THE 



NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Vol. XI MARCH, 1900 No. 



BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA AND THE TRANSVAAL 



By F. F. HiLDER, 



Bureau of American Ethnology 



To one approaching the coast of South Africa in the neighborhood 

 of Table Bay from the west, the first object which strikes the eye is 

 the great mass of Table Mountain looming up above the lower foot- 

 hills of the coast. Passing Robben Island, the ship enters Table Bay, 

 a magnificent harbor, protected b}'^ nature from all but northwest 

 winds. A splendid system of breakwater and docks now affords safety 

 to shipping at all seasons. 



Round the base of the mountain lie the suburbs Rondebosch, 

 Claremont, Wynberg, and Constantia, which are surrounded with 

 luxuriant vegetation, including oaks, firs, shrubs of many"^ kinds, 

 flowers, and vineyards which produce excellent wine. Cape "Town 

 lies between the foot of Table Mountain and the bay ; it is the capital 

 of the colony, the residence of the governor, and the seat of the legis- 

 lature. The population, numbering about 70,000, is composed of 

 many races, those of Dutch and English descent being most numer- 

 ous ; but there are also Americans and representatives of nearly every 

 country in Europe. Tlie laboring population comprises the descend- 

 ants of negro slaves, Hottentots, Kafirs, and Malays. 



The Cape of Good Hope from the time of its discovery by Barth9lo- 

 meu Dias, the Portuguese navigator, in 1486, until 1652 was a place of 

 call for ships of all nations. In that year the Dutch East India Com- 

 pany sent Jan Van Riebeck with a small force and a party of col- 

 onists to form a settlement there and hold it as a Dutch colon3\ The 

 home authority, however, was not the government of Holland, l)ut 

 the directors of the Dutch East India Company at Amsterdam. The 

 Dutch found tlie country inhabited by a native tribe who called 



