Johannisburg

Johannisburg, or Johannesburg, the chief commercial town of the Transvaal or South Africa Republic, was founded in 1887, its name being derived from a native chief whose subjection involved some trouble. It is situated a few miles S. of the capital, Pretoria, in a barren and dusty plain, but owing to the proximity of the gold-fields and the energy of British immigrants, the development of the place has been marvellously rapid, and it is believed now to contain a population of 80,000, half of whom are whites. The streets are well laid out, the buildings handsome, and the sanitary arrangements and comforts of life fairly good, considering the scarcity of water and the great distance over which everything has to be brought by traction. Railway communication has now, however, been opened up with Cape Town, nearly 1,000 miles away, and there seems a prospect of lines from other settlements converging at this point.