The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-30
LATEST TERRITORIAL AC-
QUESTION.
IN. Y. Wor,d.l

The territory which has now been
united to the Empire Is equal in area to
a second-rate Continental State; 1t con-
tains III, 600 square miles. according to
the official statistics, but Its boundaries
on every side except the south are In a
very indeterminate condition. The
white population is reckoned by Presi-
dent Burgers to be $1,000. OF whom
more than half are Beers, but this is
probably a great exaggeration. The
German missionaries, who have con-
tributed some interesting information
on the. subject to geographical publica-
tions In Germany, estimate the white
population at 5000 or 10000 souls, and
the natives at from quarter to half q
million.
The gold fields. mainly Lydenburg,
have attracted q great many adventur-
ers from the neighboring British col
onies, and in the towns what little trade
exists is In the hands Of British subjects.
The Beers have done little to develop
the splendid natural resources Of the
country. Agriculture is in very back
ward condition, for the Dutch take more
willingly to purely pastoral life. The
mineral wealth of the country has
scarcely been touched; coal of
excellent quality has been dis
COyQAQA III tAC luOuAuBlA AlDbAiSl
which divides the head-waters OF the
Orange river from those Of the
Limpopo. Copper and lead, zinc,
graphite, nickel and cobalt have also
been discovered, and in q few places
have been worked. But the gold fields
have hitherto monopolized all the en-
terprise that has been turned towards
the Transvaal. The trade In ostrich
feathers is lucrative and increasing, but
cattle breeding is the staple industry OF
the country. There is some expectation
also OF wool, butter, ivory, leather and
tobacco; but the entire commerce In
| wards and outwards OF the Transvaal
has probably never reached a quarter OF
million sterling per annum.
The finances OF the republic had lately
fallen into terrible disorder, and the ex-
haustion Of the treasury is 80 complete
government offices and OF the police has
been, since the beginning Of the year,
an impossibility. In 1872 the public in.
come was G36, 900, and the expenditure
a little less. The public debt was then
only EGO, 900, secured by q mortgage oi
State lands; but the Transvaal has since
borrowed heavily, especially In Belgium
and Holland. President Burgers came
to Europe couple Of weeks ago tc
raise loan OF OO,OOU, O6tenSlpll
for the construction Of a railway tx
IDelagoa Bay; he actually raiset
100000, but no account has beer
published OF the manner in which
this sum was expended. It is onl!
certain that the railway has no
been begun. The Portuguese govern
ment have granted the Transvaal free
dom Of trade with Delagoa Bay, but th
district between the Transvaal frontie
and the coast Is rendered almost i'm
passable for wagons by the presence Q
the tsetse fly, SO fatal to draught cattl
of every kind. III railway communica
tion with the sea we're established, W
might expect a rapid development Q
the natural wealth Of the Transvaal
At present communication either will
Natal or with the Cape Colony is i'm
peded by the difficulty of transport
which the Beers, always jealous Of for
eign intrusion, have not been anxious t.
remove.