Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/199

* CAPE COAST CASTLE. 163 CAPE COLONY. British colony of the Gold Coast, situated south- vest of Akkra, the capital of the colony ( Maji : .fri>a, D 4). There is an old castle supposed to have been built by the Portuguese in 1064, and the British Government maintains there a mili- tary force of about 300 blacks and a number of guns. The port is of some commercial impor- tance, and there is a considerable trade with the interior in palra-oil, ivory, and gold. The popu- laticm is about 12,000, chiefly Fantis, with a few Europeans. CAPE COD. The sickle-shaped peninsula forming the southeastern extremity of Massa- chusetts, and embracing Barnstable County. It extends from Great Herring Pond to Race Point, in latitude 42° 3' 40" N.. longitude 70° 4' 18" W. (Map: Massachusetts, G 3). It is about 65 miles long from the head of Buzzard's Bay, and beyond Barnstable in few places exceeds 8 miles in width. It more than half encircles Cape Cod Bay, and is broken by many harbors, that of Provincetown being one of the best on the Xew England coast. On the seaward side or high- lands, in latitude 42° 2' and longitude 70° 4', is a revolving light 183 feet above mean high wa- ter, and at Kace Point, in latitude 42° 4' and longitude 70° 15', is a fixed white light varied by a white Hash every 90 seconds, 41 feet above high water. Cape Cod was probably visited a number of times by Europeans during the Six- teenth Century, and on earlier maps was given a variety of names; but it is usually said to have been discovered by GosnoM (qv.) in 1002, and named from the abundance of the fish in its waters. Charles, Prince of Wales, attempted to change the name to Cape James, in honor of his brother. The cape is sandy, and in part con- sists of rolling grass-land: but there are fertile portions, and toward the north it is well wood- ed. Small ponds abound, and salt marshes border the southern shores. The Old Colony division of the New York, Xew Haven and Hart- ford Railroad extends through the peninsiila, and a ship canal to connect Cape Cod and Buz- zard's bays has been partly constructed. Con- sult Thoreau. Cape Cod (Boston, 1865). CAPE COD FOLKS. A novel by Sarah P. Greene (ISSl). which excited much discussion by the types it depicted. CAPE COLON'NA (It., column) (ancient Hunium Prnmontorium). A headland of Greece, forming the .southernmost point of Attica, in lati- tude 37° 38' N., longitude 24° 1' E. (Map: Greece. F 4). Crowned by the ruins of a temple of Minerva, its summit rising about 270 feet above the water, Cape Colonna is a conspicuous and remarkable object from the sea. It derives its n■^me from the white marble columns of the temple, which are still standing. CAPE COLONY, or Cape of Good Hope. A British possession in South Africa, between lati- tudes 25° and 34° 50' S., and longitudes 16° 25' and 30° E. (Map: Africa. G 8). It is bounded by German Southwest .frica, Bechuanaland Pro- tectorate, the Orange River Colony, BasutoUmd, and Natal on the north, the Indian Ocean on the east and south, and the Atlantic on the west. Its area thus defined and including the British possession of Walfish Bay, on the western coast, is estimated at nearly 277.000 square miles. TopoGR.xpuv. In "its physical aspect Cape Colony presents a series of elevated plateaus bounded by mountain ranges running parallel to the southern coast, and increasing in altitude toward the north. The first and most southern mountain chain has an altitude of 3000 to 5000 feet and runs along the southern coast at a dis- tance not exceeding 50 miles. Several small rivers intersect it in a direction from north to south and divide it into several sections called Swcllcndam, Lange, Ontenigma mountains and a few others. The second mountain chain runs parallel with the first, and has an altitude of 5000 to 7000 feet. It is also divided into several sections, known as the White and the Great Black Mountains, and terminates in the 6000 feet high summit of Cockscomb, northwest of Aigoa Bay. The third mountain range has an altitude of 6000 to 8000 feet, and reaches in the summit of Compass, which is the highest of Cape Colony, an altitude of 8500 feet. It is also divided into several parts, the principal of which are the- Roggeveld, Nieu^weld, Sneeuwbergen, and Storni- berg. The plateau inclosed by the second and the third mountain ranges is known by the name of Great Karroo, and has an average width of about 60 miles. The western coast of Cape Colony is also traversed by a mountain chain, the Karree Bergen, an offshoot of the western section of the first mountain range. Thfr eastern coast of the colony is almost without a single indentation, in contrast to the southern and vestem coasts, which form a considerable number of bays and capes. The most important are Algoa Bay, Mossel Bay, Cape Saint Francis, Cape .gulhas, the most southern point of Africa, False Bay, Cape of Good Hope. Table Bay. and Sal- danha Bay. The chief river of Cape Colony is the Orange River, which forms a great part of the northern boundary. The coast lands are inter- sected by numerous small rivers and streams, most of them very short and unnavigable, with the exception of the Breede and the Saint .John. The inland rivers are very few in number and fall into the Orange River, the Sneeuwbergen marking the division between the Atlantic and the Indian Ocean. Certain indications, such as the numerous saurians and reptiles as well as the dry basins which occur in the Karroos, seem to point to the fact that this part of the colony was in former times more abundantly watered. Climate. The climate of Cape Colony is, on the whole, dry and very healthful. Rains are more abundant in the east than in the west. The winters are cold in the elevated regions and some of the higher mountain-tops are covered with snow for a considerable part of the year, but the air is dn' and bracing. The annual average at Cape To-ti is over 62° F. Flor.v. The flora of the colony varies consider- ably in accordance with the soil and the climate of the locality. The Karroos are generally covered with many varieties of acacia, euphorbia, and aloe, and are especially rich in bulbcms plants. Forests are generally found on the coastlands and furnish many useful varieties of wood, such as the yellow and the black ironwood and several species of palms. .Among the cereals, the most important is wheat, which is famous for its excellent qual- ity. .Ml the common European fruits grow in abundance, and the production of wine is a very important industry in the colony. Fauxa. The fauna of Cape Colony has under- gone considerable changes since the settlement of the colony by Europeans, and many species which