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AMERICA
AND
THE BRITISH COLONIES.
^n Memtt
ow
ALL THE MOST USEFUL INFORMATION
BKLATIVK TO '
AMO
THE BRITISH COLONIES
OF
CANADA, THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AND VAN DIEMENS ISLAND.
EXHJ ;liINO AT ONE VUW THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
EACH COUNTRY OFFERS FOR EMIGRATION.
COLLXCTES FBOM
THE MOST VALUABLE AND RECENT PUBLICATIONS.
. TO WHICH ABX ADDED,
CiirR^^^crr ' '""' ""^ *""•* '»"'' ''^ ^" ^"^ " ^"'» p"-
BY WILLIAM KINGDOM, JUN.
SECOND EDITION.
LONDON :
PRINTED FOR G. AND W. B. WHITTAKER, AVE-MARIA-LANE.
1820.
r'l
LONDON:
PKINTEI) BT THOMAS HAVtSON, V IIITKtRIAHS.
TO
THE RIGHT HONORABLE
THE EARL OF EGREMONT, &c. &c. &c.
THE FOLLOWING COMPILATION
IS DEDICATED^ WITH THE PROFOUNDEST RESPECT,
BY HIS lordship's MOST OBEDIENT
AND VKBY HUBIBLE SERVANT,
WILLIAM KINGDOM, Jun.
'W
, J
PREFACE.
THE information contained in the follow- ing pages was principally collected by the author last autumn, for the guidance of a friend and himself, both of whom, at that period, entertained some intention of emi- grating.
The choice of the country wherein we may probably pass the remainder of our days ought not to be made hastily, nor yet with- out a thorough conviction that the spot we do fix upon is, at least, as eligible as any other that offers an asylum : to make this decision with justice to himself and family, a man should first be acquainted with the' general habits and peculiar localities of each particular country ; the acquirement of this
knowledge has hitherto been in the power of but few, most of the accounts of our Colo- nies having been published in large and ex- pensive volumea, and unfortunately but little adapted to the finances of the generality of emigrants: to obviate these difficulties has been the author's chief aim, and he has en- deavoured to collect, into as small a compass as possible, every particular respecting the British Colonies, and the United States of America, that might be of service to the emigrant ; to which he has presumed to add a few observations of his own.
The publications he has consulted are those which have obtained the greatest share of public approbation, and the extracts which he has taken from them such as appeared to contain the information most sought for by persons who would probably feel more in- terest in the domestic manners of the people, and the means of life, than in the public re- sources and political situation of the countries of which they treat.
The utility, and indeed the immediate necessity of such a work, at a moment when thousands of British subjects are on the point of quitting the country, will no doubt be acknowledged, and may plead some excuse for the author's undertaking a task, to which he fears neither his talents, nor his expe- rience, render him wholly adequate.
London^ November^ 1819.
ERRATA,
Pag« 90, line 14, for " 12 to 15 dollori," rtad 12 to 20. 127, 6, after the word " oak," put a comma.
UNITED STATE8
ov
AMERICA;
THE port in the United States to which the emigrant should sail must depend upon the place where he intends to settle ; to a very g..at propor- tion of them the countries west of the Alleghany mountains, that is Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, and the Illinois, appear to hold out the fairest prospect of success, and to these points Baltimore IS the best port, the route by way of New Orleans being subject to many disadvantages*.
As economy, of both time and money, will pro- bably be an object of consideration with the ge- nerality of emigrants, they will find but little ad- vantage in wasting either at Baltimore; their better way being to proceed to Pittsburgt, or Wheeling, on the Ohio, to which places waggons * Mellish's American Traveller contains an accurate descrip-
z:!^:""'' '" ''' "-'' '' '-''-'' ^" -'^ p- o^ ^'^
t I^ttsburg is 250 miles from Baltimore, 310 from Philadelphia, and 400 rom Ne^v York, Wheeling is 96 miles down the Ohio from Pittsburg.
B
2
go every day; the charge, both for passengers and luggage, to the latter place, is from five to seven dollars per cwt.* Persons who wish to go cheaply merely send their luggage by this con- veyance, and walk alongside.
The waggoners travel with great economy ; many carry a camp kettle in which they cook their food, and some sleep in the waggon, but there are numerous inns on th toad where a bed may be procured, though not at so moderate a rate as might be expected, considering the general indifference of the accommodation afforded. When the emigrant arrives at Pittsburg, or Wheeling, he findsi great numbers arriving there daily, and therefore but Httie chance of procuring employ- ment } if he intends, to descend the Ohio, he had best inquire for one or more families going to the same neighbourhood, whom he may join in the purchase of an arkt a kind of vessel in which families descend that river j these ai'ks are built for saie, for the conveyance of famLLes 5 they are flat^bottora;ed, square at the ends, and all of the same size, being fifty feet long and fourteen bioad; they are covered, and will serve three or four families, as they carry from twenty-five to thirty tons each j their usual price is seventy-five doUars, and they sell for nearly as much six or seven hundred miles lower down the river ; there are pilots who conduct the boats over the falls, for which they charge two dollars.
* The Dollar is equal to 45. 6rf. siorling, and a Cent is the lumdredth part of a dollar, or little more than a halfpenny.
On arrival at the Ohio, the next step is an im- portant one, and as emigrants are of many descrip- tions ,t will be best to apply our remarks to each Glass separately. We will suppose the>./ class to be labourers, who have more bodily strength than ingenuity or education; if a man of this class will work he has nothing to fear in America, as there are plenty of farmers who will employ him; he cannot expect full wages at first, but if attentive, he may, after the first year, obtain from twelve to fifteen dollars per month, and board, which includes a liberal supply of cyder and brandy; the latter must not be indulged in too treely, or the emigrant will acquire a bad habit, and rum his prospects ; if his conduct be correct, he may associate with the sons of the neighbour- mg farmers, many of whom know that their an- cestors became proprietors of land from a similar beginning.
The second class of emigrants are tradesmen who are too poor to commence business for themselves ; their object, therefore, is to procure work ; this can seldom be obtained in the sea- ports, but easily in the country; or, should they turn agriculturists, they have all the advantages of the first class ; the countries west of the AUeghany mountains are the most advantageous to persons ot this, and the former description ; when they arnve on the Ohio, the facility of descending that nver opens to them a vast field, in which labour must find a good market for ages yet to come. *
B S
4
The emigrant possessed of property, say from 200/. to 1000/. is advised to deposit his money in a bank, or purchase government stock imme- diately on his landing. He should not be too hasty in determining what line of business to engage in j should he decide on mercantile busi- ness, or keeping a store, he should by all means get a situation in a merchant's counting-house, or in a store, for a year at least. If he adopts agriculture, he ought to procure an assistant who. understands the management of crops, and the mode of working land.
For most trades, Ohio, Indiana, and the Illinois are the best countries ; the profits being greater, and the expense of living much less; the cHmate is also more suitable to Europeans. Those who keep journeymen are advised not to exact that servility of behaviour which is expected in other countries. Those who go to America with the intention of farming should take with them some seed wheat of the best kinds ; perhaps the Syrian wheat would be most advantageous ; also a small quantity of lucerne, saintfoin, and vetches, as well as a small bag of hay seeds irom a good meado',y ; farming implements may be had in any part of the United States.
There is a choice of climate from 29° to 44° of
north latitude, being suitable to the growth of
sugar, cotton, and grain; those who mean to
grow sugar must go south of 29i*^, cotton south
* of 36°, and for corn the best is from 36° to 41°.
The rye harvest commences in June, that of wheat soon after, oats next, and afterwards the hay crop ; then come potatoes, and lastly Indian com. The first work after a settlement is to plant a peach and apple orchard, and place them alternately, say one peach between two apple trees, the latter thirty feet asunder: the peach tree soon comes to maturity and is short-lived ; they will be of little value when the apple tree requires room. In the woody regions the ax is the chief implement in the settler's hands, but in the Illinois, the North-west territories, &c. the prairies, or natural meadows, will allow him to settle without much trouble.
Agues are very prevalent on the new settle- ments near the rivers; some of the valleys are as healthy as the uplands, but this is where the river does not overflow its banks, nor where there is any stagnant water in the neighbourhood. Dew and rain should be avoided, and the settler is recommended to change his linen after a profuse perspiration. The purer the water is the better ; if there be sulphur in it, a piece of bright silver will turn black ; a little of the inner bark of oak infused in a glassful turns the water black if it contain iron ; paper stained blue, by the petals of any flower of that colour being rubbed upon It, turns green by being dipped in water im- pregnated with alkali, and red if an acid.
The settler may with little trouble brew \^
rtie,
barley
being cultivated west of the
6 .
Alleghanies, and hops grow wild in great abund. ance; this beverage is supposed to be a pre- ventive of the ague. Bark and laudanum are also efficacious ; these latter articles the emigrant should have by him.
In the commencement of the settlement of any particular district, the progress of improvement is slow until a grist and a saw mill are erected, after which it is much more rapid ; by the help of a saw mill every planter in the vicinity is soon able to erect a frame-house, and the grist mUl enables them to grind their wheat into flour fit for a market. Doctor Franklin says, « America is the best place in the world for those who will labour ; they can earn more here than any where elsej our governments are frugal, they demand few taxes ; the husbandman and the mechanic are in honour here, because their employments are useful ; the only encouragements we hold out to strangers are, a good climate, fertile soil, wholesome air and water, plenty of provisions, good pay for labour, kind neighbours, a free government, and a hearty welcome; the rest depends upon their own in- dustry and economy.**
Almost every description of labourers are sure of employment in America. At New York, in July 1816, common workmen received rather more than a dollar per day, and carpenters, bricklayers, ^&c. near two dollars. Artisans"also receive better ^pfty than in Europe. The laborious classes are, however, strongly recommended not to loiter away
'"their time in great towns, but to proceed direct to the interior, where they are more certain of procuring work ; a residence in a large town, and the cheapness of liquors, are apt to generate a habit of drinking, which would blast their progress for ever; for the drunkard is here shunned, de- spised, and abhorred, and shut out from all decent intercourse*.
Men of mechanical science, who can apply their knowledge to useful and practical purposes, may be very advantageously settled herej but mere literary scholars meet with little encourage- ment, unless they will devote themselves to th6 education of youth.
From the 35th to the 43d degree of north la* titude will be found most congenial to Europeans. New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Ken- tucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri terri* tories lie between these parallels.
We think young men cannot go too speedily to the fine regions beyond the Alleghany mountains. There is some difference in the kind of labour ; he who used the spade must now use the ax, and he who used to dig ditches must learn to maul rails and make fences.
Bradbury recommends the Missouri for a set- tlement, because the transit to New Orleans may be made at any time, whereas the Ohio river is not navigable during the months of August, Sep'-
* Bristed says the lower class of Americans are terribly dieted to drinkinif.
8
tember, and October. Settlements and planta- tions already formed are often to be purchased on very moderate terms. This country will be much benefited by the steam-boats on the Missis- »ppi, great numbers of which are now building in the ports of the Ohio. Coal is universally spread throughout these regions.
The sugar region reaches from the coast to the latitude of 31^, and its growth only com- menced in 1800. There is an extensive tract suitable for that purpose, which is now settling very fast. In the year 1811, some plantations on the Mississippi produced 500 hogsheads j the cul- tivation is rapidly increasing, many planters having made their fortunes thereby.
The region proper for cotton extends from 3ir to 36\ The culture of cotton requires but little labour ; the seeds are planted three or three and a half feet asunder, and after the plants have acquired some strength, they are weeded and earthed up, and require no further care until the pods are ripe ; they are then collected, and the cotton is separated from its seeds by a machine called a saw-gin. As there are public gins in almost every part, where planters may have their cotton cleared and packed on moderate terms, poor men may become cotton planters, and a nu- merous family is then an advantage, as females and children can collect the pods and take in the Ifctton ; the ground also requires but little pre- paration.
The shepherd, and the husbandman, collect together their vast flocks by the aid of salt alone, the efficacy of which, Bradbury says, he saw in his own horse, which he could attract by a show of salt when that of corn had no effect.
In Michaux's Travels it appears that the manner of collecting the cattle every evening is by send- ing with them into the plains, or woodsi for the first few weeks, two or three old milch cows accustomed to the place, round whose necks are fastened small bells. The cows come back every evening to be milked; the rest of the cattle herd with these, following the noise of the bells, and when they return to the farm, a handful of salt, or something of which they are equally fond, is given to each, as an inducement for them to return again. In a short time the cattle become familiar with the place, and having been accustomed from the first day to return, they regularly walk to the farm every evening.
The Ohio river (signifying beautiful) from Pittsburg to its mouth, where it flows into the Mississippi, is supposed to be 1188 miles, and re- ceives in its course 13 rivers.
The mineral resources of this part of the country are at present but little explored; coal, salt, iron, lead, nitre, and saltpetre, have already been dis- covered.
Tlie wild animals have nearlv disapnearpd fmtn
10
|-!ii
the inhabited parts ; the wolves sometimes take a she^ or a pig, but they are becoming scarcer : the squirrels are the greatest enemies to the farmers, but their increase is prevented by the riflemen, who sometimes kill 2000 a day.
The unsettled lands belonging to the United State? uniformly sell for two dollars per acre, wifh four years to pay it in, or one dollar 64 cents cash.
Few Europeans who have been accustomed to sedentary employments can submit to the fatigue of clearing a forest ; but the back-woodsmen, dis- liking population, are ever ready to sell their im- provements and retire farther into the woods; these improvements consist of a log-house, a peach, and perhaps an apple orchard, together with 10, 20, 30, or 40 acres of land, inclosed and partly cleared, for which seldom more than from 50 to 60 dollars are demanded in addition to the origi- nal cost*.
The land-tax takes place in five years after the purchase, and is 120 cents on 100 acres of first rate land, 100 cents on 100 acres of second rate land, and 60 cents per 100 acres of third rate landf . Some districts of land may be purchased of the speculators for half a dollar per acre, which would answer for sheep.
There are two modes of clearing land: one by cutting the trees round so as to kill them, and then clear away the underwood, which is very little J the other is cutting down the trees, col-
•Vide page 54. fVide page 64.
n
lecting them together and burning them: this is frequently done in the following manner, aB4 is termed a " frolic." The neighbours (even unso- licited) appoint a day, when, as a frolic, they shall for instance, build the new settler a house; on the morning appointed they assemble, and divide themselves into parties; one party cuts down the trees, another lops them and cuts them into proper lengths, a third with horses or oxen drags them to the intended spot, another party makes shingles for the roof, and at night all the materials are on the spot; the night of the next day the family sleep in their new habitation ; no payment is expected, nor would it be received; it is considered a duty, and lays him under an obligation to assist the next settler.
The winters here are so mild and short as to render very little labour necessary to provide food for cattle during that season. Most farmers scatter the seeds of pumpkins in the field when planting the corn, and nothing more is necessary than throwing the pumpkins into the waggon when ripe; they are so little trouble that they sell for a dollar per waggon load, and generally weigh from 30 to 40 pounds each; cattle and hogs are fond of them.
The vine flourishes in this region, and the wheat can scarcely be surpassed either for quantity or quality. Vegetables grow in the same perfection as in England, except the cauliflower, and some species of beans. Water melons, mnsk melons,
n
Squashes, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, &c. arrive at great perfection. The fruits are excellent and abundant, particularly peaches and apples.
Very little agricultural labour is performed by the women, who are chiefly employed in domestic manufactures: almost all grow some flax, and south of latitude 39°, they have what they call a cotton patch, although cotton is not usually grown north of latitude 36° : few are without sheep : thus they are furnished with three staple articles, out of which they spin almost sufficient for the cloth- ing, &c. of the family: some have looms and weave it themselves, others employ weavers who follow it as an occupation. The manufacture of woollen is much facilitated by carding machines, these being generally established throughout the United States. A small sum, the saving of two or three years of a prudent working man, will enable him to purchase one or two hundred acres of land : from this cause labourers continually become farmers. All are aware that turning wild land into cultiva- tion will occasion some hardships and privations ; but the ease, security, and independence which are certain to follow make ample amends.
Provisions in the western territories will long remain low in price, because of the great distance from a foreign market *.
The population of these territories is only one
* It may be necessary to impress upon the attention of some readers that the low price of provisions is advantageous to the labourer or workman only, and not to the farmer.
IS
to one and a lialf square mile, or 060 acres ; the average population of England and Wales is 19^ to a square mile, and in Lancashire 400.
Wages in this territory are, to a labourer or hus- bandman 15 dollars per month, with board, &c. Carpenters, masons, &c. about one and a quarter dollar per day, or a dollar and board. Slioe- makers about four shillings for making a pair of shoes, and for a pair of boots eleven shillings. The following is about the average price o£ pro- visions :
Flour, per barrel of 196 lbs.
Indian com meal, per lOOlbs.
Potatoes, per bushel
Beef, mutton, and veal, per lb.
Pork, per lb.
Bacon, per lb.
Venison, per lb.
Fowls, each
Ducks each
Geese each
Turkeys, each
Cheese, per lb.
Butter, per lb.
Cyder, per barrel
Whiskey, per gallon
Peach brandy, per gallon
Maple sugar, per gallon
By comparing this table with the price of la- bour, it will appear, that an industrious man may. easily support his family ; as one day's pay will purchase 50 pounds of flour, or 20 pounds of beef, or 3 bushels of potatoes, or 27 pounds of pork, or 8 fowls, or 4 ducks, or 2 geese.
Doll. 4 |
Cents. 0 |
0 |
41 |
0 |
31 |
0 |
5 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
8 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
J3 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
62 |
0 |
75 |
0 |
10 |
0 |
14 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
41 |
0 |
80 |
0 |
10 |
14
The constitution of the State of Ohio declares, that—
1. All men are bora equally free and inde- pendent.
^ All men have a natural right to worship God according to the dictates of their own con- science.
3. Trial by Jury shall be inviolate.
4. Printing-presses shall be free.
5. Unwarrantable searches shall not be iwadi;.
6. Unnecessary rigour shall not be exercised*
7. Excessive bail shall not be reqiiii;;d.
8. Penalties shall be proportioned to the nature of the offence.
9. The liberty of the people to assemble toge- ther for the public good, and to be armed in their own defence, is guaranteed.
IC Hereditary emol iments, honours, and pri- vileges are for ever prohibited.
11. Slavery is for ever prohibited.
12. Religion, morality, and knowledge, schools, and the means of instruction, shall be encouraged by legislative provision.
The government of the United States is legisla- tive and executive, and regulates the judicial and military authority.
The legislature concur '^ of a senate uid a house of representatives.
The senators are elected biennially, the repre- sentatives annually, by the people ♦.
* Bristed says, the senators are elected for six years ; but one third of them vacate their seats in rotation every second year.
IS
Every free white man who is a citizen of the United States, and has resided in that state one year, has a vote for a representative ; if two years, he can vote for a senate^.
Every citizen qualified to vote for a senator, and above 25 years of age, is eligible to be hin self elected for a representative j if above 30 he is eligible to become a senator.
The elections are carried on throughout the states on the same day, and between the hours of ten and four.
The governor of each state is chosen by the people, and serves two years j he cannot be elected more than three times in succession.
The justices are appointed by the people of their respective townships, and retain that office only three years unless re-elected.
In the military state, the captains and subaltern officers are chosen by the people of the respective district. Majors are elected by captains and subal- terns; colonels by majors, captains, and subal- terns; brigadier-generals by the commissioned officers of their respective brigades ; major-gene- rals, and quarter-master-generals, are appointed by joint ballot of both houses of legislature.
The governor is commander-in-chief, and ap- points the adjutants.
The time for electing representatives varies in the diflTerent states: those of South Carolina and Tennessee elect them biennially j in Connecticut and Rhode I^nd the elections are semi-aimiial, and in all other states yearly.
16
The salary of tlie president of the United States IS 25,000 dollars, or 5,625/. Vice-president 5000 dollars, or 1125/.
Each senator and representative receives eight dollars per day while attending in session, and eight dollars for every 20 miles travelling to and from the seat of government.
The chief.justice's salary is 4000 dollars, or 900/.
Six associate judges, 3500 dollars, or 787/. 10^. each.
Attorney-general, 3000 dollars, or 675/.
With respect to the manners of the people west of the AUeghany mountains, it is impossible there should be any uniformity ; they are composed of emigrants from every state of the union, mixed with Enghsh, Irish, Dutch, Swiss, German, French, and almost every other country in Europe. That spe- cies of hauteur which one class of society in some countries shows to another is here entirely un- known : the justice on the bench, or the officer m the fiold, are obeyed while exercising the func- tions of their office ; but should they treat the least wealthy of their fellow-citizens with con- tumely, they would soon find they could not do it with impunity. Travellers from Europe should be informed of this part of the American charac ter : let no one here indulge himself too freely in abusing the waiter or ostler at an inn ; he may probably be a citizen, and does not conceive that in discharging his duty he should submit to in-
17
suits ; but this feeling
us teeling is purely defensive. Brad- bury says, « I have travelled ten thousand miles in the United States, and never met with the least affront or incivility, and near two thousand miles in parts where there were no taverns, and where travellers are obliged tc appeal to the hospitality of the inhabitants : in no instance have I appealed m vain, although the furnishing a bed in some cases has been evidently inconvenient ; and, in many instances, no remuneration would be taken. In the western territories few houses have either locks or bolts to their doors ; no people behave better to their neighbours; and, I believe, no country of equal population exhibits fewer crimes against the laws."
Nothing more strongly proves the superiority of the western territory than the vast emigration to It from the eastern and southern states ; during the 18 months previous to April 1816, 15,000 waggons passed over the bridge at Cayuga, con- taming emigrants to the western country.
In the states of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the chmates of which are most congenial to English- men, there remained near 40,000,000 of acres un- sold on the 30th September, 1811 j these lands are disposed of at the land offices in the great towns ; the price is two dollars per acre, one- fourth of the purchase money to be paid down, and the remainder in four years ; and not less than 160 acres can be bought at these offices.
IS
The state of the Ohio is situated between 38 i" and 42° of north latitude, and between 80i° and 84r of west longitude ; it is bounded on the north by the divisional line between the United States and Upper Canada, passing through the middle of Lake Erie and Michigan territory j on the west by Indiana, and south and south-east by the river Ohio, which separates it from Kentucky and Vir- ginia ; and east by Pennsylvania : its length from north to south is 228 miles, its mean breadth about 200; and contains, according to Mr. Drake, 40,000 square miles, or 25,000,000 acres. The rivers of this state run north into Lake Erie, or south into tne Ohio. The Ohio washes the south- eastern frontier of the state 509 miles. Some parts of the state are hilly j but the hills are mostly capable of cultivation to their very summits. The bottoms, or plains, of the Ohio are of very unequal widths ; some of the hills approach nearly to the river, while others are two or three miles distant. There are usually three bottoms, rising one above another ; the lowest bears a heavy load of beech, sugar-maple, buck-eye, elm, honey-locust, black walnut, spice-wood, dog-wood, plum, crab-apple, and grape vines. The hills are covered with oak, chestnut, sassafras, &c. The north-western corner contains a district of rich land, but too swampy for healthy settlements.
Cincinnati, the largest town in the state, stands
19
on the north bank of tlurOhio, its dUtance by land from Pittsburg is 300 miles j by water 524 mJesi from Baltimore by land 420 miles j and from New Orleans by water 1,736 miles ; most of Ae streets are 66 feet wide. The number of buddmgs m July, 1815, was 1,100. and the popu. lation 6,000; it may now be calculated at 1,«K) houses, and 8,000 inhabitants: about 30 houses are of stone, 300 of brirk ar,A *i,„ • , „
w„„j -PL • ' *"* remamder of
wood, rhere is a steam saw-miU of twenty horse power, drives four saws which cut 800 feet in an hour : also a cotton and woollen manufactory, whrch ™„s 3,300 spindles for cotton, and 400 il
which together contain 1,500 spindles, and a woollen factory capable of producing 60 yards of broadcloth per day; it began to work in 1815: Cables and cordage are made for exportation , and «^ tons of white and red lead are made weekly There are two glass factories, andaniron-foundery • and two weekly newspapers. '^ '
The exports of Cincinnati consist of flour, corn, beef; pork, butter, lard, bacon; whiskey, peach brandy, beer, pot and pearl-ashes-, chei; soap, candles, hats, hemp, spun-yarn. saddles, rifles staves and scantlings, cabinet furniture and chairs! East Indian and European goods are imported from Baltimore and Philadelphia; lead from St. iouis ; rum, sugar, molasses, and diy goods from New Orleans; salt from Kenaway salt-works; coal
• For method of making pot and peari-aA. vid. Ganad,.
c S
^
from Pittsburg down the Ohio j and boards and shingles from Alleghany.
No country can promise more to the indus- trious, if we look to the soil, the climate, the low price of land and taxes, and the certain prospect of a market for surplus produce. Improved lands are worth from 4 to 25 dollars per acre.
All the useful handicrafts are wanted. Farmers chiefly make their own clothing. Sheep answer well: many horned cattle and hogs are reared and sent to market.
The following was the market price of produce at Cincinnati, in January, 1818.
DoU. Centsr Apples, per barrel Bacon, per lb. Beef, per cwt. Barley, per bushel Black salt, per cwt. Butter, in kegs, per lb. Ditto, fresh, per do. Candles, dipped, per do. Ditto, moulds, per do. Cheese (Ohio), per do. Cyder, racked, with barrel Corn meal, per bushel Eggs, per dozen Flax seed, per bushel Flour, best, per barrel Ditto, fine, per do. Gin, country, per gallon Hay, per J;on
Loaf sugar, refined, per \h Lard, per 100 lbs. Oats, per bushel .
2 |
50 |
0 |
10 |
3 |
50 |
0 |
75 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
31 |
0 |
20 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
15 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
50 |
0 |
18i |
0 |
50 |
5 |
50 |
5 |
0 |
1 |
\2i |
14 |
0 |
0 |
36 |
12 |
0 |
0 |
374 |
n
Porter, old, and cask
Ditto, neve, do. .
Ditto, bottled, per dozen, without bottles
Ditto, ditto, ditto, with British bottles
Strong beer, with barrel
Ditto, without ditto
Pork, per cwt. corn fed
Ditto, ditto, mast fed
Salt, best, per bushel
Sugar, country, per lb.
Ditto, Orleans, per 100 lbs
Shingles, per 1000
Soap, per lb.
Tobacco, manufactured, per 100 lbs.
Tallow, per lb.
Tar, per barrel
Wheat, per bushel
Buck wheat, per ditto
Indian corn, per ditto
Whiskey, per gallon
Shoes, from 3 to 4 dollars per pair ; Wellington boots, from 8 to 9 doUars ; Hessian boots, from 11 to 12 dollars; superfine blue cloth, from 13 to 15 dollars per yard; making a coat, six dollars; American hats, from 7 to 10 dollars; mechanics' board and lodging, per week, 3 dollars.
A good milch cow, 15 dollars ; a good working horse, 40 dollars ; and a sheep, three dollars and a half
The average produce of land, per acre, was, Wheat . . 25 bushels
Oats . . . 30 . :
Indian corn . . 50 . .
Hemp grows well, crops of hay are heavy, and so is grass of all kinds.
DoU. Cents 9 0 |
8 0 |
1 50 |
s 4 0 |
7 0 |
. 6 50 |
. 5 0 |
3 50 |
. 2 0 |
0 15 |
. 21 0 |
3 50 |
0 10 |
. 15 0 |
0 14 |
. 10 0 |
0 75 |
0 37 |
0 33 |
0 624 |
2SJ
The timber of the Ohio State, besides what has already been described as growing on the banks of the river, consists of the cucumber tree, white pine, spruce, hemlock, larch, sycamore, wild cherry, aspin, red mulberry, service tree, hornbeam, and cotton tree. The soil is loam ; in some places deep black vegetable mould, clay, and gravel. There is a stripe of country bordering on Lake Erie, three miles wide, covered with two or three inches of black mould, growing hickory, chestnut, and oak ; this soil is congenial to the growth of corn and fruit, but not so well adapted for grass as the land on the southern side of the state, which has a moister and deeper soil, and clothed with beech, black walnut, &c. The order of the earth's strata is, first, vegetable mould, loam, or clay ; second, gravel or sand of various depths j third, ash co- loured free-stone, compact slate, or blue clay ; fourth, quicksand, where water is obtained. The fossils are, coal, salt leeks at the depth of two hundred feet, sulphur, chalybeate and aluminous springs : there are also alum, copperas, iron ore, gypsum, limestone, millstone, grindstone, and whet- Stone.
The population of Ohio, in 1816, was 450,000; and there were 27 newspapers printed in the state ; many of them, however, were only pub- lished weekly.
The Indiana Territory lies between 37t and 414 of north latitude ; length, from north to south, is S04, and breadth, from east to west, loo miles.
23
It contains 39,000 square miles, or 24,960,000 acres. The population, in 1815, was 67,793, not two to a square mile.
The Ohio washes the southern boundary; its winding course being 472 miles, and is navigable all the way. The Wabash is also navigable about 400 miles for keel boats, and is about 300 yards wide at the mouth ; there are, besides, many other rivers and creeks. In the northern part of the state there are 38 lakes, from two to ten miles in length ; and probably a great many of smaller dimensions. Mr. Buck, an American surveyor, says, « The prairies on the Wabash, near Fort Harrison, are the most rich and beautiful I ever saw ; they are from one to 15 miles in length, and from one to five in breadth : the streams are bor- dered with excellent timber, from half a mile to a mile wide."
In choosing a farm, it is best to have part prairie, and part woodland. Although the country is in general well watered, good mill seats are scarce. Steam mills will, doubtless, be erected as soon as the country is sufficiently settled to export flour. Corn is easily raised here ; and cattle, as little or no fodder is requisite. The timber round these prairies consists chiefly of oak ; many of them are destitute of water, but it may be had by digging 20 or 30 feet. Horse mills are common; the miller takes one-eighth for toil, the customers finding their own horses.
Wheat weighs 68 lbs. per bushel, which sells for
#
«4
15 cents; flour, three doUars per 100 lbs; butter and cheese, from l^ to 35 cents per pound ; honey, 50 cents per gallon ; maple sugar, 25 cents. European goods are exorbitantly high. Salt, at the works, one dollar per bushel; at other places, two dollars.
The banks of the Wabash are, in many places, subject to overflows, but the floods do not last long, nor are they dangerous. The winters are mdd, the severest not having more than four weeks frost, during which time the snow is from six to nine inches deep : the winter begins about Christmas, and continues till the middle or end of February. The p(.pulation of Indiana has nearly doubled since 1815, and is now upwards of 120,000. Farms, containing a log-house, and 15 or 20 acres, seU as high as eight or 10 dollars, per acre, above the original cost, but in some instances less. Considerable quantities of cotton grow in this state. The vine, the species of mulberry adapted for the silk-worm, and the sweet potatoe, will flou- rish wherever the reed cane grows, which is found as high as north latitude 37° 50'. Rice and indigo, it is supposed, would do well in some parts of this state.
The forests of Indiana contain an abundance of game ; great numbers of deer are yearly destroyed by the inhabitants ; bears are numerous, and wild turkeys particularly so. Deer are mortal enemies to the rattle-snake, and often designedly kUl them by jumping upon them. Farmers are much an-
96
noyed by squirrels, moles, and mice ; the mole is particularly troublesome in meadows and corn- fields.
Iron ore and chalybeate springs are plentiful ; it is said a silver mine has been discovered. The water in some places is so deeply impregnated with copperas, that linen washed therein turns black ; some of the inhabitants have, in consequence, de- serted these places.
m
The Illinois Territory lies between 36° 57' and 41° 50' north latitude ; from north to south its length is 347, and its mean breadth 206 miles. It contains 52,000 square miles, or 33,280,000 acres. Its population, in 1810, was only 20,000, chiefly resident on the banks of the Wabash, Mis- sissippi, Ohio, and Kaskaskia rivers. No state has such internal navigation ; and nearly 1000 miles, or two-thirds of its boundaries, are washed by the Wabash, Ohio, and Mississippi.
The Illinois river runs in a southern direction for nearly 400 miles, is upwards of 400 yards wide at its mouth, and has twelve tributary ■streams.
The Kaskaskia is the next river in size, and na- vigable 130 miles. An inhabitant on the banks of this river writes (20th January, 1817), " It waters the finest country I ever sawj neither flat nor mountainous, but suited to Indian corn, wheat, rye, oats, barley, hemp, tobacco, &c. Several mills are building. The inhabitants of it's banks
d6
may not be so polished as some others, but none are more hospitable, moral, or religious."
This territory has six kinds of land: First, hot- toms, bearing honey-locust, peach, black walnut, beech, sugar-maple, buck-eye, pawpaw, &c. ; this land is inexhaustibly fertile, having been annually cultivated without manure for more than a cen- tury*. The second sort is found at the mouth and confluence of rivers; being below high-water mark, it is frequently inundated, and, though fertile, is unhealthy. Third, dry prairies, lie from SO to 100 feet higher, a dry rich soil, well adapted for culti- vation, and destitute of trees. The prairies of the Illinois river are estimated at 1,200,000 acres, and, in point of productiveness, inferior to none. Fourth, wet prairies, are cold and barren, abound- ing in ponds and swamps, and covered with, a tall coarse grass. Fifth, timbered land, moderately hiUy, watered, and of rich soil. Sixth, hills of a steril soil, destitute of timber, or only covered with small oaks, or pines.
The space between the rivers Wabash and Illi- nois is extremely fertile and beautiful, being one continued prairie, or natural meadow.
Copper, lead, and coal are found in this state. Between 2 and 300,000 bushels of salt are made annually, 26 miles below the mouth of the Wa-
>
• It appears that a party of settlers located in this state, on the banks of the Wabash, more than 100 years since, and were so completely secluded from the civUized world, that the males mairied with the Indians.
bash, and sold, at the works, at from 50 to 75 cents per bushel.
Kaskaskia is the principal town of this state, and situated 11 miles from the mouth of the river of that name, and six miles from the Mississippi j it contains 160 houses, some of which are stone.
The buffalo has nearly disappeared ; deer, elk, bears, wolves, foxes, opossum, and racoon remain. Wild turkeys, geese, ducks, and quail, are plenti- ful ; as well as pigeons, blackbirds, and paroquets. Most kinds offish are found in the rivers and lakes. Cotton is raised for domestic use ; tobacco grows to great perfection, as well as corn, hemp, &c. &c.
The state of Kentucky lies farther south, and is extremely fertile ; but slavery being allowed, such white people as work are looked upon with contempt; any description, therefore, would be useless ; being totally unfit for the English emi- grant.
Mr. Birkbeck gives the following particulars of the United States :
— The urbanity and civility which prevail at a distance from the large towns are very great ; re- finement is more rare indeed j and so is extreme vulgarity. At the taverns in the towns east of the Alleghany mountains, all is done on the gregarious plan ; every thing is public by day and by night ; whatever be the number or quality of the guests,
n
they have their entertainment eii masse, and they innst sleep en masse. Three times a day tfie great bell rings and 1(X) persons collect from all quar- ters to eat a hurried meal, composed of almost as njany dishes. At breakfast there is fish, flesh, and fowl ; bread of every shape and kind ; butter,' eggs, coffee, tea, and more than can be thought of. Dinner is much like breakfast, except tea and coffee; and supper is breakfast repeated; soonafler which, you assemble again in rooms crowded with beds, where, afler undressing in public, you are lucky if you have not a partner, besides myriads of bugs.
PiTTSBuiiG is an important place ; steam-engines of great power aie made here, and applied to va- rious purposes ; and it contains sundry works, iron founderies, glass-houses, &c. &c. which are likely to increase, being an efitrepot for the merchandize and manufactures supplied by the eastern to the western states.
Shoemakers, tailors, &c. earn two dollars per day, yet many of them are so imprudent that they remain journeymen through life ; their sur- plus earnings are spent in excursions, entertain- ments, and balls : those who are steady and pru- dent rapidly advance to wealth. A shoemaker, who left Ireland four years ago, as poor as Irish emigrants usually are, staid one year at Philadel- phia, then removed hither, and was employed by a master at 1'2 dollars per week; he saved his
riTT
99
money, married, paid his master 300 dollars for his business, and is now in a fair way to be rich. The Americans (continues Hirkbeck) are great traveUers, and generally better acquainted with this vast expanse of country than the English arc with their little island. A farmer and his wife, well mounted, have just alighted at the inn hero (Washington) from the neighbourhood of Cincin- nati, going to visit their friends at New York and Philadelphia, a distance of 70O miles: he tells me of a newly instituted society at Cincinnati, called the Emigrant Society, designed to obtain correct information, and communicate it to the poorer class of emigrants, also to protect them from im- position.
It is supposed that artizans in general will suc- ceed in any part, and that labourers of all sorts will greatly improve their condition : they will, if saving and industrious, soon acquire wealth enough to enable them to migrate farther in quest of land, of which they may become proprietors. There is little doubt of it*s being greatly advantageous to an industrious family to exchange a rented farm in England for a freehold west of the Ohio, and the lattev would not require more capital than the former. An old Irishman emigrated 14 years ago with his wife and two children, and now owns 118 acres of land, and pays eight dollars a year in taxes. A German, of the name of Somerset, felt the toils of an earliest settler, and first used the axe in the neighbourhood, and went 54 miles for
30
flour four times in the first summer. He could get plenty of venison with his rifle, but nothing else, even for money.
Trees form an excellent criterion of the quality of the soil by their species and bulk.
Land is rapidly rising in price in all well settled places ; 50 dollars per acre is frequently talked of and 30 IS asked for a large tract of land, without improvement, 50 miles from Cincinnati.
There is no instance of insanity in this State, though It contains 100,000 inhabitants.
A good cow and calf are worth here (near Mr. Birkbeck's settlement on the river Wabash) from 12 to 15 dollars ; a two year old heifer, six dollars j a stout horse for drawing, 60 dollars or more.
The land carriage from Philadelphia to Pittsburg IS from 7 to 10 doUars per 100 pounds. Razors! pocket knives, &c. should be taken; good gun- locks are difiicult to be procured j no heavy articles will pay carriage.
Wolves and bears are very numerous, and the latter verymjurious to the newly settled districts- hogs are their constant prey; neither wolves nor bears will attack man unless wounded, they then turn on the hunter with great fury.
PuiNcETowi,, though at the farthest limits of Indjana, but two years old, and containing about ZT^'l'f'"^ respectable company, and not one deculedly vicious character, nor one who is not able, and willing, to maintain himself.
31
The steam boats on the Mississippi, Ohio, &c. travel at the rate of about 60 miles a day, heavily laden and against the stream ; they are from 50 to 400 tons burthen.
Shawnee Town is 1200 miles from New Orleans, which distance may be performed by the steam boats in 20 days : this is the nearest point on the Ohio to our intended residence 45 miles distant, from which we have a navigable com- munication by the Wabash. Not a settlement in this neighbourhood is of a year's standing; no hai-vest has yet been reaped, and our approach may probably remove many of them, unless our dollars can prevail upon them to try agricultural labour, instead of trusting to the precarious supply of their beloved rifle : half a dozen of these people have already offered to sell us their all, fat cattle, hogs, and their first crop of corn just now matur- ing ; if we purchase, they will go farther, and build other cabins. That our friends in England may have an idea of our real position, let them consider that our two families (that of Mr. George Flower and my own) are about to be fixed upon two adjoining estates of 1440 acres each, which we have chosen from a beautiful prairie and its adjoining woods. Here we are preparing to build ; builders have offered themselves, and ma- terials are at hand; we are also preparing for gardens and orchards, that we may really sit down under our own vines and our own fig trees. Cattle and hogs thrive well on the food they find,
32
and require little care, except to protect them from the wolves and bears, keeping them tame by frequently giving them salt. On these estates we may hope to live much as we do in England • but this is not the country for fine ladies and gentlemen.
The report of our intended settlement spreads far and wide ; and such is the attraction of popula- tion to capital, that many entries are already made and applications daily occur. Our design is to build cabms, with enclosures of two acres and a half each along the sides of a section, which is reserved as J cow pasture. These cottages and enclosures, with a well between two, may be rented by persons who resort to us for the sake of good earnings. Here then is a town about to rise before us, and it is the mtention of Mr. Flower and myself to purchase one or two townships in the Illinoi.« territory, where the country is partly prairie and partly woodland, A township contains 36 square miles, or sections, each containing 640 acres; the whole, 20 040 acres ; these lands we shall probably offer in sec- tions, haif-sections, quarters, and eighths, that is in portions of 640, 320, 160, and 80 acres. To prevent the sufferings to which poor emigrants are exposed, it is a material part of our plan to have m readiness for every poor family a cabin an enclosed garden, and a cow and a hog, with land for summer, and winter food for cows pro- portioned to their number. We wish it to be understood, that we would not bind others, nor be
. as
bound ourselves, by any ties but those of natural interest and good neighbourhood, nor be subject to any law but the law of the land ; yet we hope that no persons will attempt to possess themselves of these lands on account of the low price at which we shall offer them, unless they intend to reside thereon ; and our opinion is, that it would be more advantageous to the resident proprietor to possess a capital of from 4 to 51. per acre, rather than burthen himself with more land than he has the means to manage.
We shall have a good market for our produce, either from the growing population, or by export- ing down the Ohio.
We have no wish to form a society entirely English, nor indeed any society distinct from the people at large j we would extend our pro- posals to emigrants of any nation having the re- quisite capital; a combination of capital and people is the only thing which can prevent many privations, and even sufferings, in these remote regions. Such persons as wish for, and cannot otherwise obtain information, will please to direct their inquiries to Morris Birkbeck, Princetown, Gibson County, Indiana, America.
In Mr. Birkbeck's letters from his residence, in 1817 and 1818, he further states, that the land is fertile and easy of tillage, no rent, no tithe, nopoor's rate, and taxes scarcely one fartliing per acre*.
* The tax upon first and second rate land is more tl.an this according to other accounts. Vide pages 10 and 5 4.
D
34
" Our main object" (he says) " will be live stock, cattle, and hogs; four cents, or two-pence per pound, you will consider too low to include a pro- fit, but you must recollect we have no rent, tithes, &c. to pay, and the rearing of live stock is so little expense that the receipts are nearly all clear.
" We have no very good mill seats on our streams, but an excellent site for a wind-mill.
" It is sometimes very cold here for a short period, when the wind is north-west, the ther- mometer falling rapidly to 7° or 8° below zero*.
" I calculate your expense of travelling here from Baltimore at about five pounds per headt;
* The compiler of these pages has been careful in extracting the state of the thermometer (Fahrenheit), from the different works he has consulted, and to which he recommends the reader's particular attention, as being of great assistance in forming a correct idea of the climate of the several countries, which cannot be done by a mere comparison of their latitudes. It will be seen that the winters at Hobart town in Y-dU Dieman's Island, latitude 43° south (notwithstanding this hemisphere is known to be colder than the northern) are not so severe as at Mr. Birkbeck's settlement in north latitude about 38' ; and Quebec in Canada, where the snow remains on the ground for six months, is nearly in the same lati- tude as Lyons, Milan, and Venice. The whole of the American continent, indeed, is several degrees colder than other parts of the world under similar latitudes.
t This calculation must be erroneous, unless it be meant for the emigrant to walk the whole way, with his luggage upon his back. It appears, that the e iense of conveyance by the waggon from Baltimore to Pittsburg, L jth for passengers and luggage (ac- cording to Mr. Birkbeck's own account), is sixpence per lb. and reckoning only 200 pounds upon an average for a man and his luggage, which is surely moderate enough, the 5/. will be expended in the journey to Pittsburg exclusive of subsistence. Without
ss
your luggage should be composed of light articles the carriage from Baltimore to Pittsburg bcinJ sixpence per lb. ®
" We have the New York daUy papers at nine dollars per annum, and the weekly papers of the western country, at two dollars*."
Bristed, in his account of America, gives the toUowing particulars.
In the state of Louisiana, the sugar planta- tions are rapidly increasing ; twenty million pounds ot sugar are supposed to have been made in 1817- the culture of the cane is not more laborious thail that of cotton, and less liable to accidents ; a mode- rate crop produces 1000 pounds of sugar per acre. The manufacture of wool is becoming consider.
meamng ,„ depreciate rte information afforded by Mr. Birkbeck
that ■„ wh,ch he .aeao. to settle, and with a pre-detern,i„ation to pas, there the remainder of his days, .t is .ell known how.! ^ men are to snpport by ar^men. a„y resolution they „a 'he adopted; and „„h„„t aeenslng this gentleman of misLrclntl t.on, ,t may be fair ,„ presume, that he has ■■ p„, tblbest 1: .pen every thing :" add to whieh, that Mr.B, is sl.ppos d 'ht" taken „,th h,m eonsideraWe wealth, in whieh ease! difficul ies Jh,ch to another might be insnrmonntable, wonld Z^Z
zzTX"':" ""' "^ """"^ "'^'' «'»"'"« "''" '^
sunsninc ot his own prosperity, * Mr. Birkbeck omits to state that this price is «rf„«W of e pes ^e from which the American newspa ers are nTt Z;' It « 111 be also seen, ,n page 59, that Mr. Fcaron's inforraatil «,peet,ng the price of these pa,«rs diflcrs from that oTMr B
D 2
S6
able. The nk rino breed of sheep thrives well, anJ their number '* j fast increasing ; the whole number of sheep at present in the United States is already twenty millions, and the British Isles contain no more than thirty millions.
The Alleghany mountains, which divide the Atlantic rivers from the western waters, preserve thrc J ^'it a nearly equal distance of 250 miles from iitlantic Ocean, and a nearly uniform
elevation of 3000 feet above the level of the sea.
In the United States there are 400 water and horse mills*, 2000 fulling mills, 300 gunpowder mills, 600 furnaces, forges, &c., and 200 paper mills. . Numbers of vessels are now building on the Ohio ; shipwrights would consequently be sure of employment there.
The population of the United States is about four to a square mile.
From the travels of Mr. Henry Fearon over the United States, in 1817 and 1818, are extracted the following additional particulars.
Baltimore. Baltimore is a commercial city of great im- portance j and though not at present of the first rank, is rising with a rapidity almost unparalleled. Its population is now upwards of 60,000.
Steam-boats proceed from this place to Norfolk in Virginia, and to New London in Connecticut, by way of New York. In the winter months this * Supposed for grinding corn.
37
delightful mode of travelling is interrupted j miser- able stages and bad ro^ds are theii its substitute.
The most accurate information which I can obtain, causes me to believe, that capital could be profitably employed here, in importing dry goods from Great Britain ; that mechanics in the usual businesses can get ready employment, will receive i4}s. 6d, per week, and pay for their board and lodging 15*. 9d. to 18*.
There are theatres in this as well as in almost every town that contains a population of 2000.
Rents, occupations, price of labour, &c. &c. are pi-ccisely similar to those of the other Atlantic cities.
New York.
Rents are extremely high : a house and sliop equal to one in the best part of Holborn, or Grace- church-street, from 4 to 600/. per annum ; taxes about 20/.
Carpenters, masons, shoemakers, and cabinet- makers, receive good wages, and are generally sure of employment. * Lawyers, doctors, school- masters, clerks and shopmen, can scarcely subsist. The capital requisite for commencing business with a prospect of success is as follows.
Distiller
Carver and gilder
Bookseller
Dyer
Oil and colourman
Boot and shoemaker
Tailor
£. From 1000 |
£. to 20y000 |
800 |
2000 |
1000 |
10,000 |
200 |
5000 |
800 |
1200 |
100 |
200 |
-50n |
onnn |
58
The profits of a tailor with this capital would be very large. A good cabinet-maker, with 100/. after paying the expenses of his voyage, would obtain a comfortable livelihood ; as also would an active speculating carpenter, or mason, under the same circumstances. The wages of a journeyman carpenter is 75. lOid. per day ; of a mason Ss. 5d. ; this difference arises, I believe, from the latter being an out-door business, which, in the winter months, from the extreme severity of the weather, is of necessity suspended. Cabinet-makers are paid by the piece. When in full employment their earnings may amount to 50s. per week ; a safe average is 36*. A man in either of the above trades need not be apprehensive of not obtain- ing a livelihood. A journeyman gilder would not succeed ; a carver perhaps might.
A master shoemaker would not benefit by coming here ; a journeyman may.
A tallow-chandler in London who can save 50/. per annum, would not be benefited in his finances by removing to this country.
Tailors are numerous. The price of a super- fine coat is from 7/. 4*. to 8/. 2*. They are paid for making a common coat, 18*. a best ditto, 27*. If a journeyman finds the trimmings, he receives for a best coat 45*. to 51*. For making trowser?, 9*. A man may earn when employed from Sijs. to 54*. per week. Apprentices can be had for three, seven, or ten years; seven is the usual period. A journeyman can have the work of an apprentice under him. If a man has not f-erved
I
39
his time, it is of no consequence in any business ; competency, not legal servitude, being the standard for employment. A man that can cut out well will be occasionally well paid. An additional tailor does not seem now wanted in New York, yet I should not be apprehensive of the success of a man of business who possessed the capital before-mentioned. Moderate credit is received, Jong credit is given.
Printers are paid 2/. 5s. per week, but employ- ment cannot be depended upon; a great portion B^ of the work is done by boys.
Boarding. Persons who are not housekeepers generally live at boarding-houses, or hotels. A mechanic pays for his board and lodging about 16*. per week ; for which he has three good substantial meals a day. Other persons pay from 8 to 14 dol- lars per week, according to the situation, accom- modation, and respectability. At a moderately respectable house the charge is 8 dollars per week for what is called a "transient man;" or 5 to 6 dollars for a three months* resident*.
Clothing and domestic utensils are chiefly of British manufacture ; they are from 25 to 150 per cent dearer than in England : Indian goods are much cheaper; silk pocket handkerchiefs not more than half the price.
There is no estabhshed religion, and conse- quently no tithes.
Horses, about New York, are small but good ; • For market price of provisions, &c. vide memoranda.
10
J! : l!'
one for a waggon costs about 22/. -, saddle ditto S5L i gig ditto from 34>L to 56L A carriage or fine riding horse from 90/. to 120/. Cows from <)/. to 13/. 10^. Sheep very small, and sell from 9s. to 13s. A good farm cart, 9/. A waggon, 23/. 7'he wages of a farmer»s man servant from 24/. to 30/. j of a woman from 12/. to 16/. per annum, and board.
The thermometer is from 66° to 70°, from the 1st of April to the middle of May; in July and August it is yS*' to 1)0%. in March and April the weather is subject to sudden changes ; the cold sometimes intense, with much raw rain and easterly winds J June is a delightful month, as are also parts of September, and the whole of October. The summer heats and winter colds are usually extreme. New York is in north latitude 40° 40'. The capitalist may manage to obtain 7 per cent with good security. The lawyer and doctor will not succeed. An orthodoa^ minister would do so. The proficient in the fine arts will find little encouragement. The literary man must starve. The tutors' posts are pre-occupied. The shop- keeper may do as well, but not better than in London, unless he be a man of superior talent and large capital ; for such requisites I think there is a fine opening. The farmer (says Mr. Cobbett) must labour hard, and be but scantilyremunerated. The clerk and shopman w'ill get but little more than their board and lodging. Mechanics, whose trades are of the>*/ necesslft/, will do well ; those not such, or who understand only the cotton,
41
woollen, glass, earthenware, silk, and stocking manufactures, cannot obtain employment. The labouring man will do well ; particularly if he have a wife and children who are capable of con- tributing, not merely to the consuming, but to the earning also, of the common stock.
In order to give an idea of the agriculture and population of the country, it occurred to me to take an account, as far as I could, of the live stock, &c. which I saw upon the road ; that by • comparing it with what you would yourself see under similar circumstances on an English road, you may gain some useful ideas on the subject. During the route of 180 miles, then, which I have just traversed in the state of New York, I counted 25 cows, 10 horses, 6 small farmers* waggons, 3 men travelling on foot, 4 on horseback, 2 families in waggons, and 1 on foot, removing to the western country. There were no beggars ; none who ap- peared much distressed. The cows and horses are smaller than ours; but they are compact in shape, and well fed.
Albany, the capital of the state of New York, is distant from that city about 160 miles, and lies at the head of the sloop navigation of the Hudson river. Should the canal to Lake Erie be com- pleted, this must become a first-rate town ; it is even at present a place of considerable business.
The population is about 12,000. Wages are about the same as at New York ; a mechanic's
42
board about 3 dollars per week ; I pay at my inn H dollar per day. Rent of u house and shop, in a good situation, is from .5 to 700 tlollars per annum, taxes about '^0. There are many small wood houses, which are from 50 to 150 dollars per annum,
PlIILADELPHIA.
This city contains 1'20,(K)0 inhabitants; the prices of provisions, Sec. are about equal to those at New York.
A few evenings since 1 saw a carpenter and his wife who have been here one month, from Hull in Yorkshire. The husband stated, that in England he could earn 21*. per week ; that he now obtains 31*. Gd.; that he finds great difficulty in getting his money from his employer; that « taking one thing with another," the expense of living is as nearly like that in England as possi- ble; that had he been acquainted with every thing he at present knows, he would not ' ave left home; but that having done so, he is well satisfied ; and has now saved some money— a thing which he had hardly ever done before. I state this man's information, because I consider it deserving of your confidence. It is equally free from the wild rhapsodies of some persons, and the deplorable pictures which several Englishmen in this city, and in other parts of the union, have given me of their disappointments, and of America in general. The carpenter's success is just what would attend
43
any otlicr industrious man of the same business, or of several others previously enumerated. Hij^ idea of the difficulties which he had encountered are natural, as he has not been en/raged sufficiently long in other pursuits to obliterate these impres- sions. Could I see him in twelve months from* the present time, I think his condition would be, if I may judge from others, something like the following :— saved 14 guineas; living in two small rooms; independent of his master, and his master of him ; thinks the Americans a very dirty and disagreeable people, and hates them from his soul; would be delighted to see old England again, and smoke his pipe and drink his pint, and talk poli- tics with the cobbler, and abuse the taxes ; but recollects that when he got to Hull, his most la- borious application would not more than provide him with a bare subsistence. He then determines to remain in America, keep the money which he has ^avedy add as much more to it as he can, and make himself as contented and happy as lies in his power.
The man of small property, who intends living upon the interest, and wants to remove to a cheaper country than England, should pause be- fore the object of ?iis choice be America. From what I have seen of large towns, living is not, upon tJw >whole, lower than in English cities. In the interior, it may be lesp than in the country parts of England. But such a man must of ne- cessity have his ideas of happiness associated with
44
Tnany sources of gratification, which he would seek for in vain within the United States.
A practice which has been often referred to in connexion with this country, naturally excited my attention. It is that of individuals emigrating •from Europe without money, and paying for their passage by binding themselves to the captain, who receives the produce of their labour for a certain number of years. Such is the mercenary barba- rity of the Americans who are engaged in this trade, that they crammed into one of those ves- sels 500 passengers, 80 of whom died on the passage. The price for men is 80 dollars, women 70, and boys 60.
October, I8I7. Left Philadelphia for Pittsburg. Passed through an extensive, fertile, well-culti- vated, and beautiful tract of land called the " Great Valley." Farms in this district are chiefly owned by Dutch and Germans, and their de- scendants. They consist of from 50 to 200 acres, each acre worth 200 dollars (45/.) ; and are cheaper at that price than the 50 cent, and dollar and half lands, which encumber other parts of the eastern states. The substantial barns, fine private dwellings, excellent breed and condition of live stock, and superior cultivation of the ** Great Valley," place it decidedly in advance of the neighbouring lands, and put it fairly in competi- tion with Old England.
There are good farms in other districts within 20 miles of Philadelphia, which can be purchased
45
at from 80 to 100 dollars per acre, buildings in- cluded. Lime-stone land will sell for 200 dollars. In a farm of 200 acres, the proportion may be estimated at 90 acres of ploughing land, 50 of meadov/, 10 of orchard, and 50 of wood. The latteTf near the city, is worth from 3 to 400 dollars per acre. A farm of the above description, if within five miles of the capital, is worth 20,000 dollars ; at from 20 to 40 miles distance, 10,000 dollars. Uncleared lands in remote parts of the state, vary in price from half a dollar to 20 dol- lars per acre.
The Pennsylvanian horse is a medium between our saddle and heavy cart-horse, and is well suited for most purposes. They are worth from 50 to 150 dollars. A farm waggon will cost 100 to 120 dollars. A family ditto 70 to 90 dollars; ditto with springs, 150 dollars ; neat gig, 300 j best ditto, 450 ; a farm cart, 50 dollars. The annual expense of keeping a family waggon and horse is about 50 dollars.
Well improved land will produce on an average 25 bushels of wheat per acre (a farmer within eight miles of the city has raised 40), ditto of In- dian corn 25 to 50. Wheat is sold at from 160 to 220 cents (7*. M. to 9*. lid.) per bushel; In- dian corn, 80 to 100 cents ; oats, 40 to 55 cents ; they are lighter than the English. Meadows are usually ploughed in rotation, and planted with Indian corn. Orchards are also put under the plough, grain not being considered as injurious to
I
the fruit. A good milch cow, four years old, is worth 5L I3s. 6d, Sheep are much smaller than ours: half blood Merino are lU. 3d.; three quarters blood, 13.. 6d.; full ditto, m. 6d.; rams are 41. lOs, to 11/. Qs. 6d.; pigs four weeks olc' are 2s. 3d.; a sow and ditto, 1/. 11.. 6rf. to 2/. 14. • a hog of 100 pounds, 1/. 1 1.. Qd. to 21 5s. ; a yoke of oxen, 151. I5s. to 28/. 10..
A copper and zinc mine is worked about 20 miles from Philadelphia. Iion ore abounds through- out the state. Bar-iron sells for 120 dollars per ton. '
The character of the inhabitants of the Alle ghany mountains appears cold, friendless, unfeel- ing, callous, and selfish. AH the emigrants with vrhom I conversed complained of the enormous charges at taverns. Log-houses are the only ha- bitations for many miles. They are formed of the trunks of trees, about twenty feet in length, and SIX mches in diameter, cut at the ends and placed upon each other. The roof is framed in a similar manner. In some houses there are windows: in others the door performs a double office. The chimney is erected outside, and in a similar man- ner to the body of the house. Some have clay in their chimneys, which is a precaution very neces- sary m these western palaces. In some, the space between the logs remains open j in others it is filled with clay. The hinges are generally wood. Locks are not used. In some there are two apart- mentsj m others but one, for all the various
47
operations of cooking, eating, sleeping, and upon great occasions washing. The pigs also come in for their due share of the log residence.
From Greensburg to Pittsburg the improve- ment in size and quality of the houses is evident. Recurring to my old plan of estimation, I passed on my road from Chambersburg to Pittsburg, being 153 miles, 103 stage-waggons drawn by 4. and 6 horses, proceeding from Philadelphia and Baltimore to Pittsburg; 79 from Pittsburg to Bal- timore and Philadelphia; 63 waggons with fami- lies, from the several places following : 20 from Massachusetts, 10 from the district of Maine, 14. from Jersey, 13 from Connecticut, 2 from Mary- land, 1 from Pennsylvania, 1 from England, 1 from Holland, and 1 from Ireland; about 200 persons on horseback, 20 on foot, 1 beggar, 1 fa- mily, with their waggon, from Cincinnati, entirely disappointed ; a circumstance which, though rare, IS by no means, as some might suppose, mira- culous: and another from Somersetshire, sorely regretting that they had ever been persuaded to leave their own country.
Pittsburg. Pittsburg is in several points of view a most interesting town ; from its natural situation being at the termination of two, and the commencement of a third river, which has a direct communica- tion with the ocean, though at the almost incredi- ble distance of 2500 miles : its scenery, which is
48
truly picturesque; its exhaustless possession of that first-rate material for manufactures, coal ; and lastly, its importance as being the connecting link between new and old America : and though it is not at present a " Birmingham," as the na- tives bombastically call it, yet it certainly con- tains the seeds of numerous important manufac- tories. The published accounts of this city are so exaggerated and out of all reason, that strangers are usually disappointed on visiting it. This, however, was not my case. I have been in some measure tutored in American gasconade. When I am told that at a particular hotel there is liandsome accommodation, I expect that they are one re- move from very bad ; if *' elegant entertainment," I anticipate tolerable ; if a person is " a clever man," that he is not absolutely a fool ; and if a manufactory is the ''Jirst in the world,'* I expect, and have generally found, that about six men and three boys are employed.
Prices.
Beef and Mutton |
i. 1 are 0 |
3i |
s. to 0 |
d. 4~ per pound. |
Pork |
. 0 |
4| |
0 |
5 |
Cheese |
. 0 |
94 |
0 |
14 |
Butter |
. . 0 |
10 |
1 |
8 |
Tea |
. 6 |
9 |
12 |
4 |
Moist sugar |
. 0 |
0 |
1 |
H |
Loaf sugar |
.1 |
8 |
2 |
i |
Coffee |
. 0 |
0 |
1 |
8 |
Potatoes |
. 2 |
3 |
3 |
4i per bushel. |
Porter |
. 0 |
0 |
0 |
6x per quart. |
49
Fowls are
Ducks .
Geese .
Turkeys
Flour
Coal . '.
Mechanics' board
s.
•
. 2
3
27
Id
1 li each
1 8 3 to 3 4 H b 8
0 31 6 per barrel of 196 lbs.
0 4 per bushel. 9 to 18 0 per week.
Farming, Agricultural produce finds here a ready and an advantageous market. Farming in this neigh- bourhood is not the most profitable mode of em- ploymg capital j but it is here, as in all other parts of the union, an independent mode of life. The farmer must labour hard with his own hands ; the help which he pays for will be dear, and not of that kind to be relied on in the mode of its execution, as in England. This may not proceed from a worse state of character, but a difference in condttton, as compared with our working class. They are paid about 14 dollars per month, and board ; in many instances they expect to sit down with the master, to live as well, and to be upon terms of equality with every branch of the family; and if this should be departed from, the scythe and the sickle will be laid down« in the midst of harvest. There is a class of men throughout the western country called « merchants," who in the summer and autumn months collect flour, butter, cheese, pork, beef, whiskey, and every species of farming produce, which they send in flats and keel-boats to the New Oilcans market. The de-
50
mand created by this trade, added to a large domestic consui%tion, insures the most t&tnote farmer a certain market. Some of these specu- lators have made large fortunes.
Land in the neighbourhood of Pittsburg is worth 100 dollars per acre ; at a distance of from 5 to 20 miles, tracts have been recently sold at from 20 to 50 dollars per acre. Wheat brings a dollar a bushel ; Indian corn 75 cents a bushel. A four year bid cart-horse is worth from 20 to 80 dol- lar; a gig ditto, 50 to 100; a saddle ditto, SO 'to 150 ; a farmer's waggon, 100 dollars ; a family :diitto, from 50 to 70 ; cart, 50. A cow and calf, dbout 25 dollars. "Sheep are from 1 to 8 dollars ; live hogs from 2jrf. to 4^fi?. per pound; a good roasting pig, 4*. 6d, Wool is biit little in demand
'siiice the termination of the war: Mr. of
Lexington informs me, he intends making a ship- itient of it for Liverpool : should this succeed, it will open a heW source of profit to the western fartner. Clean Merino is worth here 5s. "Sd. to 6s. 9d. per pound ; fleece, 3*. 5d. ; half bred, 2*. 3d. ; quarter. Is. dd. A brick house, two stories high, containing ten rooms, may be built, with good management, in the country, for 4000 dollars (900/.), as the bricks can be made upon the land, and the *' help*' boarded in the house. In towns, a similar building will cost 6000 dollars, exclusive of the ground, which, in particular situations, as of all towns that promise well, is dearer than the ifiost choice spot in the city of London !
^
^am/fictories in and near the «Vy of Pittsburg, in the Stt^eof Pennatflvanifi, in the jfear 1817.
Manuracturera.
J Auger-jnaker 1 BelTows-maker . 18 Blacksmiths 3 Brejvers .
3 Brush-makers ". '. I Button-maHer 2, Cotton-spinners and carder-
^i ^<*pP«''-8™iths and tin-plate workers 7 Cabinet-makers .
1 Cqrrier
2 Cutlers
4 Iron^founders ....
3 Gun-smiths, and bridle-bit-makers
2 Flint-glass manufacturers
3 Gr^en (window) ditto
2 Hardware . 7. Hatters 1 ,Lock.smith 1 Linen .
7 Nail . . . 1 Paper 1 Pattern
3 Plane 1 Patten
1 Rope manufacturer 1 Spinning-machine
1 Spanish brown . .1 Silyer-pUter
2 Steam-engine makers
6 Saddlers . ,
5 Silversmiths and watch-menders 14 Shoe and boot makers
7 Tanners and curriers 4 Tallowchandlers 4 Tobacconists
6 WaggQUrwakers
2 Weavers
3 Windsor chair 2 Woollen . 1 Wire-drawer 1 White-lead
No. of men eniployed.
146
6 3
7fl
17 7 6
36 100
43
6 87 14
a2
92
17
49 7,
20
47
40 *2I
.6 5 8 6 2
40
70
60
17
109
47
7 28 21
9 23 30 12
6
Veariy Amount. :Dollwri.
3,500
io,6d6
75,ipo
72,000 8,6b0 6,250
25,518 200,000
40,000
12,000
2,4Qp
,180,0p0
13,800 119,000 130,000
18,000 44,640
li2,0tJ0
22>,000
1,74,716
23,000
1,500 57,600
8,000 15,000
6,000
6,720
20,000
125,000
86,000
12,000
120,00'0
68,800
32,600
21,000
28„500
14,562
42,600
17,000
6,000
40,000
5 2801 1,896,396
♦ By comparing the returns with the numlMr of men there must be some mistake in this article.
employed, it is supposed
k2
52
Some of the preceding manufactories may be denominated first-rate: this remark applies par- ticularly to the nail, steam-engine (high pressure) and glass establishments: I was astonished to witness such perfection.
The state of trade is at present dull ; but that there is a great deal of busines". done must be evident, from the quantity of " dry goods" and "grocery stores," many of the proprietors of which have stocks as heavy as the majority of London retail dealers. Rents, of course, vary according to situation : houses in the best stands for busi- ness are from 400 to 800 dollars per annum; others are from 150 to 350 ; two rooms, or a very small house, a little way out of town, would be 80 dollars per annum. It is difficult to form a judg- ment whether there is an opening in any of the present established businesses. One fact strongly V in favour of the stability of this town is, that there has not been a hcailcruptcy in it for three years! ! ! a singular contrast this with New York, in which the last published list of insolvents contained up- wards of 400 names. '
I should have sanguine hopes of the success of an extensive coarse pottery here.
A brewery' upon a large scale with adequate skill and capital would succeed extremely well: there are at present three in the business at Pitts- burg, but the beer is very bad : the capital re- quired would be from 7 to 15,000/. Porter is 8 dollars per barrel, and 6|e/. per quart.
as
s. |
</. |
t. |
il. |
|||
Tailors earn Carpenters |
from |
31 31 |
6 to 6 |
45 40 |
0 per weck^ 6 |
1^ arc now'w«ll / employed. dull |
Baker |
• |
31 |
6 |
40 |
6 |
dull |
Mason |
34 |
0 |
45 |
0 |
brisk |
|
Shoemaker |
31 |
G |
36 |
0 |
brisk |
|
Blacksmith |
31 |
6 |
36 |
0 |
dull |
|
Tinman |
36 |
0 |
45 |
0 |
dull |
|
Printer |
31 |
6 |
36 |
0 |
dull |
|
Weaver |
no employment. |
|||||
Glass-blower |
31 |
6 |
45 |
0 |
duU |
|
Glass-cutter |
31 |
6 |
67 |
6 |
dull |
|
Hatter |
31 |
6 |
45 |
0 |
brisk |
|
Brewer |
36 |
0 |
% |
dull |
||
Nail-cutter |
31 |
,6 |
36 |
0 |
UUII brisk. |
Upon the whole, I consider Pittsburg to be a very important town, and have no doubt that it will gradually advance in prosperity ; and that the time must come when it will be an extensive and populous city. The present population is 10,000, made up from all nations; and, of course, not free from the vices of each : this indeed is but too apparent upon a very short residence.
State of the Ohio. The face of the country is an uninterrupted level. Many of those tracts of land which would be desirable for our settlement, should we turn agriculturaUsts, are pre-occupied, and cannot be bought without an advance which I think dispro- portionate to their actual value. The agent at
i*
:,
ifli
thte hmd-office informs me, there are still one mil- lion ot acres of United States land for sale, at 2 dollars per acre, or 1 dollar G4 cents prompt pay- ment. Ih all states there are government re- servatfori lands j th^se are genei-ally in the most choice situations. Some such tracts hate been Bold in the wild state in Tennessee, at the last auction, for the large sum of 38 dollars per acre.
Taxeis on wild land are, on first-rate, Q dollars per hundred acres, Ij dollar on second rate, 1 dollar on third rate. There is also a county tax of half tne above amounts, as tlie case may be. These taxes of 6s. 9d. to 13*. C)d. on an hundred acres are certainly very small ; yet you would be surprised to witness the numerous lots of lands which are sold at auction in all the states on ac- count of non-payment of taxes, and transferred to the highest bidder.
The section of coiintry bounding on the Ohio river, from 25 miles on either side of Cincinnati, and extending back about 100 miles directly north, to the late Indian boundary line, is generally an excellent body of land, and is well settled, though but small improvements are yet made, except in k few particitlar pldces hear tdVns. The land is fclb^fely tinfibierfed, eicfept hear the head waters of ihe two MiaradS, where there l& a beautiful chariii J)digii cbtintty. The pi^irife^j or natural itiejidows; ai-e here bf considerable extent. Graiirig is the chief occupation of the itihabitants. Farms Whith
S5
a?e called improved can be bought at froixi 8 to 30 dollars per acre ; the improvements often qonsist of the erection of rough log buildings, and from 12 to 20 acres under middling cultivation : build- ings are included in the price per acrt. The next class of farms have from 20 to 50 acres unde^ cultivation j the proportion of arable and wood is about two thirds, of meadow and pasturage nearly equal proportions. Any of the land is here capable, by culture, of being turned into meadow. The Miamas are navigable in the spring and autumn. Limestone abounds ; coal and iron have not yet been discovered except in the eastern part of the state. Wheat sells now in the Chilli- cothe and Cincinnati markets for 3s. 4jd per bushel ; rye, 2s, S^d. j Indian corn, 2s, 3d.
There are large prairies in Ross county, on th? north branch of Paint creek, near Chillicoth^i they are fdled with herds of cattle fattening for the Baltimore and Philadelphia markets, which are sold in this State, on the hoof, for about 3 dollars per cwt. The chief expense of pasturage consists in a man's wages to look after the herds, twice a week giving them salt, &c.
The yearly wages, I am informed, of a labouring
man, is from 58/. 10*. to 65/. ; of awoman, 31/. 10*.
Wood for firing is sold in the towns at from IJ
to 3 dollars per cord (equal in consumption to
half a chaldron of coals.)
With regard to the seasons, they are said to
.50
hs^ severe winters of from three to four months; with a keen dry air, and cloudless sky ; during summer, excessive heat (thermometer in the shade, 80° to 96°) with heavy dews at hight; springs, cold and heavy rains ; autumns, fine ; followed by " Indian summer^ which is truly delightful. In regard to healthiness of situation, there is considerable variety, as the appearance of the inhabitants will in some measure indicate j though as a general characteristic, I would say[ there is a want of sound regular health, at least if our EngUsh ideas of ruddy cheeks are to be taken as a criterion. The people are of a tall, multi/. aspect, and seem, even during their most active occupations, to be the victims of fever and ague.
The wild animals are neither numerous not troublesome ; though the wolf and the squirrel are stiU depredators ; but the sport afforded in capturing them, and the addition which the flesh of the latter makes to the family stock of pro- visions, compensate for their lawless invasions of the rights of property.
'^ The interior population may perhaps be di- vided into three classes : First, the squatter, or man who « sit^ himself down," upon land which is not his own, and for which he pays nothing; cultivates a sufficient extent to supply himself and family with the necessaries of life ; remains until he is dissatisfied with his choice j has realized a sufficiency to become a land-owner j or is ex-
57
pelled by the real proprietor. Second, the smaller farmer, who has recently emigrated, had barely sufficient to pay the first instalment for his 80 or 160 acres of 2 dollar land; cultivates, or what he calls improves, 10 to 30 acres ; raises a sufficient " feed'* for his family j is in a condition which, if compelled by legislative acts, or by external Jbrce to endure, would be considered truly wretched ; but from being his own master, having made his own choice, from the having " no one to make him afraid," joined with the consciousness that, though slowly, he is regularly advancing towards wealth j the breath of complaint is seldom heard to escape from his lips. Third, the wealthy or *• strong handed** farmer, who owns from 500 to 1200 acres, has one fourth to one third under cultiva- tion, of a kind much superior to the former; raises live stock for the home and Atlantic city markets; sends beef, pork, cheese, lard, and butter to New Orleans j is perhaps a legislator, at any rate a squire (magistrate) ; is always a man 0^ plain business-like sense, though not in posses- sion, nor desirous of a very- cultivated intellect; understands his own interest, and that of his country ; lives in sufficient affluence, and is pos- sessed of comfort, according to the American ac- ceptation of the term, but to which we " old country" folks must feel inclined to take an ex- ception; but, in conclusion, and a most im- portant conclusion it is, the majority of this class of men were, 10 or 15 years ago, inhabitants of
58
the eastern States, and not worth, upon their arrival in Ohio, twenty dollars.
Well prepared land in this State produces, per acre,
bushela. |
||
Wheat . |
« |
30 |
Indiaa corn |
• |
from 50 to 75 |
Rye |
• |
50 . 75 |
Horses are worth from 40 to 100 dollars. Cows (four years old) 12 to 20 dollars.
The management of farms is full a century be- hind that of England, there being here a want of improved machinery for the promotion of economy in time and labour, and no regular attention to the condition of live stock, while the mode of cul- ture in general appears slovenly and unsystematic. Cows are milked sometimes twice, and sometimes once a day, at others four times a week. Barns are erections which you would not know by that name, and which must materially deteriorate the annual receipts.
Many persons in this State have coloured peo- ple, whom they call their property. The mode in which they effect this perpetuation of slavery, in violation of the spirit of the Ohio constitution, is to purchase blacks, and have them apprenticed to them. Some arc so base as to take these negroes down the river, at the approach of the expiration of their apprenticeship, and sell them at Natchez for life !
Yet the first article of the Ohio constitution
59
isy " All mjSn are bom eqita% free and inde^ pendent"
ClNClNNAtl.
You are aware of the sudderi rise and improve- ment of this town j the present population is said to be between 8 and 10,000, including blacks, who are rather numerous.
The school-house^ when the trhole plan is com- pleted, will be a fine and extensive structure. In the first apartment on the ground floor, the Lan- casterian plan is already in successful operation j I counted 150 schoLjs, among whom were chil- dren of the most respectable persons in the town. This school-house isi like most establishments in this country, a joint stock concern. The terms fcif education, in the Lancasterian department, are, to share-holders, ll*. dd» per quarter j others IS*. 6rf.: historical, &c* department are, to share- holders, 11. 2s. 6d. per quarter j others, 1/. 7^. In the department of languages, the charge is, to share-holders, 1/. 16*. per quarter ; others, 21. 5s.
There are two newspapers in the town ; the im- pression of each is said to be 1200 per week : terms o£ subscription 3 dollars and 50 cents, per annum, or, if paid in advance, 2 dollars and 50 cents.
The woollen manufactory, the steam grist mill, and a glass-house, are on a tolerably large scale : the two former are said not to pay the proprietors. In the main street, English goods abound in as
srreat nrnfusinn as in Chennsiff/'.
t_' X - \J — — 1 "~"
A first-rate sliop
60
i]\',
sells every thing; keeps a stock of from ^0 to" 30,000 dollars; annual returns may be 50,000 dollars, upon half of which they give from 6 to 18 months credit, and receive from 6 to 7 months, but they can seldom pay at the specified time, and then are charged 7 per cent, interest.
Before I leave Cincinnati, let. me say that I think it a very handsome town ; a town, in fact, that mi;st astonish every traveller, when he re- collects how recently it has been established. A Mr. Piatt, banker, is building a house here that would not disgruce the very first London squares. The number of moderate-sized, well-built brick buildings is considerable ; the three markets are excellent establishments; the churches are neat and elegant ; some of the streets are paved, and others are now paving ; ground for building in the town is enormously dear; one particular spot, which cost 18 years ago 30 dollars, is now worth 00,000.
The next consideration is, does this town offer substantial inducement to settlers ? I think not : it has advanced rapidly, but it cannot continue to do so; the future progress is certain, but it must be gradual. Property is as high here as in Philadelphia, and all occupations are filled. On the road every emigrant tells you he is going to Ohio; when you arrive in Ohio, its inhabitants are " moving'* to Missouri and Alabama : thus it is that the point for final settlement is for ever receding as you advance, and thus it will here-
61
after proceed, and only be terminated by that effectual barrier the Pacific Ocean.
Illinois.
The towns of this territory are, Kaskaskia, which contains about 150 houses, built on a plain; some of them are of stone; it is 150 miles from Vincennes, and 1000 from Washington ; the in- habitants are chiefly French; the principal oc- cupation is raising stock. This town has been settled more than a century.
Shawnee Town, containing about 30 log-houses. The chief occupation of the inhabitants is the salt trade. There is here an "United States Land Office," and a log bank is just established. The chief cashier of this establishment was engaged in cutting logs at the moment of my arrival. The other towns are Wilkinson Ville, a miserable settlement. Cahokia, containing 150 small houses, chiefly inhabited by French. St. Philip, 50 miles from Cahokia, is smaller, but more pleasant. Prairie du Rochers, containing 60 French fami- lies ; this is a fine prairie. There are also three other small places, called Belle Fontaine, L*Aigle, and Edward's Ville, Land, in the old French settlements, is worth from 1 to 50 dollars per acre. The lands belonging to the Indians lie chiefly between the Wabash and Illinois rivers. They have considerable reservations north of the Illinois river. The United States have lately obtained a cession of six miles square, at the end of Peoria
6@
1a!ke. The aborigines now remaimng are the Soukies, who have three villages ; their number is 3000. The other tribes are much decreased in number, in consequence of their wars with the Soukies and Foxes.
Indian corn is the leading article of produce : there are some fields oiP 500 acres, cultivated in common by the people of a whole settlement. Wheat is abundant, except where the soil is too rich. Flax, hemp, oats, potatoes, and cotton, are also productive, giving very considerable crops. The French have made excellent wine from a wild .grape which grows here luxuriantly. Indian corn, I am informed, produces, with moderate care and in a favourable soil, 50 to 70 bushels per acre.
Whe»t Barley • fOats .Tobacco
fipm 20 20 30 10
to 30 bushels.
. 30
. 50
. 1 13 hundred poynds.
Indian corn sells from 13c?. to l6id. wheat, 35. 4i; oats, I5. 7lcf. ; tobacco, •hundred. The price of horses is from 18/. Cows, 4/. to 51. J a good sow, 2/. is sold at 225. 6d. per hundred; pork, ISs.
Labourers are paid 2s. 3d. per day Clothing and groceries are extremely dian corn is gathered in November.
per bushel, 20s. 3d.]peT 131. 10s. to Us. Beef 15*. 9d. to
and board.
dear. In-
WheatJs
«8
■cut in Jime, and housed in July. Park, for ex- port, is killed in Oeoeraber. Freight from here (Shawnee Town) to Louisville (307 mfles) is 5^. per cwt. from Louisville Is. M, ; to New Orleans, (1130 miles) 4>s,6d,^Jrom New Orleans, 20s. 3d.:^ to Pittsburg, (jlOlS miles) 15s. 9^. ;^o?w Pittsburg, 4>s. 6d, This va^ disproportion, in ifreight, is pro- duced by the difference in time in navigating up and down the streams of the Ohio and Mississipi.
A log cabin, I am informed, can be raised for 11/. 5s. to 16/.; a frame-house, 10 to 14 feet squaie, for 130/. to 150/. ; a log kitchen, 7/. to 8/.; a log stable, 7/. to 91. ; a barn, 18/. to 22/. j fencing, I'S.Sd. per rood:; ditching in prairie land. Is. 4id, to 2s. per rood.
The inhabitants of Illinois may be ranked as follows: lat, the Indian hunters, who are neither different in character nor pursuits from their an- cestors in the days of Columbus. 2d, the Squat- fters. ^d, A medley of land jobbers, lawyers, doc- tors, and farmers, who traverse this immense con- tinent, founding settlements, and engaging in all kinds of speculation. 4th, Some old French set- tlers, possessed of considerable property, and living in ease and comfort.
In the winter (which is not long) the thermo- meter ranges from 10° below to 20" above zero. In July and August from 85° to 105\
Concerning the state of society, my experience does not allow me to say much, or to speak with
6*
confidence. Small provocations insure the mo»t relenUess and violent resentments. Duels are fre- quent. The dirk is an inseparable companion of all classes ; and the laws are robbed of their ter- ror by not being firmly and equally administered. A general character of independence, both as to the means of living and habits of society, appears universal. Here, no man is either thought or called "master," neither, on the other hand, is there found any coarse vulgarity. A cold, selfish indifference is the common characteristic of the labourer and the judge.
Mr. Birkbeck says, "the journeymen of Pitts- burg, in various branches, shoemakers, tailors, &c. earn two dollars a day (2/. 14.5. per week.) I have only to remark on this, that in October I8I7, when I was at the place in question, the earnings per week were, according to the statements given me by the mechf^nics themselves—tailors 1/. II 5. 6d. to 21, 5s ', shoemakers, 1/. lis. 6d. to 1/. I6s, ; and all the mechanics with whom I conversed complained of the difficulty which they expe- rienced in getting paid for their labour, much of what they did receive being given them in orders upon shops for necessaries and clothing: the extra price charged bythe shopkeeper, under these circumstances, causing, in their judgment, a clear loss to them of three quarters of a dollar per week. On the grand subject, that of emigration, not- withstanding all the captivating circumstances stated as attendant upon it, a few facts are ad-
65
mMhyMv. Birkbeck himself, which require your most dehberate and serious considerution.-Fk then, that gentleman informs us, that "ev r^ semce performed by one man for another mu^
England; therefore, as long as the English emi grant :s obliged to purchase more than he ellsof
second, "After you have used yourself to repose on your own pallets, either on the floor of a cabr or .mder the canopy of the Woods, with an u n brella over your head, and a noble fire at your feet, you wdl then escape the only serious nui- sance of American travelling, viz. hot rooms and swarming beds." Third, " A traveller should always carry flint, steel, and a large knife or toma- hawk, &c. &c."
The instances of great success, of which Mr. Birkbeck states several, are no doubt correct , bu he certain y might have enlarged the view I. has token, and, perhaps, rendered it more correct by the enumeration of many failures. At least, I
ules of this question ; but thinking the criterion to be altogether an uncertain one, I waive their enumeration. Such individual instances exist i" every nation, and in every stage of society ; and are ve^' frequently caused, not by pecuUarity of country, but of individual character. A subject however, of this magnitude must be viewed in the general and not in the detail. A man that can
66
*♦ turn his hand to any thing," be active, indus- trious, sober, economical, and set privations at defiance, will, I believe, be more successful in America than in any other country on the globe.
In going to America, then, I would say ge- nerally, the emigrant must expect to find — not an economical or cleanly people j not a social or ge- nerous people J not a people of enlarged ideas ; not a people of liberal opinions, or towards whom you can express your thoughts " free as air j" not a people friendly to the advocates of liberty in Europe; not a people who understand liberty from investigation and from principle j not a peo- ple who comprehend the meaning of the words ** honour and generosity." On the other hand, he will find a country possessed of the most en- lightened civil and political advantages ; a people reaping the full reward of their own labours ; a people with a small national debt, not paying tithes, and not subjected to heavy taxation.
The classes of British society who would be benefited by an exchange of country are, I con- ceive, first, the extreme poor. They would not be in .America a week, without experiencing a rapid advance in the scale of being.
The second class would be the mechanics in branches of first necessity, with the general exclu- sion, however, of those acquainted with th^ Bri- tish staple manufactures of cotton and woollen only; but for others, whose earnings here are
67
under SO*, a week, or whose employment is of that precarious nature, that they cannot reason, ably calculate, by the exercise of prudence and economy, on laying by any thing for what is called a rainy day," or on making a provision for old age— lor such persons as these, particularly if they hm,e or anticipate the Imving a family, emigration to America will certainly advance their pecuniary interests, though it may not enlarge their mental sphere of enjoyments. To these two classes, I would further add that of the small farmer who has a family, for whom he can barely provide the necessaries of life, and concerning a provision for whoni, when he is approaching the grave, he can look forward with but little confidence or satisfac tion ; to such a man, if he should have one hun- dred pounds clear, that is, after paying all his ex- penses of removal, &c. America decidedly offers inducements very superior to those afi'orded by this country. ^
The man of small fortune, who cares little about politics, to whom the comforts of England are perhaps, in some degree essential, but who wishes' to curtaa his expenditure, would not act wisely by emigrating to America.
The artist may succeed, but the probability is that he will not do so. I know instances on both sides, where, perhaps, equal talent has been pos- sessed. The lawyer and doctor, the clerk and the shopman, will find no opening in America.
F 2
68
The London linen and woollen draper, who has a large capital, good connexions in this country, and who would adopt the most improved English modes of transacting retail business, would, I think, be very successful.
A literary man will not meet with any en- couragement, the American library being imp< rt- ed, nnu ' lewspapers filled with extracts from English papers, advertisements, &c.
The very superior mechanic, in a business of which the articles have heretofore been imported, might succeed ; and if he did so at all, it would probably be in an eminent degree.
The merchant I do not conceive would be very successful, his being a profession so adapted to the native American habits, and entirely pre- occupied.
To the capitalist, as such, I hardly know what to say : America is the country of speculation, and, therefore, capital might be employed with singular advantage.
My mind continues undecided concerning our removal. When in England I had hoped, in com- mon with yourselves, that the old settled States of America, which must be so much better suited to our habits and pursuits than an uncultivated wilderness, would have afforded sufRcient induce- ment to emigration, particularly as our objects are the continuance in well-established habits of in- dustry, and not rapid fortune-making. With the
69
means of forming a jiulgment on this subject, I have endeavoured, as far as lies in my power, to sui)j)ly you in the course of my preceding re- ports.
Should your minds be favourable to a western
country settlement, I should wish to press upon
your deliberate re-consideration the following
.ideas,: First, Is it essential to your | rosperity and
happiness that you should leave Er^irlant' ?
Second, Do the habits and character of the American people afford you rational grounds for desiring to become their fellow citizens?
Third, Have all of you the dispositions requisite, in order to become cultivators of a wilderness?
Fourth, Assuming that you have those disposi- tions, are you fitted for such an entire change of pursuits, and can you endure the difficulties and dangers necessarily attendant on such a situa- tion?
If after cool, deliberate, and rational considera- tion, with your minds free from enthusiastic ex- pectations connected with this continent, you answer in the affirmative, then I have little doubt of the propriety of recommending to your atten- tion the Illinois territory.
The following letter, in answer to one which I addressed to Mr. Birkbeck, may assist in forming your determination.
70
M.
Princetcfwn, 29th November, 1817. To Mr. H. FEAHON, BalUmore.
(I
Sir,
" It would give me much pleasure to afford you satisfactory information on the several particulars you mention, but I am, like yourself, a stranger in this country, and can therefore only communi- cate to you my opinions in answer to your in- quiries.
" To the first, as to the most eligible part of the United States for obtaining improxcd Jarms, or uncultivated lands for Englishmen, &c. I re- ply, that with a view to the settlement of the number of families you mention, it will be in vain to look for improved farms in any part that I have seen or heard of. Probably a single family might be suited in almost any large district ; but you can have no choice of cultivated lands, as those you would prefer are the least likely to be dis- posed of; and it is altogether unlikely you should meet with a body of such lands for the accom- modation of thirty or forty families : considering too, that, by travelling a few days journey farther west, you may have a choice of land of equal value at one-tenth of the price, where they may settle contiguous, or at least near to each other, I have no hesitation in recommending you to do as I have done, that is, to head the tide of emigration, and provide for your friends where the lands are yet unappropriated.
" After traversing the States of Ohio and In-
71
diana, looking out for a tract suited to my own views, and those of a number of our countrymen who have signified their intentions of following our example, I have fixed on this spot in Illinois, and am the better pleased with it the more I see of it.
" As to obtaining labourers. A single settler may get his labour done by the piece on moderate terms, not higher than in some parts of England; but if many families settle together, all requiring this article, and none supplying it, they must ob- tain it from elsewhere : let them import English labourers, or make advantageous proposals to such as are continually arriving at the eastern ports.
" Provisions are cheap of course. Wheat, Ss. 4id. sterling per bushel. Beef and^ pork, 2d. per pound. Clothing dear. Tea, per lb. 2 dollars 50 cents; coffee, 40 cents; sugar, from 22 to 50 cents. Building moderate, either by wood or brick. Bricks are laid by the thousand, at eight dollars or under, including lime.
" Privations I cannot enumerate. Their amount depends on the previous habits, and present dis- positions, of individuals ; for myself and family, the privations already experienced, or anticipated, are of small account compared with the advantages. " Horses, 60 to 100 dollars, or upwards ; cows, 10 to 20 dollars ; sows, 3 to 5 dollars.
" Society is made up of new-comers chiefly, and, of course, must partake of the leading cha-
\h,
72
meters of these. With us, English farmers, I presume, will form a large proportion.
" Roads as yet are in a state of nature.
" Purchases of land are best made at the land- offices. Mechanics' wages 1 dollar to 1^, Car- penters, smiths, shoemakers, brickmakers, and bricklayers, are among the first in requisition for anew settlement; others follow in course j tanners, saddlers, tailors, hatters, tin-workers, &c. &c.
** We rely on good markets for produce, through the grand navigable communication we enjoy with the Ocean.
" Medical aid is not of difficult attainment. The English of both sexes, and strangers in general, are liable to some bilious attacks on their first arrival j these complaints seem, however, simple, and not difficult to manage if taken in time.
" The manufactures you mention may hereafter be eligible; cotton, woollen, linen, stockings, &c.; certainly not at present. Beer, spirits, pottery] tanning, are objects of immediate attention.
" The minerals of our district are not much known. We have excellent limestone ; I believe we have coal ; wood will, however, be the cheapest fuel for some years.
"Implements are cheap till you commence with iron. A waggon, S5 or 40 dollars, exclusive of tire to wheels. A strong waggon for the road, complete, will amount to 160 dollars, or upwards.
** The best fnode of coming from England to this
73
part of the western country is by an eastern port, thence to Pittsburg, and down the Ohio to Shawnee town. Clothing, bedding, household linen, simple medicines of the best quality, and sundry small articles of cutlery, and light tools, are the best things for an emigrant to bring out.
" I can hardly reply to your inquiry about the manner of travelling; it must be suited to the party. Horseback is the most pleasant and ex- peditious ; on foot the cheapest ; a light waggon is eligible in some cases 5 in others, the stage is a necessary evil.
" Yours, &c. &e.
•• Morris Birkbeck."
74
MEMORANDA.
i'j'
Uti .
ll'l
^l
Prices of Provisions, 8sc. at New York, in August, 1817, {extracted from Mr. Fearon's Account.)
£. |
/. d. |
£. |
t. a. |
||
Beef, per lb. |
. • |
from 0 |
0 Si. |
to 0 |
0 6 |
Mutton, per do. |
. |
. 0 |
0 3i |
0 |
0 54- |
Veal, per do. |
. |
. 0 |
0 5 |
0 |
0 6§ |
Ham and bacon. |
per do. |
. 0 |
0 74 |
0 |
0 lOi |
Dried ,eef, per ( |
io. |
. 0 |
0 8§ |
||
Pork, per do. |
• |
. 0 |
0 6i |
0 |
0 8§ |
Fresli butter, per |
do. |
. 0 |
1 3 |
0 |
I 8 |
Cheese, (old) per |
do. |
. 0 |
0 9J |
||
Do. (new) per |
do. |
. 0 |
0 6^ |
||
Do. English, per do. |
. 0 |
0 10 |
0 |
1 4 |
|
Fowls, per pair |
. |
. 0 |
1 9§ |
0 |
2 9 |
Ducks, per do. |
• |
. 0 |
2 3 |
0 |
2 9 |
Geese, each |
. |
. 0 |
2 3 |
0 |
3 11 |
Turkeys, do. |
. . |
• 0 |
3 4f |
0 |
5 7f |
Potatoes, per bushel |
. 0 |
3 4^ |
|||
Turnips, per do. |
, 0 |
2 2i |
|||
Eggs, per dozen |
. 0 |
0 9 |
|||
Cabbages, each |
. 0 |
0 2t |
|||
Peas, per peck |
. 0 |
0 OJ |
0 |
0 10 |
|
Salt, per bushel |
. 0 |
3 3 |
|||
Wheat, per do. |
. 0 |
7 10 |
0 |
9 0 |
|
Rye, per do. |
. 0 |
6 4. |
|||
Barley, per do. |
. 0 |
6 4 |
|||
Oats, per do. |
. 0 |
1 10 |
|||
Best tlour, per barrel of 196 |
lbs. . 2 |
6 0 |
2 |
10 0 |
|
Milk, per quart |
. |
. 0 |
0 5i |
7B
£. |
*. d. |
£. |
J. |
d. |
||
Hops, per lb. |
from |
0 |
1 7 |
to 0 |
1 |
9 |
Brown sugar, per lb. |
0 |
0 7 |
0 |
0 |
I0| |
|
Lump do. per lb. |
0 |
1 1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
|
Candles, per lb. . |
0 |
0 8f |
||||
Do. mould, per do. |
0 |
1 0 |
||||
Loaf, best, weighing 2 lb. 2 oz. |
0 |
0 7 |
||||
Mustard, per lb. . |
0 |
3 0 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
|
Common ale, per quart |
0 |
0 54 |
||||
Best do. per do. |
0 |
0 7 |
||||
Apples, per peck |
0 |
0 10 |
||||
Coffee, per lb. |
0 |
1 0 |
||||
Souchong tea, per do. |
0 |
4 6 |
0 |
5 |
7 |
|
Hyson do. per do. |
0 |
5 7 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
State of the thermometer at Charlestown (Carolina) in 1807, north latitude 33° 22'.
Highest. 92" 30'
Lowest. 24°
Mean. 58" 15'
An account of the heat and rain at Frankfort, in Kentucky, in 1815. North latitude 38", west longitude 84^'.
Mean Heat. |
Rain. |
|
January . |
. 250 |
. 2 6i |
February |
. 27 6 |
. 1 64 |
March |
. 46 9 |
. 9 58 |
April |
. 55 9 |
. 4 47 |
May |
. 58 5 |
. 7 83 |
June |
. 66 1 |
. 5 30 |
July |
. 74 2 . |
. .5 67 |
August . |
. 70 6 . |
. 7 71 |
September |
. 60 4 . |
. 2 8^ |
October |
. 47 9 . |
. 1 67 |
76
Mean Heat. Rah,
November , . 38" 9' , . 3 60
December . . 29 3 . . 1 45
Average heat throughout the year 50 11' Total rain 54 35 The same year in London . 47 6 . . 28 53
At Manchester in England, north latitude 53" 25', its mean temperature in August, 1817, was 59° j its greatest variation in 24 hours, was 28 degrees. Rain during the month 528 inches.
The town of Baltimore, though in latitude 39", is in sever* winters choked up with ice.
The following will exhibit the rapid increase of population ia America.
The city of Philadelphia contained in the Years. Houses.
1683 . . 80 .
1783 1806 1810 1818
6,000
13,000
22,000
at least
Inhabitants.
600
42,000
90,000
100,000
120,000
The city of Baltimore contained in the
Years. Inhabitants.
J 791 . . . 13,000
1810 , . . 46,000
1817 . . . 60,000
The city of Neir York contained in the
Years. Inhabitant?.
1805 . . . 60,000
1818
120,000
The state of New York, which contained, at the accession of his present Majesty, ^rtiiy 97,000 iuhal)itants, has now upwards of one million.
The State of Kentucky «vas first settled in 1773. In 1792', il contained 100,000 inhabitants; and in 1810, 406,000,
The whole western country contained in 1790, 6000 inha- bitants; and in 18 lO, 500,000.
Tlie distance from Pittsburg to the mouth of the Oliio is 1074- miies^ and as follows :
Miles. |
Total Miles |
||
From Pittsburg* to Wheeling |
Creek . |
96 . |
96 |
To Muskingham river |
. 64 . |
160 |
|
Sciota river |
lis . |
. 278 |
|
Great Miami |
. 161 . . |
439 |
|
Kentucky river |
■v6 . . |
515 |
|
Rapids .... |
77 . . |
592 |
|
Wabash river |
318 . |
910 |
|
Cumberland river |
. 95 . |
. 1005 |
|
Mouth of the Ohio |
09 . . |
1074 |
The route to the Western States, by land, is from Baltimore to Frederick's town, Hagar's town, Gessops, Greensburg, Union, Brownsville, Washington, Wheeling, St. Clairsville, Zanesvillc,, Lancaster, Chillicothe, Charlestown, Cincinnati, &c. &c.
Animals for breed, models of machinery f , tools in use, per- sonal baggage, and most articles taken out by emigrants for theiF own immediate use, arc free of duty.
The commerce of the United States has experienced a grea* revival since 1815. During the calamitous verlod of war, the snerchant ships were rotting, and their owners became bankrupt. The following official statement exhibits the Exports for thr year
• According to Michaux, tlie Ohio at Pittsburg is 1200 teet wide, and 6000 «t its mouth.
f Models of machinery are not allowed to be taken out of Great Britain.
78
ending 30th September, 1817. (Extracted from Account,)
Domestic products or manufactures exported, 7 amounted to ... ->i \
Foreign ditto
Mr. Fearou's
Dollari. 68,313,500
19,358,069
The Exports were
To tbe northern countries of Europe Dominions of the Netherlands Ditto . . Great Britain Ditto . . France . . Ditto . . Spain . . Ditto . . Portugal . . All other dominions . . .
From New Hampshire Vermont Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut New York . New Jersey . Pennsylvania Delaware Maryland Dist.ofCoIumb Virginia . . North Carolina South ditto Georgia . . Ohio . . . Louisiana Michigan territory Mississippi ditto
Domestic. 170,599 913,201 5,908,416 577,911 574.,290 13,660,733 5,84-9 5,538,003 38,771 5,887,884. 1,689,103 5,5 fj 1,23 8 955,211 9,914.,1.43 8,530,831 7,749 8,241,254 64,228 43,887
Total 87,671,569
Domestic. 3,828,563 3,397,775 41,431,168 9,717,423 4,530,156 1,501,237 3,907,178
Foreign. 2,790,408 2,387,5 53 2,037,074 2,717,395 3,893,780 333,586 5,198,283
68,313,500 19,358,069
Foreign. 26,825
6,019,581
372,556
29,849
5,046,700
3,197,589
6,083
3,01-6,046
79,556
60,204
1,369
428,270
259,883
783,558
Total. 197,424 913,201 11,927,997 950,467 604,139 18,707,433 5,849 8,735,592 44,85 1. 8,933,930 1,768,658 5,621,442 956,580 10,372,613 8,790,714 7,749 9,024,812 64,228 43,887
08,313,500 19,358,069 87,671,956
79
Of these Exports tijerc were Derived from the Sea
the Forest . . Agriculture Manufactures Uncertain
1,67 1, ono
6,48l.,000
57,222,000
2,202,000
73-l.,000
The/our exported from ist October, 1816, to 30th
September, 1817, amounted to Sea Island cotton ,
Other cotton . . Tobacco . . , Mice
Fish ...
Titnber and lumber of all descriptions Pot and Pearl Ashes
Dollars.
17,751,376 3,240,752
19,386,862 9,230,020 2,378,880 1,323,050 3,38l,34y 1,907,243
These form the principal exports of domestic product : the iron, in all shapes, exported, amounted to 138,579 dollars. Amongst the most curious exports may be VAXxVedL. maple sugar, which amounted to 4,374 dollars. The gunpowder exported amounted to 356,522 dollars.
General Instructions for such Emigrants as embark for America, {chiefly selected from a small Pamphlet, published by the Emigrant Society, at New York.)
By the laws of England, no British subject who has been em- ployed in the manufacturing of wool, cotton, iron, steel, brass, or any other metal; of clocks, watches, &c. j or who may come under the general denomination of an artificer or manufacturer, can leave his own, for the purpose of residing in a foreign country out of the dominion of his Britannic Majesty j it is therefore necessary for those who may intend to embark for America to procure a certificate * signed by the minister of the church and
• For fa.'ra of certiricate, vide page 82.
80
,1 f
i m
churchwarden, and conntcrsigned by a resident magistrate, stating that the person about to emigrate is not, nor has been, employed in any of the prohibited trades or manufactures; or the oath of the party to this effect, certified by a respectable housekeeper at the port the vessel sails from, will suffice. This certificate should be taken to the custom-house of the port the emigrant intends to embark from, and he is advised not to pay any money for his passage until every thing has been settled at the custom-house.
Vessels are constantly sailing for America from London, Bristol, and Glasgow ,' but the greatest number go from Liver- pool, where ships are always taking freight for every port in the United States ; except that, during the spring months, on ac- count of the heat of the approaching season, few sail for Charles- town, or the more southern ports.
The cabin passenger will have to pay from thirty-five to forty- five guineas for his passage; and those in the steerage, from seven to ten pounds ; less sums are occasionally taken. The cabin passengers at these prices are supplied by the captain with provisions for the voyage, including porter, spirits, and even wine. The steerage passenger is only entitled to fresh water, and the use of the fire for cooking : both sorts of passengers must provide a bed and bedding,, which can be had in all sea-ports. The middle of the vessel is the best place to choose a birth in, the ship's motion being less felt there. Flannel waistcoats and drawers should be provided, also a quantity of medicines, such as rhubarb, salts, cream of tartar, and magnesia, to be used upon entering a warmer climate. Delicate persons are recommended to provide themselves with a little preserved fruit, eggs, &c. ; the eggs must be kept in bran, and frequently turned. A few days' supply of cold meat, such as veal, fowls, &c. is very necessary in case of sickness. Oatmeal and treacle are much better for chil- dren than salt meat.
The steerage passengers will likewise have to lay in a stock of provisions for the voyage, which may be calculated at two months. The better way for men emigrants is to contract to be supplied with ship's provisions in the same manner as the seamen. For women and children a few extras may be carried, of which tea
81
and sugar are the principal article. Trunks are preferable to heavy boxes for packing clothes, &c.
S J'"" ' V rr"' ^" '""^' '" America, and fixed „pon the State m wh.ch he intends to settle, he should report hirif al he office of one of the Courts of Record, and there e'nter h in l' but -place, age, and prior allegiance , a certificate of thi e„" v must be kept and produced at the time of applying for a I to citi/pnahin ..,i.:„i J • . "FF'ying lor admissiou
to o,t Mnship, »l„cl, .d,„„s,on c»„„„t be obtained until five year, after the date „f this certificate. Three year, before an ZIZ be n„,„ral.e., he nns, appear before one of the Court" "r" cord, and declare on oath, that it i, in good faith hi, i„,e„l ^ hecone a c,,.en of the United States, and ,„ renounce a, ™i g.ance and n elity to any sovereign, prince, or potent tlht ver, par„c„larly ,o that, whereof he nay a. 'ha. tilet . c ,. n orsa^ec. Thus .„ migrant „„s, reside six years in the Unued States before he can vote for a representative and seven years for a senator. ' "
Emigrants from Europe usually arrive here during summer, and everything considered, it Is best they should; for, i„ ^ middle and eastern states, the „i„,er is |„„g, f„e, very de. and employment comparatively scarce a. that sion. In lint ',' W.1I expend more, and earn less. Bn. if arriving a, this i J hear more upon their pocket, the heats of the summer are un doubtedly more trying to their health. In the middle st.,,^ uamely, ^w York, NeWersey, Pennsylvania, and M ,a 'd a uorthern European usually finds the climate intensely lot frL about the middle of June till towards the Is. of October The
96 ,„ the m,ddle of the day; .his, to a stranger „1,„ works in the open a,r, exposed to .he burning sun, is cerlainlv dangerou ! and requires some precau.ions on his par..
Firs, of all, he should regulate his die., and be .emperate in tl.c ,uan.,.y of his food. The American labourer, J SZ mechanic, who has a better and more plentifnl table than uy o. ler man ■„ the world of his class, is, for the most, a small eater; and we recommend to you his example. The European of the same condmon, who receives meat, or fish and coffee, a.
o
K ik^
S'2
breakfast ; meat at dinner i und meat or fish, and tea, at lupper } an abundance of animal food to which he was unaccustomed— in- sensibly falls into a state of too great repletion, which exposes him to the worst kind of fever during the heats of summer and autumn. He should, therefore, be quite as abstemious in ihe quantity of food as of strong drink; and, in addition to this me- thod of preventing sickness, he should take a dose of active physic, every now and then, especially in the hotter months of July and August. By this prudent course an ardent cliumte will have no terrors ; and, after some residence here, he may preserve his health by regimen and exercise alone.
The labourer, or mechanic, should put off his ordinary clothes, and wear next his skin a loose flannel shirt, while he works : it should be taken off again when he has done.
The stranger, as well as native, must be particularly careful not to drink cold water after being heated by exposure to the sun, or exercise. Sudden and severe pain at the stomach, and oven death, are frequently the consequence of such imprudeuce.
' ?
Form of the Certificate necessary to be obtained by the Emigrant^ before he can leave Great Britain for America.
We whose names are hereunto subscribed, inhabitants of
in the county of ^o hereby certify,
that the bearer A. 13. who has hereunto first subscribed his name, is years of age feet inches high, has eyes, hair, complexion, and is by trade iu
which business he has been employed all his life. As wit- ness our hands this day of in the year one thousand eight hundred and
C. D. Minister.
E. F. Churchwarden.
A. B.
Witness Y. Z.
as
Lancashire to wit. ]•
count .aketh oath an'd saitl that he was p^L^t, Id aw he several persons whoso „aa,es are subscrib;d at the foot of the Certificate hereunto annexed, severally B-gn and subscribe the san,e in their own proper hand -.ng and that the na.e Y. Z. subscribeS to'this sa^ Certificate, as a witness to the said si^^natures. is of the proper hand-writing of this deponent.
Y. Z.
Sworn before me, one of His Majesty's ?
Justices of the Peace for the said county. 3 ^* "" Magistrate.
I. the said justice, do hereby certify C. D. is a minister and E. F. a churcliwarden of "msier, and
Given under my hand this day of i„ the year
G. H, Magistrate,
«2
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WEBSTER, NY. 14580
(716)872-4503
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CANADA
CANADA .8 separated on tbe soythfrom the United States of America by the boundary line passing through the centre of Lakes Ontario and fine; New Brunswick and the ocean are on thp east, and en the western and northern sides vast torests, inhabited by various tribes of Indians whose chief employment is that ofprocuring skjn^ tor the trading Companies.
Canada is divided into two parts, called the Upper and Lower Provinces : the principal towns ot the latter are Quebec, Montreal, and Trois Ri- vieres; and of the former Kingston. York, Queens- town, and Niagara.
The only river of any consequence is the St Laurence, which runs chiefly through the Lower Province : the lakes are numerous, but the most extensive are in Upper Canada; Lake Superior beii^ four hundred miles in length, and fifteen hundred miles in circumference.
"Hie climate of Lower Canada is considered very salubrious, though subject to violent extremes ot heat and cold, the thermometer is sometimes up to 103» Fahrenheit in the summer.'and in
86
•
winter 36" below zero : the average of summer heat is 7.5° to 80°, and the mean cold in winter 0°. In October, November, and December, it is very cold, with continual falls of rain, sleet, and snow; in January, :^ebruary, and March, a clear hard frost : during this weather, the major part of the St. Laurence is frozen over, so as to be crossed by the inhabitants; the river is seldom clear of ice till the end of April : from December till the end of March, people travel over the snow i*i sleighs. The progress of vegetation, as soon as the winter is over, is extremely rapid. May and June are often wet, sortietimes extremely so ; in May the thermometer changes from 75° to 20° in -twenty.four hours. In 1807, the thermometer was as follows :
Lowest. Highest May 20» 7B» June 50 90 July 55 9G August 68 90 September 46 78
Continual rain.
Rain at first, then dry and warm.
Dry and sultry.
Ditto.
Fine mild treather.
The spring, summer, and autumn of Canada are all comprised in these five months; the rest of the year is winter. October is sometimes agreeable, though cold : November and April are two most disagreeable months; in the one, the snow is fall- ing; in the other, it is going away; both of them confine the people to their houses, and rehder travelling not only uncomfortable but ddng^rous-
87
even the summer months can hardly be enjoyed owzng to the immense swarms of musquito^s^nd other fl,es, which are ve:y troublesome, when bitten, the part should be rubbed with vinegar or emon. I„ the summer ofl808. the thermometer twice rose m the shade to 103- winter. i„.
hTL ul^ ""'^ '''"''• " ^'"'^'^y P'^ferred
tT\7 I ."" "^"'' commences than all thoughts about business are laid aside, and every
one d-otes himself to pleasure. The inhabitants meet m convivial parties at each other's houses.
z T V'l ""' •""'•=' '^^'■"''^' -d-p j;:
•ng. &e. The CanaHians always take advantage of this season to visit their friends who live at a distance : by means of their carioles or sledges they transport themselves over the snow fL' P^ace to place, in the most agreeable manner, and with a degree of swiftness that appears almo t in-
«ghty miles a day-^o light is the draught of the!e vehicles, and so favourable is the snow to the fe t of the horse : these carioles are made to carry two persons, and a driver who sits in front
In the lower province, nine-tenths of the in- habitants are descendants of the French, and the remainder British and Americans. The inhabit- ants of Upper Canada are entirely British and American emigrants; the former are almost ex- clusively Scotch and Irish. The population of this province, m 1808, was considered, according to
88
Mr. Lambert, to be about sixty thousand, that of the lower province as follows :
Buihels of Whhe in- Acres in grain kowu
Date, habitaiiti* cultivation, yearly. Horaef.
ITeA 7G,'27S 764,604 19»,757 13,757
1785 113,()|'i 1,569,818 383,349 30,096
1(108 200,000 3,760,000 920,000 79,000
Cattle. Sheep. Swino.
50,3^9 27,064 28,976
98,591 84,666 70,466
236,000 286,000 « 1 2,000
The number of domiciliated Indians in Canada, who were collected into villages, amounted in 1758 to sixteen thousand ; in 1765, they had de- creased to seven thousand four hundred ; and in 1808, scarcely exceeded two thousand.
Horses, cows, oxen, sheep, &c. are all small ; the sheep have but little fleece, and that coarse ; swine are very numerous, but the breed bad j the poultry is good.
Bears, wolves, buffaloes, elks, &c. abound, but seldom come near the old settlements. Birds and fish are in great abundance. Snakes are ex- tremely numerous in the upper province, particu- larly rattle-snakes.
There are no game laws.
Quebec is the principal city in Canada : it is situated upon a very high point of land on the north west side of the river St. Laurence, near four hundred miles from its mouth, and in north latitude 46° 55': the wide part of the river, imme- diately below the town, is called the basin, and is sufficiently deep and spacious to admit upwards of one hundred sail of the line. In 1783 there
89
were about eight thousand, and in I797 about twelve thousand inhabitants: the society is agree- able, and very extensive for a place of its size, owing to its being the capital of the lower province, and therefore the residence of the governor, civil and military officers, &c. : four newspapers are published here. *
The town of Trois Rivieres is about ninety miles above Quebec, and contained, in 1809, two hun- dred and fifty houses, and fifteen hundred inha- bitants.
The town of Montreal is likewise on the St. Laurence, and near one hundred and eighty miles above Quebec ; it is situated in an island, twenty- eight miles in length and ten in breadth ; the soil is very luxuriant, and in some parts much culti- vated and thickly inhabited.
The streets of the town are extremely narrow: there are six churches, two protestant and four Roman catholic. The river here is upwards of two miles broad, with depth of water sufficient for vessels of three hundred tons burthen; but the current is so extremely rapid as to render naviga- tion extraordinarily tedious, and large vessels are sometimes as long in going from Quebec to Mont- real as they are across the Atlantic.
In 1808, the inhabitants in the town amounted to about twelve thousand: there are two news- papers published. Land in the neighbourhood is worth from twenty to thirty dollars per acre.
The northern parts of Lower Canada are too
90
i
' barren to be cultivated with any success, and even in the neighbourhood of Quebec the crops of grain seldom exceed twelve bushels to the acre. The settlements of this province are principally upon the banks of the St. Lauvence, the soil of which gradually improves as you ascend the river, and in the vicinity of Montreal, latitude 45" 30, the crops of wheat are tolerably productive : there are also some good orchards in this part, the pro- prietors of which generally send their produce to Quebec, where fruit trees are extremely rare. The wheat is sown early in May, and is generally ripe by the end of August. Small quantities of maize are also sown. Tobacco is grown in some parts, but to no great extent. The grass land is generally good, even as low as Quebec. Good arable land, in the best situations, sells for five pounds per acre, indifferent land for four or five dollars, wood land for two dollars, but in the back townships it may be purchased at the sheriff's sales for less than sixpence an acre.
From Montreal the soil gradually improves all through Upper Canada, where it as much sur- passes that of the lower province in fertility as Montreal does Quebec.
Timber is abundant throughout Canada, and the species nearly similar to those of the United States of America: the sugar maple tree, if any thing, is more numerous than in the States, and is found in almost every part of the country; some- times large tracts of land are entirely covered
91
with tliis valuable tree. There are two specie, , the best will yield about a pound of sugar from three gallon, ol sap : the most approved method of eet- tmg the sap is by piercing a hole with an auger in the side of the tree of about an inch diameter, and two or three in depth, obliquely upwards; the common mode is by cutting a large gash in the tree with an axe; in each case a small spout is fixed at the bottom of the wound, and a vessel placed underneath to receive the liquor as it Mis. A maple tree, of the diameter of twenty inches, wdl commonly yield sufficient sap for making five pounds of sugar each year, and instances have been known of trees yielding nearly this quantity for thirty years; such as are carefully pierced by the auger last longer than those which have been gashed and mangled by the axe. The season for tapping IS at the commencement of spring, when the sap begins to rise. The sap is boiled until it comes to a consistency.
Pot and pearl ash have now become of ..reat importance in Europe, and are used for a varietv of purposes, particularly in bleaching, soap manu- facture, dyeing. &c. and the clearing of land thus becomes a profitable concern. The process of making potash is as follows: the trees are cut down and burnt, the ashes are mixed with lime, and put into several large vats which stand in rows on a platform; water is then poured into them, and after filtering through the lime and ashes It dribbles out of a spicket into a long
99
trough placed in front of the vat for that purpose. The water thus drained becomes a strong lye of a dark brcvn colour, though it gives the ;buckets which are continually dipped into it a yellowish tinge ; the lye is then put into large iron boilers, or as they are generally called, potash kettles, fires are made underneath, and the lye is kept boiling for many hours, till it approach a fine claret colour, after which it is taken out, lefl to cool, and becomes a solid body like grey stone, and is called potash. The manufacture of pearl- ashes differs but little from the other, except that they are done with more care, and after- wards calcined in an oven. The harder and better woods afford the most alkali.
1000 lbs. of Maple ashes will make 110 lbs. of potash. 1000 Oak . . Ill
1000 Elm . . 166
1000 Hickory . J80
1000 Beech . .219
Sun-flowers are numerous, but the Canadians make no use of them. At the Moravian settle- ments in the United States a considerable quantity of oil is extracted from these plants : the seed must be sown in a good soil, in a small hole three feet apart ; when the plant is a yard high, it must be hilled round with mould : an acre will produce about 40 or 50 bushels of seed, which yield as many gallons of oil, when properly pressed.
The imports of Canada consist of all the various
93
articles which a young country that t?oes not ma- nufacture much for its own use can be supposed to stand in need of, such as earthenware, hard- ware, household furniture, woollen and linen cloths, haberdashery, hosiery, paper, stationery, leather, groceries, wine, spirits. West Indian produce, cordage of every description, cutlery, &C. and m the year 1808 amounted to 610,000/.
The exports consist chiefly of furs, pot and pearl ash, wheat, flour, timber, &c. and in 1808 amounted to 1.156,000/., seven-eighths of which were by the way of Quebec. There is a con- siderable trade also carried on between Upper Canada and the United States across Lake Cham- plain *. Great quantities of wheat have at various times been exported to Great Britain.
In 1796 ,802 ,308
3106 bushels. 1,010,033 bushels. 186,708 bushel*.
The town of Quebec contains two or three breweries ; mild ale sells for 60.. and table beer for 20.. per hogshead: there is a hop plantation m the neighbourhood, but great quantities are im- ported from England and America, and generally fetch 1*. 6d. per lb. ^
Wine and spirits are very dear.
Loaf sugar, per lb. Moist do. Tea . .
Best Hvson
from 0
0
5
12
d. 9 4 0 0
». d\f to 0 10 0 5 10 0 14 0
* This trade is principally contraband. Such articles as pav a heavy .mport duty in the United States are procured by the
9*
■ nlCoffce and chocolate are chiefly drank by the French inhabitants, and sell for about 2.v. per lb., but not very good.
Engliflh cbeeie, per lb. American do.
«. d. t. (f.
front 2 0 to 2 0 0 0 0 9
Salt is imported from England, and is sold retail at about 3*. 6d. per bushel, but is some- times very scarce : the price of other articles at Quebec was as follows in January 1807, in sterling.
• |
t. |
d. |
t. |
d. |
Beef, per lb, . |
. from 0 |
If |
to 0 |
4 |
Matton . . |
0 |
4 |
0 |
0 |
Veal . |
0 |
6 |
0 |
7 |
Pork |
0 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
Lard . . , |
0 |
fl |
0 |
9 |
Butter . . . |
0 |
9 |
0 |
14 |
Tallow |
0 |
9 |
0 |
10 |
Cabbages, each |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
Apples, per barrel . |
18 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Flour, per cwt. |
18 |
0 |
25 |
0 |
Turkies, per couple |
3 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
TSwh, ditto |
i i * |
3 |
2 |
0 |
Geese, ditto |
d,!. 2 |
6 |
4 |
6 |
Partridges, ditto |
0 |
7 |
0 |
10 |
Pigeons, per dozen |
•M 1 |
6 |
4 |
0 |
Hares, each |
0 |
6 |
0 |
9 |
Potatoes, per bushel |
I |
6 |
1 |
8 |
Oatslper minot (rather more th |
anabush.)2 |
6 |
3 |
0 |
Hay, per bundle of 17 lbs. |
0 |
6 |
0 |
7 |
Straw, do. |
0 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
merdhants of Upper Canada via Quebec, where there is either none or very little duty : they are then easily smuggled across the Lakes into the American territory.
90
Tobacco is cultivated, in u Minal! way, by al- most every farmer, but large quantities' are im- ported from Great Britain and America (in I8O7, .'MO.GlOlb.s.), and it generally nelh at the follow- ing prices : leaf tobacco, from 9d, to KW. per lb. j jiianufactured ditto, from Is, Od. to 2s.
House rent, European goods, and servants' wages, are extremely high. Settlers should not take out servants with them, as they are generally enticed away.
The houses of the French Canadians, even to this day, are merely composed of logs and clay, seldom exceeding one story, and containing from two to four rooms, with the chimney in the centre; the building, both inside and out, is washed with lime distilled in water, which they say preserves the wood better than paint.
The manners of the country people are easy and polite, and they are extremely hospitable.
The number of inhabitants of the lower pro- vince who speak English does not amount to one-' fifth, including British ; although each principal town is obliged, by act of parliament, to have one English school. . .;* ., r „ ' ' »
The civil government of Lower Canada consists of a governor, lieutenant-governor, an executive and legislative council, and house of assembly. The executive council is appointed by the kingj the legislative council and house of assembly form the provincial parliament. The governor repre- sents the king, and has the ^ame power of re-
m
'Hi
i
nmng or assenting to the clifTerent bills. The legis- lative council consists of 15 members, appointed by the governor for life j they must be twenty-one years of age, and either natives or naturalized.
The house of assembly consists of fifty mem- bers, who are chosen by those possessing a free- hold of the yearly value of forty shillings ; of houses in a town of the annual value of five pounds ; or any .one who has resided in a town one twelvemonth, and paid ten poundp per annum for his house.
The assembly must be dissolved every four years, and the governor is compelled to call a meeting once at least in each vear.
The legislative council of Upper Canada con- sists of seven members, and the House of Assem- bly of sixteen.
AH religions are tolerated, in the fullest extent of the word; but the majority of the Lower Cana- dians are Roman Catholics.
The inhabitants of Lower Canada pay no direct taxes, except for the repairs of the roads, &c. In ' Upper Canada, lands, houses, cattle, &c. are va- lued and taxed at the rati of one penny in the pound ; wood lands are valued at one shilling, and cultivated land at fifty shillings per acre : ^a house with only one chimney pays no tax ; but with two, it is charged at the rate of forty pounds per annum.
Iron, copper, and lead, are found in Lower Ca- nada. The fruit is neither remarkable for srood-
97
Oranges and IcZns 1 ^""" ^ '" ^»«'»d.
-" for one or two suZ^ZXZf: ""T"^ sixpence upwards r!„„ u ' "^ '^■"''"« ^om 'on. are plSi b!t Tr irV'""^ ^'"' -" and filberts, scarce. ' ''"""'' *'^'"'t».
Vegetables thrive well Br„»^ • j bad; the white loaf of 4 Ih ."*""■"""* ^^''^ 6'bs. sell at the sal pi'- T *'^''™^ °^ Janua^y. ,80S. was abou^te.p t" xl""'"' '" price of wheat at the same nl ""^"^^
1807, was seven shmfnllZ ' '" ^^P^^^''^'- Cattle, poultrv &'^ """^ ™P^"=« P«r bushel. con>.ne„;eLnZf t^;,:; .f r^'^ ^^^^ at the
toiastti„.pHng;::i:rsr'"^'
buried in the snow anH A, . * *"®^ »^e
food or sale: the ^i^f^Pj;- -ted for
Pbed during this season than' " ^er ' Td"^" of course cheaper. ^ ' ^"^ ^^e
The river St. Lawrence is near ninof -i wide at its moiifh .r.A • "^"®*>' "^i^es
fasfararsirabrs^i'tr"
Montrea,, ,80 miles, it i. ,.4"™ ttet
H
.fl
98
of 3 or 400 tons burthen ; from Montreal you are obliged to ascend the river in batteaux (flat-bot- tomed boats) ; the numerous rapids in this part render navigation both tedious and dangerous : at the distance of about 200 miles from Montreal you enter that vast chain of lakes from which the St. Lawrence issues *.
The scenery (says Weld) along various parts of the river is very fine; what particularly attracts the attention, however, in going down this river, is the beautiful disposition of the towns and vil- lages on its banks. Nearly all the settlements in Lower Canada are situated close upon the borders of the rivers, and from this circumstance the scenery along the St. Lawrence differs materially from that along the rivers in the United States.
The banks of the Hudson river, which are more cultivated than those of any of the other large rivers there, are wild and desolate in comparison with those of the St. Lawrence. For several leagues below the town of Montreal, the houses stand so dose together, that it appears as if it were but one village which extended the whole way. All the houses have a remarkably neat appearance at a distance ; and in each village, though it be ever so small, there is a church : it is pleasing beyond description to behold one of these villages open-
• There are now steam-boats between Quebec and Montreal, and the passage money, including board, is 1 0 dollars. There is no doubt these boats will also be shortly employed on the Lakes.
99
the river, and Sp tl fT/c'h" ''r^'^"^'^ through the grovesCuh wh Lh t ' 'P"*'"^ before the ravs „f 'r ^^ "* *'"='''«=k'i.
scarcely aL p^^t of h ' ""^ ™"- ^here i
to two miles and in t"" '' '""^^^ "^ » ""e
iakeupwSoffi . ""''*"' '■°™'' » '''"'• o^a
iniei:rer;!svL:r^--^*
^ew^rre:[,?^L7a;r '''^r '-^-
Of the .menace! :Sl?.ri°:^^^- plain .nto the St. Lawrence: it cZj^t ? one and two hundred houses and T^ , ''^^" between Montreal and nK.*""^^ town
■'^ the predomi^ltnJC^ tthtr" -sist prineipall, of , JalL f^J htuS otates who innir ^«^ . ^ iJnited
these different biiJkv ^ninU. /u^„- 7^ ^ ^ '^
h2
100
river Sorelle is deep at the mouth, and affords excellent shelter for ships from the ice, at the breaking up of winter: it is not navigable far beyond the town, even in boats, on account of the
rapids.
The climate of Upper Canada is more mild than that of the lower province, though much colder than in England, and is generally preferred by the emigrant ; it is by some called the garden of America, subjected neither to the long winters of Lower Canada nor the scorching summers of the more southern part of the United States : the climate, however, upon the whole, is not near so healthy as that of the lower province ; intermit- tent fevers and agues being extremely prevalent.
The English laws entirely prevail here, and the manners, customs, and amusements, are entirely English.
The distance by water from Quebec
to Montreal, is about
Kingston, at the entrance of Lake Ontario Niagara, entrance of Lake Erie Fort Erie . . . -
Detroit . • • • '
184 miles.
383
525
560
790
The length of time required to ascend the river from Montreal to Kingston is commonly found to be about seven days : if the wind should be strong, and very favourable, the passage may be performed in a less time ; but should it, on the contrary, be adverse, and blow very strong, the
101
passage will be protracted somewhat longer; an adverse or favourable wind, however, seldom makes a difference of more than three days in the length of the passage upwards, as in each case it IS necessary to work the balteaux along by means of poles for the greater part of the way. The passage downwards is performed in two or three days, according to the wind. The current is so strong, that a contrary wind seldom lengthens the passage in that direction more than a day. These rapids are of course a great drawback upon the commerce of the upper province, notwithstanding which It IS considerable; for besides the trade car! ried on across the lake with the United States, the following articles were exported by way of Montreal, between the 27th April and the 28th November I8O7, the only period in which the nver ^t. Lawrence was navigable during that year: °
Flour, barrels
Wheat, bushels
Pot Ash, barrels
Pork, do.
Purs, packs
19,893
1,460
127
48
8
besides 6300 cords of fire-wood, and more than one million feet of timber.
Kingston is situated at the mouth of a deep bay, at thf irorth-eastern extremity of Lake On- tario : it contains (says Weld) a fort and bar- racks, an English episcopalian ohurch, and about
102
I'i
100 houses ; the most of which last were built, and are now inhabited, by persons who emigrated from the United States after the American war. Some few of the houses are built of stone, but by far the greater part of wood.
Kingston is a place of considerable trade, and it is consequently increasing most rapidly in size. All the goods brought up the St. Lawrence for the support of the upper country are here de- posited in stores, preparatory to their being shipped on board vessels suitable to the naviga- tion of the Lakes ; and the furs from the various posts on the nearer Lakes are here likewise col- lected together, in order to be laden on Ijoard batteaux, and sent down the St, Lawrence. Some furs are brought in immediately to the towii by the Indians, who hunt in the neighbouring country, and along the upper part of the St. Lawrence, but the quantity is not great. The principal mer- chants resident at Kingston are partners of old established houses at Montreal and Quebec. A stranger, especially if a British subject, is sure to meet with a most hospitable and friendly recep- tion from them, as he passes through the place.
During the autumn, the inhabitants of Kingston suffer very much from intermittent fevers, owing to the town being situated on a low spot of ground contiguous to an extensive morass.
Lake Ontario, and all the rivers which fall into it, abound with excellent salmon, and many dif- ferent kinds of sea-fish, which come up the river
)Q3
St. Lawrence ; it also abounds with a great variety of fresh water fisli. '•■-vdnety
The town of Nugaba (now called Newark) was
removed to York; it contained, in 1796, about 70 houses, but IS rapidly increasing in size, owing to the trade wzth the United States: it is situated on the banks of a river of the same name, about Wly yards from the water's edge : it commands a fine view of the lake and distant shores, and its situation IS in every respect pleasing to the eye. From Its standing on a spot of ground so much elevated above the level of the water, one would imagine that it must also be remarkably healthy, but It IS in fact lamentably the reverse, and the people are dreadfully afflicted with the ague.
Not only the town of Niagara and its vicinity (says Weld) are unhealthy places, but almost every part of Upper Canada, and the territory of the States bordering upon the lakes, are likewise unhealthy. The sickly season commences about the middle of July, and terminates about the end ot September, as soon as the nights become cold- intermittent fevers are the most common disor- ders ; but m some parts of the country the inha- bitants suffer from continual fevers, of which there are different kinds peculiar to certain districts, of which many die annually.
The quantity of furs collected at Niagara is considerable, and the neighbourhood bein- no.
o IT -
104
111
pulous, it is a place of no small trade. The falls of Niagara are about 18 miles from the town. On the road to these falls, about midway, is situated Queenstown, which is little more than a village, and extremely unhealthy.
The banks of the Niagara river *, between Fort Chippeway and Fort Erie, a distance of about 15 miles, are very low ; for the first few miles from Chippeway, there are scarcely (says Weld) any houses to be seen, but about half way between that place and Fort Erie, they are thickly scat- tered along the banks of the river. The houses in this neighbourhood were remarkably well built, and appeared to be kept in a state of great neat- ness. The lands adjoining them are rich, and were well cultivated. The crops of Indian corn were still standing here, which had a most luxu- riant aspect ; in many of the fields, there did not appear to be a stem less than eight feet in height. Between the rows they sow gourds, squashes, and m^elons, of which last, every sort attain to a state of great perfection in the open air, throughout the inhabited part of the two provinces. Peaches in this part of the country likewise come to per- fection in the open airj but in Lower Canada the summers are too short to permit them to ripen sufficiently. The winters here are very severe while they last, but the snow seldom lies longer
* This river connects the two lakes of Erie and Ontario, and is 36 miles iu lengthy but only navigable for batteaux either above or below the falls.
105
than three months on the ground. The summers are intensely hot, Fahrenheit's thermometer often rising to 96°, and sometimes above 100**.
A plant called ginseng was formerly plentiful all over Canada, and exported in great quantities ; but the high price given by the Chinese tempted the Canadians to gather the root before the pro- per time, and it is now nearly extinct.
Copper, in the more remote parts of Upper Ca- nada, is found in much greater abundance than iron, and as it may be extracted from the earth with considerably less trouble than any of the iron ore that has yet been discovered, there is reason to imagine it will at some future period become much in use. f
From Captain HalPs Travels, during the years 1816 and I8I7, are extracted the following parti- culars :
From Quebec to Montreal may be called one long village ; on either shore a stripe of land, sel- dom exceeding a mile in breadth, bounded by aboriginal forests, and thickly studded with low- browed farm-houses, white-washed from top to bottom, to which a long barn and stables are at- tached, and commonly a neat plot of garden ground, represents all that is inhabited of Lower Canada.
The Canadian summer is hot in proportion to the severity of the winter, which enables the cul- tivator to raise Indian corn, water melons, gourds,
106
capsicums, and such vegetables as require a short and intense heat : 80° and 82° of Fahrenheit in the shade are the average temperatures at Quebec during July and August.
The winter at Montreal is accounted two montlis shorter than at Quebec *.
After quitting the neighbourhood of Montreal, we see little of the French Canadian; he is suc- ceeded by settlers of a different character, and far more industrious. The face of the country is flat ; and, as in Lower Canada, the settlements have not spread far from the river and main road, which follows its banks; there is, however, an evident difference between the two provinces as to the mode of settling : the system of farming is here altogether English, or American ; the low, deep-roofed Canadian dwelling gives place to the English farm-house ; instead of churches, we have taverns, and a half sulky nod for a French bow : two Canadian postillions never meet without touching their hats ; when the American or En- glishman nods, it is like the growling of a mastiff, who has not leisure enough to turn and quarrel with you.
The country in the neighbourhood of Kingston is generally barren.
Adolphus town is about 32 miles from Kings- ton, and pleasantly situated on the neck of a bay ;
* Weld says, there is hardly one month's difference.
107
its farms are thriving, and cultivation is pushing rapidly through the forests, round the numerous streams and bays, which water every part of the adjacent country.
Two men can make a ton of pot-ash in a month, and its average value may be reckoned at 150 dollars.
* •
QuEENSTowN is built on the river's edge (the Niagara), at the foot of the heights. On the right, there is an unbroken succession of luxuriant or- chards, corn-fields and farm-houses — a rare and interesting sight in Canada. In the lower pro- vince the returns of corn seldom exceed six or seven for one.
York is situated on the northern side of Lake Ontario, about 100 miles from Kingston, and be- ing the seat of government for the upper pro- vince, is a place of considerable importance in the eyes of the inhabitants ; to a stranger, however, it presents little more than about 100 wooden houses, most of them well built, and one, or perhaps two, of brick : the thread of settlements along the road to this town is slender, and fre- quently interrupted by long tracts of hemlock- swamp, and pine-barren.
CI
along i\ from tl River, and lie; tude. countrj colony ; the oce
Its 1( CapeP is 580 Koussie giving i
Its b the mo 315 mi to Pletl breadth 128,15C
A ve is unfit ployed plains,
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
THE colony of the Cape of Good Hope stretches along the whole of the southern extremity of Africa, from the Cape of that name to the Great Fish River, or from 17" 36' to 28° 17' east longitude, and lies between 29° 55' and 34° I7' south lati- tude. The Koussie River, and the Bosjesmans* country, form the northern boundary of the colony ; on the west and south it is bounded by the ocean, and on the east by Caffreland.
Its length from west to east, that is, from the Cape Peninsula to the mouth of the Fish River, is 580 miles ; and from the mouth of the River Koussie to the Snowy Mountains, 520 miles; giving a mean length of about 550 miles.
Its breadth from south to north, that is, from the mouth of the Koussie to the Cape point, is 315 miles ; and from the Nieuwveld mountains to Plettenberg*s Bay, 160 miles ; giving a mean breadth of 223 miles, and including an area of 128,150 square miles.
A very great portion, however, of this territory is unfit for any sort of culture, or even to be em- ployed as pasture for the support of cattle. Level plains, consisting of a hard impenetrable surface
, 110 >
of clay, thinly sprinkled over with crystalized sand, condemned to perpetual drought, and pro- ducing only a few straggling tufts of acrid, saline, and succulent plants ; and chains of vast moun- tains, that are either totally naked, or clothed in part with grasses, or such plants as are noxious to animal life, compose at least one half of the colony of the Cape.
If we were to judge by appearance only (says Barrow) we should pronounce the soil extremely poor. Seven-tenths of it, for the greatest part, and some of it all the year round, are completely destitute of verdure ; and the patches of cultivated ground contiguous to the springs of water, like oases in the sandj^ deserts, may be considered as so many verdant islands in the midst of a bound- less waste : the scarcity of water is in fact the grand obstacle to an extended cultivation ; wherever a streamlet occurs, a house is sure to be erected.
In some parts of the interior, the situation of many of the farms is extremely dreary and forlorn ; in the mid^t of sandy plains, 7 or 10 miles from' any other habitation j with only, here and there, a little muddy spring, or a stagnated pool, in the otherwise dried up bed of a river, with scarcely a drop of rain for three months together ; besides living in continual dread^ of the Caffi-es and Bos- jesmans.
The whole colony is intersected by chains of mountains crossing it from east to west, and ge- nerally barren ; some few ranges on the western
Ill
coast run from south to north, and one in parti- cular, which begins at False Bay opposite the Cape point, stretches northward to Olifant Rjver^ an extent of about 210 miles.
The most southern of the principal chains, run- ning from east to west, leaves i belt of coast of irregular breadth, varying from 20 to 60 miles*, which is well covered with soil, indented with bays, and watered by numerous streams.
The second great chain formed by the Zwarte Bergen, or Black mountains, is of much greater elevation, and more rugged in appearance, than the former. It frequently breaks, like the Andes of the New Continent, into double and treble ranges, and encloses with the first a series of elevated plains, various in their character, occa- sionally presenting nothing but a succession of clay flats, known by the name of harroo. In other places, small plantations and farms meet the eye, on the borders of feeble streams, and are as extremely productive as the surrounding flats are barren. The temperature of these moun- tains is as various as the aspect of the country.
The third principal chain, ofa still greater average height, is that denominated the Nieuwveldt's Ge- bergte, which forms the northern boundary of a vast uninhabited karroo, or desert, commencing at the foot of the second. This plain, consi- derably more elevated than those already de-
* Lichtenstein and others describe these mountains as being in some parts within two or three miles of the coast.
^ 1
112
scribed, is 300 miles in length from east to west, and 80 in breadth, and is one wide surface of barren clay sprinkled over with sand. Some of the summits of the range are upwards of 10,000 feet above the level of the sea, and in winter are covered with snow. The northern parts of the colony are indeed, upon the whole, almost entirely desert j severe frosts in the winter, and the vehe- ment heats of the summer months, seem alike the enemies of all vegetation in such a soil, and human habitations rarely relieve the waste.
Of the various bays that indent the long range of coast possessed by this colony, False Bay and Table Bay, the former on the southern and the latter on the western shore of the Cape Peninsula, are the principal resort of shipping. Saldanha Bay,' in latitude 33'' south, is commodious and well sheltered ; but wood and water are very scarce in the neighbourhood.
All the bays on the south-east coast afford but little shelter, and are generally dangerous : the difficulties attending the coasting trade will always operate against any extensive cultivation of this country, although the land in the neighbourhood of these bays is in general fertile.
In the whole compass of the colony there is scarcely a navigable river: the two principal rivers on the western coast are the Berg and the Olifant, or Elephant river ; these have permanent streams of water, sufficiently deep to be navigable for small craft 20 miles up the country ^ but the
lis
mouth of the former is choked up with sand, and across the latter is a reef of rocks.
fJI'^Tl'-'l "'"'' *"" "'Sht permanent rivers, the last of which ,s the Great Pish river, and serves
ZZ f *''l'"'""'>"-» "f the colony; all these, , except the Knysna, have bars of sand, or reef of rocks, at their mouths, so as to prevent th« entrance of even the smallest vessels ; the Knysna tself has not more than two or three feet water at
a ill l' r f K " ''^ ^''' '^ '>'«'"' •'"* fl°-« into frSh K " r' """"'• "'"<='' '» ^^P-^ted fleroi 'r "" ''^" °^''^''' "'""g the strand,
200 feet wide, and deep enough to admit large vessel- The lake is between 8 and 10 miles fn circumference, and situated 18 miles westward of Plettenburg bay*. Several small streams run into the Knysna, and the neighbourhood is highly praised for its fertility; the other rivers, on this
thTr ": *'^t°''""tz, the Camtoo, the Sunday, the Great Fish river, &c.
The Gauritz is the principal stream of the colony, and which, descending from the Black Mountains, becomes, during the rains, a very rapid torrent. ^
The Camtoo flows into a bay of the same name, of the it!'' '"''"^''' ""'*'"" ""' """■' *" ""^^ '' ^'"P
ollt'"' "' 'T"' ''"'"'"• ^'^'' "" "■" ™«^'. tat valuable >vhole of them beiug blocked „p ™,1. bars of sand.
114
The Sunday river rises in the Snow mountains, and after watering a considerable portion of the Graaff Reynet district, discharges itself in Zwart Kops, or Algoa bay.
The Great Fish river also rises in the Snow mountains, at a distance of 200 miles from the sea.
During the four winter months, the rivers of the colony are, in general, impassable, and, with the exception of those called permanent streams, en- tirely dry the remainder of the year.
CLIMATE.
The climate of this colony is universally spoken of as highly salubrious, upon the whole, although it is subject to very sudden changes of temperature. There seem to be no diseases peculiar to this spot ; in Cape Town, however, instances of longevity are very rare, and bilious fevers are frequent every where among the slaves. The annual deaths in the town, taken on the average of eight years, were about two and a half per cent, among the whites, and three per cent, among the slave population.
The spring is reckoned from the beginning of September to that of December, the season by far the most agreeable to Europeans ; the summer from December to March, including the hottest months of the year ; the autumn from March to June, which, though variable, is in general fine ; and the winter from June to September, which is a rainy and stormy season ; though mild to the feelings of Englishmen.
115
The periodical returns of north-west winds about May, and of south-east winds in September, have given them the name of monsoons : the latter are dry, and often blasting to the fruit; the former bring the rams, which are almost wholly confined to the colder months. This circumstance appeai-s to be that peculiarity in the climate which is most unfavourable to agriculture: scarcely a drop of ram visits the earth during the prevalence of the baneful blasts and heats of six months of the year • Irmt trees that are not protected suffer extremely at this period; the human constitution becomes relaxed and enfeebled, and the doors and windows are obliged to be carefully closed to shield the mhabitants from the scorching clouds of dust- while during the remaining six months of the year, such sheets of water occasionally pour down from the sky as to beat off the buds of trees, and literally open rivers in the deserts, to wash them tor the moment, and then pass away. Some of the vmeyards, and fruit groves, in the neighbour- hood of Cape Town, are protected from the south- east wmds by a screen of oak, but the arable lands are left open.
Different portions of the colony are varioudy affected by the heats of summer; at this season there is a difference of from 8° to 10° of Fahren' heit's scale, between the temperature of Cape' Town and Wynberg, a distance of only eight miles, arising from the circumstance of the latter
i2
> I' "*i
116
lying to the windward of the Table Mountain, and the former to the leeward of it.
The summer is not oppressive to Englishmen in its general temperature at the Cape ; and during the winter months of July, August, and September, all the European settlers are glad, as at home, of a constant fire. The general standard of the height of the thermometer is, at this season, taken for three months, from 50° at sun-rise, to 60° at noon, and in the middle of summer from 70° to 90s but the temperature of the whole colony is subject to the most surprising and rapid changes ; sometimes the thermometer has reached 105° in the shade*, and will rise 25° or 30° in a few hours.
In the clear winter days, the barometer stands higher than in the settled summer weather, the co- lumn of mercury varying, in the former season, from S9. 46. to 30. 35. inches, of which the first indi- cates stormy weather, with thunder and lightning, and the last fair and settled weather. The change- able point is 29. 95. or 30 inches, and the slightest alteration in the barometer is sure to indicate a change. In the summer months, the range of the mercury is hardly ever above 30. 10. or below 29. 74 inches ; even the south-east gales not producing a variation of more than fifteen hundredth-parts of an inch. The characteristic indications of the ap- proach of winter at the Cape are, the withdraw- * Lichtenstein says it once reached 113".
117
ing of the silvery cloud from the head of the Table Mountain, and the change of the winds from south-east to north-west ; a raw and cold feel first accompanies the latter, which gradually heighten into perfect hurricanes, and storms of thunder and lightning of several days continuance ; when the weather clears, the mountains east and north are seen to be covered with snow, and the venerable Table to have changed its fleecy garb for a thin covering of snow, or ice.
Children are subject, at Cape Town, to the eruptive disorders which attack them in other parts of the world, and to sore throats very fre- quently; but neither the small-pox nor the measles are endemic here. Gravelly diseases are frequent, owing to the earthy state of the water ; and con- sumptive complaints prevail among young persons, which the sudden changes of the climate may partly induce or increase ; but dropsy is the dis- ease of the middle age, which carries off its thou- sands to the grave. An idle life, sustained, or rather sapped, by three full meals of animal food every day, taken with raw ardent spirits, and high- seasoned sauces, and diversified only by smoking and sleeping, is, perhaps, enough to account for many more diseases than are found here ; and such are the constant habits of the Dutch colonists of almost every rank.
The territory of the Cape was divided by the Dutch into four districts, or drosdys, each of which was governed by a landrost, and a council of six.
]^w?S^
118
These districts were, first, the Cape; second, Stellenbosch and Drakenstein; third, Zwellen- dam ; and, fourth, Graaff Reynet.
The Dutch system of government has been fol- lowed by the British; but subdivisions of the country districts have taken place. The northern part of what was once the united districts of Stel- lenbosch and Drakenstein has been called the district of Tulbach, and a new drosdy has been erected. District George has been formed out of the southern parts of Zwellendam, east of the river Gauritz ; and the southern part of Graaff Rejmet has been called the district of Uiten- hagen.
That of the Cape is by far the most important of these governments, and reaches from St. Helena Bay to the breadth of about twenty-five miles from the ocean, is eighty miles in length, and con- tains two thousand square miles.
Cape Town, the capital, is situated in the bo- som of hills, branching out from the Table^Moun- tain, and is a neat well-built place. The streets throughout are at right angles with each other, and composed of houses two stories high, mostly built of stone. Many streets have canals running through them, shaded with avenues of oaks, and a fine stream from Table Mountain fertilizes the neighbourhood.
There are several handsome squares devoted to military purposes, and the public markets ; a Cal- vinist and Lutheran church, guard-house, justice-
119
court, prison, and a theatre. The government- house is on the side of Table Mountain, sur- rounded by a fine public garden, and several hand- some villas. Eastward of the town is a pentagon fort or castle, surrounded with a ditch and out- works, which enclose the Bank, the Orphan Cham- ber, and several other public offices: here also are a magazine for military stores, and barracks for four thousand men. The town is further defended by several forts on the shores of Table Bay.
The number of houses, according to Mr. Bar- row (1799), was one thousand one hundred and forty.five, and the inhabitants were estimated at fifteen thousand five hundred, ten thousand of whom were blacks.
The Table Mountain is too conspicuous a fea- ture of this part of the colony to escape the atten- tion of any stranger : at a distance it assumes the appearance of an immense battlement in ruins, crowned, during the summer months, with an ele- gant fleecy cloud, which, in allusion to the po- pular name of the central part of the mountain, has been, not unaptly, called the Tablecloth. The north front, facing Cape Town, forms a horizontal line at top, of about two miles in length, the face of which is supported by a number of projecting rocks that stand out upon the plain below like buttresses, and terminate in the mountain about midway towards the summit. The highest part of . the mountain is three thousand five hundred and eighty-two feeti the Table, properly so caUed, is
120
only two thousand one hundred and sixty feet above the bay. Southward, the mountain breaks away in steps or terraces, into the chain that extends along the whole Cape Peninsula.
A deep chasm that divides the curtain from the left bastion of the Mountain leads the way from the town to the summit of this romantic elevation : the immediate scenery is dreary and insipid. The air on the summit is, in most parts of the year, mild and pleasi.nt; in winter it is about 15° of Fahrenheit lower than at Cape Town, and in sum- mer still more, through the density of the Table- cloud. , /
Stellenbosch and Tulbagh, now under the go- vernment of two landrosts, extend, together, from Cape PAguillas on the south, to the river Koussie northward, and from the ocean and the limits of the Cape district on the west, to the Breede River and the Gamka, or Lion's River, eastward; having a mean length of three hundred and eighty miles, and a breadth of about one hun- dred and fifty, enclosing an area of fifty-five thou- sand square miles. Twelve hundred families, only, occupy this vast space, so that each family has, upon an average, forty-six square miles of land j but the greater part is of little value : deep sandy plains, covered with brushwood, stretch along its whole western shore, and mountains, totally barren, occupy the heart of the country.
The valley of Drakenstein, however, on the east of the Cape, is well inhabited, and the sections of
1«1
these districts, between False Bay and the long range of mountains that run northward to the Elephant River, are among the most fruitful parts of the colony.
Besides the village of Stellenbosch, which con- tains about one hundred houses, there is another called the Paarl, or Pearl, and Tulbagh, the capital of the Drosdy of that name.
East Zwartland, and the neighbourhood of the twenty-four rivers, are vallies in this direction ; they are called the granaries of the Cape j and the Roggeveldt mountains and vallies yield a large and strong breed of horses, first introduced from South America.
The original district of Zwellendam compre- hended the most southern belt of land in the colony, lying between the Black mountains and the ocean, north and south ; it was about three hundred and eighty miles in length, and sixty in breadth, containing an area of nineteen thousand square miles.
District George now cuts off about one-half of the fruitful portion of this district towards the south : the mountains of the coast are clothed with forest trees, and the plains with shrubs. This part of the colony, as a whole, is more fruitful than any other, and contains one subdivision out of which the Dutch government reserved twenty thousand acres of land in its own hands for the growth of corn. The village of Zwellendam is situated in a delightful valley, and the new rising
^w-
l9m
town of the name of George is in the immediate neighbourhood of the land just mentioned.
Graaff Reynet district is bounded on the north by the Bosjesmans country, or the limits of the colony in that direction ; on the south by the dis- tricts George and Uitenhagen, and the sea ; west by part of ZweUendam ; and east by Caffreland. The eastern subdivisions (by far the most produc- tive) are molested by the Caffres and Bosjesmans. Very little grain is grown in this district, from the difficulty of finding a market, and on account of the frequent descent of locusts from the moun- tains J but cattle and sheep thrive well. There are several salt water lakes in the colony ; the largest is in this district, and affords an abundant supply of tliat valuable article.
The village at which the landrost resides scarcely boasts a dozen houses besides his own. In the two districts of ZweUendam and GraafF Reynet, each family possessed, in 1800, from forty to sixty square miles of land, but the major part completely barren.
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124
SOIL AND PRODUCTIONS.
The predominant soils of this colony are a stiff clay, into which no plough will enter until it be thoroughly soaked with rain ; and a light red sand, capable of extreme fertility wherever it is suf- ficiently irrigated.
The operations of nature are here conducted in singular extremes : where iron,, or its oxyds, are liberally mixed with the clay, and the feeblest rill can be brought to bear upon the soil, astonishing fertility will occasionally ensue ; some of the best grapes and fruits of the colony are yielded on these spots : the influence of a few showers of rain in other places is equally remarkable j parched as they will appear with the hot season, and utterly deserted by every thing living, the rains of a few days will clothe whole acres with verdure; the botanist is suddenly presented with the richest harvest of plants that is to be found in any coun- try, and flocks of antelopes are quietly grazing.
Of the capabilities of such a country, therefore, under the hands of British industry, it is quite impossible to form a fair estimate at present. A deep and fertile soil appears to reward the long culture of some of the most unpromising spots ; such, at any rate, is the character of the land stretching from Cape Town to the east, or between the most southern mountains and the shore.
The scarcity of water is the scourge of the country, whether it be considered on the score of
1)25
health or vegetation ; still, it has been calculated that the entire quantity of rain which falls an- nually at the Cape exceeds that of most parts of Europe : a strong argument for increased atten- tion to the agricultural economy of the soil. In almost every part of the isthmus that connects the Cape Peninsula with the continent, and in many places near the sea on the southern coast, fresh water may be obtained at the depth of eight or ten feet.
Fuel is extremely scarce in the Cape district. Most families in the town, in decent circum- stances, are obliged to keep a slave employed en- tirely in the collection of this article : he ascends the mountains in the morning with a bamboo, on which he suspends his faggots in bundles, and if, after six or eight hours hard labour, he procures the fuel of one fire for the following day, he is thought to have done his duty : it is reckoned that in the Cape Town alone, near one thousand slaves are constantly occupied in the procuring this article ; the annual expense of which, in a moderate family, whether purchased or gathered, seldom amounts to lef:^ than from forty to fifty pounds. Many searches have been made for coal, but no quantity of any consequence has yet been discovered.
On the mountains of the southern coast, and particularly in the neighbourhood of Plettenberg's Bay, some lofty forests are found ; the trees are of quick growth and considerable size, but ge- nerally hollow in the heart, and much twisted in grain : profitr<ble timber is very scarce.
" ii
1^6
The following is a Catalogue of the most useful /Voods growing in the Colon!
Colonial NaflMi.
Bosche bouibouje*
Buifel hoom Buckan hont Camdeboo stink-hout Castanie hout Coyatte hout
Cjrperus or CedM bout Dorn hout'
Essen hout Geel hout autiniequas Geel hout (proper) Goniassie hout Hard peer
Otneral sis«. Height
withoDta branch
Hassagai hout
Feet.
12 to 14 15 25 12 15 20 12 20
12 8
12 14
Hottentot's bourboujes 12
fioenderspoor 13
Karru hout 6
Kersen bout 12
Keur hout 20
Klip Esien 20
Kocha 10
Massaaic hout 20
Melk hout 6
Niest hout IS
Olyven hout 6
Rood peer 20
Roode Eels 15
Rood hout 12
Salyhout 15
Saifran hout 10
Seybast 10
Stink hout Wilgan hout Wilde granete Wilde Vier Witte hout Wit Essen hout Wit Yzer hout Witte boseh hout Witte Els Wit peer Zwart but Zwart yz«r hout
Zwarte hout
SO 6 12 10 15 12 25 20 10 15 IS 25
20
20 10
Diamttar.
Ft. Inch
9 0 0 6 6
0 S
20 50 10 O
15
16
20 40
14
8
12
25
8
10 30
25 15
15 12
9 6
85 10
12 20
45
1 0 0 9
0 10 1
lto2Jft StoIOin.
8to 5it
1 0 1 0
1 O 3
2 2
9 I 6
4 I O 0
30| 1
15
4dl 3 t
6 8 7 6 O 6
6 6
0
Hard and close.
Tough.
Soft and porous.
Soil.
Tough.
Of fir
Hard and tough.
Not unlike deal
Very hard.
Like plain maho- gany. Very hard. Hard and close. Tough.
Light and soft. Hard and short. Hard and tough.
Very hard.
Do. stands water
well. Very hard. Hard and tough.
Stands water well,
Hard and heavy.
Close and hard.
Tough, bark like
silk. Like wabfiut Of willow. Short. Hard.
Li^t and soft. Close and soft. Veiy hard. Light and soft. Soft and tough. Htird and tough.
Do. Very hard.
Not used. Waggon wheels. Very little used.
Staves for butter- firkins.
Chests, drawers. &c.
Waggon wheels and poles.
Beams, pknk, &e.
Veneering.
Sometimes in wag- gons.
Fellies and spokes, chairs.
Not used.
Not much used.
For bows.
Not used.
Spars, rafters^ &c.
Little used.
Carriage poles.
Known only eastward
Ploughs.
Scholia or GiiailL (new speciei,)]
Calloclendri
•uni.
General.
Axes, waggon poles,
&c. Mill work. Not much used. Waggon yokos.
Carriage poles.
FumituFe. Little used.
Do. Chairs, &c. Spars, rafters. Plank.
Ploughs and axks, Light fellies. Plank for boxes. Waggons. Poles of all ssrts. Ploughs and axles.
Hard and tough.
Thuia(newjpecii Mimosa Karml
Taxus elongatuJ Taxus.
Curtesia fagina, Schotia speciott | Euclea.
Sophora Capeni
Ficus.
Oliva Capensii
Cunonia Cap Budlda Salvi foii
Salix Babylouj
Lyceum, Bophora Capeisi
Sidraoxylon.
Waggon fellies. )
Royena. Sideroxylen Mij I nophleot.
127
The elm, lime, beech, and ash, scarcely suc- ceed at all ; the oak, horse-chestnut, and fir, are sometimes large, but the growth so rapid, that the wood is not valuable : an oak of two feet diameter will not have a kernel of more than two inches of good hard wood, like English oak all the rest is mere sap ; and fir-wood is so weak and porous as to be hardly useable. This premature* ness is the character of all products about the Cape not natives of the country ; it is the same (says Lichtenstein) with animals as with planti^ and is particularly striking in horses.
The only indigenous fruit-trees are the chestnut, the wild almond, and the wild plum. Those that have been introduced into the colony are the vine, apple, cherry, plum, peach, nectarine, apri- cot, fig, orange, lemon, citron, almond, &c.
In fruit, flowers, and elegant shrubbery, no country exceeds the Cape. The apricots, oranges, peaches, prunes, and grapes, of Europe, flourish in the greatest perfection j pomegranates, melons, apples, pears, almonds, chestnuts, walnuts, and mulberries, are also plentiful 5 the apples and pears are rather inferior; but strawberries are found ripe all the year, and a few raspberries of a superior quality. No grapes in Europe are con- sidered preferable to those of this colony, but they are frequently gathered before they are fully ripe, and the fermentation of the wine is not well conducted. The brandy also is distilled with too much rapidity.
'^•M
41
128
There are some good pasture farms on the eastern side of the mountains that run northward from the Cape, and at the southern part of the Zwartebergen, or Black Mountains. In the same direction are found whole plains of the common aloe. Horses are the favourite speculation of the grazing farmers in this direction, and the rye- grass of the district appears to suit them well.
The sheep of the Cape have long been known to naturalists as a very curious breed, having tails of from six to twelve pounds weight, composed entirely of fat. Their intestine, or net-fat, is very little, compared with other sheep. They are small in the body, particularly in the fore-quarters j long legged, and of all colours, but generally spotted; their necks are long and small, their ears pendulous, and the wool, if such it may be called, very hairy and unprofitable.
The fat of the tail, when melted, retains the consistence of vegetable oils, and is frequently used both for butter, and with the lie of salsola as-ies, for soap. These sheep abound most in the eastern parts of the colony.
Cattle and sheep are usually larger on the elevated districts than in the plains, although the latter produce a greater abundance of grass.
The wild animals of the Cape are, the lion, rhinoceros, elephant, hippopotamus, buffalo, wolf, panther, leopard, hyaena, jajkal, zebra, tiger-cat, quacha, and various tribes cf antelopes, as well as hares, rabbits, &c. &c.
12!)
The major part of these animals are now only
found .„ the outer districts. The elephant is
aken by the Hottentots by digging pit' Jde'
hjs^haunts. but the European settLs'oJenly St
Wms "*''"^'''"''-'--' -d <<"' them^ith
Ostriches, eagles, vultures,kites,pelicans,cranei' bises, flamingos, and spoonbills, with duck, geese, eal, snipe and partridge, abound in the colony^, together with a vast variety of the smaller birds of most beautiful plumage. The eggs of the ostrich are a very palatable food,, an! are fre! quen% found deposited in common stocks of from SO to 40 in number.
The Cape district, which is the most pro- ductive and populous, in proportion to its size, has not above one-fifteenth part of its surface in a state of cultivation.
At Cape Town is the seat of Government, and a Court of Justice, to which the provincial Courts appeal ; the landrosts, or resident magistrates of
On the east of the Peninsula are some of the most productive farms of the colony. They are divided by oak, or quince hedges, into small squares (except the arable land which is left open) and are from 40 to 50 in number. In the fruiteries gardens, and vineyards, thus protected, aregrowil a large portion of the fine fruit, vegetables. &c. that supply the Cape market.
K
130
About midway between Table Bay and False Bay are the two farms producing the genuine Constantia wine, of which they yield from 50 to 100 leagers annually j they lie directly under the mountains, a circumstance to which the richness of the soil is no doubt in part to be attributed ; the grapes are the muscatri ; and particular care is taken in the ^ ^ocess of the vineyard, to sustain the
reputation .^the spct, by rejecting from the press all stalks and unripe fruit. The whole of the farms on this part of the Peninsula yield together about 700 leagers oi wine ; and green and ripe grapes, and prepared raisins, are sent in abund- ance to Cape Town.
-The hexangular barley, known in England by the name of beer or bigg, is almost the only grain cultivated in the Peninsula, and is preferred to oats for the feeding of horses. Higher up the district are grown wheat, pulse, and barley ; and the remote parts furnish horses, sheep, and horned
cattle.
Two kinds of oranges flourish in the Cape district, the mandarin and common china j the figs, guavas, grapes, and mulberries, are of a superior quality ; peaches, apricots, &c. abundant, but not so well flavoured as some of the European ; the pears, apples, pomegranates, quinces, and medlars plentiful, but rather inferior, being seldom grafted ; raspberries scarce ; strawberries in season all the year j almonds, walnuts, and chestnuts good, but neither the filbert nor the hazel have been yet
131
cnernes, do not succeed at all
The horse is said to have hppn flrc* • . :. from Java; but the S.^'Xl^n^t'^''^ breed from South America i, Z *''''
-d in this di,tric, aXaid '^IZS:^' great deal of work. capable of a
The majestic eagle, and the vulture sween •round the summit of the Table Mm ?• 5 tnin %»i4.u xi, 1 . idDie Mouiitain, and
'::iro?Ltr*''^^'°^'-^'--'"««'«
Of the fish that serve to supply the Cape markets
iTV "'«■>-'''-<»?-''. is LZ^t «teem. and is peculiar to False Bay and the coast
K 2
'Mil
13€
eastward; next to which are the stone breams, which weigh from 1 to 80 lbs. ; there are four other sorts of perch ; the mackerel, rock-fish, and a species of clupea, like our common herring ; the sole, skate, and oyster, are good, but the latter is not found in any quantity. No shells, or marine productions of particular rarity, appear ; such as are found near the Cape are burnt for lime.
The inlets of South Africa abound with whales, which run from 50 to 60 feet in length, and yield from 6 to 10 tons of oil. They appear to make these bays a shelter for their young, and it is remarkable that none but females have been caught for years together. They are more easily taken than in the northern seas, but from their inferior size their bone is not valuable. The penguin now supplies the place of the seal on the islands of False Bay.
Scolopendras, scorpions, and immense black spiders, infest the Cape ; but the musquitoes are not so annoying as in most warm climates. A particular species of the garden locust is, perhaps, the most formidable insect of the colony ; and the bite of the small sand fly is very troublesome. Small land turtles are found in all the open parts of the Peninsula ; the camelion is also freqi-antly seen, and various species of lizards. Snakes abound every where, and most of them are venomous.
. The districts.of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein (now Tulbagh) unite as great extremes of barren-
133
ness and fruitfulness as the mind can readily imagme; the far greater part being an unpro. stable waste of sand hills and karroo plains, whale, other portions are distinguished by a fertile 801 , overspread with vineyards, and bearing the ncliiest fruits in the world. . j;,- .It contains about 50,000 English acres in a state of cultivation ; these are chiefly freehold estates lying on the borders of the Cape district. All the farms in this part find a ready market for their produce at Cape Town, or in direct supplies to the shipping. Tlie quantity of corn grown here is but small ; wine, brandy, fruit, butter, &c fijrnishmg a much better occupation of the land. .uiThe drosdy of Stellenbosch lies in a line almost directly north from the east corner of False Bay, and is situated on the banks of the Eerste, or First river, near 30 miles from Catie Town. The village stands at the foot of lofty hills, and con- tains, a handsome residence for the landrost, and upwards of 100 houses. It is built in several detached lines, and the houses are mostly sur- rounded with gardens and offices, and protected by avenues of oaks of a noble size. The emolu- ments of the landrost are near 1500/. a year. The clergyman enjoys a comfortable residence,* vine- yard, and garden, free of taxes, with a salary of 120/. per annum.
To the north-east are the vallies of Great and Little Drakenstein, sheltered by lofty mountains, and well watered throughout by the river Berg,
■Ml
134.
and its minor streams, which unite in about the centre of them. These two vallies together supply full two-thirds of the wine of the Cape market.
The mountains to the eastward of these vallies are the barrier wall between the Cape, or western coast, and the interior; and there are but three passes, or kloofs, that are ever crossed by wheels.
Fransche Hoeck, or French Corner, occupies the south-east angle of the valley of Little Draken- stein, and it is not the less interesting from the recollection of the causes that brought its first settlers there — the persecutions that ensued on the revocation of the edict of Nantz : to these people the whole colony is indebted for the cul# tivation of the vine, here first introduced by them.
The oaks in this valley commonly reach from QO to 30 feet high in the stem, and measure from 10 to 18 feet in circumference ; many are larger; they appear to grow more freely and naturally in the degree of shelter they here find from the violent winds ; the tops are not so bent as in the neighbourhood of Cape Town, nor is the grain of the wood, when cut, so irregular and twisted. The whole valley is well inhabited, so that few wild animals appear in the daytime j but hyaenas, wolves, and jackals, descend from the mountains at night. Hares, partridges, widgeons, and other species of wild ducks, &c. abound in the thick shrubbery. In the mountains are found the roebuck and the rock-springer, the fleetest animal, perhaps, in the world J no dog has any chance of keeping up with
155
him, but lie is easily shot as he leaps from rock to rock. Wheat, barley, and pulse, yield here from U to 20 fold, after fallowing, or a couple of years rest, or with the least manure.
The divisions of East Zwartland and the Twenty- four Rivers, " the Granaries of the Cape," lie to the north-west of the valley of Drakenstein, or between the Berg river west, and the great northern chain of mountains east. The wheat crops are very fine and full, and the land rich to perfect luxuriance. Rice also flourishes in the marshy grounds, and abundance of fruit; but wine is only made for domestic use. The Berg river is an invaluable acquisition to the valley of the Twenty-four rivers (whose numerous streamy give name to it), and being capable, at a compara- tively small expense, of a communication with Saldanha Bay, bids fair in some future time to open an important avenue of supplies to shipping. North of the plain of Twenty-four Rivers is the Picquet Berg, which grows tobacco in large quan* tities, and of the best description in the colony. Here also more horses, cattle, and sheep are reared than to the south, while the grdn and fruit are not much inferior.
The division of Olifant's river terminates the fruitful series of plains. This stream is navigable for small craft full 20 miles up the country, but its banks are uninhabited until it reaches this val- ley, which is situated between a double ridge of the mountains that run northward from the Cape j
, , V,< 11
13()
the land, every where extremely fertile, is princi- pally devoted to pasture, though a considerable quantity of dried fruit is sertt annually to market. The streams from the mountains keep it con- stantly well watered. There is a chalybeate spring in the neighbourhood, of the temperature of 108° Fahrenheit.
Crossing the great chain of mountains to the east, there is a succession of grazing farms, scat- tered over vast karroo plains, and producing some of the finest horses and horned cattle of the co- lony. The watered parts of the vallies in this ii6ighbourhood abounding with mixtures of iron btQf and masses of iron stone, will return an in- crease of from forty to sixty for one, for twenty years together, without fallowing, and without manure. On the summit of some of these moun- tains, horses and cattle languishing with disease will surprisingly recover ; but the whole country is much exposed to the depredations of the Bos- j'esmans.
• If we now follow the line of the hmits of the colony, the Roggeveld mountains stretch east- Ivard from the Bokkeveld until they join the Nieuwveld, and the Sneeuwberg ranges. Their elevation, and consequent cold, all the way, is so considerable, that the inhabitants are obliged to descend from their sides with their cattle in the '^nter ; but here are reared the hardiest and the best horses : very few other animals seek these bleak and inhospitable regions. The Bosjesmans
1^7
rushing over them in search of unguarded cattle, or the grating squalls of birds of prey, are the oniy interruptions to tlie liorrid silence of winter. Among these mountains, and a little to the south, is the division of Roode Sand, or Wave- ren ; here is a small rising village, with a church and comfortable parsonage. The valley is abund- antly watered, and is fruitful both in grain and wine. The Chinese bamboo also flourishes here in great beauty; rice, the Cape olive, and the palma christi. Game is found in large quantities. Further south, on the borders of the Hex and Breede rivers, are some excellent meadows, well watered, and adapted for the growth of corn: south again of this is Zoete Milk, or Sweet Milk valley, containing the meritorious establishment of the Moravians. They have devoted themselves to the civilization of the Hottentots ; and it is their habit to teach every one of their converts some useful trade : the place is now called Gna- denthal, and contains about 1300 inhabitants. Their church, at the upper end of the valley, is a plain but neat edifice ; their corn-mill the best in the colony, and the gardens of their village in the highest state of cultivation. There is a similar establishment at Groenekloof, about thirty miles north of Cape Town.
The original district of Zwellendam stretches from west to east along the southern shore, and comprising the first two belts of land rising in- wards from the ocean, contains the greatest ex.
138
tent of fruitful lands, lying together, of any of the divisions of the colony. These lands were divided between 600 families, and are mostly loan farms *. A large portion of them' is now erected into the district George.
Between the Breede river and the Gauritz, west and east, and the first range of mountains and the shore, is contained the drosdy of Zwellendam, standing at the foot of the mountains, on a branch of the Breede, and surrounded by a tract of country rich in corn, wine, and horned cattle. The village is about 140 miles east of Cape Town, and has a large modern church, and a handsome residence for the landrost, environed with planta- tions of oak, a noble vineyard and garden.
On the other side of the Gauritz is the Drooge- veld, or Dry Country, which reaches to Mossel Bay, on the south coast, after which it is some- times called. This division yields a large quan- tity of corn, and feeds more sheep than any other part of the district. The soil is light and sandy, scarcely requiring a plough, and along the coast is abundance of herbage. The large plains to the east are overspread with the aloe, the juice of which once yielded a considerable article of trade j this is now falling off, the value being reduced to three-pence per pound, and three pounds per day are as much as can be gathered and prepared by one person.
Hares and partridges are numerous, and on the shore all sorts of fish, particularly some of the * Vide page 11^, respecting the tenure of loan farms.
best oysters of the colony, and a strong sort of muscle, that gives name to the bay.
East of Mossel Bay is Auteniequas Land, and the drosdy of George. This is said to be the finest land, without exception, in the colony. Some noble forest trees crown the heights, and contribute in no small degree to the general fruitfulness of the district, by attracting vapours, which descend in occasional showers of rain here, even during the summer months. A creeping plant grows in these woods, the innei^ bark of which has been suggested as a good substitute for hemp, and may be taken off in lengths of forty or fifty feet. The natives make an useful cordage of it. Another plant, a species of hibiscus, is ca- pable of the same use. Corn, fine horses, and cattle, abound throughout these shores.
Plettenberg Bay division is of similar general character. An inland stream of this district, run- ning westward into Gauritz river, is called Oli- fenfs river, and gives name to a division of the karroo plains, between the Zwart Berg and the southern range of mountains. The soil in this division is in somt; parts deeply impregnated with iron, and proportionably fruitful.
The vine is cultivated in several places ; and considerable quantities of soap and butter reach the Cape market. Here also are the Mimosa Karroo, growing to an unusual size, and yielding large quantities of gum-arabic, and bark for tan- ning; the Salsola in great luxuriance ; and abund- ance of small antelopes and game : leopards,
140
Otters, and tiger-cats, frequent the woody banks of the river.
juTheKamnasie Mountain, on the east, is sur- rounded with a few grazing lands, and woody bills,! that lead down to the Lange kloof, or Long Pass, at delightful valley between the mountains, along which runs one of the best roads in the polQ^y% A series of rich pastures here suddenly burst upon the traveller, bordered by a profusion of heath plants, and studded with farm-houses to the lengtj>)tpf 150 miles, each farm being, by a regulation. 'of the Dutch government, three miles distant from the other*. At every house is a vine- yard and fruitery, yielding the Persian or Musca- tel grape, which is generally dried in a summary way for the Cape market ; and remarkably fine oranges. The inferior and bruised grapes are thrown with the undergrowings, and with the lees or dregs of new wine, into large vessels to ferment, and from this is procured the brandewyn, an execrable cheap spirit of the Cape. Here are also extensive plantations of tobacco.
There are but two roads leading to the south of the valley, the one called the DuyviPs Kop, or Devil's Head, which is considered one of the most formidable passes of the country ; the other the Parde Kop, or Horse's Head, which is at least equally difficult: sixteen oxen are often. necessary for each waggon.
The most eastern division of this portion of
• Vide Latrobe, who gives a different account of the Lange Kloof, page 190.
141
the colony comprehends all the country between Plettenberg's and Camtoo*s Bay, and is pene- trated by a range of forests running parallel with the sea coast for 150 miles, where the elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and antelope are found in herds. There is no regular road through these thickets, but many large and well watered plains have been cleared in the midst of them.
There are several minor rivers, and bkes, abounding in fish. Cattle and sheep are the prin- cipal productions, but there is no part of the colony more evidently capable of improvement, or indeed of any kind of agriculture.
The settlement of the town of George is near Mossel Bay, and already contains 100 houses, surrounded with gardens, a church, parsonage, and school.
Graaff Reynet district, as originally laid down, was the termination of the colony east- ward, and divided between about 700 families. It is at once the most promising in its agricultural character to new settlers, and the most unsettled. The whole of the south of this division, up to Albany, has been recently called the district of Uitenhagen. It is, generally speaking, a grazing district ; but grows upwards of 10,000 muids of good corn annually, and about half that quantity of barley.
RemQt,€; f^xjm *i*e seat of government, large tracts of this division had been abandoned to the
142
I <
i »
Bosjesmans and CafFres, at the period of the se- cond British conquest of the Cape in 1806, and is still subject to their incursions.
This district is wholly divided into loan farms. The inhabitants are a very indifferent race of be- ings, and extremely indolent, all the labour being performed by the Hottentots.
In the Snowy Mountains, reaching to the northern extremity of the colony, the finest sheep are reared in flocks of from 4 to 5000, and im- mense herds of cattle.
The drosdy stands in the centre of the district, at the foot of the Snowy Mountains, 500 miles in a direct line from Cape Town. It is a wretched looking collection of mud cottages, and the re- sidence of the landrost is hardly distinguishable from the rest, except by the vineyard and offices attached to it. Some fruitful arable land is found within the neighbourhood, south of which are the sources of the Sunday River. The soil is a red clay, exceedingly rich, when it is soaked either by the floods or rains : corn will yield fifty, sixty, or seventy fold in such situations.
Southward is Zwart Kops, or Algoa Bay divi- sion, but little cultivated, though possessing some excellent farms both of arable and grazing land ; and Zuur Veld (pronounced Surefelt), an exten- sive series of fruitful vallies reaching to the sea shore*.
» This is the district in which government proposes to grant Unds to settlers.
143
Uitenhagen stands near the Zwart Kops River^ pleasantly situated at the foot of a low range of hUls.
Graham's Town is also a new settlement of this district, near the Great Fish River, and the re- sidence of the deputy landrost of Albany.
About fifteen miles west of Zwart Kops, or Algoa Bay, is a lead mine: from some experi- ments made at the Cape, two hundred pounds of ore were found to contain one hundred pounds of lead, and eight ounces of silver. Lichtenstein says, that " several experiments on one hundred pounds of ore produced fifty-three pounds of lead, and thirteen pounds of sulphur, but that the quan- tity of silver was not worth mentioning." The mine is within five miles of Camtoo's Bay, in the bottom of a woody glen, watered by two constant streams; it is not, however, worked, as the expense of transport to the Cape Town, and the high price of labour, would render the lead dearer than that brought from Europe. Iron ore is plentiful every where, and so rich as to yield from seventy to eighty per cent, pure metal; but the scarcity of fuel is a drawback to its utility.
Large masses of native nitre have been found adhering to the mountains, in plates of from half an inch to an inch thick.
Some small quantities of gold are said to have been occasionally found on the shores, washed from the mountains; and precious stones, such as
144
cornelians, agates, &c. are often picked up in tlie interior.
The SOUTH-EAST COAST being that fixed upon for a settlement by government, the following extracts from Lichtenstein's journey to those parts may not be unacceptable to the reader, and will serve as an additional proof, if necessary, of their superiority in point of fertility over most other districts of the colony.
" The great Braak River divides the district of Mossel Bay from Auteniequaland : the mouth of the river, like all other streams of southern Africa, is closed by a sand bank, which, in a strong east wind, chokes it so entirely, that at the ebb the water does not run out. On the eastern l»ank of the river there is a considerable height to ascend, at the summit of which is a wide spread plain, in- tersected with a number of small streams ; this is one of the most fertile spots in the colony: the river is now seen winding a considerable way, till it is lost among rocks, overgrown with bushes and heath plants.
" The whole tract of land between the southern chain of hills and the coast may be considered as a foreland, which from its low situation, from the neighbourhood of the sea, and the peculiar cha- racter of the hills by which it is bounded, may be rendered extremely fertile and profitable.— Many circumstances concur to give the southern chains of mountains advantages not enjoyed by
145
the others, and which distinguish them entirely from the rest of the mountains in southern Africa. J^irst, Its course from east to west, so that, present- ing an entire front to the south, the heat of the sun has less effect in drying the springs above, consequently more water flows down from them, which nourishes the vegetation exceedingly: Se- cond^, the great height of these mountains, which are upon an average from four to five thou- sand feet above the sea, and therefore attract the clouds, which help to supply the country below with moisture : Thirdly, their vicinity to the sea, and the prevalence of the south winds, which give a more humid atmosphere to the hills : Fourthly as consequences of these circumstances, more pro! tuse vegetation, and the nourishing abundance of wood in the clefts, which again produces a vapour that prevents the moisture ever being totally ex- haled from the ground, or the flow of the water from ever ceasing entirely. The places where this foreland is the most contracted, where there IS the smallest space between the mountains and the sea, are always those whence there is the greatest supply of water, and which abound most m wooded clefts ; and again, where the creeks of the sea, projecting inland, come within a mile of the foot of the mountains, even the plains abound with wood.
" In this way, the particular nature of the country in Auteniequaland is sufliciently exolain- ed, since in no part of this district are the moun-
146
tains more than three miles and a half from the coast; numberless rivulets cross it in all direc^ tions J even in summer there is always abundance of rain, and the whole year throughout the ground is covered with fresh plants ; but the soil is poor, and of that description which belongs to sour fields. ; the different sorts of rushes and liliaceous plants exhaust all the nourishment, and prevent the growth of wholesome grass ; the corn-fields require a great quantity of manure, and an evil equal to any other is the murrain, which all these causes combine to produce ; this renders the feed- ing of cattle, which would otherwise be very profitable, extremely difficult; yet there must be some peculiarity of climate which promotes this evil, and to which it ought, perhaps, rather to be ascribed than to the nature of the feed, since there are in other parts sour fields where the cattle thrive and prosper exceedingly.
" In this, as well as in some other districts that partake of the same soil, it is common to burn the lands every year, by which means they are manured, aad the foundation laid for a wholesome vegeta- tion; but this must be done with great caution, lest the fire should spread too far, and catch the bushes, by which means it might be commu- nicated to the forests, and cause incalculable mischief.
** The Camtoo River was formerly the boundary between the colony and the Caffre country, and, indeed, it seems to separate two very diffeicut
147
swthern Africa, and shewed in the clear^ot manne, the difference between the climL if th A'tnct and that which prevails about the clpe Town. w,th the influence produced by the abund ant rtorm, and the heavy rains that accompany
ror^h:it-r""-^'^^-°^-pp-
AllaT f "'" "! ^"" ^^""^ *« Camtoo to Tth,' n "^ surrounded with woods, and
whoily free from sahne particles.
" We continued our course for some fim«
m Aem, in which were large flocks of moor-birds-
ties, that we could almost have conceived ni.r ^^esin a lovely English garden. '" """•
rhe country about Algoa Bay is very dif ferent from many other parts of the coW and ^ mature so fertile, that it produces wood"game!
2, ! '''• ""^ '""' ^'"«' th« breeding of
«fle prospers «> much, that meat, milk, buler.
of husbandry, are to be had at low prices. The bay Itself, from the plenty of fish U produces ofe an abundant supply of food to the J^Z
148
ants of its shores ; but, like all other bays on this coast, has no secure anchorage for shipping : the landing place is a little sandy spot near the mouth of the Baaker River ; excepting this, the whole strand is dangerous, on account of the reefs : the surf, from the nature of the coast, is every where so strong, that it costs immense labour to bring the goods on shore from the vessels.
*' Zuur Veld, or Sour Grass Plains, is an ex- tensive plain country, stretching from Algoa Bay to the Great Fish River, the boundary of the colony, and is the same kind of good arable or pasture land as the plains of the Auteniequas di- vision in Zwellendam : in its appearance it is the most beautiful division in the whole district, being well wooded and watered, having a great depth of soil, and a thick covering of grass. The cattle are also here exempt from the murrain, which is so destructive in many other parts of the colony." " Till the shameful rupture (says Barrow) be- tween the peasantry and the Caffres, occasioned entirely by the tyranny and injustice of the for- mer, Ziiur Veld was one of the best peopled di- visions in the district, but since that time it has been nearly abandoned."
The following is an abridgement of the pre- ceding account, and will bring into one view the relative character of each district of the whole cok)ny.
iCOlifant's River.
U9
TahU of the District, and Division, of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope,
DUtricti.
Cafe Dibthict. Containi the divisions of 1. The Cape Peninsula. S. Land between Table and ) St. Helena Bay. \
Dlitrict of Steilinboscii and Dhakicnstiin*.
O«otr>l Chkractcr.
FroduetioD*.
{
f
I
1. Drosdy of Stellenbosch 3. Jonker'a Iloeck.
3. Bange Hocck.
4. Klapmutz.
5. Bottlebery'i Gehergte.
6. Saxenburg's do.
7. Eerste River.
8. Hottentot's Holland. B. Moddergat. i
10. Drakenstcin& itsenvironi.* Little Drakenstein. Fransche Hoeck.
Paarl Village.
Dall Josephat.
Waagen Maaker's Valley.
Groeneberg.
11. Paardeberg.
12. Riebeck's Cesteel. IS. East Zwartland.
14. Twenty-four Rivers.
15. Piquetberg.
iCOlifant's River.
17. The Biedouw.
18. Onker Bokkeveld.
19. Hantum.
20. Khamiesberg.
21. Roggeveld.
22. Nieuwveld and the Ghowf. S3. Bokkeveld.
Mountains throughout. Larger plains and most of the \ hills covered. f
A fruitful valley at the foot of ( lofty mountains. ]
Well watored vallies round the \ north end of False Bay. j
Wine, barley, fruits. Wheat, barley, pulse, wine, horsei^ and cattle.
Wine, fruits, and small quantity of grain.
Wine, brandy, fruits, butter, mnd poultry.
!
fertile valley sheltered ,_ 'he great chain of moun tains running northward
Rather mountainous. Do.
by)
in- I d.)
Principally wine and frm'tii and a small quantity of corn.
24. Hex River.
25. Breede River.
26. Ghoudinee and
{
Fertile and well watered plains.
Vale between tv/o lofty moun* \ tain ridges. i
Bleak, rugged mountains. A Table mountain.
Do. Cluster of hills. Lofty mountains.
Do. Vallies well sheltered, good I
Brand
meadows. Do. Do.
\ (Fertile vallies.
Valley. > Fertile vallies.
27. Roode Saiid or Waveren. I Large open vallies
Corn and cattle. Do.
Wheat, barley, pulse, and fruits. Corn, fruit, cattle, and sheep. Dried fruit, horses, cattle, and
sheep. Cattle and sheep. Horses, cattle, sheep, &c Horses and cattle. Sheep and cattle. Horses, sheep, and cattle. Almost deserted.
Do.
Do. Com, sheep, cattle.
Grain and fruits.
Wine, corn, and fruita.
* This district is now divided between Stellenbosch and Tulbagh.
150
Dlitrlcti.
58. Bot Iliver.
59. Zwart Berg. SO. Droogo Iluggpai. 31. llivur Zender End. 37. Uyl KraaL S3. SutitendaU Valley.
ZwttLIMDAM *.
l.TheDroidy.
3. Land between the Droidy
and Gauritz Rivur.
5. Cango.
4. Zwart Berg,
5. Trada.
6. Mostel Bay.
7. Aut«iiiequa« Land.
6. Plettenberg's Bay.
9. Olifant'i Rirer.
10. Kamnaoie.
11. Lange Kloof.
12. Sitsikamma.
GaxArr RsTNXxf . 1. The Drosdy.
t. fiMeuwbwgf. S. Swager's Hoeck.
4. Bruyntjes Hougti.
5. Camdeboo.
6. Zwane Ruggens.
It. {Zwartkops River.
8. Zuur Veld.
9. Bosjesmans River.
10. Tarka.
11. Sea-coir River, and Rhl
noceros Berg.
12. Zwart Berg.
13. Nieuwveld, and the Ghowf.
'1
Ototrat Cbaraettr,
A plain well watered.
HiUa.
Fine volley.
Large plaini, hilli, &c.
A fertile volley.
Fruitful plains and mountaini.
Karroo plains, and only culti- vated in patches.
Hilly and dry.
A fine level meadow. Forest land and plains.
A Karroo plain.
Mountainous and barren.
A long fertile valley.
Forest land.
At the foot of the Snow moun- i
tains. Mountains iNterspersed with
line grazing land. Do.
Hills anr plains. ■!
Karroo plains.
Dry hills.
Mountainous, with large fertile 1
plains. J
Fruitful open plains and hills. Dry hills almost entirely bar- )
ren. j
Detached hills.
Mountains and karroo plains. Do.
rroductioo*.
Corn, cattle, and an inferior wins.
Com, horses, &c.
Fruits, wine. Com, wine, cattlt.
A little corn, cattle, aad shecji,
Cora, aloes, sheep. Fine oyiten
on tlie coast. Corn and cattle, small timber. Small timber and fuel. Corn, fruits, and small quaslity
of wine. Corn, and a few shetp. Wine, an inferior spirit, frail,
tobacco. Grain, cattle, &t.
Com, and Inferior grapes.
iSheep, cattle, and immense litrdi
of antelopes. |Cori> and cattle. Grain, fruit, and the fineit liorsei
and cattle of the coiuny. Large oxen and sheep. Inferior caltk and sheep.
Timber, salt, grain.
Corn, c.^ttIe, sheep. Deserted on account of the Bos- JtsmoDS.
Cattle, sheep, &o.
Do. Do.
* Now Zwcllendam and George.
f Now GraafTReynet and Uiteohagcn.
1.51
CLASSES AND CHARACTER OF THE INHABITANTS.
The inliabitants of tliis colony may be con- sidered as divided into six classes, viz. The town's people of the Cape, the vine growers, the grain farmers, the graziers, the slaves, and the Hot>- tentots.
The inhabitants of Cape Town are a very dis- tinct race from the other classes, and yet are in- timately connected with all their pursuits. In addition to its importance as a capital, and as the chief market for redundant produce. Cape Town stands at present between the only two channels of exportation and importation. Table Bay and False Bay, and is the military key of the colony. Here, therefore, numerous agents of the boors re- side, who lodge them at their annual visits to the town, and cheat them on all occasions.
The Cape is admirably situated lor commerce, being about a month's voyage from Brazil, six weeks from the West Indies and the Red Sea, and two months from the coasts of Malabar and Coro- mandel.
The present articles of export are grain, wine, brandy, wool, hides and skins, whalebone and oil, dried fruits, salt provisions, soap and candles, aloes, tobacco, ivory, &c.
Wine and brandy may be considered the staple commodities of the Cape. Hides and skins are not exported to any great extent, and consist prin- cipally of ox hides. The wool is very bad.
152
The export and consumption of dried fruits are considerable ; the most important articles are almonds and raisins, of which a quantity might be raised sufficient for the supply of all Europe.
The almonds are small but good ; the trees thrive well in the driest and worst soils, and in no situation better than among the rocks on the sides of the mountains, where nothing else would grow, and they bear fruit from the fifth year. Ihe mode of drying raisins is extremely simple ; the bunch of grapes is first immersed in a strong solu- tion of wood ashes, and afterwards laid upon a stage, covered with rush matting, until it be thoroughly dried.
The quantity of ivory exported is but trifling, the elephants having in general retired beyond the limits of the colony.
The koopman, or merchant, is a man of im- portance at the Cape, generally in easy circum- stances, and often of great personal respectability. While the phlegm and apathy of the Dutch cha- racter seldom appear more conspicuously than at this place, and nowhere so devoid of common in- dustry, men of undoubted talent, intelligence, and integrity, are found at the head of this class, suc- cessfully availing themselves of their advantages for trade, and cultivating intercourse with all the nations of the globe. The mercantile advantages of Cape Town have been latterly, however, in some degree diverted to Simon's Town, a rising place, containing the naval arsenal of the colony,
158
and about one hundred and fifty neat houses. The road between the two towns is twenty-three miles in length, and kept in excellent repair.
Many of the merchants of the Cape are engaged in the local administration of the government, and in the civil service of the English, as they were of the Dutch East India Company; while others are large proprietors of inland estates. It is remark- ed, however, that in no part of the world is pro- perty less stationary than at the Cape, and that few families become what may be distinctively termed rich, from the fondness of the inhabitants for transferring property from hand to hand, and from the law entitling all children to share equally, both in the personal and real estates of theirparents!
Their rage for public sales is very remarkable ; a day does not pass without several being held in this comparatively small town, both in the morn- ing and afternoon, and the amount of property sold this way in 1801, amounted to one million five hundred thousand rix dollars. Five per cent. is charged on these vendues, of which three and a half per cent, go to the government, and the rest to the auctioneer.
The imported luxuries of the other parts of the world, together with fuel, house rent, and cloth- ing, are very dear; but provisions of all kinds, and every sort of ordinary comfort, are cheap. But- chers' meat, says Barrow, was twopence per pound, bread one penny, and a pint of tolerable
^H
154,
wine threepence, wlien a labouring slave could earn two shillings and sixpence per day, and a de- cent mechanic five or six shillings : the finest fruits and vegetables are equally reasonable and abundant.
The smaller tradesmen and artizans are those who have been clerks to the merchants, some few adventurers from Europe and America, and emancipated slaves.
Lion and tiger money is levied upon all the burgher inhabitants of the Cape, according to the amount of their property, though no longer devoted to any such purpose as its name would imply : it yields about five thousand rix dollars a year, applicable to any public works.
Chimney and hearth money is another town, or rather house-tax, of four and a half rix dollars per annum, for every house or fire-place; but no church or poor rates are known here.
Six burghers constitute a senate for the govern- ment of the town, whose functions are something similar to those of our city aldermen.
The established religion of the colony is Cal- vinism, or the reformed church, the ministers of which are a highly respectable body of men, both in the town and country. All other sects are to- lerated, but not directly countenanced, or paid, by government.
Education is at a very low ebb, and was still more so j but latterly, schools on Doctor Bell's
plan have been established both at Cape Town and in the drosdys of each district.
The idleness of the inhabitants is extreme ; eat- ing, drinking, smoking, and sleeping, constitute the chief employment of the majority.
Husbands and wives, of every rank, separate pretty early in the morning, each to their distinct cup of coffee and attendant slaves. The former adds his sopie (his indispensable dram), and his pipe, to the repast; he then saunters about the house in his night-cap and gown, or parades the stoop, a platform before the door, until nine o'clock, when a hearty breakfast of meat, fruits, and wine is placed before him. From this he rises to lounge away his time in a similar manner until 12, when another meal of animal food, wine, and spirits, is punctually prepared. From dinner he retires to bed until five or six o'clock in the evening, when he rises to make or receive visits j smokes and drinks wine until nine, at which hour every householder returns home to his favourite and enormous supper : this will consist of from ten to twelve various dishes of hot meat, fish, and vegetables, eaten with a prodigious quantity of fat sauces, and further libations of wine and ardent spirits.
The wife is a regulai' attendant at the public sales of the morning ; she comes home to dine and sleep with her husband at 12; rises and pays, perhaps, a few visits with him; they then part for the evening; the men drinkins and
156
smoking in one room, and the women being, according to a too prevalent British custom, in another.
The young ladies of the Cape are spoken of as being to an unusual degree the life and ornament of society ; elegant though rather small in their forms, and easy in their manners, they enter readily into conversation with the numerous strangers whom they meet in all companies, and play the harp and piano with good grace : many of them speak two or three European languages.
The young men of the Cape are both lumpish and awkward : an emigration of English young women of any respectability with a view of mar- riage is by no means recommended *.
Consumption of Provisions, 8,c. at Cape Town, in 1798.
Heads of Cattle. |
Sheep. |
Leaders of |
Muldi of Wheat. |
Muids of Barlej. |
|
Army Navy Inhabitants Total consumption |
4,562 1,810 5,000 |
22,812 9,04+ 130,000 |
2,000 1,000 3,000 |
10,000 6,000 16,900 |
19,460 10,000 |
11,372 |
161,856 |
6,000 |
32,900 |
29,460 |
The Vine Growers, or wine boors as they are called at the Cape, are the most opulent cul- tivators of the soil of this colony. Their lands are chiefly freehold, exempt from almost all taxes, and capable of any sort of cultivation. The usual
* This observation can apply to the Cape Town onlyj in all infant settlements men predominate, and the females must con- sequently be in request.
157
size of their farms is about 120 English acres, and the culture of the grape, with an elegant garden, generally occupies the whole.
Descended from the old French families who first introduced the vine into the colony, they retain much of the suavity and communicative- ness of their ancestors, and in this respect, as well as in the general comfort of their establish- ments, impress the stranger with a feeling of their respectability, and decided superiority to their neighbours; but the French language is never heard amongst them, and a French book of any kind is very rarely seen.
The produce of their vineyards is brought to market from September to the period of the new vintage in February or March, but principally in the four last months of the year. Here it is subject to a rate of three rix dollars per leager of wine or brandy, on passing the barrier; but no duty is laid upon it at the vineyard, or when it is sold in the country. The only taxes to which the grower is subject are a small capitation tax, towards repairing the highways leading into Cape Town, and what is called the lion and tiger money. Fourteen or sixteen oxen are required to convey two leagers of wine, of the weight of two tons and a half, over the deep sands of the isthmus ; these are sometimes kept, during the greater part of the year, at loan farms belonging to the pro- prietors, on the east of the mountains, or they are sent out to graze, or hired for the occasion. At
mm^:
158
these farms he wil! rear his sheep, and his com, perhaps, or obtain them readily in exchange for wine. Milch cows for his family, and occa- sionally poultry, are also among the comforts of his establishment.
A light tent waggon, drawn by six or eight horses, constitutes the carriage of the wine boor; and it is considered no small distinction, as his neighbours only use oxen in their waggons. In this he makes his excursions to the Cape, and amongst his opulent brother boors.
The following is a sketch of the expenses and returns of a respectable wine boor, at the period of our former possession of the Cape in 17^9, (according to Mr. Barrow.)
Purchase.
The first coit of the estate was Fifteen slaves, at SOO rix dollars eaeh Eighty wine leagers, at 1 2 do. do. Implements for pressing, distilling, &c. Three team of oxen TWo waggons Horse wa^on and team Faroitare, utensils, &c.
Rix doUan.
15,000
4500
960
500
500
800
900
2000
25,160
Annual Outgoings.
Interest at 6 per cent, on 25,160 rix dollars, the
cost of the estate, &c. &c. Three sheep per week for family use, 156 per year,
at two and a half rix dollars each
Rix dollars, s. 1509 5
390 0
159
Clothing 1 5 slaves, at 1 5 r. d. each per year
Corn for bread, 30 muids, at three r. d. each . . Tea, cofiee, and sugar
Clothing for the family and contingencies
Duty at the barrier on 120 leagers of wine and
brandy
Wear and tear
• • •
Parochial assessments
Rixdellari. t. 225 0 108 150 350
0 0 0
.360
100
20
0 0 0
Annual amount of outgoings 3212 5
Annual Returns. One hundred leagers of wine, at 30 r. d. each Twenty leagers of brandy, at 5a . . . The wine and brandy sold to the country boors, with the fruit and poultry brought to the Cape market, are more than sufficient to balance every other contingeat and extraordinary expense.
3000 0 1000 0
Amonnt of returns Outgoings |
4000 3212 |
0 5 |
|
Balance in favour * |
£ £ e |
787 |
3 |
Equal to currency |
157 8 |
9 |
|
Or about sterling |
88 U |
0 |
• On account of the extreme partiality of the Dutch inha- bitants of this colony to a continual change of property, there are- always some of these estates for sale, and aay person wish- ing to commence vine-grower, and to have the advantages and comforts, attendant upon a contiguity to the Cape Town, can, with sufficient capital, easily attain his object) but by the above calculation it appears that, including the interest, the profit on the capital so employed, after deducting the expenses of living, is not 10 per cent. This calculation, though made 20 years back, is the only one hitherto published upon the subject.
't, p ^Ifll-^:
IWi??
m^
■'f.
A
160 .
The Grain Farmers, or corn boors, are also ge- nerally opulent, and assume the next rank in so- ciety to the wine boors. The most respectable of them live in the Cape district, or the neighbour- ing parts of Stellenbosch and Drakenstein. They occupy loan farms, or such as are held by lease under government, and their parochial taxes are not more than those of the wine boors. . These farms yield from a hundred to a thou- sand muids of corn annually, according to their capacity and mode of cultivation. They pay no tithe, but a duty, about equal to one-tenth of the value, is levied on passing the barrier into Cape Town.
The cblonists of the Cape are miserable agricul- turists, and may be said to owe their crops more to the goodness of the soil than to skill and in- dustry. The time of seeding is in the months of May and June, and of harvest from November to January.
Maize, wheat, and rye, do well ; barley is pro- ductive, if the rains happen to fall early; but oats run to straw.
The climate appears well adapted to the growth of cotton, indigo, tobacco, silk, cochineal, tea, coffee, sr ;ar, &c. Flax will give two crops a year, and a species of hemp is in great abundance. The dwarf mulberry grows here, but the silkworm had not been introduced in 1806. The cultiva- tion of rice and indigo is generally injurious to the labourers* health.
161
The average return of corn, even under their wretched system of management, is from fifteen to twenty fold , the latter uniformly, or even more where the land is irrigated. Tl.e sanjy soi^re so light, as to be occasionally sown without plongh- ing, and hardly any part of the land is ever ina- nured In other parts a huge plough is dragged over It by fourteen or sixteen oxen, in a very clumsy manner, and the harrowing is not better performed : f the scratchmg operation of the plough turns up the greater part of the soil, the farmer is content" large portions even of fruitful soil are frequently seen bare of a stem, and their best mode of ploush- ing and harrowing (for they have no idea of using the roller) leaves the ground rougher than tl,e roughest lea ploughing in this country. Towards the end of spring, they will turn up the ground, and leave it fallow until the. next seed time.
The eastern mode of treading out the corn bv oxen. IS the substitute for thrashing here. A great P^art of the straw is wasted; the chaifonly. and short straw of barley, being preserved as fodder lor horsesi
The wheat in the Cape district is fine, and fnU m the ear weighing from sixty to sixty-five pounds per bushel : a cargo sent to London, on the cap. tare of the Cape in 1795. fetched the highest pnce of the day. *"
The following is a statement of the outgoings and returns of a loan farm of the above description in 1799 :
^ m
jhii
M
i6ii
PURCHASE.
1'hc [nhc of the opstal, or buildings
Fit^y "^n, at 15 r. d. each
Fifty cows, at 8 r. d.
Twelve horses, at 40 r. d.
Six slaves, at 300 r. d.
Two waggons . • •
Furniture
Implements of husbandry
RU dolUn. 7000 750 400 480 1800 800 1000 500
12,730
Rix doDart. *.
Interest on 12,730 rix dollars, the cost of the build- ings, &c. . • • "
ANNUAL OUTGOINGS.
Clothing fbr slaves Ditto for the family Tea and sugar . •
Duty on com brought to market Parish taxes .
Contingencies, wear and tear, &c. Corn sold to the wine boors more than sufficient to defray all other expenses.
Annual amount of outgoings 1423 6
763 6
90 0
150 0
100 0
150 0
20 0
150 0
ANNUAL RETURNS.
Three hundred muids of com, at 4 r. d. each One handled of barley, at S r. d. Six loads of chaff, at 32 r. d.
1200 0 300 0 192 0
* The profit u] the same as on tli »n the family exp(
163
1000 pounds of butter, at one and a half sk. Five horses sold annually
Annual amount of returns Outgoings
Balance in favour * Equal to curreocy Sterling about
Rlx lotlari, A. 2J0 0
200 0
71 I«5 6
The whole manners of the.se boors are .volun. to Englrshmen, they are generally corpulen if
Sv la" V """ P'"^«-«'= - ten,'per. aL^ o^ ngibly lazy m the.r personal habits. Gor«i„^ themselves with animal food from mornirf tf mght. some of them grow prodigiously Z?*" proportionably weak in mind and, b^y T^
lessness. the mistress of the house is as much a fixture as the windows ; she places herself i", the mornmg before her favorite coffeepot, whi h rt mams bo.hngo„ her table most of the day. wh "j a native black, or hottentot boy, attendftrfen her face, or flap away the flies with twi^or
ostneh feathers. The women marry earlvTand in
general have large families, but longe^ is "
rare amongst them as at Cape Town The Geaziees are the lowest class of the colo-
>'-ts, and consist in many parts of the refuse of
164
European society; of sailors who abandon their vessels, or deserters from the troops who may have been stationed here, or have put in at tlie Cape. If these men arc fortunate enough to recommend themselves to a settled boor's family, and marry one of his daughters, which is frequently the case, a few sheep and cattle are given them to begin the world with, and those who arc steady some- times attain considerable comforts.
The wool, as already observed, is of little va- lue ; some attention has, however, been lately paid to it, and the breed of sheep is somewhat im- proved; but this kind of property is rendered extremely precarious in many parts of the colony, owing to a sort of murrain which sometimes at- tacks the cattle after a dry season, and destroys great numbers ; as well as being subject to the oc casional inroads of the Caffres and Bosjesmans, who swarm in the neighbourhood of the back settlements. In the war with the Caffres in 1799, by the accounts delivered in on oath, (althougli two-thirds only had made any return) the loss of the colonists was as follows :
Horses |
858 |
Oxen |
4,475 |
Cows and calves |
. 35,474 |
Sheep |
34,023 |
Goats |
2,480 |
The bulk of the graziers are found eastward of the Cape district, and in the extremities of the
105
settlement. Their sun)Iu8 stock is principaJIy dis- posed of to the travelling butchers, who supply the Cape market.
Many of the graziers are in no want of pro- perty, and if the absence of restraint were always liberty and happiness, no class of men could boast of more pretensions to those blessings than the graziers of GraafF Reynet and its vicinity. None truly possess more means of being respectable in any country, and few are less so : numbers of them prefer a wholly wandering life, and sleep in their waggons, or throw up rude huts in imitation of those of the natives : here the master and his Hottentots, parents and children, huddle together until the temporary stream by which they have encamped dries up, or the pastures are too much eaten down.
Their settled habitations in Graaff Reynet have but little better accommodations. They often do not contain above one apartment, and the best of them are built of reeds, smeared over with clay, ^nd thatched with rushes, supported by crooked poles. A large chest for moveables of all descrip- tions, a few chairs, and the master's bed, comprise all the furniture. Fitleen or twenty Hottentots, and from 1 to 5000 sheep, will often belong to the owner of such an establishment as this.
A true Dutch peasant, or boor, has not the smallest idea of what an English farmer means by the word comfort. Placed in a country where not only the necessaries, but almost every luxury of life, might by industry be procured, he has the
;. '1
'Mm
I6i)
enjoyment of none of them. Though he has cattle in abundance, he makes very little use of milk or butter. In the midst of a soil and climate most favourable for the cultivation of the vine, he drinks no wine. He makes use of few or no ve- getables. Three times a day his table is loaded with masses of mutton, swimming in the grease of the sheep's tail. The windows are without glass ; or if there should happen to be any remains of this article, it is so patched and daubed as nearly to exclude the light it was intended to admit.
The boor, notwithstanding, has his enjoyments ; he IS absolute master of a domain several miles in extent j and he lords it ovet' a few miserable slaves and Hottentots without control. His pipe scarcely ever quits his mouth, from the moment he rises till he retires to rest, except to give him time to swallow his sopie, (a glass of strong ardent spirit,) to eat his meals, and to take his nap after dinner. Unwilling to work, and unable to think, with a mind disengaged from every sort of care or reflec- tion, indulging to excess in the gratification of every sensual appetite, the African boor grows to an unwieldy size, and is carried off the stage by the first inflammatory disease that attacks him.
This cjlass has been hitherto almost constantly above the law ; and relying on his gun as the ma- gistrate alike of his house and district, the boor has often resisted, with impunity, the payment of any rent for his farm, although subject only to a sniall parochial impotst of a floiin, or Is. id. iOr
167
every 100 sheep, and another equally trifling on their oxen.
They manufacture soap, and sometimes candles to exchange for tea, sugar, &c. at the Cape market,' which they generally visit once a year.
Their education is of course extremely low but their hospitality very great j which indeed is the case aU over the colony : when a traveller arrives at a habitation, he alights from his horse, shakes hands with the men, kisses the women, and sits down without further ceremony ; if there be but one bed in the house it is generally given to the stranger*.
Leather is almost universally used in this country instead of cordage, and is made in the following manner. The fresh flayed ox-hide is first cut with a knife into thongs, the breadth being regulated according to the strength and thickness required. The thongs are then soaked in ley for 24 hours, after which as many are joined together as are requisite to make the length wanted. The whole is then thrown over a sort of gallows, and a heavy weight of from 80 to lOOlbs. fastened to it to stretch it down. Two slaves keep draw- mg it backwards and fonvards with a stick between the thongs, turning it constantly round and round, so that the weight may bear alternately alike upon every part ; it is thus soon dried, and is then used without any further preparation. The harness for the oxen that draw the waggons is made of this leather.
* Mf. LuUobc gives a somewhat diffcieut account of this.
t : «8
168
The little trouble necessary to prepare these thongs, and their durability, have acquired them such a decided preference over cordage, that no one has ever thought of turning their attention to several sorts of native plants which appear tc partake of the nature of hemp, with a view to rendering them useful.
At some distance from Cape Town, the slaves, and upon the borders, even the children of the colonists, are clothed in leather prepared by them- selves ; and there is an abundance of plants which afford excellent materials for tanning. Even the savages of southern Africa are very adroit in pre- paring leather, ard have the art of giving it an extraordinary pliability: in the houses of the colonists the seats of the chairs, and the frames of the bedsteads, are generally made of it.
The Hottentot tribes within the colony, and in the service of the boors, are supposed to amount to about fifteen thousand, of whom ten thousand, at least, are in the district of Graaff Reynet. No distinct villages are now seen in any part of the colony, nor even twenty independent individuals in whole districts where they most abound : they have been wholly subdued by the Dutch into a sort of service worse than slavery, although they cannot, like slaves, be bought and sold. They are the menials of every soit of establishment at the Cape, Their field occupations are to guard the numerous herds and flocks, to scour the coun- try with them, oftentimes in search of food or
169
water, and endute the extremes of the climate, on scorching plains and snowy heights, covered by a single sheep-skin.
In general they exhibit an inveterate habit of sloth, but where any sort of effort has be^Jn made to cultivate their powers, and give them a feeling of hope, and liberty in their occupations, they have been found active, intelligent, and useful. Their honesty and veracity, particularly the latter, are acknowledged by all writers. ' Many of the women, when quite young, might serve as perfect models of the human figure, so exquisite is their form: their charms, however, are quickly dissipated by age and child-bearing.
The children of such Hottentot women as marry Europeans are numerous, active, and ro- bust; these are called Baastards by the Dutch colonists, and are becoming an important part of the population.
^ w
: i H
*j|
The BosjESMANs are a species of Hottentots, who, although they do not live within the colony, have been, and appear but too likely to be, long connected with its history and interests. Their name is derived from their usual mode of attack, that is, from behind the thickets or bushes of the country, and a great part of their lives is occupied in predatory excursions.
They neither rear cattle, nor cultivate the ground, but subsist, when at home, on the larva; of ants and locusts, and a few roots. They speak
170
^ dialect of the same language as the common * Hottentot, but are singularly opposed to him in the general vigour of their character. No human being can be more active and cheerful than the Bosjesmans ; they emulate the antelope in agility, and a horse is not able to keep pace with them over hilly, or even rough ground. In the day time they confine themselves to their huts, lest the boors should surprise them, and from 180 to 200 will thus herd together in the remote dis- tricts j but they will often dance the night en- tirely away, especially at the approach of summer. Their weapons are uniformly dipped in poison, and consist of a small hassagai, or spear, and bows and arrows.
In stature the Bosjesmans are exceedingly di- minutive i the men measuring only from four feet six inches to four feet nine, and the women rel- dom more than four feet four inches.
^ The Slave Population consists principally of Malays, and natives of Mozambique and Mada- gascar ; the proportion of slaves to whites in the districts of Stellenbosch and the Cape, is nearly two to one; and in Cape Town, that of male slaves to white males, nearly five to one. They are generally well treated, and in the capital, (says Mr. Barrow,) are better clothed, better fed, and infinitely more comfortable than any of the peasantry of Europe, Every child amongst the jricher inhabitants has its attendant slave.
171
The Caffres are a native race on the east of the Cape, whose history and habits will be so far interesting to the en-igrant, as a war with them is occasionally a serious affair to the whole colony. Their territory is divided from that of the Cape by the Great Fish River.
The dwellings of these people resemble bee- hives, constructed on a wooden frame, and plas- tered both within and without with a composition of clay, &c. They are then neatly covered with a kind of matting.
Every Caffre bears arms; not as a profession, but as the exigence of his affairs seems to demand it. They are all both shepherds and warriors: they evidently prefer the former mode of life, and there seems no just foundation for attributing to them a cruel or sanguinary disposition ; their moderation towards the colonists in a variety of instances directly indicates the contrary ; and of treachery they have not a shade in their character. Their principal weapons are a spear, and a sort of club for close combat; unlike their neighbours, the Bosjesmans and Hottentots, they never poison their weapons, and rarely attack by surprise.
The Caffres are more attached to a pastoral than an agricultural life, though their soil, as far as it is known, offers great facilities for cultiva- tion, m^ is so fertile that, with a very little la- bour, it might be made to produce the finest grain and fruits of the colony. So extremely negligent are they of these advantages, that a
I' ^
172
krge species of water melon, and millet, are their principal culinary plants. They likewise cultivate some tobacco and hemp, both of which they use for smoking. They rarely kill any of their cattle for food, unless to show hospitality to a stranger. Milk is their ordinary diet, which they always use in a curdled state : berries of various descriptions, and the seeds of plants, which the natives call plantains, are also eaten, and a few of the grami- neous roots with which the woods and the banks of the rivers abound. Their total ignorance of the use of ardent spirits, and fermented liquors, and their general temperance and activity, pre- serve them from the ravages of many disorders which are prevalent among the other native tribes; to say nothing of the value of their independence.
Their wealth consisting solely of cattle, they devote the principal part of their time to the management of Ihem, which is conducted with great regularity. Some of their oxen are used for riding, as they have no horses among them, and the horns of these are twisted into a variety of fantastic shapes.
The commerce of this people is divided be- tween the Dutch farmers, and their eastern neighbours the Tambookies. To the former they bring their cattle in exchange for small pieces of copper and iron, glass beads, and other trifles: from the Tambookie nation they sometimes ob- tain their wives: previous courtship is unneces- sary, they have only to make a bargain with the
173
parent of the desired object. Polygamy is al- lowed, but as wives are expensive, the common people seldom avail themselves of this privilege.
The men are in general tall, muscular, and ro- bust, of an open countenance, and manly grace- ful figure; good nature and intelligence are de- picted in their features, which never betray any signs of fear or suspicion.
The women possess cheerful and animated countenances, are modest in their carriage, lively, and curious, but not intruding ; and though of a colour nearly approaching to black, their well constructed features, their beautifully white teeth, and their eyes dark and sparkling, combine to render them comparatively handsome.
The capital of this country is not very far to the eastward of the Great Fish River.
Government, Revenue, and Laws.
The administration of all the public affairs of this colony is vested in a governor, who is also commander-in-chief of the forces, naval and mili- tary, and a judge in the courts of appeal.
The landrost is at- the head of the police of each division, and holds a provincial court for the determining of petty causes, but an appeal lies from these country courts to those at Cape Town, and ultimately, in some cases, to the king in council.
Capital crimes do not abound here to the de-
174
gree which the state of the population would lead U8 to expect. In the first six years of the posses- sion of the colony by Great Britain, only sixty. three persons were sentenced to death, of whom but thirty were executed.
A considerable amelioration in the condition of the slaves and Hottentots is said to have taken place of late years. There is an express depart- ment for the registry of slaves ; the master is re- stricted by law from inflicting any severer disci- pline than that which may be given with a small cane; and an officer is appointed by government to settle any serious disputes between them.
The currency of the country is chiefly paper, and the rate of exchange is highly advantageous to persons from England, being at this time up- wards of 100 per cent, in their favour.
The post-office has been established with consi- derable regularity in all the drosdys : with Stel- lenbosch it communicates from Cape Town twice a week (Wednesdays and Saturdays,) and with all the other country districts once a week.
The tenure of the land in this colony is one of the most important features of its administra- tion, and one of the best sources of its revenue. The most ancient tenure is that of what are called loan lands, or certain farms granted to the early settlers, at an annual rent of 24 rix dollars ; it is a kind of lease in perpetuity, the payment of the rent being held to be a constant renewal. These farm« are calculated to contain exactly nine square
* This is at the
175
miles*: the number of them in the whole colonj: is about 2000.
Gratuity lands are a customary copyhold, and pay about the same rent as the loan farms. They are supposed to have been granted as marks of favour, and are chiefly in the neighbourhood of the Cape district, and in a better state of cultiva- tion than the loan farms. They are from 100 to 150 in number.
The freehold estates are grants of about 120 English acres each, which were made to the origi- nal settlers; they lie chiefly round the Cape Town, and contain the best land in the colony.
No just complaint can be made of the amount of taxes in this settlement. The colonists pay no land tax, window tax, excise, nor any impost on the luxuries of life: they are not required to main- tain their clergy, and are exempt from poor rates: the vendue duty, the stamp duty, the transfer duty on the sale of immoveable estates, and the duty on the sale of buildings on loan lands, are, in fact, heavy ; but from their nature little felt.
The principal sources of revenue may be thus detailed :
Cmtoms.
This branch of revenue is of course subject to frequent alterations. The present export duties average from six to seven and a half per cent, ad
* This is at the rate of about 8-lOths of a farthing per acre.
176
vahrentf and the import duties upon British goods, three per cent. •
The Public Vendue Duty.
This is sometimes the most considerable source of revenue in amount. It is five per cent, on moveable, and two per cent, on immoveable pro- perty : of the former of which, government takes three and a half per cent, and one and thret quarters of the latter, the rest being given to the agents.
Transfer of Immoveable Estates.
This is four per cent, which must be paid to the receiver of the land revenues before convey- ance of the estate can be made.
Licenses for retailing Beer, Wine, and Spirituous
Liquors.
These are the most profitable of all the dif- ferent branches of revenue, and in the year 1801, amounted to 18,640/.
Land Revenue.
This has been already explained in the account of the tenures of land. The government also farms out the salt-water pits, and a small quantity of grazing land.
* Vide memoranda, infra.
177
Dutu!, levied on ffme. Brandy, ar.d Grain, at the
barrier. These are levied on brandy and wine per leader irrespective of the quality, and are about equal to hve per cent, on common wine, and two and a Half on Constantia ; upon grain, &c. the duty is nearly equal to one tenth of the value.
Duties on the Sale of Buildings on the Loan Farms. These are two and a half per cent, on the pur- chase money, and must be paid, like the transfer duty, before the property can be conveyed.
Port Fees,
All ships dropping anchor at the Cape pay a duty of sixpence per ton.
Seizures, Fines, and Penalties, Form no inconsiderable amount of revenue. Conspiring to smuggle is punishable, and when smuggled goods are seized, they are not only for- felted, but three times the amount of their value is levied as a fine.
Stamp Duties Are levied on most of the instruments that are liable to them at home, and are, as in England, very productive*.
* A printed tariff can be obtained at the Cape; and is also inserted in an useful little work lately published, called " Ross's Cape Calendar."
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The Journal of the Rev. Mr, Latrobe having only been published in 1818, may be supposed to contain more interesting information, particularly respecting the actual state of the country, than those of the travellers who preceded him, and from whose works extracts have been already given. This gentleman is at the head of the Moravian mission ; the object which led him to the Cape was similar to that which actuates most Emigrants — ^that of seeking for an unoccupied portion of land in which to form a new settlement; and as he travelled, with that view, through most of the districts which remain unsettled, and his work is supposed to contain a very accurate description of the face of the country, as well as some amusing accounts of the state of society and manners, the compiler has extracted those parts which appeared the most interesting and the most novel.
" The waggons at the Cape have a strong frame- work body, with wheels and axletrees made of iron-wood, or other wood equally hard and tough j a travelling-waggon is furnished vnth seats, sus- pended by leather straps to give them play, which in some respects answer the purpose of springs, and with a tilt of matting, covered with sailcloth, supported by hoops of bamboo. Curtains of sail- cloth, or leather, hang before and behind, to secure the company against wind and rain ; the bullocks draw by a wooden yoke, consisting of a strong bar laid across their necks, to which are fixed, in right angles downwards, four short pieces so as to
179
*dmit the neck of each ani„,al betw^ t^o of them ; these are kept in their places by bei^Ld together below the neck with a smaluS^f
T£:IT. ''''''" ^°'^ -^ fro- t^f 4
nngs of each yoke; the bullocks by pushing w,"^ ti.e.r shoulders seem to draw wifh eLe Tht Hottentot driver has a whip, the sticl^f whT^
;rme„7fr^"-"---^^^^^
instrument, he not only cracks very loud, but hits
ZZ 1 ? '""•"'' "'* *•-« « "-t
tbl =^'t "g'ne of his government is his
their names, directing them to the right or left by the addition of the exclamations ofl" ^J W occasionally enforcing obedience to hr;om ".ands by a lash, or by whisking or crack ngWs whip over their head,. A boy leads the forem^ oxen by a thong fastened about their homs a^ they seem to foUow him willingly.
"The English have made good roads i„ the
mme-'.ate neighbourhood of Cape Town, andt
S-mon's Bay ; but we soon left them, and lagged
ftrough deep sand, almost the whole way to
Groenekloof .. No trees, and but few shrubs, adorn
N 2
180
the waste ; but we noticed many pretty species of heath, and some elegant flowers unknown to us. The most common plant is the so-called Hottentot fig. From beneath the sand is protruded, most of the way to the drift or fordin^-place of the salt river, a porous iron-stonef of singular character, appearing here and there perforated like a honey- comb. This iron-stone is found almost in every part of the colony in a variety of forms. About sunset, we reached the large salt-pans near the Riet valley, so called from the quantity of reed rushes growing in it. The people in the adjoining farm very civilly sent to invite us to the house ; but we excused ourselves, wishing yet to proceed farther before we took up our night's lodging in the wilderness. In about an hour's time we un- yoked the bullocks, and left them to seek their supper among the bushes. This is always done, if possible, at a place where there is a stream or pool of fresh water. The Hottentots having lighted a fire, a mat was spread on the ground to leeward of a large bush, which screened us from a sharp south-east wind. Coffee was boiled ; of which, with some eggs, cold meat, cakes and milk, we made an excellent supper, sitting round the fire. After our repast, we retired into the waggon to rest, and on the following day proceeded on our journey.
io a direction nearly east. At the time of Mr. Latrobe's visit, in 1816, the Tillage contained 1300 Hottentot inhabitant.^.
181
Oil another occasion we visitetl the town on village of Caledon, about twenty-fiye miles south from Gnadenthal J it is but as a sapling rising out of the ground ; the houses are neat, and the church in form of a cross, without a steeple* The ciF4 cumjacent country is naked, and a barren waste, except a few green spots of cultivation in the vale. There are warm baths about a mile be- yond the towrfj the temperature of the water is 118*» Fahrenheit at the spring, and 1 12° in the bath. Between two hot springs a cold^ring. rises.
"After dinner we set out to visit Mr. Lindens farm ; it lies not far from the river Sonderend/ which is, in most places, hid by bushes. I had expected to find a man formerly in th. employ of government, as a commander of the Hottentots in the Caffre war, a veld cornet, and justly esteemed as a truly respectable character throughout the country, inhabiting a well-built mansion, and I was preparing a handsome apology for not appear- ing in full dress, till I saw his miserable cottage and its homely furniture. But African and English ideas of the necessity of suiting your appearance to your rank widely differ, and a man of conse- quence is here not less respected for the shabbi- ness of his attire, or the wretched and ruinous state of his house and premises. Mr. Linde not having returned from the fields, our reception was rather dry ; as soon, however, as he entered, though clad in an old jacket and trowsers, and barefoot, the ease and urbanity of his manners, and the kind-
182
ttestf'With which he pressed us, to spend the night At his house* showed him in his true character as a Weil-bred intelligent gentleman. He had already dne guest, and a farmer from the south arriving, he gave him also a friendly invitation, though the si^e of the cottage did not seem to furnish accom- modations for so many. Some black coffee, with- out milk, as is here the fashion, was handed round, and We soon entered into conversa'tion respecting the aim of our visit. — At supper no beverage of any kind was onl^e table, and our host informed us that he never drank either beer, wine, or spi- rits, but only water. I therefore called for Water, when the slave-girl in waiting brought me a slop- basin full, no glass being used in this house. The supper was abundant, and well dressed. The conversation turned upon some of the beasts of prey haunting this country, when the Southland farmer gave an account of the depredations lately committed by wolves and wild dogs in his neigh- bourhood, the latter being numerous between the mountains and the coast. Tigers are not often seen; they skulk about the cattle-kraals and in the woods; but wolves roam singly all over the downy or heathy country. The wild dogs go in packs, are very bold and mischievous,' and will attack oxen, horses, and sheep, in spite of watch- men and dogs. Both they and the wolves attack always either from behind or in flank; never in front, as a tiger does. Serpents are more danger- ous to man.
18S
"^ One bed-room, with a hole in the wall in lieu of a window, served all our party. This was the hrst time I had spent a night in the enjoyment ot African hospitality, and my fellow-travellers assured me, of what I was in the sequel sufficiently convinced, that it was much better than I had to expect, when travelling into the interior.
" We were provided in the morning with an ex- ceUent breakfast, consisting of broiled pork, ome- lets, eggs, tea and coffee, with milk and grapes in abundance; and though custom has excluded at- tention to what Englishmen call the comforts, yet there seems to be no want of the necessaries of lite, and no feeling of inconvenience attending the absence of neatness and elegance. ^ " We forded the Sonderend, close to Gaense- Kraal, which at some distance appeared very in- viting, with groves of lofty oaks and pines. They are an additional proof, that had the fost settlers been attentive to the growth of timber both for their own and their children's sake, they would now have had timber and fuel sufficient, and not be uhder the necessity of fetching the former from Plettenberg Bay and the Zitzikamma, and of stripping the country of its bushes to procure the latter. I am convinced, from the experiments made at Gnadenthal and many other places, that whole forests of oak, and other useful timber might be reared in a short space of time, where! ever the soil retains any moisture." At a subsequent period Mr. Latrobe set out '
'ii'i
184
from Gnadenthal on a journey through the eastern settlements, from which part of his journal we have taken the following extracts : —
" It may not be improper, in this place, to give a more detailed account of the mode of travelling in South Africa:— Here are no inns, and in those farm-houses in which a traveller may sometimes, but not always, find quarters for the night, pro- visions are often scarce, and stores not to be pur- chased. In some, not even a room can be had for the party to sleep in, much less beds and other conveniences. Every thing necessary for the ex- pedition must, therefore, be provided, calculating upon the time required for it ; if the journey be long, a baggage waggon is essentially necessary. There are no post-houses where horses may be hired; travellers must therefore have their own horses or oxen. The latter are by far the most useful animals for travelling in this country, for no expense attends the feeding of them, as they pick their own provender in the wilderness, where they either find grass, or eat the tender sprout of the rhinoceros, and other bushes, generally refusing hay or com if even set before them; whereas if horses or mules are employed, a sufficient stock of the latter must be provided. Many travellers sleep in their waggons, but we found it more com- fortable to put up a tent. Cooking utensils are likewise necessary, as all victuals must be dressed in the fields, unless it happens that a dinner or supper may be had at a farm-house, where the
185
people are able and wiUing to entertain and lodge strangers. The roads being in many places ex- cessively bad, stony, and steep, more cattle are wanted than on roads regularly made and kept in repair. There are even places where more than twenty oxen must be employed to drag the wag- gons up the precipitous ascent, and where horses would scarcely be of use. From this account it is plain that arrangements, very different from what are required in Europe, are necessary for a journey in Africa.
" A teani or set of oxen, or horses put to a wag- gon, is called a spann, and those places in the wilderness where halt is made, and the oxen un- yoked, an outspann-place. The oxen are lefl from two to four hours to seek their food and get rest, while the travelling party cook their victuals and take their meals.
Since farms have multiplied, the situation and boundaries of out-spann places have been ap- pointed by government, generally near some river or spring, as the want of water injures the oxen more than the want of provender. A loaded wag- gon requires from 12 to 16 oxen, and a light travelling waggon from 8 to 12. Besides the Hot- tentot driver, who, sitting on the box, directs the whole spanui without reins, merely by means of his long whip, there is always a man or boy em- ployed as a leader. The heathen Hottentots have no mercy upon their draught oxen, and the skin of most of them is cut in all directions by their
186
whips, 80 as to present to the eye the resemblance of net-work. They drive and ride their horses and mules with equal want of feeling, and it is well for them that the Cape horses are a very hardy race.
" Atler a hot ride, we pitched our tent upon a waste called Storm's Valley, near the banks of the Sonderend, without a tree to screen us by its shade from the burning rays of tlie sun. Before us appeared some of the lower class of hills, through which a gap admits the river Sonderend to unite with the Breede Revier. The heat was insupportable (7th March j 1816), and the inside of the tent like an oven. All the butter melted, and on attempting to finish some sketches, the colour dried instantly on the paper without per- mitting any washing.
" After a ride of about four hours we crossed the Leu we Revier near a pleasant farm. Having forded another small stream of brackish water, we proceeded towards Zwellendam, where we arrived after being enveloped in a dense fog, followed by a heavy rain.
" The town or village of Zwellendam lies scattered, and consists of several single houses, or rows of buildings, connected with each other, without much regularity. The number of inliabitants is said to be about 300.
" As we left Zwellendam, the views to the south became more extensive, and the mountains to the north assumed a milder character, till the view
187
of the high range was intercepted by lower hUls. Farms are not numerous in this part of the country. We crossed several brooks, and regretted to see a good deal of water, that precious fructifying agent in this dry land, running to waste, though the vallies appeared capable of culture. But the land allotted to each farm occupies so large a tract of country, and labourers are so scarce, that some apology may be made for tlie inhabitants. Since the slave trade has been abolished, and the slaves remaining in the colony are sold at m enormous price, particularly if they are skilled in- any art, the services of the Hottentots are more wanted in the cultivation of the land. Thus they have been taught to know their own value, and will no longer submit to the treatment they formerly received. Being both by the Dutch and English laws a free nation, they cannot be compelled to serve an unjust or tyrannical master, and it is solely owing to their natural indolence that many of them remain in poverty and misery.
" Our road lay through a valley, and as long as it was light, we feasted our eyes on the delightful scenery, till we reached the farm of Mr. Van Ass, in Groot Vader's Bosch. This was the first boor's house, to which we had recourse for a night's lodging. When we produced the landrost's order foi Forspann*, Mr. Van Ass made many difficulties, complaining, that it put him to great incon-
• f^orspann means a relay of oxen.
188
venience to harbour and forward us ou our journey j that he had no beds, and could render us no assistance in providing supper, though there were ten, or more, slaves and Hottentot maids in his kitchen, unemployed. At length he showed us into a room, where we might put down our mat- trasses, and even agreed that we might have the use of the kitchen fire. Finding us satisfied with his arrangements, he brightened up a little, and entered into conversation with civility. As it turned out a wet night, our Hottentots slept in
the tent.'
" A thick fog covered the mountains, but while we were at breakfast it cleare^i av/ay, and pre- sented to our view a charming landscape.
" The Groot Vader's Bosch is a forest retained by government, the trees growing chiefly in the kloofs and vallies, which intersect the high range of mountains. As we proceeded, the appearance of the coui :y grew less interesting. Very few farms are s^en in the wide waste towards the south. Some plovers were the only birds, and an antelope the only quadruped we saw during several hours ride. The low hills are covered with aloes, and the vales rich in bushes, chiefly of the mimosa kind.
"At two o'clock we reached Mr. Lombard's farm on Duyvenhoek's Revier; it is well built, and situated upon a rising ground, commanding a fine prospect across the river towards the moun- tains. The walls of the hall, which is the common
189
room of the family, were decorated with French prints, more highly finished in their execution than decent in their subjects.
" Both in approaching to and leaving this farm, we had to cross the Duyvenhoek's Revier, which, by some partial rain on the hills, had acquired both depth and rapidity. The road to our next station was interesting only by a full view of the grand ridge of mountains, which here assumed a different character, appearing in detached parties, with a high peak towards the west, and a pre- cipitous descent to the east.
" About six in the evening, we arrived at Mr. Piet Du Preez's farm, where we met with a cordial reception. We found two English dragoons here, who informed us that in consequence of the cap- ture and punishment of five of the boors, engaged as principals in the late rebellion, the people in the Langekloof were ill-disposed towards the English, and very sulky.
" We lefl this hospitable mansion early in the morning ; the house is well built, and the farm extensive. We passed through several pretty vales, full of shrubs and low wood. About noon we arrived at Zeckoegat, on Vat Revier, a large farm belonging to Mr. Cobus Du Preez. An avenue of noble oaks leads up to the house. The buildings are substantial, and surrounded by rich plantations, unlike most of the farmers* dwellings in this country. After dinner, Mr. Du Preez walked with u§ into the grounds, where orangesv
190
lemons, figs, peaches, and other fruits, grow in rich abundance. This is owing to the quantity of water, by which he is able to irrigate all his orchards, gardens, and vineyards.
" After a ride of nearly four hours we forded the Gowritz Revier, which here has a sandy bed, en- closed between low, heathy hills. The descent to the river is very steep. We passed between two farms, both of which had received orders to furnish oxen. But we were again disappointed, and obliged to encamp ; meanwhile Mr. Melville found an old friend, Mr. Peterson, the Govern- ment-Surveyor of the district of George, who gave us no hopes of finding any unoccupied land, suitable for a missionary settlement, either near George, or in Mossel Bay.
** We now proceeded towards Mossel Bay, and got on with speed. The country through vjrhich we travelled was uninteresting. We passed by a farm belonging to Mr. Alexander (Secretary to the Governor), and turning to the left, towards the coast, soon came in sight of the buildings erected by government in* the bay. On our arrival, we were very civilly received and hospitably en- tertained by Mr. Abue, the store-keeper. While preparing dinner, I took a walk to the sea-shore. The rocks consist chiefly of sand-stone, coloured in some places by iron or manganese, with veins of quartz. Mr. Abue showed us the premises, and went with us into the king's store-house, built as a deposit for corn, to be purchased at a
m
fixed price from the fermers, and shipped off to Cape f own for government use. Though the benevol^t intention of government to furnish a
ritd " t""" ^'' ""' ''•*'««*er been
fdfiUed, since the latter think the price given not a sufficient reward for their trouble in raising and dehvenng the Com. yet by some arrangement It « hoped that the settlement in Moslel Bay
„7 h T •" ""« the means of disposing 01 the produce of the country. The coasts of the bay_are bushy and iloes grow in great abundance on the surrounding hills.
"WeleftMosselBay.andwentontoHartenbosch. rhe road was bad, and led through a forest of arge bushes of various kinds, among which we ^rted some wild peacocks, and an antelope.
settled by Sir J. Craddock. when governor of toe Cape. The town has about 100 inhabitants.
t!.K ^T^ "\*'"' '*""'=■' ^'Sk> f'^y ''*»"'• de- t^hed from each other by intermediate gardens.
and form a broad street facing the drosdy. or landrost s mansion, from which, turning in a right angle towards the south, another street has been begun containing the church, parsonage, and chool-house. The town is watered, rather scantily, by the Zwart Revier, a small stream from the ".ountams. but which, unlike others, flows both in the dry and rainy season.
19S
II
We were favoured with fine, dry weather, without which few travellers will ventute to cross the defiles of Kayman's Gat and Trekata Kow.
" We rose before sunrise, vainly hoping to reach Melkhout Kraal, Mr. Rex's house on the Knysna, before dark. In an hour and a half we arrived at the Veld-cornet's house. Our breakfast con- sisted of excellent white bread and butter, sweet milk, wild honey of delicious flavour, peaches, and pears, served up in the old patriarchal style.
" From hence our road lay along the dedivity of a hill : the mountains, with their numerous woody glens, following each other in succession, appeared to great advantage, till we arrived at a farm on the Zwart Revier. The ford over the river has a deep muddy bed, through which we plunged rather unpleasantly; the waggons were emptied, and their contents, as well as ourselves, brought across the stream in a species of canoe, made of one im- mense tree. We forded the Gow-comma river at a place darkened by the shade of large trees, and arrived safe at a farm where we were treated with bread and thick milk. Leaving this place, we passed along a low hill, and, by a turn of the road, were unexpectedly treated with a view of the In- dian ocean, the estuary of the Knysna, and Mr. Re^'s farm at some distance beyond it. The out- spann place was in a romantic situation near the ford, on all sides enclosed by woody hills, the river (Knysna) flowing at the foot of those to the east. While we were at supper, and for some
193
time during the early part ofthe night, we were treated with a horrid serenade by wolm onT oppos.te h.U. These creatures, as also tigers, are said to be numerous in this woody part of tf.e countty We were not without fears about the safety of our oxen, which were feeding loose near our encampment.
" At one o'clock in the morning we were roused by our drivers, who were anxious to proceed, as we had the Knysna and another river to cross be- fore we could reach Mr. Rex's house, both being fordable only at low.water. Fording the Knysna required skill in our drivers, for the river was both deep and rapid. Having crossed both rivers m safety, we encamped, and got a dish of coftee. Ih*. views towards the estuary of the Knysna de- iighted us, whenever an opening in the woods and iiigh bushes permitted us to see them. At nine o'clock we arrived at Melkhout Kraal, and were cordially welcomed by Mr. Rex.
" The next morning we left Melkhout Kraal ; the road was uneven, but presented charming views ot the surrounding country. For some miles the forest extends from the range of high mountains, iorming the northern boundary ofthe bay to the sea coast. This region is called the Port.
" The immense forests of Plettenberg Bay are not without inhabitants. Elephants, buffaloes, tigers, wolves, and wild boars, having little to dread from man, find here shelter. They seem to have chosen their ground, some preferring the
194
coast and others the mountains. Thus, if not fol- lowed into their haunts, they are not often seen by the traveller, especially during the day, and we were never amused by the gambols of tigers or leopards near the road. A few partridges were put up, and some of them shot; but passing through these woods, nothing is heard of that cheerful chirping and singing of birds, that busy hum of flying insects, with other symptoms of ani- mated nature, which delight and inspirit the tra- veller through the forests of England and the European continent.
" We proceeded to a spot called JackaPs Kraal, which had been recommended to us as suitable for a settlement. To us it appeared, in various re- spects, an eligible situation ; there is abundance of water, and land enough for about 500 persons. It is probable the soU might be so much improved, as to produce every necessary article of subsist- ence, though some place of change, at certain seasons of the year, would be required for the cattle. Conveyance from the Cape is rendered easy, by ships sailing to Plettenberg Bay.
«* Having forded the Wittedrift, a brook running into the Kierbooms Revier, we began to ascend the heights, from which we had a full view of its course and of Plettenberg Bay. The vessel re- gularly employed to convey timber to the Cape lay at anchor not far from the shore. The bay, however, being exposed to the south-east, from whence the wind generally blows with violence,
193
makes it unsafe for any vessel to lie in it longer tnan necessity requires, otherwise it affords great convenience to the inhabitants to have commu- nication with the Cape by water.
" It was quite dark before we arrived at a farm, the possessor of which, after some hesitation, per-
in the field before his house.
" After breakfast we set out, and soon entered upon roads not easily described, so as to give to Englishmen an adequate idea of them. How tliese Afncan waggons can bear such thumpinfr bouncing, twisting, and screwing between rocks and large masses of broken stones, irregularly piled upon each other, is almost beyond belief iJut the Creator has mercifully provided for the wants of men in all countries. Here grow several species of wood, so hard and likewise so tough that an axle-tree made of it will bear more than an iron one of twice its thickness.
" In about two hours we reached the Pardekop (Horses Head) mountain, over the very summit of which we had to pass. We had now arrived among kloofs and low hills, each of which, how- ever would have obtained the name of mountain in the midland counties of England. They are uniform y vejy steep, and the ravines dividing them fuU of huge stones, rocks, and bushes. One must see such a- wild and trdy horrid region as we passed through, to have u^ ; conception of it. it IS in vam to attempt to describe it. We were
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196
highly favoured in our passage of the Pardekop into the Lange Kloof. Had it rained, we might have been detained among the mountains several days, as is the fate of many a traveller. The people belonging to a waggon we met on the road informed us that they had been three days on the journey, and had the misfortune twice to
overset.
->* Barren as these mountains in general appear, they yet afford a rich harvest for thj botanist, and we found several curious plants, i nknown to our best botanist, Mr. Melville. Elephants, wild boars, wolves, and tigers, as likewise baboons, haunt these desolate regions : but we saw only a few roebucks, and antelopes.
"About five o'clock we arrived at Klip Revier, and were welcomed by a friendly farmer : some friends of our host were here, and dined with us. Their conversation turned upon that never-failing subject of complaint against the English govern- ment, the new taxes, and the measuring and valuing of the lands.
" We set out after breakfast, passing over rough roads, into the narrower part of the Lange Kloof, properly so called, being a vale of perhaps 100 miles in length, enclosed by mountains of different heights. On entering upon it we ielt not a little disappointed. We were no longer amused with a magnificent show of peaks, tajkle-mountains, or round tops in succession, but saw a long ridge of comparatively low hills, divided, as above de-
197
scribed, by narrow, parallel kloofs, without wood or water, skirting a dull, uncultivated vale. On one of the hills we descried a company of ba- boons: they at first seemed to wait our approach, but soon retreated in haste towards the summit. In vain we looked for the rich country and pleasant farms described by some travellers; and after pass- ing several mean looking houses, halted on the waste.
" After breakfast we walked up to a farm-house, and took a view of the premises. The poor farmer was so much alarmed at the expense of measure- ment and taxation, that he offered to dispose of his place at 1200 rix-dollars. It has many ad- vantages, and water in abundance brought by a shte^ or canal, from a considerable distance, and lying so high, that all the grounds may be irri- gated with ease, and a mill supplied by it. The house was in ruins, and one miserable room con- tained the whole family. In the grounds stood a remarkably large wide spreading oak, bamboos of very stately growth, and a great number of orange, lemon, peach, and other fruit-trees, but all ne- glected, and going to decay. In former days the place was kept in good order, avenues of trees and hedges still remaining. The lands belonging to the farm extend for a considerable way, both up and down the river, and appeared to us well adapted for the growth of corn and grass. But there is an objection to this place for a missionary station, which, in our view, was an insuperable
198
one. It licB on the high-road ; the inhabitant is continually annoyed by calls, and put to great expense, by entertaining all travellers without ex- ception J and though African hospitality is by no means what some have described it to be, but the traveller is often turned out, and sometimes pre- fers to encamp upon the waste, or in the field, yet every one thinks himself at liberty to enter any house on the road, and sit down to talk.
" We set off about ten o'clock, keeping for many miles along the banks of the Kromm Revier, in a narrow vale, in which, now and then, we met with some picturesque scenery. We passed two farms, deserted, as we were informed, by the pos- sessors, on account of their inability to pay for measurement and taxation.
" The Chamtoos is a considerable river. Its stream is clear and sweet, and we regaled with a good draught of these waters. All accounts agree that every habitable spot on this river is occupied, and the poor Hottentots have even been deprived of their right to a place on Klein Revier, which a former governor had reserved for them.
" No traveller need be afraid of the tiger of this country entering a tent. Unless attacked, or conceiving himself to be in danger, he cautiously avoids meddling with man : whenever met with in an open field, if he has opportunity to escape, he makes off slowly and crouching like a cat ; but if prevented from escaping, is most furious and de- termined in self-defence. The woods about the
199
Chamtoos and Louri Reviers are said to abound with them, and the very appearance of the country suggests the idea of its being a haunt of wild beasts. Cattle are not considered safe, feeding in the woods or fields, and hardly in their kraals or pens. We were delighted with this valley, and visited the farmer's wife, Mrs. Van Roy : she was full of the usual complaints against the govern- ment, and seemed a woman of spirit.
" As we travelled along, we were greatly de- lighted with the variety and the beauty of the prospects that opened to our view. A dragoon had told us that we should soon come into a country looking Hke England, and we found his prediction verified. The so-called Galgenbosch has very much the appearance of an extensive range of parks. We seemed to be passing from one park to another. The elegant mimosa is distributed upon the hiUs, in copses, or stands singly. Here and there a thicket fills a dell, or a wood of large trees a wider glen. Clumps of high trees oma^ ment the sides of the hills. But the habitations of man are very thinly scattered over an immense tract of country,
" After crossing Van Staade's Revier, a clear and rapid stream, we kept for some time along the glen, with a high woody bank on the left side of the river. Several secretary-birds made their ap- pearance. Tliey almost seem to know that they are protected by man, on account of their services
Tljis*
.• m
20()
in destroying serpents and other noxious animals ; they therefore take no pains to escape.
" For several miles the road passes over a dreary waste, after which we entered into a dense thicket, consisting of a vast variety of bushes, intermixed with aloes, Indian figs of different species, and many shrubs and flowers unknown to us. This thicket covers a great extent of country, and the whole of the hills descending into the vale of the Zwartkops Revier.
" Uitenhagen presents itself pleasantly, with its few white houses, and the mansion of the land- rost, at the foot of a range of low hills. A plain extends to the southward. Having crossed the Zwartkops Revier, we reached the village about six o'clock, and pitched our tent on the common, near the beast-kraal and market. Mr. Melville, . who went immediately to the post-office and in search of friends, was every where unsuccessful.
" We drank tea with Mr. Von Buchenrode, a German gentleman, residing here as a merchant. He willingly rendered us every service in his power J and indeed it was well that we found such a generous friend at Uitenhagen, where, as yet, little is to be had, either for love or money.
" We directed our course towards a range of woody hills, and into a valley through which the Witte Revier runs into the Sunday's river. The river (Sunday) which we crossed several times, at fording-places, runs with a rapid stream over a
201
stony bed, here and there dipping under heaps of stones. As this was not the rainy season, there appears to be, at all times, a sufficiency of water for every purpose, with fall enough, either to work a mill, or to be led into any part of the more level ground. Both in and out of the woods we dis- covered abundant traces of elephants. 7!«** After again several times crossing the bed of the river, we entered upon the premises belonging to Mr. Scheper, junior. The farm Hes in a most romantic situation, at the bottom of an amphi- theatre of lofty hills. It would be tedious to attempt to particularize all the various beautiful objects surrounding this place, but we all agreed that it was one of the most singular spots we had seen during the whole journey. The old farm- house was demolished by the Caffres, about 15 year?; agoj the present dwelling is a hovel, not much better than a Hottentot's bondhoek. We met with a friendly reception from Mr. S. Some dragoons were stationed here, who also seemed pleased with a visit from their countrymen. If this delightful spot were situated in a country where protection might be had from wild beasts, and still wilder men, it would be coveted by every lover of fine scenery, and fetch a high price ; but here it is of little value, as long as the un- happy disturbances between the boors and the Caffres continue to exist, even when no actual war is carried on. Mrs. Scheper, who was a person of better appearance and manners than
202
many of her class, grew eloquent in describing their situation : " What signifies," said she, " our building a good house to live in, and substantial and expensive premises, in a place like this, when, before we are aware, the Caffrcs push through the wood, set all on fire, and murder those who cannot save themselves by flight ? Again, what pleasure can we have in a fine garden, when, afler all our trouble, the elephants descend from the kloofs, break through fences and railings, as if nothing was in their way, pull up or tear to pieces our trees, trample down or devour all our crops, and lay the whole garden waste ? No ! we must make shifl as well as we can ; and the less we have to lose, the less we have to regret." She seemed to speak from a feeling of much unhappiness in being obliged to dwell in such a country. This beautiful valley is indeed at present the habitation of several wild animals, but would cease to be so, if inhabited by any number of human beings. The elephant and rhinoceros consider large bushes no more as impediments to their progress than a man does tufts of grass in a field. They are not to be stopped by common fences or palings, a id walk unconcerned through the thickest unde^ wood, in a straight line, tearing up or pressing du^p n' :n stout thorn bushes as thick as a man s leg. Of this we saw frequent proofs in the Witte Revier valley. If, therefore, a settlement were made hert , ihe first settlers might certainly be in danger ui f'j nctimes having their gardens and fields in-
^03
vaded, and even trodden down or grubbed up by these animals, and perhaps suffer other losses by ravenous beasts, who have hitherto considered the valley as their patrimony. But in a few years the mischief would gradually cease, and these creatures retire from the habitations of man j which they are always known to do.
" We left this beautiful spot, and proceeded to Kou! :.ey, where we were hospitably entertained by the fuiiner, and a company of infantry stationed Jicre.
" We set out about nine o'clock, and arrived, by an uninteresting road, at Sand Vlachte, a farm in a dreary flat, with mean looking cottages, out-houses, and Hottentots* huts. Soldiers were quartered here as security against the Caffres, whose depredations were conducted at this time with great boldness. The military live :n huts, constructed of reeds and bushes.
" We now proceeded towards the Zuurberg, and after some time entered a woody country. After quitting the wood, we found ourselves on a barren heath, from which the prospect was very extensive, and we could trace our route nearly all the way from Uitenhagen. About two in the afternoon v'O reached Commadocha, a military post, lately forsaken. The place was surrounded by a mud wall and ditch. The wall had loop-holes, and small bastions at the angles, sufficient to resist any attack of undisciplined Caffres. The whole situation, with the surrounding country, looked
204
dreary and comfortless in the extreme ; and having rested half an hour, we proceeded to another military post. Being in want of several articles, we procured them from the contractor, whose shop was situated on the other side of the vale. "We took our leave, and the road being good, arrived in about two hours at the post near the banks of the Great Fish river, the boundary between the colony and Caffraria. Having pitched our tent not far from the kraal, we spent the night quietly, though we afterwards heard, that, on that very day, the Caffres had stolen 50 head of cattle from the neighbouring farm, and that several boors and soldiers were in pursuit of the thieves. This part of Caffraria presents itself with hills of moderate height, and a smooth outline. The plain next the river, and ascent towards the hills, are studded with the mimosa, and seem to be good grazing ground.
" At sunset we arrived at a farm, where we were civilly received, and procured a lad to show us the way to Somerset, the residence of Dr. Mackrdl, in Bruntjes Hocgte, which place we reached late at night, and received a cordial welcome.
" There is a store here, under the superintend- ency of Dr. Mackrill, containing iron and tin- ware, cloth, pots and pans, &c. Government, in promoting this speculation, had a benevolent de- sign; wishing to promote confidence among the neighbouring Caffres, and other tribes, who, being
205
in want of such articles, might purchase them by- barter or otherwise. Dr. Mackrill formerly cul- tivated tobacco here, which during the American war had risen to an enormous price ; but the war ceasing it was discontinued, and corn is the principal product at present.
" Our company returned from the Witte Revier. Their report was very satisfactory : the Hottentots were much pleased with the situation, and de- clared that a settlement might be made there with every convenience required by a Hottentot congregation, there being much sweet grass, which, in their opinion, is a point of the first consideration*.
" During our journey homeward we again visited our old friends, Mr. and Mrs. Van Roy. In the course of our stay, the conversation turned upon the English. Mr. Van Roy spoke as a friend to them, but regretted they were losing their po- pularity in the colony, by taxation, and the mode of settling the quit-rents. He thought it hard that when a man had done every thing in his power to improve his farm, by making water- courses for irrigation, clearing land, &c. that those very improvements should tell against him, and he be charged a higher rent than his neigh- bour, who was an indolent man, suffering his estate to go to decay, when, in fact, it was better land, and more productive, and therefore more able to bear the burden. " But,** added he, " we
* It appears that the land on the Witte Revier was sub- sequeatiy granted to the Moravians.
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would bear taxation, if the English would only keep a large military force in the country, as by that means we should obtain a ready sale for our corn and produce, and have wherewith to pay, but now they are withdrawing their troops." As staunch friends to our country and its govern- ment, we heard this man*s very sensible remarks with concern, an(^ wished that means might be devised, consistent with the just and benevolent disposition of our present administration, to grant relief, and make the occupation of this land by the British considered a blessing, and not a curse, as we have sometimes heard it called."
The following additional particulars are extract- ed from the several works upon this colony that have been published within the last few months*.
* The compiler of this work has to regret that the writers upon the Cape of Good Hope afford so little of that particular species of information most useful to the settler, such as the prices of provisions, &c. Even among the late numerous publica- tions, though written purposely for the emigrant, this subject is scarcely adverted to any further than stating, in general terms, that " provisions are cheap ;" but what is cheap to one may not be so to another, and the reader is as little able to form any correct idea as ever. The majority of these books, indeed, are chiefly composed of extracts from the work of Mr. Barrow, which though, undoubtedly, by far the best hitherto published, yet, it must be recollected, was written twenty years since ; and although this period can [create but little or no change in the general features of the country, it is otherwise with the prices of provi- sions.
207
" Cape Town now contains about 2000 houses. You can land from the shipping in the bay at any part of the beach, which is bordered by a long street nearly a mile in length. Several of the streets have small canals of water running through them, quayed and walled in, which, with the regular rows of trees, and the uniformity of the streets, have a very fine effect : they are kept in tolerably good order ; a few of the principal ones are paved, and the rest are firm and hard, from the nature of the soil, which is a solid bed of sandy clay, covered lightly with a reddish gravel. The dust is at times very disagreeable, and flies about in large quantities. Within these few years many of the houses have been built in the English style.
" The spring months are by far the most agree- able and temperate, being equally free from the damp fogs of winter and the parching and op- pressive heats of summer. During this agreeable period, which continues nearly four months, the colonists undertake their journies to their settle- ments in the interior.
" The vines are not suffered to grow up or
With respect to the probable prices of these articles in the in- tended settlement between the Sunday and the Great Fish rivers it is impossible to form any precise idea : clothing, groceries, and such articles as must be procured from Cape Town, will, of course, be proportionably dearer than at that place, until the new settlements become of sufficient magnitude to hold a direct mercantile communication with the countries from which these articles are derived.
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spread out their branches, except one or two par- ticular species, which produce the grapes used at table, or dried for raisins ; the other plants are re- gularly pruned, and never suffered to grow more than three feet high : they have the appearance of low currant bushes.
" The wines made at the Cape are of various qualities, but generally inferior to those of Eu- rope, owing rather to want of attention to the cul- ture and nature of the plant than to any natural defect in the quality of the grape.
** The cultivation of tobacco now promises to be very successful : a Mr. Moody, an English- man, lately sent a large sample of this article from the district of Zwellendam to Cape Town, which brought a very high price." — Ross.
" The healthiness of the air, in every district of the colony, is known to all who have breathed it, and has never been called in question ; nor are there any prevailing fevers, nor what may be called seasoning disorders that attack strangers settling in this part of the world.
" Provisions are very cheap: even in Cape Town the price of a sheep is from three to four rix dollars, and in the country districts, from which Cape Town is supplied, they are sold at half that price. ,
" The price of wheat is uncertain, varying
209
from five to ten, and in seasons of great scarcity to twenty rix dollars, or more, the muid ; but the ordinary average price is seven. The unsettled price of corn at the Cape is not to be wondered at, when the present farmers seldom trouble them- selves about growing more than may be necessary for their domestic consumption, although possess- mg immense tracts of land capable of producing more than a hundred times the present quantity. '" The facility with which the necessaries of life are procured has, perhaps, been the first cause of that indolence and want of energy which has always been considered as a principal feature in the character of the present inhabitants, overwhom a British emigrant, by carrying with him the in- dustry and knowledge of his own country, would have a thousand advantages ; and would be the means of bringing to light the real resources of . the country, and of turning to profit many valua- ble productions which are now passed by unob- served, or ignorantly supposed to be of no value.
" Zuurveld isthesputhernpart of the new district of Albany, near one hundred miles long and eighty broad. The centre of this district is at the dis- tance, eastward of Cape Town, of seven hundred miles by the road; of eighty from the village of Uitenhage ; and a hundred and eighty from the village of GraafFReynet. The frontier towards - the CafFres is protected by a military force sta- tioned at various fortified posts along, or in the vicinity of the Great Fish River. This river, at
p
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'•'m
• ''ill
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its mouth, is as broad as the Thames below Lon- don ; but it is Aot navigable many miles upwards, and its entrance is choked up by a bar of sand.
" The head quarters of the troops stationed on the frontier was fixed in the northern part of this district, and has by degrees become a permanent village, the residence of the landrost or deputy landrost of Albany ; and has received the name of Graham's Town.
♦« For the purpose of giving an idea of the rate of travelling at the Cape of Good Hope, it may here be mentioned, that the journey from Cape Town to the Great Fish River cannot be per- formed in much less time than a month, in wag- gons drawn by oxen, the usual mode of tra- velling ; even with the assistance of a double or treble team, and with the least possible loss of time. But by the aid of relays obtained along the road from stage to stage, under the authority of a government requisition, it may, of course, be done in a shorter time. A waggon, with its ap- purtenances, costs, when new, 700 rix dollars; and a team of ten oxen, 300, or 350. The cus- tomary wages of a Hottentot, in the country, is from two to five rix dollars per month, besides food and lodging.
" It is remarkable, that in the whole Cape co- lony, excepting the Peninsula, there is not one village immediately upon the coast; although ships may land and take in cargoes of colonial produce at several places. To the want of a
211
market and outlet, for the produce of those dis- tncts which are too distant from Cape Town to end the.r articles by land, may be partly ascribed the ismchnatjon of the boors to grow more than sufficient for the,r own consumption , although it must be confessed that the government corn ma- gazme, erected at Mossel Bay. for the puroose of recemng any quantity of corn at a fixed price, has hitherto been no inducement for the boors to cultivate more land ; nor have they manifested the east inclination to take advantage of the oppor- tunity It presents for increased industry.
" Algoa Bay, where there is a fort and a party of military, is now indeed much more frequented by transport vessels from Cape Town ; the voyage being from five to eight days. It is the sea-port of the vdlage of Uitenhage; which place lie, at the distance of twenty miles inland.
" Piettenberg's Bay is visited constantly by a colonial vessel for timber, which is cut in the sur- rounding forests. Although, with abundance of materials close at hand, it would cost but a triflinc sum to build a safe wharf or landing-place, the attempt has never been made, notwithstanding the graves of some English persons, drowned in land- ing, and buried on the beach, stand a melancholy proof of the necessity of constructing something of this kind. At Algoa Bay there are several graves of our countrymen who have lost their lives in the same way.
" The fine harbour of the Kiiysna, notwithstand-
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ing its dangerous entrance, has several times lately been entered by ships, which have sailed out with cargoes of timber ; and could it be possible to re- move the sunken rocks at its mouth, it would be the most eligible and delightful spot in the whole colony for a town, which in time would probably rival Cape Town in size and commerce ; having, besides its central situation, many advantageous circumstances to contribute to its prosperity.
" The Hottentots are excellent shepherds, and found to be admirably expert in the management
of oxen.
« To introduce the practice of well-digging ge- nerally into the Cape colony would be to double the value of this part of Africa, as a habitable land : and it is not to be accounted for on any reasonable grounds, that the boors have made no more attempts to supply themselves with water by such means, than if they were totally ignorant of there being such a practice in any part of the
world." BURCHELL.
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MEMORANDA.
Hints for the Information of the AgriculturiBt at the Cape, {extracted from Rosa's Calendar.)
January.
Second Summer Month.
• Ist. Cabbage must be planted in a moist soilj also French beans, turnips, radishes, celery, leeks, and black radishes sown : the brown lettuce to be transplanted, late cucumbers laid; if these do not set well, they should be topped. Cauliflower to be transplanted in a dry soil : cauliflower seed sown for an after crop. •
The abovementioned vegetables must be well watered until they grow.
This is the hottest month of the year, and the south-east winds most powerful j occasionally there may be some rain : Turkey beans are to be planted 1| inch deep.
7th. The grafted trees, which begin to shoot, must be pruned, and cut off one inch above the graft. The vineyard should be diligently watched, to prevent the birds from injuring it.
This, and the succeeding month, is the best season for cutting rushes for thatching, because they are then in their full growth : they should be tied in bundles, and carried off the land. This is also the month for burning the fields.
14th. The rams should be put to the ewes, for the lambs to drop in the months of May, June, and July, when there will be grass for them, and the ewes be able to keep up their milk ; for
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it has been observed, timf if lliey come in later, iii a dry season, both ewcH and lambs have died by hundreds for want of grass.
Fetl'mg of Timber for Jiuiltling. — Keurboom and beecli in Ja- nuary. Oak in March or April j the other Cape timber all the year round.
Febkuaby.
Third and last Summer Month,
Ist. Turnips, radishes, Dutch cabbage, salad, in moist land : carrots and parsnips to be sown in dry land ; must be watered in the evening. Cabl)agc and cauliflower in u dry soil ; celery, leeks, French beans, brown lettuce, and endive, must be sown and transplanted into moist land.
7lh. The south-cast wind blows hard this month ; but now and then a gentle rain refreshes the soil. Turkey beans planted in October, November, and December, are now ripe.
14th. Melons and water melons begin to ripen. Care should be taken that the birds do not destroy the grapes that are ripe.
23d. Carrot seed now sown does well : it is best to sow it with a declining moon, as also most of the small herbs. Peas and Turkey beans can be planted with a growing moon, so as to make them run well in November.
During the whole of this month, the corn must be weeded. Turnips sown this month remain during the whole of the rainy season, and even until October, without running to seed. The Acid may still be burnt, but it is late.
March.
First Autumn Month.
1 St. To have early green barley for forage, it should be sown during this month, on well manured land.
If the plough cannot work, then the seed sown upon the ma- nure should be covered in with the spade or mattock. During this month, Dutch cabbage seed should be sown in a moist soil, to bo transplanted in the month of May ; about the full moon, early chervil, parsley, spinach, white beet, red and white salad^
<21.5
oairots, all in moist land ; beans, peas, sulud, celery, leeks, and sugar-peas, planted to liavc an early crop.
7tli. European cabbage seed sown and transplanted now, roincs to good head in October. Sow turnips in a good dry soil. Trans- |)lant lettuces. March and April are the best months to destroy the couch grass in the vineyards. Melons are now ripe. This is the season for gathering the graiies and making wine.
14th. Experience shows that the scab in orange trees is occa- sioned by a want of water and manure ; it is, therefore, ad- visable to open the ground about tiic stem of all sorts of orange trees, to clean away the thin fibre roots, and to lay on a coat of cow-dung. It must not be omitted to prune the trees, and to cut out the dead wood. The farmer now is busy in keeping his corn clean j if there is any land still to be broken up, choose a tine hot day.
21st. Lemon, citron, and orange trees ought to be planted at least twenty-five feet apart, and from all other trees or plants, in a very good soil, which shouhl be annually manured, and the ground well dugj otherwise, the trees growing from the seed die, while their roots spread themselves in the ground: when they stand too close together, they rob each other of nourishment, and jMjrish, or gfet what is called the scab.
ApRit,. Second Autumn Month.
1 St. To have large onions, they ought to be sown in this month on new and well manured landj in dry weather they must be watered.
AVhitc salad, early carrots, turnips, spinach, radishes, mus- tard, chervil, European savoy, catbage, lentils, beans, peas, and potatoes sown.
7th. To have cauliflowers out of season, the seed should be sown from the middle of April till the beginning of May in rich land ; when transplanted in June and July, they come to head iu August and September.
14th. The violence of the tsouth-cast wind begins to moderate.
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216
If there is any rain, small herbs may be sown ; likewise salad, parsley, bcet,';spmacli, and chervil.
21 St. Melons, lemons, apples, and pears, are now ripe.
Ditches and ponds must now be opened : during this month all the corn should be thrashed out, or it must be kept over.
28th. The land must now be dunged at the rate of forty loads per morgen, ;nd, if possible, ploughed.
May. Third and last Autumn Month.
l8t. Cauliflower, Dutch cabbage, red and white salad, sown in March, can now be transplanted, about the full moon.
Sugar and other peas to be planted in a dry soil j when broad beans and red beans begin to blow, they must be topped. Car- rots, turnips, onions, salad, parsley, aniseed, coriander, spinach, peas, and beans, should be sown about the full moon ; with a de- dining moon, onions, radishes, endive, carrots, and parsnips, should be transplanted for seed.
7th. Before the carrots are transplanted for seed, they should, after being pulled up, be spread on a loft, and kept there a fort- night or three weeks. The best seed of the cabbage is that which shoots out from the sides and the centre.
14th. Apples, pears, quinces, &c. are now ripe.
21 St. The seed of the Keurboom sown at this season thrives
well.
The land must be ploughed, and sown this month, although
there may be no rain.
28th. This is the calving and yeaning season.
June.
First Winter Month.
1st. In this month it is customary to prune the vines and clear
away the hairy roots : they should be manured every two years :
experience, however, has taught, that to lay the manure round
the stalk is by no means advisable, as it produces insects that
217
are extremely injurious to the vine, it is best to spread the ma- nure over the land.
European cabbage, savoy, and red cabbage, must be trans- planted into good dry ground. Sow carrots.
7th. This mouth the weather is generally fine, and conse- quently proper for sowing both in the fields and in the gardens. Almond trees transplanted at this time grow well. 14th. This is the best season for transplanting trees, particu- larly the natural trees of the country; it should be rainy weather: the south-east wind is seldom felt now ; the north and north-west- winds prevail. This is the time for taking up potatoes. Sow Chinese figs, transplant strawberries, plant almond nuts, the point downwards, also chesnuts, walnuts, and hazel nuts.
Acorns should be gathered when ripe, and immediately planted} those that drop oflf are dry, and therefore not good for planting. If land, on which it is intended to plant trees, is not fit for it, holes should be dug, into which two or three green boughs must be put, covered up with rich mould, and the trees planted therein. 2 1 St. The calving and yeaning season continues. Orange trees, of which the stem is attacked with the scab, must be cut down to the ground ; if the branches only are at- tacked, they must be cut out. Lemon trees require a moist soil, free from saltpetre.
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July. Second fV'mter Month.
1st. About the full moon sow Cape cabbage, to be transplanted in September. All sorts of vegetables must be planted this month for seed. In this and in the next month dig the vineyards.
It is now the proper season to transplant and to graft fruit trees. About the end of the month sow European celery, and, when, the moon declines, sow cauliflower, savoy, red, and other cabbages. *
Plant potatoes in well manured land. If the eyes have shot, each eye should be taken separately and so planted.
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218
7th. When a vineyard is intended to be planted^ it is best to dig the ground to the depth of three feet, and clear it of stones and weeds, and immediately after the shoots are cut, tie tlieui into bundles of a hundred each, and so bury them, until the end of September or the beginning of October, when they are to be taken up, and planted in moist weather ; though they may have shot whilst under ground, those leaves fall off, and new ones bud out.
This is still a proper season for transplanting foreign and native forest trees.
Apples, pears, almonds, peaches, apricots, figs, &c. grow well in low land.
To have late barley the land must now be prepared.
14th. Prune old vine stalks early this month: new vine stalks may be planted in the place of those that have been removed. The vine stalks or sets intended to be planted must be fourteen or fifteen inches in length, and have at least two or three buds j those that have been slipped or torn off from the stalk are the best : they should be planted regularly in a south-east or north- west direction. It has happened, that a vine has borne fruit the same year of its being planted, and that eight hundred old stalks have yielded three leagers of good red wine. It has also hap- pened, that a small bough of an apple tree, being put into the ground, has borne fruit the following year.
21st. When a vine stalk has died, it should not be replaced by a new setj for the old stalks having full possession of the ground, would draw all the nourishment from the new one, and prevent its growing j but a hole, of about a foot deep, should be dug close to the nearest stalk, a branch of the same laid down, and thus covered, that only a couple of inches of it appear. When it is found to grow, then, the year following, it should be cut half through, close to the mother stalk : the second year it should be cut otf quite. If any one wishes to have vines to run up by the side of trees, they should be planted at the same time and close together.
list. About 11
no
August. T/ihd and last Winter Month.
1st. Dig up the vineyards. In this month Dutch cabbage^ cauhflowers, and red cabbage come on.
With a declining moon, sow Cape cabbage, celery, leeks, pars- ley, turnips, chervil, carrots, parsnips, red beet, and early cu- cumber seed. To prepare the land for early cucumber seed, after Its having been dug, and dressed wHh horse dung, and being di- i^ided into rows, the seed should be sown in them. When the cucumbers do not set well, the runners should be topped.
7th. To have cauliflowers out of season, the ground should be well dug and dunged ; sow the seed singly at proper distances, and let the plants gj-ow without transplanting. When the heads are forming, the outer leaves should be tied over them, so as to p>-event the sun from drying them up.
Celery is best sown in this month, so as to be planted out in trenches, well supplied with water, in November and December. 14th. Fruit trees should be grafted a day after the full moon j they will bear the year following. Towards the end of this month plant vine sets. The land intended for a new vineyard should be prepared, and the old vineyards cleaned.
About the middle of this month, orange, lemon, and other Eu- ropean trees should be grafted} about the same time the almond trees begin to get into blossom, being the first trees that blow : about the beginning of the month the vines begin to biii.
Speck trees grow well in fresh ground : transplant guava trees, catsmint, parsley, pempernel, leeks, sorrel, and African anise roots; also cabbages for seed, artichokes, tr>rnips, carrots, pars- nips, and beet root.
Dams and ditches must now be attended to. This is the sea- son to set brooding hens, ducks, and geese.
September. First Spring Month Ist. About the full moon nlaut onions
plant onions, bcuus, water mcloui
220
melons, pumpkins, calabas, cucumbers, celery, early cabbage^ leeks, potatoes, sugar peas, beans. Sow celery, cabbage, carrots, salad, parsley, spinach and beet root. This is the best time for putting small herbs into the ground 3 also French beans : be par- ticular to use tolerably moist land. White beans to be sown in the field.
Moist good land should be well ploughed and dragged in June and July, and then let lie till the middle of September, when it must be properly dunged and ploughed, in order to be sown to- wards the end of the month.
When the beans are seen to turn somewhat blue, they must be well watered } but when they begin to grow, let them be left to ripen without water : the same method must be pursued to get late peas.
The land may be used for two years ; but the third year it is absolutely necessary to sow barley or other corn upon it, other- wise it gets too much overrun with couch.
14th. Asparagus beds. Dig a trench, well supplied with water, raise heaps similar to mole heaps, a foot apart, and put the plants, two or three years old, into them ; when they are dry, let them be well watered.
Indian seeds must be sown towards the end of this month.
21st. African almonds sown in July begin to come up. Plant vines and asparagus. Dig up wild African asparagus to be put into new land.
October. Second Spring Month,
1st. Sow Cape cabbage seed, tarragon, carrots, cauliflower, white salad seed, brown ditto, beet-root, parsley, radishes and turnips. Plant cabbage, beans, celery, onions, potatoes, all in moist land.
Plant pumpkins, melons, and water melons, in ground that has been dug two spades deep.
Now and then there fulls some rain : the garden should be sovni ; the vineyard kept clean ; and if it grows too rank, let the shoots be topped, and the ground be hoed.
S21
15th, No;iris the busy time for the farmer; barley and oats must be harvested.
Potatoes intended to be kept must be put into heaps, covered with earth about three feet high, and left there until the planting season : the potatoes require a black piouid, well manured.
November.
Third and last Spring Month.
1 St. Sow endive, lettuces, cabbage, turnips, and carrots. Plant French beans and pease j celery, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, and potatoes, with full moon. If the cucumbers do not bear, they should be topped : transplant celery shortly after the full moon.
To gather small cucumbers, the seed should be planted about the full moon, in the months of October, November, and Decem- ber j water them when wanted ; never go between the rows by day J when they begin to bear, top them, and gather every three days.
1 4th. Now the south-east wind begins to prevail, and there
falls but little rain : locusts and grasshoppers do much damage.
Prepare the land for cabbages : sow cauliflower seed -, it requires a rich soil.
The vineyard must now be attended to, and the long shoots tied up.
27th. Plant melons and water melons ; sow beet root seed ; also broad beans. Burn the fields.
December,
First Summer Month.
The weather is nearly the same this month as in the pre- ceding i but tbe heat is greater.
fith. Sow turnips, carrots, celery, parsley, cabbage, spinach. Plant cauliflower for an early crop, beans, peas, celery, and potatoes,
12th. Orange, lemon, apple, pear, peach, plum, pomegranate, and other trees, are now grafted.
Of sulphured wine no strong vinegar can be made.
An oven should be built with clay, not with lime; clay resist- ing the fire longer than lime.
222
Wheat is harvested during this month, beginning of it. The field must be burnt this month.
Rye ripens about the
By a proclamation of the 1st of October, 1813, a duty of three per cent, ad valorem was fixed upon the importation of every description of British goods. In the following list, those articles only have been selected which are likely to be carried out by the emigrant, and upon which a certain value has been fixed by go- vernraent, so that the amount of the duty may be easily known at once.
Ale and beer per hogshead
Ditto in bottles, per dozen
Anvils, per cwt.
Beads, per pound
Boots, per pair
Gigs, each
Curricles
Phaetons
Chariots - - .
Clocks, each
Carpeting, English, per yard
Scotch - - .
Turkish, imitation Coals, per chaldron Corks, per cwt, - - .
Fishing nets, per fathom Fowliog pieces, each Flints, per thousand Glue, per cwt.
Window glass, per hundred square feet Gunpowder, per cwt. Garden seeds free Hops, per cwt. Hats, fine beaver, each
Plated
Coarse - - .
Rix dollars, 50
4
12
14
400 800 1000 1000 75 2 1 6 45 20 i.
100 10 12
15
,"5
75 10
5
3
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Hats, Felt or negro
Straw Handspikes, per dozen Iron in bars, per ton Hoops
Pig - - -
Spades, per dozen Shovels Sickles
Smiths' vices per cwt. Lead, sheet, per ton Pig
Shot, per cwt. Nails, per cwt. Oil cloth, per piece Paints and colours, dry, per cwt.
Ground in oils Paper hanging, per roll Plate, of silver, per ounce Shoes, common, per dozen Fine, or dress Ladies Children
Rix dollars.
I
3
12
120
160
50
12
10
8
15
200
150
20
12
10
10
20
2
2
12
36
3d
6
The money in circulation at the Cape is chiefly colonial paper currency, and is as follows.
English. English.
*• ^- s. d.
Stiver |
0 |
I |
Half Rix Dollar 2 0 |
*Doublejee - |
0 |
2 |
Rix Dollar - 4 0 |
Schelling |
0 |
6 |
Four Rix Dollars to a |
t Guilder - |
1 |
4. |
Pound currency. |
* This coin is an old English penny-piece.
+ Tliis is a Dutch silver coin, nearly extinct, but which is quoted in the pur- chase or sale of estates.
224>
The following are the Official Documents that have been published upon the Subject of Emigration to the Cape.
Government Circular.
Dowu,
t, London, 1819.
I have to acquaint you, in reply to your letter of the
that the following are the conditions under which it is proposed to give encouragement to emigration to the Cape of Good Hope. The suflFerings to which many individuals have been exposed, who have emigrated to his Majesty's foreign possessions, un- connected and unprovided with any capital, or even the means of support, having been very afflicting to themselves, and equally burdensome to the colonies to which they have proceeded, the government have determined to confine the application of the money recently voted by address in the House of Commons to those persons, who, possessing the means, will engage to carry out, at the least, ten able-bodied individuals above eighteen years of age, with or without families, the government always reserving to itself the right of selecting from the several oflFers made to them those which may prove, upon examination, to be most eligible.
In order to give some security to the government that the persons undertaking to make these establishments have the means of doing so, every person engaging to take out the abovementioned number of persons or families shall deposit at the rate of ten pounds (to be repaid as hereinafter mentioned) for every family so taken out, provided that the family does not consist of more than one man, one woman, and two children under fourteenjyears of age. All children above the number of two will be to be paid for in addition to the deposit abovementioned, in the proportion of five
225
pounds for every two children under fourteen years of age. and
eighteen ""' '""" ''*""" ^'^ "^^^ ^^ ^-^*-" -d
In consideration of this deposit, a passage shall be provided at
the expense of government for the settlers, who shall also be
v.ct«alle fro. the time of their embarkation until the time
their landing m the colony.
A grant of land, under the conditions hereafter specified, shall be made to him at the rate of one hundred acres for ever; such person or family whom he so takes out, one third of thT sum advanced to government on the outset shall be repaid on landing, • when the victualling at the expense of government shall cease A urther proportion of one third shall be repaid, as soon as it shaU be certified to the governor of the colony that the settlers, under the direction of the person taking them out, are actuali; located upon the land assigned them, and the remainder at the expiration of three months from the date of their location
If any parishes in which there may be a redundancy of popu- ation shall umte in selecting an intelligent individual to proceed to the Cape with settlers under his direction, not less in number and of the description abovementioned, and shall advance money m the proportion abovementioned, the government will grant land to such an individual at the rate of one hundred acres for every head of a family, leaving the parish at liberty to make such conditions with the individual or the settlers, as may be calculated to prevent the parish becoming again chargeable with the main- tenance of such settlers in the event of their return to this country.
But no offers of this kind will be accepted, unless it shall be clear that the persons proposing to become settlers sV U have distinctly given their consent, and the head of each family is not infirm or incapable of work.
It is further proposed, that in any case in which one hundred famihes proceed together, and apply for leave to carry out with them a minister of their own persuasion, government will upon their being actually located, assign a salary to the minister whom
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226
they may have selected to accompany them, if he shall be ap- proved by the secretary of state.
The lands will be granted at a quit rent to be paid, which rent, however, will be remitted for the first ten years j and at the expiration of three years (daring which the party and a number of families in the proportion of one for every hundred acres must have resided on the estate) the land shall be measured at the expense of government, and the holder shall obtain, without fee, his title thereto, on a perpetual quit rent, not exceeding in any case two pounds sterling for every hundred acres j subject, how- ever, to this clause beyond the usual reservations*, that the land shall become forfeited to government, in case the party shall abandon the estate, or not bring it into cultivation within a given
number of years.
I am your most obedient humble servant,
Henby Goulboubn,
P. S. In order to insure the arrival of the settlers at the Cape, at the beginning of the planting season, the transports will not leave this country till the month of November.
No. II.
Memorandum,
Paries wishing for grants in the district appointed by govern- ment f will not be necessitated to make a direct application to his excellency-the governor as in other cases, but it will be sufficient for them to address the landrost, pointing out where they propose to settle, and the authority of the landrost shall be sufficient warrant to the party of the intention of bis Majesty's government in his regard.
• The usual reservations are the right of the crown to mines of precious stones, of gold and silver, and to make such roads as may be necessary for the colony. >
t This is in the Zuur Veid between the Sunday and the Great Fish Rivers. For a description of this part, vide pages 148 and 209.
227
The landrost is, however, to be particularly cautious in the distribution of the ground, so as to preserve waters, that the most extensive accommodation possible may be afforded in that regard to future settlers : the necessity of which must be obvious from the supposed scarcity of springs in the districts in quesUon.
In order likewise to obtain the most accurate information possible with respect to springs in the whole of this district, the landrost is called upon to give the greatest publicity to the pro- clamation issued, offering rewards for the discovery of springs proportioned to their strength.
The landrostwill communicate to thecolonialsecretary,quarterly a list of persons taking lands under this invitation, and describing as accurately as possible the situation of the occupancies
Rl
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No. III.
Dotening-street, London, 1819. Sir,
In reply to your letter of the , I am directed by the
Eari Bathurst to acquaint you, that as the circular letter dis- tinctly specifies the nature and extent of the assistance which will be granted to individuals who may be allowed to proceed as settlers to the Cape of Good Hope ; together with the conditions under which alone that assistance can be given to them- it is only necessary to refer you to that document, and to add, that no proposal can be accepted which is not framed in conformity with the offer of his Majesty's government.
With reference to your particular inquiries respecting the mode in which the views of the settler may be attained, I have to acquaint you that it is not in the Earl Bathurst's power to com- municate to you that species of information which can most pro- perly be afforded by the practical agriculturalist, or obtained upon the spot. -
The settlers will be located in the interior of the colony not far from the coast; and in allotting to them the lands which govern- ment have agreed to grant them, their interests and their wishes
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228
will be consulted and attended to, as far as may be consistent with the public interests of the colony.
The settlers will be enabled to purchase a limited quantity of agricultural implements in the colony at prime cost, although they are not debarred from taking with them a moderate supply of these articles as well as necessaries : and they will find no difl&culty in purchasing seed corn, in the colony.
The settlers will not find habitations ready for their reception. The person under whose direction a party of settlers proceeds is at liberty to secure their services by any legal agreement into which they may think proper to enter.
The new settlement will of course be governed according to the laws in force in the colony.
In conclusion I beg to observe, that it must be left to the per- sons taking out settlers to form their own opinions as to the amount of the pecuniary means with which they should be pro- vided, in order to support the persons placed under their direc- tions and ensure the success of their undertaking.
I am, sir, your most obedient servant,
Henry Goulboubn.
No. IV.
Downing-street, 2Qth August, 1819.
Sib,
In reply to your letter of the 17th instant, I am directed by the Earl Bathurst to acquaint you that he cannot take into con- sideration the wish which you have expressed to be allowed to settle at the Cape of Good Hope, unless you transmit to this department a detailed statement of the number, names, and age of all the persons, men, women, and children, whom you propose to take under your direction to that colony, according to the terms specified in the circular letter j nor unless such statement be accompanied by an assurance that you are ready to conform yourself to all conditions upon which his Majesty's government have offered to grant lands in the colony.
I am, sir, your most obedient servant, Henry GouLBour.N.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
THE colony of New South Wales is situated on the eastern coast of New Holland. This island, which was first discovered by the Dutch in I6l6, lies between 9° and 39° of south latitude, and 108° and 153° of east longitude j and from its immense size seems rather to merit the appella- tion of continent, which many geographers have bestowed upon it. The first colonists, consisting of a division of convicts, marines, &c. under the authority of Captain Arthur Phillip, the governor, disembarked at a place called Sydney Cove in the month of January I788*
If (says Mr. Wentworth) a judgment were formed of this island from the general aspect of the country bordering the sea, it would be pro- nounced one of the most barren spots on the face of the globe. Experience, however, has proved, that such an opinion would be exactly the reverse
* The particular object of this work being that of exhibiting the present state of this colony, the compiler does not consider it necessary to enter into minute details of its progressive improve- ment, from its first establishment. The following description of this island, and of Van Diemen's, is principally extracted from a work lately published by a gentleman of the name of Wentworth, and which indeed is by far the best account we have of these valuable colonies, and should be perused by every person intend- ing to emigrate thitlicr.
, |
-M |
, :j^'!£K i |
|
k |
^230
of truth ; since, as tar as the interior has been explored, its general fertility amply compensates for the extreme sterility of the coast.
The grtater part of this country is covered with timber of a gigantic growth, but of an entirely different description from that of Europe. It is however very durable, and well adapted to all the purposes of human industry.
The only metal yet discovered is iron, which abounds in every part of the country. Coals are found in many places of the best quality. There is also abundance of slate, limestone, and granite, though not in the immediate vicinity of Port Jackson; sandstone, quartz, and freestone, are found every where.
The rivers and seas teem with excellent fish ; but the eel, smelt, mullet, whiting, mackerel, sole, skate, and john-dory, are believed to be the only sorts known in this country.
The animals are, the kangaroo, native dog, (which is a smaller species of wolf) the wombat, bandicoot, kangaroo rat, opossum, flying squirrel, flying fox, &c. &c. There are none of those animals or birds which go by the name of" game" in this country, except the heron. The hare, pheasant, and partridge, are quite unknown j but there are plenty of wild ducks, widgeon, teal, quail, pigeons, plovers, snipe, &c. &c., with emiis *,
* Some of these birds arc so large that governor Hunter in his account of the colony says, " myself and four others dined sump- tuously off the side bone of one of them !" they are of the ostrich, or cassowary, speciefs.
231
black swans, cockatoos, parrots, parroqucts, and an infinite variety of smaller birds which are not found in any other country. In fact, both its animal and vegetable kingdoms are in h great measure peculiar to itself.
There are many poisonous reptiles in this coun- try, but few accidents happen either to the abori- gines or the colonists from their bite ; there are at least 30 species of snake, of which all but one are venemous.
The aborigines of this country have neither houses nor clothing; they are entirely unac- quainted with the arts of agriculture, and even their weapons of defence, and their hunting and fishing implements, are of the rudest contrivance and workmanship. Thirty years intercourse with Europeans has not effected the slightest change in their habits. The colour of these people is a dark chocolate, and their features bear a strong resemblance to the African negro.
;(■ ' '•}'!
SYDNEY.
Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, is situated in 33" 55' of south latitude, and 151° 25' of east longitude. It is about seven miles distant from the entrance of Port Jackson harbour, and stands principally on two hilly necks of land, and the intervening valley, which together form Sydney Cove. The western side of the town extends to the water's edge, and occupies, with the exception
^M^l
g32
pf the small space reserved around Dawes' Bat- tery, the whole of the neck of land which separates -Sydney Cove from Lane Cove, besides extending a considerable distance back into the country. This part of the town, it may therefore be per- ceived, forms a little peninsula; and what is of still greater importance, the water is in general of sufScient depth in both these coves to allow the approach of vessels of the largest burden to the very sides of the rock.
The appearance of the town, until the ad- ministration of governor Macquarie, was rude and irregular, little or no attention had been paid to the laying out of the streets, and each pro- prietor was left to build on his lease where and how his caprice inclined him. He, however, has at length succeeded in establishing a perfect uniformity in most of the streets, and the town upon the whole may be now pronounced tolerably regular. The population is about 7OOO, the houses are for the most part small, and of mean appear- ance, yet there are many public buildings, as well as houses of individuals, which would not disgrace the best p^rts of this great metropolis. Of the former class, the public stores, the general hospital, and the barracks, are the most conspicuous; of the latter, the houses of Messrs. Lord, Riley, Howe, UnJerwood, and Nichols.
The value of land in this town is in many places half as great as in the best situations in London, and is daily increasing. Rents are in
238.
consequence exorbitantly high; it is very far from a commodious house that can be had for 100/. per annum unfurnished.
Here is a very good market, although of recent date. It was established by governor Macquarie in the year 1813, and is very well supplied with grain, vegetables, poultry, butter, eggs, and fruit ; it is held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays ; there are stores erected in it by the governor for the reception of all such provisions as remain unsold at the close of the market, for which the vender pays a small duty.
Here is also a bank, which was established in the year 1817, and promises to be of great and permanent benefit to the colony in general. Its capital is 20,000/. divided into 200 shares ; it has a president and six directors, who are annually chosen by the proprietors. The paper of this bank is now the principal circulating medium of the colony. They discount bills of a short date, and also advance money on mortgage securities • they are allowed to receive in return an interest of 10 per cent, per annum. This town also con- tains two very good public schools for the educa- tion of children of both sexes. One is a day school for boys, and only intended to impart gratuitous instruction; the other is designed both for the support and education of poor and help- less female orphans; when their education is complete, they are either married to free persons -of good character, or are assigned as servants to
234
such respectable families as may apply for them. From 50 to 100 acres of land, with a proportionate number of cattle, &c. are given in dower with each female who marries with the consent of the committee intrusted with the management of this institution.
Besides these two public schools in the town of Sydney, which together contained by the last accounts 224 children, there are similar establish* ments for the gratuitous difiusion of education in every populous district throughout the colony.
There are in this town, and other parts of the colony, several good private seminaries for the board and education of the children of opulent parents. The best is in the district of Castlereagh, about 40 miles from Sydney, and is kept by the clergyman of that district. The boys in this seminary receive a regular classical education, and the terms are as reasonable as those of similar establishments in England.
The Harbour of Port Jackson is perhaps ex- ceeded bv none in the world except the Derwent (Van Diemen's) in point of size and safety, and in this latter particular it is thought to have the advantage. It is navigable for vessels of any burden for about seven miles above the town, i. e. about 15 from the entrance. It possesses the best anchorage the whole way, and is perfectly ^sheltered from every wind that can blow. It is said to have 100 coves, and to be capable of con-
235
taining all the shipping in the world. There can be no doubt, therefore, that in the course of a few years, the town of Sydney, from the ex- cellence of its situation alone, must become a place of considerable importance.
The views from the heights of the town are bold, varied, and beautiful, and the neighbouring scenery is still more diversified and romantic, par- ticularly the different prospects which open upon you from the hills on the south head road im- mediately contiguous to the town, from which you have a view of Botany Bay at the distance of seven or eight miles.
*:r' :aj
PARRAMATTA.
The town of Parramatta is situated at the head of Port Jackson harbour, at the distance of about 18 miles by water, and 15 by land, from Sydney. The river for the last seven or eight miles is only navigable for boats of 12 or 15 tons burden.
This town is built along a small fresh water stream, which falls into the river. It consists principally of one street, about a mile in length. It is surrounded on the south side by a chain of moderately high hills ; and as you approach it by the Sydney road it breaks suddenly on the view when you have reached the summit of them, and produces a very pleasing effect. The adjacent country has been a good deal cleared, and the
236
gay mimosas, which have sprung up in the open- ings, form a very agreeable contrast to the dismal gloom of the surrounding forest.
The town itself is far behind Sydney in respect of its buildings ; but it nevertheless contains many of a good and substantial construction; these, with the church, the government-house, the new orphan-house, and some gentlemen's seats which are situated on the surrounding eminences, give it upon the whole a very respectable appearance. There are two very good inns, where a traveller may meet with all the comfort and accommoda- tion that are to be found in similar establishments in the country towns of this kingdom ; the charges are by no means unreasonable.
The population is principally composed of in- ferior tradesmen, publicans, artificers, and la- bourers, and may be estimated, inclusive of a -company of soldiers which is always stationed there, at about 1200 souls.
There are two fairs held half yearly, one in March, and the other in September: they were instituted about five years since by the present governor, and already begin to be very numerously and respectably attended. There is a school in this town for the education and civilization of the aborigines of the c6untry ; it was founded by the present governor three years since, and by the last accounts from the colony it contained 18 native children, who had been voluntarily placed there by their parents, and were making equal
237
progress in their studies with European children of the same age.
WINDSOR.
The town of Windsor is 35 miles from Sydney, and is situated near the confluence of the South creek with the river Hawkesbury. It stands on a hill whose elevation is about 100 feet above the level of the river at low-water. The public build- ings are a church, government house, hospital, bar- racks, court-house, store-house, and gaol, nore of which are worthy notice : the inn lately established by Mr. Fitzgerald is by far the best building in the town, and may be pronounced, upon the whole, the most splendid establishment of the kind in the colony.
The bulk of the population is composed of settlers who have farms in the neighbourhood, and of their servants. There are besides, a few iri- ferior traders, publicans, and artificers. The town contains in the whole about 600 inhabitants.
The Hawkesbury here is of considerable size, and navigable for vessels of 100 tons burthen, for about four miles above the town ; a little higher up, it is joined by, or rather is called the Nepean river, and has several shallows, but with the help of two or three ferries, it might be rendered navigable for boats of 12 or 15 tons burthen, 20 miles further. Following the sinuosities of the river, the distance of Windsor from the sea is
*iji
^8
about 140 miles, whereas in a straight line it is not more than 35 ; the rise of the tide is about four feet, and the water is fresh for 40 mOes below the town.
Land is about 10 per cent, higher than at Parra- matta, and is advancing rapidly in price. This circumstance is chiefly attributable to the small quantity of land that is to be had perfectly free from the reach of the inundations to which the Hawkesbury is so frequently subject. These in- undations often rise 70 or 80 feet above low- water mark, and in the instance of what is still called " the great flood" attained an elevation of . 93 feet. The chaos of confusion and distress that presents itself on these occasions cannot be easily conceived by any one who has not been a witness of its horrors. An immense expanse of water, of which the eye cannot in many directions discover the limits, every where interspersed with growing timber, and crowded with poultry, pigs, horses, cattle, stacks, and houses, having frequently men, women, and children, clinging to them for protection, and shrieking out in an agony of despair for assistance : such are the principal objects by which these scenes of death and devastation are characterized. These inundations are not periodical, but they most generally happen in the month of March. Within the last two years there have been no fewer than four of them, one of which was nearly as high as the great flood. In the six
upon an a\
239
years preceding, there had not been one. Since the establishment of the colony they have happened^ upon an average, about once in three years.
LIVERPOOL.
The town of Liverpool is situated on the banks of George's river, at the distance of 18 miles from Sydney. It was founded by governor Mac- quarie, and is now of about six years standing. Its population may amount to about 200, and is composed of a small detachment of military, of cultivators, and a few artificers, traders, publicans,^ and labourers. The public buildings are a church, a school-house, and stores for the reception and issue of provisions to such of the settlers in the adjacent distncts as are victualled at the expense of the government; these buildings, however, as might naturally be expected from the very recent establishment of this town, are but little superior in their appearance to the rude dwellings of its inhabitants.
The river is about half the size of the Hawkes- bury, and is navigable for boats of J80 tons burden, as high up as the town. It empties itself into Botany Bay, which is about 14 miles broad, to the southward of the head of Port Jackson. It is subject to the same sort of inundations as the Hawkesbury ; but they are not in general of so violent and destructive a nature. The tide rises about the same height as in that river, and the
240
current is nearly of the same velocity. Land near the town is as yet of very trifling value, and a lease may be obtained by any free person from the government on the simple condition of erecting a house on it.
Society is upon a much better footing through- out the colony in general than might naturally be imagined, considering the ingredients of which it is composed. In Sydney, the civil and military officers, with their families, form a circle at once select and extended, without including the nu- merous highly respectable families of merchants and settlers who reside there : generally speaking, the state of society in these settlements is much the same as among an equal population in the country parts of this kingdom. Of the number of respectable persons that they contain some estimate may be formed, if we refer to the parties which are given on particular days at the govern- ment house. It appears from the Sydney Gazette of the 24th January, 1818, that l60 ladies and gentlemen were present at a ball and supper, which was given there on the 18th of that month, in celebration of her late Majesty's birthday.
There are at present no public amusements in this colony ; many years since there was a theatre, and more latterly annual races : but it was found that the society was not sufficiently mature for ruch establishments. Dinner and supper parties are very frequent in Sydney j and it generally
241
happens that a few subscription balls take place in the course of the year. Upon the whole, it may be safely asserted, that the natural disposition of the people to sociability has not only been in no wise impaired by their change of scene, but that all classes of the colonists are more hospitable than persons of similar means in this country.
There are Jive Courts in this colony,, viz. the Court of Admiralty, the Court of Criminal Judica- ture, the Governor's Court, the Supreme Court, and the High Court of Appeals. The Court of Vice Ad- miralty consists of the Judge Advocate, and takes cognizance of all such matters of dispute, &c. as arise upon the high seas. The Court of Criminal Judicature consists of the Judge Advocate, and six of his Majesty's officers, naval or military.
The governor's court consists of the Judge Ad- vocate, and two inhabitants, and takes cognizance of all pleas where the amount sued for does not exceed 50/. sterling J and from its decision there h no appeal.
The Supreme Court is composed of the Judge of this court, and two magistrates, and its jurisdic- tion extends to all pleas exceeding 50/. sterling. Appeals lie to the High Court of Appeals.
This latter court is presided by the governor himself, assisted by the Judge Advocate, and its decisions are final where the amount does not exceed 8000/. j but where the sum exceeds that amount, an appeal lies to the king in council.
R
S4S
These courts regulate their decisions by ihe law of England, and take no notice whatever of the laws and regulations which have been made at various times by the local government: the • enforcement of these is left entirely to the ma- gistracy, who assemble weekly in the different towns throughout the colony.
The roads and bridges which have been made in several parts of the colony are truly surprising ; all these are either the work of, or have been improved by the present governor ; who has even caused a road to be constructed over the western moun- tains as far as the depot at Bathurst Plains, which is upwards of 180 milgs from Sydney. The colonists, therefore, are now provided with every facility for the conveyance of their produce to market, a circumstance which cannot fail to have the most beneficial influence on the progress of agriculture. To keep these roads in repair, toll- gates are established on the principal ones, and were let, in 1817, for 25?/.
The military force stationed in the colony con- sists of seven companies of the 48th regiment, and the Royal Veteran company; which form, together, an effective body of about 700 firelocks. These have to garrison the two principal settlements at Van Diemen's, to provide a company at the Coal River, and to furnish parties for the various towns and out-posts J so that very few remain at head- quarters. The colony is consequently in need of a further woesiion of military strength.
S4d
The climate of the colony, particularly in the inland districts, is highly salubrious, although the heats in summer are sometimes excessive, the thermometer frequently rising in the shade to 90 and even to 100 degrees and upwards of Fahrenheit. This, however, happens only during the hot winds ; and those do not prevail, upon an average, more than eight or ten days in the year. The mean heat during the three summer months, December, January, and February, is about 80° at noon : this, it must be admitted, is a degree of heat that would be highly oppressive to Europeans, were it not that the sea breeze sets in regularly about nine o'clock in the morning, and blows with considerable force from the N. E. till about six or seven o'clock in the evening: it is suc- ceeded, during the night, by the land breeze, from the mountains, which varies from W. S. W. to W. In very hot days, the sea breeze often veers round to the north, and blows a gale. In this case it continues with great violence frequently for a day or two, and is then succeeded, not by the regular land breeze, but by a cold, southerly squall. The hot winds blow from the N. W. and doubtless imbibe their heat from the immense tract of country which they traverse. While they prevail, the sea and land breezes entirely cease. They seldom, however, continue for more than two days at a time, and are always superseded by a cold, southerly gale, generally accompanied with rain i the thermometer then sinks sometimes as low as
11 2
(50», and a variation of temperature of from 80° to 40° takes place in half an hour. During these three months violent storms of thunder and lightning are very frequent ; and the heavy falls of rain which take place on these occasions tend considerably to refresh the country, of which the verdure, in all but low, moist situations, entirely disappears. At this season the most unpleasant part of the day is the interval which elapses between the cessation of the land and the commencement of the sea breeze. This happens generally between six and eight o'clock in the morning, when the thermometer is, upon an average, at about 72°. During this interval, the sea is as smooth as glass, and not a zephyr is found to disport even among the topmost boughs of the loftiest trees.
The three autumn months are March, April, and May. The weather in March is generally very unsettled : this month, in fact, may be con- sidered the rainy season, and has been more fertile in floods than any other of the year. The thermo- meter varies during the day about 15°, being at day-light as low as 55° to 60°, and at noon as high as from 70° to 75°. The sea and land breezes at this time become very feeble, although they occasionally prevail during the whole year. The usual winds, from the end of March to the be- ginning of September, are from S. to S. W.
The weather in the commencement of April is frequently showery, but towards the middle, it gradually becomes more settled, and towards the
conclusion, perfectly clear and serene. The ther- mometer, at the beginning of the month, varies from 72" to 74" at noon, and from the middle to the end, gradually declines to 66% and sometimes to 60°, In the mornings it is as low as 52°, and fires become in consequence general throughout the colony.
The weather in the month of May is truly de- lightful. The atmosphere is perfectly cloudless, and the mornings and evenings become with the advance of the month more chilly, and render a good fire a highly comfortable and cheering guest. Even during the middle of the day the most violent exercise may be taken without incon- venience. The thermometer at sun-rise is under 50', and seldom above 60° at noon.
The three winter months are June, July, and August: during this interval, the mornings .and evenings are very chilly, and the nights ex. cessively cold. Hoar frosts are frequent, and become more severe the farther you advance into the interior. Ice, half an inch thick, is found at the distance of 20 miles from the coast. Very little rain falls at this season ; but the dews are very i>.eavy, when it does not freeze, and tend considerably to preserve the young crops from the effects of drought. Fogs, too, are frequent and dense, in low damp situations^ and on the banks of the rivers. The mean temperature at day-light is from 40° to 50°, and at noon from 55° to 60°. The spring months are September, October,
'i4({
and November. In the beginning of September the fbg.H still continue, the nights are cold, but the days are clear and pleasant. Towards the close of this month, the cold begins very sensibly to moderate j light showers occasionally prevail, accompanied with thunder ami lightning. The thermometer, at the beginning of the month, is seldom above 60° at noon, but towards the end frequently rises to 70".
In October tliere are also occasional sliowers, but the weather, upon the whole, is clear and pleasant. The duys gradually become warmer, and the blighting north-west winds are to be apprehended. The sea and lajid breezes again resume their full sway ; the thermometer at sun- rise varies from ^O'' to (iCf, and at noon is fre- quently u]) to 80". In November the weather may be again called hot; dry parching winds prevail as the motith advances, and scpaalls of thunder and lightning, with rain, or hail. The tliermometer at duy-light is seldom under 05% and frequently at noon rises to 80", 84'",. and even 90".
Such is the temperature throughout the year at Port Jackson. In the inland districts, to the east- ward of the mountains, the thermometer is, upon an average,.'?" lower in the morning, and the same num- ber ofdegrees higiierat noon, throughout the winter season j but during the summer months it is 5" higher at all hours of the day. On the moun- tains themselves, and in the country to the west- ward of them, the climate, iu consequence of tilieir
^47
superior elevation, is much more temperate j heavy fails of* snow take place during the winter, and remain sometimes for many days on the summits of the most lofly hills j but in the vallies the snow immediately dissolves.
From the foregoing account it will be seen that the climate of the colony is, upon the whole, highly salubrious and delightful. If the summers are occasionally too hot for the European consti- tution, it will be remembered that the extreme heats are but of short duration, and that the sea and land breezes, which prevail at this season in an almost uninterrupted succession, moderate the temperature so effectually, that even new comers are but little incommoded by it, and the old re- sidents experience no inconvenience from it what- ever.
Abdominal and pulmonic complaints are the two most prevalent diseases. The abdominal com- plaints are confined principally to dysentery: this disorder is most common among the poorer classes and new comevs. In these, it is generally con- nected with thf; scurvy J and in both cases it is, for the most part, greatly aggravated by the exces- sive use of spirituous liquors, to which the mas* of the colonists are unfortunately addicted.
The pulmonic affections are generally contracted at an e? rly period by the youth of both sexes, and are o<:casioned by the great and sudden variations of temperature ; they are nut, however, accom* panied with that inflammatory action which dis-
\m
m
'Am
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tinguishes them in this country; but proceed slowly and gradually, till, from neglect, they ter- minate in phthisis. They are said to bear a strong affinity to the complaint of the same nature which prevails at the island of Madeira ; and it is re- markable, that in both these colonies a change of air affords the only chance of restoration to the natives, whereas foreigners, labouring under phthi- sis, upon their arrival in either of these places, find almost instantaneous relief.
There are no infantile diseases whatever ; the measles, hooping-cough, and small-pox, are en- tirely unknown. The latter disease was intro- duced among the natives before the foundation of the colony, and committed dreadful havoc, but its recurrence has been guarded against by vac- cination.
The colony of New South Wales possesses every variety of soil, from the sandy heath, and the cold hungry clay, to the fertile loam, and the deep vegetable mould. For the distance of five or six miles from the coast, the land is in general ex- tremely barren, being a poor hungry sand, thickly studded with rocks, and principally covered with a variety of beautiful heaths.
Beyond this barren waste, which thus forms a girdle to the coast, the country suddenly begins to improve. The soil changes to a thin layer of vegetable mould, resting on a stratum of yellow clay, which is again supported by a deep bed of schistus. The trees of the forest are here of the
249
most stately dimensions, and consist of gums, iron barks, and the beef wood, or as it is generally termed, the forest oak. The loftiest trees in this country, if placed alongside the two former spe- cies, would appear as pigmies. The forest is ex- tremely thick, but there is little or no under- wood ; a poor, sour grass, which is too effectually shaded from the rays of the sun to possess any nutritive and fattening properties, shoots up in the intervals. This description of country, with a few exceptions, which deserve not to be parti- cularly noticed, forms another girdle of about 10 miles in breadth, so that, generally speaking, the colony for about 16 miles into the interior may be said to possess a soil which has naturally no claim to fertility, and will require all the skill and in- dustry of its owners to render it even tolerably productive.
At this distance, however, the aspect of the country begins rapidly to improve; the forest is less thick, and the trees in general are of another description, such as the stringy barks, blue gums, and box trees. When you have advanced about four miles farther into the interior, you ai'e at length gratified with the appearance of a country truly beautiful; an endless variety of hill and dale, clothed in the most luxuriant herbage, and covered witli bleating flocks and lowing herds, at length indicate that you are in regions fit to be inhabited by civilized man. The soil has no longer the stamp of barrenness ; a rich loam, rest-
•-*«»«M#^'
250
iiig* on: a^substnvtnm of fat red< cky, severdit feet m depth, 18 fbund even on the tops of the highest hilJb. The timber, strange as it may appear, is of inferior size, though still of the same nature^ i; e. blue gum, box, and stringy bark. There is no underwood, and the number of trees upon an acre seldom exceed SO ; they are, in fact, so thin, that a person may gallop without difficulty in every direction. Coursing the kangaroo is the favourite amusement c^ the colonists, who generally pursue this animal at full speed on horseback, and fre- quently manage, notwithstaniding its extraordinary swiftness, to be in at the death, so trifling are the impediments occasioned by the fbrest.^
The above description may be applied with to- lerab!s accuracy to the whole tract of country which lies between this space and tlie Nepeari River. The plains, however, on the banks of this river, which are in many places of considerable extent, are of far greater fertility, being a rich vegetable mould, many feet in depth, and have without doubt been gradually formed by deposi- tions from it during the periods of its inundations. These plains gradually enlarge themselves until you arrive at the junction of the Nepean with the Hawkesbury, on each side of which they are com- monly from a mile to a mile and a half in breadth : the banks of this latter river are of still greater fertility than those of the former, and may vie in this respect with the far-famed banks of the Nile. The same acre of land here has been known to
^1
produce, in the course of one year, 50^ Isabels of wheat, and 100 of maize. The settlers hav^ never any occasion for manure, since the slimy deposi- tions from the river eflfectuajly counteract the ex- haustion that would otherwise be produced by in- cessant crops. The timber on the banks «f these rivers is for the most part apple-tree, which i* very beautiful, and bears, in its foliage and shape, a striking resemblance to the oak of this country : its wood, however, is of no value except for firing, and for the immense quantity of pot-ash which might be made from it. The blue gum, and stringy bark, are also very common on these flooded lands, and of the very best description. The banks of the Hawkesbury formerly produced cedar, but it has long since entirely disappeared.
The banks of these rivers, and indeed the whole tract of country (generally speaking) which have been described, with the exception of the barren waste in the vicinity of the coast, are, to use the colonial term, located, i. e. either granted to in- dividuals, or attached as commons to the culti- vated districts.
The tmapproprtated tracts of land in the vicinity of Port Jackson, best adapted for colonization, ar^ first, that designated the "Cow Pastures :*' this tract of land has hitherto been reserved fop the use of the government wild cattle, but as these animals have now totally disappeared, it is pro- bable the land will be located; it is about 30 miles fi:om Sydney, bounded on the east by thft river
.^^1
2.52
Nepean, and on the west by the Blue Mountains j it contains about 100,000 acres of good land, a considerable portion of which is flooded, and equal to any on the banks of the Hawkesbury.
The next considerable tract of unappropriated land is the district called the "Five Islands:" it commences at the distance of about 40 miles to the southward of Sydney, and extends to Shoal Haven River, which forms its southern boundary : the ocean is its eastern boundary, and a branch of the Blue Mountains forms the northern and western boundaries : the only road to it, at pre- sent known, is down a pass so remarkably steep, that, unless a better be discovered, the communi- cation betwtf 1^ it and the capital by land will always be difficult and dangerous for waggons. This circumstance is a material counterpoise to its ex- traordinary fertility, and is the reason why it is at present unoccupied by any but large stockholders. Those parts, however, which are situated near Shoal Haven River, are highly eligible for agri- cultural purposes, since this river is navigable, for about 20 mil"'? into the country, for vessels of 70 or 80 tons burden j a circumstance which holds out to future colonists the greatest facilities for the cheap and expeditious conveyance of their produce to market. There are several streams in different parts of this district, which issue from the mountain behind, and afford an abundant supply of pure water. In many places there are large prairies of unparalleled richness, entirely
S53
free from timber, and consequently prepared by the hand of nature for the immediate reception of the plough-share. These advantages, combined with its proximity to Sydney, have already began to attract the tide of colonization to it, and will no doubt render it in a few years one of the most populous, productive, and valuable, of all the dis- tricts. The soil is in general a deep, fat, vegetable mould ; and the land on the banks of the Shoal Haven River possesses equal fertility with the banks of the Hawkesbury.
The surface of the country is thinly timbered, with the exception of the mountain which bounds it to the northward and westward; this is covered with a thick brush, but it is nevertheless extremely fertile up to the very summit, and peculiarly adapted, both from its eastern aspect and mild climate, fL r the cultivation of the vine. This large tract of country was only discovered about four years since, and has not yet been surveyed, its extent, therefore, is not precisely known, but, without doubt, contains several hundred thousand acres, including the banks of the Shoal Haven River ; these produce a great abundance of fine cedar and other valuable timber, for which there is an extensive and increasing demand at Port Jackson.
The Coal River is the next tract of unappro- priated land. The town of Newcastle is situated at the mouth of this river, and is about 60 miles
«54
to the northward of Port Jackson. Its population, by the last census, was 550 souls ; these, with the exception of a few free settlers on the upper banks of this river, amounting with their families to about 30 souls, and about 50 troops, are all in- corrigible offenders, who have been convicted in the colony, and re-transported to this place, where they are worked in chains from sunrise to sunset, and profitably employed in burning lime, and pro- curing coals and timber, as well for carrying on the public works at Port Jackson, as for the pri- vate use of individuals, who pay the government stipulated prices for these different articles. This settlement was, in fact, established with the two- fold view of supplying the public works with these necessary articles, and providing a separate place of punishment for all who might be convicted of crimes in the colonial courts.
The coal mines here are considerably elevated above the level of tlie sea, and are of the richest description. The veins are visible on the abrupt face of the clifl^ which borders the harbour, and are worked by adits or openings, which serve both to carry off the water, and to wheel away the coals. The quantity procured in this easy way is very great, and might be i?Kreased to any extent; so much more coals, indeed, are thus obtained than are required for the purposes of the government, that they are glad to dispose of them to all per- sons who are willing to purchase, requiring in re- turn a duty of 2s, 6d, per ton, for such as are in-
955
leaded for home consumption, and 6s, for such as are for exportation.
The lime procured at this settlement is made from oyster shells, which are found in prodigious abundance; these shells lie close to the banks of the river, in beds of amazing size and depth $ how they came there has long been a matter of surprise and speculation to the colonists : the beds are generally fiv^ or six feet above high water mark. The process of making the lime is extremely simple and expeditious ; the shells are first dug up and sifted, and then piled over large heaps of diy wood, which are set fire to, and speedily convert the superincumbent mass into excellent lime: when thus made, it is shipped for Sydney, and sold there at one shilling per bushel.
The timber procured on the banks of this river is chiefly cedar and rose-wood; the cedar, however, is becoming scarce, in consequence of the im- mense quantities that have been already cut down, and cannot be any longer obtained without going at least 150 miles up the river; at this distance, however, it is still to be had in considerable abundance, and is easily floated down to the town in rafts. The government dispose of this wood in the same manner as the coals, at the price of 3/. for each thousand square feet, intended for home consumption, and 61. for the same quantity if exported.
The harbour at the mouth of this river is tole-
256
rably secure and spacious, and contains sufficient depth of water for vessels of 300 tons burden ; the river itself, however, is only navigable for small craft of 30 or 40 tons, and this only for about 50 mile.» above the town. This river has three brandies, two of which are navigable for boats for about 120 miles, and the other for 200 miles. The banks of all these branches are liable to inundations equrlly terri^/* ^^ '^^h those at the Hawkesbury, and from the same cause, viz. the vicinity of the Blue Mountains. The low lands within the reach of these inundations are, if possi- ble, of still greater exuberancy than the banks of the Hawkesbury and Nepean, and of four times the extent. The high land is very thinly studded with timber, and equal, for all the purposes of agri- culture and grazing, to the best districts of Port Jackson. The climate, too, is equally salubrious, and it is generally believed that the summer heats are sufficient for the production of cotton*: in fact, under every point of view, this district con- tains the strongest inducements to colonization. It possesses a navigable river, by which its pro- duce may be conveyed to market at a moderate expense : it surpasses Port Jackson in the general fertility of its soil, and at least rivals it in the sa- lubrity of its climate : it contains in the greatest
• There can be little doubt of this. In America, cotton is par- tially grown as high a.s 39" north latitude, and generally south of latitude 36° north, where the climate is much colder than at Port Jackson.
I
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abundance, coal, lime, and many varieties of va- luable timber which are not found elsewhere, and promise to becor le articles of considerable export. The country westward qf the Blue Mountains ranks next in contiguity to Sydney, and claims pre-eminence, not so much from any superiority of soil in those parts of it which have been ex- plored, as from its amazing extent, and great di- versity of climate. These mountains, where the road has been made over them, are 58 miles in breadth ; and as ae distance from Sydney to Emu Ford, at which place this road may be said to commence, is 40 miles, the beginning of the vast tract of country to the westward of them is about 98 miles distant from the capital.
The road which thus traverses these mountains is by no means difficult for waggons, until you arrive at the pass which forms the descent into the low country; here it is both steep and danger- ous ; carts and waggons, however, continually go up and down.
The elevation of these mountains above the level of the sea is reckoned to be between 3 and 4000 feet; for the first 10 or 12 miles they are tolerably well clothed with timber, and produce occasionally some middling pasture ; but beyond this they are exr ssively barren. To the west- ward of these mountains the country abounds with the richest herbage, and is upon the whole tole- rably well supplied with running water. In the
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immediate vicinity of them there is a profusioii of
rivulets.
This large and fertile tract of country is in general perfectly free from underwood, and in many places is without any timber at all. Bathurst Plains, for instance, where there is a commandant, a military dep6t, and some few set- tiers established, have been found, by actual ad- measurement, to contain upwards of 60,000 acresi upon which there is scarcely a tree. The great distance of this tract of country, as well as the difficulty of communicating with the capital, will prevent it from assuming an agricultural charac* ter: by way, however, of set-off against the mani- fest superiority which the districts to the east- ward of the mountains possess, in this respect, over the country to the westward of them, this latter is much better adapted for all the purposes of grazing and rearing cattle ; the herbage is sweeter, and more nutritive, and there is an un- limited range for stock, without any fear of tres- passing. There is, besides, for the first 200 miles, a constant succession of hill and dale, admirably suited for the pasture of sheep, the wool of which will without doubt eventually become the princi- pal export of this colony, and may be conveyed across these mountains at an inconsiderable ex- pense. A river of some magnitude has lately been discovered in this western territory by Mr. Oxley, the surveyor-general of the colony. A de^
250
ficiency of me&m prevented this gentleman from following up his discovery to any distance ; but when he quitted the river its course was northerly, and in latitude sr 48' south, and 148« 58' east Ion- gitude, running through a beautiful country; its breadth about 250 yards, and of sufficient depth to float a line of battle ship. Should this river empty itself on the western coast of New Holland, as imagined, a distance of at least 2000 miles,' some idea may be formed of its probable mJ- nitude. ^
System of Agriculture. The system of agriculture pursued in this co- lony does not materially differ from that which prevails in this country. During the earlier stages of these settlements, the hoe husbandry was a ne- cessary evil J but the great increase in the stock of horses and cattle has at last almost completely superseded it; and the plough husbandly is now. and has been for many years past, in general prac! tice. In new lands, indeed, the hoe is stiU un- avoidably used during the first year of their cul- tivation, on account of the numerous roots and other impediments to the plough, with which lands m a state of nature invariably abound. Until the year 1803, plough husbandi'y was confined to a few of the richest cultivators, from the exorbitant price of cattle. At that period, however, the go- vernment herds had so considerably multiplied, that governor King recommended the adoption of
s 3
260
the plough in general orders, and tendered oxen at 28/. per head, to be paid either in produce or in money, at the end of three years, to all such settlers as were inclined to purchase them* This custom has been followed by all his successors; but as no abatement has been made in the price, and they can be obtained elsewhere at one-third of the amount, such only of the colonists now avail themselves of this indulgence as have no ready means of purchase, and are allured by the length of credit.
Wheat, maize, barley, oats, and rye, are all grown in this colony; but the two former are most cultivated. The climate appears to be too warm for the common species of barley and oats ; but the poorer soils produce them of a tolerably good quality. The skinless barley, or as it is termed by some the Siberian wboat, arrives at very great perfection, and is in every respect much superior to the common species of barley; but the culture of this grain is limited to the demand which is created for it by the colonial breweries; the Indian corn, or maize, being much better adapted for the food of horses, oxen, pigs, and poultry; the produce too is much more abundant than that of barley and oats, and the season for planting it being two months later than for any other sort of grain, the settler has every motive for giving it the preference. Wheat may be sown any time from February to July, and even 60 late as August, if that month happen to be moist ; but
261
the best months are April, May, and June ; the creeping wheat, however, may be sown in the commencement of February, and should it become too rank, it can easily be kept down by sheep, which are found to do this sort of wheat no manner of injury. To the farmer, therefore, who keeps large flocks of sheep, the cultivation of the creep- ing wheat is highly advantageous, since, in addi- tion to its yielding as great a crop as any other species of wheat, it supersedes the necessity of growing turnips, or other artificial food for the support of his stock during the severity of the winter, when the natural grasses become scanty and parched up with frost. The red and white lam- mas, and the Cape or bearded wheat, are the spe- cies generally cultivated. June is the best month for sowing barley and oats j but they may be sown till the middle of August, with a fair prospect of a good crop. Indian corn, or maize, may be planted from the end of September to the middle of De- cember; but October is the best month : it is, however, a very common practice among the settlers on the fertile banks of the Hawkesbury and Nepean to plant what is called stubble corn, that is, to plant it among the wheat, barley, and oat stubbles, as soon as the harvest is over, v/ith- out ploughing or breaking up the ground : maize is frequently planted in this way until the middle of January, and if the season proves sufficiently moist, yields a very abundant crop. The usual manner of planting it is in holes about six feet
: : M
262
apart; five grains are generally put in each of these holes J the average produce of this grain, on rich flooded lands, is from 80 to 100 bushels per acre. Wheat in the same situations yields from 30 to 40 bushels, and barley and oats about 50 bushels an acre. On forest lands, however, the crops are not so productive, unless the ground be well manured; but the wheat, barley, and oats, grown on this land, are much heavier and superior in quality. The difference of the weight of wheat grown in forest and flooded lands is, upon an average, not less than eight pounds per bushel. The former sort weighing 64 pounds, and the latter only 56 pounds.
The wheat harvest commences partially about the middle of November, and is generally over by Ouistmas. The maize, however, is not ripe until the end of March, and the gathering is not com- plete throughout the colony before the end of
May.
Potatoes, cabbages, carrots, parsnips, turnips, peascj beans, cauliflowers, broccoli, asparagus, let- tuces, onions, and, in fact, every species of vege- tables known in this country, are produced in the colony; many of them attain a much superior de- gree of perfection, but a few also degenerate. To the former class belong the cauliflower andbroccoli, and the different varieties of the pea ; to the latter the bean and potatoe. For the bean in particular the climate appears too hot, and it is only to be obtained in the stiffest clays and the dampest si-
263
tuations. The potatoe is produced on all soils in the greatest abundance, but the quality is not nearly as good as it is in this country : in this re- spect, however, much depends upon the nature of the soil. In stiff clays the potatoes are invariably watery and waxy, but in light sands and loams they are tolerably dry and mealy. Manure also deteriorates their quahty, and in general they are best when grown on new lands. Potatoes are in consequence very commonly planted in the fields as a first crop, and are found to pulverize land, just brought from a state of nature into cultiva- tion, more than any other root. An abundant crop of wheat, barley, or oats, may be safely cal- culated to succeed them, more particularly if a light covering of manure be applied at the time of their planting.
The colony is justly famed for the goodness and variety of its fruits : peaches, apricots, nectarines, oranges, grapes, pears, plums, figs, pomegranates, raspberries, strawberries, and melons of all sorts, attain the highest degree of maturity in the open air; and even the pine-apple may be produced merely by the aid of the common forcing glass. The climate, however, of Port Jackson is not al- together congenial to the growth of the apple, currant, and gooseberry, although the whole of these fruits are produced there, and the apple, in particular, in very great abundance ; but it is de- cidedly inferior to the apple of thi!< country: these fruits, however, arrive at tiie greatest perfection
TM^fit,
S64>
in every part of Van Diemen's Island; and as the climate of the country to ths westward of the Blue Mountains is equally cold, they will, without doubt, attain there an equal degree of perfection. Of all the fruits which are thus enumerated as being produced in this colony, the peach is the most abundant and the most useful. The dif- ferent varieties which have been already intro- duced succeed one another in uninterrupted suc- cession from the middle of November to the latter end of March, thus filling up an interval of more than four months, and affording a wholesome and nutritious article of food during one-third of the year. This fruit ^rows spontaneously in every situation, on the richest soils as on the most bar- ren; and its growth is so rapid, that if you plant a stone, it wiU in three years afterwards bear an abundant crop. Peaches are in consequence so pl^itiful throughout the colony, that they are every where given as food to hogs ; and when thrown into heaps, and allowed to undergo a pro- per degree of fermentation, are found to fatten them very rapidly. Cyder also is made in great quantities from this fruit, and when of sufficient age, affords a very pleasant and wholesome bever- age ; the lees, too, after extraction of the juice, possess the same fattening properties, and are equally calculated as food for hogs.
Rearing of Cattle, &c. The system of rearing and fattening stock in
265
this colony is simple and economical. Horses, in consequence of their rambling nature, arc almost invariably kept in enclosures. In the districts immediately contiguous to Port Jackson, horned cattle are followed by a herdsman during the day, in order to prevent them from trespassing on the numerous uninclosed tracts of land that are in a state of tillage, and they are confined during the night in yards or paddocks.
In the remoter districts, however, which are altogether devoid of cultivation, horned cattle are subject to no such restraints, but are permitted to range about the country at all times : the herds too are generally larger, and although a herdsman is still required, as well to prevent them from separating into straggling parties, as to protect them from committing depredations, the expense of keeping them in this manner is comparatively trifling, and the advantages of allowing them this uncontrolled liberty to range very great, since they are found during the heat of summer to feed more in the night than in the day : this, therefore, is the system which the great stockholders in- variably pursue. Few of them possess sufficient land for the support of their cattle ; and as their estates too, however remote the situation in wLich they may have been selected, have for the most part become surrounded by small cultivators, who seldom or never inclose tlieir crops, they generally recede with their her d.} from the approach of co- lonization, and form new establishments, where
the liability to trespass does not exist; they thus become the gradual explorers of the country, and it is to their efforts to avoid the contact of agri- culture that the discovery of the best districts yet known in tlie colony is ascribable. - "The management of sheep is in some respects different ; they are never permitted to roam during the night, on account of the native dog, which is a great enemy to tliem, and sometimes during the 4ay makes great ravages among them, even under tlie eye of the shepherd. In every part of the country, therefore, they are kept by night either in folds or yards : in the former case, the shepherd gleeps in a small moveable box, which is shifted with tlie tbldn, and with his faithful dog affords a sufficient protection for his flock against the attempts of these midnight depredators. In the latter, the paling of the yard is made so high that the native dog cannot surmount it.
The natural grasses of the colony are sufficiently good and nutritious at all seasons of the year fur the support of every description of stock, where there is an adequate tract of country for them to range over. But, in consequence of the complete occupation of the districts which are in the more immediate vicinity of Port Jackson, and from the settlers in general possessing more stock than their lands are capable of maintaining, the raising of artificial food for the winter months has of late years become very general among such of them as are unwilling to send their flocks and herds
267
into the uninhabited parts of the interior : it is, indeed, surprising that so salutary a precaution has been so long in disuse; since, such is the luxuriance of the natural grass during the summer, that it is the general practice, after the seeds wither away, to set fire to it, and thus impro- vidently consume what, if mown and made into hay, would afford the farmer a sufficiency of nutritious food for his stock during the winter.
The custom of setting fire to the grass is most prevalent during the months of August and January, that is, just before the commencement of spring and autumn, when vegetation is on the eve of starting from the slumber which it has experienced alike during the ejftremes of the winter's cold as of the summer's heat. If a fall of rain happily succeed these fires, the country soon presents the appearance of a field of young wheat, and, however repugnant this practice may appear to an English farmer, it is absolutely un- avoidable in those districts which are not suf- ficiently stocked ; since cattle of every descrip- tion refuse to taste the grass the moment it becomes withered.
The artificial food principally cultivated in the colony are turnips, tares, and Cape barley, and for those settlers in particular who have flocks of breeding sheep, the cultivation of them is highly necessary, and contributes materially to the growth and strength of the lambs. On those also who
268
keep dairies, this practice of raising artificial food is equally incumbent, the natural grasses being insufficient to keep milch cows in good heart during the winter, when there is the greatest demand for butter. Good meat, too, is then to be had with difficulty ; there cannot, therefore, be any doubt that it would answer the purposes even of the grazier to have recourse to artificial means of fattening his stock at that season, since it is then that he would be enabled to obtain the readiest and highest price for his fat cattle.
Price of Cattle, &c.
The price of all manner of stock is extremely low, considering the short period which has elapsed since the foundation of the colony. A very good horse for the cart or plough may be had at from 10/. to 15/., and a better saddle or gig horse, from 20/. to 30/., than could be obtained in this country for double the money. Very good milch cows may be bought at from 51. to 10/. ; working oxen for about the same price j and fine young breeding ewes at from 1/. to 3/., according to the quality of their fleece. It frequently happens, particularly at sales by public auction, that stock may be purchased at one-half, or even one-third, of the above prices, and there is every probability that their value will be still less before the expiration of 10 years, as the following account will show their rapid increase :
269 Number of stock in New South Wales in
Yeari. Horse*. Honed cattle. Sheep. Hoga.
1800 163 1024 6124
18IS 1891 31,5IS 65J2I
1«17 3072 44,753 170,420 17,840
Price of Labour.
The price of agricultural labour is at present very low ; but the wages of artificers, particularly of such as are most useful in infant societies, are considerably higher ; a circumstance which is prin- cipally to be attributed to the practice of select- ing from among the convicts all the best mechanics for the government works. Carpenters, stone- masons, bricklayers, wheel and plough-wrights, blacksmiths, coopers, harness-makers, sawyers, shoe-makers, cabinet-makers, and in fact all the most useful descriptions of handicrafts, are con- sequently in great demand, and can easily earn from eight to ten shillings per day.
The price of land is entirely regulated by its situation and quality. So long as four years back, 150 acres of very indifferent land, about 3-4ths of a mile from Sydney, were sold in lots of 12 acres each, and averaged 14/. per acre. This, however, is the highest price that has yet been given for land not situated in a town. The general value of unimproved forest land, when it is not heightened by some advantageous locality, as proximity to a town or navigable river, cannot be estimated at more than 5s. per acre. Flooded
ll ,"i!i4tlt
270
land will fetch double that sum. But on the banks of the Hawkesbury, as far as that river is navigable, the value of land is considerably greater; that which is in a state of nature being worth from 31. to 51. per acre, and that which is in a state of cultivation, from 8/. to 10/. : the latter description rents for 20s. or SO*, per acre*.
The price of provisions, particularly of agricul- tural produce, is subject to great fluctuations, and will unavoidably continue so, until proper measures are taken to counteract the calamitous scarcities at present consequent on the inundations of the Hawkesbury and Nepeant. In the year 1806, the epoch of the great flood, the old and new stacks on the banks of those rivers were all swept away, and before the commencement of the follow- ing harvest, wheat and maize attained an equal value, and were sold at 51. and 61. per bushel. Even after the last overflow of these rivers, in the month of March, I8I7, wheat rose, towards the close of the year, to 81*. per bushel, and maize to 20*., and potatoes to 32*. 6d. per cwt. although a very considerable supply (about 20,000 bushels) was immediately furnished from Van Diemen*s
* It appears that upon the arrival of any emigrant of respecta- bility, he may, by proper application to the governor, procure a grant of 800 acres : and any man, with the means of commencing agriculturist, and of good character, may obtain 50 or 100 acres.
t These scarcities will, of course, be partially avoided, when the lands become cultivated that are beyond the reach of the inundations.
271
Island. But for t^is speedy and salutary succour the price of grain would have been very little short of what it was in the year 1806. The general price of provisions, wlien the crops have not suffered from flood or drought, is, wheat, 9*., maize, 3.$. 6</., barley, 5s., oats, 45. Qd. per bushel, and potatoes Qs. per cwt.
The price of meat is not influenced by the same causes, but , on the contrary, experiencing a gradual and certain diminution. By the last accounts, good mutton and beef were to be had for 6d/., veal for Sc?., and pork for ^d. per lb. "WTieat was selling in the market at 85. M., oats at 4^., barley at 5*., maize at 5s, 6d. per bushel ; potatoes at 8*. per cwt., fowls at 4^. 6d., ducks at 6s. per couple, geese at 5s., turkies at 7*' 6d. each, eggs at 2.v, 6d. per dozen, and butter at 2s. 6d. per lb. The price of the best wheaten bread was fixed by the assize at 5i for the loaf, weigh- ing Slbs.
This colony already contains extensive manu- factories of coarse woollen cloths, hats, earthen^ ware, pipes, salt, candles, and soap ; there are also breweries and tanneries, wheel and plough- wrights, gig-makers, harness-makers, cabinet- makers, and indeed all sorts of mechanics and artificers that could be required in an infant so- ciety, where objects of utility are naturally in greater demand than articles of luxury.
The colonists carry on a considerable commerce with this country, the East Indies, and China;
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272
but they have scarcely any article of export to offer in return for the various commodities sup- plied by those countries. The money expended by government for the support of the convicts, and the pay and subsistence of the civil and mi- litary establishments, are the main sources from which they derive the means of procuring those articles of foreign growth and manufacture which are indispensable to civUi^ed life. They have, however, at last a staple export, which is rapidly increasing, and promises in a few years to suf- fice for all their wants, and to render them quite independent of the expenditare of the govern- ment; this is the fleeces of their flocks, the best of which are found to combine all the qualities that constitute the excellence of the Saxon and Spanish wools. The sheepholders in general have at length become sensible of the advantage of di- recting their attention to the improvement of their flocks. The exportation of this highly valuable raw material is as yet but very limited ; last year (1818) it only amounted to 8000/.; but when it is considered that in 1817 there were 170,420 sheep in the colony, and that the majority of the sheep- holders are actively employed in crossing their flocks with tups of the pure Merino breed, it may easily be conceived what an extensive ex- portation of fine wool may be effected in a few years.
The whole annual income of the colonists in New Holland cannot be estimated at more than
273
1^,0001 and the following sub-division of it may be considered as nearly correct : ^
Money expended by the government for the support of convicts, and the pay and sub- sistence of officers, &c.
Money expended by shipping '^ot belonging
to the colony *
Various articles of export, such as sed skins,'
on, and sandal wood Wool grown in the colony Sundries
«. d.
80,000 0 12,000 0
13,000 0
8000 0
20,000 0
0
0
0 0 0
125,000 0 0
about 21.000/. per annum, and are chiefly derived
liquois Tins amount is large for such an infant CO on,, but ,, i3 ,i,,„^^^, ^^^ ^^^ 1^^ nfant
colonists: one-eighth of it is solely devoted to the education of youth, and the remaining seve^ eighths are appropriated to various purposes of .nternal economy, such as the constrLtirand , repair of roads and bridges, &c. &c.
Tie vine and the olive, tobacco, hemp. flax, and Unseed are productions to which the c imate and he sod of this colony are remarkably c^! ri ""r" ^Z*^'- -"" of tobacco and iir^d '''"'""^ "'""'^^ "'* »""»*"y
A licence for retailing spirits costs 25/. per an-
i
.-«^!
^74 '
iium ; one for brewing, 80/. ; one for retailing beer, 51. per annum. Distillation is strictly prohibited.
The number of inhabitants of New South Wales, on the 27th of November, 1817, was as follows, (exclusive of the settlement on the Coal river, containing 550 souls, about 70 of whom were free) :
Fre« persons. 9757
Soldiers. 610
Convicts. 6297
Total. 16,664
Total number of inhabitants in New South Wales and Van Diemen*s Island, in November, 18 17, 20,328.
yi Statement of Land in Cultivation, 8(C, on the 27th of No-
vembeft 1817.
Whett.
ACRES.
Maize. Barley. Oatt. I>e)ie8i Pota- Garden 8c Cleared Toinl Beam. toei. Orchard. Ground! grantet).
18,462 11,714 856 156 204 559 863 47,564 235,000
Emigration.
The manufacturing interests of this colony are
not in a very prosperous condition ; it does not,
therefore, hold out any inducements to persons
of this class ; nor would the situation of the mere
labourer be much improved, unless he had the
means of forming an agricultural establishment :
there is no doubt, however, but that he would be
able to procure work, as he would always have
a preference to those who have been under the
operation of the law. Artizans and mechanics,
275
who are skilled in all works of utility, would, as it has already been observed, soon acquire an in- dependence. Any person having the means of taking out a steam engine of six or eight horse power, with the requisite machinery for sawing' boards, would find it answer extremely well. A timber merchant also might employ his funds very advantageously by establishing a timber-yard.
A skilful brewer would succeed either at Syd- ney, or at Hobart Town (Van Diemen's). There are already several breweries in New South Wales- but the beer which is made in them is so bad, that many thousand pounds worth of porter and ale is annually imported from England. This is in some measure occasioned by the inferiorifv of the barley grown at Port Jackson, but more, it is believed by the want of skill in the brewers : this impediment to success would be removed by emigrating to Van Diemen's, since the barley raised there is equal to the best produced in this country.
An expert dairyman, who could take out with him a moderate capital, would do well in any of these settlements, but more particularly in New South Wales. Butter, as it has been already re- marked, is still as high as 2s, 6d. per pound. The extreme dearness of this article arises principally from the natural grasses not being sufficiently nu- nt^ve to keep milch cattle in good heart, and from the colonists not having yet got into the proper method of providing artificial food. Any one,
T 2
^<«ntfSii^
276
therefore, who would introduce the dairy system practised in this country could hardly fail of find- ing his account in it.
Mercantile operations, on a moderate scale, offer every prospect of success to an experienced man of business and some capital; and the extra- ordinary fluctuations which are incessantly taking place in this colony in the prices of all sorts of merchandize are evidently capable of being turned to great account by a skilful and cool calculator.
The advantages which the colony offers to other classes of emigrants, however great, are absolutely of no weight when placed in the balance of com- parison against those which it offers to the ca- pitalist, who has the means to embark largely in the breeding of fine-wooUed sheep. It may be safely asserted, that of all the various openings which the world at this moment affords for the profitable investment of money, there is not one equally inviting as this single channel of enter- prize offered by the colony. The proof of this assertion (says Wentworth) I shall rest on a cal- culation so plain and intelligible, as, I hope, to be within the scope of the comprehension 9f all. Be- fore we proceed, however, it is necessary to settle a few points as the data on which the calculation is to be founded; viz. the value of the wool, the weight of the fleece, and the number of sheep to be kept in a flock. With regard to the value of the wool grown in this colony, the last importa-
277
tions of the best quality averaged 55. (Sd. per pound in the fleece. This was sold in March, 1819 j and as the market was at that time overcharged, and as, moreover, the best description of wool yet pro- duced in this colony is far from having obtained the perfection of which it is capable, and which a few more crosses with the pure breed will un- doubtedly effect in it, it may be safely concluded that this is the lowest price at which this sort of wool will be ever sold. This will be more evident if we contemplate the gradual rise in value which the wool from the same gentleman's flocks (Mr. M*Arthur) has experienced during the last four years. In 1816, it was sold (in London) for ^s. Gd. per pound in the fleece ; in March, 1818, £6r3s. 6d. per pound; in July, 1818, for 4<s. 4<d. per pound ; and in March, 1819, for 5s. 6d. per pound. For some of this last quantity of wool, properly sorted and washed, Mr. Hurst of Leeds was offered 9s, per pound, and refused it. To take the future average price of wool at 5s. 6d. per pound is, therefore, forming an estimate which, in all pro- bability, will fall far short of the truth. However, let this be one of our data; and let us allow three pounds, which is also an estimate equally mo- derate, as the average weight of each fleece. The weight of a yearling's fleece may be taken at three- fourths of a pound, and the value of the wool at ^s. 9d. per pound. The number of ewes generally kept in a flock by the best breeders are about 330,
i,h (.
,..,.^,.^J
278
and we will suppose that the emigtant has the means of purchasing a flock of this size, of the most improved breed, This, with a sufficient number of tups, may be purchased considerably under 1000/. These points being determined, let us proceed to our calculation.
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«♦»
fcj;
■S o.
i^l
'■*fiBW|ff i
382
It will be seen by the foregoing calculation that (with the most liberal allowance for all kind of expenses, casualties, and deteriorations, money sunk in the rearing of sheep in this colony will, in the course of three years, double itself, besides paying an interest of 7*5 per cent. ; any person, therefore, who has the means of embarking in this speculation, could not fail, with common at- tention, of realizing a large fortune in a few years. His chance of doing so would be still greater, if he should happen to be acquainted with the ma- nagement of sheep ; but this is by no means an indispensable qualification, for such is the fineness of climate both in the settlemerts in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Island, that all those precautions which are necessary to be observed in England, in order to shelter the animal from the inclemency of the seasons, are there quite super- fluous. Sheds, indeed, are not only useless but in- jurious J th» locks never do so well as when they are continua./y exposed to the weather; it is only necessary that the folds should be shifted every other day, or, if the sheep are kept by night in yards, to take care that these are daily swept out. The freight of wool from this colony has already been reduced to 3rf. per lb. which is little more than is paid for its transport from Saxony ; and all the other expenses (with the exception of in- surancej are precisely the same. Upon these grounds, therefore, it may be safely asserted that
283
the world does not at present contain so advan- tageous, and, it might be added, so extensive an opening for the investment of capital as the one in question.
^i
^»m^
284
MEMORANDA.
{Extracted from Mr. Mann's IFork.)
The following is the general course of cultivation adopted and justified by experience.
January.
The ground intended for wheat and barley ought to be now broken up; carrots should also be sown, and potatoes planted in this month are most productive for the winter consumption.
February.
A general crop of turnips for sheep, &c. should be sown this month, the land having been previously manured, cleared, ploughed, &c. This is also the proper month for putting Cape barley in the ground^ for green food for horses, cattle, &c.
March.
Strawberries should be planted this month, and onions for im- mediate use should be sown. All forest land should be now sown with wheat j and turnips, for a general crop, in the propor- tion of one pound of seed to an acre of land.
April.
From the middle of this month, until the end of May, is the bsst season for sowing wheat in the districts of Richmond Hill, Phillip, Nelson, and Evan, as it is not so subject to the caterpil- lar, smut, rust, and blight. Oacd may also be sown now for a general crop. Asparagus haulm should also be cut and carried off the ground, and the beds dunged.
285
May.
Pease and beans for a field crop should be sown in this month ; but, in gardens, at pleasure, as you may be supplied with them, as wall as most other vegetable productions, salads, &c. nearly at all Jimes of the year,
June.
This is the best season for transplanting all kinds of fruit- trees, except evergreens ; layers may also be now made, and cut- tings planted from hardy trees. Spring barley should be sown this month upon all rich land, three bushels to an acre.
July.
Potatoes which were planted in January are now fit for dig- ging. Stocks to bud and plant upon should now be transplanted; cal>bage and carrots may be sown ; and strawberries should be cleaned, and have their spring dressing.
r* ; I
>• *,
August.
Potatoes must now be planted for general summer use ; the ground prepared for clover at this season is best. Cucumbers and melons of all kinds should now be sown, and evergreens trans- planted. Vines ought to be cut and trimmed early in this month. Ground may this month also be ploughed for the reception of maize, and turnip land prepared for grass.
September.
This is the best season for grafting fruit-trees, and the ground should be entirely prepared for planting with maize. Grass-seed or clover should be sown in the beginning of this month, if the weather is favourable, and there is a piospect of rains,
m
OCTOBKK.
Ail fruit-trfA's now in bearing should be examined, and where the fniit is set too thick, it must be reduced to a moderate quan-
286
tity. The farmer should plant as much of his maize this mouth as possible, and clean ground for potatoes.
November.
In this month the harvest becomes general throughout the colony, and no wheat ought to be stacked upon the ground, as the moisture which arises from the earth ascends through the stack, and tends much, in this warm climate, to increase the weevil, which prove very destructive to the wheat. Evergreens may now be propagated by layers, and cabbage, lettuce, and turnips sown/
December.
The stubble-ground is frequently planted with maize in this month, so that it produces a crop of wheat and another of maize in the same year ; but the jfolicy of thus forcing the ground is much questioned by many experienced agriculturists, and is sup- posed to have led to the ruin of some of those avaricious farmers. Cauliflower and broccoli seeds may now be sown.
VAN DIEMEN'S ISLAND.
THIS Island is situated between 40°, 42', and 43°, 43' of south latitude, and between 145°, 31', and 148°, 22' of east longitude, and separated from New Holland by Bass's Straits or Channel.
The aborigines of this country are, if possible, still more uncivilised than those of New Holland. They subsist entirely by hunting, and have no knowledge whatever of the art of fishing. They bear great animosity to the colonists, having been fired upon by them soon after their first settle- ment, by which numbers were killed. Fortunately, however, for the settlers, the natives have seldom or never been known to act on the offensive, except when they have met their persecutors singly. Two persons with muskets may traverse the island from one end to the other in the most perfect safety.
Van Diemen*s Island has not so discouraging and repulsive an appearance from the coast as New Holland. Many fine tracts of land are found on the very borders of the sea, and the interior is almost invariably possessed of a soil admirably adapted to all the purposes of civilized man. The island is upon the whole mountainous, and
'it
; U
288
consequently abounds in fine streams. On the summits of many of the mountains there are large lakes, some of which are the sources of con- siderable rivers. Of these the Derwent, Huon, and Tamar rank in the first class.
There is perhaps no island in the world of the same size which can boast of so many fine harbours: the best are the Derwent, Port Davy, Macquarrie Harbour, Port Dalrymple, and Oyster Bay. The first is on its southern side ; the second and third on its western ; the fourth on its northern j and the fifth on its eastern : so that it has excellent harbours in every direction. This circumstance cannot fail to be productive of the most beneficial effects, and will most materially assist the future march of colonization.
There is almost a perfect resemblance between the animal and vegetable kingdoms of this island and of New Holland. The native dog, indeed, is unknown here; but there is an animal of the panther tribe in its stead, which, though not found in such numbers as the native dog is in New Holland, commits great havoc among the flocks. It is true that its ravages are not so frequent, but when they happen they are more extensive. This animal is very cowardly, and by no means formi- dable to man : unless, indeed, when taken by sur- prise, it invariably flies his approach.
In the feathered tribe of the two islands there is scarcely any diversity. It has many varieties
289
of poisonous reptiles, but they are neither so nu- merous nor so venemous as in New Holland.
In the trees of the forest there is little dif- ference : Van Diemen*s wants the cedar, mahogany, and rose-wood ; but it has very good substitutes for them in the black wood, and Huon pine, which is a species of the yew-tree, and remarkable for its strong odoriferous scent, and extreme durability.
The principal mineralogical productions of this island are iron, copper, alum, coals, slate, lime- stone, asbestos, and basalts : all of which, with the exception of copper, are to be had in the greatest abundance.
HOBART TOWN. HoBART Town, which is the seat of the lieutenant governor, stands nine miles up the river Derwent. It was founded only 15 years since ; and indeed the rudeness of its appearance sufficiently indicates the recency of its origin. The houses are in general of a mean description, seldom exceeding one story in height : even the government-house is of very bad construction ; the residences, indeed, of many individuals far surpass it The population may be estimated at about 1000 souls.
This town is built principally on two hills, between which there is a fine stream of excellent water, that issues from the Table Mountain, and falls into Sullivan's Cove. On this stream a flour-mill has been erectea . nd there is sufficient
u
290
fall in it for two or three hiore. There are also within a short distance of the town several other streams, which originate in the same mountain, and are equally well adapted to similar purposes. This is an advantage not possessed by the in- habitants of Port Jackson, since there is not, in any of the cultivated districts to the eastward of the Blue mountains, a single run of water which can be pronounced in every respect eligible for th(6 erection of mills^ Wind-mills are in cbn- sequence almost exclusively used for gririding com in Sydney; but in the inland towns and districts^ the colonists are in a grea measure obliged to have recourse to hand-mills, as the winds, during the greatest part of the year, are not of sufficient force to penetrate the forest and set mills in motion.
The elevation of the Table Mountain, which is so called from the great resemblance it bears to the mountain of the same name at the Cape of Good Hope, is generally estimated at about 6000 feet above the level of the sea. During 3-4ths of the year its summit is covered with snow, and the same violent gusts of wind blow from it as from that at the Cape. These blasts are happily con- fined to the precincts of the mountain, and seldom last above three hours ; but nothing can exceed their violence at the time.
The harbour at and conducting to the river Derwent yields to none in the world; f^erha^ surpasses (tvtry other. There are two etitranceB
1^1
to this river, which are separated by Pitt's Island; one ik termed D»Entreca3teaux*s Chanhel» thfe other Storm Baj. D'Entrecafeteaux's Channel from Point Collins up to Hobart Town, a distance, following the course of the water, of 37 miles, is one continued harbour, varying in breadth from eight to two miles, and in depth from 30 to 4 fathoms. The river Derwent itself has three fathoms water for eleven miles above the town, and is consequently navigable thus far for vessels of the largest burden. Reckoning therefore from Point Collins, there is a line of harbour m D*Entrecasteaux*s Channel and the Derwent, together, of forty-eight miles, completely land- locked, and affording the best anchorage the whole way.
The entrance by Storm Bay does not offer the same advantages, for it is 22 miles broad, and ex- posed tb the winds from the south and south- west. Vessels with good anchors and cables have, however, nothing to fear.
Storm Bay, besides thus forming one of the entrances to the river Derwent, leads to another very good harbour, called North Bay, 16 miles long, and in some places six and a half wide j the greater pa*t is perfectly land-locked, and affords excellent anchorage in from 2 to Id fathoms water. All the bays and harbours which have been just described abound with right whale at a par- tiGular season of the year. During this period th^ie aw generally ex^ery year a ^w ^ the colonial
u 2
292
craft employed in the whale fishery; but the duties which are levied in this country on all oils procured in vessels not having a British register apiount to a prohibition, and completely prevent the colonists from prosecuting this fishery farther than is necessary for their own consumption, and for the supply of the East India market. Between 2 and 300 tons annually suffice for both these purposes.
The whales frequently go up the river Derwent as far as the town ; and it is no uncommon sight for its inhabitants to behold the whole method of taking them, from the moment they are har- pooned until they are finally killed by the frequent application of the lance.
PORT DALRYMPLE.
This port is on the northern side of the island, and was discovered by Flinders in 1798. The town of Launceston stands about 30 miles from its entrance, at the junction of the North Esk and the South, with the river Tamar. It is little more than an inconsiderable village, the houses in general being of the humblest description. Its population is between 3 and 400 souls. The tide reaches 9 or 10 miles up the river Esk, and the produce of the farms within that distance may be sent down to the town in boats ; but the North Esk is unnavigable.
The Tamar has sufficient depth of water, as far as Launceston, for vessels of 150 tons, but the
29S
navigation of this river is very intricate, and it is intended to remove the seat of government nearer to Port Dalrymple.
Within a few miles of Launceston there is the most amazing abundance of iron j literally speak- ing, there are whole mountains of this ore, which is so remarkably rich as to yield 70 per cent, of pure metal.
These mines have not yet been worked, but there can be no doubt that they will at no very remote period become a source of considerable wealth to its inhabitants.
There is a communication by land between Launceston and Hobart Town, which are about 130 miles distant from each other in a straight line, and about 160, following the windings of the route at present frequented. No regular road has been constructed between these towns ; but the numerous carts and droves of cattle and sheep which are constantly passing from one to the other, have rendered the tract sufficiently distinct and plain. In fact, the making a road is a matter of very great ease, both here and at Port Jackson. The person, whoever he may be, that wants to establish a cart-road to any place, marks the trees in the direction he wishes to take, and these marks serve as a guide to all such as require to travel on it. In a very short time the tracks of the horses and carts that have passed along it become visible, the grass is gradually trod down, and finally disappears, and thus a road is formed.
«94
Wherever there happens to be a stream, or rfver that i^ not fordable, it is customary to cut down two or three trees in some spot on its banks, where it is seen they will reach to the other side of it ; across these, boughs or small trees are laid close together, and over all a suflUcient covering of earth.
Of this description are all the roads and bridges in Van Diemen's, and many of them even in Port Jackson, The reason why the settlements on this island are so much behind the parent colony is not to be traced so much to the greatey recency of their origin, as to the circumstance of their inhabitants being for the most part esta» Wished along the banks of navigable waters. At Port Dalrymple, the majority of the settlers have fixed themiielves on the banks of the North Esk. The Derw(mt, too, it has been seen, is navigable for vessels of the largest burden for 20 mile^ from its entrance. A little higher up, indeed, there are falls in it which interrupt its navigation, but it is hardly yet colonized beyond these falls,, and whenever that shall be the case it may easily be rendered navigable for boats, by the help of ferries, for a considerable distance further. Such of the agriculturists as have not settled on the banks of this river have selected their farms in the district of Pilt Water, which extends along-side of that spacious harbour called North Bay. These have consequently the same facilities as those on the banks of the Derweat for ^JOi^og their pradvu^
•
to market by water, and they naturally prefer this, the cheapest mode of conveyance. It may, therefore, be perceived, that the superior ad- vantages which are thus presented by an inland navigation are the main causes why the construc- tion of regular roads has been so much neglected in these settlements. So far, indeed, is this want of roads from being an inconvenience to the in- habitants of them, that the facilities afforded by this inland navigation for the transport of all sorts of agricultural produce to market is the principal point of superiority which they can claim over their brethren at Port Jackson.
Ther^ is but one court of justice in this island, the jurisdiction of which is purely civil, and only extends to pleas where the sum at issue does not exceed 50/. ; but no appeal lies from its decisions. All causes for a higher amount, and all criminal offences beyond the cognizance of the bench of magistrates, are removed to the courts at Port Jackson.
Climate,, &c.
The climate of this island is equally healthy, and much more congenial to the European con- stitution than that of Port Jackson. The north- west winds, which are there productive of such violent variations of temperature, are here un- known J and neither the summers nor winters are subject to any great extremes of heat or cold. The frosts, indeed, are much more severe, and of
S96
much longer duration, and the mountains, with which this island abounds, are covered with snow during the greatest part of the year ; but in the vallies it never lingers on the ground more than a few hours. Upon an average, the mean dif- ference of temperature between these settlements and those on New Holland (such as are to the eastward of the Blue Mountains, for the country to the westward of them is equally cold with any part of Van Diemen's) may be estimated at 10° of Fahrenheit at all seasons of the year.
The prevailing diseases are the same as at Port Jackson, that is, phthisis and dysentery, but the former is not so common. Rheumatic com- plaints, however, which are scarcely known there, exist here to a considerable extent.
Soil, &c.
In this island, as in New Holland, there is every diversity of soil j but certainly, in proportion to the surface of the two countries, this contains comparatively much less of an indifferent quality. Large tracts of land perfectly free from timber or underwood, and covered with the most luxuriant herbage, are to be found in all directions but more particularly in the environs of Port i rymple. This sort of land is invariably i' tlie very best description, and millions of acres still remain unappropriated, which are capable of being instantly converted to all the purposes qf husbandry, Therf! isV colonht has no ea^pense to incur in clear-
«97
ing his farm: he is not compelkd to a great prg' Ummary outlay qf capital before he can expect a considerable return : he has only to set fre to the grass, to prepare his land for the immediate recep- tion qf the plough-share ; so that, if he but possess a good team qf horses, or oxen, with a set qf harness, and a couple qf substantial ploughs, he has the main requisite'' for commencing an agricultural establish- ment, ana for ensuring a comfortable subsistence for hiinse <f and family.
To this great superiority which this settlement may claim over the parent colony may be super- added two other items of distinction, which are perhaps of equal magnitude and importance. First, the rivers here have sufficient fall in them to pre- vent any excessive accumulation of water from violent or continued rains ; and are consequently free from those awful and destructive inundations to which all its rivers are perpetually subject. Here, therefore, the industrious colonist may settle on the banks of a navigable river, and enjoy all the advantages of sending his produce to market by water, without running the constant hazard of having the fruit of his labour, the golden promise of the year, swept away in an hour by a capricious and domineering element. Secondly, the seasons are more regular and defined, and those great droughts, which have been so frequent at Port Jackson, are here altogether unknown. In the years 1813, 1814, and 1815, when the whole face of the country there was literally
2$^
burnt up, and vegetation completely at a stand- still for want of rain, an abundant supply of it fell here, and the harvests in consequence were never more productive. Indeed, since this settle- ment was first established, a period of 16 years, the crops have never sustained any serious detri- ment from an inbufticiency of rain ; whereas, in the parent colony, there have been, in the 31 years that have elapsed since its foundation, half a dozen dearths occasioned by drought, and at least as many arising from Hoods.
The circumstance, therefore, of Vc;n Diemen's Island being thus exempt from those calamitous consequences, which are so frequent in New Holland, from a superabundance of rain in the one instance, and a deficiency of it in the other, is a most important point of consideration for all such as hesitate in their choice betwixt the two countries, and is well worthy the most serious attention of those who are desirous of emigrating to one or the other of them, with a view to become mere agriculturists.
In the system of agriculture pursued in the two colonies thei 3 is no difference, save that the Indian corn, or maize, is not cultivated here, because the pjlimate is too cold to bring this grain to maturity. Barley and oats, however, arrive at much greater perfection, and afford the inhabitants a substitute, although by no means an equivalent, for this highly valuable product. The wheat, too, which is raised here, is of a much superior description to the wheat
^9
grown in any pf the aistirict;? of Ppn J^?;k8on, ftnd will always commwd, in the Sydney market, a difference of price sufficiently great to pay for the additional cost of transport. The average produce, also, of land here is greater, although it does not exceed, perhaps not equal, the produce cf the rich flooded lands on the banks of the Hawkesr bury and Nepean. A gentleman who reside^ many years at Port Dalrymple estimates the average produce of the crops at that settlement as follows: wheat, 30 bushels per acre; barley, 45 ; oats, 60. This estimate is not at all calculated to impress the English farmer with as favourable an opinion of the fertility of this settlement as it merits; but if he only witnessed the slovenly mode of tillage which is practised there he would be surprised, not that the average produce of the crops is so small, but that it is so great. If the same land had the benefit of the system of agri^ culture that prevails throughout the county of Norfolk, it may be safely asserted that its produce would be doubled. The land on the upper banks of the river Derwent, and at Pitt water, is equally fertile ; but the average produce of the crops on the whole of the cultivated districts belonging to this settlement is at least one-fifth less than a.% Port Dalrymple.
This settlement does not contaiu either such a variety or abundance of fruit as the parent colony. The superior coldness of the climate sufficiently accounts for the former deficiency, and tlie ereater
;i ;
300
recency of its establishment for the latter. The orange, citron, guava, loquet, pomegranate, and many other fruits which attain the greatest per- fection at Port Jackson, cannot be produced here without having recourse to artificial means ; while many more, as the peach, nectarine, grape, &c. only arrive at a very inferior degree of maturity. On the other hand, the apple, currant, and goose- berry, and, indeed, all those fruits for which the climate of the parent colony is too warm, are raised here without difficulty.
The system of rearing and fattening cattle is perfectly analogous to that which is pursued at Port Jackson. The natural grasses afford an abundance of pasturage at all seasons of the year, and no provision of winter provender, in the shape either of hay or artificial food, is made by the settler for his cattle ; yet, notwithstanding this palpable omission, and the greater length and severity of the winters, all manner of stock attain there a much larger size than at Port Jackson. Oxen, from three to four years old, here average about 700lbs. ; and wethers, from two to three years old, from 80 to 90lbs. ; while at Port Jackson oxen of the same age do not average more than 500lbs., and wethers not more than 40lbs. At Port Dal- rymple it is no uncommon occurrence for yearly lambs to weigh from 100 to ISOlbs., and for three year old wethers to weigh 150lbs. and upwards ; but this great disproportion of weight arises in some measure from the greater part of the sheep
301
at this settlement having become, from constant crossing, nearly of the pure Teeswater breed. Still th'e superior richness of the natural pastures of these southern settlements is, without doubt, the main cause of the increased weight at which both sheep and cattle arrive, since there is both a kindlier and larger breed of cattle at Port Jackson, which, nevertheless, neither weighs as heavy, nor affords as much suet, as the cattle there. This is an incontrovertible proof that the natural grasses possess much more nutritive and fattening qualities in this colony than in the other j and the superior clearness of the country is quite sufficient to account for this circumstance, without taking into the estimate the additional fact, that up to a certain parallel of latitude, to which neither the one nor the other of the countries extend, the su- perior adaptation of the colder climate for the rear- ing and fattening of stock is quite unquestionable.
The price of provisions is about on a par in the two colonies, or, if there be any difference, it is somewhat lower here. Horses, three or four years back, were considerably dearer than at Port Jack- son; but large importations of them have been made in consequence, and it is probable that their value is before this time completely equalized.
The wages of ordinary labourers are at least 30 per cent higher, and of mechanics 50 per cent higher, than in the parent colony ; a disproportion solely attributable to the very unequal and in- judicious distribution that has been made of the convicts.
302
the progress ttiade by this settlement in manu- factures is too inconsiderable to deserve notice.
The eommefce carried on by the colonists is of the same nature as that which is maintained by their brethren at Port Jackson. Like these, they have as yet no staple export to exchange for the various commodities they import from foreign countries, and are obliged to rely principally on the expenditure of the government for the means of procuring them. Their annual income may be taken as follows :
Money expended by the government for the "» support of officers and convicts . J Money expended by foreign shipping Wheat, &c. exported to Port Jackson Exports collected by the merchants at the "> settlement • • . J
Sa&dries ....
£' i. d.
30,000 0 0
5,000 0 0
4-,000 0 6
5,000 0 0
2,000 0 0
.£44,000 0 0
The duties are on the same scale as at Port Jackson, and amount to about 5000/. per annum.
The number of inhabitants in Van Diemen's is 3114* of which S554 are in the district of the Derwent, and 560 at Port Dalrymple, and may be divided into the following clas&es :
Tree persons. 2186
Soldiers. 200
Convicts.
728
Since further ; South \^ ment, fi ticulars :
The a Foxhoun very im| territory passage i tains, an discover! and we stating, 1 it of eas^ descripti acquisiti( C. Thtos many ye after tw last, wit Codckoo and Dua for Bath fieulties i of the f< wiis, on ' peditjofi,
303
Since this publication has been in the press, further accounts have been received from New South Wales relative to the state of that settle- ment, from which we extract the following par- ticulars :
The advices received from Port Jacksoh, by the Foxhound, to the 13th June, contain information very important to the interests of this advancing territory. We some time since announced that a passage had been effected across the Blue Moun- tains, and that a most desirable country had been discovered to the west of those towering heights; and we have now the additional gratification of stating, that a communication has been opened to it of easy access, running through lands of the first description. The colonists are indebted for this acquisition to their resources to the exertions of G. Thtosby, Esq. a large land and stock-holder, many years resident in New South Wales* whoj after two preceding attempts, succeeed in May last, with the assistance of two native guides, Coockoogottn, chief of the Burrah-burrah tribe, and Dual, in passing from the Cow-pastures dir^ect for Bathurst, having encountered only those dif- ficulties inseparably attendant on the first explorets of the forests of a new country. Mt. Throsby wis, on the whole, occupied 15 days on the ex- pedition, hi^ pt^ogresfe beittg protviwited fccm. ^ome
f
304
of his party falling ill, and bad weather j but by the delay he had greater opportunity of examining the country on each side of his rouLe; and in his letter to the gentleman from whom we have the information he says, " I have no hesitation in
' stating, we have a country fit for every and any purpose, where fine-woolled sheep may be in- creased to any amount, in a climate peculiarly congenial to them : ere long, you will hear of a
' route being continued to the southward, as far as Twofold Bay, and so on farther in succession through a country as much more beautiful and superior to the Cow-pastures as that now enviable district is to the land contiguous to Sydney, and where our herds, our flocks, and our cultivation may unlimitedly increase, at an inconsiderable distance from the great and grand essential in a young colony — ^water carriage."
The following extract of a general order from the governor on the occasion will evince his ex- cellency's estimation of the importance of Mr. Throsby's exertions :
" G. and G. O.
" Government-house, Sydney, May 31.
" His excellency the governor having received and perused the journal of a tour lately made by Charles Throsby, Esq., by the way of the Cow- pastures to Bathurst, in the new discovered country westward of the Blue Mountains, takes this early opportunity publicly to announce the happy result
of
an {
very ei
prospe]
n « Tl
having
range i
cattle,
became
anothe]
able ba
ticable,
effected
Bathurs
"Hi!
Throsbi
qualitiei
betweer
he repr
fertile,
of wate:
and vail
view, bi
pasturag
" The
hanced
range oi
Cow-pasi
now fulh
with pres
"His
ciating J
305
of an enterprise which promises to conduce, m a very eminent degree, to the future interest and prosperity of the colony.
"The communication with the Western Country having been heretofore over a long and difficult range of mountains, alike ungenial to man and cattle, from their parched and barren state, it became aii object of great importance to discover another route, whereby those almost insurmount- able barriers would be avoided, and a moi« prac- ticable, and consequently less hazardous access effected to the rich and extensive plains of Bathurst.
" His excellency adverts with pleasure to Mr. Throsby's general report of the capabilities, qualities, and features of the country intervening between the Cow-pastures and Bathurst ; which he represents to be, with few exceptions, rich, fertile, and luxuriant; abounding with fine runs of water, and all the happy varieties of soil, hill, and valley, to render it not only delightful to the view, but highly suitable to all the purposes of ' pasturage and agriculture.
" The importance of these discoveries is en- hanced by the consideration, that a continuous range of valuable country, extending from the Cow-pastures to the remote plains of Bathurst, is now fully ascertained, connecting these countries with present settlements on this side the Nepean. " His excellency the governor, highly appre- ciating Mr. Throsby's services on this occasion,
x
S06
offers him this public tribute of acknowledgment, for the zeftl and perseverance by which hie was ac- tuated throughout that arduous undertaking ; and desires his acceptance of 1,000 acres of land in any part of the country discovered by himself that he may choose to select.
'' " By command of his excellency,
^, (Signed) " J. T., qi!,MPBEj,^Jecjretary."^
'^^ By the Shipley, that had sailed on the 1st of April, but has not yet arrived, between 200 and SOO troops were sent home, which has left the colony with a force of only 500 men for its pro^ tection. The number was deemed inadequate for the purpose, and the settlers (in other respects going on prosperously) were in anxiety and alarm on that account. An increase of military force has been long expected by the colony, as well as a brig of war at Sydney. All the benevolent institutions, especially the Orphan School, founded by the excellent lady of their former governor. Captain King, are producing the best effects on the rising generation.
The progress of the settlements in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land has been so rapid, that they now possess, of their own growth, all the necessaries of life, and are even enabled to make exportation of a surplus produce. They have lately sent horses to Batavia, cattle and salted meat to the Isle of France, and fiour to the Cape of Good Hope, to assist in meeting the
307
distresses the inhabitanU of that territory have lately experienced for the want of grain. Nor do these colonks less contribute to the wants of the mother country, which they supply with spenn, black oil, seal-skins of a superior descrip- tion, and wools of a quality vying with the best Saxon and Spanish. The ship Surrey is on her way to England, freighted with these valuable articles. The exertions of the colonists have hitherto been much retarded by the duties im- posed on their exports, but there is reason to hope these impediments will be removed, as a petition for that purpose, signed by the principal colonists, has been transmitted to the legislature, by the governor. We are now enabled to annex an abstract of the last public muster, concluded in the different settlements in November last (1818), when the following results were ascertained : —
Total of the popnlation of the territory, 25,050 souls, being an increase, in one year, of nearly 5,000 inhabitants. Acres of wheat io cultivation Ditto of ground ready for maize Ditto of barley, oats, peas, and beans in cultivation Ditto of potatoes Ditto of gardens and orchards Ditto of cleared ground Total quantity of acres held by individuals .
20,100
8,400
1,990
730
990
49,600
290,600
LIVE STOCK. Total number of horned cattle in the territory Ditto of sheep ....
Ditto of swine Ditto of horses
55,450
301,240
22,630
3,600
X 2
vHJo
^The settlers are supplying the government stores with fresh beef, and mutton, and pork, at 6d, per pound. The average market price of wheat in May and June last was Ss. 6d, per bushel ^ and other necessaries of life equally reasonable.
As a criterion of the luxuries enjoyed by the inhabitants in fruit, one garden, belonging to a gentleman a few miles from Sydney, contains the following extensive variety, and which are generally dispersed over the whole of New South Wales : — viz. oranges, citrons, lemons, pomegranates, lo- quatts, guavas, the olive, grapes of every species, pineapples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, apples, pears, plums, figs; English, Cape, and China mulberries ; walnuts, Spanish chesnuts, almonds, medlars, raspberries, strawberries, melons, quinces, and the caper, with others of minor value ; and such is the abundance of peaches, that the swine of the settlers are fed with them. In Van Diemen's Land the currant and gooseberry are particularly fine.
It has at last been ascertained the colonists can furnish their mills with stones from their own soil, for which they have hitherto been compelled to resort to French burrs ; but J. Blaxland, Esq. gives notice in the last Gazette, that his mill grinds wheat with stones of colonial produce, at one shilling per bushel. The steam-engine erected at Sydney by Mr. Dixon has proved of much service. The governor has again permitted the inha-
«CD
bitants to indulge themselves with annual races, for which purpose there is a most capital race- course adjoining Sydney; and on the 4th June a silver cup, a silver bowl, cover, and ladle, were spiritedly contested for.
"As a singular proof of the intercourse already existing with Otaheite and New Zealand, we see the following inhabitants of these fine islands giving notice, in a Gazette of May last, of their departure from Port Jackson, as sailors in colonial vessels, viz. Roni^ Pautu, Popoti^ Tiapoa, Moai, Topdt Fiew, Aiycng, Howhoe ; and similar notices frequently occur.
' A new schooner, of 40 tons, built in the Crown dock-yard at Sydney, by command of the Prince Regent, as a present to the king of the Sandwich Islands, was launched in April, and was to be despatched immediately, properly equipped.
At an annual examination of the public schools at Paramatta, a black native girl belonging to the Orphan Schoolj founded by Mrs. King bore away the second prize ; thus proving the aborigines are susceptible of sufficient mental improvement to adapt them to the purposes of civilized associa- tion.
The inhabitants of New South Wales were ac- commodated with a newspaper within a few years of its establishment; and we see announced in one of its last numbers, that a literary periodical pub- lication was to make its first appearance the 1st of last month, under the title of Tke Australasian
k:
■»' |
■ |
Vm l^B |
|
I^H '^^H |
'^^^1 |
■li'S |
■ |
' ^^^B |
1 |
\'\ '<{' V IHH |
'gHMBHH| |
II |
1 |
11 |
1 |
-■:■ |
^^1 |
SlO
Magazine and Quarterly Register nf Agriculhtral and Commercial Ifi/brmation, the Fine Arts, ^'c.
From the best information that has been con- veyed concerning the progress of the settlementf in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, it certainly seems preferable that government, in- stead of liding emigrations to the unsettled parts of the Cape of Good Hope, should divert them to these colonies already established at so con- siderable an expense j that they should rather en- courage our overflowing population to adventure in an established community, where their fellow- countrymen are already experienced in the climate and soil, and in the peculiar cultivation adapted to them \ and where the natives, too, are harm- less ; than subject them to the difficulties of first operations in a new country, exposed on either side to inroads from the Cafires and Bosjesmans; where they will be viewed with jealousy by all their neighbours, and be governed by laws (the Anglo-Dutch) uncongenial to their habits.
It is certainly most desirable that those who, from whatever causes, are anxious to expatriate, should, under all probabilities, adventure to the most eligible situations ; and looking to what has already been accomplished in the territory we are speaking of, and to the results which may ra- tionally b'* expected from the capabilities known to exist ' :, and in despite of the distaste that may in s minds attach to a society which has originated from the outcasts of the mother-coun-
311
try, we are inclined to view then us among tlie most eligible asylums that can be offered.
The report of the Committee of the House of Commons, which sat last session, in review of the state of our settlements in this part of the world, is daily expected to appear, and we look for some further information that may cause us again to re- turn to the subject. We understand it was repre- sented to the members of that committee, by a gentleman of many years experience in these co- lonies, that a vessel of 460 tons could be chartered to take out 50 families, consisting on an average of a man, his wife, and two children, at the small expense of 100/. each family, including their pro- visions on the passage, and allowing them sufiScient tonnage for their baggage and stores. Settlers, on arrival in New South Wales and Van Diemen's Land, have a grant of land allotted to them pro- portionate to their powers of making proper use of* it, with a certain number of laborers, whd with their families are victualled from the public stores for six months. o^jtMiXiO
MEMORANDA.
*^ Dui'tea at New South PFales and Fan Diemett» Island.
SHIPS from any part of the world importing cargoes (the ma- nufactures of Great Britain excepted) to pay a duty of five per cent, ad valorem on the amount of their respective invoices.
^ £. *. <l.
On every gallon of spirits landed - - • 0 lO 0
Ditto wine ditto - . . > 0 0 9
On every pound of tobacco - - - 0 0 6
Wharfage on each bale, cask, or package - - Q 0 6
The Naval Office to receive 5 per cent, on ail duties
collected at this port.
Wharfinger's Fees.
On each bale, cask, or package, landed or shipped - 0 0 3
Metage per ton on coals - - - 0 2 6
Measure of timber, pel- 1000 feet - - - 0 2 0
The following duties to be levied and collected by the Naval
Officer on the articles hereunder named, upon their arrival and
landing, whether for colonial consumption or re-shipment.
On each ton of sandal wood ...
On each ton of pearl shells - - .
On each ton of beechOe-mer - -
On each ton of sperm oil (252 gallons)
On each ton of black whale or other oil * -
On each fur seal skin - - . .
On each hair ditto ...
On each kangaroo ditto' - . .
On cedar, or other timber, from Shoal Haven, or any other part of the coast or harbours of New South Wales (Newcastle excepted, as the duties are already prescribed there), when not supplied by government labourers for each solid foot - - O 1 o
• These are merely colonial duties; it is the duty in thii country that nearly amount! to a orohibition.
- 2 |
10 |
0 |
- 2 |
10 |
0 |
'■- 5 |
0 |
0 |
(i..ti/2 |
10 |
0 |
- 2 |
0 |
0 |
- 0 |
0 |
li |
- 0 |
0 |
Of |
- 0 |
0 |
oj |
I
313
For every 20 spars from New 2^aland or elsewhere On timber, in log or plank, from New Zealand or else- where, for each solid foot - - -
£. t, i, 10 0
.010
Fees and Dues in the various Offices. secretary's office. — governor's fees.
For the great seal to every grant, not exceeding 1000
acres - - - - - 0 5 0
For all grants exceeding 1000 acres, for every 1000
each grant contains - - -.-026
For a licence of occupation - - - - 0 5 0
Secretary's Fees.
For every grant, and passing the seal of the province,
if under 100 acres - - - 0 5 0
Between 100 and 500 acres - - - - 0 10 O
All above - -- - - -0 15 0
In grants of land, where the number of proprietors
shall exceed 20, each right - - - 0 2 6
In ditto, where the number of proprietors shall not ex- ceed 20 — ^the same as for grants in proportion to the quantity of land. For license of occupation of land - - - 0 2 6
For every grant of land from 1000 to 20,000 acres, take for the first 1000 acres 1 5s. and for every 1000 acres more, 2s. 6d.
Fees to be taken by the Surveyor General of Land.
For each grant, not exceeding
Ditto - . - .
Ditto
Ditto - . -
Ditto - - - -
Ditto . . . -
Ditto - - . - -
Ditto - - -' -
40 acres |
0 |
7 |
6 |
90 ditto |
0 |
10 |
0 |
190 ditto |
0 |
15 |
0 |
250 ditto |
1 |
0 |
0 |
350 ditto |
1 |
10 |
0 |
400 ditto |
2 |
0 |
0 |
750 ditto |
2 |
12 |
6 |
000 ditto |
3 |
5 |
0 |
914
Ditto, on town leMes^ per foot <« street frtmt » - 0 0 I And on all grants exceedbg 1000 acres for each 100
acres so exceeding - • -040
j4wdit9r'»F00$. Tot the auditing of every grant
-034
Regkirar'* Fee*.
For recording a grant of land, for or nnder 500 acres 0 13
For ditto from 500 to 1000 acres - - - O 2 d
For every 1000 acres to the amonnt of 20,000 - - 0 10 6
For recording a grant of a township - - - 1 0 0
%>'i
OBSERVATIONS.
OF the beneficial results of emigration, in a pecuniary point of view, to those who leave this country with the intention of employing themselves in agriculture, there can be little doubt; for whether we look to the United States of America, or to our own colonies, it will be found that the mere increase in the value of the land alone, afler 15 or 20 years' occupation, independent of the produce from it during that period, offers large returns for their labors, and may justly be con- sidered amply sufficient to compensate for the deprivation of a few luxuries at the commence- ment of a settlement. Previous, however, to any general observations, the author may perhaps materially assist some of his readers by recapitu- lating such advantages, and disadvantages, of each particular colony, as appear of sufficient mag- nitude to merit distinction, or influence the emi- grant in his choice.
CANADA.
The chief disadvantage of Canada is its climate; the severity of which, in the Lower Province, during six months of the year, is so great, as to
316
cause a complete obstruction to navigation, as well as to impede agricultural and most other kinds of employment : it is, therefore, particularly requisite for such emigrants as have no other means of support than what may be derived from their daily labour, to endeavour to reach this colony as early in the spring as possible. The climate of the Upper Province, though not at present considered salubrious, probably in con- sequence of its not being yet sufficiently cleared, is considerably milder than in the vicinity of Quebec and Montreal.
The advantages of Canada to those who possess capital are, it must be confessed, of some mag- nitude, and probably more than equal to any ob- stacles that may result from the coldness of the climate ; which, after all, is perhaps only an imagi- nary evil, as the rapidity of vegetation during the summer is in proportion ; and it appears that the inhabitants of this, and of other cold countries, invariably look forward with pleasure to the winter season as a period of visiting, feasting, and re- creation; and the unanimous accounts of aH tra- vellers in regard to the salubrity of Lower Canada are sufficient proofs that though the severe cold of the country may be sometimes unpleasant to the feelings, it is not in the least injurious t the constitutions of the inhabitants. ; It must be recollected also, that this colony possesses an old established government, and that the state of society, and the manners of the people,
317
are proportionably ameliorated. The means of education are of easy attainment. And the steam-boats in the summer, and the sleighs in the winter months, afford a facility of communica- tion throughout th^ year, far superior to what is enjoyed by any o..ier colony: to which may be added, that it is a country of considerable trade jl possessing not only the advantages of a direct commercial intercourse with the mother country, and, by means of the Lakes, with the United States of America ; but also, that of supplying our West India settlements with grain and lumber, in which a very active trade is carried on, and West India produce received in return, thereby causing an almost certain demand for superabundant pro- duce, as well as various openings for the employ- ment of capital.
(
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
The disadvantages of this colony are, the bar- renness of some parts of the soil ; the number of ferocious animals ; the Caffres ; the badness of the harbours ; the dangerous nature of the coasts ; and the want of navigable rivers. The ferocious animals and the Caffres are only temporary evils ; and although some parts of the soil be barren, there are others of a contrary description, parti- cularly in that situation selected for colonization by his Majesty's government : even the harbours may in time be improved j but the nature of the
318
coasts, and the almost total want of navigable rivers, are impediments not easily surmounted.
The advantages of the Cape are, its climate, which, although warm, is extremely healthy; and its situation, which indeed can scarcely be sur- passed, and must ever afford to this colony a facility of commerce with all parts of the world superior to that possessed b '^^ther.
NEW SOUTH WALES.
The disadvantages of New South Wa es are, the droughts from want of rain, the overflowing of the rivers, and the circumstance of the major part of tlie inhabitants either being, or having been, convicts. The droughts and inundations may be considered permanent evils ; that respect- ing the convicts can only exist a few years longer, as the numerous births, and the probable increase of emigration, will shortly render the number trifling in comparison to that of the other de- scriptions of inhabitants, notwithstanding any additional supply from England. The natives can scarcely be considered as an evil: those contiguous to the settlements are partially ci- vilized, and those of the interior seldom or never attack a man who is armed.
The advantages this colony possesses are, several good harbours and navigable rivers; in having no destructive animal except the wild dog, which only occasionally attacks the sheep } and in its situation,
I
which renaers it extremely eligible *«* v^uTying on a commerce with the Cape of Good Hope, the East Indies, China, and, above all, wiUi the whole of the western coast of South America, to which country the trade may in a few years become very considerable.
VAN DIEMEN'S ISLAND.
This island, with the single exception of one- third of the inhabitants being convicts, has no dis- advantage worthy of notice. Here are neither droughts nor inundations, and the natives are even more timid than those at Port Jackson, as well as fewer in number. It possesses the same ad- vantages, in a commercial point of view, as New South Wales. The harbours are not only nu- merous but good ; that of Hobart Town, in par* ticular, is supposed to be equal to any in the world; and, above all, the climate is excellent, being nearly upon a par with that of the south of France, the snow seldom remaining in the vallies more than a few hours : it is indeed probable that it will be found even superior to that of New South Wales for the production of fine-woolled sheep^ which, if Mr. Wentworth's calculation be correct, afford the most promising object for speculation.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
In forming a comparison between the British Colonies and the United States, it will be un-
li
m'
8«0
necessary to allude to any but the western terri- tory, all accounts being unanimous in describing that part ds the most eligible.
The principal disadvantage in America is that of the emigrant being obliged to purchase the land he intends for a settlement, which in our own co- lonies he obtains j^^e*/ nor is the climate at pre- sent so favourable as it has been represented j the fact being, that, in consequence of the vast extent of uncleared land, the country is extremely sub- ject to agues and fevers : these may probably dis- appear as the woods decrease, but in the interim the colonist is exposed to their effects.
The advocates for emigration to America ar^ very strenuous in their endeavours to impress upon the public the circumstance of that country pos- sessing neither game laws, tithes, nor taxes of any consequence; but it must be recollected, that the British Colonies are equally free from these evils.
The author, therefore, is induced to think that the British Colonies are, upon the whole, more eligible for emigration than America, notwith^ standing the great distance of some of them from England. The following calculation of the ex- pense of going to the Illinois, and to one of th^ most distant British Colonies, may, perhaps, in- cline some of his readers to coincide in this idea. A family, consisting of a gentleman, his wife, five
• With respect to the Cape of Good Hope, vide page 329,
321
children, and a female servant, sailed from the river Thai lea in May last for Van Dieraen's Island : the passage money was 300/. which was to include spirits, wine, &c. j and the table was to be kept up, notwithstanding any delay at Madeira, or Rio Ja- neiro. If an emigrant, with the same number in family, intend to settle in the United States, say near Mr. Birkbeck's residence, he must first go to Baltimore, the passage money to which place would be about 150/.; viz. 40/. each, for himself and wife, 201. for the servant, and 10/. each, for the children: upon his arrival at Baltimore, it will probably be necessary to remain a week, and then proceed over the Alleghany mountains to Pitts- burg, about 250 miles ; here he will, perhaps, be obliged to stop another week, and then go down the Ohio river to the mouth of the Wabash, 910 miles, and thence near 100 miles farther; to take which journey, with even a very small degree of comfort^ including the expense of a week's stay at Balti- more and Pittsburg, could not cost less than 150/. more, making in the whole 300/.
We will suppose each settler left England with a capital of 1000/. : this, deducting the expense of conveyance to the different points of their destina- tioli, would be reduced to 700/. The settler, upon his arrival at Van Diemen*s* with such a capital, would, upon making the usual application to the governor, receive a grant of 800 acres, free of ex-
* These remarks and calculations are equally applicable to NeW South Wales.
y
f: iilll
!i Wl:
m 3
ill
322
pense, except a small fee, and consequently have his capital of 700/. to commence farming with. The settler in America, on the contrary, must purchase his 800 acres, which, at the money price of one dollar 64 cents, per acre, is within a trifle of 300/., leaving 400/. only to begin with.
Independently of this great advantage, there are several others of less consequence in favour of the emigrant to Van Diemen's :
First, in going the whole distance by water, in- stead of the route just described to the Illinois territory, which is not only unpleasant, but even hazardous with a family.
Secondly, the settler, his family, and servants, at Van Diemen's, are victualled at the expense of government for six months after their arrival.
Thirdly, the price of labor is scarcely one-half of what it is in America. The laborers, it is true, are convicts; but it is doubtful whether they are much worse than the back-woodsmen of America. The attachment of servants to their master must, in general, depend upon his treatment of them : if he make it their interest to behave well, by a little kindness when necessary, and by holding out the prospect of being rewarded after a certain period of service, it is more than probable he will be served that period faithfully.
Fourthly, in forming a comparison of the pro- fits likely to be derived by each settler, the balance is still more in favour of Van Diemen's. The high prices of agricultural produce there, in
.133
proportion to tliosc in America, must ensure to t!ie farmer a very considerable profit, as the outgoings, owing to the low price of labor, are even less than in the United States. The cause of the high price of provisions, is the consumption made of those articles by the officers and convicts who are employed by government : these prices, therefore, are likely to continue' until the number of settlers shall be considerably increased. In the newly settled districts of America there are no inhabitants of this description: every one grows enough for himself and family, and, consequently, can have little occasion to purchase.
There is yet another circumstance to be taken into consideration, and to some persons very ma- terial : after you have located in America, several years must elapse before a town of any magnitude can arise in the neighbourhood, at which you may meet any respectable society, or procure education for your children ; whereas land at Van Diemen's Island may be procured within a very few miles of the capital town, containing already a popula- tion of 1000 inhabitants, and which, being the seat of government, affords a well regulated society, with its attendant comforts.
The reader will perceive that the foregoing cal- culation is chiefly intended for the capitalist; and it appears that to any one possessed of 1000/. or upwards, both New South Wales and Van Diemen's Island, but particularly the latter, offer
Y 2
t
-trs£^a^gvr-."r¥r7»Ti|
3i>4
far greater imlucements than the United States of America.
With respect to the Cape of Good Hope, the present advantages to a capitahst are not quite so apparent ; but it must be confessed the data ne- cessary to form an opinion are few, the informa- tion afforded by the writers on this colony being of too general a description to enable the compiler to offer any decisive advice : but that it afford* the means of present subsistence is certain, and there can be no doubt that a soil and climate which admit of the productions of many parts of Europe, and of the greater part of the United States, must eventually afford large returns to the employment of capital.
It may now be proper to offer a few remark* relative to those emigrants who are without ca- pital, or possess sufficient only to pay for their conveyance. To such as are laborers, and who are contented to remain so, America certainly holds out inducements far superior to any other coun- try. In no part of the world is there so great a difference between the price of labor and that of provisions; and a workman of the lowest order can, with comparative ease, earn sufficient to sup- port himself and family. The number, however, of this class of emigrants is very small: out of the thousands that embark for America, there are few who do not look forward to the time when they shall become proprietors of land ; with the
3:25
exception, therefore, of that small number who are contented to remain laborers, the chief ob- ject and expectation of an emigrant is that of becoming a landholder. That this object is more easy of attainment in the British Colonies than in America will be shown in the following par- ticulars :
We will suppose a laborer on his way to the United States : he would have to pay for his pas- sage, in the steerage, from London to Baltimore, about 10/. ; his stock of provisions, bedding. Sec. would, at the very lowest calculation, come to 10/. more : his journey from Baltimore to the western territory, the only part where work is certain, might, perhaps, cost another 10/., making upon the whole 30/. At the end of this journey he will have to seek for employment-, and though there is little doubt of his obtaining it, yet he must labor for several years before he can acquire suf- ficient, even with great economy, to become a pro- prietor of land.
On the other hand, a laboring man, for SO/, or 35/.* at the most, can convey himself to New South Wales or Van Diemen*s. Upon his arrival at either of these places, in lieu of having to work for four or five years, he obtains at once a grant of from 50 to 100 acres, is fed for six months, and may
I if
* These calculations, it must be borne in mind, only ap^ly to an individual : if the settler have a wife and children, the sum will probably a^nount to near 1 00/., or more, in proportion to the fa-
ilv.
326
stock his farm from the government store, ^e-^ paying the amount at the expiration of three years, which an industrious man can easily do, as, be- sides the profits from the produce of his land, for which there is an excellent market, if he be a wheelwright, smith, or any other trade of use in the colony, he may occasionally turn his leisure hours to a good account.
By comparing these statements, it will be evi- dent that the inducements for emigration to New South Wales and Van Diemen's, even to the la- borer are superior to any that can be offered by the United States.
For this class of emigrants, however, the Cape of Good Hope is far more advantageous than either of the above-mentioned places j more par- ticularly to such as have families.
The mode adopted by government, as will be seen by referring to the circular letter, is that of conveying the settlers, and families q£ not more than two children, free of expense, to Algoa Bay, near the intended place of settlement j and of granting a portion of land equal to one hundred acres for every settler. The application for a passage, &c. must be made to the colonial depart- ment, in Downing-street; but as government will not attend to any application unless made on the behalf of at least ten persons, it will be first ne- cessary to procure this number, each of whom must deposit 10/. at the office in London, which sum will be returned to them at the Cape, and enable them to purchase a few agricultutal im-
3^7
plements, as well as to exist while the land is being cultivated. From these particulars it ap- pears, that any number of persons above ten, and who can command 10/. each, may be actually conveyed with their families to the place of settle- ment, and obtain a grant of land of one hundred acres free of expense*. These inducements for emigration, to the poorer class, are certainly far beyond those offered by any other part of the world. With the exception, however, of the settler and family being victualled during the voyage, the same inducements have existed for some time past, and yet, notwithstanding the comparative superior advantages for emigration which are, and have been possessed, by the British colonies, still, it cannot be denied, that more than nine tenths of the British emigrants who have left their country within these last two years have gone to the United States. That there is some cause for this unequal division must be certain : it cannot be in the fancied superiority of the government, for that can make but little difference to the generality of emigrants, thousands of whom never entertain a thought about it. If, however, we take into consideration the state of the major part of the emigrants, as well as the chief cause of their emigrating, we shall not be surprised to learn
* It appears that government have already received so many appUci^tions that they have, for the present, declined the accept- ance of any further offers ; but the colony is still open to those who may choose to eo out at their own expense.
II
328
that nearly the whole of them leave this country- in debt; indeed, this is known to be the case in almost every instance. In America, a man thus situated is safe ; but not so in our own colonies : he may be proceeded against the moment he seta his foot on shore, or his creditor, with an apparent lenity, may wisely allow him a year or two to bring his land into cultivation, and then seize it, together with his house and stock, turning the unhappy settler and his family into the desert, to seek a subsistence how and where they can. For a man to think of settling in the British colonies, with this prospect in view, would be madness ; and thus, by all accounts, at least nine tenths of the British emigrants are absolutely prohibited from choosing any other place but the United States, whatever may be their inclination to the colonies, or attachment to the venerable institutions of their native country. This, it is imagined, sufficiently explains why America, notwithstanding the endea- vors of this country to turn the tide of emigration, still attracts such a vast proportion of British settlers ? and that she will continue to do so, as long as the laws remain in this state, there can be little doubt. Perhaps, however, government may deem this subject worthy of consideration. To exonerate the settlers entirely from the debts they had previously contracted would be unjust to their creditors 5 but it would be advantageous to both parties, and to the settlers absolutely ne- cessaiy, to be exempt from any legal proceedings.
329
arising from their debts, for eight or ten years, so that they might have time to save enough to ex- tricate themselves from their embarrassments, and not be subject to have their land and their cattle seized i.t the very moment they may begin to reap the fruits of their labor. .There can be but one chief method of inducing emigrants to settle in the British colonies, and that is, by rendering colonization there more ad- vantageous than it is in the United States. His Majesty's government, however, appears to have overlooked this circumstance, or it would not compel the settler to the payment of a rent, for his land, more particularly such an one as two pounds for every hundred acres, as will be seen in the circular letter relative to the Cape of Good Hope. It is true that it is never to exceed this sum, but it is probable it will in most cases equal it. The purchase of an acre of land in America is, at the money price, one dollar sixty-four cents, or seven shillings and four pence halfpenny : the interest of this, at five per cent., is not quite four pence halQ)enny, being the rent of an acre of land in America. Now, at the rate of two pounds for every hundred acres, each acre will be four pence three farthings ; consequently the rent of a farm at the Cape of Good Hope will be higher than one in the United States ; and the circumstance of procuring land for nothing, which has ever been held up ^s the grand inducement for emigrating to the British colonies, is entirely ^et aside.
•m
• t;i
330
Allowing the spot fixed upon at the Cape for British settlers to be the most fertile in the colony, and that the perseverance, skill, and in- dustry of these settlers, render them far superior to the Dutch inhabitants ; still it may be necessary to ask, will the English settler pay willingly a rent of four pence three farthings per acre, when his Dutch neighbour pays less than one farthing*? and would it be possible to collect at this moment from the Dutch settlers a rent of even one penny per acre ? It is apprehended that any one at all conversant with this colony would give a negative to both these questions.
Upon a further reference to the circular letter, the reader will perceive, the only mode by which an emigrant can procure a large grant of land, at the Cape of Good Hope, is that of taking with him ten able-bodied men, and upon his arrival with these men at the place of settlement, he procures one thousand acres free of expense. It appears also, that the party taking out these laborers has the power of making any agree- ment with them he may consider requisite ; and it is only natural to suppose he will make the best he can for himself: it is, therefore, more than probable, many of these laborers may be induced, either through ignorance or distress, to bind themselves to the servitude of ten, twenty, or even a greater number of years, with no other
• Vide i»age 1 75.
331
recompense than subsistence, thus creating a species of slavery.
It must be obvious that any one who may be persuaded to agree to such a disproportionate length of service will, after a short residence in the colony, become conscious of the imprudent step he has committed, and by forming a com- parison with those who have entered into more favourable compacts, naturally grow dissatisfied with his situation. The probable result will be, that he deserts his service ; and should it be un- lawful for any other settler to employ him, he will have no alternative but that of joining the Caffres or Bosjesmen, or, by uniting with others in a similar predicament to himself, subsist by com- mitting depredations upon the colonists. Even on the supposition that the majority of those who go out as laborers have sufficient sense not to bind themselves to more than five years' service (and it is not imagined any one would be at the trouble and expense of conveying a man out for a less period of service), still, at the expiration of that time, he will be no better off, with the ex- ception, perhaps, of a greater certainty of pro- curing work, than he was in England, and may probably for the remainder of his life be unable to rise above the rank of a common labourer.
The chief inducement a man has for emigrating, as before observed, is the prospect ofpossessing, after a few years' labor, a portion of land sufficient for the mainfp.nanrp of himsplf nnrl fnmilv nnri nf Uaxrltyrm
332
the satisfaction of feeling, that his children are in some degree provided for, in the event of his death. According to the present plan, however, of colonizing the Cape of Good Hope, this pro- spect, which the emigrant might otherwise justly anticipate, is not very likely to be realized without the intervention of government ; but which, from the well known intelligence of the heads of His Majesty's colonial department, will no doubt shortly take place, unless any particular reason should exist to the contrary.
Tlie best method that has occurred to the author for ameliorating the probable condition of the laborious class of emigrants at the Cape is that of limiting the period of service to five years, and at the expiration of this period to grant every man from fifty to one hundred acres, according to his character and number of children.
Until some regulation of this kind be made, the laborer should be careful not to bind himself to many years* servitude, as well as to stipulate with his conductor for twenty or thirty acres of land, when his time of service shall have ex- pired.
INDEX
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
Page |
||
Agnes, prevalent near rivers |
• t |
5 |
Preventives of |
• ' |
6 |
Albany, description of |
• * |
41 |
Population of |
• ' i |
41 |
Wages at |
41 |
|
Rent and taxes at |
42 |
|
Ale, easily brewed in the Western States |
• |
5 |
A preventive to the agne |
6 |
|
Alleghany Mountains, described |
30 |
|
Inhabitants of |
46 |
|
Habitations df |
46 |
|
America, described by Doctor Franklin |
6 |
|
Salary of the president, judges, &c. |
« |
16 |
Taverns of, described |
• |
27 |
Number of sheep in |
• |
36 |
mills, &c. in |
• 4 |
36 |
Population of |
« |
36 |
No established religion iii |
• |
39 |
Expense of living in large cities in, equal tc |
||
England |
43 |
|
Aborigines of . . . |
• |
62 |
Amount of exports and imports in |
1817 |
78 |
Americans, lower class of, addicted to drinking |
7 |
|
Great travellers |
« |
29 |
Their gasconade |
t |
48 |
Their general character |
. |
66 |
Animals {fVild), of Illinois territory |
27 |
|
Indiana ditto |
• |
24 |
Ohio ditto . . |
9. 56 |
,111'
334
Pagt |
||
dirk, descriptba and price of an |
S |
|
Artlclett imported free of duty |
77 |
|
Baltimore, best port to arrive at . . . |
1 |
|
Population . ... |
. S(J |
. 78 |
Steam boats |
30 |
|
Wages and board of mechanics |
S7 |
|
Severity of winters at . . |
76 |
|
Route to Cincinnati |
77 |
|
Birkbeck, Mr. his letter to Mr. Fearon |
70 |
|
Price of cattle near the residence of . |
. SO |
. 34 |
His residence described |
31 |
|
His plan of offering portions of land to emi |
||
grants . . . |
32 |
|
State of thermometer at . . |
34 |
|
Number of newspapers, and expense of , |
35 |
|
Cattle, mode of collecting by salt |
9 |
|
Price of, &c. in Pennsylvania |
46 |
|
Ditto, near Mr. Birkbeck 's settlement . |
30 |
. 31- |
Ditto, in Illinois . . . . |
62 |
|
Ditto, at New York . . . . |
39 |
|
, Ditto, in Ohio State . . . |
.58 |
|
Ditto, at Pittsburg . . , |
50 |
|
Cent, value of a . . . . |
2 |
|
Charlestotvn, state of thermometer at . . . |
. |
75 |
Cincinnati, description of . . . |
18. |
59 |
Its distance from several places , |
19 |
|
Population, &c. . |
19. |
59 |
Exports and imports . |
19 |
|
Value of improved land, near to |
20. |
30 |
Price of provisions at ( 1 8 1 8) |
20 |
|
Produce of land near to . . . |
21 |
|
Emigrant society at . . . |
29 |
|
Expense of education at |
59 |
|
Number and price of newspapers |
59 |
335
QHcinnati, mode of ahopkeeping . ?i'//Jte u
Mr. Fearon's ideas as to the eligibility of, for emigrants •
Coal, universal . • • •
Cotton, mode of cultivation . .
Climate suitable for .
Grown by most farmers in the Western States . • • •
Page 60
00 8 8 8
12
Dollar, value of .
Emigrants, of small property, remarks upon
Intending to farm should carry out seeds
Climate best adapted to
Should not remain long at large towns
Should avoid inebriation .
What likely to succeed . . 7. 29. 37.
Number of, in one vessel
General instructions to . > .
Certificate to be obtained by
Number of, to Western Territory
Success of an Irish, at Pittsburg
Account of one at Philadelphia
farms, directions for choosing • • •
Price of . • • •
Fearon, Mr. his remarks upon Mr. Birkbeck's account . Flaof, cultivated by many farmers Frankfort, heat and rain at . . ' .
Harvest, the periods of .
Hops, grow wild in the M^estcrn States
4. 43
4
7
7
7
66
44
79
82
17
28
43
2S
24. 44
64, 63
12
75
5 6
flllia j'
SSG
Ili'mo'u territory, extent and population
Rivera . . , '
"^ * Soil, timber, &c. . ,
Minerals
Price of salt
Wild animals
Produce
Towns of .
Average produce . , .
Value of stock, and produce , .
Price of labor . .
Time of harvest
Expense of freight by the steam boats
Expense of building, &c.
Classes of inhabitants .
State of the thermometer
State of society ,
Recommended by Mr. Fearon Indiana territory, extent and population Prairies of, described Timber
Price of provisions, &c. . Climate , . .
Produce . .
Wild animals Game, abundance of , Mineral springs
Katkaskia (Town), description of Kentucky (State), not adapted for English emigrants Population
Pag* 25 25 20 20 27 27 27. 62 61 62 62 62 62 Oi 63 63 63 63 69 22. 24 23 23 21. 24 2* 24 24 25
6f 27 77
Laborert, remarks upon
Become farmers, if prudent
3 12
f /
337
Png« 25 25 20 2d 27 27 , 62 61 62 62 62 62 63 03 63 63 63 69 24 23 23 21. 24 •2* 24 24 25
Laiorers, wngen of. compared with prices of prorWon. . Ijand*, unsettled, price of
Partly cleared, price of
Mode of clearing , , Land to*, amount of
Manchester (^^nglandj, heat and rain at Manufactoriea, at Pittsburg MineraU, of tlje lUinois territory .
Ohio State
Pennsylvania MisaoHri, recommended for a settlement
New»papen, at Mr. Birkbcck's setUement Cincinnati Ohio State iVw York (State), population of ' New York (City), wages at Rents and taxes at What classes of emigrants likely to succeed at Capital requisite to commence business, and
remarks Expense of living Price of goods Cattle, &c. State of thermometer, &c. Prices of provisions Population
13 10 10 10 10. 33. 54
70 51 26 22 46 7
6,
S5
59 22 76
38. 40
37 37. 40
37
39
3P 39
40 74 76
I
Ohio (State), wild animals
Fruit aid vegetables Constitution of Description of
9. 56 II 14 18
338
Ohio (Siate), Umber
Timber and soil . • •
Minerals . • • *
Population • . .
Newspapers • • *
Price of land
Improved land and nature of improvement*
Corn, &c. . . • •
Expense of rearing cattle •
Price of labor . • • •
Price of wood • • •
/ Climate and state of thermometer . Classes of inhabitants Average produce of land Price of cattle Management of farms Mode of continuing slavery Ohio (river), description of . , •
Orchards, peach and apple, method of planting Put under the plough .
Page 18. 5S 22. 54 22
22 22 54 • . 55 35 55 55 55 56 50 58 58 58 58 9. 77 5 45
Philadelphia, population, and price of provisionr
Account of an English emigrant at Pittsburg; distance of, from several places
Wages at • , •
Success of an Irish emigrant at
Description of, &c.
Prices of provisions, &c.
Farming, &c.
Price of land, stock, &c.
Expense of building
Manufactories at . • •
Trade, rents of houses, &c.
Prosperity of, compared to that of New York
A brewery and pottery likely to succeed
42.
28.
76
43 1
49
28
48
48
49
50
50-
51
52
52
52
339
PUtabitrg, price of })eer
Wages of journeymen, and the state of tirefr * trade*
■ • •
Population of . .
Kemarks upon , . *-;»>•.* M,^i^ ^nn^'V Wages at, compared with Mr. Birkbeck's ac- count .
Dir'ance and route from, to the mouth of the Ohio Population ej/" Albany
America
• • •
Baltimore . ,
Illinois territory Indiana, ditto . ,
Kentucky, ditto 1 New York (City)
Ditto, (State) Ohio territory Philadelphia Pittsburg Western territory Pfincetown, description of . j
Provisions, low price of, disadvantageous to farmers Price of at Cincinnati
Illinois territory Indiana ditto New York Ohio territory . Philadelphia Pittsburg Western territory Pumpkins, mode of planting, price of
Pag«
53 5S
as
0i
77 41 30
36, 7fl J?5
22. 24 77 76 76 22 42. 76 53
n
30
12
20
62
24
71.
55
42
48
13
12
Rent, 8fc. of houses at Albany New York Pittsburg
Z <-Z
42 37
340
Settlements^ progress of . • • •
To be purchased on moderate terms Requisite capital per acre for forming
Settlers, to avoid dew and rain
Shawnee Town, description of .
Sheep, number of, in America and Great Britain
Steam boats, rate of travelling by .
Expense of freight . •
Sugar, cultivation of, rapidly increasing
Recommended . , Climate adapted for
Thermometer, state of, at Mr. Birkbeck's settlement
Charlestown
Frankfort . ..
Illinois territory
Manchester
New York
Ohio territory . . .
Tradesmen emigrating without capital, remarks upon Travelling, expense of . . # ^
Wages of mechanics, 8(C. at Albany
Baltimore . •- *'
Illinois territory . .
New York . •
Ohio territory Philadelphia
Pittsburg . . .
Waggons, mode of travelling in Water, method of ascertaining the purity of Western territory,
Preference given to Population of Price of provisions Manners of inhabitants
. 6.
28. 49,
Page d 8
r.i
5
31. 61 36 31 63 8 35 4. 8
34 75 75 63 76 40 56 S 30. 34
41 37 62 38. 40 55 42 53. 64 2 5
4. 7
13.77
15
16
su
Western territory, number of emigrants to
Number of acres unsold in 181 1» and price Directions for choosing a farm
Wooi, manufacture of, increasing
Pigt 17 17 2$ 95
CANADA,
AnimaU, CWild) account of
Cattle, description of Climate of Lower Canada
Upper ditto
Kingston
Montreal
Newark
Quebec
Queenstown
8S
•86
85, 86. 105
. 100. 103
. ' 102
106
103, 104
106
104<
French Canadians, description of . . .
Their habitations Manners
■ * • •
Ditto, compared with English and American French (Language) generally spoken in Lower Canada Fruit and Fegetables
Game Laws, none .
Ginseng, account of .
Government and Constitution of Lower Canada
Upper ditto
Indians, number of
Imports and Exports, description of
Amount of . . ,
DittoofUppei Canada (ISO?) • .
05 95 95 106 05 96, 97
88 105
96
88
92
93
101
34>2
Kingston, description of . . . .
Number of houses . .
'' Hospitality at
Unhealthy
Barren neighbourhood
Lake Superior, extent of . .
Ontario, quantity of lish in .
Land, quantity under cultivation in Lower Canada Price of . .
Meat, preserved in snow Minerals of Lower Canada
Upper ditto Montreal, description of . . .
, Navigation to, tedious
Population
Price of land near to . i.
Orchards . . » .
Produce
Climate
Newark, description of . .
Number of houses . .
Unhealthy
Trade A7a^ora (/ZiWr), description of
Falls of . .
Banks of, their produce
Climate .
State of thermometer
Population, of Upper Canada
Lower ditto . :
Quebec > . . .
Pot and Pearl Ash, method of making
Comparative quantity produced from each
Page 101 102 102 102 106
85 102
88 89, 90
97 96
105 89 89 89 89 90 90
106
103 103 103 104 104 104 104 104 105
88 88 89 91
species o
e\\ wTCkCtc
343
Quebec, description of . . .
Population
State of society
Newspapers
Average produce of com
Price of beer, hops, 8ic.
Provisions, &c.
Rent of houses
Price of bread
Route from, to Upper Canada .
Road from, to Montreal described
State of thermometer Queenstown, description of . . .
Unhealthy
Religion, every, toLi'ated
Of Lower Canada, Catholic
Saint Laurence (River)
Frozen over
Description of
Compared with the rivers of the United States
Steam boats . .
Navigation of
Rapids of Settlements confined to the banks of rivers, &c. Sleighs or Sledges, description of Soil of Lower Canada
Upper ditto Sorelle, description of ,
Number of houses
Ship building at Sugar, (Maple) method of procuring
Quantity from each tree Stock, (LivfJ return f>f. in Lovv'.t (,'anuda
Page
88
89
89
89
90
9.'*
93, 94-
95
97
100
105
106
104-. 107
104.
96 96
85
86
97, 98
98
98
100
101
106
87 89 90 99 99 09, ICO 91 01 88
344
. |
Page |
Sun/iowera, oil extracted from . . |
92 |
Mode of planting |
92 |
Ta.tes .... |
96 |
ITiermometer, state of, in Lower Canada . 85, 86, 87 |
|
Newark . . |
106 |
Quebec . ... |
106 |
Timber, description of . ' , . |
90 |
Tobavco, generally cultivated, price of, &c. |
95 |
Trade, nature of, to United States |
93 |
Trots Revieres, description of |
89 |
Population . , • |
89 |
fTheat, kmount of, exported |
93 |
Price of at Quebec |
97 |
York, description of |
107 |
beat of government for Upper Canada |
107 |
Number of houses |
107 |
CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Agriculturist, directions for the Aloes, their abundance
The juice of, formerly an article of export Animals, (^fVild), description of
Mode of catching the elephant, &c. .
Their depredations
Abound near Plettenberg Bay .
Not often seen by travellers in the daytime
Tigers seldom attack men
Fences and railings no impediment to the ele phant and rhinoceros Auteniequaland, description of ;
Soil, &c. . .
213 128 138 128 129 182 193 194 198
202
14-4, 145
146
345
Baya on the southern coast, afford but little shelter False, description of ' Penguins on the islands of •
Table, description of ♦
Saldanha, description of P/e«<7«icr;^, timber in the neighbourhood of 125. 19 'i Soil in ditto . . 139
Wild animals, &c. . . 193
Vessels employed to convey
Pige 112 112. 151 132 112. 151 112. 135
timber from |
. 194. |
211 |
Unsafe |
. 194. |
211 |
Mossel, description of neighbouring cou |
ntry 1 38. |
190 |
Dep6t for corn at |
190 |
|
Algoa, description of |
. 142. |
147 |
Lead mine near to, account of |
143 |
|
Birds, description of |
. 129. |
131 |
Bvajeamens, Svvarm in the back settlements |
• |
104 |
Description of . , |
169 |
|
Derivation of their name |
169 |
|
Mode of existence . ♦ |
1 |
169 |
Language . |
170 |
|
Activity |
170 |
|
Weapons of, dipped in poison |
170 |
|
Their diminutive stature |
170 |
|
Cattle on the Karroo plains exposed |
to the |
|
depredations of |
136 |
|
Caffraria, description of , |
204 |
|
Capital of, near the Great Fish River |
173 |
|
Caffres, territory of |
171 |
|
Dwellings . , |
171 |
|
Character |
171 |
|
Weapons |
171 |
|
Habits of life . * |
171 |
|
Diet, &c. . , |
172 |
|
Cattle |
172 |
|
Commerce . , |
172 |
|
Stature and appearance . |
173 |
346
Page Caffrcs, stature aud appearance of the females . 173
Faroishouse destroyed by the . . 201
Danger of the . . . 20*2
Cattle> stolen by . . . 204
Plan of government, to promote confidence in
the . . , 204.
,Ca^^/&, description of . . 128. 131
Larger in the elevated dfstricts than on plains 128
Loss of, in the Cafire war, 17 99 . 154
Taxes upon . . .166
C/i»JO/e, account of . , . 114.207.208
Deaths, average, at Cape Town Diseases, account of at Cape Town Districts, Cape, (description of
Stellenbosch and Tulbagh
Zwellendam
George
Graaff Reynet
Uitenhagen
General table of the
114 117
118. 129
120. 132
121, 122. 137
121
122. 141
122
149
Education at Cape Town, &c. . .
In Graaff Reynet Exchange, in favor of England Exports and Imports, account of the
Farms, situation of some of the, extremely lonely Account of, in the Cape district
Producing llic Constantia wine f^ne, description of
Expense of purchase, and returns of Grain, description of
Produce of . .
A.fode of husbandry of
Expense of purchase, and retisriis af
154 167 174 151
no
129 130 157 158 160 160 161 162
347
Page
Farmf, description. of the^ in the Lange Kloof . • HO. 196
OfMr. Linde . . 181
Mr. Van Ass . 187
, Mr. Lombard . 188
Mr. P. duPrecz . 189
Mr. C. duPreez . 189
i Mr. Alexander . 190, 191
Mr. Rex . . 192, 193 Of one in the Lange Kloof
for sale . . 197
Of the, of Mr. Van Roy . 199
Of Mr, Scheperjun. 201,202
Dr. Mackrill . 204
FUhf what species of, brought to market . . 131
Whale, abound in the bays . . . 1 32
FrKj7«, 8fc. description of . • 127. 130
Fuel, scarcity of, in the Cape district . . 1 2.5
Mode of procuring, and expense of . . 125
Galgenbosch, description of . . .199
Grain, what species of, generally cultivated . . 1 30
Government depot for, at Mossel Bay . 191.211
Grain farmers, description of . . , . 160
Generally occupy loan farms . . 1 60
Taxes . . . . 160
Produce of farms ' . . . 1 60
Miserable agriculturists . . 1 60
Average return of corn . . . 161
Manners of the . . .163
Graziers, description of . . .163
Precarious nature of their property . . 164
Loss of the, by the CafFres, &c. . . 164
Habitations of . . . . 165
Manners of . . . .166
Taxes of . . . . 166
Groot fader's Bosch, description of . .188
^
i
348
Horse, description of, .
Hospital'Uy .
Hottentots, number of Description of Their occupations Idleness, honesty, &c Women of the ,
Children
Their condition ameliorated * Are good shepherds, &c.
131 167. 198 168 168 168 169 169 169 17*. 187 212
Import duties, upon sundry articles Insects . . 1^
Iron ore .
222 132 143
Jackalls Kraal, description of
194
Karroo plains, description of . • .
136
Lakes, Knysna, &c. description of
Salt water, description of Landdrostf emoluments of the
Nature of the office of the Lands, burning of the . .
Tenure of the Lange Kloof, description of Leather, used in lieu of cordage
Mode of making Letters (circular) from goverament, r
Mountains, the colony intersected by Southern chain of, described
• |
113. 211 |
|
« |
122 |
|
• |
133 |
|
• |
173 |
|
• |
146 |
|
• |
. 174, 175 |
|
• |
140. 196 |
|
« |
167 |
|
• |
167 |
|
. I. |
• |
224 |
2. |
■ |
226 |
3. |
• |
227 |
4. |
• |
228 |
• |
ISO |
|
Hi. |
125. 144, 145 |
349
Mountama, Zwarte Bergen, description of . Nieutcveld Gebergte, description of
their great beiglit •
Table, description of . • <
Roggeveld, description of • ■
Bohkeveldt description of Sneeuwberg, description of Kamnaaie, description of Parde Kop, description of Merchants, of Cape Town Mimosa Karroo, gum arabic and bark for tanning, pro
cured from Minerals . • • •
Money, description of the, in circulation
Oaf, description of • , .
111. 111.
136
Pige
12S
iS6
112
119
ISO
130
142
140
195
152
139 143 223
131
i
Population, return of.
Of Cape Town Post-office, regulations of Provisions, prices of, at Cape Town In the interior
Consumption of, at Cape Town
123 151. 154, 155, 156 174 . 153. 208 208 156
Religion • • • • .154
/?cr<?»MC, nature of the • • ^7** l''^, 176
Rivers, scarcely any navigable • • • ^ ^2
Generally dry in summer, and impassable
during winter Great Fishy situation of . .
Description of Koussie, situation of Olifant, situation of
Description of Berg, situation and description of
114
lOy. 201
113, 114. 210, 211
lOU
111
; 112, 135
H2
360
Rhera, Knyana, description of .
(Jauritz, descriptiuii of Camtoo, description of
All parts of, occupied 6'u»(/a^^ description of
, Sources af Kous:'^, iituaticu i«i -| Breede, situation of
Gamka, situation of Eerste, situation of . .
Braak, description of Sonderend, description of , , Leuive, situation of Duyvenhoek, situation of f^at, situation of .
Ztoart, description of Gotvcomma, situation of Klip, situation of ^ Kromm, description of
Louri, abounds with wild beasts Van Staade, description of . frittct description of . . .
Land near to, granted to the Mora vians Roads, description of, near Cape Town
In the interior
Page 113- 192, 193 113. 138. 190
113. 146 198
114. 200 142 120
120. 138. 186 120 133 144 181 186 188, 189 .189 92. 200 192 196 198 199 19P 205
205 179 195
191,
Sales, public, account of Sheep, description of Slaves, description of
Their condition ameliorated Soil, description of the Springs, chalybeate
Hot . . *
Stock, return of, in the colony
174, 110. 124. 138. 142.
158 128 170
186
146
136
181
123
dfii
115,
Taaes, at Cape Town . •
On wiiie, and wine farms . .
On gniin, and grain farms .
Simdi_ . • • •
Conversation respecting the Thermometer, state of, at Cape Town Timber, nature of the • •
At Groot Vader's Bosch Tobacco, plantations of . • •
Cultivuiod by Mr. Moody at Zwellendam
Towm . • • •
Cape Town, diseases at Climate at
State of thermometer at Description of •
Population of Seat of government Wild animals at Fish, &c. at
Classes and manners of inha- ' bitants, . 151, 152, 153. 155,
Page 154. 157 160 175 205 110 125 188 UO 208
. 114.. 114..
"lis. 151. 119.
Prices of provisions at Consumption of ditto Taxes, &c. Religion Education Sfe//ewioscA, number of houses at •
Description of
Emoluments of the landrost at Clergyman
Paarl, description of . •
Tulbagh, description of . •
Z> //ew(/aw, description of . .
Population George, description of
Number of houses
153.
128. 122.
117 207 115 207 207
I2y
131
131
156
208
156
154.
154
154
121
133
133
133
121
121
138
186
139
141
I
...a^
XL
S5«
Townst Oeor/fe, population
Graajf Reyntit, description of
Distance of Gnadenthal, description of Population of Oroenekloof, description of UUeahagen, description of
Distance of Graham'g Town, description of Simon's Town, description of Ca/edon, description of
Warm baths Somerset, description of TraveH'mg, mode of
101 |
|
122. |
142 |
209 |
|
137. |
179 |
137 |
|
137. |
179 |
143. |
200 |
209. |
211 |
143. |
210 |
152 |
|
181 |
|
181 |
|
204 |
|
184. |
2J0 |
/1f»M, mode of cultivating
208
fVages, of laborers
Of Hottentots
fVaggona, description of Mode of driving Price of v.
JVater, scarcity of
JVell digging recommended
fflnds, periodical
ff^oods, catalogue of useful Hardness of some
/(Too/, description of the
Zuurberg, description of Zuurve/d, description of
154 |
|
210 |
|
178 |
|
179 |
|
210 |
|
no. |
124 |
212 |
|
115 |
|
126 |
|
195 |
|
151. |
164 |
• |
199 |
42. 148, |
209 |
$5S
NEW SOUTH WALES.
Pig* |
|
Aborigines, account of the « |
231 |
School for the education of the |
436. 309 |
Agriculture, system of |
^ 239 |
Agriculturist, directions for the |
* 284 |
Animals (fFUdJ, description of |
230 |
Bnthurst plains, description of . |
26B |
New route to , » |
90$ |
Beer, expense of license for brewing |
274 |
For retailing , |
274 |
Blue Mountains, description of |
2i7 |
Elevation of , ■ , |
23t |
Produce of . . , |
257 |
* . Cattle, sold by government to settlers |
260 |
Management of |
Q65 |
Artificial food for . , |
267 |
Price of |
268 |
Climate, nature of . . . , |
i243 |
Suitable for what . . . . |
273 |
Coal, price of, at Newcastle i , |
254 |
Mines of, described , |
254 |
Commerce . , . |
* 271. -joa |
Com, what species of, usually grown |
260 |
Average returns of, on flooded grounc |
Is . 262 |
Cjfder, made from peachei |
264 |
Diseases |
247 |
Duties, nature and amount of |
273. 312 |
Emigrants, what likely to succeed
274
A A
S54
n«e |
|||
Fish, species of . ... |
• |
230 |
|
Fruitt .... |
263 |
308 |
|
Government (civil). Court of Admiralty |
241 |
||
Criminal Judicature |
241 |
||
Governor's Court . . |
241 |
||
High Court of Appeals |
241 |
||
Supreme Court |
241 |
||
^ All the Courts regulated by the laws of |
Eng. |
||
land |
242 |
||
Grasses, account of the natural |
266 |
||
Custom of burning |
267 |
Harvest, periods of
262
Income, of the colonists
272
Kangaroo, coursing the
250
Labor, price of . • •
Land, price of, at Sydney . • •
Windsor .
Liverpool General price of
Unappropriated, at the Cow Pastures
Five Islands Coal River To the westward of the Blue
Mountains . . 257, 258
Grants of, easily procured . . 270. 3 1 1
Return of, in cultivation, &c. (1817) . 274
(1818) . ;i07
Fees upon grants of . . . 313
269 232. 269 238 240 269 251 252 253
355
lame, method of making Price of
Page 255
Manufactories, account of Military force, and distribution of Minerals, account of .
242.
271 306 230
New Holland, extent of . , . . <229
When first discovered . . 229
Expense of voyage to . .311
Population of Sydney . . , 332
Parramatta . . .236
Windsor , . . 237
Liverpool . . . 239
Newcastle . . . 254
New South Wales (1817) . . 274
New South Wales and Van Diemen's (1817). 27 4
Ditto> ditto (1818) . . 307
Port Jackson harbour, description of . . 234
Provisions, 8fc. price of , . . 270. 308
Rivers, one discovered in the western territory Hawkesbury, description of ^ Inundations of Timber of George, description of Inundatitins of Nepean, description, &c. of
Timber of Shoal Haven, description of
Soil of Coa/, 'description of Coal mines of the Lime procured at
258 237 238 251 239 239 250 251 252 253 253. 256 254 255
S5d
Page |
||
Eherst Coal ; timber procured at |
• |
Q5S |
Soil, &c. of . |
• |
256 |
Climate of the . |
• |
256 |
fioads, 8fc. description of the |
f |
9^ |
Over the Blue Mountwns |
• |
997 |
Jlew, discovere4 to the western cottotry , |
303 |
5^0(?j9, management of . . . 266,. 267
Calculation of the return of capital employed
in the breeding of the fine-wooUed, |
• |
276 |
Snakes, species of |
• |
231 |
Society, nature of, in the colony . . |
240 |
, 309 |
Soil, general nature of the |
229 |
. 248 |
Spirits, amount of, imported |
273 |
|
Expenseof license for retailing |
273 |
|
Distillation prohibited . |
274 |
|
Duties upon |
311 |
|
Stock, return of |
209 |
|
Ditto (1818) |
307 |
|
Tofetvf, Sydney, first colonists arrived at |
^m |
|
Situation of |
231 |
|
Description of |
338 |
|
Population of |
2S2 |
|
Vsdne of land at |
232 |
|
Rents of houses |
232 |
|
Markets |
233 |
|
Bank |
233 |
|
Schools |
233, |
234 |
Likely to become a place of import- |
||
ance |
235 |
|
Views from |
235 |
|
Parratnatta, situatior^ of . * |
235 |
|
Description of . . |
235 |
|
Buildings of |
238 |
|
Inns |
236 |
357
Page
ToteiUf Parramatt^t ]jio|mUUoo • . 236
Fairs . . . 236
School for the aborigiaeg . 2S6
fVindsor, situation of . . 237
Description of . . 237
Inn at . , 237
Population of . . 237
Rivers at , , 237
Distance of from tho scabby water « 237
Ditto by land . .238
Price of land . . . 238
Inundations of the river at . 238
Liverpool, situation of . . 239
Description of , , 239
Population of . .239
Inundations of the river at . 239
Price of land, &c. . , 240
Newcastle, situation of . .253
Population of . . 254
Inhabitants of, how employed . 254
Coals at , , 254
Lime at . . 255
Timber at . . 255
TKcrmometer, state of, at Sydney, &c. . . 243
Timber, description of . . 230. 249, 250, 25 1
Ditto, and price of, procured at Newcastle . 255
T»baccOf amount of, imported . . 273
Vegetables . . , 262
Winds, periodical , « , 243
fVool, amount exported . , .272
Price of . , . 377
Freight, &C' to England . . 282
958
VAN DIEMEN'S ISLAND.
Aborigine8, account of
Cause of their animosity to the colonists Agriculture^ system of , ,
Animals (^fVild), description of
Bays, abound mth whale ^
Storm, description of ,
North, ditto , *
Cattle, system of rearing
Larger than at Port Jackson Climate, Commerce, Court of justice, ,
Duties, nature and amount of ■ Fruit, . .
Harbours, , , .
Income of the colonists . ,
Iron Mines near Launceston
Labourers, \rages of . ,
Land, unappropriated
Average produce of
Fees upon grants of
Superior to that of New South Wales Latitude, 8(c. of Van Diemen's
ManufacturerSf , ^^
Minerals,
287 |
|
287 |
|
2P8 |
|
288 |
|
291 |
|
291 |
|
294 |
|
300 |
|
300 |
|
295. |
298 |
302 |
|
295 |
|
302. |
312 |
299. |
308 |
288. |
290 |
3G2 |
|
293 |
|
301 |
|
296 |
|
299 |
|
313 |
|
298 |
|
287 |
|
302 |
|
289. |
293 |
Pitt fVater, settlements at
294
359
Population of Van Diemen's
The Dervvent district ^ Port Dalrymple
Vim Diemen's and New South Wales (1817)
D .. (^818)
i'rovmons, &;c. prices of
Roads, mode of making Rivers, account of the
* •
Not subject to inundations
Derwent
North Esk
South Esk
Tamar
Page
302
302
303
274
307
301
293 288 297 291 292 292 292
Soil, Sfc. nature of
287. 296
Ta6le Mountain, description of
Elevation Thermometer, st&te of Timber,
Towns, Hobart, description of Population
Situation of
• • — — «
Distance of, and road from, to Launceston 293
Za««m^o», description of . , 292
Population of , , ggg
Iron mines near to . . 293
fVhales, caught within sight of Hobart Town . 292
290 290
296 298 289 289 289
Observations
%n
THE END.
LONDON:
TRINTEDBV THOMAS nAVISON^ WHmrRIARS,
■*rjn: