though he has no beard but upon the tipper 
lip, below the nole, and at the extremity of the chin, he 
never-.fails to pluck it out as loon as it appears. Phis' 
gives hihr'an effeminate look, which, joined to the natu¬ 
ral mildnel's of his character, deftroys that commanding 
fiercenefs common to all men in a Hate of nature, and 
which has acquired them the proud title of kings. With 
regard to proportion of body, a Hottentot is as perfect as 
if call in a mould. His gait is graceful arid agile ; and 
all his motions, which are eafy, feem very different from 
thole of the American lavages, who feem merely to have 
been Iketched out by the hand of nature. The women, 
with more delicacy of features, exhibit the fame charac- 
teriftic marks in their figure: they are equally welt made. 
Their brealts, particularly when young, being .admirably 
placed, have a moll beautiful form, and lliow the age of pu¬ 
berty, or bloom of youth ; their hands are fmall, and their 
feet exceedingly well lhaped, though they never-wear fan-' 
dais. The found of their voice is foft; and their idiom, 
palling through the throat, is not deftitute of harmony. 
When they lpeak, they employ a great many geftures, 
which give power and gracefulnefs to their arms. See the 
annexed Engraving. 
The Hottentots, being naturally timid, are confequently 
not at all an enterprifing people. Their phlegmatic cool- 
nefs, and their ferious looks, give them an air of relerve, 
which they never lay afide, even at the molt joyful mo¬ 
ments ; while, on the contrary, all other black or tawney 
nations give themfelves up to pleafure with the- livelielt 
joy, and without any reftraint. A profound indifference 
to the affairs of life, inclines them very much to inactivity 
and indolence ; the keeping of their flocks, and the care 
of procuring a lubfiftence, are the only objects that oc¬ 
cupy their thoughts. They never follow hunting as fportf- 
men, but like people opprefied and tormented by hunger. 
In Ihort, forgetting the pall, and being under no unea.fi- 
nefs for the future, they are ftr'uck only with the prefent; 
and it is that alone engages their attention. They are, 
however, the belt, the kindeft, and the moll hofpitable, 
of people. Whoever travels among them may be allured 
of finding food and lodging; and, though they will receive 
prefents, yet they never alk for any thing. If the travel¬ 
ler has a long journey to accomplilh, and if they learn, 
from the information he requires, that there are no hopes 
of his foon meeting with other hordes, that which he is' 
going to quit fupply him with provilions, as far as their 
efreum(lances will allow, and with 'every thing elfe necef- 
fary for his continuing his journey, and reaching the place 
of his deftination. 
Before the arrival of the Europeans at the Cape, the 
Hottentots were not acquainted with commerce, and, per-' 
haps, they had no idea even of barter; but, on the ap¬ 
pearance of tobacco, brandy,, and toys', they were foon 
initiated into 1 part of the mercantile mylterics. Thefe 
objects, which at firit were only agreeable novelties, by 
length of time have become wants. When thefe articles 
grow lcarce among them, they are fupplied by the-PIot- 
tentots of the colonies; for it is proper to obferve, that 
however eager they may be to get fuch trifles'into their 
poileflion, they do not take the trouble - to go one ftep m 
5 Q - fearch 
