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X.

C. OF GOOD
HOPE.

But Kolben ftates the clear annual revenue, which the CHA P. Dutch East India company derives from the Cape, at above 300,000 guilders, annually. He appears, however, to include the profits of that part of their Eaft Indian trade, which is connected with the Cape.

311. There are 700 regular troops in this colony, includ- Military and population. ing the garrifon, of 406. The fencible white men form a militia of between 4 and 5000, of whom a great number may be affembled in a few hours, by signals of alarm. Hence we may eftimate the whites of all ages and both sexes, at between 16 and 20,000. But a part of the colonifts are fo very far fcattered, as to be able to afford little protection to one another, and to the community. There are in the colo ny five or more flaves to one white man. Thefe flaves are chiefly from Madagascar,with a mixture of Malays, Bengalefe and some negroes.-The greater part of the colonists are Germans, with fome French proteftants and Dutch. They are industrious, hofpitable and fociable; but fonder of good living, than of acquiring knowledge, for which they may plead the plenty of good cheer, and the extreme scarcity of good schools. Such colonists as can afford the expense, generally fend their fons to Holland for improvement; but the education of their females is too much neglected.

AUSTRIAN.

BAY.

312. The Bay of Delagoa, on the eaft of Africa (lat. about DELAGOA 26° S.) was difcovered in 1545, by Laurenço Marquez, a Portuguese. In this bay his nation afterwards formed a Portuguese fettlement, on the river Manyeeffa, then the only one in fettle there Delagoa, navigable for large fhips. They built a fort of which the vestiges ftill remain; but abandoned it, on the Manyeeffa becoming unnavigable by an accumulation of

fand:

X.

CHAP. fand: and their colony of Mozambique having then acquired ftrength, they did not find it worth while to renew their fettlement in Delagoa Bay.

DELAGOA.

313. The waters of the Mafoômo, in the fame bay, having, in time, opened a channel of four fathoms over the bar, the and Dutch. Dutch formed a fettlement there, which they held till 1727, when a strong squadron of English pirates, who had their rendezvous at Madagascar, after plundering the Dutch warehouses, razed them and the fort to the ground*.

Large tracts unoccupied by Europe

ans.

Auftrian at

tempt, under Col. Bolts.

314. Such was then the increasing profperity of their colony at the Cape of Good Hope, and its dependencies, that the Dutch gave up all thoughts of re-establishing that of Delagoa; fo that, from that day to this, a large and fine country, on the east of Africa, from Cabo das Correntes to the most eastern dependencies of the Cape colony, and on the west, a much larger tract, from Saldanha bay to Benguela, have been unoccupied by the Europeans, and abandoned to the peaceable and rightful poffeffion of the unchriftianized Africans.

315. In the spring of 1777, however, an establishment was made on the river Mafoômo, on behalf of Her late Imperial Majesty, the Empress Queen, Maria Theresa. The circumstances and fate of this colony, as far as I have been able to collect them, were as follow:-With a view to recover the trade of the Eaft, to the Auftrian dominions in Flanders, Tuscany and the Adriatic gulph, which had been loft on the abolition of the Oftend East India company, in 1727, Her Imperial Majesty granted a charter, in 1775, to William Bolts, Efq. a gentleman who had been formerly employed in Bengal, by the English East India.company,

* See an account of this fettlement and its deftruction, in the Dutch Reifen na Indien I. de Buckoi, and the English History of the Pirates.

X.

DELAGOA.

in whose service he had been extremely ill treated *. His CHA P. charter contained many advantageous ftipulations in his favour, with full powers from the Empress Queen for making commercial and colonial arrangements, with the chiefs of Africa and Afia. He, at the same time, received a commiffion as Lieut. Colonel.

The Colonel

fails Sept.

1776;

316. Having formed a connection with some gentlemen in Antwerp, recommended to him by the Imperial minifters, Colonel Bolts finally failed in Sep. 1776, from Leghorn, in a large ship, richly laden and well armed, with some foldiers to preserve fubordination among a numerous body of people, from almost all the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. Before the fhip failed, the mean oppofition of commercial bodiès had shown itself. It was again is oppofed manifested at Madeira, and in fhort, the Colonel was followed to India by such orders from the English East India company to their presidencies, and from these to the Nabobs, under whose names they act when convenient, as were contrary to the rules of friendship between civilized nations, and even to common humanity.

317. As it would have been extremely imprudent to rely on the accidental good reception of any nation actuated by that pest of society, the jealousy of commerce, Colonel Bolts, instead of touching at the Cape of Good Hope, refolved to push on to Delagoa Bay +. Having arrived there, the fecurity for fhipping in the river Mafoômo, the refources he saw in the country, and the facility of treating with the chiefs, through a Mahommedan from Bengal, whom he found fettled there, convinced him that it was a proper place for forming an establishment. After a short residence,

* See his Confiderations on India Affairs, 3 vols. 4to. in 1772.

+ See § 294

by commer

cial bodies;

arrives at

Delagoa bay;

[blocks in formation]

X.

DELAGOA.

CHAP. with the help of prefents, and the influence he acquired by performing fome ordinary operations with an electrical machine, the Colonel was fo fortunate as to gain the friendship of Capell and Matôla, the chiefs of the oppofite fides of the river, though declared enemies to each other.

buys land of two chiefs;

builds tem

porary

318. These chiefs poffeffed the country all round, could each raise 15,000 men, acknowledged no dependence on any European nation, and had no intercourfe even with the Dutch and Portuguese, their nearest neighbours. Colonel Bolts, therefore, in the name of her Imperial Majefty, purchafed from them a part of their respective territories on each fide the Mafoômo, and commanding it's entrance. The goods agreed for were delivered, and the Imperial flag hoifted, in prefence of a great concourfe of people, including the crews of two British ships from Bombay, trading for ivory and commanded by Captains M'Kenny and Cahill.

319. The ship remained in the river four months, durPoe, &c. ing which temporary houfes and a brick warehouse were erected; when Colonel Bolts, thinking his prefence might, for fome time, be difpenfed with, refolved to make a voyage in the ship, to the coaft of Malabar, which appeared, on several accounts, adviseable and even necessary. By the good will of Capt. M'Kenny, a retreat on board his fhip was provided, in case of neceffity, for the refident, Mr. A. D. Pollet, who was to remain, in charge of the infant fettlement.

begins a trade;

320. The Colonel, having arrived on the Malabar coaft, bought and fitted out three veffels, with cargoes proper for the trade, as well as the neceflities of the infant fettlement. One of them remained in the river Mafoômo, as a floating battery, while the others were conftantly carrying ivory to Cambay, and returning to Delagoa, with articles fuited to the African barter.--By artificers fent

from

pre

X.

DELAGOA.

fends a Mamiffionary to to the colony.

hommedan

from Surat, the houses and warehouses were rendered more CHA P. commodious and folid, and a 12 gun battery was erected on the south fide of the Mafoômo. From Surat, the Colonel also fent a Mullah, or Mahommedan priest, with his family, in order to convert to his religion, those Africans who were attached to, or connected with, the colony, and whose numbers conftantly increased. For, seeing that, from their deliction for polygamy, christianity was not likely to be agreeable to them, he judged (in conformity with the commercial principles on which it was his business to act) that for the purposes of civilizing, and then governing a rude people, any religion is better than none. Besides, their intercourse with the black Mahommedan crews of the vessels coming regularly from India, feemed to facilitate and encourage the attempt, by giving to precept the advantage of example.

Natives in

telligent.

Wild cotton

and fugar, canes, gold,

321. The natives of this part of Africa are well made, lively, active, intelligent, and imitative. Happily they did not then allow the flave-trade, and Colonel Bolts hopes, this barbarous custom has not yet vitiated them. Elephants' teeth were then their only important commodities; but cowries and fea-horse teeth were also occafionally exported. The Colonel, however, among other important objects, had in view the cultivation of cotton and fugar-canes, which are indigenous there, and grow luxuriantly all about the country. In time too, he hoped to open a trade in rice, &c. gold duft, with the independent inland chiefs, by the river Mafoômo, and particularly with a kingdom called Quitive, which, though faid to abound in gold, has hitherto been unexplored by the Europeans. Rice and other vegetables grow luxuriantly; though the natives feldom cultivate more than they think they want. By inftructing and encouraging

Cc 2

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