AFRICA. 



coast-traders have been built by the Liberians, 

 and they own other vessels, which are engaged 

 in commercial intercourse with Great Britain 

 and the United States. In 1881, the exports of 

 Western Africa, including Liberia, were valued at 

 ^1,895,656. 



(3.) Lower Guinea extends from the Bight of 

 Biafra to Southern Africa, and includes the coast 

 districts of Loango, Angola, and Benguela. This 

 country remains in an undeveloped condition, 

 and is still tainted by traffic in slaves. It belongs 

 nominally to the Portuguese, who first discovered 

 it, and made early settlements on its coast 



SOUTHERN AFRICA. 



The Cape Colony was founded by the Dutch 

 under Van Riebeek in 1652. The settlement had 

 grown to considerable dimensions when the 

 English took possession of it in 1796. Restored 

 to the Dutch at the peace of Amiens, it was finally 

 occupied by Great Britain in 1806. Inclusive of 

 the Transvaal, now only under British suzerainty, 

 the present boundaries of the Cape Colony in the 

 wider sense are the Orange River and the Lim- 

 popo River, the encircled area of the Orange 

 River Free State being, however, independent of 

 Britain ; on the south, the Indian Ocean ; and on 

 the west, the Atlantic. The area of Cape Colony 

 proper is about 200,000 sq. miles ; with depend- 

 encies, near 350,000. The dividing range of mqjm- 

 tains, called by the various names of Stormbergen, 

 Nieuwveld, &c. runs across the country in a south- 

 westerly direction about 100 miles from the coast. 

 On the east, between this principal range and the 

 sea, lie two other ranges, less continuous and 

 regular. Owing to the fact that the prevailing 

 winds, which at different seasons are from the 

 south-east and north-west, fail to deposit their 

 stores on the opposite side of the Dividing Range, 

 a transposition of seasons occurs in this latitude ; 

 harvest depending chiefly on the rainfall, the 

 people are sowing and planting on the one side, 

 while they are reaping on the other. The 

 country is liable to long-continued droughts ; it 

 has, however, special natural adaptations for water- 

 storage. 



The population of the colony is extremely varied, 

 including Portuguese, Dutch, English, French, 

 Germans, Kaffirs, Hottentots, Malays, Mozam- 

 biquers, and Africanders or half-castes. Of the 

 whole population which, inclusive of British Kaff- 

 raria, amounts to 720,000 200,000 are Europeans, 

 about 1 50,000 are Kaffirs, and over 80,000 Hotten- 

 tots. Of the European population, the English 

 are outnumbered by Dutch, Germans, and French. 

 The colony is divided into two great provinces, 

 the Eastern and Western, which contain sixteen 

 divisions. Responsible government, as in the 

 Australasian colonies, was introduced into the 

 Cape of Good Hope in 1872. In 1871, the 

 revenue of the colony was .836,174; in 1872, it 

 had risen to ;i, 161,548. In 1871, the imports 

 were valued at ^2,585,298 ; and the ex- 

 ports, ^2,531,609. In 1881, the revenue was 

 ,4,835,189; the imports, .9,227,171 ; the exports, 

 .4,220,706. (It is to be remembered that between 

 1871 and 1 88 1 the area of the colony had been 

 much increased.) Wool forms the chief article 

 of export. Other important exports are dia- 

 monds, copper ore, sheep-skins, ostrich feathers, 



wine, untanned hides. The agricultural farms are 

 generally small, but the sheep-farms frequently 

 contain from 3000 to 15,000 acres. A very large 

 population was drawn to Griqualand West, on 

 the discovery of diamonds there, a few years ago. 

 Griqualand includes the territory along the Orange 

 River, and around its junction with the VaaL 

 The area of the fields is 20,000 miles, of which, 

 however, it has been calculated that the farms 

 yielding diamonds form only a small part. Great 

 prizes have been obtained and fortunes made on 

 these fields, which are accessible from Port 

 Elizabeth, Natal, East London, as well as Cape 

 Town. One of the principal drawbacks, indeed, has 

 been the lack of adequate means of transport; but 

 the colonists are now face to face with the diffi- 

 culties, and have made fair beginnings in opening 

 up the country by means of railways. The colony 

 is also deficient in good harbours, but the shipping 

 at Cape Town is now secure, through a break- 

 water and docks. Cape Town, the capital of the 

 colony, the most flourishing European settlement 

 in Africa, is finely situated on Table Bay, has 

 many good buildings, and contains a population of 

 about 20,000. Its suburbs are extremely beauti- 

 ful. Graham's Town, the seat of government 

 for the Eastern province, has a population of 

 10,000. 



Natal. Situated between the 2gth and 3ist 

 parallels of south latitude, Natal has a sea-board 

 on the Indian Ocean of 150 miles, is bounded on 

 the north-east by the Tugela or Buffalo River, and 

 on the south-west by the Umzimculu, which separ- 

 ates it from Kaffraria ; while the Quathlamba 

 Mountains, a continuation of the Cape Range, 

 divide it from the Free State and Basutuland. 

 It contains an area of 25,000 square miles. The 

 mountains which traverse the colony form it into 

 a series of plateaux, suited for semi-tropical no 

 less than European productions. The climate is 

 very salubrious. Natal has but one important 

 harbour, D'Urban or Port Natal. The chief rivers 

 are the Tugela, Umcomanzi, Umgani, and Umzim- 

 culu. None of them is navigable, but the streams 

 are permanent. The capital is Pietermaritzburg 

 (pop. 2000), 50 miles inland, on a tributary of the 

 Umgani River. Natal is a flourishing town with 

 1 200 inhabitants. 



Natal formerly belonged to Cape Colony, and 

 was erected into an independent colony in 1856, 

 when a constitution was granted to it, afterwards 

 modified in 1870. It is governed by a lieutenant- 

 governor, with an executive and legislative council. 

 In 1871, the revenue amounted to ,180,498. The 

 population of the colony is about 315,000, and 

 comprises original Dutch emigrant Boers, English 

 and German settlers, and the remains of the 

 broken Zulu tribes who originally possessed the 

 country, the Europeans being about one-seventh 

 of the whole population. The natives are gener- 

 ally docile, make good servants, and are largely 

 employed in agricultural and pastoral pursuits. 

 Some of them, indeed, headed by Langalibalele, 

 rebelled in 1873, but were soon suppressed. Again 

 hi 1879 war broke out between England and 

 Ketchwayo, king of the independent Zulu country, 

 who inflicted several severe blows on the British 

 army before he was finally defeated and taken 

 prisoner. In 1871, the imports were of the 

 value of ^385,8 1 2, and the exports, ^493,128. 

 The chief export is wool : other exports are sugar, 



