Transvaal

Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)

a British colony of South Africa. The name is Dutch for "across the Vaal," the Vaal being a branch of the Orange river. The Transvaal was settled by Boers who trekked northward from Cape Colony, 1836-37. In 1902 the British government "deemed it wise" to assume the administration, etc. The colony, as at present constituted, is of irregular shape. It extends from the Vaal river to the Limpopo, and is cut off from the Indian Ocean by the Portuguese possessions. The surface is, in general, an elevated plateau from 3,500 to 5,000 feet above sea level. The Drakenberg Mountains rise to an altitude of 8,725 feet. The basic rocks are granite and slate overlaid with sandstone and, later, slates and conglomerates. The Transvaal is rich in mines. Mining is accordingly the chief occupation. The annual output of coal is about 1,500,000 tons; gold and silver to the value of $50,000,000 are exported yearly. Diamonds are washed to the value of from $4,000,000 to $12,000,000 a year. There are mines of copper, tin, lead, and antimony, and quarries of valuable building stone. Asbestos is found, brick are burned, and excellent lime is obtained from the limestone. The climate is semi-arid. Wild beasts have been exterminated in the settled sections. Stock raising outranks agriculture. The farmers possess 1,000,000 sheep, half as many cattle, and over 50,000 horses. Swine prosper. Ostriches are reared for feathers. Only about 50,000 acres are under plow. The area of the Transvaal is 111,196 square miles. The population in 1904 was reported at 1,347,227 of whom over a million were natives, Kaffirs, Basutos, Bechuanas, etc. Some 31,000 Chinese, brought in at an early day to build railroads and work mines, have been sent home. The government feels that the colored problem is quite sufficient without the further admission of Asiatics. Pretoria, the capital, has a population of 36,700; Johannesburg, the largest city, 158,000. The colony is administered by a governor appointed by the British crown and a legislature of two houses. The Europeans are largely Protestant. Ninety percent of the natives are primitive heathen. There are 614 schools for white children and ten for colored. Although the Boers are the predominant whites, English is the official language of the school. There is a police force consisting of 2,000 white officers and 1,200 natives. The yearly exports are valued at $150,000,000; imports $75,000,000. The annual colonial expenditure is about $23,125,000. There are some 450 postoffices with a complete system of postal savings banks . The telephone and telegraph lines in the Transvaal are owned by the public. See Boer; Cape To Cairo Railway ; Antelope ; Ostrich ; Diamond ; Cape Colony