MDMD(5): The V.O.C. - at the Cape

[Michel Ryckx]

The Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie: a Time Table

This is from: www.rug.ac.be/staff/~sdconinc/slavery.htm
, a page  now withdrawn

The years marked with a (*) are my own and sometimes rather arbitrary
additions.

(*)1488: Bartolomeo Diaz, Portuguese explorer, discovered the Cape and
names it Cape of Storms.
1602: Foundation of the Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie
(*)1619: Jan Pieterszoon Coen occupies the city of Jayacarta (Jaya
meaning 'victory)
(*)1629: William Pynchon sails for Massachusetts
1652: The Dutch East India Company ((*)in the person of Jan Van
Riebeeck) started a refreshment station at the Cape for its VOC shipping
fleet on their way to East and/or on their return trips from Batavia
[i.e. present day Java as part of Indonesia];
1658: The first shipload of slaves are brought to the Cape, from Angola
on-board the ship, the Amersfoort;
(*)1664: Second settling of the V.O.C. on the Island of Mauritius; Frans
van der Groov (Gravity's Rainbow) being one of the settlers.  Dodo
extermination.
1666: Slaves built the Castle – Fort Good Hope;
1679: Foundations are laid for the Company Slave Lodge;
1693: Slaves at the Cape outnumber free people for the first time. They
are mainly from around the Indian Ocean – Mocambique, Madagascar,
Mauritius;
1717: VOC decides to retain the institution of slavery as the main
labour system for the Cape;
1725: Evidence that runaway slaves have been living at the mountainous
Hangklip for extensive periods, between Gordons Bay and
Kleinmond/Hermanus; ((*)these are the so-called 'Drosters' at 59. See
next post for more on Drosters)
1738: The Moravian Church started their first mission station at
Baviaans-kloof, now known as Genadendal in the Swellendam district;
1754: The governor, Tulbagh consolidated the numerous VOC slave
regulations into a single placaaten, the CAPE SLAVE CODE; ((*)see next
post)
(*)1750: Lacaille, at the Cape, makes his observations on the Southern
stars.  They will be published (post follows) partially a bit later.
1754: A census taken of the Cape colony at the time showed the two
populations, both slaves and settlers to be roughly equal to about 6000
each.
(*)1761: Mason and Dixon, on the Seahorse, reach the Cape.  The Transit
of Venus will take place on June 6, 1761; at the same time, Maskelyne is
observing on St-Helena.

See:
Van ASWEGEN, H J [1989] : GESKIEDENIS VAN SUID AFRIKA TOT 1854 :
Academica, Kaapstad/Pretoria