Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/200

CAPE COLONY. 164 CAPE COLONY. were formerly common and abundantly repre- sented in that country have either entirely dis- appeared or are of rare ofeurrcnce. Among these may be mentioned the rhinoceros and tlie giraffe, wliile the lion and the elephant are fcmnd only in the eastern parts of the colony. The hippopot- anms is still met with in the Orange and in some other rivers. The various species of the antelope family, as well as jackals, hyenas, and monkeys, are still abundant. Among the birds, the most important is the ostrich, which is cpiite domes- ticated and furnishes large quantities nf feathers, forming one of the staples of the colony. Geology. In their geological formation, the mountain ranges of Cape Colony are almost of a uniform character, the base being composed in most cases of granite and covered with quartzose sandstone, in some cases to a thickness of 1500 to 2000 feet. Some of the ranges, such as the Stormberg, still show some signs of comparative- ly recent volcanic action. The surface of the Karroo is generally composed of sand and clay, with a stratum of blue slaty rock underneath, which keeps it from drying up entirely during the rainless season. Mineral Resoibces. The mining industry is of the utmost importance, and Cape Colony is the greatest diamond-producing country in the world. The diamond-fields are almost exclusively situated in Griqualand West, and the mining of diamonds has readied a very high degree of development of late, the annual export amount- ing to over .$20,000,000. It is estimated that from 1867 to 1000 diamonds of the value of over $465,000,000 were exported. The first dis- covery of diamonds was made in the Hopetown district in 1867, and by 1870 there were about 10,000 men digging for diamonds along the Vaal Kiver. In the same year the 'dry diggings' were discovered between the Vaal and the Modder rivers, which was soon followed by still richer discoveries in the same vicinity and by the foun- dation of Kimberlej', which has since become one of the most important towns in the colony. The mining of diamonds, which was at first largely carried on by individual diggers, has since been concentrated in the hands of a powerful com- pany which controls the entire output of the Kimberley diamond-fields, and. consequently, by far the largest part of the world's output of diamonds. The copper-mines are mostly located in Namaqualand, and the ore found is of a very rich kind, yielding a percentage of from .32 to .30, but the outj>iit is comparatively small. The same may be said of coal, which occurs almost everywhere, but is principally mined in the Stormberg mountain range and is used by the State railways. Gold, iron. lead, and salt have 1)een found in small quantities in the Knysna district, at the southern end of the colony. Out- side of mining, the industries of the colony are as yet of very little importance and are chiefly confined to the production of beer, tobacco, leather, and flour. AcRiciLTrBE. Both by the quality of its soil and its climatic conditions. Cape Colony is better adapted for grazing than for the raising of grain. Wheat, oats, barley, corn, and other grains are raised in quantities hardly siiflicient to meet the domestic demand. The rearing of cattle, sheep, and goats is carried on very extensively, many of the sheep-farms ranging in size from 3000 to 15,000 acres. In 180!) the live stock of the colony comprised nearly 1,100,000 head of cattle, about .390,000 horses, over 90.000 mules and asses, over 1.2(;0,000 sheep, nearly 5,600.000 An- gora and other goats, and over 260,000 ostriches. Tr. spobt.tiox and Communication. Owing to the deficiency of navigable waterways, the transportation problem very early attracted the attention of the colonial administration, with the result that in regard to transportation facilities Cape Colony may compare favorably with many of the British colonics and some parts of Kurope. The roads have a total length of over 8000 miles, and the railway lines (December 31, 1000) of nearly 3000 miles. The first railway line was constructed in 1859, 58 miles long, connecting Cape Town with Wellington. The main object was to connect the most important ports with the interior, and lines were started from East Lon- don, Port Klizabeth, and Cape Town in a north- ern direction. The opening of the diamond-fields of the colony and the gold-fields of the Transvaal gave a new impetus to railway-building. Cape Town has been connected with Kimberley since 1885 and with Johannesburg since 1892. In 1894 the Cape Town line was extended to Mafeking, and since then through Bechuanaland and Jlata- beleland as far as Salisbury in Rhodesia. Of the total mileage in operation at the end of 1900 the Government operated nearly 2100 miles of its own lines and about 600 miles owned by private companies. The total cost of the Slate lines up to the end of 1900 was nearly $106,400,000. The telegraph lines, owned by the Government, had a total length of about 7500 miles. Commerce. The commerce is very extensive in proportion to the population of the country, and shows a consider.able development during the last decade. The imports (including specie) rose from about $46,000,000 in 1890 to over $93,500,- 000, while the exports show an increase from al)out $81,000,000 to over $115,000,000. While the imports were not afTected at all during the first year of the South African War (1899). the exports were diminished by over 70 per cent. The principal imports are textiles, leather, food-stuffs, explosives, hardware, and machinery. The"- ^.urls consist chiefly of gold, diamonds, wool, ^strich feathers, hair, and hides. Over one-half of the imports come from Great Britain, and nearly the entire amount of exports goes there. The trade with the United States has increased considerably of late. According to official figures products of the United States were imported into Cape Col- ony in 1899 to the value of over $10,000,000, mostly food-stufTs, agricultural implements, and machinery. The exports from Cape Colony to the United States are insignificant. The inward shipping of the colony for 1900 annnintcd to nearly 5,000,000 tons, mostly in British vessels. Government. During the first thirty years of the British occupation (1806-35) the colony was administered entirely from London. In 1835 a legislative council was established consisting of si.x olficials and six nominees of the (^rown. The intniduclion of Parliamentary institutions was accomplished in 1854, and it is only since 1872 that the colony has enjoyed a responsible gov- ernment similar in all essentials to that of the mother country. At the head of the administra- tion is the Governor, who is also High Commis- sioner for the British possessions in South Africa. He is appointed by the Crown and as- sisted by a responsible Cabinet, The Parliament