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TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION ©, 
VHURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 
Joint Meeting with Section E. 
The following Papers were read :— 
1. The Physical Geography of Cape Colony. By H.C, Scununxe-Houtway. 
To describe the physical geography of the Cape Colony in its relation to 
economic facts would be too great an undertaking, The writer therefore included 
only a few notes on the economic conditions, 
The South African tableland occupies the greater part of the Cape Colony. 
We may divide the Colony into two parts—the Orange River Region and 
the Coast belt. The Coast belt, again, may be conveniently divided into (a) the 
Eastern Region; (4) the South-western Region, which very nearly coincides with 
the folded belt ; (c) the Lower Karroo: (d) the North-west Coast Region. The 
watershed dividing the Coast belt from the Orange River basin is, for nearly 
three fourths of its length, over 4,000 feet above sea-level, The principal feature 
of the watershed is the main range of the Drakensbergen. The Eastern Region 
rises in two terraces of 1,500 to 2,000 feet and 4,000 to 4,500 feet altitude. The 
rate of denudation in this part has been comparatively slow on account of the 
presence of intrusive rocks, The South-western Region is totally different in its 
physical structure from the Eastern Region. It is a mountainous district, with 
ranges running more or less parallel to the coast. The rivers flow in longitudinal 
valleys between the ranges, and find their way seaward by deeply cut transverse 
gorges. The rivers of the Eastern and South-western Regions are all perennial 
streams. The best agricultural land is found in these regions. The remaining 
parts of the colony, with the exception of a fringe of land on their eastern side, 
belong to the desert region of South Africa, but offer much suitable land for 
pastoral purposes. The South-western and Eastern Regions have the greatest 
rainfall: the former gets its rains in winter, the latter in summer. Both these 
regions are also the most densely populated parts of the colony, and show the 
greatest percentage of cultivated land. it is, however, evident that the dominant 
occupation in the Cape Colony is stock-farming. In the South-western and 
Eastern Regions combined there are thirty districts which do not produce enough 
cereals for their own wants, although these regions are the chief agricultural areas 
of the colony. The richest districts are Paarl, Stellenbosch, Murraysburg, Victoria 
West, Barkly East. Taking into account the return from all sources, the Kim- 
berley district is the richest of the Cape Colony. 
2. Glacial Periods in South Africa. By A. W. Rocurs, M.A, 
3. Changes of Climate as shown by Movements of the Snow-line and 
Upper Tree-limit since Tertiary Times.’ By Professor A. PENxcx. 
4, The Sculpture of Mountains by Glaciers. 
By Professor W. M. Davis, 
One method of determining whether glaciated mountains have been signi- 
ficantly eroded by the glaciers that once occupied them is as follows. ‘I'wo 
alternative suppositions may be made: (1) glaciers can erode, (2) glaciers cannot 
erode. Ifthe latter supposition be correct, tten mountains shown to have been 
' To he published in fyll in the Geographical Journal, 
