Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

HARRISMITH

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V13, Page 22 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

HARRISMITH , a See also:

town in the See also:Orange See also:Free See also:State, 6o m. N.W. by See also:rail of See also:Ladysmith, See also:Natal, and 240 M. N.E. of See also:Bloemfontein via See also:Bethlehem. Pop. (2904) 8300 (including troops 1921). It is built on the See also:banks of the Wilge, 5250 ft. above the See also:sea and some 20 M. W. of the See also:Drakensberg. Three See also:miles N. is the Platberg, a table-shaped See also:mountain rising 2000 ft. above the town, whence an excellent See also:supply of See also:water is derived. The town is well laid out and several of the streets are lined with trees. Most of the houses are built of See also:white See also:stone quarried in the neighbourhood. The See also:Kaffirs, who numbered in 1904 3483, live in a See also:separate location. Harrismith has a dry, bracing See also:climate and enjoys a high reputation in See also:South See also:Africa as a See also:health resort.

It serves one of the best-watered and most fertile agricultural and See also:

pastoral districts of the See also:province, of which it is the See also:chief eastern trading centre. See also:Wool and hides are the See also:principal exports. Harrismith was founded in 1849, the site first chosen being on the Elands See also:river, where the small town of Aberfeldig now is; but the advantages of the See also:present site soon became apparent and the See also:settlement was removed. The founders were See also:Sir Harry See also:Smith (after whom the town is named), then See also:governor of Cape See also:Colony, and See also:Major See also:Henry D. See also:Warden, at that See also:time Britisl See also:resident at Bloemfontein, whose name is perpetuated in tha of the principal See also:street. In a See also:cave about 2 M. from the town an well-preserved Bushman paintings.

End of Article: HARRISMITH

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.
Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
HARRISBURG
[next]
HARRISON