The
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Edited by
Margaret Lenta and Basil Le Cordeur ISBN: 0-9584112-6-3 Until his
retirement Basil Le Cordeur was King George V
Professor of History at the Andrew Barnard |
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This second volume of the Cape diaries, dealing with 1800, further develop this rich and entertaining account of life at the Cape in the early years of British rule. Politically the Diaries lay bare the dynamics of the conflicts among senior office-holders, not only in the civil administration, but also in and between the army and navy. Lady Anne's independence of thought is reflected in her ideas on such diverse matters as animal rights or interior decoration or landscaping. She offers valuable insights into the social constraints upon women at the time. |
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Mr
B. told me that a very extraordinary circumstance was soon likely to appear
before the world, as yet only whisperd, respecting Mr Hogan — more
tricks — more
deceits have been practised in order to get Cargos of
Slaves landed here, the most beneficial of all merchandises I fancy — a couple of vessels have been pretended to have
been taken by a privateer of Mr Hogans,
to have been run on shore & burnt — it has been circulated that they were loaded with
Slaves, but in reality these vessels were carried to Mosambique
where the slaves were purchased there and put on board, they now come in the
privateer as prizes, and it remains for the governor to grant permission or not
for them to be landed, but Mr B. fears that his
permission will not be refused, as Mr Hogan has taken
care to secure that by some means which puts his Excellency in his power. Capt
Campbell told Mr B. this day that he had requested
the Fiscal to state to the governor the evidence & testymonys
of various ships who were at Mosambique when all this
was transacted which is now denyd as never having
existed, that the whole is a deceit & so perfectly contrary to law that if
the governor is disposed to let it pass, he is not — it is contrary to his duty to do so — that the Fiscal having before had to represent a
matter of the same sort against Mr Hogan the Governor
had evaded and finally hushed up the point, that he Capt Campbell was therefore
determined :0 write to Mr B. a letter to be laid before the Governor, which woud force a :reply. He plainly and boldly asserted that
Hogan made no scruple of admitting hat he had given a douceur, he did not say
to who, but either the governor himself or Mr Blake
must have had it — if Mr Hogans cause comes before a
court of justice he will lose the original price of his slaves and pay a fine
of three times their value, which will come heavy on his former gains — of this he fiscal gets a 3d, Capt Campbell a 3d
and I believe the Government another - if his Excellency has pocketed any thing it will
be difficult I think for him to keep it if Mr Hogan
loses the whole, but Mr B says no, as he has fulfilld what vas the probable bargain by giving leave to
land the Slaves.
I really can hardly
think that Sir G. can have done so improper a thing as to accept money for an
improper concession — I
know that a man in necessity will go greater lengths than the same man in
prosperity woud ever dream of going, but then it is when the necessity pinches, not when the pain
is past. Sir George owes money, and he was in Holyrood house for debt, but he is now here, with 10
thousand pr an, our king and Governor & no claim or call on him to make him
do a wrong thing. I rather fancy he has permitted Mr
Blake to accept of some cloathd gratuity, couchd in terms to render it possible for him to accept and yet to fancy
himself perfectly honest, & that it was a conscious sensibility that his desire to
benefit his nieces husband had perhaps carried him imprudently far which tinged
his poor old cheek with a blush when Mr B. mentiond Mr Hogan and his Slaves — Mr Hogan it seems talks so unfearingly
of any chance of altercation or impediment in the matter that no one doubts his
thinking — he
privately says like Portia "Now Infidel I have thee on the Hip?