CAPE TOWN, Africa, capital of the prov ince of the Cape of Good Hope in the Union of South Africa and the seat of the legislature under the Union, is situated in the midst of striking scenery, rather more than 30 miles from the Cape of Good Hope, at the head of Table Bay, which opens into the Atlantic on the northwest, and at the foot of Table Moun tain. It was founded by Johann van Riebeck in 1652, on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. It is regularly laid out and has some good streets, with well-built business premises and other buildings, and is furnished with most of the institutions and conveniences of a European town (incloding tramways). The electric lighting and water supply are in the hands of the corporation. The finest edi fice is that which accommodates the legisla ture, a handsome structure of modern erec tion; another good edifice is that containing the public library (40,000 volumes) and mu seum built in the Roman-Corinthian style. The Standard Bank of South Africa occupies hand some premises. Other buildings are the gov ernment house, the courts and government of fices, the town house, the gallery of fine arts, the railway station, the post-office, the exchange, etc. The best ecclesiastical building is the Roman Catholic cathedral ; there is also an English Episcopal cathedral and Dutch, Pres byterian, Lutheran, Independent and Methodist churches. There is a well-equipped college,
the South African College, which trains stu dents for the degrees of the Cape University, which is merely an examining body. There are beautiful botanic or government gardens in the town, occupying 14 acres and forming a fine promenade. The Cape Observatory is a cele brated institution supported by Imperial funds. The port has been provided with an extensive breakwater inside of which ships can safely ride at anchor protected from the northwest gales; and there are two docks 16 acres in area,. an outer harbor of 62 acres, a large graving dock, etc. The net tonnage cleared in 1912 was 3,979,527 tons. The population is very mixed, a large number consisting of colored people of negro or other African descent. In 1913 a number of contiguous municipalities were incorporated within the boundaries of Cape Town, the population of which was then composed of 81,600 Europeans and 73,623 col ored persons and the valuation nearly $110, 000,000.