30 Personal Impressions of the Transvaal. 



and at best what we would call villages, but as such they look 

 large in the estimation of the population unused to anything 

 greater. Places like Colesberg and De Aar, lately come into 

 prominence, are very small. The other important seaports of 

 Cape Colony are Port Eilzabeth and East London. Some of 

 the finest buildings in South Africa are in Capetown, which is 

 so much in advance of Belfast that it possesses an electric tram 

 service. Simonstown is the British Naval station for the Cape 

 and it was here that the naval brigade, which had won so much 

 fame for itself in recent battles had been organised, and it was 

 here that the bulk of the Boer prisoners were detained. 



There are two ways to choose from for the traveller on his 

 way to Johannesburg, one is by train direct from Capetown a 

 hot and weary journey of 62 hours, and the other way via 

 Natal, first by sea and then by rail, which is preferable to the 

 long train journey from Capetown, bi.t which gives travellers a 

 good chance of seeing Cape Colony scenery. The greater part 

 of Cane Colony consists of Karoo. Any one seeing it for the 

 first time would imagine himself to be in a desert and the very 

 look of the place would drive a County Down Farmer to 

 madness, and yet vast herds of cattle and flocks of sheep manage 

 to exist there. Port Elizabeth is the most English town in 

 the colony. Its chief export is wool. One remarkable feature 

 of Cape Colony scenery is the want of trees. What trees did 

 grow are not more than 20 feet high except the blue gum 

 tree which has been brought from Australia, and which reaches 

 a good height, and which are always planted near the farm 

 house for the shade. Almost all South African trees bear 

 flowers. 



Natal was first settled in 1820, and differs considerably from 

 Cape Colony as it is more fertile and is called the " Garden 

 Colony " in consequence. The Natal natives are for the greater 

 part of the Zulu stock ; they live in Kraals and are governed by 

 their own chiefs. The Colony of Natal is essentially British, 

 much more so than Cape Colony. Natal slopes upwards from 

 the coast to the great Central African tableland at a rapid 



