313 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



311 



dered it as the southern extremity of Africa. But Africa does not 

 terminate in a point : it presents to the Southern Ocean a broad line of 

 coast running east and west, from 18 23' E., the longitude of the 

 Cape of Good Hope, to about 26, which ia the longitude of Algoa 

 Bay. This coast is indented by severnl bays and forms several pro- 

 montories, of which the Cape of Good Hope is the moat westward, 

 but Cape Agulhas, 20 10' E. long, advances farthest to the south, 

 being in 34 45' S. lat. The Cape of Good Hope is in 34 22' S. lat. 

 It forms the southern extremity of a narrow peninsula about 30 miles 

 long, formed by False Bay on the east, Table Bay on the north, and 

 the Atlantic on the west. Cape Town is on Table Bay on the north 

 coast of this peninsula, and Simon's Town is on False Bay. This 

 peninsula was the original boundary of the settlement which the 

 Dutch made here about the middle of the 17th century, but they soon 

 extended themselves beyond the isthmus which joins it to the African 

 continent. The Hottentots, the natives of this part of Africa, a mild 

 and inoffensive race, were easily though gradually subdued by the 

 Dutch, who encroached step by step upon their country, reducing 

 them to the condition of serfs, or driving away before them the more 

 stubborn tribes. This process continued for more than a century, 

 until at last the Dutch occupied the whole country as far as the great 

 ridge called Nieuwveld Bergen and Sneeuw Bergen, about 32" S. lat., 

 which runs east and west nearly parallel to the south coast, and 

 divides the waters that run to the south, from those which flow north 

 into the Orange River. Down to the close of the last century this 

 ridge formed the natural boundary of the Cape colony, although the 

 political boundary stretched considerably farther, the back settlers 

 having extended beyond it on several points through the districts 

 called by the Dutch Onder Roggeveld, Agter Roggeveld, and Middle 

 Roggeveld. The colonial territory has since been considerably 

 augmented. 



The present boundaries of Cape Colony proper, as fixed by pro- 

 clamation of July 5th, 1848, nre on the W. and S. the Atlantic 

 Ocean ; on the N. the Orange River, or Gariep, to where the Welge 

 Spruit falls into it in 30 25' S lat., 27 20' E. long. ; on the E. the 

 Welge Spruit to where the Wittebergen approach it ; the ridges of 

 the latter and the Stonnbergen to the sources of the White Kei River; 

 along its eastern branch to where it joins the Zwart (Black) Kei ; up 

 the latter to the junction of the Klaas Smits River, ascending it to its 

 sources near Gaika's Kop ; thence across the mountains to the sources 

 of the Chumie, and down the latter and the Keiskamma to the sea. 

 The length of the territory thus comprised, from west to east, is 

 nearly 600 miles ; its greatest breadth from north to south is about 

 450 miles ; and its probable area is 203,000 square miles. It consists 

 of several well-marked mountain chains and terraces rising one above 

 another from the coast. 



At the south-western extremity of the colony is a completely insu- 

 lated mountain mass, forming the peninsula above mentioned, and of 

 which the celebrated Table Mountain at the back of Capo Town is the 

 highest summit (elevation 3582 feet). A broad expanse of level sands 

 (the Cape Flats) divides it from the Hottentot Holland Mountains, 

 which terminate in Cape Hangklip on the east of False Bay, opposite 

 to the Cape of Good Hope. From the neighbourhood of Worcester, 

 between 60 and 70 miles north-east of Cape Town, several chains of 

 mountains strike off in different directions : the western or Tulbagh 

 chain, which runs northward to near the mouth of Olifant's River ; 

 the Drakenstein or Hottentot Holland chain before mentioned, which 

 runs southward, in which and its offshoots are several important 

 mountain passes ; a range which bears in its course from west to east, 

 successively, the names of the Zwellendam, Outeniqua, and Zitzikamma 

 mountains, and which divides the southern sea-coast of the colony 

 from the elevated longitudinal valleys called Kannaland and the Long 

 Kloof ; and the great Zwarteberg chain, which bears generally from 

 west to east, and nearly parallel in the greater part of its extent to 

 the last-mentioned chain, being separated from it by the Long Kloof 

 and the valley of the Kromme River. 



North of the Zwarteberg lies the vast elevated plain called the 

 Great Karroo, which extends for nearly 300 miles east and west, and 

 about 80 miles north and south. It is a bleak wide desert, utterly 

 bare and barren, except after heavy rains. On the west it communi- 

 cates with the Roggeveld Karroo, and on the north it is bounded by 

 a great chain of mountains, which in its western part bears the name 

 of the Nieuwveld Bergen, and farther eastward that of the Sneeuw 

 Bergen. These last are the highest mountains in the colony ; yet, 

 notwithstanding their name, they are not covered with perpetual 

 snow, and therefore do not give rise to unfailing streams. Their 

 highest summit, the Spitzkop or Compas Berg, north of the village of 

 Great Reynett, has been variously estimated at 7000 and 10,000 feet 

 of elevation above the level of the sea. 



The land between these several mountain chains rises in successive 

 stages like terraces from south to north ; so that the Long Kloof is 

 higher by some hundreds of feet than the country along the southern 

 coast ; the Great Karroo is much higher than the Long Kloof (having, 

 it is said, a medium elevation of 3000 feet above the sea) ; and the 

 country to the north of the Sneeuw Bergen is more elevated still. 



The easternmost district of the colony, that of Albany, is for the 

 most part a region of undulating hills, without any very conspicuous 

 eminences ; but to the north and north-emit of it is another system 



of high mountains, in which the Kunap, the Kat Rivei, and most of 

 the other tributaries of the Great Fish River, as well as the Keiskamma 

 and its feeders, take their rise. These are the mountains of Somerset, 

 the Tarka, and the Ceded Territory. The Winterberg, their highest 

 point, is supposed to have an elevation of 7000 feet. This chain 

 extends in somewhat of au irregular crescent shape from between the 

 Great and Little Fish rivers above the village of Somerset, to the 

 xipper valley of the Keiskamma, and links itself to the Amatola 

 Mountains in Kaffraria. 



The rivers of the Cape Colony are numerous, but have little perma- 

 nent depth of water. A very few can be entered by small craft; the 

 remainder, including the Orange River, are not navigable. The prin- 

 cipal streams which discharge themselves into the sea on the southern 

 coast are (in succession from west to east) the Breede, the Gauritz, 

 the Gamtoos, the Sunday, the Bushman's River, the Great Fish River, 

 and the Keiskamma. Those of secondary importance likewise flowing 

 directly into the sea are the Duyvenboks, the Kuysna, the Keurbooms, 

 the Kromme, the Zwartkops, and the Kowie. Of those which flow 

 to the western coast the chief are the Berg River, Olifant's River, and 

 the Gariep or Great Orange River. Nearly all but the latter are 

 torrents shrunken almost to dryness except after heavy rains, when 

 they rise suddenly and become extremely impetuous and formidable. 

 Many of them flow in deep channels cut down fifty feet or more below 

 the general surface of the country, between steep banks choked with 

 thick vegetation. These ravines are great hindrances to travellers, 

 and render it very difficult to use the waters of the streams for 

 irrigation. 



The general character of the country is sterile and uninviting. The 

 environs of Cape Town indeed are picturesque, and so also is the 

 country eastward of the Fish River ; some of the south-western dis- 

 tricts have a considerable degree of fertility, and produce corn and 

 wine in abundance, whilst all the rest of the colony may be considered 

 at present as nearly a grazing country. The quantity of corn raised 

 is more than sufficient for the wants of the colony. Considerable 

 attention is paid to the cultivation of the vine. White wine is pro- 

 duced in the interior. The small vineyard of Constantia, situated 

 about eight miles west from Cape Town, has acquired celebrity from 

 the luscious and high-flavoured wine which it produces, and which is 

 known as Constantia wine. The produce of the Constantia vineyard, 

 including both red and white wines, varies from 8000 to 12,000 gallons 

 annually, according to the season. The chief occupation of the rural 

 districts is the rearing of cattle. Merino sheep have been introduced 

 into the colony, and have been successfully reared. In various parts of 

 the country there are extensive varieties of beautiful flowers, including 

 several hundred species. The aloe yields produce amounting in some 

 years to about 30001. in value, which is chiefly exported. From the 

 covering of the wax-berry, candles are manufactured. The southern 

 faces of the Outeniqua and Zitzikamma mountains are clothed with 

 forests of large trees, as are also the Zuureberg and some other tracts 

 near the eastern frontier ; but the general characteristics of the 

 scenery are rocky and arid mountains, naked uncultivated plains, 

 stony valleys without a tree, a prevailing monotony, and absence of 

 shade, of verdure, and of water. A few of the larger species of wild 

 animals still exist in the remote parts of the colony, but their number 

 diminishes as the civilised man encroaches on the territory hitherto 

 occupied by the wild beast and the undisciplined savage. The climate 

 is on the whole dry, but mild and favourable to health. Rain falls 

 plentifully on the coast, but iu the interior of the country it occurs 

 rarely. The mean temperature for the year at Cape Town is 67'3, 

 the range being from 58'3 to 76'6. The coldest months are Juno 

 and July ; the warmest are December and January. 



The territory of Cape Colony is divided into 10 western and 10- 

 eastern districts, very unequal in size. The western districts are 

 Cape, Stellenbosch, Zwelleudam, Caledon, Worcester, Clanwilliam, 

 Paarl, Malmesbury, George, and Beaufort. The eastern districts are 

 Uitenhage, Port Elizabeth, Graaf Reynet, Cradock, Colesberg, Somer- 

 set, Albany, Fort Beaufort, Victoria, and Albert. The principal towns, 

 are Cape Town, the capital [CAPE TOWN], Grahamstown, Port Eliza- 

 beth, Graaf Reynet, Simon's Town, Uitenhage, Zwelleudam, Stellen- 

 bosch, Beaufort, &c. 



Graht-mstown, the principal town of the eastern district* and capital 

 of the Albany district, is situated near the sources of the Kowie River, 

 on a plateau about 700 feet above the level of the sea. It contains 

 800 houses and about 6000 inhabitants ; returns two members to the 

 House of Assembly; is governed by a municipality and has lately 

 been very much improved. Port Elizabeth, on the north-west corner 

 of Algoa Bay in the district of Uitenhage, is a mean-looking but 

 thriving town of 5000 inhabitants, and is the principal port of the 

 eastern province. In the year ending 5th January 1849 there entered 

 the port 138 vessels of 24,900 tons aggregate burden. The customs dues 

 were 25,266?. ; the total value of imports was 326,293;. ; of exports 

 132,46H The anchorage of Algoa Bay though open to the south-east 

 winds is not unsafe for well provided vessels if proper care be taken 

 Landing however is often impracticable on account of the heavy 

 surf. A lighthouse has been recently placed upon Cape Recife, the 

 south-western extremity of the bay. Graaf Reynet, the chief town ot 

 the district of that name, distant 500 miles E. from Cape Town and 

 142 miles N.W. from Grahamstown, stands on tk Sunday Kiver, near 



