Such luxuries as are imported from Europe or Indic are costly ; but the necessaries of life may be procured at a moderate price. While a labouring slave earns from 2s. to 2s. 6d. a-day, and a mechanic or artificer from 5s. to Gs. a-day, the pound of butcher's meat is seldom aboA 2d. ; even in the year 1800, when the demand was in creased by the addition of 5000 troops and 300 seamen, the suppiy for the garrison was net cc higher than at the rate of '21- pounds for 6d. A pound of wholesome bread sells for Id.; a pint of good wine for 3d. ; and all kinds of fruits and vegetables arc abundant and cheap.
The inhabitants of this town have a remarkable pro pensity for public sales, and many of then, live entit ely by such traffic, exposing to sale in the evening what they probably bought at the same place in the morning. All property, however, sold by public auction, is liable to a duty of 5 per cent. ; and such was the rage for vendues, that during four successive months of 1801, the value of property sold in this way amounted to 1,500,00u rix dol lars ; a sum," says :1Ir Barrow. equal to the whole quantity of paper money in circulation ; which. indeed, may be considered as the only money of late 3 cars that has circulated in the country." The slaves used in this colony arc imrorted from the west coast of Africa, from 'Mozambique, the Mahn Islands, or they are toe offspring of slaves born in the country. The African nee-roes arc the best adapted to field labour ; the Malays al•.: esteemed the most acute
in point of intellect, and the most docile ; the artizans therefore, arc generally taken from this class; but they are capricious and vindictive ; they set so little valze upon their own lives, that they do not hesitate to most atrocious and unprovoked murders, to gratify their revenge for injuries received or supposed. Theft dispositions were so well known to the Dutch govern meat, that the colonists were prohibited from having Malay slaves ; but many evaded the law, and forfeited their lives for their temerity.
It has been observed, that slaves at the Cape of Good Hope are well treated by their masters, a position which we are the less disposed to controvert, because we sup pose it to have been founded on comparison of the condi tion of the most unfortunate of our fellow creatures in this and other countries, where the horrors of the slave trade exist ; but since it is self-evident, that the comfort and happiness of the slave must necessarily depend upon the temper, habits, and character of his master, we need not cite examples to demonstrate, that cruelty is the ne cessary and inseparable concomitant of slavery, even in its mildest form. For the commerce and government of Cape Town, we must refer to the preceding article, and the authorities thereto subjoined. S. Lat. 33 42", E. Long. 2.' 1 (Jr)