The truth is, that all articles of produce are sold by English weight, and not Dutch, unless by a special agreement.
POPULATION.
The colony of the cape of Good Hope is divided into ten districts. Herewith, I present a table, showing the whole amount of the population for 1831-1832; the number of births, marriages, and deaths. Mr. Greig, the editor and publisher of the South African Almanac, says, “It is compiled from tax and rolls, and there is an omission of the itinerants’ and Hottentots’ settlement at Kat river, &c., to the number of between fifteen and sixteen thousand;” and Cape Town is supposed to contain about twenty-two thousand, in December, 1833, instead of the number stated.
| Districts. | Free Persons, white & coloured. | Slaves. | Total | Births. | Mar. | Deaths. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | Males. | Females. | ||||
| Cape Town | 6,410 | 6,949 | 2,921 | 2,906 | 9,331 | 9,855 | 644 | 138 | 638 |
| Cape District | 3,703 | 2,977 | 2,709 | 1,473 | 6,412 | 4,450 | 123 | 28 | 98 |
| Stellenbosch | 3,854 | 3,677 | 4,724 | 4,108 | 8,578 | 7,785 | 296 | 102 | 189 |
| Worcester | 5,758 | 5,655 | 2,667 | 2,135 | 8,425 | 7,790 | 577 | 67 | 261 |
| Swellendam | 6,063 | 7,867 | 1,650 | 1,381 | 7,713 | 7,248 | 606 | 49 | 325 |
| George | 3,286 | 2,740 | 1,106 | 1,068 | 4,392 | 3,808 | 219 | 46 | 60 |
| Uitenhage | 5,135 | 4,485 | 677 | 616 | 5,812 | 5,101 | 300 | 60 | 81 |
| Albany | 3,572 | 2,705 | 72 | 67 | 3,644 | 2,772 | 177 | 34 | 89 |
| Somerset | 4,494 | 4,375 | 781 | 623 | 5,275 | 4,998 | 384 | 119 | 107 |
| Graff Reinet | 6,397 | 4,613 | 1,505 | 944 | 7,902 | 5,557 | 156 | 127 | 74 |
| Total | 48,672 | 44,043 | 18,812 | 15,321 | 67,484 | 59,364 | 3,482 | 770 | 1,922 |
| Total | 126,848 |
| Add for the army | 2,500 |
| 129,348 | |
| Add omissions, say | 15,652 |
| Making a grand total of | 145,000 |
This settlement, which was founded by the Dutch, under Governor Riebeck, in 1652, contained in 1832 but a little upward of one hundred and forty thousand, there not being so many inhabitants as there are in the city of New York or Philadelphia, whereas the first English settlement of Puritans, which landed in New England but thirty-two years previous, now numbers upward of two millions, and the United States not less than fifteen millions. The Dutch held it from 1692 to 1795, when it was placed under the protection of the British government, by order of the prince of Orange. It was restored to the Batavian government in the commencement of 1803. In January, 1806, it capitulated to the English arms under General Sir D. Baird, and it is now an integral part of the British empire.
On a calm and beautiful morning, before the sun had tinged the mountains of Hottentots’ Holland, or Table mount, we were preparing for a ride to the celebrated vineyard of Constantia and to Simon’s town. J. B. Ebden, Esq., Captain Geisinger and myself, went in an excellent carriage, having six fine horses, accompanied by Captain Shields of the Boxer, Lieut. Craver of the Peacock, Mr. Poor of the Boxer, &c., on horseback. A pleasant ride of five miles brought us to the beautiful village of Wynberg, passing on the right of the Devil’s Peak. This village is adorned with a great number of gentlemen’s seats, and neat cottages, the avenues leading to them having well-trimmed hedges of myrtle and oak, and over shadowed by pine, oak or fruit trees, the grounds being ornamented with flowers and shrubs, and the porches shaded with luxuriant grape-vines. A small but very pretty new church, belonging to the Episcopalians, graces a rising ground on the right. We proceeded on about five miles further, where the road branches to the left and to the right, the former being the direct road to Simon’s town, and the latter leading to Constantia, &c. We breakfasted at the picturesque seat of the late Governor Cole, at Protea, with Mr. Scott of Bengal. From thence we went about three miles out of the direct road, passing the Newlands, a celebrated seat of a former governor, Lord Somerset, who lavished some eighty thousand pounds sterling upon it, at the expense of the British government. We passed through a noble avenue of ancient oaks, which led to Great Constantia, where we found a very substantial Dutch dwelling-house, having extensive out-buildings on the right, with the wine-store in the rear. We were very kindly and hospitably received, and treated to a taste of four kinds of very old, rich wine, drawn out of some of the immense leaguers, which line both sides of an extensive building. Every thing about the place is in excellent order; the variety of fruits, flowers, shrubs and creeping plants, and live hedges, made it truly enchanting.
CONSTANTIA.
A fine stream of water runs through it, from the range of mountains, on the decline of which the vineyard is situated. From this estate two other vineyards have been formed, viz.: high and low Constantia, so called from their relative positions to the mountains. There is a most commanding view from the upper garden, the mountains about Hottentots’ Holland, cape Hanglip and the range of mountains leading towards the celebrated cape of Good Hope, as well as False bay and the Indian ocean, and had we ascended to the top of the mountains, which overlook Constantia, about three thousand feet, we could have seen both oceans at one view, the Indian and South Atlantic. The vines, which were hanging thick with clusters of fruit, are kept as low as three feet; only two fruit-bearing shoots of three eyes are left of the last year’s growth. The grapes are trodden out with the feet, as well as pressed out, the former being preferred, as in ancient times. There was but little to gratify the sight after leaving this hospitable place, till our arrival at Simon’s town. On the left is a low sandy isthmus, (having on it many lagoons,) which connects the cape district with Hottentots’ Holland; it is about twelve miles in length, and separates Table from False bay; there can be no doubt but that cape district was once separated from the main land, and this plain was formed by the accumulation of sand, thrown in by the gales from the Atlantic and Indian oceans. A few miserable hovels are scattered here and there, over this dreary isthmus, and on the right toward the mountains, there were a few ordinary cottages, and a solitary shepherd watching his flock, but scarcely a tree was seen in any direction, excepting a few Proteas, or those about the farm-houses. We wound round the base of Mysenberg, which is about two thousand feet high, passing through a dreary and uncomfortable looking fishing village of the same name. Proceeding on, we came next to Fishhook bay, where there is a poor village, having a small whaling establishment. At this place we came to a low, sandy isthmus, which is mostly covered at high water, and leads to Chapman’s bay, on the west; this isthmus separates in nearly equal divisions the northern from the southern range of mountains, they being in length twenty-nine miles, from the Lion’s Rump to the cape of Good Hope.