The monuments of South Africa; including an account of the work of the Commission for the Preservation of Natural and Historical Monuments, Relics and Antiques during the period 23rd April, 1935, to 22nd April, 1940.

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7'BE MON UMEN "PS O F SO U T H A.FR ICA

®

THE MONUMENTS OF SOUTH AFRICA

T HE M O N U M E N T S O F SOUT H AFRICA

Includin g

a n ac c o u n t o f t he wo r l t o f

Preservation

th e Com m i s sion f o r t h e

o f N at u r a l an d H ist o r ical M o n u m e n ts, R e l i cs a n d

Antiques during the p eriod Z 3rd

Ap r i l , 19 3 5 , t o 22 n d A p r i l , 1 9 4 0

Edited by C. cart Riet Loose.

(Verkrygbaar in A f r ikaans)

(Copyright) Printed in the Union of South Africa by the Governtnent Printer, Pretoria

1941

Foreword

Preface l.ist of

M e t nbers

Historical I

ntroduction

Membership of

Pr e viousCommissions

List of M o nutnents:

Cape of Good H ope Orange Free S tate

Natal Transvaal Description of Mo n u mentst

Cape of Go od H o pe Orange Free State

Z3 Z3

Natal Transvaal

130

Schedule of Plaques: Cape of Good Hope Orange Free State

Natal

161

Transvaal

Schedule of Badges Schedule of W a rning Notices

166

Schedule of Sites Fenced

Schedule of Surveys ...

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Properties Owned by t he C onunission Properties Leased by the C ommission

Schedule of Repairs and Renovations Alphabetical index of Monuments ..... Map showing Localities of M o n u tnents numbered in a ccordance wtth t h e T e x t

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Forested by Th e Ho n . H . G. L a t u r ence,K. C ., M . P . , Mi n i s ter of th e In t e r ior a n d

Public Health

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T I S w i t h p a r t icular p l easure that I wel c o me t h e p u b lication of t h i s most v a luable a c count' o f t h e wor k o f the C om m i s sion f o r th e Preservation of N a t u ra l a n d H i s torical M o n u m ents, Relics and A n t i ques for the fi rst period of fiv e y e ars during wh ich i t h a s been able t o u t i lise t he wide powers conferred upon it b y th e L e gislature in 193 4 a n d 1 9 3 7 . Not only does the report m ake interesting and stimulating reading, but i t marks another milestone in th e cultural development of our country and fully vindicates those persons and bodies (including the Commission's own predecessors) who, for m any years, urged the full protection and conservation o f o u r a r c h a.ological an d h i storical t r easures, thereby a w a kening pubhc interest and paving the way fo r th e n e cessary enabling legislation w hich was adopted in various stages between the years 1911 and 1 9 3 7 . W hile i t i s t r u e t h a t t h e e stablishment of th e C o mmission and t h e valuable services which i t i s r e n dering i n t h e fi rs t p l ace b enefit South A frica, i t w a s n o t s elfish m o tives which a c t uated th e a d option o f t h e legislation. M u c h i r r eparable damage to primitive works of art had been caused by i n discriminate and careless removal, as vvell as by i n tentional or thoughtless acts of vandalism, and th e p r eservation of ou r n u m erous, but at the same time limited and irreplaceable, relics of great archa.ological and historical interest was a m atter not only o f l ocal, but of w o r ld-wide, concern. Even from the purely material point of v i ew, however, the value of t hese t r easures m us t b e con s iderable. T he ir co m m ercial v a l u e i s undoubtedly great, while, properlv exploited, they should serve as a great b oon to th e t ourist industry. B u t i t i s a s a s p i ritual heritage from t h e past that our monuments, relics and antiques are of the greatest importance: they are the symbols of a rich heritage left to us, partly by former cultures which flourished in t h i s southern corner o f t h e A f r i can continent, and partly b y o u r i m m ediate f o rbears, the p i oneers of % ' estern civilisation, whose arrival is symbolised by the Dias Cross erected at Kwaaihoek on the

12th March, 1488.

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The i ntrepid P o r tuguese navigators wh o o r iginally d iscovered and explored our c o ast ; t h e c o u rageous and fr e edom-loving Du t ch s ettlers who f irst m ad e S o ut h A f r ica t h ei r h o m e a n d b r a ved t h e d a n gers of colonising a remote and barbarous country ; t h e H u g uenots who, for the sake of t h ei r i d e als, sacrificed their a l l ; an d t h e B r i t ish settlers, who assisted in colonising the border districts and who gave us the institutions of democracy, including a f r ee press: T h e y h av e al l l ef t u s a h e r itage which should serve as a never-ending source of inspiration to our growing nation and from w h ich we may, following the last injunction of that great Boer Statesman, Paul K r u ger, derive much t hat is good and n o ble as a foundation for our future. I n conclusion, I m a y s t at e t h a t t h i s record of t h e C o m m ission's activities — so ably compiled by Professor van Riet Lowe — is an eloquent testimony no t o n l y o f t h e v a l u able services which ar e b e in g r e ndered in the interests of the cultural development of our country, but also of the cons~>entious, thorough and ellicient manner in w hich the C o m mission is p erforming its task, and I a m s ure t ha t I a m s p eaking on b e h alf of t h e G overnment a n d pe o p l e o f S o u t h Af r i c a w hen I con g r a tulate t h e Commission upon th e w o r k w h ich i t h a s a l ready completed and express the vvish that i t s l a b ours may c o ntinue t o b e c r o wned w i t h t h e s aine iiieasure of sliccess.

H. G. LAW:RENCE. Union Buildliigs Pretoria, 16th October, 1940.

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HIS PUB L I C A T I O Y c o n t a ins a b r ief h i story of th e C ommission for the Preservation of N a t u ra l a n d H i storical M o n uments, Relics and Antiques as well as a d e scription of th e w or k d o n e by th e C o m m ission d uring the 6ve years preceding 22nd April, 1940 . It is impossible to thank all those who helped in the task of preparing the historical outlines of al l t h e m o n uments described or in th e wvording o f the inscriptions on plaques, but special mention must be made of t h e g reat h el p g i ven b y M r . A . M . K ep p e l-Jones, of t h e D e p a r tment o f History at th e U n i versity of th e XVitwatersrand; h e i s responsible for no less than 6 f ty-eight of th e on e h u ndred and tw o hi s torical summaries in this booklet. T he C o m m i ssion is also deeply g r ateful fo r c onsiderable support and h elp f rom M r . B . D . M a l a n o f t h e B u r eau of A r c haeology, Department of th e I n t erior, t o P rofessor Leo I'ouche for his never-failing interest and whole-hearted co-operation and to M r . H . B . S. Co o ke of t he D epartment o f G e ology a t t h e U n i v ersity of t h e WVitwatersrand for h i s a ssistance in a l l g e ological an d p a l aeontological references. T h e l a r g e number o f o t h e r s u p porters a r e m o r e s p eci6cally m e n tioned i n the Historical Introduction. The C o mmission is deeply indebted to th e S outh A f r ican R a i l ways and Harbours Administration for a great number of the illustrations used in this p u b lication. A ll p h o t o graphs not ot he)>vise acknowledged were g enerously supplied b y t h e A d m i n istration f o t w hom th e c o pyright i s reserved.

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Members of the Commission for the Presereation of Natural and Hi storical Monuments, Relics and An tiques S enator the Rt. Hon. F. S. M a lan ( C h airma n ) . C. Graham Botha, Esquire.

C. A. Cilliers, Esquire. J. S. Cleland, Esquire. Professor M. R. D r ennan.

Dr. P. J. du Toit. Dr. S. H. H a u g hton. J. M. N. A. H e r shensohnn, Esquire.

Major %'. Jardine. Professor L. F. M aingard. Professor C. van Riet Loire ( M e m ber and Secretary).

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Historica/ Introduction

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QUT H A F R I C A p o ssesses untold prehistoric wealth and m a n y o bjects o f historical and natural interest that demand preservation. T h e m a i n interest in the prehistory of the U n ion centres round an unusual wealth of fossils and o f r e l ics o f t h e S t one A ge : p r e h i storic rock p a i n t ings and engravings and pre-European ruins and settlements often associated with mining operations for iron, copper, gold and tin. WVhile the oldest historical monument takes us back just over four and a half centuries, the actual h istory of ma n i n t h e U n i o n p ossibly covers the best part of a m i l l io n y ears. I n t h e i r t r a cks over the open veld and in the caves they occupied, our prehistoric forerunners left remains of a long succession of m a t erial c u ltures that f o r m t h e s u bject o f s p ecialist studies. T h e r e construction of t his greater history of human a ctivity has not yet wholly emerged from its beginr.ing, yet the day is not far off when we may hope to have a more complete record of the pre- and protohistoric p eriods that l ead u s n a t u r ally t o a n d i n i n s t ances actually overlap th e historic. T o r e c onstruct this record, however, the material we h ave must b e saved f ro m d e struction a n d e x p loitation . U nl e s s t hi s i s d o n e w e c annot expect to b e a b l e t o t e l l t h e l o n g story o f h u ma n a c t ivity t h at antedates the historic period. The oldest historical monument, i.e. a m o n ument of w h ich w e h ave a record mvitten at t h e t i m e , i s a c r oss or pa d r ao th at w a s e r ected by Bartholomeu Dias at K w a a i hoek, False Island, in the A l exandria D istrict of th e C a p e o f G o o d H o p e o n 1 2 t h M a r c h , 1 4 8 8 . T h is g a v e S outh Africa a p l ace on t h e m a p . Y et t n a n y y e ars elapsed before an y e ffort w as made t o e stablish a n E u r opean settlement. T h e 6 r s t a t t empt w a s that of Jan van Riebeeck who l anded at the C ape on 7t h Ap r i l, 1 6 5 2 nearly two centuries after its discovery by Dias. The N etherlands East I n dia Company ha d d ecided to use the Cape as a half-way house to I n di a and instructed van Riebeeck to build a f o rt and secure suHicient land for gardens and pasturage for cattle. H i s small body of pioneers succeeded in establishing the 6rst de6nite and permanent European settlement in South A f rica and i t i s a t t his stage only that the unbroken history of the U n ion begins. ( S e e N os. 1 and 13, pages 23 and

36.)

~i t h the exception of the Dias Cross spectacularly discovered in 1938 (see N o. 3 5 , p a g e 6 6 ) , a H ou r hi s t o rical m o n uments f a ll w i t h in t h e compass of the p ast three hundred years. The earliest recorded step to preserve and p r otect them wa s taken o nl y t h i r ty five y ears ago when a n umber of p e rsons imbued w it h a real interest in t h e p r eservation of places and objects of historical interest and natural beauty formed them. selves into the South African National Society under the presidency « the Chief Justice of the Cape of Good Hope, Sir Henry de V i Hiers — afterwards L ord de V i Hiers. T h i s was on th e 1.8th February, 1905. In the pursuit of its objects this body did yeoman service and helped very considerably to inculcate amongst the public not only a r espect, but also an affection for these heirlooms from the past. I t l e d th e public more keenly to appreciate the necessity for p reserving aH monuments, in th e broadest sense of the word, within the U n ion of South Africa. T h e m ovement gathered strengths its influence spread and branches of the parent bo dy we r e established at Grahamstown, Durban and Pietermaritxburg. Among the m o s t o utstanding m emorials from th e pa s t, me m oria» which had su ffered and c ontinued to s uffer most, were m a ny t h o usands of prehistoric rock paintings and en gravings scattered t h r oughout l ength and b r eadth o f t h e l a n d . (See Nos. 58, 59, 60, 64 a nd 86 on pages 90 to 9 3 a n d 9 8 t o 1 0 2 . ) T h e s e h a d a t tracted the a t tention of overseas scientists and other interested persons. Expeditions had actually been sent t o S o ut h A f r i c a t o r e m ove a n d c o Hect them . I n i ns t ances, p aintings were o f ten r e cklessly hacked f rom t h e w a H s o f c a ves and i n breaking ou t t h e d e s i red p i cture o thers were d estroyed. Roc k s t h a t c ontained e n gravings w er e f i red a n d b l a sted a n d m u c h d a m age w a s inevitably done . A m o n g t h e h u n d reds of ex a m ples of t h e se p rimitive works of art that fo und their way into the museums of Europe were some of the best the country had yielded and for each one removed probably at least one was destroyed. I n a d d i t ion, the lack of appreciation among South Af ricans themselves had le d to m u c h d a m a ge and d i s figurement. The wide interest that f ollowed the N a t i onal Society's appeals demanded some protective action a n d i t w a s t h e refore only n a t u ral t h a t t h e fi r st fruits of the activities of the Society resulted in the passing of the Bushman Relics Protection Act of 19 11 . I n t h i s A ct, a Bushman Relic was described as "any drawing or painting on stone or petroglyph of the kind commonly

known or believed to have been executed by the South African Bushmen or other aboriginals, and shaH include any of the anthropological contents of th e g r aves, caves, r ock shelters, m i ddens or sh e ll mou n d s o f s u c h Bushmen or other aboriginals ".

up W V ~ I E Xr S

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w as also l ai d d o w n t h a t n o o n e c o u l d r e move o r e x p ort a n y Bushman r e lic w ithout first having o b tained f rom t h e M i n i ster of t h e Interior a p e r mi t t o d o so . D e f a c ement or d estruction of r e lics became

a punishable offence. T tus was a great step forward in that it electively »t a n e n d t o t h e u n h c ensed removal an d e x port o f t h ese prehistoric treasures for wh i c h S o u th A f r i ca h a d b e c ome f amous. U nf o r t u nately, however, destruction wa s no t e n tirely stopped. A p a r t f r o m t h e n o rmal vandalism of pe r s ons wh o i n s cribed their i n i t ials and t he d a t es of their visits over fhe painted frescoes, many caves were used as sheep and cattle kraals or other refuges in which 6res were often made and th e paintings I n w as t h e r efore fe l t t h a t o bliterated b y s o o t o r otherwise defaced. further legislation was necessary. The next a d v ances that resulted f rom t h e a ctivities of t h e Society were the passing of th e W i l d F l owers Protection Act, the creation of t h e >q"ational Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch, the passing of the Na t ural and Hi~t~ric~l M o n u m e nts Ac t o f 19 2 3 a n d th e ap p o intment o f t h e 6 r s t Historical M o n u m ents C o m mission. T hi s n e w b o d y w a s g i ve n f a i r ly w ide powers and i n addition ha d t h e s u pport o f t h e B u s hman R e lics T he C om m i ssion's f u nctions i n c luded t h e Protection Act o f 1 9 1 1 compilation of a r e gister of all m onuments which in its opinion ought to be preserved. I n a d d i tion, it could" (1)

ta k e s u ch st eps as may b e n e c essary to ascertain the legal owner of any monument;

" (Z) b y v o l u n t ar y a g reement w i t h t h e G o v e r n m ent o r a n y municipahty o r p u b lic b o dy, o r w i t h a n y p r i v at e p erson having th e o w n ership o r c o n trol o f a n y m o n u m e nt, t ake such steps as may be p r a cticable in o rder to pr e s erve and p revent i m p a irment o f s u c h m o n u m ents, i n c l uding t h e p urchase of a n y m o n u m en t i f t h e C o m m i ssion h a s t h e requisite funds available for the purpose, and can agree for the purchase of the mo n ument w ith the o w ner t h ereof; " (3)

a c t a s t r ustee of any mo n ument if r equested by the person h aving the control or o w n ership thereof so to d o , a n d a s trustee for t h e Un i o n ac c e pt a s a gi f t o r be q u e st to t h e Union an y m o n ument w h ich th e owner desires to give or bequeath to the Union."

For the purpose of th e A ct , a m o n u m ent was defined as i n cluding seateas of land h a v in g d i stinctive o r b e a u t iful scenery a reas wit h a distinctive, beautiful o r

i n t eresting content of f l ora or f a un a a n d o b jects

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( ivhether natural or constructed by human agency) of aesthetic, historical or scientific value or i n terest, and also specifically includes in any event and ivithout limiting the generality of the previous portion of this definition, waterfalls, ca~es, Bushmen painnngs, avenues of trees, old trees and old

buildings ". The first work u n dertaken by th e C o m mission divas the collection of material for a general survey of the monuments within the U n ion of South Africa. T h e s e i n c luded ol d b u i l d ings, military d e fences, historic sites, game sanctuaries, places of natural beauty or scientific interest and value as >veil as p r e historic rock o r B u s h man p a intings an d e n gravings and rehcs of a r c h a .ological a n d p a l a:ontlogical i n t erest. A cons i derable a mount of i n f o rmation was collected and schedules ivere drafted. Y et after seven years the Commission was unable to report any real progress in the way of a c tual conservation. M u c h h a d been achieved in so far as the greater a i vakening of p u b li c i n t erest and sympathetic support were concerned, and much valuable advice divas given to those who were able to

preserve or repair historic landmarks, but th e

great handicaps i~ ere

i nadequate povver and i n adequate funds. T h e C o m m i ssion had not t h e p ower to r e c o mmend t h e p r o clamation o f a n y s t r u cture, site o r r e l i c and had to depend on the goodwill of the owners of such monuments and relics for th eir p r eservation. A f e i v p r o perties were h owever acquired; the Commission's bronze badge divas affixed to these and certain other sites, one cave was fenced and wit h t h e s upport of th e D e p artment of P u blic %'orks, repairs and r e novations ivere carried out on c e rtain Government s tructures o f hi s t oric i n t erest. D es p it e t h e f a c t , h o w e ver, t h a t t h e C ommission laboured u n der g r ave d i fficulties, it vvas able t o d o m u c h u seful work . I ts p o l ic y o f h o l d in g m e etings in v a r i ous centres had a marked effect on the general interest and education of the public throughout the country. T h e N a t i o nal Society's policy of inculcating a greater regard f or ou r m o n u m e nts an d p l a ces o f n a t u ral b e auty vvas rigorously an d successfully pursued and no corner of South Africa escaped the influence of the Commission. As a result of it s labours and on i t s recommendation, the 1 911 a n d 1923 A ct s w er e r e p ealed an d r e p l aced b y t h e N a t u r a l a n d H i s torical M onuments, Relics and A n t i ques Act o f 1 9 3 4 . U nder this Act, a n e t Commission was constituted vrith wider powers. T h i s body m as empowered to recommend th e p roclamation of a n y m o n ument, relic or a ntique, and no longer needed to rdy on the good~vill or voluntary support of the owner of such an object. % ' h e r eas in th e p ast monuments had been altered or even destroyed in spite of protestations, the reconstituted Commission could

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nom put a stop to a lterations or destruction. P o w ers were given to draft regulations for the control of access to proclaimed sites and abo to control archa.ological and certain pala ontological excavations. T h e A c t also gave t his Comxnission th e power t o exercise a m o r e r i gi d c ontrol o ve r t h e r emoval an d e x p ort o f a n t i q ues an d r e lics as d e6ned i n t h e A c t , a n d from every point of view the C o m mission now had much wider scope and more liberal authority. The de6nitions of the objects entrusted to the care of the Commission were widened. F o r e x amplea monument is described as " an y area of land having a distinctive or beautiful scenery or geological formation, any area of land c ontaining a r a r e o r d i stinctive or b e autiful flora o r f a u n a , any area of l an d c o ntaining objects of historical or scienti6c interest, any w a t erfall, cave, grotto, avenue of trees, old tree o r old ' b u ilding a n d a n y o t he r o b j ect ( w h e ther n a t ural o r constructed by m an ) o f a esthetic, historical or scienti6c value or interest "; a relic as " a n y f o ssil o f a n y k i nd , a n y d r a w ing or p a i n ting on s tone or p etroglyph, k n own o r c o m m o nly b elieved t o h a v e been executed by Bushmen or other aborigines of South Africa,

or by any people who inhabited or visited South Africa before the advent of the Europeans, and, any implement or ornament known or commonly believed to have been used by them, and any anthropological or a r cha.ological contents of th e g raves, caves, rock shelters, middens, shell mounds or other sites used b y them "; a n d an antique as " any movable object (not being a monument or relic) of aesthetic, historical, o r scientific va lu e o r interest, the whole or more valuable portion of which has for more than one hundred years been in any part of South Africa included in the U n i on, or which was made therein more than one hundred years before the publication of the said notice ".

archae ological

This Commission held its first meeting in P r etoria on th e l oath July, 193$. D u r i n g its 6ve-year tenn of office it has been instrumental in having hundred m o n uments an d o n e a n t i qu e p r o claimed — while several recommendations still aw ait e n d orsement. A bri e f d e scription of e v e ry object proclaimed follows on pages 23 to 156. ln 1 93 p a n A m e nding Ac t w a s passed. T h i s g ave the Co m mission f urther p o w ers. W V h er e h i t h e rto o n l y in d i v i d ua l o b j e cts c o ul d b e

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r ecommended f o r p r o c l amation, t h e A m e n d in g A c t e t n p o mered t h e Commission to recommend the proclamation of groups of objects and also invested the Commission with authority over groups capable of proclamation. R e g ulations to b e a dhered to by a n y one wishing to export objects c apable of p r o clamation a s a n tiques or t o u n d ertake th e r e m oval a n d export of objects capable of proclamation in the 6elds of archa.'ology and vertebrate paia.'ontology were immediately promulgated. I n f r a m ing these regulations the sole object of th e C o m m ission centred on th e c ontrol of the export of antiques as mell as on the control of excavations and records in connection with excavations undertaken for the removal of archa.'ological and paia.*ontological specimens. T h e C o m m i ssion wished t o e n courage field work in the sciences mentioned, but at the same time was determined to put a n e n d t o s u c h e x ploitation a s h a d g one on i n t h e p a st , T he regulations referred to w ere published in G a - ette Notices Nos. 1571 and 1572 of 20th September, 1938, and No . 19 2 4 of 1 5th No v ember, 1938, During the course of th e p ast five y ears, the C o m mission has had 71 bronze badges, 51 plaques, 67 w a rning notices and 33 f e nces erected, and Z9 survevs completed — while many similar ivorks are in p r ogress at the time of w r i t i ng . Fu l l l i sts of t hese are given on p ages 157 to 1 7 0 P roperties o w n e d or l eas e d by t h e C om m i ssion a r e lis t e d on p age 1 69 . I n addi t i on , t h e C o m m i ssion, i n c o l l aboration w i t h t h e Government Bureau of A r c h e ology undertook a survey of al l f a rms and properties with occurrences of prehistoric rock paintings and engravings. S pecially prepared circular a ppeals an d o u t l ine m aps ~vere sent t o a l l Magistrates, 'Native Commissioners, Special Justices of the Peace, 44useums, Universities, many school principals, and t o a n u m ber of o u t lying police posts, missionaries and interested persons throughout the U n i on . A p p e als w ere also sent t o i n t e rested persons abroad i n t h e h o p e t h a t t h e y t o o would co-operate. T h e nu m b e r o f m a p s a n d a p p eals thus d istributed amounted to over one t h ousand. T h e r e sponse, both local and overseas, w as splendid. I V he r e t h e C o m m ission started with a s c h edule of j u st over 800 sites, the present schedule contains descriptions of nearh" 1,800. I t is hoped to publish a R l l l i st of f a rms and properties and a ne w m a p on which the distribution of the paintings and engravings will be shown. Appreciable sums of m o ney mere spent on r epairs and r e novations to a nu mber of m o n uments. I n t h i s w or k th e Commission received very considerable assistance frotn the Department of Public XVorks. T h e m a j or w orks undertaken a n d c o m pleted b y t h e D e p a rtment d u r in g t h e p a st five years include the restoration of certain portions of the buildings inside The Castle at Cape T o wn „ the entire renovation of the Ol d R a adxaal and 16

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Fort at V r y h eid i n N a t al , general repairs to the walling, etc., around the memorial stones erected on the site of th e d eath o f t h e P r i nce I mperial, the restoration o f t h e O l d P o w d e r M a g a zine o f F o r t G l a m organ, E a st London, the renovation of the b lockhouse at Hekpoort near K rugersdorp, a nd th e c o m p lete r estoration o f t h e o l d D u t c h w i n d m il l ( k n o w n a s Mostert's MIII ) a t G r o ote Schuur. T h e r e p airs to the site of the death of t he Prince Imperial were made possible by a generous donation from th e Minister P l e nipotentiary o f Fr a n ce . T h is t h e Co m m i ssion g ratefully acknowledges, as it a lso acknowledges the very generous co-operation of t he Netherlands Government in t h e r estoration of th e ol d D u tch M i l l a t Groote Schuur. I n t h e case of this mill, the Government of the Netherlands donated the vanes. T h e services of an expert from H o l l and were secured to supervise the repairs and re-erection of the working parts. T he P u b li c X V orks D e p artment a lso d esigned an d s u pervised t h e making and e r ection of m a n y b a d ges, plaques and a l l w a r n ing notices and gave very v a luable advice on a l l o t her m atters affecting repairs and r enovations generally. I nd e e d i t is no ex a ggeration t o s a y t h a t t h e Commission could not h ave functioned el e ctively and efIiciently without t he support a n d c o - operation i t h as c o n sistently r e ceived f r o m t h e Department. l n n u m erous other i n stances much h el p w a s f r e ely g iven b y t h e D epartments o f N a t i v e A f f a irs, L a n d s a n d Justice, by t h e P r o v incial A dministrations, by, m an y M u n i c i p alities, M i ssions, G overnment L a n d Surveyors and other private persons. F o r example, ~~here the Commission has undertaken w or k i n r e m ote a r eas, such as th e f e ncing of c aves of archaeological value or sites of geological interest, owners of properties have invariably offered t o p r ovide free l a bour t o e rect the m a terials supplied by the Commission. M i s sionaries have been most helpful and there can be little doubt t ha t al l t h i s help so f reely given is largely, often ~ h o l l y, due to the deep interest taken in the work of the Commission. T h e South African N a t i o na l S o ciety, w i t h i t s h e a dquarters a t C a p e T o w n and branches at Grahamstown, Pietermaritzburg and Durban, the Johannesburg Historic Sites Committee and Die H i storiese Kommissie van die Saamwerk Unie in N a t a l h a v e repeatedly given the Commission invaluable support. These are examples of l ocal b odies interested largely i n t h e i m m ediate l ocalities i n w h i c h t h e y o p e rate w h i c h h a v e d o n e m u c h t o w ar d t h e successful culmination of the Commission's undertakings. The Commission's consistent policy has been to encourage the active interest and support of local bodies and individuals in all its undertakings. The great mass of people is undoubtedly interested, yet it is only natural

17

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that much of this interest should wane if it is not consistently encouraged. To stimulate interest the Commission arranged broadcasts on its activities, held meetings in each of the four provinces and undertook extensive tours i n various parts of t h e c o u n try. T he c o n t a cts thus established led t o valuable tesults. In publishing this report of 6ve year's progress, the Commission would again appeal to the public as a whole to keep a watchful eye on the vandal and in every way to assist in the preservation of all objects, whether these have been proclaimed or not, of natural beauty and historical or scientific interest and value that must be reckoned among the heritage of our nation. I n th e w o r d s o f B a l d wi n B r o w n w e m u s t r e m ember t ha t " t h e t e r m monument e mbraces all ol d b u i l d ings and o t h er m e m orials of b y g one d ays. T h e s e ar e h e irlooms from th e p ast an d a p peal to th e p i ety a n d patriotism of the present. T h e i r n u m ber can n ever be increased, but on the contrary as t ime goes on they must necessarily become fewer. A s t h e decay or d estruction of a n y o n e o f t h e m i n v o lves an i n crease of v alue in those that endure, so the care of them wi l l be c ome every year a matter o f more and more urgent duty ' .

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Membership

T

HE MEM B ER S o f t h e v a r i ous Commissions prior to t h e p a ssing of the N a t u ral a n d H i s t o rical M o n u m ents, R e lics and A n t i q ues A ct, No. 4 of 1 93 4, wvere:Names. C. Graham Botha, Esq. Dr. P. J. du Toit. A. Handel H a m er, Esq.

Date of Appointment. 15th January, 192g (appointed provisionally).

J. M. A. A. Hershensohn, Esq. F. J. Jansen, Esq. Major Jardine. R. J. van Reenen, Esq. Professor J. A. 'Wilkinson.

The Hon. Mr. Justice Jacob de Villiers (Chairman).

11th A p r i l, 1 92 5

(appointed for five years).

C. Graham Botha, Esq. Professor R. H. Compton.

Dr. P. J. du Toit. XV. A, Hofmeyr, Esq. J. M. N. A. Hershensohn, Ksq. Major %~. Jardine. R. J. van Reenen, Esq. ProfessorJ. A. XVilkinson. 3. C. Graham Botha, Ksq. Professor R. H. Compton.

Dr. P. J. du Toit. XV. A. Hofmeyr, Ksq.

J. M. A, A. Hershensohn, Esq. Major WV. Jardine. Dr. E. C. N. van Hoepen.

R. J. van Reenen (Chairman). Professor J.A. wilkinson.

23rd April, 1930 (appointed for five years).

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List of Mo n + ments = Proclamatton not yet gazetted

C APE OF G O O D

)

HOPE :

1. h e C a stle, Cape Tow n. 2. Government Avenue, Cape Town. 3 ~a r t i n M e lck H ouse, Cape Town. e. K oopmans de Wet H ouse, Strand Street, Cape Town. S. Rust en Vreugd, Roeland Street, Cape Town.

'"'6. The Parade, Cape Town.

7. Ol d To w n H o u se, Greenmarket Square, Cape Town. 8. Old Pump, Prince Street, Cape Town. 9. Old Locomotive, Railway Station, Cape Town.

10. King's Blockhouse, DeviVs Peak, Cape Town. 11. Bosh' G a t eway, 3 oshoff Estate, Paradise Road,'Xe~ Cape Town. 12. M ostert's Mill, Groote Schuur, Rondebosch, Cape Town. 13. Va n R i ebeeck's Hedge, Kirstenbosch, Cape Town. 14. H e rschel Monument, Claremont, Cape Town. 15. Blockhouse, Batteries and Guns, Haut Bay, Cape. 16. Th e H o mestead, Groot Constantia, Cape. 17. Rhodes' Cottage, Muizenberg, Cape. 18. Old D ovecot, Meerlust, district Stellenbosch. 19. Lourens River Bridge, Somerset West. ZO. The Braak, Stellenbosch. 21. Ol d Powder Magazine, The Braak, Stellenbosch. 2Z. B lockhouse, Wellington.

Z3. Blockhouse, Tulbagh Road. 24. O t terdam Reserve, Lamberts Bay, district Clanwilliam. 25. H e erenlogement Cave, district Van Rh ynsdorp. 26. A stronomical Relic, Touws River.

27. Old Drostdy, Swellendam. 28. Post Oflice Tree, Mossel Bay.

Z9. Old Oak Tree, Library, George. 30. C a ngo Caves, district Oudtshoorn. 31. V a n P lettenberg's Beacon and Timber H ouse, Plettenberg

3Z. Valley of Desolation, Graaff-Reinet.

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33. F ort Frederick, Port Ehzabeth. 34. D o n kin Reserve, Port Elizabeth. 35. D i as Cross, Kwaaihoek, district Alexandria. 36. M o o imeisjesfontein, Riebeek East. 37. D r ostdy Gates, Old Drostdy, Grahamstown. 38, Ol d P rovost Building, Grahamstown. 39. F ort Selwyn, Grahamstown, 40. G overnor's Kop Tower, near Grahamstown, district Albany. 41. F raser's Camp, Signal Tower Reserve, district Alban~ 4Z. W a tch Tower, Peddie. 43. Fort Brown, district Albany. Martello Tower, Fort Beaufort, 45. Fort Armstrong, district Stockenstroom.

Old Sundial, The Residency, Seymour. 47. Fort M u r ray, K i ngwilliamstown. 48. Powder M a gazine, Fort G lamorgan, East London. 49. M k a tnbati Palms, Mk ambati, Pondoland. 50. T aal M o n ument, Burghersdorp. 51. Blockhouse, Burghersdorp. 5 2. Blockhouse, Aliwal N o r th . 53. Glaciated Rock Formations, Nooitgedacht, Kimberley. 54. Ol d P ulpit, Native Church, Griquatown. 55. M o f fat Church, Kuruman.

FREE STATE: Old Raadzaal, Bloemfontein. The Presidency, Bloemfontein. Cave containing Rock P aintings, Ventershoek No. 5 04 , d i strict Wepener. Cave containing R oc k P a i n tings, M o d derpoortspruit No . 3 5, district Ladybrand. Cave containing Rock Paintings, Schaapplaats No. Z80, district Bethlehem. 61. Blockhouse, Harrismith. 62. Rock on w h i c h P i e t R e t i ef's N am e i s p a i n ted, D r a k ensberg, district Harrismith. Vechtkop Slam eld, district Heilbron. Rock Engravings, Stowlands Yo. 719, district Boshof.

NATAL: 65. Ol d Fort and Cemetery, Durban. 66. W i l d Fig Tree, First Outspan~ Durban.

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67. Voortrekker Museum, Pietermaritxburg. 68. Old Pulpit, Voortrekkerkerk, Pietermaritxburg. 69. Acacia Tree, Parkside, Pietermaritxburg. Shaka's Memorial, Stanger. 71. Convention Tree, Bond's Drift, Tugela. 72. Nonquai Fort, Eshoave. 73. Piet Retief's Grave, Uitxoek, district Vryheid. 74- Dingaan's Kraal, district Vryheid. 75. Mpande's Kraal, Nod~vengu, district Vryheid. 76. Cetshwayo's Kraal, Ondini, district Vryheid. 77. Ulundi Battle6eld, Ulundi, district Vryheid.

78. Old Raadxaal and Fort, Vryheid. 79 Piet Lafras Uys Monument, U t recht. Site of Prince Imperial's Death, Nqutu. V oortrekker K o m m a ndan t K a r e l P i e te r L a ndman's Waschbank, district Ladysmith.

H o u se,

l'wagon Hill, Ladysmith. Bloukrans Monument, %'eenen. Birthplace of General Louis Botha, Greytoivn.

TRANSVAAL: 85. Ruins of Broadbent's House, W i t poort, district W o l m aransstad. 86. Rock F n ~ v in g s, Bosivorth Farm, district Klerksdorp. 87. Old Fort, Potchefstroom. 88. Paardekraal Monument, Krugersdorp. 89. Blockhouse, Hekpoort. 90. Paul Kruger's House, Pretoria. 91. Skanskop Fort, Pretoria. 92. Klapperkop Fort, Pretoria. 93. Old Locomotive, Pretoria Station. 94. Moorddrift, district Potgietersrust. 95. Makapan Caves, district Potgietersrust. 96. Old English Fort, Marabastad, district Pietersburg.

97. First Gold Popover Plant Site, district Pietersburg. 98. First Gold Crushing Site, district Pietersburg. 99. Cycads, Modjadje's Location, district Letaba. 100. Dxata Ruins, district Zoutpansberg. 101. Verdun Ruins, district Zoutpansberg. 102. Baobab Trees, Messina, district Zoutpansberg.

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MONUMENTS IN T H E C APE OF G OOD H O PE No. I.

T he Castle, Cape T oo m

T HE CASTLE of Good Hope is the oldest building in the Union, and

historically it i s by fa r t h e m ost interesting. U n d e r t h e B u tch E ast India Company and th e early B r i tish Governors, it was the headquarters o f government and an official residence of the Governor. I m ay b e s a id that, du rin g t h a t p e r iod, th e m o s t i m p ortant e v ents i n S o uth A f r i c an political history were enacted within its walls. Van Riebeeck had built an earthen fort for defence against Hottentots: t his stone one was intended for p rotection from Eu ropean enemies. T h e o ccasion for u n d ertaking it w a s t h e second An glo-Dutch W a r ( 1 6 6 5 - 7 ) — the site wa s selected, and th e d i ggings begun i n A u g ust, 1665. The f oundation stones were laid o n 2 n d January, 1666, and Pieter Domboer w as the e n g ineer r esponsible fo r t h e w o r k . A t t he e n d o f t h i s w a r , w ork on t h e C a s tle w a s stopped ; b u t i t w a s r e sumed i n 1 6 7 Z w h e n L ouis XI V b e g a n h i s a t t ack o n t h e N e t h e rlands. T h e bu i l d in g w a s occupied in 1674 and by 1679 the outer walls were complete. I n shape th e C a stle is a p e n t agon, w ith a b a s tion a t e ach o f t h e five angles. T h e p u rpose of the bastions ivas to enable the defenders of the Castle to attack, on both flanks, an eneiny trying to scale one of the walls. This type of castle was common in Europe at that time. A c r oss the middle o f the inside space runs a d i v i ding avail, against which stand the m o r e i mportant buildings that were used by the government. F a c ing the m a i n entrance was the residence of the Governor. T h i s is entered from the Kt tt, a small covered balcony to w h ich tw o small curving flights of steps give a ccess; her e t h e p r o clamations or p l a ccaaten o f t h e g o v ernment w e r e posted up, and from the balcony the Governor could address the burghers assembkd in t h e c o urtyard. T he Governor's sentry was always on d u t y at the K at . T hi s r e sidence and K a t w er e built b y S i mon va n de r S t el. Immediately inside the entrance was the large hall u sed for the C o u ncil meetings, and , u n t i l 1704, f o r t h e C h u r c h s ervices. T hi s w as w h e r e I.ady A nn e B a r n ard a t a l a t e r d a t e w a s t o h o l d h e r r e ceptions. T he Governor's reception room adjoined this. T h e Governor had other spacious private rooms in the building, and over the archway leading into the second 23

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court were tw o l arge rooms used by the T r ad e O H ice and th e O f hce of Justice. I n t h e e i ghteenth century this residence was sometimes deserted by the Governors for their house in the garden ( t h e present Government House), and after the arrival of the British, the latter became the permanent oHicial residence, though the Governors continued to have quarters reserved for them i n t h e C a stle. T h e C a s tle, however, was still the headquarters of government, of the civil as well as the military service. L a r d M a c artney

No. I (a).— Entrance to The Castle, Cape Tocsin a ssigned his quarters in the Castle to the Colonial Secretary, Mr. B a rnard : that was how I . ady A nn e B a r n ard came to hold her celebrated entertainments in the ballroom there. T o th e l ef t o f t h e a r c h wa y u nder th e O H ices of T r ade a n d Justice was the residence of the Secunde or Vice-Governor. The archway led into th e s econd court o r XV a p e nplaats,w h e re t he r e serve artillery w a s kept.

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In 1 6 7 9 t h e 6 v e b astions ivere named O r a n je, N assau, Catzenellen. bogen, B u u ren a n d L e e rdam a f te r t h e t i t les o f t h e P r i nce o f O r a n ge. The original entrance mas in th e w al l between the C atzenellenbogen and Buuren bastions, facing the sea. B u t Simon van der Stel closed that in 168Z a nd m ad e t h e p r m ent g at e b e tween B u uren a n d 1 e e rdam . O ve r t h i s gateway are to be seen the coats-of-arms of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, D elft, Z eeland, H o or n a n d E n k h u i - en, w h ose chamber f o r med th e E ast I n d i a

(t

Q

No. I (b ).— The Kat, The Castk, Cape Toun Company. O n t h e C a txenellenbogen bastion stood the fiagpost on which t he " p r incely ensign" was hoisted when ships arrived in the bay. B e l o w the Buuren bastion, on the o u tside, were the patrols' guardrooms, which a ll traflic from th e i n terior i nt o G ape T ow n h a d t o p ass. I n t h e o u t e r court, near t h e G o vernot's h ouse and p a rtly p r o jecting from th e o u t er wall, was the house of the Captain of the M i l itary Farces, but even at the ba n n i n g o f t h e e i ghteenth century th e C a p tains found t his too sm all

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and preferred to hve in the town. Ot h e r officials and soldiers had quarters in the building against the outer walls, where also were various storerooms a nd magajines. C a p t ain R o bert Percival, who v isited the Cape i n 1 8 0 4 , w rote o f t h e c o u r tyard o f t h e C a s tle t h a t " a l l t h e p u b l i c oflices of government are in t his square; a l l th e p apers of consequence are lodged, and all important business transacted, in the Castle ". The Castle contains a dungeon and other prison cells that were used partly for p u rposes of military discipline; a n d i n t h e e ighteenth century various instruments of torture were used there, but this practice was discontinued at th e end o f t h e c entury. A very i m portant feature was the well, from which a besieged garrison could obtain a water supply without hindrance from the enemy. T h e w a t er, however, is brackish, because the C astle is so n ea r t h e s e a . It was recognised even i n t h e s e venteenth century that the Castle was of questionable use for defence, as an enemy in possession of Devil's Peak could easily 6re into the Castle from above. In th e course of th e n i n eteenth century th e civil departments were gradually m o ved f r o m t h e C a s tle, only th e m i l i t ary r e m aining. The Castle vras handed over by the Imperial to the U n ion Forces in 19 17.

No. 2

Government Avenue, Ca ge To ~

T H IS WAS

o riginally t h e c entral w a l k

of t he D ut c h E a s t I n d i a Company's garden, which is as old as the European settlement at the Cape, an d w a s it s r a ison d ' e h e. The r emarks of a f e w t r a v ellers will summarise its history:Ckevalier de Ckaumont (1 6 8 5 ) : " T h e m a in w a lk, which has a length of f o u r teen h u ndred an d 6 f t y p a ces, is almost entirely planted with lemon trees." F. Valentyn (several visits, 6rst quarter of eighteenth century

):

"The sections of the garden are all surrounded by high hedges. Within these hedges, which I guess to be quite Z3 or Z4 f eet high, many oak, lemon, citron, orange and al l sorts of other trees have b een planted i n r o w s i n t h e c e n tral w a lk , bu t t h e o a k s i n t h i s walk . . . are n o t b i gger than an average leg in thickness."

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Robert Sempre (1 800): " A w al k p l a nted with o a ks and hedges of myrtle on each side, leads from one end of the garden to the other, and m e a sures in length nearly one thousand paces."

Capt. Robert Percival (1804): " A t the entrance of the garden i s a p air o f v er y h a n dsome gates fronting the main w a lk , w h i ch runs the whole length of t he g arden, and i s as broad as the B ird

Cage Walk in St. James's Park. It i s neatly rolled and graveHed, and each side is thickly planted with oak, low ehns, myrtle, laurel

and geraniums. On the left side is a canal, which is always 6lled with water from Table M ountain, and runs from the garden into the town+

Monsieur Haussman ( 1866): " T h e g arden is situated. . . on the right of a long and 6ne avenue of old European oaks which separates it from th e p r ivate garden and p a lace of the Governor." Many of these old oaks are still in existence.

No. 3

Martin Melck House, Cage To (Phatograph: Cage Tinaes

No. 4

Koop~ n s

de W e t Ho u s e, Ca~e > o myt

t N THE T I M E of K i l l i am Adriaan van der Stel the land on which the

K oopmans d e W e t H o u s e s tands in S t rand S t r eet w a s g r anted t o Reynier Smedinga, and th e h o use was erected in 1 7 0 1 . Th e f acade was afterwards altered~ t is be l i e ved by T h i b a u lt t o w a r ds t he e nd o f th e eighteenth century. A f t e r the death of Hendrik deWe t in 1 8 04 his widow bought the property and moved in wi t h h er family. T h e h o u se was left to her three sons, but of these Johannes bought out his brothers and remained in it al l h i s l i fe . A ft e r h i s d e ath i t w a s occupied by h i s two d aughters. O ne of t h ese wa s M r s. K o o p m ans de W e t , w h o h a d b e en b or n i n t h e

2S

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Af t erher death the house was sold by public

auction in 1 9 13 , an d a cquired by the G overnment for use as a museum. The house itself has been prodaimed because of its unrivalled interest as an early eighteenth century town house.

r fi

No. 4.— Koogmans de XVet House, Cape Toun

No. 5

Rust en Vxeugd

T

HE DW E L L I N G - H O U S E w h i c h stood on t h i s estate on th e o u tskirts of Ca pe T o wn d u r i ng t he l a t ter part of t h e e i g hteenth century, has been fortunately preserved. It is one o f t h e r i c hest and m ost elaborate of the to w n ho u sesof th e pe r i od. D uring th e n i n eteenth century t h e

house was much altered and remodelled. T he entrance includes a 6 n e

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portico with C o rinthian columns and a fhght of slate steps. T h e f a n l ight o ver the ground-floor doorway i s one o f th e fi n est of t his type in C a p e Town. T h e re f in ementin t h e c a r ving of t he f a n l ight over the doorway to the balcony on the first floor marks the work as that of Anton A n reith.

The property on which t his house is built belonged to W i l lem Cornelis Boers in 1777 .

I t i s n o w u sed as part of a school building.

No. 6

The Parade, Cape T oxin

O N THE site of the Parade van

Riebeeck'sf ort stood. In

1 666 the

C astle wa s commenced an d t o w ards th e e n d o f t h e c e n tury t h e K eixersgracht, now D a r l ing Street, was laid ou t a n d t h e a rea from h e r e to the seashore, which was intersected by deep gullies and sotne knolls of considerable size, was levelled. T h e l evelled area came to be known as the Parade bounded on th e other sides by the Castle and th e H e erengracht, now Adderley Street. T h e P a r ade was used during the eighteenth century f or exercising troops, and continued to be used in t his way well i nto t h e next century. The fi rst e ncroachment o n i t w a s t h e e r ection o f t h e C o m m ercial Exchange in 1 8 1 9 o n t h e H e e rengracht end, now th e site of the General Post Oflice. T he n e x t e n croachment was the S t andard B a nk, f o l lowed in the ni n eties by the O p era H o use recently demohshed. % ' i t hin r ecent t imes the P ost O f lice A n nexe cu t of f a f u r t her p o r tion followed by t h e e xtension of P l ei n Street towards the R ailway Station. T h i s p l aced t h e western boundary of the Parade nearer to the Castle.

No. 7

Old To>en House, Greenmarket Square, Cape To+ca

T

HE OLD TOW N H O U S E was erected in 1755 as a Burgher Watch House and was used i n s uccession by th e B urgher Senate and Municipality of Cape Town until 1905. I t w a s given by the City of Cape Town to the Union Government by whom it was restored to house the Michaelis Collection of Fine Art. 30

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I ,t

No. 7.— Old To x in Ho use, Greenmarket Square, Cape Tom'n

No. 8

O M Pumg, P rince Street, Cage T o w n

T

HE Ol.D P L O P i n P r i n c e Street i s a r e li c o f t h e i m p r oved system o f public w a t e r s u p ply i n t r oduced i n Ca p e T o w n e arly i n t h e n ineteenth century . W at e r h a d f o r m e rl y b e e n o btained f r o m p u b l i c fountains which r a n p e r petually, t h u s c ausing waste w hich w a s m u ch regretted in titne of drought. T o p r e v ent this waste various pumps of this type were erected. S l a ves worked the p um p b y swaying to an d f r o fr om a long wooden handle weighted at one e nd. T h e w a t e r w a s d r awn f rom

a well which was supplied from a w ooden pipeline. called the Hurling Swaai Pump.

This pump was

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No. 9

Old Locomotiee, Cape Tocsin Station

A

S SHOW N o n t h e p l a que, t his engine ran b e tween Cape T ow n a n d Wellington when the raih vay was 6rst opened; t h e driver, W i l l i am D abbs, came out w it h the engine i n 1 8 5 9 an d d r ove it t ill his death ; i t was built by H a w thorne, of Leith.

No. 9.— Old Locomotive, C ope Toun

The lines to Wellington (opened 1863) and Wynberg (opened 1864) were built by the Cape Town Railway and Dock Company, which obtained p ermission from th e C ap e G o v ernment i n 1 8 5 7 . T he c o n struction w a s

b egun in 1859.

T h e standard 4 ft. 8$ in. gauge was adopted. I n 1 8 7 2

the Cape Parliament authorised the purchase of the l i nes by the Government, and t h i s was done i n 1 8 7 3 . I t wa s d e cided t hat th e 3 f t . 6 in .

gauge should be adopted for all new lines, and that the old ones should be converted to it. T o avoid the sudden loss of all existing rolling stock, an intermediate rail was inserted on the old routes, which for a time could

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be used by stock of either gauge. The abandontnent of the wider gauge was completed in 188 1.

This engine was taken to Johannesburg to be shown at th e E m p ire Exhibition in 1936-7.

No. 10

King's 8/ockhowse, Deeil's Peak, Cape To xin H EN T H E Br i t i sh t oo k t h e C a p e f r o m t h e D u t c h i n 1 7 9 5 , t h e y found, about a tnile east of Cape Town, defensive works known as the French Lines extending from the shore up the slopes of Devil's Peak. These dated from Suffren's visit in 1 7 8Z . C r a i g i n 1 7 9 7 i m p r oved and extended these lines, adding three blockhouses, the highest of which w as the King' s. I t p l a yed n o p a rt , however, in l a ter military operations, was dismantled in 1 84Z, and subsequently used as a convict station during the w ork o f a H o restation. I t is in t e resting to n o t e t h a t t h e F r e nch L i n es w ere in 1 8 1 4 m ade th e b o undary on t his side between Cape T ow n ( t h e area under the j u risdiction of th e B u rgher Senate ) and the district.

Y o. I I

The Boshoff Gateu,ay, Nev,lands U RIÃ G T H E ei g h t eenth c e ntury N e w l a nds A v enue e n ded a t t h e E state of B oshoff, once th e h om e o f a b r a n ch o f t h e v a n B r e d a f amily. T h e E state, now known as Fernwood, was later sub-divided. T h e Bosh ' G a t e way is actually in P aradise Road, just off the old avenue and m arks th e e n t rance t o t h e o l d h o m estead. I t is o n e o f t h e v e r y f e w eighteenth century gateways which remain in the Peninsula.

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No. 11.— Besheg Gateway, Pamdise Road, Aeu,lands„C.P.

N o. I Z

Mostert's Mill, Groote Schmear T IS a f a r c ry f r am t he m echanically driven flout mi l ls of to-day to the days of th e v a t tdMriven cern m i l l s of th e eighteenth and n i neteenth centuries. I . i t tle more than half a century aga a few af these cauld be seen working i n t h e C a p e P e n i nsula. P rom th e e a rl y d a y s e f t h e C a p e , w indmills were e r ected te s u pply t h e c o mmunity w i t h m e a l a n d f l e u r . Some were communal and others were privately owned. T h e r e mains ef a communal w i n d m il l i s t a be s e e n i n t h e g r o u n ds of th e A l e x andra Institution. T h i s w a s erected by the Burgher Council beeveen 1780-1782.

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O n the G r o ote Schuur Estate, al ong the D e % ' a a l D r i ve, i s t o b e seen an example of a p r ivate mill b u il t Before the close of the eighteenth century on the farm Welgelegen owned then by Gysbert van Reenen and passing afterwards into the Mostert family. D u r i n g the nineteenth century I n rec e n t ye a r s t h e U n i o n b ecame know n a s " Mostert's M i l l " . Government had this interesting relic restored and although it is no longer used> it is once again in good working order.

No. l2 .— Mostert's %fill, Groote Schuur

No. 1 3

Van Ri e beeck's Hedge, Kirsienbosck H IS H E D G E i s t o B e f o u n d o n t o p o f t h e r i d g e seen o n t h e l e f t from the r o ad ~ vhich enters the B o t a nical Garden at Ki r s tenbosch, by the old or south gate. I n i t s p resent ripe age it would be called rather a thicket or a rmv of t ree-like bushes than a hedge. V a n R i e b eeck's object vt!'as to make a ba rrier through which the H o ttentots could not take stolen

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animals. T h i s divas more necessary along the upper course of the Liesbeek than th e l ouver, ~vherc thc r i ver divas in most parts deep enough to serve the desired purpose. Th e C o m m a nder in his diary on Z5th February, 1660, notes that th e vrhole c ourse of th e p r opo"ed boundary had b een f o und

to measure 3,673 roods (about 8$ miles), namely 1+ZO roods from the sea near t h e m o ut h o f t h e S a l t Ri v e r, to t h e p r i n cipal ivatch post and Z,353 the rest of the distance. T h i s lattersection ~.as to be ploughed over to a wi d t h of o n c r o o d ( a b o u t 1 Z f e e t) a n d p l a n ted ~vith bitter-altnond

No. 13.— Van Riebeeck's Hedge, Kirstenbosch, Cage Tou:n trees and all sortsof quick-grow:ing thorn, thickly enough to be impenetrable to man and beast. T h e i d ea, says van Riebeeck, is taken from the practice of certain counts and l o rds i n G e r m an y a n d C o l o gne wvho m ark t h e boundaries of their territories in t his way "g e l i jcq i n Dots ende Keuls l andt sommige Graven cade H e eren haere j u n sdictien affschijden . 43n Z0th December, 1660, the Comma n d e r s ays that t h e h e d g e " is .

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beginning to g row vvith reasonable success ". T h i s , a s Professor A'alker r emarks, wa s t h e l a s t c omprehensive fronti=r th e c o l ony w a s t o h a v e till 1798 . T he c o u rse of the boundary is shown in XValker's"H i s toricut A tlas of South A f r ica "', map 4 , an d a p l aque marking the position of th e h edge has been erected at th e j u n ction of th e W y n b erg-Constantia N e k and Kirstenbosch-Constantia Xek ro a ds.

Hersch,e/ Monument, Cl aremont, Ca pe To w n IR JOHY

F . N ' . H E RSCHEL, who followed in the footsteps of his

f ather, Sir % ' i l liam H e r schel, as a n a stronomer, came to th e C a p e o n his ow n i n i t i ative i n J anuary, 1 8 34 , r emaining t il l M a r ch, 1 8 38 , t o m ake astronomical observations. F o r t h i s p u r pose h e t o o k t h e h o u se called Feldhausen, ivhere he erected his ZO.foot reflecting telescope, ivith w hich on ZZnd February, 1834, he made his first observations~ f t h e A r g o nebula. A sm a l l b u i l d ing ga s e r e cted nearby t o h o use his equatorial i nstrument. A m o n g o t her t h i n gs, h e d iscovered 1 , 20 2 p a irs of d o u b l e stars; t a bulated 1 , 708 n ebulae an d clusters, of w h ich 1 , 269 w ere neivly discovered; c h a rted the Argo nebula, placing 1,203 stars on it, catalogued 1,163 objects i n b o t h M a g ellanic c louds. H e o b s e rved H a l ley's comet from 28th O c t ober, 18 35, to 5 t h M a y , 1 8 36 . H is r e searches marked the beginning of a n e t e p o c h i n t h e a stronomy of th e southern hemisphere. Sir J ohn a lso, t ogether with F a i r bairn, assisted the C a pe G o vernment i n the setting up of a system of education. On 15th F e bruary, 1841, a n o b elisk of Craigleath stone was erected on, the spot vvhere the original ZO-foot telescope had stood. T h e inscription reads '

" Here stood from MDCCCXXXI V t o M D C CCXX X V II I

the

r eflecting t elescope of S i r J o h n F . X V . H e r s chel, B a ronet, w h o d uring a r e sidence of f o u r y e ar s i n t h i s c o l ony c o ntributed a s largely by h i s benevolent exertions to the cause of education and humanity a s b y h i s e m i n ent t alents to th e d i scovery of scientific truth."

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No. 15

Blockhouse, Batteries and Guns, Bo ut B a y

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HE FIRST m i litary defence of H out Bay was the erection of a battery in 17 81 du r i ng t he w ar b e t ween Ho l land and G r e at B r i tain. T his fell into disrepair and i n 1 7 9 4 t h ree batteries were erected. T h e se f rere named " Sluysken ", " Gordon ", and " L i ttle Gibraltar " . A s t one block-

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Ko. 1$ (a ) . — B lockhouse, Eastern Fort, Bout Bay, Cape Peninsula h ouse was put u p i n 1 7 9 6 o n t h e e astern side of th e b a y . I n 1804 t h e batteries had f a l len i nt o disrepair, wh en it wa s d e c ided to r e novate one and r ebuild a n o t her, a nd n a xne t h e m " Gilquin " a nd " Z o utman " . The batteries, one on the eastern and the other on the vvestern side of the Bay, are no w i n r u i n s bu t t h e n a m e s G ilquin an d Z o u t man h ave b e en revived to m ar k t h eir positions. A number of old c a nnon of the eastern battery are still in position behind their battlemented walls.

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k. '~ No. 15 (6 ) . — Battery of Guns, Eastern Fort, Hout Bay, Cape Peninsula

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No. 16

Homestead, Groot Constantia, Cage HE ESTAT E o f C o nstantia ( m u ch larger than at present) was granted to Simon va n der Stel in 1 6 8 5 b y C o m missioner H . A . v a n R h e ede tot Drakenstein, Lord of Mydrecht ; i t w a s probably called after the latter's little daughter w h o h a d d i e d i n t h e E a st I n d ies. T h e h o u se was b u i lt i n 1691. O n r e l i n quishing oflice, the Governor retired to it in 1 6 99 , a n d died there in 1 7 1 2 . T he e s tate was then sub-divided. G r o o t C onstantia passed through various hands till it was bought by Hendrik Cloete in 1779 , whose family continued to possess it until it was sold to the Government in

1860. Th» house in its present term d ates from H e ndrik C l oete, who built a lso the present w i ne-cellar whose pediment, carved b y A n t o n A n r e i th , b ears the d at e 1 7 9 1 . T h e o r i g i na l h o use is described by I ' . V a l e n t yn w ho visited it i n 1 7 0 5 a n d 1 7 1 4 . H e s h o w s i t t o h a v e d i ffered in t h e f ollowing i m p ortant r espects from t h e p r esent o ne : ( i ) t he b a c k w a l l must have run along the middle of the present dining-hall, making a passage o r gallery across the back of th e h o u se ; ( i i ) t h e t w o r o oms at th e l e f t of the entrance hall were one large room ; ( i i i ) t h e r e w ere rooms in th e attic. T h e h o use was partly destroyed by 6re in December, 1925, but was reconstructed exactly to the old plan. The historic importance of t h e e state is based upon th e e xcellence o f its w i ne , w h i c h a c hieved a w o r l d r e p utation i n t h e e i ghteenth a n d e arly n i n eteenth c e n turies ( Jane A u sten m e n t ions i t in Se n se a n d Sensibility) . E ve r y i m p o rtant v i sitor t o t h e C a p e w e n t t o C o n stantia, and. there are m an y r ecords of such visits. C a p t ai n R o bert P ercival, in 1 804, r e cords t h a t " G r e a t C o n stantia p r o duces th e r e d w i n e , L i t t l e C onstantia th e ~ h i t e ; t o g ether a b ou t 7 5 l e a guers ( 1 1 , 25 0 g a llons) a year ". V al e n t y n ( f i rst quarter o f e i g hteenth century ) g i ves the p r ices as 80 Rix-dollars a leaguer; P e r cival says "i t is possible to get 20 gallons from Mr. ' Pluter ' for K10 o r K 1 2 " . A no t h e r visitor at t ha t t im e ( 6 r s t British occupation) says " 5 0 S p a n ish dollars for a h a l f -aum, i .e. about

24 gallons ". The farm was bought by the Cape Government in 18 60.

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No. 16(a).— The Homestead, Gmot Constantia,Cape

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No. 16 (b ) . — G r o ot C o n s tanti a % ' "ine Cellar to i ty Pe d i>nent b y A n r e i t k fPhoto~aph: Cape Times

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No. 16 ( c ) . — Oxctbnildings, Groot Constantia, Cape

No. 1 7

Rhodes Cottage, Mu izenberg, Cape ECH- R H O D E S b ought t his cottage, then called Barkly Cottage, from t he estate of M r . J. R. Reid, on 27th February, 1899. The Second Anglo-Boer War broke out in the same year, and Rhodes was in Kimberley t hroughout its siege. A f t e r t h e r e l ief o f K i m b e rley, eatly i n 1 9 0 0 , h e went to M u i xenberg to r e cuperate at th e c o ttage. H i s c h ief association w ith it , h o w ever, was after hi s return f rom E n g land in F e bruary, 1 9 0 2 . A lmost imtnediately on a r r i v ing at G r o ote Schuur h e m o t ored d ow n t o t he cottage in the 12-14 h .p. W o lseley he had brought from England. H e w as then d y ing . H e to o k t o h i s be d o n 9 t h M a r ch , bu t c o ul d n o t l i e

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domn; h e w as propped up with pillows, and a hole was made in the outer mall of th e room t o g ive him more air . I t m a s a v ery hot summer, and the cottage at tha t t i m e h a d a c o rrugated iron roof. T he r e h e d ied on 26th M a rch, 1902. The cottage remained in the possession of the Rhodes' Trustees until i t was donated in 1 9 3 2 t o t h e G overnment of N o r thern R hodesia. T h e latter transferred it to the City of Cape Town in 1 93 r.

No. 17.— Rhodes's Cottage, «Kuizenberg

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OM Do v e cot, Me e riusk H E E ST AT E o f M e e r lust divas granted to H e n ning Huysing by W i l l em Adriaan van der Stel i n 1 7 0 1 , but has been in the possession of the Myburgh f a mi h f o r e i g h t g e n erations. I t i s f r equently referred t o i n historical records. I n h i s Eighteenth Century Ar chitecture in South A frica, P rofessor G. E . P e arse dr aws attention to t h e f a c t t h at adjoining the house and linked up to it ar e unusually fine outbuildings consisting of the

No. 1 8. ~M

Bo t>e cot, lvfeeflust, district Stellenbosch

st'ables and w in e cellar separated by enclosed yards or courts. A short distance from the homestead is an interesting pigeon house with enclosed courts on either side, vvhich vve are informed, mere used for cockfightingA t th e b a c k o f t h e h o use ar e ol d slave quarters . .. w i t h d e h ghtfully m odelled plaster mouldings and enrichments . . . T he w h a l e g r oup o f buildings, constituting one of the finest country houses outside the Peninsula, w ith t h e de t a ched s u n d ia l a n d b e l l t o w e r , m ake a v e r y c h a r m i n g corn position ".

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No. 19

Lourens Rieer Bridge, Somerset West

T

HIS BRIDGE

is a l and m ark i n

th e hi s tory of S o u th A f r ican

communications. I n 1 8 4 3 , th e r o ads of the Cape Colony being in a deplorable state, th e G o v ernment established a C e ntral R o ads Board of

six nominated members (three of them officials).

J oh n M o ntagu, the

No. 19.— Lourens River Bndge, Somerset %Vest Colonial Secretary, was the force behind this body. O n e o f i t s 6rst tasks was the construction ( 1 8 4 3 -5 ) o f a h a r d r oad from Cape Town t o Kerste River across the Cape Hats, hitherto almost impassable. This ~vork divas rounded off by th e construction in 1 8 4 5 o f a b r i dge across the Eerste River near Meerlust and another across the I.ourens River at Somerset West.

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T hese works, together w it h t h e c o n struction o f t h e r o a d o ver S i r Lowry's Pass in 1830, ensured for the 6rst time satisfactory communication between Cape T ow n an d th e I n terior. O n e o f t h e consequences was thereduction of the postage on letters to fourpence in 1846 — the average rate before that having been about a shilling. The b ridge was used until the c ompletion of t he n ew o ne i n 1 9 3 8

No. 20

The Braak, Stenenbosch,

A

S EARLY a s th e beginning of th e e i ghteenth century, in t h e t ime of Adam Tas, this formed an open space on the west side of the built-up area of Stelienbosch (b r a a k =" fa l l o w" ) . It has n e v er b een b u i lt u pon (except for the p r esent A nglican Ch urch ) a n d w a s commonly used as a military parade ground. K o n i n gsplein and A d d erley Square were names formerly applied to it. In 19 0 8 it w as gr a n t ed t o t h e M uni c i p ality of St e l l enbosch on condition that it was to be used as a public park. Portion of th e p r o claimed area i n cludes the Ol d P o w der M a garine referred to in No. 21 below.

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No. 20 (a).— The Braak, Stellenbosch

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Xo. 20 (b ) . — Portion of The Braak, Stellenbosch. Rh e n i shChen'ch and Helderberg in backgronnd

No. 21

Old Pounder M agazine,Th.e Braak, Stellenbosck

TH E t u r bulent d ay s of t h e l ast q u a rter of t h e e i ghteenth century, t he Governor an d t h e P o h tical C o uncil of C ap e T o w n c a m e to t h e c onclusion that it was desirable to store ammunition at Stellenbosch. T h e permission of th e H e r e X V I I d ivas duly applied for an d r eceived and the Political Council could proceed to inform the Landdrost and Heemraden of Stellenbosch of the d ecision to bu i ld an a r s enal or m a gazine ~vithin their area.

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This date is still t o b e seen on on e o f t h e gables, together with the 1etters V.O.C. ( V e renigde Oost-Indiese Compagnie).

No. 2 Z

Blockhouse, Wellington

T

HE SIX BL OCKHOUSES which have been proclaimed give a very

inadequate idea o f t h e b l o ckhouse system that w a s i n t r oduced by K itchener during the l a tter stages of the Second Anglo-Boer W a r . E a r l y in 1901 y a few months after Kitchener had taken over the command of the British forces, it was resolved to build a n e t work of blockhouses, in lines m ostly alongside railways, in o r der t o t e r m i nate the guenllu w h ich h a d followed the end of th e r egular war . T h e b l o ckhouses were at first about 3,000 yards, afterwards more often 1,000 y a rds apart ; e a c h *vas in sight of both of its neighbours. T h e g u erilla b ands were thusto be s hut into compartments and disposed of in detail. T h e se blockhouses were generally m ade of tw o c oncentric corrugated iron w a l ls, with a fi l l in g o f e arth i n the intervening space; they stood on artificial mounds and were surrounded b y barbed w ir e e n t a nglements. T h e d e s ign w a s b y M a j o r R i c e , R . E . De We t a fterwards poured scorn on this system, as being far less effective than the cheaper method of throwing a ring of troops round an area occupied by the enemy, and drawing the net closer till the trapped forces were taken . T he s e b l o ckhouses, naturally, di d n o t l e n d t h e mselves to preservation. T he six specimens which have been proclaimed belong to special pr e s f or use at key points such as bridgeheads, entrances to towns, etc. T h e se a re familiar sights along th e m ai n S o uth A f ri can R a i l way l i n es. T h e y were made of stone, of tw o storeys, entered by ladders, and machicolated to facilitate defence against attackers who stole up at night. T h e v a lue of these is shown by th e f act that no i m portant bridge was destroyed by the Repubhcan forces during the period of Kitchener's command. M any examples of these more durable types still exist. T h e C o m m ission did not

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avish to h a v e a H p r o c laimed, but s e k c ted a s e ries of s ix i n a vhich t h e iarious types are represented. T h o se selected are:No. ZZ . W e l l i n gton — north o f

st a t i on, b e t w een t h e r oad a n d

raihvay hne. No. 23. Tu lbaghRoad — near raihvay. No. 5 1 .

B u r ghersdor~ at n o r t h end of town; l o cally know~ as the Brandwag.

No. 5Z. A/ i cal North —to the south of the tmvn. No. 6 1 .

Ha r r i smitk —to the north. east of the town, below the dams of the town watenvorks.

No. 89 . He k y o ort, district K r u gersdorp — on top of a k n o ll at t h e e ntrance to H e k p oort . Co m m o nl y k nown as Barton's F olly, after M a j o r -General B arton w h o c o mmanded i n this area in 1901 .

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No. 23

B/ockhouse, Tutbagh Road (See No. ZZ, page SZ)

N o. 24

Otterdam ( N o r tier) R eserve, LambertsBay, District Cl a n emlliam HE Q T T E R D A M RE S E R V E , k n o w n a l so as th e N o r t ier R eserve in recognition of the services in connection with the Reserve of Dr. P. le IXortier, is situated on the farm Q t terdam, in the Division of Clanwilliam. A c o nsiderable p o rtion of t h e b o u n d a ry of t h e a r e a i s f o r m ed by t h e A tlantic Ocean. D ui k e rs, steenbuck and wi1d ostriches are found in t h e Reserve, and it i s i n tended to introduce other game in the course of time. The vegetation o f t h e R e serve i s p i cturesque and f l owers abound, particularly during the winter and spring. The preservation of the flora of th e Reserve is also of importance in arresting the d e velopment of s h ifting coastal sand d u n es, which w o u ld otherwise invade t h e c o u n trvside a n d , c o m bining w i t h i n l a n d d u n es, become a menace.

Y o. 2 5

Heerenlogement Caee, District Van Rh y n sdorg HIS CAV E i s r e markable as the halting. place of many noted travellers since the be g inning g o f t h e e i g h teenth century. A s ea r l y a s 1 6 8 Z Qlaf Bergh carved his name on the r ock at the Bergfontein Spring about six miles away, but evidently did not visit the cave. Q f t h e visitors whose names are carved here, the most interesting are:Cafrt. K . J . S ' o t sbo, 1 71 Z: % ' a s s ent ~ i t h I a n d d r ost M u l l er, o f S tellenbosch, by th e C o u n cil o f P o l icy, o f w h i c h h e w a s a m ember, t o i n v estigate t h e r e p ort o f an inv a sion o f t h e Sandveld by 5,000 N a m a quas. Ensign J. T. R h enils, 17 Z 1: % Vent north to buy cattle.

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F« >cois le Va i l l a nt, 17 8 3: O n e o f t h e m o st famous travellers at the Cape in the eighteenth century. D e scriptions of his travels. are available i n m a n y l a n g uages. H e me n t i oned t h e tr e egrowing from the crevice in the cave, where it still is. R«d - B urnahas Sham, 181 6: P a s sed the cave when on his way to establish a mission to the Namaquas at Lily-fountain. Revere once inhabited by men of the Stone Age.

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No- 30 (b).— Congo Caves, Oudtshoorn: Interior

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No. 3I

Beacon and Ti m b er H o u se, P/ettenberg ~ay H E M D K O L I T H a t P let t e n berg B a y w a s erected b; . G o v ernor J oad.im va n P l ettenberg in th e course of his tour of th e Colony i n 1778. In 17 r9 a b o d y o f c o l onists presented a memorial of complaints~ chiefly economic, t o t h e C o u n ci l o f S e venteen; t his was followed b y a nother submitted to t h e S t ates General i n 1 7 8 5 . I n that vear a n e w Governor, van de Graaff, arrived to carry out a more progressive economic policy, which i t w a s hoped would end the depression then chronic in the Colony. T h e d e v e lopment of t h e t i m ber industry in t h e K n y sna Forest was a part of this policy, and in connection with it the T i mber House w» built at P l ectenberg Bav, the port o f t h e region ( K n v sna H a rbour being u ndeveloped ) . T h i s b u i ] ding w a s c ompleted i n 1 7 8 8 - C apt Percivai, writing i n 1 8 04 , says: "T h e D u tch had a settlement here, and eMpiop ed sotne of their people in p rocurin~ timber and brin ay : the quantity was considerable„and i n deed this was almost the only pia« f rom whence they were supplied with t imber fit fo r ship-buildmg. T h e y maintained a s m all detachment here to keep an ey e o ver any ships that occasionally put into the bay ".

No. 32

Valley of D e solation, Graaff-Reinet

T

HE FINA L S TA G E S o f t h e K a r r o o p e r iod w e r e c h a racterised by extensive volcanicity during which great masses of magm~ or molten rock broke through the K a rroo deposits and spread to form vast blankets or sills of l a v a . T his l a v a c o o led a n d s o lidified i n t o t h e w e l l .known dolerite which c aps so many o f t h e k o ppies of the K a r r oo> while unde~ different conditions i t b e c ame t he basalts of t h e m i g h t y escarpment. T h e r e i s in d olerite a t endency to crack and weather into a c olumnar f o r tn , a f e a t ur e w h i c h i s w ell developed i n t h e V a l l e y D esolation. T hr o u g h subsequent erosion the r ock h a s b r oken u p i « o majestic buttresses and towering rock formations which lend to the scene at once charm and awe. The V a l ley o f D esolation is situated a few m i les from G r aaff-Reinet a nd reached b y a r o a d v . h ich c l i mbs 2 ,QQO feet a b ove th e t o w n a n d affords excellent views of the surrounding country.

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Xo. 32.— Valley of Desolation, Graaff.Reinet 63

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No. 33

Fort Frederick, Port Elizabeth

A T THE COiPGLUSION of the Third K affir War in an armed truce

rather than a peace in 1799, General Vandeleur took steps to fortify the landing place at A l goa Bay . A w oo d e n blockhouse to accommodate 60 or 70 men was constructed in Cape Town, brought round in the Camel, and assembled near the crossing of the B aakens River as a protection for the water supply. This afterwards became a prison and guardhouse. At th e same t i m e a s t r ong for t w a s b u ilt o n t h e e m i n ence above and c alled For t F r e d erick, a f ter t h e D u k e o f Y o r k . M aj o r Le m o ine w a s

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No. 33.— Fort Frederick, Port Fhzabeth s tationed here with 350 m en . T h e B r i t ish troops were withdrawn in 180 2 and the fort was then occupied by Dr . Va n d erkamp, of B e thelsdorp, with some of his Hottentots. I n 1 8 0 6 B r i t ish occupation was resumed, Captain Cuyler being C o m m andant f ro m t h a t d a t e t i l l 1 8 1.6 . C ap t a i n F r a n cis E vatt, of t h e 2 1 s t L i gh t D r a goons, became Commandant i n 1 8 1 6 a n d remained so til l h i s death i n 1 8 5 0 , w h e n h e w a s b u r ied i n t h e Settlers' Cemetery in R u ssell Road. I t w a s C a p tain Evatt wh o superintended the landing of the British Settlers in 1820 . The fort ceased to be occupied in 1868 and fell into disrepair.

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No. 34

Donkin Reserve, Port Eli zabeth

T

HE MOST s t r i k in g f e ature o f t h e D o n k i n R e serve i s t h e p y r amid erected here by Sir R u f ane Shaw D o n kin " t o t h e m e m ory of one of t he most perfect of h u man b eings who has given her n ame to th e T o w n below ".

Sir Rufane ( 1 77Z-1841) m a r ried E l izabeth Frances M arkham, daughter of the Dean of York, on 30th A u gust, 1815, and took her to India where h e b e came i n v o lved i n t h e M a h r a tt a C a m p aign of 1 8 1 7-1818. Elizabeth " d ied at M i r a t i n U p per H i n d oostan of a fever after seven days illness on the Z l s t A u g ust, 18 18, a ged not q uite 28 y e ars. She left an infant i n h i s seventh m o nth, too yo un g to k now th e i r r eparable loss he

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No. 34.— Do+kin Reserve,Port Elizabeth General vicar showeringDon%in Memorial

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had sustained, and a husband whose heart is still wrung by undiminished grief. H e e r ected this pyramid in A u gust, 1820 ". H is wife's death so upset Sir R u f ane that h e w a s i n valided to t h e Cape where he became Acting-Governor in 1820 . B e c a use of the arrival of the British Settlers in that year, the place which he named Port Elixabeth had acquired a new importance. L ater Sir R u f an e D o n ki n r e a ched th e r an k o f G e n e ral, became a Member of Parliament, and a Fe l l ow of t he Royal Society. H e r e m a r r ied in 1832, bu t th e i n f ant son mentioned in the inscription was killed by a

fall from his horse in Regents Park in 1837. T he p r o claimed m o n um en t i n c l udes th e R e serve a s w e l l a s t h e

pyramid.

No. 35

The Dias Cross, Kcuaaihoek, District Al exandrkt

T

OWARDS TH E E N D of t h e 6 f t e e n th ce ntury the P o r tuguese became most active and d a ring i n m a r i t ime exploration an d d etermined, i f possible, to 6 n d a n o c ean w a y t o I n d i a . Fr o m ti m e t o t i m e v a r i o us navigators had s a iled d ow n t h e w e s t c oast of A f r i ca , e ach succeeding e xplorer reaching a little further south than his predecessor, until in 1 4 8 8 t he intrepid B a r tholomeu D ia s r o u nded th e C a p e o f G o o d H o p e w i t h t wo small c a r avels. H e s a i le d a l on g t h e southern c oast u n til o n 3 r d

February, 1488, he anchored in the Bahia dos Vaqueiros — possibly our Mossd Bay . H e pr e ssed on, h o w ever, but ha d n o t g on e m uch f u r ther when the crews started murmuring. R o t ten with scurvy, wearied by their . struggles against the sea and w el l satis6ed with th e 3 8 0 l e agues of coast they had discovered, the men u r ged an i m mediate return, protesting that provisions would h a r dly l ast u n ti l t h e s t ore ship w h i c h h a d b een l e f t at Luderitx Bay, in South West Africa, could be reached. A f t e r a meeting it was agreed to continue for a few more days. A t t h e e nd of that time the

expedition turned at the Infante River (probably the Keiskama or the Kowie) a n d a t t h e 6 r s t suitable o p portunity, D i a s o r d ered a c r oss or " padrao " t o be erected. T h i s w a s d o n e o n 12 t h M ar c h , 1 4 8 8 , at

Kwaaihoek, False Island, in the district of Alexandria, in the Cape of Good Hope.

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thou h a pa~ — ~o was sometimes used as a simple landmark its more usual and most important function was to mark the limit of a voyage of ex p loration. It also established the pr i ority of Po r t uguese discovery and symbolised the sovereignty of P o r t ugal along the coast. It was also a symbol of Christianity. The ea rly P o r t uguese navigators knew t he cr oss well, but we h a v e no record of it h a v i ng been seen af ter the sixteenth century. W h e n t h e area on wh i ch it ha d be e n e r ected was 6rst visited by E u r opean settlers

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No. 35.— Genera/ Vie@@ o f Site of Dias Cross, Kceaaihoek, district A/exandria in the ea r ly n i n e teenth century, th e cr o ss had ap p a rently d isappeared. The only references to it af ter this are by authorines who for many years differed considerably regarding the a ctual site of t he cr oss. So m e said i t was on the Island of St. Croix in M o ssel Bay, others on the dunes opposite that island, on Ca pe Padrone, on the Bi rd I s lands or a t t he mouth of t h e

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Kowie R i ver, about 300 mi l e s east of Mo s sel B a y. I t w a s n o t u n t il t h e sources were re-examined by Dr. Eric Axelson that he made the spectacular discovery early in 1 938 — but the cross was found in countless fragments; some deep-buried under shifting sands, others in t h e sea at t h e f oot o f a 90 -foot cl i f f. A f t e r m a n y w e e ks of p a t ient a nd t e dious work a ll t h e fragments were sent to the U n i versity of the Wi t w a tersrand, Johannesburg, where the reconstructed cross is now housed. A detailed description of th e di s covery is g iven by D r . K . A x e l son in the South African Jourfutl of S cience, Vol. XX X V , o f 1 9 3 8. The Commission intends to erect a replica of the cross on the actual site on which the original, South Aftica's oldest historical monument, stood

in 1488.

No. 36

Mooimeisjesfontein, Riebeek East

T HIS FARM (ofEcially Mooie Meisjesfontein) belonged to Piet Retief.

H e evidently entered into occupation of i t i n 1 8 2 6 , w h e n th e l a n d w as surveyed, but th e f o r ma l g r ant wa s no t m a d e t il l 2 7 t h June, 1831. Unfortunately these years feil within the period of Piet Retief's life about which, a c cording t o P r e l l er , s c arcely a n y t hin g i s k n o w n . A ft e r his b ankruptcy i n 1 8 2 4 h e l e f t G r a h amstown fo r t h e W i n t e rberg an d h i s possession of M o oimeisjesfontein occurs during the period associated with h is residence in t h a t d i strict. A c c o rding to l o cal t r adition, R etief b u i l t the present house, occupying while he did so, an earlier homestead which has long since disappeared. Portions of th e fa r m w e r e so ld fr om t i m e t o t i m e . T h e Gr a h a m s ' Token Jotnnal o f 1 5 t h June, 1837, advertiseshalf of t he farm f or s ale by private contract, application to be made to A n d r ies Ignatius van Rooyen, "on the premises ". E v e n tually most of the farm came into the possession o f th e D u t c h R e f ormed C h u r ch . T h e h o u s e i s n o w t h e P i e t R e t i e f Weeshuis, and it stands on an area of about twenty morgen, the whole of

which has been proclaimed. Near the h ouse is an o r chard with a v a r i ety of f r uit t rees, tnany of which were, according to tradition, planted by Retief himself.

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N o. 3 7

Drostdy Gates, Old Dr o stdy, Gmhamstocen

T

HE D ROS TDY w h i c h s t o od a t t h e u p p e r e nd o f H i g h S t r e et w a s p art of t h e s y stem o f e l a borate w o rks begun a t G r a h amstown b y Sir Benjamin D ' U r b a n a f ter th e Si x th K a f fir W a r . I n 18 38 , S ir G e o rge Napier cut down t his programme, but continued the work on the Drcmtdy which was built by Piet Retief. I n 1 8 4 1 t h e D rostdy House and Grounds, with the m ai n g a te, were transferred by the Colonial Government to th e

No. 37.— Drostdy Gates, Grakamstown Imperial O r d n ance D e partment. T he y rem a i n ed. pa rt o f t h e m i l i t a r y quarters, and the house itself was never actually used as a D rostdy as the system of L a n ddrosts was abolished in 1 8 2 8. I n th e c o u r seof t i me t h e structure, never w ell b u ilt, became very dilapidated, and it w a s re cently demolished to make room for new additions to Rhodes University College, but the picturesque entrance gate with its sentry-boxes and old li g hts w a s preserved and forms the present monuinent. T h e p osinon of the old house is marked within th e college grounds and buildings and a b r onze plaque describe its historical significance.

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No. 38

Old Proeost Building, Grahamstocen

T

HIS WAS one of th e m i litary works begun by Sir Benjamin D ' U r b an. The building was nearing completion when on Zoth February, 1838, 20 deserters of the Old C ape Corps, being brought back from Fort Peddie, murdered their escort, Ensign Crowe, at F raser's Camp. T h e P r o vost was

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No. 38.— Old Provost Building, Grahamstoaen hastily 6 nished t o a c commodate these men . T he p l a n o f t h e b u i l ding (a quadrant) was designed to enable the warder to see all the cells from his o wn window. T h e b u i l d ing was still in use as a military prison in 1868 . The main feature is a r ound tower which now stands in the grounds that include the Albany M useum and Botanic Gardens.

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No. 39

Fort Seheyn, Gmh,amsto~

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I KE TH E iDrostdy, Fort Sehvyn was begun by Sir Benjamin D ' U r b a n a nd c o mpleted u n d e r S i r G e o rge N a p i e r . It divas called after Captain C. J. Sel~~~ , R . E . , wh o vras in command of the Royal Engineers

L

No. 39.— Fort Selsyn, & a h a m s toavn at Grahamstown frotn 1 83 5 t o 1 8 4 2 . I n 18 4 1 , t h e P ort mas transferred to the Ordnance Department. I t divas used as Artillery Barracks until about 1868, mhen it became a m a garine and guardhouse. It ceased to be o ccupied in 18 r 0 .

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No. 40

Goeernor's Kog Signa/ Toaster, near Grahamstocen

T

H IS XIVAS one of a system of signal or 6re towers constructed in 18 4 3 . Their p u r pose was to signal t o e ac h o t her a n d t o t h e s o ldiers at the Fish River d r ifts the news of a c a ttle theft or r ai d b y N a t i ves. But when they w e r e u sually needed i n t h e e a rl y m o r n ings, mists rendered

No. 40. ~ o

eer n o r 's Kop You,er, Grahanutoufn

them useless. E a ch had tw o rooms, one above the other, accommodating a sergeant an d 6 v e m e n . T h e A n n e x ation o f K a f f r aria a f ter th e W a r of the Axe w o uld in an y case have made such towers useless in this area. This tower wa s n o l o n ger used after 1 8 48 , an d i n 1 8 5 8 i t w a s h a nded over by the W a r O fEce to the Colonial Government.

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No. 41

Fraser's Camp, Signal Toaster Reseree, District Albany

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IKE THE t o wer a t G o vernor's Kop ( see No. 4 0 ) , t h i s was part of the system constructed in 1 843 an d soon proved to be useless. F r aser's Camp Tower on th e Signal T ower Reserve was omitted from the military l ist of p osts in 1 8 4 8 a n d w a s h a n ded o ver b y t h e W a r O f l i c e t o t h e C olonial Government i n 1 8 5 8 . G od l o n ton an d I r v i ng, w r i ting i n 1 8 5 1 , refer to these signal towers " erected at great expense and exertion, which never were and never can be of the slightest utility ".

Before the erection of the Signal Tower, Fraser's Camp had been, since 1835, a " temporary military post ".

No. 42

%'atch Tourer, Pedro

T

HE WATCH T O W E R was a detached part of Fort Peddie, built in

1835 and n a m e d a f ter I . i eut.-Col. P eddie, of t h e 72 n d Re g i ment. When th e t e rritory b eyond the F ish R i ver w a s aBandoned by o r der of Lord Glenelg, Fort Peddie continued to be occupied for the defence of the F ingoes who had b een settled in t h a t d i strict. T h e T o w e r , w h i ch w a s intended for the purpose of warning the fort of the approach of enemies, was of use during the W a r o f t h e A x e , a s N a t ives attacked the fort on 28th M ay , 1 8 46 . T he a t t ack was repulsed without any E u ropean losses. The fort and tower remained in military occupation till about 18 63 .

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No. 42.— Watch Toaoer, Peddie

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No. 43

Fort Brocken, District Albany

A T THE TI ME

of t h e S ixth K a f l ir Wa r (1 8 3 4-5) th ere was on this

s ide a sm al l m i l i t ar y post called H e r m anus' K r a al . I n 183 5 , a s part of a s y stem o f i m p r oved fortifications, this was to g ive p l ace to a propetly constructed fort. I n A u g ust, 1835, Lieut. % illiams, R.E., wrote to Sir Bejamin D ' U r b a n t h a t h e h a d s e e n d e posited at t h e f o r t a t h r e epounder mountain g u n a n d it s ap p u r t enances, and t h a t " c o n s iderable p rogress has been made . . . sin c e Yo u r E xcellency visited it ". Si r Ge orge N apier, on h i s a r r i val i n J a n uary, 1 8 3 8 , c u t d ow n t h e s u m w h i ch h i s predecessor hack allowed for defence works, but agreed to the completion of Fort Brown at a cost of KZ,798. 16s. Ogd. O n l y the tower and adjacent w alls at th e corner o f t h e f o r t h av e b een p r oclaimed. T h i s t o wer w a s the main defence, having loop-holed walls, a powder maga-ine beneath the floor and a swivel gun on the roof. T he f or t c o n t inued t o b e g a r r isoned u n ti l 1 8 6 1 , w h e n i t i s l u s t classi6ed among the u noccupied forts. I t i s n o w o ccupied by th e S outh

African Police.

No. 44

Martello Tour ,

F ort Beaufort

HIS W A S p a r t o f t h e f o r ti6cations at F o r t B e a ufort a u t horised by Sir Benjamin D ' U r ban after the Sixth Kaffir War, and completed under Sir George Napier after his arrival in 1 8 38 . I t w a s in m i l i tary occupation until 1869. Martello towers were adopted in B r i t ain as a result of a n a val raid upon Cape M o r tella i n C o rsica, in 1 7 9 4 . T he d e f e nders of a t o wer of this type against greatly superior nu mbers and a rmaments were able to hold o ut f or a l o n g t i m e. A s th e i r s u c cess was hdd t o b e d u e t o t h e character of the to w e r, similar towers were i ntroduced into E ngland for coast defences, and w er e t h ought suitable also for c o lonial c onditions.

Martello is a corruption of Mmtella. The Martello T ower at Fort Beaufort is a w eil-built and picturesque structure in a n e x c ellent state of p r eservation w i thin th e l o cal h ospital

grounds.

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No. 44.— Martello Tou,er, Fort Beaii fort

No. 45

Fort A r m s trong, D i strict Stockenstrom

T

H E HIST OR Y o f F o r t A r m s trong is closely bound u p v vith t ha t o f t he Kat R i v e r Settlement, a c o lony of H o t tentots established in t h e U pper V a l ley o f t h e K a t , b y t h e C o l o nial G overnment i n 1 8 2 9 . T he original military post provided for its defence eras called Camp A delaide, a nd gave p l ace i n 1 8 3 5 t o F o r t A r m s trong, called a f te r C a pt . A . B . Armstrong, ivho induced the H o ttentots to make this their place of refuge in the vvar of t ha t y ear . D u r i n g t h e W a r o f t h e A x e t h e m i l itary forces in this area mere concentrated at Elands Post (nowv Seymour). At the o u t break of th e E i ghth K a f fir W a r t h e K a t R i v er H o ttentots rebelled against th e C o l o ny . I n J anuary, 18 51 , t h e E u r o peans in t h i s

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area gathered at Fort Armstrong for defence, but the rebels surrounded and took the place. T h e E u r o peans were allowed to escape. T h e f o r t t h en became the headquarters of the rebels under Uithaalder. O n 2 3 r d February i t wa s a t tacked b y a c o m b i ned f o rce o f b u r ghers and r e gulars. T h e

burghers (about 240 E nglish, 400 D utch and 200 F ingoes, who had foregathered at Post Retief under Cotnmandants Bowker, Principe, Haugh, Ziervogel, Delport, Peche, Currie and Captain W . A y l iff) b egan the attack at sunrise. T h e y w e r e j o ined at 10 .30 a .m . by a f orce of 1 , 800 r egulars, including artillery, u n der M a j or-General Somerset. T h e s e ha d come up from Fort Hare. T h e r ebels fought 6ercely, even after the star fort had been demolished by the artillery. h s r e m ains had to be taken by hand-to-hand 6 ghting in w h ich t h e l a st n in e o f t h e d e f enders were killed . T he f o r t ceased to be used at t his date. T h e m a i n t o wer survived these troublous days and now forms a most conspicuous landmark in the n eighbourhood.

No. 46

Old Sundial, The Re sidency, Seymour HIS SU N D I A L w a s m ad e i n 1 8 3 9 a n d set up i n t h e g r ounds of the new fort o f E l a nd s Post. T h e f o r t a f t e rwards became a r e sidency f or the Xfagistrate, the vi llage of Seymour having been laid out i n 1 8 5 3 . In 1922 the Magistrate presented the sundial to the Port Elizabeth Museun~ from which it was returned in 1933 . T h e p e destal has been reconditioned and the old sundial no w s tands safely in t h e g rounds of th e R esidency, behind which ma y b e s een r emains of t h e ol d f ort o f E l a nds Post.

No. 47

r

Fort Mur ray, D istrict Ki n gurilliamstoaen

N 1 8 35 , a ftet th e o ccupation of th e P r o vince of Queen Adelaide, Old Fort M u r ray w a s established and g a rrisoned as one o f t h e F o rts on which the military possession of the province was based. T h i s w a s some 6ve miles from the present site. T h e f ort was named after Captain Murray, o f t h e 7 2 n d R e g i m e nt . I t w as a ba n d o ned i n S e p t ember, 1 8 3 6 , i n consequence of the renunciation of the conquest.

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F ort was rebuilt, b u t o n t h e p r e sent site i n 1 8 4 7 , a f te r t h e War of the Ax e. A fe w ye a rs later it is described as " a well-built military s tation, th e r e sidence of t h e B r i tish Commissioner, Capt. M a d e a n the site of th e f ort is p leasing, being in a n o p en, grassy valley, but as a military position, except as a post of communication, it is too low to be of a ny importance ". I m m e d i ately after the construction of the Fort i t w a s

No. g7 ( u ) . — Fort M u rrrty, Kingsvilliamstou}a General Vievr

«cupied by the second division of the Ka8ir Police, under Superintendent Fielding. T h e N a t ive Commissioner, Colonel Maclean, continued to reside there until 18 6Z . F r o m 1 8 6 1 t h e Fort was used as a depot for sick mules, and from 1 86 7 i t 6 gures among the abandoned forts, except for temporary occupations in 18 7 7 8 an d 1 87 9 . I n th e ' e i ghties it w a s used b y t h e in the n i n eties there was an abortive project t o turn it i n t o

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a leper asylum, and during the Second Angle-Boer War into a concentration c amp. T h e r e a fter th e F or t divas pillaged for stones and bricks, and w a s even u~ as a c a t tl e k r aal, u n til a t t h e end o f 1 9 0 9 n o tice boards mere e rected to p r event trespassing and f u rther damage. h is a t p r esent in a very ruinous condition.

No. 47 (b).— Fort Murray, Kinganlliamstoavn

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No. 48

Pounder Magazine, Fort G l amorgan, East London RT G L A M O R G A N

w a s built in A p r il, 1847, as a consequence of the

antic ipation

%'ar of the Axe, and in of the a n n exation of B r i tish Ka&aria to th e E mpire ( not t o t h e C ape Colony) i n t h e f ollowing December. T h e e q uipment then collected at W'aterloo Bay was transferred t o the n e w f o r t , w h i c h w a s o c cupied b y a de t a c hment o f t h e 7 3 r d Regiment, under Lieut.-Col. van der M e ulen. T h e f o r t was thenceforward

i( ! g!

No. 4S.— Poceder Magazine, Fort Glamorgan, East London the military headquarters for this part of the country. I t s t a nds on high ground on the right bank of the B u ffalo River and overlooks the harbour and present town of East London. T h e l i t tle that remains of the original b uildings is used as quarters attached to a l a rge convict station, but t h e Powder M a gazine w h ich wa s c entrally situated w i thi n t h e f or t r e m ains u naltered and is th e only portion of t h e structure that has been

orbal

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No. 49

Mkambati Palms, Mkambati, Pondoland

T

HE MKAMBAT I

P A L M (Ju b aeopsis cagra Becc.g is o ne o f t h e

four genera of p a lm s known t o b e i n d i genous to South A f r ica and was the third to be recorded. I t b e l ongs to the same family as the cocoanut palm an d h as, a s i t s n e arest ally, a s p ecies of p alm i n S o u t h A m e rica

belonging to the genus Jubaea. The fruits of the "Mkambati palm" are nearly globular, about the sixe of walnuts, but are without milk. As far as is kn o w n , t h e s pecies has only been recorded from t h ree localities in Pondoland, vis., at the mouths of the Umsikaba and U m tentu Rivers and at M k a m b ath These plants have aroused interest not only in South A f r ica but ab o overseas, and specimens have recently been sent to the I'"airchild Tropical

Garden in Florida. The proclaimed area is on Government land at the M k a m b ati Leper Institution in t h e L u sikisiki D istrict of th e T r a nskeian area o f t h e C a pe

of Good Hope. I t is best reached by car via Lusikisiki from Port St. Johns or I'lagstaff.

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No. 49.— Mkambati Palms on bank of Um~kaba Riser, Mkambati, Pondoland

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No. 50

Taa/ Monument, Burghersdor>

r

Y

1 8 7 8 t h e B o e ren-beschermingsvereeniging of the A l b ert district ( t h i s was Hofmeyw's organisation, afterwards merged in th e B o nd ) p a ssed a resolution for th e r ecognition of D u tch a s a n o f l icial language of t h e C ape C o lony . Pe t i t i ons t o P a r l i ament t o t h i s e f fect f rom t h e b r a n ch

followed in 1879, and in 1882 the Act making Dutch an ofEcial language w as passed by the C ape P arliament. O n 1 8 t h January, 1893, t h is

.j

I

No. $0.— TaalMonument, Burghersdorp (on left) monument i n h o n o u r o f t h e r e c ognition o f th e D u t c h l a n guage w a s unveiled by Mr . D . P . van den H e ever, M.L .C. ; t h e committee responsible for th e m o n u m ent consisted of t h i s gentleman a n d M e ssrs. J. Joubert,

M.L.A., J. D. P. van den Heever, %'. A. Smit, N. Kruger, J. H. N. Bekker and J. C. van den Heever.

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The m o n u ment w a s d a m aged i n D e c ember, 1 9 0 1 , an d a f t erwards restored by t h e M u n i cipality. I t s t o o d o r iginally in a s m a ll p a rk, f r o m w hich i t w a s r e m oved t o t h e M ar k e t S q uare a n d u n v eiled again o n 3 1st May, 19 3 3 .

No. 5 1

Blockhouse, Burgh,ersdorp (See Xl'o. ZZ, page SZ)

r" S,

No. >1

Bl ock f l ofcsep Bxcrgflersdor p

No. 52

Blockhouse, A/iural No rth (See No. ZZ, page SZ)

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No. 53

Glaciated Rock Formations, Nooitgedacht, District Kimberley

D

URIX G T H E re m o te geologicalepoch that included the Carboniferous Period, the greater part of South A f r ica was covered by an immense ice sheet which re duced the country to a n as p ect not un l ike t h at of t h e present polar regions. These ancient gl a ciers mo ved outwards from o ld

C

'I'

No. 53.— Glociated Rock I'ormatiott, Nooitgedacht, Kimberley Shying Prehistoric Rock Engravings f Photo by A. M. Dnggin4 renin

m ountain areas mainly i n t h e T r a nsvaal and South W est A f r ica and i n their passage over the ground picked up b oulders and rubble which they carried wi th th em. T h e ro c k s u r f aces over wh i ch they passed are scoured and scarred by the abrasion effected by this included material. At No o itgedacht the p o l ished and sc ratched glaciated surfaces and hum m o cks known as roches motttonnees are exposed, and resting on and

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around them i s th e r u b ble l eft w hen th e i c e m e lted. T h e p e b bles and boulders of the rubble are also scarred and facetted and include " erratics" or blocks derived from distant areas and carried down by the moving ice. All these phenomena a s w ell a s others of a m o r e t echnical na ture associated with glacial action are seen to advantage on the farm N o o itgedacht, near Kimberley. I n d e ed,it can confidently be said that the effects of glacial action may b e o b served in detail i n t h i s dry sub-tropical area at least as vrell as at the foot of modern glaciers in Europe.

E

k

No. 53.— Glaciated Rock Formation, No o itgedacht, Kimberley Showing Striae and Pavement of Dwyka Conglomerate

I Photo by A. M. Dnggin-Cronin

Through the gen«osity of the De Beers Company, who own the farmr the Commission has been p e r mitted to f e nce a n u m ber o f a r eas w h ere these interesting geological features may be seen and studied. In more recent years, men of the Stone Age occupied the area and left evidence of their occupation in very many engravings on the surfaces of t hese glaciated rocks. T h e m a j o rity of th e en gra~~gs are of a r u d e t y pe

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but many 6n e pictures of the game that once abounded in this district may s till be seen. T h e include rhinoceros, elephant, a v a riety o f ungulates, humans and certain conventionalised geometric 6gures.

endings

The site is best reached by car frotn Kimberley. T h e f ar m N o o i tgedacht lies on the left bank of the Vaal River, some 25 miles from Kimberley on the right of the main road to Barkly West.

No. 54

Old Pu l pit, Na t i e e Ch u rch, Griguatown

T

HERE IS a t r a d i t i on th a t th e pu l p i t i n t h e ol d N a ti v e C h u r ch a t Griquatown wa s m ade an d u sed b y t h e M i s sionary Robert M o f f at. M offat was at G r iquatown i n 1 8 2 0 a n d i n 1 8 2 1 , h i s daughter M a ry, t h e future wife o f L i v ingstone, was born there. ( S e e No . 5 5 be l ow-)

No. 55

Moffat Church, Kuruman HE FIRST CONTACT made vvith the Bechuana by missionaries was in 1813, when the Rev. John Campbell was sent out by the D irectors of the L o n d on M i s sionary Society not on l y to v i s it t he s tations recently estabhshed in the Cape Colony by V a n derkemp, but to explore the regions north of the O r ange River and select sites for new centres of work. Read an d H a m i l ton w e r e a p p o inted t o L a t t a koo ( n ow' D i t h akon, n ear Motito) i n 1 8 1 6 . In 181 f t h e t r ibe under th e C h ief M o t h ibi m o ved to N e w L a t t akoo (now Maruping, six miles from Kuruman) , and Read and H amilton stayed t here as colleagues till 1 8 20 , w h e n R e a d r e turned t o h i s fia t c h a rge a t Bethelsdorp, near Port Elizabeth. 1 tth M a y , 1 8 2 1 , saw th e a r r i val o f R o b ert M o f fa t an d hi s w if e a t New Lattakoo, to join H a m i l ton . S i n c ehi s ap p ointment in 18 1 7 M o f f a t had been at work in Namaqualand. In 182 4 t h e station was again m oved to i t s p resent site, nearer th e Kuruman fountain, where Moffat was able to irrigate the la nds a nd m a k e

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use of his knowledge and experience as a gardener. trees he planted still bear fruit.

A F RI CA S o m e o f th e orange

The Mission was reinforced by the arrival in 1 82 4 o f h a a c H u ghes, a blacksmith, wh o w i t h t h a t o n e a r t i san m issionary, Robert H a m i lton, erected the earliest stone buildings. T h e g eneral work of the M ission was carried on b y M o f f at , wh o u n dertook the task of learning the Sechuana language, without interpreters, and reducing it to writing.

MoppetCf,«ch, Ku~~n The Church w a s opened in N o v e mber, 1 8 38, an d i n t h e f o l lowing y ear Moffat visited England for th e 6 r st mme since his arrival i n A f r i ca in 18 17 . T h e w o n d e rful story he ha d t o t el l a roused much enthusiasm a nd brought th e c l a im s o f A f r i c a f o r cibly b e fore t h e p u b l ic . D av i d Livingstone was sent ou t b y t h e S o ciety i n 1 8 4 1 , an d i n 1 8 4 4 m a r r ied M ary M o f fat . Por t i ons of t h e a l m on d t r e e u n der w h i c h h e i s s aid t o have proposed to her still stand in the Mission garden.

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MO N U M E N T S IN THE O R A N G E FREE STATE No. 56

Old Raadzaa/, 8/oem('ontein

T

H E OL D RA A D ZA A L at B lo e m f o ntein i s h i s torically t h e m o s t significant building in the O r ange Free State. I t w a s b u ilt by M a j or %%arden in 1 84 9 a s a s chool, and served also as a church until the new Dutch Reformed Ch urch near Fichardt's Corner (o n th e same site as the

No. 56.— Old Raadzaal, Bloemfontein The Raadxaal is the stnall building between the larger wings

p resent one) w a s o p e ned o n Z 9 t h M a y , 1 8 5 2 . I n t he m e a n t im e t h e i nduction of the Rev. A n drew M u r ray took place here on 6th M a y , 1 8 4 9 . The Legislative Council o f t h e O r a nge R i ver Sovereignty met h ere from 1849 to 1852, and the building was used at the same time for the meetings of the Board of Commissioners of Town M a n agement. In 1854 t h e B r i t ish Government d ecided, against the w i shes of the majority of the i n habitants (expressed by their representatives summoned

89

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te Bloemfontein) t e a b a ndon the Sovereignty. S i r G e a rge Clerk went to B loemfontein a s C o m m issioner, an d t h e B l o e mfontein C o n vention, b y which the Orange Free State became independent, was signed. The building then s erved t h e c o m bined p u r poses of R a a dzaal, G overnment OHices and School. T he V e l k sraad me t h ere for th e sessions of 1854-5, after which, in 1 8 56 , both Legislature and Executive moved ta the building i n M a r ket Square, a n t h e site of t h e p r esent Post Oflice. T h e f i rst tw o

presidents ef the republic, J. P. Hoffman and J. N. Boshof, were sworn i n at t h e ol d b u i l d in g i n 1 8 5 4 a n d 1 8 5 5 , r espectively. F r o m 1 8 5 7 t h e b uilding remained a s c hool. In 18 7 7 t h e V a l k sraad t u r ned i t i n t o a m useum. T h e t w o s t on e w i ngs seen i n t h e p h otegraph w ere added i n 1 885 and 1890 .

N o. 5 7

The Presidency, Bloemfontein H IS B U I L D I N G , m u c h m o r e p r e t entious tha n K r u g e r's h ouse i n Pretoria (see No. 90 , page 137) d i f f ers fram the latter in having been the oflicial residence af the O r a nge Free State Presidents, not the private property of any. T h e f o u ndation stone was laid in 1885, and the building c ompleted in 1 8 '86 . I t w a s t h e n o ccupied by P resident Br and u n til h i s death in 1888 ; b y P r esident Reit' from 1 888 to 18 95 ; b y P r esident Steyn from 1896 to 1 90 0 O n 13 t h M a r ch , 1 9 00 , Lord Roberts entered Bloem. f antein with th e B r i t ish forces and occupied the Residency. F m m 1 9 0 1 to 1910, as Government House, it was the home of Sir H . J. Goold-Adams, G overnor of t h e O r a n g e R i ver C o l ony . I t is n o w t h e p r o p erty of t h e Union G o v ernment> bu t w a s h a n de d e v e r t e t h e O r a n g e F r e e S t a te Provincial Administration for educational purposes in 1933.

No. S8

Rock Paintings, Ventershoek, District

W eakener

HE PREHISTORIC rock paintings of Sauth Africa have aroused the greatest interest among archa.ologists and artists from the times of the earliest European t r a vellers. A l t h o ug h c o mmonly c a l lett " B u shman " p aintings, it is b y n o m e ans clear that al l th e paintings are the work o f

90

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B ushmen. M a n y u n d o u btedly are, bu t t h ere can b e n o d o ub t t hat t h e earliest monochromes and th e e arlier bi chromes and polychromes of the b est naturalistic period t h a t f o l l owed a r e a g r e a t d ea l o l de r t h a n t h e obviously recent and comparatively decadent frescoes which in d ude such objects as Voortrekkers, British soldiers, wheeled vehicles, men mounted on horses, sheep, etc. The earliest artists used only one colour and painted isolated figures in silhouette in ochreous yellow or red and occasionally in wh ite or black. Gradually the use of two or more colours crept in and composition evolved, giving us such masterpieces as we 6nd in so many caves and rock shelters in the North-Eastern Cape and Eastern Free State. T h ese earher paintings a re characterised by a n a c c uracy of p o r t r ayal w h ich a l l owed f o r h t t l e c reative expression on the part of the artists of the Earlier Period. I n t h e L ater P e riod t h e a r t i sts o ften d e p arted f r o m a c c urate p o r trayal a n d developed a certain creative impressionism which is the wonder of modern artists. Although all rock paintings are protected by law and removal (except by permit) o r d a m age i s a p u n ishable offence, three sites have thus far been speci6cally selected and proclaimed as monuments. T h e y are fenced and specially protected but can be viewed w ithout diHiculty by i nterested persons. The first site is on th e f arm V e n tershoek No. 5 04 , i n t h e d istrict of W epener, a f e w m i l e s out o f t h e v i l lage on t h e r oad f ro m W e p ener to Mafeteng. T h e m a i n c ave contains the famous " R a id " i n p o l ychrome of t he L ater P e riod . I t w as 6 r s t r e corded b y t h e A b b e C h r i stol i n t h e earlier h alf o f t h e n i n e teenth century an d h a s b een u sed t o i l l ustrate several works on " Bushmen Paintings ". T he second site i s i m m ediately a b ove th e M i ssion S t ation o f t h e S acred Society a t M o d d e rpoort Station, n e a r L a d y brand . I t con t a i n s numerous 6ne exatnples of both the Earlier and Later Periods. The third site is in a great and picturesque cave in a valley immediately. above the homestead on the farm Schaapplaats No. 280, about seven miles from the village of C l a r ens in the B ethlehem district of th e O r a nge Free State. T h e painted fresco contains some exceptionally interesting bichromes and polychromes of the climax of the Earlier Period. M a n y o f t h e 6gures have unfortunately been damaged by smoke from the 6 res of shepherds, who in the depth of winter used to shelter from the snows with as many as 600 sheep in the cave at one time. See illustration opposite.

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Ne. 59

Rock Paintings, Modderpoortspruit, District Lady brand (See No. 58, page 90)

No. 60

Rock Paintings, Schaapplaats, District Bethlehem (See No. 58, page 90)

No. 60.— Schaap>larrtsCave General View

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No. 61

8/ockhouse, Ban ismith (See No. ZZ, page 52)

No. 6 Z

Rock on wh i ch Pi et Re tied's Name is Painted BILE R E T I K F w i t h a n a d vance party of V o ortrekkers went to Natal t o investigate it s possibilities and o b t ain a g r a n t o f l a n d f r o m Dingaan (see No. 73) , the rest of his ttek remained above the Drakensberg,

No. 62.— Detail oj Piet RetiePs Name on Rock, Kerkenberg, district Harnstnith, Orange Free State

encamped next to a hill which is now called Binghamtberg, but which was then n amed K e r k enberg. R e t i ef's party l eft th e O r a nge Free State o n 5t h O c tober, 1 8 3 7 . O n 1 1 t h N o v e m ber C o enraad an d P i e t M e y er returned bearing letters from Retief and L i ebenberg. T h u s th e n ews was received that the advance into N a tal could be continued. E r a smus Saut

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thereupon named the nearby valley below the m ountains 8/ijde V o o r nit-

zicht.

Th e f o llowing day, which was Retief's fifty-seventh birthday, his

daughter Debora climbed up t o t his rock and inscribed her father's name a nd the date " P . R e t i ef, de n 1 2 N o vr . 1 8 3 7 " i n g r een paint . S m i t , o n visiting the spot the next day, observed that the overhanging character of the rock would prevent damage to the inscription by rain or hail. Wl%~ '

@fP g.+5+

«XIII

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No. 62.— Rock on schick Piet RetiePs name is painted, Kerkenberg, district Harrismith, Orange Free State

No. 63

Battlefteld of Vegkop Vechtkoy S4geeld, District Heilbron HISTORICAL HE BATTLE fought at " Vechtkop ", near Heilbron, in the Orange Free State, in October, 1836, involved the Voortrekkers under Sarel Cilliers' l eadership. I n M a y , A . H . P o t g ieter and some o thers had gone t o t h e Zoutpansberg to make contact with Louis Trigardt's party in the No r t hern

95

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Transvaal. T h e y r e t u rned to their ow n p eople on 2nd September to find that U m siligari a n d h i s M a t a b ele h o r des had in A ug u st a t t acked and murdered many of the scattered parties. T h e rest fell back to the Rhenoster River and some to the V a ls. T h e M a t a b ele issued from Mosega again on 9th October. C i l l i e rs, having been w a r n ed, formed a l a ager at V egkop, where the battle took place probaBly on the 19th, not the 2nd as indicated o n the mon u m e n t (for a d i scussion o f b o t h l e adership an d d a te, see Die Groot T r ek , G e denkrdtgau,e van die H n i s genoot, D e s. 1 938, b. 8 1 ) .

t

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No. 63 (a).— Vechtkoy Slageeld Cilliers led a b and of m ounted men out to meet the enemy at about half an hour's distance. A H o t t e ntot servant who could speak Zulu asked them what harm the V o ortrekkers had done them; t h ei r r eply was to rise up as one man an d shout " U m s i ligazi ". T h e V o o r trekkers then fired at them and retreated, firing at intervals, to the laager. W i t h i n t his there was an inner group of w a gons in w hich w o men and children w ere sheltered. T here were f o rt y m e n a n d b o y s a bl e t o b e a r a r ms . T h e en e m y w a s repulsed with the loss of 430 killed, the V oortrekkers' losses being 2 killed

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and 14 w o u n d ed . 1 ,1 7 Z a s segais were t h row n i n t o t h e l a ager. The Matabele, however, drove off all the cattle and took most of the provisions, so that the v i ctors were i n a s t a r ving condition. M e s sengers were sent to their fellows at Thaba 'N chu, whence oxen and supplies were sent.

ARCK K O L Q G I C A l. On th e h i l l o v e rlooking th e b a t tle6eld an d w i t h i n t h e p r oclaimed area are a l a r ge number of c u r ious hemispherical stone huts and k r aals

•+

No. 63 (b).— Typical Bee-hive StoneHut on Summit of Vechtkop Scale in feet w hich h a v e b e e n a s c ribed b y one aut h o r it y t o t he Leg h o y a , the earliest Bantu-speaking people known t o h ave settled in th e O r a nge Free S tate. T h ese huts are built e n t irely of r ough u n d ressed stone. T h e y a r e seldom mor e t h a n 4 f t . 6 i n. h i g h a n d f t v e f ee t i n i n t e rnal d i a m eter. T he e n t r ances are, a s a rul e , a b o u t 1 8 i n. w i d e a n d 18 i n . h ig h ,

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so that the h u t s can b e e n tered only b y c reeping prone on th e ground. The stones constituting the walls are so placed that succeeding layers overlap inwards until they meet in a dome forming the roof. T h e d escriptive term

" Beehive " appropriately applies to this type of corbelled hut. The area includes numbers of middens which it is hoped will one day be s y stematically excavated an d e x a mined i n o r d er to a t t e m pt a reconstruction of the material culture of the builders. T h e few remains that h ave been collected suggest that th e b u i lders enjoyed a c u l ture t ha t i s

associated with an early Bantu-speaking people. A brief description of this hill settlement is given in the Joinnal of the Roy@ Anttwopotogica/ Institute of G r eat Britain and I r e l and, V o l. L V I I ,

of 1927.

No. 64

w

Rock Engravings, Stomlands-on-Vaal, I%strict Boshol, Orange Free State BILK ROCK PAI'STINGS generally occur in caves or overhanging

rock shelters, rock engravings are found almost without exception on large boulders or outcrops of rock on prominent and exposed koppies. Because of the absence of colour they are perhaps less spectacular in some respects than the better-known " B u s hm an " p a i n tings. N e v ertheless, they often reach very high peaks of artistic merit and are of the greatest scientific interest. T h e re is much evidence to show that this form of artistic expression w as practised over a l o n g p e riod o f t i m e , bu t a p p arently ceased at a n earlier date than the latest rock paintings. Two important techniques were employed in engraving. T h e e a rliest e xamples are finely i n cised continuous outline drawings. T h e se i n d u d e many of th e 6 n est expiessions of l in e an d e x pressive feeling which can h ardly b e e q u a lled . Lat e r t h e c o n t i nuous lin e a p p ears to h a v e b e e n abandoned, for t h e l ess well c o n trolled m ethod o f " pe c k ing o ut " t he outline desired i n t h e r o c k . V ari a t i ons o f t h ese tw o te c h niques are found. S o m etimes the interior of a 6gure is 61led in either by line incisions or pecking, and some exainples are known in w h i ch the i n terior has been

rubbed and polished smooth. V er y few specimens are known in which the two basic techniques are combined.

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Examples of composition amongst engravings are extremely r a r e, isolated animal and human figures being the rule. It has been claimed that certain of th e animals depicted are extinct, but with the exception of the very recently extinct quagga (Etitttts quagga) t his is open to some doubt.

A large number of " p ecked" engravings are found on the farms Stowlan~

n -V a a l , n e a r C h r i stiana, and " B o sworth ", n ear K l e rksdorp.

>o. 64 (a).— Exatnple of Rock Engraeing, Stosvtands-on-Vaal, Boshof, Orange Free State Length of 6gute: 9 inches)

(Photo: S. G. St ate

Through the kind co-operation of the ow n ers these have been fenced and proclaimed.

Stowlan~ n - V aa l l ies on the leg ba nk of t he V a al R i ver in t h e district of Boshof, but is most easily accessible from Christiana which hes on the opposite bank. Bosworth Farm is situated about ten miles north of Klerksdorp on the

road from Klerksdorp to Ventersdorp.

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No. 64 (b ) . — E xample of Rock Engraving, Stocelands-on-Vaal, Boshof, Orange Free State f Photo: S. G. Sto~e

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