122 



CAPE COLONY AND SOUTH AFRICA. 



was taken over by the Cape Government. The 

 Government gave considerable attention to the 

 subject of immigration, studying specially the 

 methods pursued in the United States. The 

 question of regulating the influx of Asiatics also 

 engaged its attention. The restriction of the 

 franchise recently enacted called forth a protest 

 from the Malays, who sent a petition signed with 

 10,000 names to the Imperial Government re- 

 questing the Queen to veto the act. 



Natal. The Constitution granted to the colo- 

 ny of Natal in 1856, when it was set apart from 

 the territory of Cape Colony, was modified in 

 1875 and 1879 by the introduction of the repre- 

 sentative system of government, under which 

 the Governor is assisted by an Executive Council 

 and a Legislative Council. The former is com- 

 posed of the chief justice, the officer command- 

 ing the troops, the colonial treasurer, the attor- 

 ney-general, the secretary for native affairs, 

 and 2 members of the Legislative Council selected 

 by the Governor. To these the manager of the 

 state railroads and the colonial engineer have 

 since been added. The Legislative Council origi- 

 nally consisted of 13 appointed and 15 elected 

 members. Under the acts of 1883 and 1889 the 

 number of members was increased to 31, of 

 whom only 7 are nominated. Sir Charles 

 Mitchell was succeeded as Governor in July, 

 1893, by Sir Walter Hely-Hutchinson, Governor 

 of the Windward Islands since 1889, and before 

 that of Barbadoes, Malta, and Fiji. 



Area and Population. The area of the 

 colony is estimated at 20,460 square miles. The 

 population in 1891 was 543,913. The number 

 of Europeans had increased since 1879 from 22,- 

 654 to 46,788, the East Indians from 16,999 to 

 41,142, and the native population from 319,934 

 to 455,983. Durban, the capital, has a population 

 of 25,512. Since 1879 there have been 7,197 im- 

 migrants brought from Europe, whose passages 

 were paid in part or altogether by the Govern- 

 ment. The number of assisted immigrants in 



1891 was 581. 



Commerce. The total value of the im- 

 ports by sea in 1891 was 3,335.831 ; of the ex- 

 ports, 1,371,240. Over 75 per cent, of the trade 

 is with Great Britain. The export of Angora 

 hair in 1891 was 526,854 pounds ; of hides and 

 skins, 808,825; of wool, 27,688,314 pounds; of 

 raw sugar, 36,846 hundredweight ; of rum and 

 spirits, 85,605 gallons ; of coal, 30,358 tons. The 

 total value of native produce exported was 

 970,650. For the year ending June 30, 1892, 

 the total value of the imports was 3,690,734. 

 The exports, exclusive of those in transit, were 

 valued at 1,184,118. Of the total area of the 

 colony, 8,250.000 acres have been granted to Eu- 

 ropeans, besides 750,000 acres sold on deferred 

 payments and 700,000 acres held on pastoral 

 leases, while 2,250,000 acres are reserved for the 

 natives, and 1,000,000 acres remain unalienated. 

 The area cultivated by the Europeans in 1892 

 was 102,678 acres. The product of sugar in 



1892 was 26,111 tons, a considerable increase 

 over that of the preceding year. Most of the 

 sugar manufactured is consumed in the colony 

 or sent across the inland borders. There were 

 1,368 acres planted to tea, the cultivation of 

 which has been recently introduced. The yield 

 of tea in 1892 was 341,380 pounds. Coal, bark, 



and fresh fruit figure with tea among the com- 

 paratively new exports. Wheat, maize, and 

 other cereals and green crops are largely culti- 

 vated. The natives had 294,339 acres under cul- 

 tivation in 1892. During 1891-'92 there were 

 120,000 tons of coal raised, of which one half 

 was exported. The coal compares favorably in 

 quality with the best that is imported from 

 England, and the demand for export has led to 

 the opening of new collieries. The iron deposits 

 in the colony are also beginning to attract no- 

 tice. Sheep farming has increased in spite of 

 the low price of wool, on account of which the 

 farmers stored much of their wool in 1892, in- 

 stead of exporting it. Gold is mined in small 

 quantities. Leather and woolen manufactures 

 have recently been established. The Acacia 

 moUissima, which yields a valuable tan bark, 

 and other useful trees are being extensively 

 planted. 



Finances. The revenue of the Government 

 for 1891 was 1,336,112, of which 673,090 were 

 derived from railroads, 291,257 from customs, 

 19,518 from excise, 45,024 from sales of pub- 

 lic lands, 44,614 from the post-office, 15,122 

 from telegraphs, 23,223 from stamps and 

 license fees, and 77,936 from the native hut tax. 

 The total expenditure was 1,361,387, the chief 

 items being 653,435 for the railroads, 91,118 

 for public works, 32.994 for education, 70,649 

 for defense. The permanent expenditure from 

 loans for the year was 904,184. For the 'year 

 1891-'92 the revenue was 1,392,455, and the or- 

 dinary expenditure 1,280,965. The amount of 

 the public debt on June 30, 1892, was 7,170,354. 

 The expenditure for the maintenance of the 

 military force of 739 officers and men in 1891 

 was 64,534, two thirds of which the Imperial 

 Government paid. 



Responsible Government. After legisla- 

 tive deliberations and discussions with the Brit- 

 ish Colonial Office extending over several years, 

 the Natal Legislative Council on May 11, 1893, 

 passed a bill to establish responsible govern- 

 ment. The new Constitution was proclaimed by 

 Sir Charles Mitchell, the Governor, on July 4, 

 when the Legislative Council was prorogued. 

 The question of responsible government was de- 

 cided after a sharp and prolonged electoral con- 

 test by the election of two members in its favor 

 in the constituency of Newcastle in February, 

 giving a majority of 4 in the Legislative Coun- 

 cil. The general election held in September, 

 1892, had given the same majority to the oppo- 

 nents of the measure ; but the elections in two 

 districts had been annulled, and on the final vote 

 they were reversed. The home Government had 

 insisted that full responsibility for the defense 

 of the colony should rest with the natives. The 

 Governor is to act also as paramount chief of 

 the natives, and remains Governor of Zululand. 

 The Legislative Council on June 23 passed a 

 resolution condemning the decision of the Im- 

 perial Government to restore the banished Zulu 

 chiefs before the expiration of their sentences, as 

 likely to lead to a renewal of disturbances and 

 bloodshed and produce a bad effect upon the 

 natives in Natal. 



British South Africa Company. The 

 British South Africa Company, having a capital 

 of 1,000,000, obtained by a royal charter grant- 



