280 
VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA. 
bad, for I remember the remarks made upon the late Lord Randolph 
Churchill’s criticisms on food there. After having been feasted at 
Johannesburg he wrote, in one of his letters to the Daily Graphic, that 
“having ‘ dined,’ (?) he long’d for a quarter of an hour at the Amphitryon.” 
That has never been forgiven. I may say that the best food I had in 
South Africa was at the mess of that smart mountain battery at Maritz- 
burg where I had the pleasure of dining. 
Cooks in Natal are mostly Indians, for some reason termed coolies, which 
strikes one as quaint from an Indian point of view ; all natives of India, 
and Natal swarms with them, are known as coolies. 
The question of the hour in Natal is the endeavour to stop the influx 
from India. 
The scenery of Cape Town is certainly striking, for the magnificent 
rugged Table Mountain rises sheer for about 4,000 feet behind the town. 
The road around the Table Mountain compares, to my mind, very 
favourably with the Cornichy Road. I went round it on a bicycle, 
literally “dragged at beauty’s car,” for a tow-line from a Cape cart 
containing ‘ woman ! lovely woman ! ’ levelled the steep gradients. 
The forts at Cape Town are remarkably well placed and very strong. 
The armament consists of 9'2 inch guns on H.P. mountings, and I 
believe that a considerable number of additional guns, forming a medium 
armament, will shortly be in position. 
The garrison is considered by Africans generally to be very insufficient 
for the wants of the country. It consists of three companies of garrison 
artillery and about two and a half battalions of infantry. 
Apparently reliance is a great deal placed on the volunteers instead 
of on regulars. Any native risings which may occur, unless they 
happen to be in certain parts which are directly under the Imperial 
control, are tackled by volunteers, and if they fail then and then only 
will Imperial troops be called in. No troops have been employed for 
quelling the recent native risings in the colony. 
The volunteer question is one that is attracting considerable interest 
at the Cape at the present time; a commission has been travelling about 
the colony, and I trust that they have come to the conclusion that the 
volunteers are insufficient in numbers and wanting in equipment. 
For instance, consider the artillery. It would take about 800 
volunteers to man the forts at Cape Town, and as at the present moment 
the authorities can only lay their hands on 300 this reveals a deficiency 
of 500. 
With reference to the commission mentioned it is of interest to 
consider that, when the question of issuing arms to Dutch farmers was 
looked into, the Cape Dutchmen expressed willingness to fight against 
alien races and foreign interference only. 
The Houses of Assembly at Cape Town are worth noticing, because 
they are modelled on the Westminster Houses. Note that at the Cape 
the Dutch party rule the country. They have a considerably stronger 
position than had the Irish party in the last Government. That is due 
to the fact that small numbers of farmers scattered about the country 
have as much representation in Parliament as the dwellers in towns 
which are considerably populated. 
Having been present at the meetings for Mr. Rhodes, I am aware that 
the people in the towns can make a good deal of noise even if they 
cannot make laws. 
With a rapidly-increasing urban population, this Dutch strength will 
become weaker. 
