Beschryvinge van de Kaap der Goede Hoope. Deel II

[p. VIII]

Voorwoord

Met die voltooiing van Deel II van die Valentyn-uitgawe kan 'n werk wat wyle prof. P. Serton alreeds in 1957 begin het, uiteindelik afgesluit word. As eindredakteur was dit my taak om die taamlik rampspoedige Valentyn-uitgawe oor te neem, die honderde los drade van my voorgangers te verbind en die annotasies en verdere redigeerwerk af te rond. Omdat daar so veel redakteurs aan die teks gewerk het, was dit nie altyd moontlik om sekere klein onduidelikhede op te klaar nie, en in minstens een geval het 'n belangrike korreksie agterweë gebly. Prof. Serton het in 1963 die inleiding vir die uitgawe voltooi wat dan ook byna ongewysig oorgeneem is. In sy beskrywing van Valentyn se kaart van die Kaap kritiseer hy die foutiewe opvatting van prof. V.S. Forbes wat dié kaart as 'n kopie van Kolbe se kaarte beskou het (sien VRV II-2, bl. 22). Prof. Forbes het egter reeds in 1965 sy fout reggestel in 'n artikel in die Tydskrif vir Aardrykskunde (Stellenbosch), April 1965, nr. 6, bl. 12, 13, verder in sy boek Pioneer Travellers of South Africa, 1965, bl. 39, en in die Standard Encyclopedia of Southern Africa, deel III, bl. 110. As nie-aardrykskundige het dié korreksies my ontgaan, maar ek wil graag van hierdie geleentheid gebruik maak om die saak ten minste nou nog reg te stel.

Valentyn noem in sy Beschryvinge baie mense, plekke en plase van die vroeë Kaap wat vir historiese navorsing van belang kan wees. Daarom het dit wenslik gelyk om 'n redelik volledige register van persoons- en plekname vir albei dele op te stel wat die naslaan sal vergemaklik.

Ek is baie dank verskuldig aan mnr. Roy Pheiffer van die Universiteit van Kaapstad, wat al die voetnote van maj. Raven-Hart uit Engels in Afrikaans vertaal het. Hy het ook by die proeflees van deel I gehelp en my in baie opsigte met raad en daad bygestaan. Sonder sy hulp sou ek hierdie uitgawe, veral deel I, nie in so 'n beknopte tyd kon versorg het nie.

My opregte dank ook aan mnr. K.S.D. Beavon van die Departement Aardrykskunde aan die Universiteit van die Witwatersrand, vir sy samewerking, en veral aan mev. L.R. Thatcher, kartograaf van dié departement, vir die oorsigtelike sketskaart van Starrenburg se tog wat sy vir hierdie uitgawe geteken het.

Ten slotte nog 'n woord van dank teenoor mej. Cristina Mazurkiewicz vir haar hulp by die lees van die drukproewe en by die opstel van die register.

edith h. raidt

[p. IX]

Preface

The completion of volume II of the Valentyn edition marks the conclusion, at long last, of a labour started by the late Prof. Serton as long ago as 1957. As final editor it was my task to shoulder the well-nigh disastrous Valentyn publication, gather together the hundreds of loose threads left by my predecessors and to round off the annotations and further editorial work. As so many editors had worked on the text, it was not always possible to clear up certain small obscurities, and in at least one case an important correction was overlooked. Prof. Serton had completed the introduction to the publication in 1963, and it was included practically unaltered. In his description of Valentyn's map of the Cape he criticises as mistaken the view of Prof. V.S. Forbes who regarded the map as a copy of Kolbe's maps (see VRS II-2, p. 22). However, Prof. Forbes had already corrected his error in an article in the Tydskrif vir Aardrykskunde (Stellenbosch), April 1965, no. 6, p. 12, 13, also in his book Pioneer Travellers of South Africa, 1965, p. 39, and in the Standard Encyclopedia of Southern Africa, volume III, p. 110. Not being a geographer, these corrections slipped my notice, but I should like to avail myself of this opportunity to rectify the matter as yet.

In his Description Valentyn mentions many persons, places and farms of the early Cape which might be of importance to historical research. For that reason it seemed desirable to compile a fairly exhaustive index of persons and places mentioned in the two volumes so as to facilitate reference.

I am indebted to Mr. Roy Pheiffer of the University of Cape Town, who translated all Major Raven-Hart's footnotes from English into Afrikaans. He also helped with the proof-reading of volume I and was of assistance by word and deed in many ways. Without his help I would not have been able to produce this publication, especially volume I, in such a limited time.

My sincere thanks also to Mr. K.S.D. Beavon of the Department of Geography of the University of the Witwatersrand for his co-operation, and especially to Mrs. L.R. Thatcher, cartographer in the same Department, for the clear sketch-map of Starrenburg's journey which she drew for this edition.

Finally a word of thanks to Miss Cristina Mazurkiewicz for her assistance with the reading of printer's proofs and the compiling of the index.

edith h. raidt