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 the price of these areas, not being the best land for such purposes, undesirable for ordinary crops or stock.

Three hundred pounds in the fruit district would give a skilful, hard-working fruit farmer a good start, with prospects of sound ultimate profits, and from the Imperial standpoint it would be difficult to overrate the advantages in the direction of political stability and progress which would accrue to the Colony by an increase in the English settlement of the agricultural districts, which are largely swayed by Dutch influence and tradition of a particularly retrograde and pernicious order. Apart from this consideration, and neglecting also the question of where the best opening occurs, English settlers will naturally gravitate towards the eastern districts, where they would find themselves among their own kin, the centre of a loyal British community, descendants of the 1820 settlers. Many excellent farms are available in this area, suitable to the mixed, unspecialized farming in which English agriculturists are most experienced and successful. Capital is, however, very necessary, for matured land in these parts fetches a high price; the best, indeed, as much as £5 per acre. It is true that veldt may also be had at no more than 5s. per acre; but the cultivation of such land is risky, and attended by heart-breaking discouragements. To sum up, there are settlement areas in Cape Colony of every variety, from first-rate to almost barren, but the price is relatively high, irrigation doubtful, and labour, though more plentiful than in Natal, a difficulty. It is undeniable that practically all the advantages (except English neighbours) can be attained elsewhere on much cheaper land, and that therefore it is difficult to contemplate colonization on any large scale.

Coming now to the new Colonies, it was but natural that the great stretch of territory which we call the Transvaal should have been expected to form an