JOURNAL OF A RESIDENCE AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE

297 pages, wood engraved frontispiece of Table Bay, 4 engraved plates of natural history subjects, modern half calf with marbled paper boards, new end papers, spine gilt, uncut edges, ownership mark in pen on title page, a very good copy.

Mendelssohn (Sidney) South African Bibliography volume 1, page 222: Mr. (afterwards Sir Charles) Bunbury accompanied his friend, Sir George Napier, the Governor of the Cape Colony, on his voyage to Africa in 1837, and remained there for fourteen months, during which time he busied himself with botanical research, travelling over a considerable part of South Africa. In the course of his journeys he had ample opportunity of observing the political state of the country, and refers to the necessity for a firm and consistent policy. The author also accompanied Sir G. Napier on his tour to the Eastern Province; he describes Port Elizabeth (1838) as " an ugly, ill-built place," but he considered Uitenhage " one of the most agreeable places in the colony." He refers to the Great Trek of the Boers which was still proceeding, and enters into their reasons for this step, remarking on the dislike of the Cape Dutch for the English; he was of opinion that their residence at the Cape entirely modified their original Dutch characteristics, especially with regard to cleanliness and industry, while their prejudices were fostered by such papers as the Zuid-Afrikaan.