The Sun.
London, England, 1801-08-08 00:00:00

-VIE HOT TE NT OTS

. WE resume the -description given by Mr. BAR-
ROW of this extraordinary4People, which
.must _-be
gratifying to•the Politician and the 11/7r:,1 Philost)_
pher, but particularly- the. latter, who, while he
derived new sources of contemplatidn:in the'varie-
ties of Hutnan Nature, 'must_ rejoice in the—rack-
tionthat a large portion of his fellow-beings have
been rescued from, severeoppressio'n, aSid are likely
to he elevated into a higher scale of knowledge and
epjoypent.

The ancient manners and primitive charaaer
Of this extraordinary race of men are, no "doubt,
much changed since thear. conneuion with the Co-
lonists ;. -and the nearer they are found to the Capi-
tal and the parts most inhabited by .Europeans, the
less they retain of them. If any time they corn_
_posed societies governed by laws, swayed by cus-
toms, and observant of religious ceremonies, many
of which, as related 'among the fabl-es of, ancient
voyagers, and revived by some modern travellers,
were* so absurd and extremely ridiculous as to create
strong doubts of their existence, they have now so
completely 1,-st them, that no one trace remains be--
hind.' The name even that no_
been given. to this
people is a fabrication. Hottentot As a word that-
has no place nOr meaning in their language ; and
they take to themselves the name under the idea of
its being a Dutch word. When they were spread
over the southern angle of Africa, each horde had
its particular name; but that by which the whole
nation was distinguished, and which at this mo-
Mem_ they bear among themselves in. every part of
/the country, is Quaint. From living together
in particular clans, and, in later times, from mix-
ing
with different people, the Hottentots of one
distria differ very considerably from those of an-
other.

" Low-as the Hottentots are sunk in the scale
.df htimanity, their character seems to have been
'very mach traduced and misrepresented. It is true,
there is nothing prepossessing, in- the appearance
of a Hoitentot, but infinitely les so. in • the many
ridiculous and false relations- by which the. Public
hive tieen abused. , They are- a mild, quiet, and
timid people ; perfec'ily harmless, honest, faithfhl ;
and, though extremely phlegmatic,' they 'ate
_kind
and affedionate to each other, 'and not incapable of
string attachrne.nts.', A*Hottentot would share his
last morsel w-..ith his companions. They have little
_ of that kind of art or cunning,3 that savages gene-
rally possess. If accused crimes of which they
have been found guilty, they generally divulge the
truth. They seldom quarrel among themselves or.
snake use of provoking, language. Though-naturally
of a fearfal and cowardly disposition, they, will.run
into the face of danger if 'led on by their superiors ;
and they suffer pain with great patience. They,are
by no means deficient in talent ; but they possess
little exertion to call it into aEtion : the want of
this was the principal cause of theii ruin. The in-'
dolence of a Hottentot is a real disease, tt!hoa4
remedy seems to be that of terror. Hunger is in-
sufficient to effect the cure. Rather than to have
. the trouble of Vroctiring food by the chace, or of
digging the ground for roots, ,they will willingly
fast the whole day provided they may. be allowed io
sleep. Instances frequently occurred in -the course
-of our journies, When our H,ottentOts have passed
the day without a morsel of food, in,. preference of.
having the trouble to walk half a mile for a sheep.
Yet, though they are so exceedingly •patient of hurl_
. ger, they are at the same time the greatest gluttons
upon the face of the earth. Ten of our HottentOts
ate a middling-sized-ox, all but..the.tWo hind legs,
in three days; but-they had very little sleep during
the time, and had ,fasted the two preceding days.
With them the word is to eat or sleep. When they
cannot indulge in the gratification of the one, they
generally find immediate relief in flying to the other.
" Their manner of 'eating marks the voracity of
their appetite. Having cut from the animal a large ,
steak, they enter one edge with the knife, and pa-s-
-singit round in a spiral manner till they come to
the middle, they produce a string of meat two or
three yards in length. The whole animal is pre-,
sently cut into' such .strings ; and while some are
employed' in this business, and in suspending them
on the branches of the shrubbery, others are broil-
• ing the strings coiled round and laid upon the ashes.
When the meat is just warmed through, they grasp
it in both hands; and applying one end of string
to the mouth;: soon get through a yard of flesh.
The'ashes of the green Wood that 'adhere to the
meat serge as a substitute for salt.. As soon, as a
string of-meat has passed through their hands, they
are cleaned by rubbing over different parts of their

body. Grease thus applied from time to time, and
accumulating perhaps for a whole year, sometimes
-ffielting by the side of a large fire, and catching up
dust and dirt, covers at length the surface of the
body with a thick black coating, that entirely con-
ceals the real natural colour of the skin. This is
discoverable only on the face and hands, which they
keep somewhat cleaner than the other parts of the
body by rubbing them with the dung of cattle.—
This takes up the grease, span -which water-would
have no effect.

" The Hottentot 'women, fond of finery like
those of mast Nations, by their immoderate rage
for dress accelerated the ruin of their hUsbands,
which they thernselvesshad brought on.by as strong
a rage for ardent spirits and tobacco. These two
articles and glass beads were exchanged for their
cattle—things useless, worthless, and eveu,perni-
cious, for what was their only support, the soul of
their existence. The thongs of dried skins that
_ _

had encircled their legs from the ankle to the knee,
as a protdtion against the bite of poisonous animals,
were now despised and thrown. away, and beads
were substituted in t:leir place. Thus what had
been adnpted as a matter of necessity and prudence;
passed into an affair of fashion. Their necks, arme,
and were' loaded.with glass beads ; but the

lalges,t4u4 ;most splendid•of • These ornatnents were
bCstow6a - upon the little ipron, about seven. of
eight hiChes ,side, that hands, from the waist, :and
reacher iZFelv ,a 3 ili6 mid,fie'.6f the—thigh. Great