Cape Town

the capital of Cape of Good Hope. It is situated at the foot of Table Mountain, about thirty miles from the tip of the cape, and fronts Table Bay, opening upon the Atlantic westward. The town was well laid out originally by the Dutch, who still form over half of the white population. Travelers are interested in Table Mountain, the Cape Astronomical Observatory, and a botanic garden of fourteen acres. The city is well built. There are many fine churches. The most prominent is the Roman Catholic cathedral. The capitol is a commanding edifice of recent construction. Cape Town is the educational and commercial center of South Africa. The harbor is protected by a breakwater nearly a mile long. There are two large docks affording opportunity to repair ships and to scrape off barnacles. The Great Western Railway, the first link in the Cape to Cairo route, runs north from Cape Town. The population in 1904 was 77,668.