CAPE OF GOOD HOPE. 



CAPE VKRD ISLANDS. 



318 



the foot of U Orat Saeeuw Bergen. U U a pretty Dutch looking 

 town and inhabited almuet exoliuinly by Dutch : populaUon about 

 kayt ha* mure the apponme* of a rural villag* than a 

 town. Hooof th*mortagr.aUe pUc- in the oolony, and Uand* 

 OB the beautiful little Zwartkop* River, in a fertile valley .unrounded 

 by wooded hill*. It wa. proposed by the late Sir Benjamin d'Urban 

 to remove the eat of government to thi place, a moaaur* which pro- 

 mised m*nr advantage*, but which wa. defeated by th* opposition it 

 excited at Cap* Town. 5i*wm'< Tan, 24 mile* from Cape Town, is a 

 mall place irmri-'"t of little mac* Una a single row of house*, 

 (retching along th* shore of the bay and backed by cteep barren 

 stony haU. Simon'* Bay, th* station for *hip* of war, i* a core on 

 th* we*t aid* of Falae Bay : it is not capable of containing any great 

 number of T*snli ; but being sheltered from the westerly wind* and in 

 part from the (well cauWby the aouth-easteriy winds, it is a safer 

 MMbonge than Fab* Bay. Zwelleudam, StoUenbosch, and Beaufort, 

 the chie? place* of the district* *o called, are large village*. 



The population of the Cap* Colony according to the Census of 1848 

 wa* 200.54ti. Of this total 76,8x7 were whites, namely, 39,896 male* 

 and 36,931 female*; 101,176 belonged to the coloured races, namely, 

 52.197 nude*, 48,979 females ; the remaining 22,543 belonged to Cape 

 Town, namely, 11,074 male*, 11,469 female*. The genuine Hotten- 

 tot* now in the oolony are few in comparion with the mixed breeds, 

 or Bastaard* a* they are called, in whom the blood of the aboriginal 

 race i* crowed with that of the Dutch, the Negro, or the Malay. The 

 Baroa or Boje*men too have declined in numbers, but some of this 

 singular race still roam the desert* lying along the northern boundary 

 of CUnwilliam and Beaufort districts. 



Th* constitution of the oolony as finally adopted in 1853 after 

 much agitation, consist* of a Governor, a Legislative Council, and a 

 House of Assembly. The Governor is appointed by the crown. The 

 Legislative Council i* formed of fifteen elective members and the 

 chief justice of the oolony, who holds his seat in right of his office and 

 it president whenever present : five members form a quorum ; all 

 question* are decided by a majority not including the president, but 

 when the vote* are equal the president has the casting vote ; the 

 members are elected for ten years, but eight and seven retire alter- 

 nately every five year*. The House of Assembly consists of forty-six 

 member* elected for five yean, and twelve form a quorum. The 

 lectors are every male person not subject to legal incapacity who 

 ha* occupied for twelve month* previous to the day of election 

 jiinnisKi or land of the annual value of 252., or has been in the receipt 

 of a salary of not less than 502. per annum, or of 252. together with 

 board and lodging. Registration "iim, objections, publication of 

 lit of voter*, revision, Ac., are after the model of the mother 

 country. E*"h of the ten western and ten eastern divisions returns 

 two member* each; Grahamstown returns two members and Cape 

 Town (including the municipality of Green Point) returns four mem- 

 ber*. A property qualification is required for members of both houses 

 of 20002. In real property, or 40002. in personal property clear of all 

 mortgages or debts. The colonial secretory, the treasurer, the 

 attorney-general, and the auditor are empowered, ex officio, to act 

 and speak in both house* but not to vote. A session to be held once 

 at least in every year. The governor ha* power to give or refuse his 

 i to bills pased, or to reserve them for the royal pleasure, but 



the Queen in council may disallow of acts assented to by the governor. 

 The civil list, a* it may be called, amounts to 106,0902., of which the 

 governor and hi* aecretary receive 53002. ; the colonial secretary and 

 hi* department 65002.; the treasurer-general and his department 

 18902, ; the registrar of deeds 10002. ; the post-office 23302. ; the 

 supreme court of law 79352. ; the divisional courts 16,3352. ; education 

 establishments 41002. ; police, prisons, and jails 15402. ; public 

 worship 16,0602. ; pensions 15,0002. ; border department (aborigine**) 

 14,0002. ; the ret to various office*. 



The Established Church has a bishop of Cape Town with a dean, 

 four canons, and two archdeacons. The bishop of Cape Town in 

 metropolitan, and ban under him the bishop of Grahamstown created 

 hi 1863. and the biahop of Natal created in the name year, and the 

 rtinresn include* the island of St. Helena. A considerable part of tho 

 community belong to the Dutch Reformed Church, and there are 

 aUo number* of Lrisaeuten, all of whom have their various place* of 

 * Ip, school*, Jtc. The public pmvision for education in the 

 ' i mad* on a comprehensive and liberal scale. Beside* the 



Booth African College in Cape Town and the Diocesan Collegiate 

 School in the Cap* dirUion, there are 179 public and private schools, 

 BOOM wholly *ome partially supported and directed by the govern- 

 ment. In each dutrict town there is a government free school, which 

 ia kept independent of all sectarian influence. 



The groM revenue of the Cape of Good Hope in the year 1849 was 

 HtJUU., th. cost of collection being 19,0362. The principal items 

 win : Custom*. 83.78M. ; land revenue, 14 ,5 007. ; land sale*, 86872. ; 

 traiMfer duties, 20,3872.; auction dutiu, 1 7,2572. ; sump, and licence*, 

 20,807 L, and pottage, 1*742. The total expense of the civil establish- 

 meat in the same year wa* 259,2012., including 10,8132. for immigra- 

 tion. The total military expenditure for th* year ending March 31, 

 1650, wa* 1(8,8012. ; the number of men, including the artillery, wa* 

 4790. In 1849 the total amount of exports was 647,6472.; the imports 

 mounted to 8i!K,382/, 



The Cap* Colony >s pre-eminent among new countries for the 

 number and excellence of it* road*. They are managed by a board 

 niuing at Cape Town, and the expense is defrayed by a local 

 rate. ' . ArrAHiA ; TRANSUARIKPISE SOVKRWO- 



(Parliamenlan Papm . c'u;* of (load llu^t Almaiuck i 

 cation /nm tkt Cajx uf (iood Ji 



CAPK ll"i Ii is considered the southern extremity uf 



America, U not n p:trt of that continent, but is the most southern 

 point of a small itland which belongs to the extensive group f 

 Tierra del Fuego. It i* situated in about 56" & lat., 1,7 

 and oonsUU of a high precipitous black rock, which i* conspicuous 

 above all the neighbouring land, utterly destitute of vegetation, and 

 running far out into the sea. The strong westerly gale* which blow 

 in the neighbourhood of thi* oape render it difficult to be doubled 

 from the east. These gales however blow during the summer 

 (October to April) only near the cape ; in 60 8. lat they are 

 more variable, and vessels now double tho cape, as it is called, 

 without danger, simply by sailing on a higher latitude. During the 

 winter east winds are more frequent ; but at that season the naviga- 

 tion is rendered dangerous by the floating islands which approach 

 the cape, and are found even farther to the north. There is a 

 current towards the east near the cape which i* attributed to tho 

 effect of tho west gale*. (Capt. Basil Hall.) 



CAPE TOWN, the capital of the British possessions in South 

 Africa, is in 33 55' & lat, and 18 21' E. long., at the foot of Table 

 Mountain, on the shore of Table Bay, from which the ground rises 

 with a geutlo slope towards the mountain. Cape Town was founded 

 by the Dutch in 1050, and, together with the colony, coutiin. 

 their possession until 1795, when it was taken by the English. At 

 the peace of Amiens it was restored to the Dutch, but was again 

 taken by the English in 1806, and has since remained in their pos- 

 session. The town is well and regularly built The houses, which 

 are flat roofed and for the most port of a good size, are nearly all of 

 red brick or stone, and furnished with a verandah in front. Tho 

 principal streeU ore wide and clean, and regularly laid out, inter- 

 secting each other at right angles, and shaded with oaks and elms ; 

 but they are unpaved, and therefore excessively dusty in dry weather. 

 The town is exposed to great heat in consequence of its situation, 

 facing the noonday sun and immediately backed by naked mountains. 

 The castle U on the right side of the town looking towards Table 

 Bay, the anchorage in which it commando. This fortress is of con- 

 siderable strength. Its form is pentagonal, and it has a brood fosse 

 and regular out-works. Many of the public offices of the colony are 

 within its walls, which likewise contain barracks capable of holding 

 1000 men. Connected with the castle on the east by a rampart called the 

 Sea-lines is Fort Kuokke, and still farther east is Craig's Tower and 

 battery. On the west, surrounding the hill called the Lion's Rump, 

 are Chovonne, Amsterdam, and Rogge batteries ; and the entrance to 

 the bay is commanded by a battery colled the MouilU'. 



Table Bay is sufficiently capacious to contain a great number of 

 ships, but it is exposed to a heavy swell during the prevalence uf tlr 

 westerly winds in June, July, and August At other times tin- 

 anchorage is tolerably safe. When discharging or taking in goods 

 ships are moored very near the landing-place, which is built of wood, 

 and is at the east side of the town. The south-east wind, as it 

 from off the shore, is not dangerous to ships in the bay ; but it often 

 cuts off the communication between them and the loud for several 

 daya together. It is usually accompanied by that peculiar cloud 

 colled the Table Cloth, which lies along the top of Table Mountain 

 like a wreath of snow, while the rest of the sky is perfectly clear. 



There are eleven churches and chapels in the town. Three of these 

 ore of the Established Church, four English Dissenting, one Scotch, 

 one Dutch, one Lutheran, and one Roman Catholic. The ministers of 

 all these places of public worship are supported by the colonial 

 government The supreme court of ju pc Colony ia held 



within the town under the presidency of a chief justice and two puisne 

 judges; there are besides a magistrates' court and a police office, 

 having a judge and superintendent and a deputy. An observatory 

 has been established about 2 milea north from Cape Town under the 

 control of the Lords of the Admiralty. An iron building has lately 

 been erected to serve OH a dgpOt for cools, to supply the steam-vessels 

 which touch at the cope on uiuir route to Australia. 



plain which surrounda Table Mountain is composed of blue 

 schist, interrupted by masses of blue flinty rock, and resting upon a 

 tenacious clay impregnated with iron. After ascending 800 feet 

 the mountain apj>ears to be nearly a solid mass of granite, charac- 

 terised by large crystals of feUpar, and containing, besides quartz and 

 mica, occasional mawos of hornblende. After ascending 900 feet 

 higher the granite in mil-mounted by thin horizontal strata of red 

 mndttniui for near 200 feet ; then succeeds a more indurated sand- 

 stone, quite white, and containing imbedded in it pieces of quartz 

 from the size of a pea to that of an apple ; this formation continue* 

 to the summit of the mountain, which u 3567 feet above the sea. 



CAPK VKKD I .lus), were so called by the 



Portuguese because the sea to the went of them is covered with Gulf- 

 weed, so a* to present some resemblance to extensive meadows. This 

 group of islands a about 300 miles from the western shore of Africa, 

 between 14 17' and 17 19' N. lat, and between 22 10' and 26 10' 



