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CAPE TOWN, FROM THE CAMP’S BAY ROAD. 
The Colony of the Cape of Good Hope was originally founded by the Dutch in 1652. In the year 1795 it 
was captured by the British arms under Sir James Craig, who became the first English governor. In 1802 it was 
restored to the Dutch at the peace of Amiens, and again taken by the British in 1806. In 1815 it was finally ceded 
to Great Britain by the King of the Netherlands. 
Cape Town, the metropolis of the colony, and now the City of Capetown, is most picturesquely situated on the 
shores of Table Bay, at the foot of the celebrated mountain of the same name, with the Lion’s Head to the westward. 
Nothing can exceed the beauty of the scenery in the environs of Cape Town. The bold, abrupt, rugged mountains, the 
fertile plains and gardens, and the deep blue waters of the Bay, with the white houses and busy shipping, constantly 
present charming pictures to the eye. The view given on the accompanying plate is taken from above the town, looking 
over Table Bay; to the right, across the Cape Flats, are seen the Tygerberg; and beyond, in the distance, the ranges 
of Drakenstein and the Hottentot Holland Mountains. 
The population of Cape Town is about 21,000, of which 15,000 are Christians, and the rest Mahommedans and other 
sects. The streets of the city are laid out at right angles, with great regularity, and the houses are mostly built in the 
old Dutch style, with trees planted here and there before them. Altogether, Cape Town may be considered as a thriving 
and flourishing place. It is the principal port of the western districts of the Colony, and, owing to the number of 
Indiamen and other vessels constantly calling in Table Bay for refreshments, during ten months of the year, it presents a 
gay and cheerful aspect. The spirit of improvement is rapidly going on, and roads, bridges, and other public advantages, 
are progressing throughout this important and interesting colony. 
