The Sun.
London, England, 1845-12-05 00:00:00

$4Lr

THE HOTTENTOTS OF AGRA
PEQUINA, &c.
(From the African Guano Trade.)
The Hottentots are a race of small people, seldom ex-
ceeding five feet three or four inches. They are thin
and attenuated, their skin, even in the younger ones,
being shrivelled and rough. They have square counte-
nances, high cheek bones, a flat nose, deeply sunk within
the facial line, small eyes, not at all prominent, a large,
wide mouth, with the under lip generally thick. Their
teeth are dark, often decayed, and irregular. Thur
heads are not at all intellectual. Their feet and hands,
however, are small, and beautifully formed.
When first met on the coast they evidently had been
in the habit of occasionally communicating with ships.
They invariably possessed a steel, although they had no
foreign weapons.
On first visiting them on shore they received us with
looks of the greatest apathy and indifference, evidently
waiting for the first advances to be made; they were in a
sitting posture; the weight of the thighs resting. on the
legs above the heel. It is somewhat singular that this is
the manner and attitude in u hich a New Zealander inva-
riably receives strangers, considering it a mark of re-
spect towards them. On approaching and shaking hands
with them they soon set mcd at ease, quickly asking for
water and tobacco. They had no weapons with them,
having, as was afterwards discovered, hid them amongst
the rocks: they always have a great number of dogs.
Their women never appeared, and, during all our inter-.
course with them, they were rarely ceen. Whether this
proceeded from a natural timidity, or arose from former
ill-treatment, it was difficult to determine. It is, how-
ever, believed to have been from the latter cause. They
seem to be capable of taking in at once a week's pro-
vision. When first met with, two of them were brought
to the vessel, and it certainly seemed as if it was impos-
sible to satisfy them with food; and the complacency
with which they patted their stomachs, extended in a
most extraordinary manner, showed how much they
seemed to enjoy their feed. They were very fond of
smoking, and often asked for tobacco. When first met
with they used a wiry sort of grass, but invariably pre-
ferred tobacco.
Having one day, when two of the men were on board,
observed some others amongst the rocks at a distance in-
land, and supposing them to be women, who, at this
time, had not been seen, the men were accompanied on
shore, from which they did not seem inclined to start.
On walking about, however, the .recent foot-print of a
child was discovered, which, when pointed out to them,
seemed to agitate them considerably. Determined, if
possible, to see their dwelling, the foot-prints were fol-
lowed, the natives also coming, but evidently displeased.
About one mile from the beach two rude huts were seen,
with all their weapons and. property. The 'women and
children, however, were gone, which seemed as much to
astonish the natives as to disappoint us. One of them
ran at once to the place where the fire had been, pushed
his hand amongst the ashes, and, feeling no heat, seemed
at once overwhelmed by passion and disappointment.
After many apparent violent expressions and gestures
he quietly sat down, filled his pipe with a wiry-looking
dried grass from a skin bag suspended from his neck,
and,-smoking a few seconds, became quite excited, pre-
senting exactly the same appearance as an opium-
smoker. After the excitement his eyes, at first rolling
about like those of a maniac, became fixed, and he
tumbled over on the ground, lying for some time as if
dead.

Their language is exactly similar in sound to the Chi-
nese, being produced by the same clacking sound of the
tongue against the roof of the mouth. They, in their con-
stant intercourse with the crews of the vessels, during
two years, did not make much progress in acquiring
English. One rather intelligent fellow, who went by the
English cognomen of Pease•soup, was most easily under-
stood by words, signs, and expression; but they are cer-
tainly as much behind the South-Sea Islanders in mental
as in physical qualifications. The same Pease-Soup was
the musician of the party, having an instrument com-
posed of a piece of wood about three feet long, a piece
of sinew string, going from one end to the other, having
near one end a piece of nicely-scraped sinew, about a
quarter of an inch broad. This string being tightened
to the proper tension, he applied his lips to the piece of
sinew, and apparently with considerable exertion pro-
duced a few notes similar to the low notes of the French
horn. Wben listening to the music on board he seemed
much delighted, and, on' one of the sailors commencing
to dance a hornpipe, be immediately joined and kept
most excellent time.

Their clothing consists simply-of a skin mantel, com-
posed of the skins of various wild animals: it is tied
around the neck, and hangs loosely over, the shoulders.
They have invariably a piece of skin about a foot square
suspended by a string tied around their loins. They
generally had a sort of skull-cap of skin on their heads,
which have only a little woolly hair. At times, when
prepared for a journey, they have a sort of mocassin or
skin boot.

Their weapons are bows and arrows and spears. The
bow is made of wood, about four feet in length. The
arrow is of bamboo, feathered at the inner end. At the
outer end a piece of sharpened bone fits into the bamboo,
one end of the bone being clear, the other poisoned with
a black, pitchy-looking substance. Their quiver gene-
rally contained about forty to fifty arrows. Their spear
is about seven feet long; the handle is made of wood, the
head invariably of steel, of native workmanship. They
possess considerable dexterity in the use of these wea-
pons. When asked where they get them they invari-
ably replied a long way off, where there were plenty
of people. They carry their supply of water in ostrich
eggs, having a small hole in one end. They had also
a supply of red ochre•looking substance, with which
and grease they occasionally smeared their bodies.
They are extremely filthy in their persons, never
washing their bodies. They seem to trust on the coast
entirely to supplies derived from it, young seals, birds,
rind shell fish being the only food they seemed to use.
They are, no doubt, induced to live on the coast from the
chance of meeting with vessels. However often they
were clothed from the vessels, they always appeared the
following day in the kaross, and must have hid the
clothes away, perhaps for the purpose of carrying with
them when they rejoin their tribe. Three or four of
them went away to the interior, travelling to the south-
eastward, and returned after an absence of about four
months. They had then with them a few roots, the
remains of what they appeared to have subsisted on on
their journey, somewhat similar in appearance to the
mandioca root.

The Hottentots do not appear to have any religion, at
least, no observances of any were ever noticed among
them. Their ideas on the subject could not be ascer-
tained, from a want of the requisite knowledge of their
language.
They are extremely quiet and respectful in their de-
meanour, never attempting to touch or take anything
not given to them. No instance of dishonesty was
known on the part of any of them, and when hungry
and thirsty they have never made the least attempt to
assist themselves, until asked, although the table was
covered with food before them. On showing Pease-
soup over the steamer Thunderbolt, he seemed highly
delighted with everything, particularly the pictures,
looking•glasses, and various native weapons in Captain
Broke's cabin. On being taken to the engine-room,
however, the sight seemed completely to astonish him;
he gave a long peculiar whistle, gazing on the machinery
some time without speaking.

Earl Spencer, it is understood, will resign his ap-
pointment as Equerry to her Royal Highness the Duchess
of Kent, on account of his Lordship's accession to the peer-
age. The Noble Earl and family will shortly remove from
Alfre.3ton to the splendid family seat, Althorp Park.
The Lord Chancellor, we are gratified to learn,
continues to improve in health and strength daily. Tho
Noble and Learned Lord has, however, not yet sufficiently
recovered to resume hisofficial duties.

MILITARY OUTRAGE.—A. most atrocious outrage
was perpetrated by an officer on the person of a respectable
farmer, living at Ballincollig—Mr. Jeremiah Dorgan. Mr.
Dorgan observed a person on horseback to dash over the
ditch of one of his fields, and from that into a second field,
lately sown with corn—scattering about the new-sown seed
and earth, as he spurred his horse violently through the
field. The astonished farmer pursued the daring trespasser,
and demanded his name, which was imperiously refused ; and
on Dorgan persisting to hold the bridle of the horse till its
rider consented to state his name, he was furiously struck on
the head by the officer (for such he was), who said, " Do you
want more of it?" as he again raised the whip to strike the
unoffending man. Dorgan instantly complained of the out-
rage to the commanding officer at Ballincollig on the same
day, Friday. The general was at Ballincollig, together
with Colonel Beresford, on Saturday; and the latter having
heard the fact from Dorgan on his return to Cork, seemed
surprised at not having heard of it in Ballincollig. Thus it
would seem that a formal report had not been made of this
infamous outrage by the officer in command to the general.
Dorgan has placed his case in the hands of an able solicitor,
Mr. J. J. O'Brien of this city; and we trust that this piece
of wanton brutality and military rampancy it will meet with
its due reward at the hands of twelve honest men and an
upright judge. Will there not be a court-martial held to
inquire into this ungentlemanly and most shameful conduct?
We shall see.—Cork Examiner.
RAILWAY INTELLIGENCE.—We understand that the
largest transactions in scrip are at present confined to the
marine• store-dealers, who have lately taken up this branch
of commerce with some alacrity. The placards in their win-
dows now announce, that the best price is given for Capel-
court stuff, as well as kitchen stuff. Instead of calling upon
people to look up their old rags and waste paper, they are
requested to look up their old letters of allotment and useless
scrip, for which a liberal amount will be given.—Punch.
GLASGOW PIG IRON TRADB.—DEC. 2.—This has
been a very dull week. The money pressure entirely
regulates prices—and it not only continues but increases—
the consequence will be a further depression. Several
thousand tons were offered to-day at 725. 6d. cash (say ten
days), and 1,000 tons sold at that pride. Accounts from
America are more favouralbe ; and but for the distrust occa-
sioned by reported failures in this city, the above might have
been considered as a fair rate. We quote the prices to-day
at 70s. to 725. 6d. cash.— Glasgow
National.
THE FORCE or EXAMPLE.—The late forgery case,
which has lately engaged public attention at Merthyr, has
found imitators ; nor are we certain, clever as the original
undoubtedly was, that the imitation is not the superior of
the two. Two well-dressed ladies, in the course of the pre-
sent week, accosted a Carmarthern carrier, who had some
dead pigs in the Crown-yard, and asked the price of this corn-
pohand, ebaeclein laardryangagedrr
tiwisog
ptooo
rtwakome
eonneh.appJeunsetd asto
the
modity. After a little haggling, the price of the pigs was
cSog
the yard; and one of these
mreteeedr
nlutso
benevolent ladies re-
marked to the dealer in swine,
l " That woman
be very poor, cut off the pig's '
head and appears to
shall notbe much the poorer." The give it to her; I
second lady followed this
up with sonic very humane remarks
upon the badness of
the times, and the
good effects of charity in promoting
kindly feelings between the v •
concluded by bidding the • various claws of society, and
pig-merchant to cut off her pig's
head also. Having received the thanks of the poor women,
the ladies took their
leave, informingthe that "John,
the man
the servant," would bring down the cart in a few minutes,
when they would return, and settle for the pigs as they took
them away. Our friend waited long to hear the sound
of the cart-wheels, alternated with the chinking of the
blunt ; but John bad not yet brought the cart, nor has the
owner of the headless porkers ever since seen the faces of
his humane customers, who, we hear, were "Chinese I"
Cambrian.