[53] See the original records of the council of policy in the Cape archives, or my Abstract of the Debates and Resolutions of the Council of Policy at the Cape from 1651 to 1687, an octavo volume of 233 pages, published at Capetown in 1881.
[54] “daerop hebben wij naegesien ’t geene wij bij onsen brieff van den 14 Julij 1695 soo raeckende den Landtbouw als het bestiael beijde van de Comp: hebben geschreven, en gemeijnt dat soo wel de voors: Lantbouw, als het aenhouden van het bestiael, geensints een werck is, de Comp: convenierende off dat die haer daermede behoort te bemoeijen, maer dat deselve in tegendeel dat aen de vrijeluijen dient over te laeten soo om die daer door te beter te doen subsisteren ... met uijtsluytinge van Comps: dienaren die soo wel in den politicquen raed, als in den raedt van justitie compareren, en Sessie in deselve hebben, aen dewelcke wij verstaen, dat alle leverantie aen de Comp: sal werden benomen, off haer ontseijt.”—Despatch to the governor and council of policy at the Cape, dated at Amsterdam on the 27th of June 1699, and signed by fifteen of the directors.
[55] This clergyman was of French descent, was educated for the ministry of the Roman catholic church, and had been a monk in the abbey of Boneffe in Belgium. After becoming a Protestant he wrote a book entitled Dwalingen van het Pausdom. He could converse in many languages, and was unquestionably a man of high ability and learning, but he was of irascible disposition and wherever he went was engaged in strife. After he left South Africa he became a doctor of laws, and died at a very advanced age at Batavia in 1748, after having been during the preceding nineteen years minister of the Protestant Portuguese congregation at that place.
[56] See the report of the commissioners Pieter de Vos and Hendrik Bekker, signed at Batavia on the 18th of September 1706. Copy in the Cape archives.
[57] As he was an ordinary councillor of India and admiral of the return fleet he was higher in rank than the governor. His commission from the Indian authorities directed him to see that the laws were properly carried out, but he had no power given to him to make any new laws, and of course none to annul or suspend any order of the directors, which even the high Indian authorities could not do.
[58] The first was a grant of the farm now occupied by the English archbishop of Capetown to Commander Jan van Riebeek, before the order of 1668 was issued, the second was the grant of Constantia already mentioned.
[59] “Alle de Coloniers (goet vlees leverende) sonder dese of geene begunstighde daerinne boven anderen te prefereren, en sulex sonder onderscheijt tot voors: leverantie sal hebben te admitteren. Dan aengesien wij considereren dat voorsz: leverantie onder anderen mede moet geaght werden te sijn een voorregt der vrije Ingesetenen en Coloniers deselve privative competerende met uijtsluijtingh van Comps: dienaren, die met haer Soldije en emolumenten moeten te vreden sijn, en daermede oock genoeghsaem kunnen bestaen, soo verstaen en begeeren wij dat niemant van Comps: dienaren, den gouverneur daer onder mede begrepen, eenigh versch vlees aen Comps: schepen, hospitael etc: sal mogen leveren, direct of indirect, maer ’t selve op den ontfangst deses voortaen alleen door de vrije Ingesetenen moeten geschieden.”—Despatch signed by fifteen of the directors, dated at Middelburg on the 28th of October 1705. In the Cape archives and copy in those of the Netherlands. This order was sent out, because complaints had already been received in Holland that the governor was disregarding the laws on the subject.
[60] When trying to excuse his conduct to his friends after all this was made known to the directors and he had been dismissed from the service, the late governor admitted, as he could not deny it, that he had occasionally taken Hertog with him to Vergelegen for the purpose here mentioned. See the Korte Deductie van Willem Adriaen van der Stel: tot destructie ende wederlegginge van alle de klaghten, die eenige vrijluijden van de voorsz Cabo aen de Edele Achtbare Heren Bewinthebberen van de Oost Indische Compagnie over hem hadden gedaen. A foolscap folio volume of 172 pages, published in Holland—the name of the town is not given—soon after his recall and dismissal from the Company’s service. But his opponents proved conclusively that Hertog was there for six or eight months at a time, while drawing pay from the Company, and they published some of his written orders as manager of the place. See the Contra Deductie ofte Grondige Demonstratie van de valsheit der witgegevene Deductie by den Ed: Heer Willem Adriaan van der Stel, Geweezen Raad Extraordinaris van Nederlandsch India, en Gouverneur aan Cabo de Goede Hoop, etc., etc., etc.; waar in niet alleen begrepen is een nauwkeurig Historisch Verhaal, van al ’t geene de Heer van der Stel in den jare 1706 heeft werkstellig gemaakt, on de Vrijburgeren aan de Kaab t’ onder te brengen: maar ook een beknopt Antwoort op alle in gemelde Deductie, en deszelfs schriftelijke Verantwoordinge, voorgestelde naakte uitvluchten, abuseerende bewysstukken, en andere zaken meer: strekkende tot Verificatie van’t Klachtschrift, in den jare 1706 aan Haar Wel Edele Hoog Achtbaarheden, de Heeren Bewinthebberen ter Illustre Vergadering van Zeventienen afgezonden; zynde gesterkt door veele authenticque en gerecolleerde Bewysstukken, waar van de origineele of authenticque Copyen in handen hebben de twee Gemachtigden van eenige der Kaapsche Inwoonderen Jacobus van der Heiden en Adam Tas. A foolscap folio volume of 318 pages, published at Amsterdam in 1712. This volume refutes the statements made in the Korte Deductie, and contains some very strong evidence given under oath. It is otherwise interesting, as being the first book entirely prepared in South Africa.
[61] In his Korte Deductie the late governor asserted that he had purchased over two hundred slaves for his private use. The Company allowed him twenty of its male and female slaves as domestic servants in his residence in the castle, and these he sent to his farm, employing his own instead. He denied making use of other government slaves than these for his private work. He stated that the soldiers and sailors were temporarily detached from the public service, in the manner usual in times of peace, and were paid and maintained by him while they were in his service. The only other soldiers that he admitted as having worked at Vergelegen were those who formed his escort when he went there, and who, he asserted, might better have been occupied during their stay at the farm than have been idle. But see the note on page 218.
[62] The quantity of wheat produced at Vergelegen is not given in the archives, but is stated by Bogaert, who is a trustworthy authority, at over eleven hundred muids yearly.