CHAPTER XXXIV.
A VIEW OF CAPE COLONY.
The original colony was settled by the Dutch as early as the middle of the seventeenth century. Near the beginning of the nineteenth century it passed into the hands of the British. The laws, customs, and names of places remained essentially Dutch, and the language spoken is, to a great extent, that of the first settlers.
The old colony comprised the section that occupies the most southern part of the continent of Africa, and borders the Atlantic and Indian Ocean on either side. Griqualand West has been so recently received into the family of Cape provinces that it is hardly as yet recognized as being included in the colony.
The physical features of the country are peculiar. Though intersected by many rivers, yet the Cape is, practically speaking, a dry country. None of the rivers are navigable, and the rainfall is scant and fitful over a large part of the colony.
Generally speaking, the climate of the country is temperate. In most of the hot valleys, however, the temperature is ovenlike in summer. We must not forget that the summer season at the Cape occurs during our winter. On the higher grounds the average temperature in the warmest months equals that of Italy. In winter the temperature often falls below the freezing point. Then the air is clear, fresh, and invigorating.
Fevers and epidemics—scourges of most of the sections of Africa—are here unknown. On the east coast and in the extreme south there is an abundant fall of rain. The province of Natal is especially fortunate in this respect.
In the interior of the colony there is less rainfall, while in the vicinity of the Orange River there are only a few light showers. It has been asserted that towards the mouth of the river there have been periods when no rain has fallen for many years.