The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-05-20

mAIOh GhAAf. formed among
the managers. Hon. David PETER de
Villiers GRAF, mayor of Cape Town for
the third time, though but thirty-two
years old, also astonished the Chicagoese.
1t does seem a surprise to hear that
law and order, science and progress pre-
that there are long railroads, important
manufactures, great libraries and re-
nowned writers and scholars, as well as
fiourishing cities with all the modern
improvements. Nowhere on earth is
there more curious mixture of races.
On the same ostrich farm may be found
the English proprietor and family, the
Boer Dutch overseer, the Kafir laborer
and the Hottentot domestic servant, and
in the parliament Of Cape Colony Eng
fish and Dutch are heard in the debates,
while all the merchants, couriers and
other Intermediates know enough of
both languages for general business.
Cape Colony covers about 100000
square miles, two-thirds of the people
are of Dutch blood. the English come
next and many other races have their
representatives. Natal is more purely
English. The Orange Free State and
the Transvaal are two republics organ
lied by Dutch emigrants from Cape Col
ony. The great diamond mines and new
gold fields add their variety, and all
these regions will be well represented at
Chicago. Mayor GRAF was born at Vii
iersdorp in Cape Colony in 1860, and
represents family history of unusual
interest.
The De Villiers, of Rochelle, were of
one Of the Oldest families in France, and
when the war against the Professionals
began the parents told their four sons to
fly the country, in order that the family
might not be exterminated. Three COM
piled, and the very next day all the rest
of the family were killed and the man
sion burned. The fugitives reached
Holland. From one of them, Sir Henry
de Villiers, chief justice of Cape Colony,
is descended, and from another Mr..
Graaf. He was reared on his fathers
farm and educated at the college of
Cape Town, and by the constitution
known as the Afrikander Bond became a
citizen.
By this agreement, made in 1876, the
Dutch and English are equal citizens,
and both languages are used in the leg
islature. The white natives and resi-
dents of South Africa are known as At
rikanders, the word African conveying
to European ears suggestion of color.
Olive Schreiner has recently given the
reading world some very realistic pic
lures on the ostrich farms, and in the
Transvaal and Free State, and now Mr.,
Graaf tells us that the exports and i'm
ports at Cape Town exceed 800, 200, 900
in value yearly.
After being twice elected mayor, Mr..
Graaf declined reelection on the
ground that he wanted to make q foreign
tour, nevertheless they elected him for
the third time and gave him leave of alb
sence for six months. Under his ad-
ministration great improvements have
been inaugurated. The water descend
ing from Table mountain is to be utilized
in lighting the city by electricity, and
the world renowned botanic gardens are
to be greatly improved and made into a
free park. About 500, 600, 900 have been
expended on the railroads so far. Such
is the county and such are the enormous
interests that Mayor GRAF represented at
Chicago, and this at an age when men
generally think they have done well to
have made good start in business.