The Opelousas courier., 1900-03-24
ORANGE FREE STATE.
PEOPLE AND RESOURCES OF THE
TRANSvAAL'S ALLY,

| "a Doers-fFo0uce the Best Sail
IN the Worid-I:s strict Liquor Law, ,
The Orange Free State forms n Of
n two independent republics in South
Africa. The Transvaal is the other.
The former is bounded on the south by
the Orange river, which divides it from
Cape Colony, a British South African
colony. On the north it IL separated
from its sister republic, the Tr~ansvaal,
by the Vaal river. Basutoland and
the range of the D~rakensberg dragon
mountains divide it from Natal on the
east. On the west it is bounded by
Grlqualand West. which is better
known as the Diamond Fields, a re-
Gently purchased British possession.
This little republic has an area of
about so, 600 square miles. It is an
elevated tableland 1000 feet above the
sea level, and is 400 miles long by 200
miles wide, running north and south.
The present population Of the coun-
try is estimated by its government at
about SO, 900 whites and 14O, 900 ma
tives of the Basuto and Barolong
tribes. Bloemfontein, which is 750
miles north of Table Bay, $50 miles
north of Port Elizabeth, and 400 north
of East London, is the capital. The
only mountain ranges in the Orange
Free State are the Stall mountains in
the eastern portion of the republic.
From the Drakensberg the country
slopes gradually to the Vaal river on
the northern and western boundaries.
The southern part of the Free State
is dotted with detached ko5ies or in
dividual hills. Otherwise the interior
is an undulating prairie or prairies,
formerly covered with coarse grass.
This is changed in the south to a
scrubby brush or copse, which is excel
lent grazing for sheep, a sweeter grass
supplanting the sour or coarser grasses
in places. The Orange Free State is
not a forest country. It is virtually
treeless. The species of forest now
found or the hillsides and in the
moist valleys of the rivers is a scant
scrub Of mimosa thorn, the wild olive,
the willow. and the camel thorn, which
is a species of wild acacia.
The principal lands are best adapted
to pastoral purposes, though there is
q 80 by 1OO-mile strip of soil on the
Basutolsnd border considered to be
second to none in the world for grain
producing purposes. The pursuits of
the people being principally stock
raising and grain growing, the burgh-
ers have leisure for war. The strip
noted above produces, without irriga-
ton or fe~rtilizing, and after planting
for nearly fortyconsecutive years, from
thirty to eighty bushels to the acre.
This fertile strip OF lall is known as
the Conquered Territory. It was taken
from the Basutos about 1864. This
little belt of land is the grauary of
the Orange Free State aud of the
Transvaal. In this belt of country,
thirty miles wide by 100 miles long,
are grown wheat, oats, barley, maize
and Kafir corn. It also carries large
herds of cattle, horses, sheep, Angora
goats, and ostriches. Pears, apples,
peaches and grapes are likewise grown
to a large extent. This is the Boer
base of supplies. and the mountains
which face British South Africa are
depended upon with Boer endurance
and Boer strategy to hold these fields
inviolate to the homes Of the twin
republics of the same blood.
Diamonds are extensively mined on
the fields of Jag~ersfontein, where the
famous 900 carat Jagersfonteina ex-
celsior was found, on May 80, 1898.
and Koffyfontein, in the district Of
Fauresmith, which is in the south
western part of the Republic. The
Importance of these mines can be
seen when it is known that the dia-
.mond output of the Jagersfontein
neld for January was l5, 189 carats,
valued at $3.50, 600, while that for
Kofyfontein for the same period was
1900 ~carats, valued at 81, 000. This
is part of the contemplated war prize
in the present conflict.
The inhabitants of the Orange Free
State are, like the Beers of the Trans
vaal, q peaceful, educated and we'll
governed people. The country is
divided into 10 districts, each one of
which is presided over by q landdrost,
or magistrate. Each of these magis-
terial districts is again subdivided
into one, two Or more wards, accord
ing to its size or Importance. Each
of these wards sends a member to the
Volksraad, or Legislature. In addi-
ton to this each town also sends a
member to the Volksraad. In this
Legislature the people delegate the
government of the country. The
president, who is the responsible head
Of the executive department., is adj
yised by an executive council and by
the high court, which is composed of
o chief justice and two puisne judges.
The government obtains about ST.
900, 900 annually from the revenue of
the state to meet its expenditures.
This ven is mainly derived from
the following sources. Quit-rent on
farms, at the rate of 40 cents for each
100 morgen, 6r 200 acres, transfer
dues on unmovable of fixed property,
ct the rate of A per cent. rate on NOV
ables, that is, all goods sold by auc-
ton; d hut or capitation tax OF So. so
q head on natives. From the custom
house there is received about $500, 600
d year.
The Orange Free State expends
abeut $50, 600 annually on roads,
$500, 600 on bridges, and large sums,
for SO small a country, on public build
ings. In fact, nearly one-third Of the
entire revenue Of the state isabsorbed
by educational grants and public
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