Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-04-21
SOUTH AFRICA.
Its Great Fertility and Varied Resources
Capable Of Supporting 10000 of fnhab-
From the Chicago Tribune.

Capable of Supporting so, 600 of Imiab-
ItaHts
From the Chicago Tribune. ..
One of the lands opened TO settlement
on large scale is South Africa AL
! though it was colonized by the Dutch
in 1852 and held by them until 1896,
when the English seized it, it is only re-
Gently that its almost boundless capa-
bilities for the support Of human life
have been even suspected. In 1872, the
semi civilized country, exclusive of Ma
tai, covered about 200, 900 square miles
| It's population $50, 900, $50. ZOO of whom
were blacks. Natal, which was set off
from the rest of the settlement in 1856,
contains 10000 square miles and pop
ulation of 1900 white and 800, 200
| blacks. There has lately been some
trouble between the handful of whites
and the mass of semi-subjects, and Mr.
Froude, the eminent historian, was sent
| by the British Government to investi-
gate matters and things in general in
| that region He returned a short time
since. The London Times Of the 22d ult
contains an account OF a complimentary
dinner given Mr.. Foude two days previ-
ously, at which he gave an interesting
sketch Of the possible future of South
! Africa.
| He said he believed that :sboth for
climate and natural capabilities, the
country was unmatched IN any other
part OF the world It contains en-
ormous mineral wealth. The diamond
fields, unlike those Of Arizona, are nat
tral, not artificial, and rich There are
vast deposits of iron, of coal. and Of
copper, and s'nnmense gold fields,
which bid fair to rival those Of Califor-
MIA and Australia" The soil, he de-
clares, is amazingly fertile. The sur
veyor-general of Natal, very careful
observer, calculates that the rough,
wild grasses which are burnt over and
wasted every year would support cattle
which would serve as food for l2,OO0,-
900 people. Natal alone, If decently
cultivated" could probably support
10000 inhabitants The slow
growth of the country is due to the
presence Of two races on its soil. Civ
ilized white and savage black cannot
agree. The natives work only long
enough to buy wife, and then live by
the labor of these feminine slaves.
ANY surples profit is invested in fresh
stock of wives. The small cost Of
living causes an enormous increase III
| the population. The masses of blacks
are warlike and bloodthirsty They
| have guns and ammunition, and their
! fighting men are drilled in some cases
by renegade Europeans. The constant
danger of bloody warfare checks immi-
grafton and the development of the
country. - s..-
There can be no doubt, however, that
millions on millions of whites will, some
time in the future, occupy South Africa.
The more tractable blacks will be used
as laborers, servants. etc. The wilder
| tribes will be driven back towards the
equator. The process will be slow, for
the white vanguard will press against a
mass of blacks which, like an elastic,
| will resist more strongly the more it
yields. Still until this residence be-
comes too great, and until the north
ward movement reaches geographical
point where the heat is too intense for
the white man TO live, the blacks will
have to yield. There is a great field
| for colonization there. When a line of
| tracing posts unites the Egyptian and
| the English frontiers, the slave trade on
the eastern shore of Africa will be sup
pressed, and probably not till then. 1t
! is strange that this new world has lust
been opened up to civilization, when it's
outskirts have been held by Europeans
for more than two centuries