The Cape and the Kafirs

The author sailed in the emigrant ship Prince Albert, bound for New Zealand, at the end of March 1841, but the vessel sank in Table Bay. Mr Cole was rescued, and landed in Cape Town on September 5th, but all his money, clothes, and letters were lost, and he stepped ashore practically penniless and without a friend. He appears, however, to have soon made acquaintances in the Cape, and he decided not to go on to New Zealand, "The Cape," he remarks, "had struck my fancy, and I determined to remain there at all events for some time to come."

He travelled over a considerable part of South Africa, and his account of the social life of Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, and Graham's Town at this period possesses considerable interest. In the course of his travels he frequently met with Boer farmers who made a very favourable impression on him, and certainly convinced him, at that period, of the reality of their grievances. He observes, "The Cape Dutchman are the same frugal, industrious, sober people as those of the parent stock in Holland.....they are, however, terrible non-progressionists." On the vexed question of the slave emancipation, Mr.Cole asserted that "it was useless to argue on the abstract principle with men who were accustomed to look at the immediate effect for the test of what was right or wrong." A visit to Makoma and his kraal seems to have satisfied him " of the natural cunning, avarice, craft, and dishonesty, the low moral nature, and the utter untrustworthiness.....of Kaffirs in general, and above all, of Makoma."

Source: Mendelssohn. Volume 1 pages 352-3.

Original red brown cloth, rebacked spine with slight head loss to original cloth. Raised embossed design to boards and spine, lettering in gilt. New endpapers. Two pages of publisher's advertisements.xvi plus 319 pages. Tinted frontispiece.Title. Dedication. Preface. Contents. Cr. 8vo. 19.9 x 12cms. Some spotting to frontispiece and title page. Tightly bound and very clean copy.