As regards minerals, the diamond fields are in Griqualand (q.v.), till recently beyond the limits of the colony, and in the free state. In 1874, the lieutenant of West Griqua laud issued an order for the better management of diggings and mines of precious stones and minerals, in which he requires that miners shall have a certificate, dealers a_ license, and the mines be under official inspection. This ordinance created a great out cry against it by a great body of dealers, but it seems necessary that such protection should shield the weak and the dealer who wishes to trade according to recognized law. Gold is confidently reported to have been found in the Transvaal iu payable quantities; but the only mineral within the colony which has greatly added to its wealth is the rich copper ore found in Namaqualand.
There is in the colony almost a total want of navigable rivers, but the system of rail ways is rapidly extending. Already the copper mines are connected with Port Nolloth; the line which connected Cape Town with Wellington has been carried forward to Worcester. When completed, it will be a trunk line extending from one end of the colony to the other. Another line has been begun at Port Elizabeth, iu order that it. may pierce the gaps in the mountain regions, and open up the way to the country behind them. A line is projected from East London with a similar view. The ship ping at Cape Town is now secure by a breakwater and docks. The same cannot be said of Port Elizabeth, East London, and the Bowie; but measures are being taken which, it is hoped, will result in making these also safe from the fierce s.e. winds.
This splendid country is at present occupied by an assemblage of very varied races. The Portuguese were the first Europeans who landed here. The Dutch are probably still the most numerous, notwithstanding the exodus to the Orange river free state, prompted by the slave question. Next in number are the English, by whom some parts: of the country, particularly in the e., are occupied almost exclusively. The French are also largely represented, many refugees having settled in it subsequently to the revocation of the edict of Nantes, but they are now nearly absorbed in the Dutch population. They were at first located principally in the w., where they introduced the culture of the vine, but their names are now found in almost every part of the laud. There is also a considerable importation of Germans, who have been settled on the frontiers adjoining the Kaffirs for defensive purposes. As regards the colored inhabit ants, large numbers of Kaffirs have been retained in the districts which they formerly occupied, and others have conic into the country as shepherds and servants. There is.
a large number of people of Malay origin in and around Cape Town, and in'towns on the e. coast, who gain a livelihood as fishermen, porters, and the more laborious sorts. of skilled labor. There are a few Mozambiqueres and Hottentots, besides a number of half-castes, to whom the name of Africander properly belongs The constitution of the country, after several changes, was fixed in its present form, by an act passed by the colonial legislature in 1872, which provides for responsible gov ernment. There are two elective chambers, the upper house, consisting of 21 members, 11 of whom represent the western province as one constituency, and 10 the eastern. They are presided over by the lord chief-justice. To the lower house, or house of assembly, two representatives are appointed by each division of the colony, with the exception of the Cape district, which, as being more populous, returns four. They amount in all to 68, and are presided over by a speaker of their own choice. The 16 electoral divisions into which the western and eastern provinces are each divided, are again subdivided for magisterial and fiscal purposes. The governor carries on the administration along with a ministry of 5 anembers—the colonial secretary, the attorney-general, the treasurer-general, the commissioner of crown lands and public works, the secretary for native affairs. The supreme court, which has its sittings in Cape Town, has two judges beside the lord chief-justice. Another court holds its sittings in Graham's Town, in which there are two judges only, but there lies an appeal to the supreme court. In other parts of the colony, justice is administered by the judges going on circuit. A colonial university has recently been founded.
Wool is the staple product of the colony; ostrich farming and the culture of the vine are carried on. The following tables show the exports and imports of the colony for recent years: Imports. Exports.
1870 £2,352,043 £2,453,768 1874 5,725,412 4,468,747 1877 5,158,348 3,634,073 The Cape Colony is not exceptional in showing a decline in imports and exports in 1877; but the insecurity• caused by the troubles ending in the Zulu war of 1879 has told against the prosperity of the colony. The official tables include in the returns of ''revenue also the loans raised by the government; the increase since 1873 is accordingly not to be regarded as normal.
Revenue. Expenditure.
1870 £831,211 £795,695 1873 2,078,220 2,159,658 1875.... 2,246,179 2,272,275 1S77 2,631,602 3,428,392