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The Flinders papersletters and documents about the explorer Matthew Flinders (1774-1814)
 
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Portion of Flinders' journal on HMS Providence (1791-93) (FLI08a) Page 12


                    Cape of Good Hope
The Town has a pretty Appearance from the Bay, a great
deal of Wood being dispersd [sic] all over it, indeed it is a Handsome
regular Built Place, the Houses are in general low and built
after one Plan, upon a Medium betwixt the small warm
Apartments of the cold and large airy ones of the warm Cli-
-mate. they mostly consist in a Paƒsage that terminates in a
Hall of a rectangular Figure, on each side the Paƒsage are
private Rooms – from the Hall are Doors into the Kitchen
and back Appartments [sic] on one side and bed or other retird [sic]
Rooms on the other, from the Hall too is a Paƒsage up Stairs
one Pair of Stairs to bed Rooms and from them onto ^ towards the Court
yard frequently jutt [sic] out Balconies – the Dutch from hav-
-ing great Quantities of Animal food are rather corpulent
nevertheleƒs they keep up their national Characteristic for
Carefulneƒs neither are they very polite – a Stranger will be
treated with a great deal of Ceremony but when you come to the
solid Part of the Compliments their Generosity is at a Stand –
Of all ^ the people I ever saw these are the most ceremonious,
every Man is a Soldier, and wears his square riggd [sic] Hat, Sword,
Epauletts [sic] and military Uniform, they never paƒs each other
without a formal Bow which even descends to the
lowest Ranks and it is even seen in the Slaves, by the bye
they have great plenty of Slaves here which are principally
Malays, some are brought from the Coast of Mosambique
which are their Tillers of Land, and hard working Men
but greatest Part of their Women slaves and domestics are
Malay who as they have left off the dirty Custom of chewing
Betle nutt [sic] are superior to those we afterwards saw at
Timor, they have a few Hottentots amongst them which
are easily distinguishd [sic] by their Copper Colour, high Cheeks


[ends]


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Related people
Pope Clement XIII
Guthrie, James
Nichols, William
Bligh, William
Flinders, Matthew
Smith, Christopher

Places
Tenerife
Cape of Good Hope
Timor

Vessels
Providence

Words and phrases
Marvel of Peru
Candelaria
Aloe americanae
Euphorbia
Semper vivum
Hottentot
Trifolium
Aloes
Order of St Dominic
Spanish mackerel
Hedgehog fish
Portuguese man of war
Dolphin fish
Time keeper
Spermaceti whale
Nautili

Related Documents
Other documents written by Flinders, Matthew