Lieutenant-Governors of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony, the Inspector-General of the South African Constabulary, and the Commissioner of Railways; four nominated for a year by the Lieutenant-Governor of the Transvaal and four by the Lieutenant-Governor of the Orange River Colony, these eight being persons holding office under the government of the respective colonies; six members of the Legislative Council of the Transvaal and four of that of the Orange River Colony to be elected from amongst themselves by the unofficial members of the respective Legislative Councils; two members nominated by a Secretary of State; one member nominated by the High Commissioner, being a person holding office in a branch of the public service with regard to which the Council may have power to advise the High Commissioner. The Council is nnder the Presidency of the High Commissioner.

Broadly, the Council's functions are to advise the High Commissioner and Governor of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony as to the administration of the Central South African Railways, of the South African Constabulary, and of certain smaller services common to both Colonies, such a the Geodetic Survey, the Permit Office, &c.

The Council's revenue is composed principally of the net profits of the Central South African Railways. Any other revenues which the Legislative Councils of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony may, with the consent of the Secretary of State, from time to time devote to meeting expenditure common to these two Colonies, are also payable to the Council.

The Guaranteed Loan of 35,000,0001. has been handed over to the Council to be spent on the purposes for which it was raised.

The principal expenditure of the Council is incurred in paying interest and sinking fuud on the guaranteed Loan, and in the upkeep of the South African Constabulary. Any shortfall which may occur on the Council's budget must be made up from the revenues of the two Colonies in proportion to their respective customs revenue, or in such other proportion as the Secretary of State may decide.

A standing committee of the Council, called the Railway Committee, is responsible to the Council for the administration of the Central South African railways.

Area and Population.

The area of the Colony is 111,196 square miles, divided into 16 districts, and its white population, according to the census of 1904, is 299,327, of whom 179,723 are male and 119,604 female. The native population is 945,498 (506,186 males and 439,312 females). Of other coloured races there are 23,891 (16,826 males and 7,065 females. Total population, 1,268,716. The boundaries were defined in the convention of February 27, 1884, modified by subsequent conventions relating to the district of Vrijheid, and the territory of Swaziland. The capital is Pretoria, with a white population of 21,161. The largest town is Johannesburg, the mining centre of Witwatersrand goldfields, with a population of 158,580, consisting of 83,902 whites, 62,524 aboriginal natives, and 12,154 of other coloured races.

In January, 1903, a tract of about 7,000 square miles consisting of the districts of Vryheid, Utrecht, and part of Wakkerstroom district was transferred to the Colony of Natal.

Religion, Instruction, Justice.

The census results (1904) as to religious denominations are not yet available. The following figures must be considered as only approximate::The United Dutch Reformed Church was the State church, claiming

30,000 (1895) of the population; other Dutch Churches, 32,760; English Church, 30,000; Wesleyans, 10,000; Catholic, 5,000; Presbyterians, 8,000; other Christian Churches, 5,000; Jews, 10,000.

The Education Ordinance of February 25, 1903, recognises the responsibility of Government with respect to the whole system of education and its duty to provide for the extension and efficiency of schools and colleges. There is free elementary education wherever there is an average daily attendance of not less that 30 children. The scheme provides for undenominational religious instruction by teachers, but allows exemption of children from such instruction and provides opportunities for denominational instruction by ministers of religion in school hours. It provides also for instruction in Dutch for children whose parents desire it. Local school committees have been formed, where the average attendance exceeds 100, and, in the case of the smaller schools quarterly parents' meetings are held by the Inspector or his Deputy. The Transvaal is divided into 13 inspectorates, and there is an Inspector of native education.

The year 1903 was remarkable for the extension of the farm school system. In December, 1902, there were 72 such schools with 2,241 children. In December, 1903, there were 269 with 9,016 children. Considerable progress has been made with the erection of farm school buildings, and in some instances, with the help of the Government, boarding hostels have been established or are contemplated for the accommodation of children whose homes are at a distance. No fees are charged in farm schools, and books and school material are provided free.

Town schools are either free or fee-paying. In December, 1903, there were 104 free elementary schools with 15,956 children on the rolls. In December, 1903, there were 22 fee-paying schools with 1,956 children, 5 of these being high schools with 721 pupils. There were also evening classes for adults and older children.

Other institutions under the control of or subsidized by the Education Department are the Government Orphanages at Irene, Pietersburg and Potchefstroom, where in December, 1903, 144 children were being maintained, the Normal College at Pretoria, where 56 students were being prepared for work as teachers in the schools of the Colony, and the Transvaal Technical Institute in Johannesburg to which the Department makes a grant of 8,0007. per annum. The latter Institution which was formally opened in March, 1904, with an enrolment of 40 students, provides complete courses in engineering and mining. A general course occupies 3 years, and at the end of their time students will be able to take the specialised one year's course in either (a) Mining, (b) Mechanical Engineering, (c) Electrical Engineering, or (d) Civil Engineering. Students are at present being prepared for the Mining Examination of the Cape University.

Justice is administered in the Supreme Court of the Transvaal sitting at Pretoria and consisting of a Chief Justice and six other judges, with original and appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. The Witwatersrand

High Court, consisting of a single judge of the Supreme Court, sits permanently at Johannesburg and has civil and criminal jurisdiction in matters arising within the Witwatersrand District. Circuit courts may be held twice a year. There are resident magistrates, assistant resident magistrates at all the centres of population with limited civil and criminal jurisdiction, and resident Justices of the Peace for rural areas who try and punish certain petty offences.

There are two police forces : the Town Police in Pretoria and in Johannesburg, embracing the Witwatersrand area, and the South African

Constabulary. The latter force is under the control of the High Commissioner, and serves both in the Transvaal and the Orange River Colony. It consists of 5,000 men nominally, and (besides police work) it performs a variety of miscellaneous services carrying mails, guarding the borders of the colonies to keep out cattle disease, customs preventive work, locust destruction, registration of deaths, fire brigade work, &c.

Finance.

The revenue and expenditure of the Transvaal Colony in 3 years ending June 30, were as follows:

The most important source of revenue in the customs which yielded in 1901-02, 1,574,3227.; in 1902-03, 2,176,6587. Large revenues are derived also from mining, stamps, and other sources.

The service of the first instalment (10,000,0007.) of the Transvaal War Contribution Loan of 1903-04 was estimated at 400,000l. The issue of the instalment has been postponed pending an improvement in the financial position of the Transvaal.

For certain services of the Transvaal and Orange River Colony there is a Common Fund. The expenditure from this fund in 1903-04 was estimated as follows:

The liabilities of the Transvaal and Orange River Colonies contemplated (but not all stated) under the South African Loan and War Contribution Act, 1903, are as follows:

This loan of 35,000,000l., called the Development Loan, has Imperial guarantee.

The War Contribution Loan is a further loan of 30,000,000l. without Imperial guarantee. Its proceeds are to be paid by the Transvaal in three annual instalments, beginning in January, 1904, and applied by the National Debt Commissioners to paying off securities issued under the various war loan Acts of 1900, or otherwise in reduction of debt.

A contribution of 5,000,000l. by the Orange River Colony towards the cost of the war is also contemplated, but this is contingent on the ability of the colony to make such contribution.

Defence.

All the Imperial Military Forces in South Africa, from the Zambesi to the Cape, are now under the command of the Lieut.-General commanding the Forces in South Africa. The Head-Quarters are at Pretoria: There are 4 subordinate District Commands, viz. : Cape Colony (under a Major-General), Orange River Colony (under a Brigadier-General), Transvaal (under a MajorGeneral), and (temporarily) Harrismith and Natal combined (under a Brigadier-General).

Under the Volunteer Corps Ordinance of 1902, a Volunteer Force has been formed for service in the Transvaal. It consists of 5 corps of mounted rifles, 4 corps of infantry, 1 composite corps, 1 battery of artillery, a medical staff corps, and a transport company. The present enrolled strength is 4,644 of all ranks. The force is disciplined and organised by a permanent staff of officers and non-commissioned officers, mostly drawn from the Imperial Army.

Production and Industry.

The Transvaal Colony is specially favourable for agriculture as well as stock-rearing, though its capacities in this respect are not yet developed. It is estimated that 50,000 acres are under cultivation. The agricul tural produce, however, is not sufficient for the wants of the population. Before the war there were about 12,245 farms, of which 2,861 belonged to Government, 1,612 to outside owners and companies, and the rest to resident owners and companies. For the restoration of the inhabitants to their homes after the war, a Repatriation Department was formed at Pretoria.

This Department established 39 Depôts at different points throughout the Transvaal, and stocked them with supplies, seeds, implements, and Transport. District Commissioners were appointed before whom all applications were made for the issue of supplies, seeds, animals, &c., and by whom orders were issued on the Local Depot for the assistance which they decided to grant. At

the Declaration of Peace, there were 44,960 persons in the Concentration Camps in the Transvaal, 21,928 in the Natal Concentration Camps, and 25,000 Prisoners of War, also a large number of surrendered Burghers and their families who had never been in Concentration Camps. In all 70,741 persons were actually conveyed back to their farms by the transport of the Department without any charge and supplied with rations. To the 30th June, 1904, the balance of debts due from Burghers to the Repatriation Department for live stock, vehicles, saddlery, foodstuffs, fodder, seed, building material, agricultural implements, sundry stores and cash loans was 3,355,2507., whilst in addition, issues of the same description to the amount of 109,570l. were made as free grants to widows, indigents, orphans, and school-children.

The live stock in the Colony at the end of 1903 was estimated as follows: Horses, 50,000; cattle, 200,000; sheep, 200,000; pigs, 1,000.

Gold-mining is carried on to a great extent in the various goldfields, principally Witwatersrand and Barberton. The total value of gold production from the year 1884 to 1898 was 70,028,6037. Mining from the beginning of October, 1899, to the end of May, 1900, was carried on by the Transvaal Government, but during the following 12 months was entirely abandoned. The output in the period 1897 to the end of August, 1904, was as follows::

In December, 1903, there were 86,324 persons working at the gold mines, 12,702 being whites and 73,622 coloured.

It is stated that, iron ore deposits having been found near Pretoria, a blast furnace and rolling mills are about to be erected.

Coal mining in the Transvaal is on the increase, new areas being opened up in the Barberton, Middelburg, and Pietersburg districts. The seams are, in most cases, exceptionally thick, and the coal of fair quality. In 1901 the output amounted to 797,144 tons (of 2,000 lbs.), valued at 329,1137.; in 1902, 1,590,333 tons, value 637,6407.; in 1903, 2,253,677 tons, value, 877,9767. There were, in December, 1903, 466 whites and 8,623 coloured persons working at the coal mines.

The Pretoria District contributes nearly all of the diamonds produced in the country, the largest producer being the well known Premier Mine, whose output for May, 1904, was 78,734 87 carats, value 108,3677. In 1902 the output of all the diamond mines was 1064 50 carats, value 2,4027.; in 1903, 174,976 44 carats, value 238,7521. In December, 1903, there were 157 whites and 1,318 coloured persons working at the diamond mines.

In the Pietersburg district discoveries of what appear to be large deposits of low grade copper ore have been made in the immediate vicinity, and also some 150 miles further North.

It is anticipated that within the next few years greater attention will be paid to iron, tin, copper, &c., the development of which will enormously increase the mineral output of the colony.