The total cost of construction
was about L50,000, and it is worthy of note that in their selection of
an architect, the Corporation of Durban did not have to go beyond their
own town, an efficient man being found in Mr. P.M. Dudgeon. The building
is of the Corinthian order of architecture, having a frontage of 206
feet, with a depth of 270 feet. It is prettily situated, and is a
striking proof of what colonists can do when an occasion demanding
skill, and perseverance, arises. There are several other fine buildings
in the town. A stranger coming from the Transvaal is immediately
impressed with the contrast between the careless indifference, which
marks the absence of proper municipal arrangements in the towns of the
South African Republic, and the proofs of their presence in an
energetic British community. The Natalians certainly deserve the
greatest credit for the way in which they carry on the business and
manage the public affairs of their prosperous, and thriving town, which
has a population of 17,000, of whom about 9,000 are Europeans. Recent
commercial returns show that the trade of Natal, of which Durban, as the
seaport town, is the centre, is rapidly increasing.
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