

SOUTH AFRICA. 



635 



The Boer generals Louis Botha, Christian de Wet, 

 Delarey, and Lucas Meyer went to Europe soon 

 after the peace, visited Paul Kruger, Dr. Leyds, 

 and the Boer delegates Wolraarans, Fischer, and 

 Wessels. They had a conference with Mr. Cham- 

 berlain and endeavored to secure from the British 

 Government an allowance or annual grant for 

 the support of widows and orphans of burghers 

 and maimed burghers unable to work; also the 

 equality -guaranteed in the peace convention of 

 the Dutch and English languages in schools and 

 law courts; the restoration of farms confiscated 

 and sold under the proclamation of Aug. 7, 1901, 

 the repatriation of all the proscribed leaders, 

 amnesty for British subjects who fought with 

 the Boers, pardon for persons convicted of acts 

 committed in connection with the war, the rein- 

 statement of officials of the republics or compen- 

 sation for loss of office, compensation of private 

 persons for property seized or destroyed by Brit- 

 ish troops, and for use of properties taken pos- 

 session of, the reconsideration of the decision to 

 annex Transvaal territories to Natal, and the 

 recognition as lawful obligations of the debts in- 

 curred by the republics during as well as before 

 the war. The Colonial Secretary declined to re- 

 open any question settled in the treaty. The 

 generals visited other countries and appealed to 

 the public of the Continent of Europe and of the 

 United States to assist the widows and orphans 

 of fallen Boers. 



Cape Colony. The colony of the Cape of 

 Good Hope has responsible government. The 

 legislative authority is vested in a Parliament 

 consisting of a Legislative Council of 23 members 

 elected for seven years and a Legislative Assem- 

 bly of 95 members elected for five years by the 

 registered electors, who must be able to write 

 their names, and occupations and are qualified by 

 the occupation of a house worth 75 or the re- 

 ceipt of a salary of 50. Speeches in Parliament 

 may be made in either English or Dutch. The 

 Governor of Cape Colony is Sir Walter F. Hely- 

 Hutchinson. The Cabinet at the beginning of 

 1902 was composed as follows: Prime Minister 

 and Treasurer, Sir Gordon Sprigg; Colonial Sec- 

 retary, T. L. Graham; Attorney-General, Sir J. 

 Rose-Innes; Commissioner for Public Works, Dr. 

 J. W. Smartt ; Secretary for Agriculture, Sir Pieter 

 Faure; without portfolio, J. Frost. The appoint- 

 ment of Sir J. Rose-Innes as Chief Justice of the 

 Transvaal necessitated changes in the Cabinet. 

 Mr. Graham on Feb. 19, 1902, became Attorney- 

 General, and Mr. Douglass succeeded the latter as 

 Colonial Secretary. 



The colony has an area of 221,311 square miles, 

 with 376.987 white and 1.150,237 colored inhabit- 

 ants at the last census. Of the white population, 

 27,667 are of English, 6,646 of Scottish, 4,184 of 

 Irish, and 6.540 of German birth, and over 325,000 

 were born in South Africa. The colored popula- 

 tion consists of Hottentots, Kafirs, Fingoes, Bech- 

 uanas, Malays, and mixed races. The number 

 of marriages in 1900 was 8,736. The births among 

 Europeans were 15,195 and deaths 8,480 in num- 

 ber; births among the rest of the population 

 37.376 and deaths 38,889. The number of arrivals 

 by sea was 29,848 and departures 21,163. The 

 total estimated population of the colony on Jan. 

 1, 1901, was 2.350,000. 



The revenue for the year ending June 30, 1900, 

 was 6,565,752, of which 2,495.925 came from 

 taxation, 3,466,002 from railroad and other 

 services. 236,011 from the colonial estate. 128,- 

 336 from fines, stores issued, etc., 128,376 from 

 loans. The total expenditure was 7.773,230, of 

 which 1,415,685 were for the public debt, 



2,017,424 for railroads, 223,429 for defense, 

 564,395 for police and prisons, 191,347 for civil 

 establishments, 1,087,100 out of loans. 



The debt of the colony on Jan. 1, 1900, amount- 

 ed to 31,409,755, including 3,525,677 raised 

 by harbor boards with a Government guarantee. 



The revenue of the divisional councils in 1900 

 amounted to 187,493, and expenditure to K,S.- 

 901; debts, 36,440. The revenue of municipal- 

 ities footed up 942,317, and expenditures 922,- 

 992; debts, 2,396,105. 



Cape Colony in the year ending May 31, 1809, 

 produced 2,220,847 bushels of wheat, 1,810,611 

 bushels of oats, 830,730 bushels of barley, 2,857,- 

 809 bushels of mealies, 2,000,000 bushels of Kafir 

 corn, 304,491 bushels of barley, 4,826,432 gallons 

 of wine, 1,107,344 gallons of brandy, 35,179,900 

 pounds of wool, 6,707,379 pounds of mohair, 

 278,167 pounds of ostrich-feathers. The live 

 stock consisted of 387,824 horses, 90,379 mules 

 and asses, 1,263,992 sheep, 5,572,793 goats, 245,- 

 947 hogs, and 260,672 ostriches. 



The total value of imports in 1900 was 19,- 

 678,336, of which 16,106,984 represent mer- 

 chandise. The exports of colonial produce were 

 valued at 7,042,358; total imports, 8,147,670. 

 The exports of diamonds were 3,433,832 in 

 value; of ostrich-feathers, 876,801; of wool, 

 837,809; of copper ore, 498,552; of Angora 

 hair, 389,905; of hides and skins, 346,800; of 

 gold from the Transvaal, 336,795 ; of wine, $29,- 

 541; of grain and meal, 14,472. The exports of 

 diamonds from 1867 amounted to 95,447,399. 

 The chief imports were food and drink of the 

 value of 5,584,600 and textile goods and cloth- 

 ing of the value of 4,301,331. The imports of 

 Cape wool into Great Britain in 1900 were 37,- 

 463,754 pounds, against 84,032,536 pounds in 1899. 

 Of the total value of imports in 1900 Great Brit- 

 ain sent 11,052,428, and received 6,854,175 of 

 the exports, British possessions furnished 2,477,- 

 692 of imports and took 238,047 of exports, for- 

 eign countries furnished 3,631,691 of imports 

 and took 554,460 of exports. 



The number of vessels entered from abroad 

 at the ports in 1900 was 1,555, of 4,803,456 tons; 

 cleared, 1,506, of 4,701,536 tons. Of those en- 

 tered 1,188, of 4,306,656 tons, were British, of 

 those cleared 1,165, of 4,232,057 tons. The num- 

 ber of coasting- vessels entered was 1,266, of 4,608,- 

 893 tons; cleared, 1,266, of 4,558,851 tons. 



The shipping registered in the colony consisted 

 on Jan. 1, 1901, of 5 sailing vessels, of 331 tons, 

 and 33 steamers, of 5,810 tons. 



The Government owned 2,089 miles of railroads 

 on Jan. 1, 1901, and operated 587 miles more 

 owned by companies, while 238 miles were owned 

 and operated by companies and 139 miles were 

 being built by companies with a Government sub- 

 sidy. The Government railroads cost 21,842,- 

 000, or 10,456 per mile. The gross earnings in 

 1900 were 3,520,537; expenses, 2,198,205; num- 

 ber of passengers carried, 13,640,414 in 1900; tons 

 of freight, 1,370.248. 



The number of letters that passed through the 

 post-office during 1900 was 31.112.004; newspa- 

 pers, 11,547.990: postal cards, 806.663: books and 

 samples, 2,750,050; parcels, 503,282; receipts for 

 the year, 342,431 ; expenses, 346,779. 



The telegraph-lines had a length of 7.467 miles 

 on Jan. 1. 1901, with 22,597 miles of wire. The 

 number of messages in 1900 was 3.562.039; re- 

 ceipts were 202,454, and expenses 205,986. 



In Cape Colony parliamentary government 

 was suspended during two-thirds of the period of 

 the war and for some time after its close, and 

 it was practically under military rule. Parlia- 



