“The least which can be set off against this profit would be—
| R. d. | |||
| The wages of the man and boy during the month | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| The repairs of the wagon after the journey | 20 | 0 | 0 |
| The loss of one ox—but this is a very low average, as they frequently lose many | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 70 | 0 | 0 | |
| Leaving a balance to the farmer, without any mention being made for the loss of the labour of his oxen on the farm | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 | 0 | 0 | |
or about 2s. sterling per day.
“Mr. Odendals assured me that he could afford to deliver 7000 muids of grain to a vessel at the mouth of the Bride River, at thirty rix dollars per load under the current price in Cape Town; and that were the means of exportation furnished to him by the river, the quantity of grain might be increased to a very great amount. Here would be a freight for a schooner, a small vessel of seventy tons, of £210 sterling, to be divided as profit between the merchant and the owner of the vessel, for a voyage that might be performed in a week, but which upon a fair average of winter and summer, might be certainly done eight times in the year; but in all probability twice that number of voyages might be performed. In addition to this freight, another sum might be added for that of European manufactures carried back, in exchange for the corn, and nearly equal in amount to the former. Iron, cutlery of all sorts, agricultural tools, brandy, tea, coffee, sugar, &c. &c. are in great demand in the interior, and having to pay the heavy land carriage already mentioned, reach the inland consumer at an enormous price.
“Mr. Odendals appeared to be very happy in his family, and much respected and beloved by his slaves. A very pleasing practice was observed in his house, which was, that of all the servants, slaves as well as others, coming in, in succession in the morning, to wish their master a good day. This was considered as a family muster.
“The garden here would probably have been very productive, had it been more sheltered from the S.E. winds, which might easily have been done, many shrubs such as the Rhinoceros bush, and many Proteas, braving its violence; under the lee of which the stunted oak, such as many of the vineyards in the Cape district are sheltered by, might be made to grow. The water is generally brackish through the extensive plains at the foot of the Potteberg; a quality for which it is not disrelished by the inhabitants, however objectionable to strangers. A beautiful specimen of the wild Jessamine was seen here, armed with thorns as sharp as those of the Mimosa.
“The roads in the neighbourhood are generally good, that from Sickenhuis to this place was excellent, running over level ironstone; and but for the ravines by which it was so frequently intercepted, might have been travelled upon at as great a rate as the best roads in England; and being formed on a hard surface, never wanted repair, in fact the only labour required in making them was to clear away the heath.
“On Monday, Dec. 1st, it rained too hard during the early part of the day for our party to begin their journey; but in the afternoon the weather clearing, our kind host insisted upon driving us in his wagon to Cape Lagullos. The road lay over a very extensive plain, capable of being made very productive in corn. In the neighbourhood of the Recty Lake the ground is so frequently flooded, that it produces only a rank coarse grass. There are many pools in the course of the Kleine River, called by the inhabitants “Sea cow holes,” from the resemblance to the haunts of these animals in the eastern parts of the colony, and probably from their having been found here in the earlier part of the settlement; tradition being very common here of the country having been infested with all descriptions of wild animals, and particularly lions and buffalos, which are now rarely seen to the westward of the Gauritz River.
“From the Recty Lake a quantity of salt is collected every year, as much as 3000 muids. The plain formerly afforded excellent pasturage for horses, but the grass having become coarse, and rank, the value of the property has much diminished. The Boors on the small farms which are dispersed about this extensive tract of land, are of an athletic make, but of most indolent habits, as is evident from the wretched appearance of their farms and all around them. Their chief occupation is hunting, and here, and here only, their energies seem to be aroused; but the neglect of their farms has already been accounted for, in the want of a market for their produce. A little corn is sufficient for the consumption of their families, and as they have abundance of sheep, and plenty of game at hand, they want but little besides clothing and brandy, which they procure from Cape Town in exchange for what they send thither.