4033 (1693-1694) part two

An address label.

This volume contains papers and letters for the period 1693 to 1694 and were received in the year 1694. This is the second of two parts for the period 1692-1693. Part one is covered in volume 4032.

• Folio 23 of a missive by Governor-general and the Council of the Indies to the Governor and Council at the Cape is not present in the digital volume and was probably missed during the scanning process.
• The Daghregister (fos. 30-222) relays several notable incidents that occured during the year 1693, amongst others:  
  • fo. 30 Because of suspected fraude on the census returns of the yearly grain production by the free men, punitive measures are imposed upon them.  They are no longer allowed to sell their grains to anyone except the company itself, and are also forbidden to bake bread and sweet breads to sell privately. The edict was issued on the 13th of January.
  • fo. 35 Two veldwagters (rural policemen) are appointed in the capacity of 'corporals' to track and fine freemen who commit offences such as fraudulent returns on grain and wine production, illegal chopping of wood for building and cooking fires, illegal game hunting, etc.
  • fo. 36 Because of the poor state of the infrastructure (public roads, streets, bridges, buildings, etc.) Hendrik Barend Olderland is officially instated as inspector of infrastructure. 
  • fo. 47 After having smoked a last pipe of tobacco and a last drink of wine, the slave Juan van de Kust van Zofale was executed by breaking on the wheel, for amongst others, the brutal murder of the ten year old boy, Willem Hendriksz Verschuur, son the the freeman Hendrik Gijsbertsz Verschuur. His two accomplices (both slaves of Hendrik Cornelisz Olivier), Frances van Macca and Christiaan van Madagascar were both sentenced to be severely flogged with a noose round the neck, branded (with a hot iron), one ear cut off and subsequently to serve a sentence of six years each in chains. 
  • fo 64 The three Chinese prisoners suspected of murder, arson, burglary and theft are interrogated by the Fiscael (public prosecutor) and some members of the Court of Justice, followed the next day interrogation by torture.
  • fo. 74 An alliance of three tribes, the Attaquas, Sounquas and Ubiquase attacked and raided four kraals of the Hessequase tribe, making off with all of the large livestock such as oxen, cows and calves. 
  • fo. 77 One of the company's stoutest slaves was blown off the top a high wall (under construction) at the castle by a sudden gust of wind, and would surely not have survived the fall had he not managed to grab hold of a rope and break his fall on a heap of fine sand below. 
  • fo. 104 The captain and crew of the English pirate 'The Amy' is brought on land and interrogated by the Fiscael.
  • fo. 105 A slave of Henning Huising tending a flock of sheep, fended of a leopard when it attacked one of the sheep, by slicing open it's gut and stabbing it in the neck with a knife. The leopard was found two days later in the bush where it had succumbed to it's wounds.
  • fo. 106 Corpral Jacob Cloeten, the oldest company employee and former freeman and co-founder of the Colony who left many children and grandchildren, was found brutally murdered at the 'vlees huijs'. The autopsy revealed he had three deadly blows to the head, two deadly stab wounds to the chest and a further twenty-five non-lethal injuries. His sword was found still unsheathed by his side. An investigation was started by the Fiscael, and a reward of fifty rixdollars offered to anyone who can give (anonymously) information about the perpetrator(s). 
  • fo. 132 Gerrit 'Grof' Visscher and his whole family are ordered to leave the Cape for either the fatherland or Mauritius for the continual disrespect of the law in that they don't farm their allocated lands but only hunt illegally on game, etc.
  • fos. 136-138 Decision made to aid captain Coopman against an alliance of other Hottentot tribes under leadership of captain Dorha 'Claas' of the Sousequase who want to boycot the company and only trade with free men. The company will send one hundred soldiers, plus fifty free men from the Cape and the same number from Stellenbosch. A message arrived that some of Coopmans tribe were already killed and warned not to trade with the company or else they would die too.
  • fo. 144 The expedition to capture the leaders of the alliance return with their prisoners.
  • fo. 145 Initiatve to plant a forest for the purpose of wood for fuel. Also a start has been made to plant twenty four thousand young oak trees.
  • fo. 146 Two of the three imprisoned Chinese suspects have confessed, after torture, to burglary, arson and the murder of the Chinese Samsaij and his wife in their beds at night. 
  • fo. 157 The reverend Leonardus Terwold, after four years service at the Cape, gave his last sermon, before departing to Batavia for a new commission.
  • fo. 162 Preventative measures are announced to halt the spread of an infectious (scabies-like) disease amongst the sheep which is decimating the flocks of the company as well as the free men.
  • fo. 168 Thirteen militia of the free men who deserted or fled during the expedition against Sousequse, are to be named and shamed in public as well as fined, namely Dirk Hansz van Groningen, Elias Schepland van Leipzig, Gerrut Theunisz, Pieter Damesz, Louijs van As, Caspar Etlig, Frederik Boot, Jan de Jonker, Pieter Beuk, Hans Jes, Gerrit Oorlam, Christian Oorlam and Jan Ooorlam.
  • fo. 187 Captain Dorha (alias Claas), the Sousequase chief who is temporarily being detained on Robben Island, is taken to the company's hospital on the mainland to treat his illness.
  • fo. 188 After a one day postponement due to heavy winds, the burger militia held their yearly military and shooting exercises, on foot and on horseback, ending with the target shooting competition. After several days it was concluded with a military parade in full dress of fifty horsemen and one hundred thirty infantrymen.
  • fo. 188 In the presence of the Fiscael, delegates and the chief surgeon, the body of a female slave, who was buried several days before, is exhumed to perform an autopsy - there were suspicions that she may have died as a result of maltreatment by her master. After the autopsy the next day it was concluded that she had committed suicide by cutting her own throat with a knife.
  • fo. 191 Measures and fines of five rixdollars are announced to control the traffic of wagons, carts, oxen and horses in the city due to the increasing amounts of traffic accidents and the danger to people, especially the small children.
  • fo. 201 Request granted to nine Moors to sail with the 'Schoondijke' to Batavia and then on to Suratte, their homeland. They claim to have been captured there (Suratte) by English pirates six years earlier but the pirate ship was stranded shortly after on Madagascar, were they barely survived for five years until they recently managed to get passage to the Cape on the English ship 'the Joshua'.

Link to the digital archive:  4033 (1693-1694) part two