Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/178

 184 SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. (juarter, inhabited chiefly by Kafirs, temporary immigrants who seek employment amongst the shipping and on the harbour works. Till recently suffering from a dearth of water, Port Elizabeth was unable to maintain any garden plots about its villas. But an aqueduct about 30 miles long now brings a constant supply, thanks to which a rich carpet of verdure already clothes the plateau. The Iwtanic garden has assumed a magnificent aspect, and umbrageous parklands contrast by tlicir bright foliage with the patches of parched herbage visible wherever the irrigating waters are unavailable. The trade of Port Elizabeth, which in recent years has suffered much from reckless speculation, consists for the most part in wool and ostrich plumes, forwarded in exchange for I^nglish manufactured goods of all kinds. The road- stead of Algoa Bay is sheltered in the ncghboiirhood of the town b3'the extremity of the headland which still bears the Portuguese name of Cape Recife. But during the summer months, from October to April, when the southern and south- eastern winds normally prevail, the surf beats furiously on the beach, endangering the vessels riding at anchor in the roadstead. The breakwater, little over 300 yards long, affords shelter only to the smaller craft of light draught. A few islets and reefs are scattered over the bay ; Santa-Cruz, one of these islands, over which hover clouds of aquatic birds, was visited by Bartholomew Diaz during his memorable voyage of discovery round the southern extremity of the continent. On this spot, the first ever touched by a European foot on the shores of the Southern Ocean, he erected the pillar of Sam Gregorio, to indicate that he had occupied it on behalf of the King of Portugal. Santa-Cruz is also known by the name of Fountain Rock, from two springs welling up on the surface. Port Elizabeth communicates with the iutfjrior by means of two railways, one running to Graaf-Reinet, the other a far more important line, which branches off in one direction towards the regions beyond the Orange River, in another towards Grahani's Town and Kafirland. Although smaller and of less commercial import- ance than Port Elizabeth, Graham's Town takes precedence as the chief political centre eist of Cape Town. It is the capital and residence of the principal administrative, judicial, and religious authorities of the eastern districts, and Graham's Town was already indicated tis the future metropolis of the confederate states in the year 1878, when the question was first seriously mooted of consoli- dating the power of the mother country by uniting the British colonies and Dutch republics in a single dominion. But this ambitious town has the disadvan- tage of lying at some distance from the coast, and even from any large river. It stands 1740 feet above the sea in a cirque surrounded by bare escarpments; but the general lack of large vegetation has been relieved by planting trees along all the avenues of the city. It is a clean, well-built, cheerful place, and thanks to the moderate summer hnjits and generally equable climate of the district, is distin- guished for its sdubrity even amongst the colonial towns, most of which are so highly favoured in this respect. Hence many invalids settle here in the hope of recovering their health, or at least prolonging their days. Found, d in 1812, Graham's Town continued to be an obscure provincial town