AN ACCOUNT OF THE COLONY OF THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

172 pages, folding map of the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope as frontispiece, half brown calf (the upper board is detached) with a red title label on the spine, marbled paper sides, edges and endpapers (the sides are rubbed and worn), foxing on the map and title pages, otherwise the contents are good.

Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography, volume 1, page 408, ‘A scarce compilation, giving an account of the Cape up to the date of publication. The population is given as 61,947, out of which about 20,000 were whites, but the writer states that the Dutch seem never to have attempted to make any line of demarcation between their territory and that of the natives. There is a description of Cape Town and the surrounding country, its soil, climate, and productions, the author quoting largely from early writers. With regard to the Boers, it is remarked that “The Dutch system of governing this Colony was found to be exceed- ingly ill-contrived and badly executed,…..and that the agents of the administrations always favouring their brother Boers, crimes of every kind were committed within a few miles of the Cape,” and it is stated that, with regard to many of the Boers, “unrestrained passions of all descriptions disgrace them from youth to age.” The author describes the young ladies of the Cape as “elegant in form and easy in their manners,” but characterises the young men as “lumpish and awkward.” With regard to the slave question, it is asserted that “the whole system is a disgrace and incumbrance to the Colony.” There is a long and interesting description of the Hottentots and Bosjesmans, and the volume contains many useful tables of statistics.’