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THE COLONY

OF

NATAL.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE CHAEACTERISTICS AND CAPABILITIRS
OF THIS BRITISH DEPENDENCY.
PUBLISHED UNDER TiHE AUTHORITY OF THE GOVERNMENT IMMIGRATION
BOARD, FOR THE GUIDANCE .\ND INFORMATION OF
EMIGRANTS.

dCompHeb anb @biteb bg
ROBERT JAMES MANN, M.D., F.R.A.S.,
Superintendent of Education in Natal.

LONDON:
JAUROLD AND SONS, 47, ST. PAUL'S CgUKCHYArtn,

PREFACE

During the year 1858, the Government Immigration Board of Natal
(appointed by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, in 1857)
proposed, by public advertisement, to give three prizes for the three
best Essays, on practical matters relating to the characters of the
colony, as a field for Emigrants; reserving to the Colonial Govemment
the right to use the material thus furnished in compiling a book for
publication. It was the object of the Immigration Board, in taking
this course, to elicit from practical and experienced men, reliable
information, which, after due authentication and care, might be
authoritatively placed before the British public, in a form adapted to
convey a simple and truthful picture of the actual state of things.
Four Essays were sent in to compete for these prizes, and three
gentlemen, — Mr. Barter, Mr. Babbs, and Dr. Mann, were appointed
by His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, to act as examiners and
judges of the merits of the Essays. ¦ Two of the treatises proved to
be irrelevant to the object contemplated, and not within the terms of
the competition. The first prize, of £50, was ultimately awarded
conjointly and equally to the other two Essays, upon the ground
that the judges found difliculty in determining that either of these
was actually and absolutely, superior to the other. One of the
Essays bore the obvious character of being the work of an old and
experienced colonist, who had seen with his own eyes, and accom
plished with his own hands, much that he wrote about. The
other was as manifestly the contribution of a younger hand, but
comprised a large mass of very useful and valuable information.
Mr. Arbuthnot, of the Umzinto, was the author of the successful

Essay first alluded to. Mr. John Robinson, of Durban, was the
author of the second.
His Excellency, the Lieutenant-Governor, was ultimately pleased
to request Dr. Mann to prepare a kind of Guide Book to the
resources and capabilities of the colony, from the subject material
of these Prize Essays, and from other sources. His Excellency's
commands have taken effect in the foUowing pages. A considerable
portion of the more practical material is derived from the contri
butions of Mr. Arbuthnot and Mr. Eobinson. For otlier matters,
the editor and compiler is himself responsible. It has also been the
editor's especial care to verify and authenticate all the statements
of the book, by reference to various competent and reliable authori
ties. The work is consequently presented to the world under these
guarantees of accuracy and truthfulness. It is hoped that many
readers in England wiU form, from the perusal of its pages, a
correct notion of " The Colony of Natal" as it exists, in the 16th
year of its own age as a settled British dependency, and in the
year of grace, 1859.

Maritzburg, Natal,
September, 1859.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

I. The Position and Physical Characters of the
Colony of Natal  1
II. The Early Days of Natal  10
III. The Kafir Races in Natal  33 -
IV. The Climate of Natal ...  ... 47
V. The Coast Lands and Tropical Produce ;
Cultivation of Sugar, Arrow-root, and
Coffee ... ...  ... ... 70
VI. The Uplands; Sheep Farming  112
VII. The Midland Districts and their Capabilities 128
VIII. The Natural Productions of Natal ... ... 1,52
IX. The Commercial Progress of Natal  173
X. A Few Words to Emigrants  186
Appendix — Hints to Emigrants' Wives ... 224

THE COLOM OF NATAL

CHAPTER L
THE POSITION AUD PHYSICAL CHABACTEBS OP
THE COLOlirY OF BTATAL.
fHE British Colony of Natal lies on the south-eastern border
of Africa, about eight hundred miles beyond the Cape of
Good Hope, and looking out on to the Indian Ocean, between
the 29th and 31st parallels of south latitude. A limited tract
of independent country, inhabited by friendly tribes, divides it
from the other British possessions known as Kafraria and the
Cape Colony.
Natal, in common with the general range of this portion of
the great African continent, is mainly composed of a confused
intenningling of the rocks known as Granite, Gneiss, Sandstone,
Trap, and Shale. It is, therefore, of the ingredients of some or
other of these, loosened and pulverized by the decomposing
action of the atmosphere and of energetic subtropical, vegetable
life, that the soils which come under the hands of colonial
agriculture are made. The hard granite and gneiss constitute
a kind of irregular floor to the district, and this floor is then
pavemented with sandstone. But both the floor and the pave
ment have been broken up into fragmentary slabs by earthquake
shatterings, and through the cracks and fissures yawning between
the slabs, molten stone from beneath has been poured, so that
upon cooling and hardening, it has set into broad swelling slopes
and ridgy hills. These outpoured masses form the "Trap." B

2 the colony of natal:
The granite, the sandstone, and the trap are distributed through
the land in the most unmethodical way, as if they had all been
chaotically tumbled together again and again, and then left to
fall into their permanent positions of rest by accident. The
trap is however, on the whole, the most abundant, constituting
in some places wide undulating plains, and long staircase-like
ridges, and often strewing the surface for miles with gigantic
boulders of dark grey, compact, uncrystalline rock. Where the
granite shows itself above the compact grey trap, it is moulded
into the form of broad, low, and smoothly-rounded hills. The
gneiss, which is a streaky variety of the granite, mostly wears
the form of more abrupt and knobby prominences, which are
not unfrequently tipped and surmounted with little bonnets of
sandstone. The trap itself occasionally protrudes from the edge
of the more level ridges as bold truncated cones. The sandstone
chiefly appears as broad tables, with precipitous faces and sides.
These tabular masses of sandstone, which are, indeed, the slabs
of the shattered pavement, constitute one very remarkable
feature in the scenery of Southern Africa. They form the
table-mountains so common in this region. The base of these
table-mountains is composed of green accessible slopes, made
rugged by projecting buttresses and props. Upon the top of
these green-buttressed slopes there rises a perpendicular wall of
bare, reddish-grey rock, ridged vertically with rain-washed and
wind-worn pillars and furrows. The verdant base is, for the
most part, moulded of granite. The bare tablets above are
shaped of horizontal layers of sandstone ; and upon the top
there is a wide expanse of level pasture, often many square
miles in extent, which thus presents the curious spectacle of a
large tract of land, isolated from the rest of the world by a
circumvallation of downward- dipping precipices, with perhaps
only one or two narrow, rocky stau'cases, by which the heights
above can be scaled. The adventurous explorer who has climbed
one of these rugged paths, and has afterwards pushed on through
the thick, coarse, Ixia-studded grass which he encounters, all of
a sudden comes to a gentle slope, and then to the edge of a
perpendicular descent, which dips down from beneath his feet,
and discloses, hundreds of yards below, a mound-encumbered

POSITION and physical CHARACTERS. 3
chasm, or valley, with a silver stream winding its serpentine
way in the midst of the rocky wilderness, and on the further
sides of the ravine and in the fai" distance, hills melting into
soft purple shadows.
The Table-mountain Sandstone, which is generally connected
with the granite by ties of close relationship, is a coarse-grained
rock of great geological antiquity. It seems to be older than
terraqueous life, being altogether destitute of fossilized traces of
organic forms. It belongs properly to the mineral group which
the geologist names " Silurian," because its congeners are
found in the western districts of England, where the old
" SUures" lived. A finer-grained sandstone, of younger age,
occurs here and there in patches of limited extent. This
younger sandstone contains impressions of vegetable remains,
and is often associated with coal-bearing " Shales" {hardened
clay)., the coal, the shale, and the sandstone being distributed
in alternate layers. Shale generally appears also at the border
of trap-beds. Wherever trap rests in an inclined position upon
the slopes of lower beds, its surface has been washed, and the
surface-washings have been deposited in layers, which have
subsequently dried and hardened into shale.
The abundant trap of South Africa is itself of various degrees
of antiquity. In some places it cuts through, and overlies the
granite ; in other places it has cracked and penetrated the old
SUurian sandstone as well ; in yet others, it pierces the younger
sandstones, and shales, and coal-bearing strata, and then covers
them up in overlying masses. This remark applies also, in a
more measured degree, to the granite. The granite and gneiss
have been upheaved again and again before the existing bold
and undulating contour of the land was completed and flxed.
There are spots in which even the compact trap seems to have
been fractured and penetrated by the granite. The trap and the
granite appear to have divided between them the labour of
moulding the valleys and hills of the South African land.
Between twenty-seven and a-half degrees, and thirty degrees,
of south latitude, and at a varying distance from the sea of from
one hundred to two hundred and fifty miles, the high land of
South-eastern Africa makes a sudden step-like descent. The
b2

4 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
top of this ledge is some six thousand feet above the ocean ; its
perpendicular face is several hundred feet high, and from the
lower land wears the aspect of a magnificent mountain chain,
sloped and buttressed below, and pillared and walled above by
bare rock, something like the sides of the Table-mountains.
The ledge itself runs in a zig-zag course, and bears the name of
the " Drakenberg,"* or " Kathlamba" range of mountains.
In twenty-seven degrees and a-half of south latitude a stream
flows from the lower slopes of the Drakenberg ledge, and sets
south-eastwards in an almost direct course towards the sea.
For the first half of its downward progress, this stream is called
the " Umzinyati^'' or " Bulfalo River ;" and through the remaining
portion of its length, the " Tugela" (L e. " Startling River.")
The Bufl"alo and Tugela Rivers together are about two hundred
miles long. Near to twenty-nine degrees and a-half of south
latitude another stream starts from the slopes of the Drakenberg,
also flowing south-eastwards to the sea. This stream is called
the " Umzimkulu" (Great River). The strip of land which lies
between the Drakenberg ledge and the sea, and which is inclosed
by the Buffalo and Tugela Rivers to the north, and by the
Umzimkulu to the south, comprises within itself an area of
twelve million and a-half -of acres (about equal in extent to
Scotland), and has a sea-board upon the Indian Ocean of one
hundred and fifty miles. This area constitutes the colony of
Natal.f Beyond the Tugela and Buffalo Rivers, to the north,
the colony is neighboured by the Zululand of King Panda. J
Beyond the Umzimkulu, on the south, lies the independent
territory of the Kafir Chief Faku. Above the steppe of the
Drakenberg stretches the territory of the Transvaal Republic,
of the Orange River Free-state, and the Basuta country of the
Chief Moshesh. The north-western boundary wall of the
colony, — the mountainous ledge of the Drakenberg, — does not
* "Drakenberg" (Dragon's Mountain), among the Dutch; "Kathlamba,"
among the natives.
f The boundary of the colony, towards the south-west, is, however, not vei-y
accurately defined at present in the uplands.
J There is a small Dutch settlement also beyond the Buffalo, and below
tbe Drakenberg.

POSITION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERS. 0
run in a straight line. It makes a bold zig-zag, and is very
much what might have been formed if some upland race of
giants had thrown up there a mighty bastioned rampart to pre
vent the farther encroachment of colonization and civilization.
Towards the northern end this rocky line of fortification juts into
the territory of the Free-state as a re-entering, or retiring angle ;
towards the southern end it projects as a salient angle into the
colony, and in the direction of the sea. The upper, or northern
stretch of the colony thus possesses a much broader range than
the region towards the south. Nearly three-fourths of the
Drakenberg boundary is bent into the retiring angle, and gives
the wide elbow-room to these upland districts.
From the extreme depth of the retiring angle of the Draken
berg, a mountain-stream pitches down over the precipitous ledge,
nearly two thousand feet in a direct fall, and then flows on
towards the east, receiving tributary after tributary on either
hand. It is in this abrupt way that the supreme river-potentate
of Natal, the Tugela, makes its entrance into colonial life. For
nearly two-thirds of its course, it runs through the midst of
colonial territory, fed by rivers which issue from the sides of the
retiring angle of the Drakenberg. The " Klip,''' or Stone River,
the Sunday River, and the Buffalo River, on the one hand ; and
the Little Tugela, the Great Bushman's River, and the Mooi
(" beautiful") River, on the other hand. For the remaining and
lower third of its course the Tugela is the boundary of the colony.
The land which lies on either bank of the Upper Tugela,
between the sides of the retiring angle of the Drakenberg and
the fork where the Buffalo, Upper Tugela, and Mooi Rivers meet,
comprises a very considerable upland district, which is termed
the Klip River County on the north, and Weenen County, or the
County of Weeping, on the south of the Tugela.
The salient angle of the Drakenberg is finished by a bold,
three-peaked outwork, which presents a remarkable battlemented
front to the lower lands, and is thence called " The Giant's
Castle."* The left flank of this outwork sends down feeders to
the Great Bushman's Eiver and the Tugela. From the right
flank, a distinct watershed originates, which supplies a river that
* Named by Captain Gardiner.

6 THE COLONY OP NATAL:
flows down to the sea, parallel with the Umzimkulu, but some
thirty or forty miles further to the north. This stream is the
Umkomanzi (" Standing River''').
About thirty miles sea-ward of the salient aagle of the
Drakenberg and the Giant's Castle there rises a bold range of
eminences, known under the designation of the " Spijoen-
kop {spying-top) Hills." From the lower declivities of these
hills a second-class river issues, to become, in its downward
progress, the central stream ofthe colony. This is the " Umgeni"
{River qf the Entrance), which empties itself into the sea, four
miles to the north of Durban, the port of Natal. Around the
upper feeders ofthe Umgeni, and between it and the Umkomanzi,
stretches the county of Maritzburg, having the metropolitan
city of the same name in its midst. The strip of coast-land,
lying between the Umgeni and the Umkomanzi, and extending
some twenty miles inland, constitutes the county of Durban.
Two comparatively small streams, the lUovo {glare) and the
Umlazi {River qf 'Whey), drain through the midst of these
counties. Between the Umgeni and the Tugela the land is
divided into the upland county of the Umvoti and the sea-coast
county of Victoria. The river Umvoti {Sqft River) descends
to the sea through these counties. These broad features of the
distribution and arrangement of the rivers and land are roughly
placed before the eye in the accompanying map. The most
thickly settled parts are left white in the plan, and the portions
of the colony reserved for the native are coloured most deeply.
The land which lies at the immediate foot of the Drakenberg
ledge is between three and four thousand feet above the level of
the sea. From this the country slopes continuously downwards,
towards the ocean. The descent is, however, made in the main
by three abrupt steps, so that the colony is distributed into
four irregular terraces, or more properly into three terraces, and
a sea-codst basement or floor. Of these terraces, the highest
or " Upland" one stretches from the Drakenberg to within fifty
miles of the sea. The intermediate or " Midland" terrace has an
average breadth of about twenty miles, and an average height
of about two thousand feet. The city of Maritzburg stands at
the northern extremity of this central terrace, in the midst of

POSITION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERS. 7
undulating green slopes, with the declivities of the higher steppe
immediately overhanging it towards the north-east. The lower
terrace is fifteen miles wide, and eight hundred feet high, and
from its edge the eye roams over the luxuriantly foliaged region
which intervenes between the bottom of its ledge and the sea,
and which constitutes the Littoral, or '^Sea-coast" district. It
is one happy consequence of this peculiar arrangement of the
face of the country, that the small colony of Natal enjoys a
surprising range of climate within its comparatively narrow
dimensions. The Sea-coast lands comprised within the Littoral
strip, and many sheltered spots on the terrace immediately
above, ripen the sugar cane, the coffee berry, the arrow root,
the banana, the pine apple, and the orange, in almost tropical
luxuriance, and are green with never-failing foliage throughout
the year. In the Midland and Upland terraces frost is seen
on the ground in the early morning, and snow upon the hill-tops,
during the season of mid-winter ; and corn, with other famUiar
productions of the English soil, readily make themselves at home.
In these regions, horses and cattle also thrive, and flocks are
just making their appearance among the herds.
The natural terraces of Natal have not, however, been smoothly
finished, and evenly laid. Nature does not work like the mason,
because her object is an altogether different one. The traveller
who climbs these steps can hardly make out the facts of their
general plan by the eye-glance. He has to deduce the notion
from a series of isolated positions and reflections. The land,
as has been already intimated, has been disturbed again and
again, and the terraced steps have been heaved this way and
that ; they are consequently now battered and bent, traversed by
cracks and notched by deep gorges through which the insinuating
water finds its way, carving rugged channels for itself among
the fragments of rock, and ever and anon making some bold
leap to gain the lower level. Water-falls in Natal are almost
as plentiful as blackberries. Even where the streams hold the
more quiet tenor of their way across the floor of the steppes,
they flow with great force and rapidity, surging along stony
ground through a wilderness of half-worn boulders. The sides
of the ravines, or ^^ kloofs" (clefts) as they are provincially

8 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
termed, are for the most part clothed with dense masses of
foliage, from the midst of which lofty evergreens rear their
heads. The edges of the terraces are also more or less lipped,
or turned up ; the ascending traveller goes down into shallow
valleys after he has mounted steep hills. The more open slopes
are invariably covered by a coarse pasture, and here and there
are dotted over by dwarf flat-topped bushes of the thorny
mimosa. This pasture in the early spring is emerald green,
and variegated by the white and gaily-coloured blossoms of
aloes, amaryllids, and other bulbous plants. In the autumn
the hill-sides and valleys are russet brown, and in places look
almost like English corn-fields at the approach of harvest, in
consequence of the abundant crops which they bear of the tall
tamboti grass, — the staple resource of the thatcher. In the
dry months of winter, they are hieroglyphiced at night by the
flame-characters of the fires which are continually set going at
that season, to do the work of the scythe in the removal of the
coarse growth ; and by day they are mottled with the resulting
sable, which adds to, rather than detracts from, the picturesque
ness of the scenery, by the ever-varying diversity of its shades
and tints.
It is one highly important consequence of the way in which
the terrace steps of the land are broken and bent, that
little oases of tropical luxuriance are introduced into the heart
of the uplands. There is a nook of this kind at Weenen,
seventy miles further from the sea than Maritzburg, where the
orange is ripened to perfection. Indeed, there are in the higher
upland two vast valley districts, with the water-shed running
opposite ways (in the one towards the Umkomanzi and in the
other towards the Tugela), in which it is confidently anticipated
the sugar-cane will be yet found to succeed. There have not at
present been any trustworthy observations made as to the actual
height of the floor of these upland valleys above the sea-level, or
as to their actual mean temperatures. There is, however, no doubt
that much of the effect is due to the depressions being sheltered
from the influence of the most chilling winds, and to the rays
of the fierce sun, therefore telling continuously and powerfully
in sustaining a warm temperature in the ground. Where

POSITION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERS. \)
valleys of these uplands run in the direction of the cool win^s,
the same result is not found. At any rate, this peculiarity of
the conformation of the land, promises to increase very largely
the field for successful enterprize within the colony.
Water courses and running streams are abundant throughout
Natal, and during the summer period of thunder-storms their
channels are kept constantly and copiously charged. The coast
land is a perfect fringe of rivers. Twenty-three distinct streams
empty themselves into the sea along the hundred and fifty miles
of coast. Of these rivers three, the Umzimkulu, the Umko
manzi, and the Tugela, have courses of from one to two hundred
miles, and are Drakenberg born. Three others, the Umlazi, the
Umgeni, and the Umvoti, have their sources in the upland
terrace. The rest are altogether confined to the lower terraces
and to the coast-lands. There is no navigable river among
them. Excepting at the period of highest flood, even the
Tugela may be forded on horseback. This defect is, however,
amply compensated for by the more abundant hrigation that is
furnished everywhere throughout the land, compared with what
would be, if there were one main or central valley of drainage
in the place of the myriad of partial ones. The water is lower
in the rivers in winter than in summer time, but the channels
of the large streams are never dry. In the rainless season,
these streams are fed by the heavy dews which are necessarily
evoked from the combined influences of the warm days and cold
nights. To the abundance of running water, and to the rapid
slope of the land from the Drakenberg to the sea, leading to the
rapid movement of the streams. Natal is, in a great measure,
indebted for its healthiness, unquestionably great when this
colony is compared with other lands, possessing a position
similar to itself in latitude.

CHAPTER IL
THE EAKLY DAYS OP NATAL,
fN the eighth day of July, in the year 1497, Vasco de
Gama, the renowned navigator and future "Admiral of
the Indian, Persian, and Arabian Seas," set sail from Lisbon
upon an important expedition, having a squadron of three small
ships under his command. Ten years previously, his country
man, Bartholomew Diaz, had reached and rounded the " Stormy
Cape" (Caho Tormentoso) of Southern Africa, afterwards better
known as the Cape of Good Hope. Five years previously
Columbus had put the maritime enterprise of Portugal upon
its mettle, by the discovery of America.
The Portuguese navigators had on these accounts become
doubly anxious at this time to achieve the task which the
doubling of the Cape of Good Hope seemed to have placed
within their power ; namely, the reaching of India, previously
known through the adventm^ous over-land journeys of the
A'^enetian and Genoese traders, by what was conceived to be the
eastern sea route. King Emanuel, of Portugal, under the
influence of this combination of incitements, commissioned
Vasco de Gama to proceed round the " Stormy Cape" of Diaz,
and push on until the desired land of silk and of ivory was
gained. The bold adventm-er, in pursuance of his instructions,
accomplished the first portion of his task on the 19th of
November, 1497, and rounded the Cape of Good Hope in a
tempestuous sea, his combined force of sixty men being hardly
kept in heart for further progress after their rough handling,
by the firmness and intrepidity of their commander. For
several months after this the little squadron pushed on towards
the North-east, through the Indian Sea, touching at one

EARLY DAYS. 11
Moorish settlement on the main African coast, by the way.
On the 25th day of December, the Portuguese mariners were in
sight of a beautiful shore, backed by undulating verdant slopes,
and according to some accounts were actually off the inlet of
smooth water, now forming the harbour of the colony. The
pleasant-looking land was at once named, in honor of the
sacred day, " The Land of the Nativity" (" Terra Natalis.")
The squadron of Vasco de Gama, pursued its voyage to a
successful end. On the 20th of May, 1498, the anchors were
dropped before the Moorish port of Calicut, on the western
shore of the Deccan, and Indian land was stretched before the
eager and admiring eyes of the adventurers. Natal was thus
first seen by Europeans during the voyage of discovery which
opened out the Eastern sea-route to Hindostan.
It is a note-worthy fact that upon old maps, two promonto
ries are marked, nearly upon the 31st and 32nd parallels of
south latitude, and far to the south of the present boundary
of the Natalian territory, as the " first and second points of
Natal." Between them there appears another Cape, bearing
the name of " The Point of Natal." It is a fair inference from
these facts, that the Portuguese " Land of the Nativity"
extended over a very large range of coast, if it were not really
altogether to the south of the existing British Colony. This
region was also known to the early Portuguese navigators as
the Land of Smoke, ( Terra di Fwmo) in consequence of the
ftiliginous clouds which were constantly seen rolling sky-wards
from the burning grass. The historically appropriate name
selected by the Portuguese discoverers is now, however,
restricted to considerably narrower limits. The old points of
Natal now lie upon the shore of the independent territory
further to the south ; and " Natal" is the British dependency
which is included between the rivers Umzimkulu and Tugela.
During the two centuries which followed the discovery of
the Natalian coast by the Portuguese, it was occasionally
visited by passing mariners. • Its soil was first pressed by
British feet, in the year 1683. An English ship was wrecked
in that year further to the north, near the indentation known as
Delagoa Bay. The shipwrecked crew of 80 men made their way

12 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
along the land, and through Natal, to the Cape of Good Hope,
and carried with them to that settlement, an interesting account
of the regions they had travelled over. Three years subsequently
the Dutch ship ' Stavenisse' was wrecked in what is now
the bay of Natal, and its stranded crew spent twelve months,
near the present site of Durban, in building a small vessel from
the fragments of the wreck. The little vessel ultimately sailed
for Table Bay ; but when it did so, it left four Englishmen and
a Frenchman behind. Three of these men were afterwards
taken on board a Dutch vessel visiting the coast, and were of
com'se able to communicate much exact information concerning
the locality in which they had sojourned. The commander of
the Dutch ship purchased land, near the Bay of Natal, of a
native chief; at a subsequent period the land was claimed on
behalf of the purchaser ; but the chieftain who had made the
sale was dead, and his successor declined to ratify the bargain.
The Dutch made a settlement at Port Natal, in 1721, but
soon after abandoned the spot.
In the year 1823, Lieutenant Farewell, an officer ofthe Royal
British Marines, visited St. Lucia and Natal, during the progress
of an exploring voyage, upon which he was engaged. Having
returned to Cape Town after his voyage, with a very favourable
impression as to the character of Natal, he endeavoured to
organize a scheme for its colonization. He gathered together a
company of about twenty individuals, who agreed to engage in
the enterprize. The British Government declined to recognize
or aid the scheme ; but the little band, nevertheless, proceeded
in its work. Mr. Fynn preceded the rest of the adventurers,
to open negociations with the powerful Zulu chief, Chaka, who
at the time exercised supreme sway over the land. He erected
huts, for the reception of the party, upon the site of what is now
the Market-square of the borough of Durban, and soon after he
was joined by Lieutenant Farewell and his associates, who
arrived there by sea.
When the Portuguese and Dutch first visited the territory
which is now recognized as Natal, they found the country thickly
peopled by a friendly and gentle race, living in orderly com
munities under the rule of their chiefs. When Lieutenant

EARLY DAYS. 13
Fai'ewell's expedition landed in 1824, matters were greatly
changed. A warlike chieftain from the north had then sub
jugated the land, and had either carried away the broken remnants
of the conquered tribes, to incorporate them in small bodies
among his own followers, or had dispersed and driven them as
fugitives into other lands. Many of the descendants of these
fugitives are now settled as residents within the Cape colonyj
where they are known under the distinctive name of " Fingoes"
a designation that originated in a derisive epithet (^'¦Am afengu"),
with which they were greeted by the frontier Kafirs. But the
aboriginal tribes of Natal thus ceased to have a separate and
national existence. They are now either exiles, or transformed
into subjects of the Zulu king by amalgamation with his older
followers. Before the beginning of the present century, the now powerful
Zulu tribe seems to have been scarcely known in South-Eastern
Africa. It was at that time located some distance to the north
of the Tugela, under its chief, Senzagakona, and was but a small
and unimportant clan. A son of the chief was driven away from
the tribe, when but an infant, with his mother, and both were
received and protected by the large and strong neighbouring
tribe of the Umtetwas. The chieftain of the Umtetwas, Dingis-
wayo, for some reason adopted the fugitive infant as his own,
and in process of time the infant grew up, and when Senzagakona
died, succeeded to the Zulu chieftainship, under the protection
and patronage of Dingiswayo. This young client of Dingiswayo
was no other than Chaka, the afterwards notorious king of the
Zulus. It appears that upon a given occasion Chaka accompanied his
patron, Dingiswayo, as a tributary and ally, in a foray made
upon a neighbouring tribe. In this raid Dingiswayo was slain,
and Chaka led the allied forces of the Umtetwas and Zulus
victorious out of the battle, to become supreme chieftain of the
two. Dingiswayo had no direct heir, and was succeeded by his
protege and adopted son. This was the first step of the Zulu
race towards its position of ultimate power and supremacy.
The young chieftain of the combined clans proved to be a
genius of the Napoleonic^ class. He very soon turned his entire

14 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
energies to the amplification of his sway. He carried forward
this object by attacking tribe after tribe, and by absorbing the
conquered, as far as he could, into his own following. In
working out the scheme of his ambition he introduced several
very remarkable reforms into the art of barbarian warfare. He
banded his warriors into regiments, distinguished from each
other by the colour and pattern of their shields. He also taught
his men to wield the single short assegai in close personal
conflict, instead of putting their trust as of old in the long
javelin hurled from afar ; and the warrior who returned from the
fight without assegai and shield in his hand, or who bore the
mark of a wound upon his back, did so to the forfeit of his life.
His warriors were forbidden to marry, because domestic ties
were conceived to soften and enervate. But after a certain period
of service, old regiments were superannuated as veterans, and
furnished with wives, and new levies were raised to take their
place in the ranks. In actual flght the army was marshalled
into a sort of compact Macedonian phalanx, in which there was
a main central body, protected on either hand by advanced wings.
Whenever a squadron was sent out upon service, its destination
was kept profoundly secret from the warriors until they were far
upon their way. The armies of Chaka marched under sealed
orders, so to speak. If at any time a military expedition
returned from a campaign foiled or without success, the unsuc
cessful regiments were either decimated or destroyed, according
to the gravity of their delinquency. Such, in general terms,
was the military system which this remarkable barbarian
conceived as an instrument for the furtherance of his personal
ambition. Wherever there was black mail to be levied, or an independent
clan to be " eaten up," within reach of the short javelins, and
stealthy feet of his warriors, the disciplined forces of Chaka
sooner or later appeared. By slow degrees every tribe between
Delagoa Bay and the river of St. John was reduced into subjection
to the victorious despot, and Zululand became a wide kingdom
some five hundred miles across. When Lieutenant Farewell
landed at the Bay of Natal in 1824, Chaka was at the summit of
his power, and had one large military kraal on the banks of the

EARLY DAYS. 15
Umhlali, where the sugar-cane of the so-called Chaka works
now waves. At that time a few fugitives still lurked, as the sole
representatives of the native population, in concealment in the
dense bush, cultivating small patches of maize by stealth in the
retirement of the ravines, or subsisting entirely upon wild roots
and shell-fish. Away from the military posts of the Zulu
conqueror, the entire country was a desert.
The first attempt to open communications with the Zulu
despot, on behalf of the band of English adventurers, was made
in the year 1823, before the arrival of the main body. After
somewhat prolonged diplomacy, a sanction was then accorded
to Mr. H. Fynn, to form a settlement at the Bay, and the
English negociator was finally raised to the dignity of a sub
ordinate chieftainship. Mr. Fynn then proceeded to bring
together under his authority and protection, such of the natives
of the district as he could induce to come forth from their
hiding-places. In the year 1828, by one of those revolutions which seem to
visit epidemically all states, whether civilized or barbarian,
Ohaka's term of power came to a sudden and violent end. He
was murdered by one of his subordinate chiefs at the instigation
of his brother Dingaan, while sitting with two or three com
panions in his hut. Dingaan first settled himself comfortably
in his brother's seat, and then proceeded to take a lesson from
his book. He summoned such chiefs as had been marked for
fidelity to his brother to appear before him, and among the rest
' the English settlers at the Bay. Mr. Fynn, having a shrewd
suspicion of the meaning of the summons, declined to obey it,
and Dingaan consequently sent down a regiment of his soldiers
to look after the recusants. Before the undesirable visitors
arrived at the Bay, however, the white settlers were far on their
way towards the Umzimkulu ; which they ultimately crossed,
but with the loss of their cattle, cut off by the pursuers during
the night. Mr. Fynn remained to the south of the Umzimkulu
until an arrangement had been effected with Dingaan, and then
returned to the old settlement. In 1831 he was "great chief
of the Natal Kafirs, under the recognition of the new Zulu
king.

16 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
About the year 1835, several important changes occuiTed.
The great chief, Mr. Fynn, accepted a government, appointment
on the frontier of the Cape Colony, and for the time turned his
back upon Natal. Lieutenant Farewell was dead, and Captain
Allen Gardiner came to the settlement at the Bay, in the hope
of opening out a field of missionary enterprize in the land.
An American mission had already pitched its tents on the soil,
comprising within its ranks the Reverend Aldin Grout, who is
still pursuing his labours in the colony at the present day. So
early as the year 1827, refugee Kafirs had begun to flock back
into the deserted land, under the guarantee of the presence of
the pale faces, to seek safety from the violence of their own
rulers. Some of these refugees came from the north, and some
from the south. In 1836, there were 1000 adult male Kafirs in
Natal, ranged under the slowly multiplying English, to whom
they gave allegiance as their chiefs. In 1838, the white chiefs
could muster a Kafir following of 2100 men, armed with shields,
assegais, or guns. There was at that time a Kafir population
gathered round the English of about 10,000 individuals.
When Captain Gardiner first came to Natal in 1835, he
entered into a treaty with the reigning Zulu king, Dingaan,
which stipulated that all Kafirs, who were at that time residing
in Natal as fugitives, should have an amnesty accorded them,
but that for the future, refugees from the ranks of the king
should not receive countenance from the English settlers, but
should be sent back to their lawful chief. At a subsequent
period. Captain Gardiner, upon one occasion, in a spirit of fealty
to the stipulations of the agreement, took back a large body
of refugees to Dingaan, and had the wretchedness of seeing the
entire band put to death before his eyes. Previous to this sad
occurrence, however. Captain Gardiner had made a voyage to
England, and had returned, bringing back with him an agent
of the Church Missionary Society, in the person of a clergyman
named Owen. Mr. Owen was permitted to take up his residence
near to the principal royal kraal of Dingaan, established at
Umgungunhlovu, far up in Zululand, near the sources of the
river which flows down into St. Lucia Bay.
A new party of actors have here to be introduced upon the

EARLY DAYS. 17
scene. About the time of Captain Gardiner's first visit to
Natal, a large body of the Dutch farmers, who were living under
British rule in the old Cape Colony, had taken offence at certain
restrictions placed upon them in regard to their relations with
the coloured population, and had determined to shift their
quarters beyond British sway. An advanced party of these men
under leaders, among whom were two individuals bearing the
now historical names of Uys and Maritz, explored the way to
the Bay of Natal, and received a friendly welcome from the
small band of English settled there. The result of this pre
liminary visit was that in the early part of the year 1836, a
numerous party of Dutch emigrants, under the guidance of
Jacobus Uys, Hendrick Potigeiter, and Pieter Retief, descended
into Natal by a central pass through the Drakenberg, which
Retief had discovered, and joined the British at the Bay. They
were welcomed as a very seasonable and valuable addition to
the small party. Captain Gardiner had proposed shortly after
his return from England, to exercise magisterial authority over
the young settlement; but his proposal had been at once declined,
and the Dutch and English seem to have now fraternized
together as members of an independent community. Retief
proceeded to Umgungunhlovu, beyond the Tugela, to negociate
with Dingaan for a cession of territory in Natal to the Dutch
settlers, and was considerably aided in his negociation by the
good ofiices of the missionary, Mr. Owen. It was agreed that
Retief should recover for the king a quantity of oxen which a
predacious Mantatee chief had taken from him, and that in
return a large district should be ceded to the Dutch. Retief
having with him a band of seventy armed horsemen, beside
Hottentot attendants, proceeded at once to fulfil his share of the
agreement. He visited the chief SikougeUa, near the sources
of the Caledon, beyond the Drakenberg, and induced him to
make restitution of the oxen, and returned to Dingaan with
seven hundred head of cattle and sixty horses., A treaty was
then formally drawn up by Mr. Owen, and executed by Dingaan
and his principal chiefs ; but before Retief could carry off his
prize, he and his entire party were assailed treacherously, and
murdered, by the wily Zulu. The Du^ch were first invited into
c

18 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the kraal to take a parting cup with the king, and incautiously
left then- arms outside the royal inclosure, as the native etiquette
required they should do when coming within its privileged
precincts. In their unarmed state they were set upon by some
thousands of warriors placed in ambush for their reception, and
were dispatched with clubs. Dingaan, imagining that he had
broken the strength of the unwelcome intruders into his territory
by this blow, immediately sent an army over the Tugela, to
complete the work of extermination. The Zulu forces spread
themselves widely over the land, and attacked simultaneously
several parties of white settlers in the upland districts. They
surprised a considerable encampment of the Dutch, where the
township of Weenen is now fixed, and murdered women and
children as well as men. The present name of the place,
" Weenen," is the sad memorial of this occurrence. It is the
Dutch word for the verb " to weep." Another party were at the
same time butchered on the banks of the Blaaukranz, nearer to
the Tugela. As, however, the victorious Zulus penetrated further
to the south, they came into collision with parties, who had been
warned by the few that had escaped from the first brunt of the
attack, and who had taken refuge in the extemporized waggon-
fortifications, which are known in South Africa as "Laagers,"
and were by these held effectually in check. The English at
the Bay endeavoured to make a diversion in behalf of their
Dutch friends, and sent a small party with 700 natives across
the Tugela. This party also was entrapped and destroyed by
Dingaan, and the remaining English had to take refuge from a
visit of retaliation, on board a vessel which happened to be at
anchor in the Bay. By this time some 400 more Dutchmen
had descended into the Klip river district of Natal, and com
bining with such of their countrymen as had been able to
withstand the irruption of the Zulus, they advanced towards
Umgungunhlovu in a compact body. They also were caught by
Dingaan in a sort of trap, being surrounded by an overwhelming
force, from which they only managed to escape after a severe
hand-to-hand struggle, and after leaving a considerable number
of their party dead on the field.
The defeated Dutch retired into Laagers, and made the best

EARLY DAYS. l9
arrangements for defence that circumstances allowed. Rein
forcements from beyond the Drakenberg dropped into their
encampments day by day. In August of the year 1838, Dingaan
burst in upon them once more, but they were then able to
maintain their intrenched positions, and to repel the attack.
By December, they found themselves strong enough to resume
the offensive, and 460 fighting men under Andries Pretorius
and Carl Landman, then advanced across the Tugela, and gave
Dingaan battle near the Umslatoos river. Upon this occasion
they encountered the en the forces of the Zulu king, amounting
to some twelve thousand men, and after a severe conflict,
entirely cut them up, leaving, according to one estimate, not
less than three thousand of their enemies dead upon the ground.
Dingaan concealed himself in the bush, but his extensive kraal
of Umgungunhlovu was burnt to the ground, and the] successful
emigrants retired across the Tugela, driving 5000 head of cattle
before them. Soon after this decisive victory, the Dutch
emigrants began fahly to settle themselves in the land they had
won. The towns of Durban and Maritzburg were planned by
parties of the Dutch emigrants in the year 1839. In that year
six houses appeared where Maritzburg city now stands.
Not long subsequently to Dingaan's defeat near the Umslatoos
river, his younger brother, Panda, was living on the Natal side
of the Tugela, in a kind of exile, surrounded by a party of
dependants, which had reason in common with himself, to fear
being too near to Dingaan. There is no doubt that, at this
time. Panda was, as the younger brothers of the Zulu kings
generally are, an objectof jealousy and suspicion to the monarch.
Accordingly, he sagaciously made overtures to his white neigh
bours to form with them a friendly alliance. At first his
advances were viewed with suspicion, for emissaries of Dingaan
were continually encountered engaged upon the work of obser
vation. Finally, however, an alliance was formed, and this led
to a combined expedition, in which 4000 of Panda's men were
supported by 400 mounted Dutchmen under Pretorius. Dingaan
was again attacked and defeated by this force, and soon after
fell beneath the assegais of a hostile tribe, while seeking con
cealment somewhere near Delagoa Bay. Upon the final defeat
c2

20 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
of Dingaan, the Dutch emigrants proclaimed their ally Panda
king of the Zulus, sand themselves masters of the land from St.
Lucia Bay to the St. John's River, and from the Drakenberg to
the sea ; a tract far exceeding in dimensions the stretch of the
colony as existing at the present time. Panda also gave the
Dutch emigrants 36,000 head of cattle, as his subsidy for their
aid. It must be admitted, therefore, that the white-skinned
members of the alliance did not manifest any disinclination to
appropriate the lion's share of the spoil. Panda was proclaimed
king of the extra-Natalian Zulus, on the 14th of February, 1840.
The policy of the British Government in relation to Natal
does not seem to have been very decided up to this time.
Immediately after the first victory of the Dutch emigrants over
Dingaan, at the close of the year 1838, a small detachment of
British troops was landed at the Bay, under the command of Major
Charteris. This detachment was sent to Natal by Sh George
Napier, who had just succeeded Sir Benjamin D'Urban in the
government of the Cape, to prevent the Dutch emigrants from
the Cape Colony, who were held to be still British subjects, from
acquiring independent territory of the natives. . By the judicious
management of Captain Jervis, who remained in command of
this detachment, the Dutch emigrants were soon brought to feel
its presence a benefit rather than an injury, and cordial relations
were established between the British soldiers and the settlers.
In the following year the British troops were withdrawn fi-om
Durban, in consequence of the disinclination of the Home
Government of that time to take any decided steps for the
retention of the territory under its own rule. On leaving.
Captain Jervis addressed a letter to the Dutch Landdrost, at the
Bay, expressing the most friendly feeling towards the young
community, and the best wishes for its ultimate prosperity and
success. The Dutch settlers considered the departure of Captain
Jervis in the light of an abandonment of all claims to the
territory on the part of the British Government, and immediately
hoisted the colours of what they thenceforth termed the " Republic
of Natalia."
When, however, the British Government heard of this pro
ceeding of the emigrants in Natal, it refused to recognize their

EARLY DAYS. 2]
independence, and informed them that it still continued to claim
their obedience and fealty, although it had withdrawn the military
force and the British ensign. The Dutch maintained the position
which they had assumed, and after a prolonged negociation, the
affair finally issued in two hundred soldiers, and two field pieces,
under the command of Captain Smith, being marched from the
frontiers of the old Cape Colony, down to Port Natal. The
Dutch received the military forces with demonstrations of
intended hostility, and Captain Smith established himself in an
entrenched camp close by the situation of the present town of
Durban. Reinforcements now came down from the uplands to
strengthen the Dutch, and Pretorius assumed the command of
his countrymen. The Dutch camp was formed at Congella,
about three miles from the British position. Captain Smith
summoned the emigrants to disperse, but they evaded the sum
mons by a mere pretence of submission, and actual hostilities
were commenced on the 23rd of May, in the year 1842, eleven
days after the renewed occupation of the British, by the Dutch
seizing about sixty oxen belonging to the Queen's troops. On
the same night. Captain Smith marched out to Congella with
one hundred of the Infantry and two guns ; but after a severe
conflict was repulsed by the Dutch, who were in great force and
strongly posted, with the loss of several men, and both the guns.
Three days subsequently the Dutch seized " The Point," which
was the natural communication of the British with the harbour,
and also two small vessels, the Mazeppa and the Pilot,
which were lying in the inner Bay. Captain Smith, with his
small and insufficient force, was now completely blockaded
within his entrenchments. He accordingly made all the disposi
tions he was able to sustain a siege, and managed to send off a
despatch to the old colony, intimating his need of help. This
-service was performed through the prompt and energetic co
operation of Mr. George Cato, at that time aT resident at the Bay.
Captain Smith applied to him to find native messengers for the
conveyance of the despatch, and Mr. Cato answered by offering
to be its bearer in his own person. The captain preferred
retaining him on the spot, and Mr. Cato accordingly deputed
the arduous task to Mr. King, smuggling him across the inner

22 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
bay, and swimming two horses over the same piece of water for
the messenger's use. The adventurers were fired upon by the
Dutch while effecting this passage, and were pui-sued. But Mr.
King managed to get safely away, and accomplished a journey
of six hundred miles through a wild land in safety, reaching
the frontier of the British territory after eight days of actual
travelling. Mr. George Cato in the mean time paid for his loyal
and brave service by sitting in the stocks, and lying in bonds.
He was seized by the Dutch as the chief agent in the business,
and transferred to the prison at Maritzburg. On the 10th of
June, sixteen days subsequently to the departure of Mr. King,
the Mazeppa, under the command of Mr. Joseph Cato, slipped
her cable, and made her way out to sea under the fire of the
Dutch at the Point, to seek for British cruisers at Delagoa Bay.
The Mazeppa carried with her women and children from the
British camp, who had been allowed by the besiegers to take
refuge on board.
In the mean time. Captain Smith, without sufficient shelter
for his wounded, and with a limited store of provisions growing
less day by day, resolutely sustained the repeated attacks of the
Dutch upon his entrenchments. By the 18th of June the little
garrison was entirely dependent upon dried horse-flesh, biscuit-
dust, and forage corn for its support. On the 24th the com
mander had the great delight to see signal rockets ascending at
night from the outer bay. On the following night there were
rockets again still further out to sea. He correctly inferred
that these could only indicate that relief was at hand. The
Southampton, fifty-gun frigate, and the transport schooner.
Conch, had arrived with reinforcements ; the one from the Cape,
and the other from Algoa Bay. When the Mazeppa returned
from its unsuccessful visit to Delagoa Bay in search of aid,
Mr. J. Cato found the Southampton at anchor off the port. The
schooner Conch, under the command of Captain Bell, the present
port captain at Durban, had been in the act of sailing from
Algoa Bay, with a detachment of one hundred men of the
27th Regiment, and a small party of Artillery, with two
guns, at the very time that the Mazeppa was slipping her cable,
and forcing her way out to sea past the Dutch guns at the

EARLY DAYS. 23
Point. The Conch happened to lie at Algoa. Bay when Mr.
King arrived with intelligence of the precarious position of
Captain Smith. All available troops were immediately embarked
on board the little vessel, by the direction of Colonel Hare, and
thus the beleagured force was joined by reinforcements within
thirty days of the despatch of the messenger from Port Natal.
The instant the Commander-in-Chief at the Cape received
information of the state of affairs, the admiral's flag-ship, the
Southampton, was despatched with further aid, and made such
speed on her errand of help that she cast anchor in the Bay
twenty-four hours after the Conch. On the 26th of June the
relieving detachments were landed under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Cloete, and a junction was effected with the
garrison under Captain Smith. The besiegers were not long in
taking the hint, and began immediately to draw off towards the
uplands. Negociation was thenceforth deemed a better weapon
than the sword. The Dutch at first took posts near the present
position of Pine Town, but soon afterwards retired upon Maritz
burg, and sent a deputation to meet Colonel Cloete and propose
terms of submission. On the 5th of July the submission of the
Dutch was received by the Lieutenant-Colonel in person at
Maritzburg, and an amnesty was guaranteed. The greater part
of the British troops -were then re-embarked on board the
Southampton, and Captain Smith remained in undisputed pos
session of Port Natal, and the district between the Berea hiUs
and the sea.
Matters remained generally in this position for some months.
But in May, 1843, Mr. Henry Cloete, a brother ofthe Lieutenant-
Colonel, was sent to Natal under the direction of the Imperial
Government, as a commissioner to effect a final arrangement of
the affairs of the settlement. The Commissioner found con
siderable irritation and excitement existing among the Dutch at
Maritzburg, and deemed it prudent to request an increased
military force from the Cape to back him in the course he might
find it necessary to adopt. In answer to this demand a detach
ment of the 46th Regiment was sent down. The allusion to the
arrival of these soldiers brings the extreme youth of the Colony
of Natal very forcibly and strikingly before the mind. The

24 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
head quarters of the 45th Regiment has but just (April, 1859)
been removed from Maritzburg, and is on its return voyage to
England. Recent settlers in the Colony however continually
encounter illustrations of the same fact, by coming in contact
with individuals whose names are historical from theh connection
with the incidents of those early days.
In August, 1843, Mr. Commissioner Cloete found a con
siderable party of armed Boers, from beyond the Drakenberg,
waiting his arrival at Maritzburg. The Dutch entertained a
suspicion, that it was the purpose of the British government
to assert a claim to the entire district, between the Orange River
and the sea. Upon the Commissioner declaring that it was his
intention to propose the Drakenberg mountains as the northern
limit of British . territory, it was decided, by the general
assembly of the Dutch, that the settlers from beyond the
mountains could have nothing whatever to do with the matter.
They were themselves inclined, upon consideration, to take a
similar view of theh position, and voluntarily withdrew from
the deliberative council, and began a retreat towards the
North. It was then resolved by the twenty-four members of
the Volksraad, or council, who remained to represent the
Dutch .emigrants to the South of the Drakenberg, that they
would acknowledge Natal to be vhtually a portion of a British
colony, and that they would agree to the conditions that,
within the limits of its boundaries, slavery should be forbidden,
and that there should be no distinction of colour, origin,
language, or creed, recognized in the eye of the law. The
Dutchmen, who took the most active part in bringing about
the settlement, based upon these conditions, were Andries
Pretorius, Stephanus Maritz, Dr. Poortman, P. M. Gietsman,
and Mr. Boshof. Natal was in this way recognized by its
first Dutch possessors, to be a British dependency, on the 8th
of August, 1843, now sixteen years ago. Maritzburg had at
that time grown to be tbe centre of the Dutch settlements
below the Drakenberg. But the future city was only in the
third year of its age, when it became the seat of this pacifica
tion and arrangement. Mr. Mesham, its present resident
magistrate, still talks of standing in Maritzburg nineteen

EARLY DAYS. 25
years ago, and having around him, as the sole trace of civilized
activity, six houses. The kraal of the Kafir chief, Dushani,
then stood where one of the principal chemist's shops {Darc-
ney's) now is. The full and somewhat unwieldy title of the
town is Pieter-Maritzburg. This name is compounded of the
christian name of one of the emigrants who was particularly
active in fixing its foundations, and of the surname of another.
Pieter Retief and Gcert Maritz have each contributed to the
designation of the Natalian metropolis. Maritz, however, seems
to have had the better part in the work, for the Pieter is fast
disappearing from the connection. The old Dutch pioneers ofthe
land certainl/ had good eyes for the practical, when selecting
a site for their homesteads. It is now a common thing to
hear travellers, who have been prospecting far and wide over
the lands of the colony, say that they had no where encountered
another spot so well calculated for the establishment of a
town. After the submission of the Dutch emigrants to British
rule. Natal remained for some time virtually under the charge
of Captain Smith, who, with the rank of major, had taken the
direction of political and military matters. The management
of the civil and judicial affairs of the community being, for
the time, left in the hands of the Volksraad.
At the end of the year 1845, the first Lieutenant Governor,
Martin West, Esq., arrived from the Cape with the heads of
the civil departments, and the Dutch settlers were soon
afterwards officially informed of the arrangements, which it
was proposed to make, in relation to their claims for land.
Many received the intimation with undisguised dissatisfaction,
and withdrew to the banks of the Vaal Eiver. Others merely
retired to the remote uplands of the Klip River and Weenen
districts, and sat themselves down there in scarcely less
refractory mood. The number of the Kafir population within
Natal, was at this time considerable. Mr. Lewis Grout states
that there were not less than 80,000 Kafirs within the British
territory, in the year 1846.
In the year 1847, the Dutch Boers, who were residing in
the upland district, between the Tugela and the Buffalo Rivers,

26 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
advanced an independent claim to the territory, stating that
it had been separately sold to them by Panda, and that it had
never formed part of the territory ceded to the English. The
British government at once refused to allow the claim, and
towards the end of the year many of the farmers in that
district, in a sort of panic, deserted their homesteads, first
formed themselves into encampments, and then migrated beyond
the Drakenberg. There is reason to believe that a spirit of
disaffection had been roused in these Boers by some of their
countrymen residing beyond the Orange River.
In the month of February, in the year 1848, Sir H. Smith,
then Governor of the Cape colony, visited Natal as High
Commissioner, and offered free grants of land to persons
desirous of settling down within its boundaries. This tended
to produce a reflux of the tide, and many of the Dutch families,
now living within the colony, soon after came down from the
Drakenberg. In the year 1849, a scheme was conceived by
Mr. J. C. Byrne, in England, for facilitating the introduction of
British emigrants. This scheme received the sanction ofthe home
government, and Englishmen began to arrive in Natal in
considerable numbers. In its immediate results this scheme
of Mr. Byrne's was altogether a failure. The weak point in
its conception was that a pastoral land was treated as if it had
been a prepared agricultural field. Small allotments of a few
acres were parcelled out to the settlers, who found them
altogether inadequate for the supply of their immediate wants.
The first fruits of the venture were hardship and disappoint
ment to all who were concerned. The ultimate results,
however, were widely different from the earliest appearances.
Obstacles and difficulties were bravely met and manfully over
come. Scarcely a single individual, who came out under Mr.
Byrne's auspices, can be now pointed to who has not succeeded
in making a fair base for future progress. Even those who
landed destitute of everything, from the shipwrecked and
stranded Minerva, which was one of the large vessels employed
by Mr. Byrne, and which was driven on shore with its living
and dead freight beneath the Bluff of Natal, now form a
very important portion of the most prosperous tradesmen and

EARLY DAYS. 27
farmers of the colony. About the year 1851, several other
English speculators engaged, upon a smaller scale, in sending
emigrants to Natal.
In the early part of the year 1851, Sir H. Smith was engaged
in hostilities with the frontier Kafirs under Kreli, and requested
Lieutenant Governor Pine (who had been sent out to Natal the
previous year, in consequence of the death of Lieutenant
Governor West, head of affairs in Natal), to send a force ofthe
Natal Kafirs through Kafraria, to create a diversion in his favour.
The Lieutenant Governor endeavoured to make arrangements for
carrying out this object, but the Natal Kafirs manifested great
reluctance to engage in the expedition. This reluctance was
viewed with a considerable amount of suspicion at the time, and
was in a degree looked upon as a manifestation of disaffection.
The expedition was not pressed, and the alarm gradually
subsided. This was the last time any serious fears of insubor
dination, on the part of the Kafir population within the settle
ment, have been entertained.
Since the year 1851, the young colony has made steady
progress, socially and economically. The numbers of the white
settlers have been gradually increasing, and attention has been
more and more drawn, year by year, to the capabilities of the
climate and soil. In April, 1850, the second Lieutenant
Governor, Mr. Pine, arrived in Natal, his predecessor having
died in the previous year. In the year 1851, several additional
magistrates were appointed in the several divisions and counties.
In 1853, a Bishop was created by a patent from Her Majesty,
and Maritzburg became a city and a Bishop's see. In 1854,
municipal corporations were established in Durban and Maritz
burg. In 1856, the present Lieutenant Governor, John Scott,
Esq., landed in the Colony of Natal; that is to say. His
Excellency, on the 5th of November in that year, had the
gratification of proclaiming Natal a distinct colony under the
Royal Charter, which he had brought out with him, providing a
Legislative Assembly, of twelve elected and four nominated
members. The first Legislative Assembly was dissolved by His
Excellency at the close of the past year, after two sessions, in
consequence of a manifestation of unwillingness, on the part of

28 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
its majority, to acquiesce in the reserve by the government of a
fixed annual sum, to be applied to purposes of native improve
ment. The second Legislative Council has accordingly in the
present year, 1859, just completed its first session. It is no
bad augury for the future of this young colony, that in the third
year of its age, a Superintendent of Education has been appointed,
and a sum of £2022 voted for the work of education during the
year 1860.
In the year 1856, a feud broke out in Zululand, just beyond
the northern boundary of the colony, between the sons of Panda,
the Zulu king, which led to a sanguinary struggle among the
extra-colonial Zulus, but which also had the effect of illustrating
very satisfactorily the prestige of the British power. The
conflict took place close to the confines of the colony, and the
vanquished party sought refuge by thousands in the British
territory ; — the boundary stream was nevertheless respected by
the victors, even in the first fiush of conquest. The remote
causes of this struggle can be briefly explained, and the expla
nation will serve the further purpose of representing the state
of affairs existing at the present time in the territory of the
most powerful of the independent native tribes residing near to
Natal. All the male Zulus above a certain age, are banded into
regiments, and these regiments are required by the king to
render certain service at the Royal Military kraals. The ordinary
service consists mainly in building huts and fences, and in
milking and herding the cows belonging to the king. The
captains and chief men of the regiments on service are expected
to spend their time mainly at the king's residence, or principal
kraal, where they have huts; their food being forwarded to
them from their own people. The custom of the land is that
these chiefs in attendance should receive gratuities of cattle
from the king, in recognition of their service. In the time of
Chaka and of Dingaan, the payment was easily made. There
was then constant war, and there was always abundance of spoil
to be divided. Panda, however, came into power in the interests
of peace. As soon as he was firmly seated on his throne, he
found himself closely hemmed in' by his Dutch and English
neighbours, and had to depend entirely upon his own internal

EARLY DAYS. 29
resources for carrying on his government. The consequence has
been, that the chief men assembled at the king's place have
often been in a starving state, and when they have gone home
to their own kraals, at the expiration of their court-attendance,
they have commonly been forced to do so empty-handed. Now
and then, an excuse has been found to get rid of a wealthy
subject, in consequence of a snake having made its appearance
at some particular spot, or for some other equally pertinent
reason, and to constitute the royal person his heir. Panda's
soldiers have, nevertheless, had but -small pickings since his
accession, and have upon more than one occasion had to disperse
in search of food for themselves. This state of matters has
furnished ground for a growing dissatisfaction with the king.
In addition to this, it has pleased Panda to keep his braves
unwived, as well as unfed, to an unusually advanced age. The
king has also been continually in ill health, and waxing enor
mously fat. His people have not often seen him, excepting
when walking in solitary state at a distance. His captains have
rarely been assembled in council, and not uncommonly his
orders have been issued to his immediate attendants in such a
confused and hasty way, that the recipients have scattered
themselves in all directions only to look blank at each other,
and wonder what they were after, and what they were expected
to do. From these several causes, the idea has gradually been
generated in the popular mind that Panda is not a king " after
the Zulu heart." He has, nevertheless, been himself personally
kept in ignorance of the disaffection of his people, in consequence
of the isolated manner in which he has lived, and the unwilling
ness of those around him to speak with him of unpalatable
facts. After this state of matters had continued at the Zulu court
for some time, the king gave permission to his eldest sons to
found kraals of their own, and to go to reside in them, in order
to relieve the pressure upon his immediate resources. The
young men forthwith availed themselves of the permission, and
the most disaffected of the king's subjects soon began to pay
court to the rising luminaries, and to attach themselves to the
persons of these juvenile chiefs. They called this " living under

30 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the tiger's tail," and when, at any time, they were called upon
to leave their chosen position, and to go up towards the tiger's
head, they considered that this would necessarily bring them
more within reach of the tiger's teeth and claws, and so they
declined to obey. In this way the parties of the king's sons
gradually waxed in strength, but at the same time grew more and
more jealous of each other. The two eldest sons, Ketchwago and
Umbulazi, ultimately became the rallying points of the dissen
sion. The young men of the tribe, who had heard glowing
accounts of the pleasant and profitable days of Chaka and
Dingaan, rallied round Ketchwago. The younger sons of the
king attached themselves to Umbulazi. Hunting parties were
assembled, and the hunters appeared with the large war-shield,
instead of with their hunting gear, and assegais began to
manifest an inclination towards human breasts, in the place of
seeking only quadrupedal prey. A rumour of what was going
on at length reached Panda's ears, and he sent for his two sons,
and charged them to lay aside their jealousies, and to live
together in peace. They demanded to have the people called
together to hear and decide their claims. Panda turned a deaf
ear to this demand, and for a time kept the younger of the two
litigants, Umbulazi, near to him, but at last gave him permission
to go towards the Tugela river, and build there. Umbulazi
went slowly towards the spot assigned to him, gathering
adherents as he went, who all carried the great war-shield,
saying that they did so. because Ketchwago wanted to destroy
their chief. It was generally understood that Panda inclined
to favour Umbulazi; this younger prince accordingly became
the representative of the old king's party, and Ketchwago the
hope of the new movement. He was also looked upon as the
real descendant of Dingaan, and as the man who would restore
cattle and fatness to the impoverished kraals. At the critical
moment, the Prime Minister and Commander-in-chief of Panda,
declared for the " White Eose," and went over to Ketchwago,
carrying a large body of the king's regiments with him. The
final consequence of the embroilment was, that about the
beginning of December, 1856, the army of Ketchwago swept
down upon Umbulazi's party in three divisions, and, after a

EARLY DAYS. 31
short conflict, dispersed his men. Umbulazi's adherents sought
safety by crossing the Tugela, which was swollen at the time ;
thousands of them consequently fell either under the assegai, or
in the flood. Umbulazi, and five pther of Panda's sons were
slain in the fight. Two young sons of Panda, Usikota and
Umkungu (the latter a mere boy), who were not in the fight,
escaped into British territory, and are now living in Natal as
refugees. The younger of the two, Umkungu, is under the
Lord Bishop's care.
After the battle of the Tugela, the old King Panda, became
more and more powerless, and the star of Ketchwago more and
more in the ascendant. At one time the King was so desolate
that Ketchwago had to send him twenty men to serve him.
The person of the King was, nevertheless, respected. In the
month of November, 1857, a great assembly of the people was
called together at the King's kraal, for the adjustment of
differences. It was then decided that all party distinctions were
thenceforward to be dropped, and that Ketchwago's right to the
succes^on, on Panda's death, should be recognized ; Ketchwago
being for the present the chief Indiena under the King. It was
ruled that Panda was still competent to think, but that he was
now too old to move, thenceforth, therefore, Panda was to be
" the head" of the nation, and Ketchwago " the feet." All
important matters of State were first to be carried to Masipula
(the Prime Minister) and Ketchwago ; and were then to be
referred to Panda for final sanction. The arrangement regarding
the succession was, however, a matter of tacit understanding,
rather than of definite agreement, because it is high treason in
Zululand to recognize in words even the possibility of such an
occurrence as the death of the King. It is related of a gentle
man, at the present time connected with missionary work, that
upon a certain occasion he electrified the entire court of Panda
by congratulating the monarch upon his good looks, and adding
that he " had heard a report he was dead." Panda himself was
for a brief interval mute from horror and alarm ; but he then
recovered his presence of mind, and with a furtive glance said,
" We never speak of such things here ;" and so proceeded to
change the conversation.

32 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
Affairs in Zululand remain pretty much in the same condition
up to the present time. Panda is the nominal "head," and
Ketchwago the acting "feet." Both parties in the State, the
old and the new, continue to have their adherents, and appeals
are frequently made to the Colonial Government from each for
countenance and recognition. The Government, of course,
remains on friendly relations with Panda, as the actual ruler,
and observes a strict neutrality in all matters concerning the
affairs of Zululand.
A notice of the early days of Nat9,l cannot be concluded without
alluding to the efforts in behalf of the Kafir population which
have been made, and still are making, through missionary
institutions. Establishments and stations belonging to the
various denominations are sown broad-cast over the land, and
form so many centres whence civilizing infiuences are spread.
The Church of England, the Church of Eome, and the Wesleyans ;
the Americans, the Prussians, the Hanoverians, and the
Norwegians, all have their labourera. In the stations of many
of the missionaries of these persuasions and people, training in
practical matters is quietly and unobtrusively combined with
religious instruction.

CHAPTEE III.
THE KAPIB RACES IN UATAL.
^)HE Kafirs who are met with in Natal are, upon the average,
^ of somewhat lower statm'e than Englishmen; but they
possess well-proportioned and fully-developed frames, combining
super-eminently the qualities of activity and strength. The
entire race has woolly hair, and some individuals have also the
large protruding mouths, thick lips, regular white teeth, and
broad flat noses, which are characteristics of the Negro organiza
tion. Others, however, have the aquiline nose, straight lip,
long beard, retiring chin, and prominent square forehead of the
European. The general exj)ression of the face is open, gentle,
and amiable. The eye is for the most part dark, soft, and
twinkling with merry humour.
There is one peculiarity which at once distinguishes the Kafir
race from the Negro variety of dark-skinned Africans. Ihe
limbs are singularly small-boned and slender. In young indivi
duals, and especially among the boys, the tapering delicate arms
and hands, and the slim legs and slight feet are very remarkable,
and catch the attention of even the most careless observer.
The Kafir organization obviously vibrates between that of the
Negro, and that of a nobler tyjje. The pastoral and nomadic
propensities, and the ingrained impatience of constraint of these
slim-limbed, agile, and wooUy-headed tribes, taken in connection
with the fact that they seem to have come originally along the
eastern coast of Africa, from the north, point towards the
possibility that the same law, which has been made influential
in the evolution of the highly-endowed Anglo-Saxon race,
through the admixture of bloods, may also have had to do with
the production of -the Kafir development, and that the remark-

34 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
able combination of qualities by which that development is
marked, may be attributed, partly to an Arab, and partly to a
Negro source. There are certain ceremonies, and words, in use
among the Kafirs, which also point to a similar conclusion, on
account of the affinities which they present with doings and
language encountered among the Arabs. The word which has
become sanctioned by custom as the general denomination of
these tribes of the South-eastern coast, also carries with it a
certain amount offeree as additional evidence. "Kafir" means
literally an unbeliever in the doctrines of Mahomet, and is a
term of constant occurrence with the Arabs.
In his wild and free state the Kafir goes almost entirely naked.
He has no other garment than a bunch of strips cut from the
skin of the sheep, wild cat, or goat suspended from a slender
girdle, as a kind of diminutive apron, in front, and a similar
bunch behind. The neck is sometimes ornamented by a collar
formed of the teeth and claws of the lion and leopard, or the
claws of the eagle, allowed by the chief to be worn as an order
of merit in reward for some especial act. Sometimes a necklace
of fi'agments of a particular kind of root takes the place of the
claws, to indicate that the wearer has killed his antagonist in
fight. The arms of distinguished men are also ornamented by
bracelets of brass, generally the gift of the supreme Chief. The
ears are pierced with wide gashes, into which are stuck the snuff
box, composed of a fragment of hollow reed, and other personal
conveniences. The Kafir hardly ever moves from his hut without
having his buckler of ox-skin, five or six assegais, and a knobbed
club in his hands. This habit has probably been in a measure
formed by the chance of an encounter with some fierce wild
animal at any instant. At night the Kafir wraps himself in a
well-greased ox-skin, or blanket. For war he has plumed and
furred robes of considerable complexity.
As soon as the Kafir has arrived at the dignity of hut-
ownership, and the possession of wives, he shaves his head,
excepting along a narrow track extending quite round the crown.
Along that track the hair is dressed and worked up with gum
until it constitutes a black polished coronet or ring. These
head-rings serve for the support of feathers, and other kinds of

KAFIR RACES. 35
ornament ; they generally indicate that the wearer has attained
to independent manhood, and in this sense require the special
sanction of the Chief before they can be assumed. The young
unmarried men invariably wear their hair fuzzy and long, and
dress it after a variety of fashions.
The Kafir women, who are married, wrap a small fragment
of skin round their loins ; this rude garment, however, falls
towards their feet, in a greater or less degree, in proportion to
their rank. They have necklaces of beads, and brass rings
for their arms. The head is bare, excepting where a small tuft
of hair, well incorporated with red dust or powder, is left at
the summit of the crown. The young girls wear nothing but
a narrow fringe across their loins, and a collar of gay beads.
The children are left entirely naked, up to about the seventh
year of age.
The men of the Kafir race reserve their "thews chiefly for
war and the chase. They take care of the cattle, milk the
cows, build the huts, clear the ground, and cut down timber
with the axe ; but with the exception of these, in their eyes,
not undignified occupations, they engage in no other kind of
labour. It falls to the lot of the women to perform all the
rest of the necessary work. The females dig and hoe, sow
and reap, prepare the food, fetch water and wood, and keep the
huts in repair. A man's fortune depends mainly upon the number
of his cattle, and of his wives and daughters, who bring him a
settlement in cattle when they are married. The wife works
for the advantage of the family, and has a hut in the kraal
to herself She also advances in dignity as new dependants
are added to her husband's establishment. The children speak
of the several wives of their father as their "mothers." The
Kafir knows nothing of immovable property. The crops are
personal possessions, but the ground is common to all.
The dwelling of the Kafir is simply a hemispherical hut of
boughs and reeds, looking very much like a Brobdignag bee
hive. It has a low-arched door, through which its inhabitants
creep upon their hands and knees. "~ It is tolerably commodious
within, and has a kind of flat basin of clay in the centre,
which is used for the hearth. Eound this hearth the inhabi-
d2

36 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
tants squat upon their haunches, when making themselves
comfortable and snug. The huts are generally planted in
circles upon some natural slope, which is sufficiently inclined
to allow water to run away from the buildings. A space is
generally fenced round in the centre of the circle of the huts,
as a pen for the cattle. The huts themselves are inclosed
within a continuous hedge, intended to provide seclusion.
The Kafirs live almost entirely upon the produce of their
gardens, and upon the milk of their cows. Their gardens
yield maize, Kafir corn, (millet) pumpkins, gourds, water
melons, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beans, sesanaum seed, earth-
nuts, sweet cane, (imphee) wild tobacco, and wHd hemp. The
Kafirs cultivate no kind of tree.
The Kafir has no family, or surname. He is distinguished
by a single a.ppellation, and very great ingenuity is exercised
in providing this name. The children have in the first
instance, a birth-name given to them. This is taken from
some occm-rence or circumstance associating itself with the
birth. Thus, " Umgodi" is " the boy who was born in a
hole." In adult years the birth-name is superseded by the
name of praise, which is acquired either from some honourable
act, or from some personal trait. Thus, " Umginqisago" is
" the hunter who caused the game to roll over." " Umomoye,"
is "the man with abroad face." " Usireshe," is " the man
with a big beard." A lady of the visiter's acquaintance, who
moves habitually with a brisk staccato step, was at once
named amongthe Kafirs " Unomaqekeqekana ;" thatis "one
who goes off, or moves in little cracks" — or as it might be
literally translated — '¦'¦ cracklegait." Another lady, a clergy
man's daughter, who keeps her eyes about, and has the habit
of unconsciously looking quickly from side to side, is " Uno-
maqalaqala" — that is " one who looks out into all directions
in order to see."
Kafirs, in common with all uncultured men, are slaves to
particular superstitions. They are learned in augury. It is a
bad omen for a rock-rabbit to run into a kraal, or for a dog to
get upon the top of a hut, or for a turkey buzzard to be caught
in a snare. A general belief prevails that certain evU-disposed

KAFIR RACES. 37
persons are able to work harm to individuals around them by
supernatural means. These persons are called " Abatakati,"
which has been translated by some authorities as signifying
" witches" or " wizards." These terms, however, do not
adequately express the meaning. The abatakati are sometimes
evil-doers, in the sense of being criminals against the Kafir
code of propriety and right. At other times they seem to
possess more vague and mysterious functions. Thus in Panda's
land, it is held that immediately on the decease of a native
they hunt after the body, in order that they may employ it in
a kind of demoniac work, and use wild cats and leopards as
assistants in the search. When a body is discovered, it is
immediately physicked until it is restored to life. If the evil
doer is caught in the act of restoration, and interrupted in the
work, the half-restored individual returns to life as a half
witted or stupid being. But when the tongue has been duly
cut off, and the restoration is complete, it becomes at once an
" umkovu," (spectre or huhgobUn,) and is sent to join the
umkovu band, and to wait until it is needed for goblin em
ployment. Under the direction of the evil-doer, the umkovu
then goes in the dead of the night to the neighbourhood of
an inhabited kraal, and shouts "Maya" {'Woe! woe! to the
house of my father !) The " Maya" is a death-doom to some
one, and when it is heard, the inhabitants of the kraal remain
terror-struck and motionless. It would be certain death for
any one to speak, or to move hand or foot ; a very convenient
fact at any rate for the goblin messenger, as affording him
a sure guarantee against interference whilst engaged on his
errand of doom.
The Kafir, in his native state, lives under the rule of a
supreme chief, who has power of life and death over him, and
who receives from him the most unquestioning and devoted
obedience. The king, or supreme chief, dwells in his kraal,
surrounded by chieftains and subordinates, who are summoned
into residence for a time, and receive presents of oxen for
their service. When a Kafir approaches the king's place, he
begins, at the distance of half-a-mile, to shout aloud in honor
of the royal name, assuring the sovereign that he is the

38 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
"Great king." That he is a "black man," "a leopard,"
" a tiger," and " an elephant." Also " a calf of that cow
which gores all other beasts with its sharp horns." When
admitted into the precincts of the royal residence, the visitor
advances with his body bent, and repeats the royal salute,
^'¦bayeti!" As a general rule, the affections of the Kafir are gentle,
steady, and enduring. Grown men may be commonly seen
in their kraals, fondling and nursing their children. Passion
is far from being highly developed in his nature, excepting
when it is called forth by some excitement or phrenzy, such as
that of war. Under such circumstances, he becomes a fierce
and uncontrollable mad man. He possesses a very tolerable
opinion of himself; and is generally observing, sagacious, and
shrewd, and very slow to attach faith to what seems to him
unusual or strange. He is inclined to despise luxury, and to
hold that things which are simply useful are beneath the
attention and regard of dignified men. The Kafir of high
station is almost always reserved and self-possessed, but
studiously polite towards those with whom he has grounds for
intercourse. Certain of the better qualities of human nature are so
generally and so strongly marked in the Kafir character, as to
deserve to be especially named as national peculiarities.
First and foremost, among the qualities that come out promi
nently in the Kafir, when intercourse is held with him, is his
lightness of heart and cheerfulness. However the case may be
in the matter of work, he is always ready to dance and sing, or
to laugh and play. Let him have but the smallest occasion,
and he will laugh without ceasing. This frame of mind is in a
large measure due to the entire absence of what civilized men
call "Care." His wants are very few; and those wants are
almost entirely provided for by nature. The mealies, the
pumpkins, and the corn, spring from the ground in abundance ;
the cattle multiply and fatten upon the wild pasture; the
children bring themselves np, and find their own place. An old
and experienced missionary in Natal remarks that he has never
been able to preach to his Kafirs from the text, " Do not take

KAFIR RACES. 39
thought for to-morrow." The Kafir never does take thought
for the morrow. Futurity has for him no practically recognized
existence, and one consequence is that he is not galled by the
spur which above all other things makes the civilized man
anxious, fretful, and ill-tempered. It is generally remarked that
when Kafirs live long in the employment and under the influences
of white men, they gradually lose theh cheerfulness and light
ness of heart, and become sulky and morose.
The Kafir is by nature as social as the ant, which makes its
hillock-nests upon his plains. The men assemble day by day,
. and pass their time in incessant conversation. To sit together,
and snuff and talk, and then to dance and sing together, is the
prime enjoyment in Kafir existence. It must also be added
that the talk is not uncommonly earnest and concerning grave
state affairs. When an ox is killed at a kraal, invitations are
sent round throughout the neighbourhood to bring guests to the
feast ; and the gathering is at last by no means restricted to
invited guests. Countless numbers besides drop in as from the
clouds, and as a matter of course, receive their share. It has
been remarked, that if an ox is killed anywhere in South Africa,
Kafirs and vultures are sure immediately to appear. The Kafir
is quite unable to eat his meal alone. Whatever he has, he
freely shares with all who chance to be at hand, excepting the
amasi or sour milk, which is only partaken of by members of the
owner's kraal, in consequence of being deemed essential for the
support of the children and women. Even when in the service
of white men, this national trait continues to be vital. The meal
time is almost sure to bring its levy of hungry mouths, and all
get something from the iron pot, even if no addition is made to
the contents. This peculiarity operates somewhat injuriously
in one particular. It disinclines the Kafir to make any out-of-
the-way effort in providing for his own wants. No man cares
to have what his neighbours have not in the same degree,
because his own store would necessarily then be immediately
absorbed by the demands of his visitors. A Kafir was once
asked, " As you are so fond of tobacco, why do you not plant it
in your garden ?" The answer was, " I would plant it if my
neighbours would do the same thing. But they would not.

40 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
They are too lazy. It is, therefore, of no use for me to plant it,
because other people would then come at once and finish it for
me, if I did so."
If two Kafirs who are acquaintances, cross each other upon
the road, they begin to gossip at the top of their voices, as soon
as they are in sight of each other, and they continue the shouting
conversation until the Avords can no longer be distinguished
through the increasing distance.
The hospitality which is universally practised among Kafirs,
is a natural and necessary result of their social disposition. No
traveller in wild Kafiiiand ever used to think of taking food
with him on a journey, or of offering to pay for what he received.
The Zulu and Natal Kafirs are now, however, learning,
through their intercourse with white men, that such is not the
custom of civilization. The traders in Zululand are gradually
accustoming their wild hosts to take payment for their enter
tainment. A Kafir will now sometimes lodge and board a
visitor, and will come to him a few days after and say, " I gave
to you when you came to my hut, because you are a great chief
(Inkosi), and now I am come to you, and what will you give
me?" A short time since, eight strong young Kafirs, on a
journey, came to one of the missionary stations near Durban,
and stated that they were hungry and wanted to be fed, but had
no money wherewith to make payment, and that, therefore,
they would work first for a couple of hours for the chief, to earn
their entertainment.
Another result of the strong social instinct of the Kafir, is a
readiness to sympathize with those of his people who are in
distress. Wherever there is sickness, the neighbours and friends
make constant visits of comfort and condolence; and when
bereavement takes place, an innumerable staff of assistant
mourners immediately appears.
The Kafir is essentially polite. This is possibly also a con
sequence of the strength of his social instinct. Salutations are
constantly given when visits are made. The host receives his
guest with, "We see or respect you" C" Sakubona"). The guest
on taking leave says, " Farewell," and the host replies, " Go,
keep well." In the statement of a disputed case before a chief.

KAFIR RACES. 41
the plaintiff or complainant is allowed to speak as long as he
pleases, and then the defendant has the same grace granted to
him. No one ever thinks of interrupting either of the parties.
The same also is the case in familiar conversation. At feasts,
all who are to share, group themselves according to their proper
positions — as old men, young men, boys, matrons, young
women, and girls, and wait patiently until the head man, who
is presiding, apportions the proper share, and then render thanks.
No one begins to eat until all are served. The Kafir always
acknowledges the smallest favour or gift with the interjectional
— Ehe ! Ehe ! which is equivalent to " thank you."
White men, whose principal intercourse with Kafirs has been
in the relation of masters and servants, very generally hold that
the race is devoid of all sense of gratitude. The notion, how
ever, mainly depends upon the fact that the Kafir has too
commonly been expected to be grateful for some act which he
himself has never recognized as a benefit. The simple truth
seems to be that the Kafirs are fully as sensible of kindness,
consideration, and acts of real benefit, as white men. Instances
are continually occurring which prove this position in the most
striking way. There is an old German, residing at New Ger
many, whose means are very limited, but who, nevertheless,
has been dubbed " a chief" among the Kafirs, in consequence
of his -habitually expressing only gentleness and good-will
towards them. A Kafir, who had been out of this German's
employ for some time, made his appearance at his house the
other day, pulled from a basket two small packets, and laid
them on the table, and added, "There, old Baas {master), are
some sugar and coffee which I bought for you at Pine Town,
because I know you like them." Mr. Posselt tells of an English
hunter, who was laid up in a solitary hut in Zululand with a
fever, and whose life was preserved for some days through his
Kafir attendant creeping by stealth into the neighbouring
kraals at night, and milking the cows for him, although quite
aware that if he had been caught, his life would have been the
sacrifice for the robbery. Mr. Posselt was once passing a kraal
in a remote part of the colony, when a Kafir-woman rushed out
from a hut, and called after him to stop his horse. On coming

42 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
up with him, she said, " Here are sugar-cane and mealies for
you — you are the man who gave me bread in your place three
years ago." Mr. Posselt had forgotten both the woman and
the occasion alluded to. Instances of grateful memory of this
kind are of constant occurrence.
A few months ago, a strange Kafir- woman from a distance
came to the Bishop's station in very great distress, because she
had broken a pick which she had borrowed of a neighbour, and
did not know how she could replace it. The Bishop's manager,
Mr. Tonnesen, gave her another pick, and she went her way
rejoicing. Four months afterwards, the woman made her
appearance again, when her features were all but forgotten, and
came up to Mr. Tonnesen with a bundle of green mealies. Not
recognizing his visitor, he said, "What do you want?" The
reply was, "You are my Inkosi; you gave me a pick." And
the green bundle, the first-fruits of the ripening mealie crop,
was laid in acknowledgment at his feet. Instances of grateful
memory of this kind are of constant occurrence.
The Kafirs have a very fine and correct sense of justice. They
never murmur at the infiiction of any punishment or penalty
that has been deserved. There is scarcely any jury in the world,
which would be more ready to find a verdict of " served him
right" in a case of merited penalty, than one impannelled from
Kafir men.
There is perhaps no more astonishing trait in the Kafir
character, at least so far as the tribes surrounding Natal are
concerned, than the scrupulous honesty of almost every in
dividual. The houses of white settlers are left without fastening
on window or door, and unwatched from year's end to year's
end. Articles of linen and clothes are habitually left on the
open ground to dry and bleach. And yet it is an occurrence
of the rarest kind that any article, however trifling, is missing.
Mr. Posselt states that he has had occasion to send cash to the
amount of £100 from German Town up to the Berlin Mission
station, at the foot of the Drakenberg. His course of proceeding,
under such chcumstances, is to explain to the messenger what
it is that is entrusted to his charge, and to give him a fair
payment for the service of transport. The Directors of the

KAFIR RACES. 43
Natal Bank have sent money to the amount of £2000 sterling
down to Durban, from Maritzburg, by Kafir messengers. It
must be understood that the Kafir, when on a journey, has no
where to rest, but in the huts which he passes on his way.
He sleeps in these huts with the matters entrusted to his charge
lying near him. Notwithstanding these facilities for theft, there
is not a single instance on record of money having been lost
while in the messenger's hands. The magistrates who collect
the Kafir hut tax, have not uncommonly as much as a thousand
pounds in their possession for days, in the wildest parts of the
land, without any guard around them for their personal pro
tection. Mr. Tonnesen resided four years at the Norwegian
Missionary station in Zululand, and during that time never
lost the smallest article, although hatchets, nails, and tools of
the most seductive kind were constantly scattered about in all
directions round the premises. During the struggle between
Ketchwago and his brothers, the victorious party visited this
station in the first flush of victory ; one of Ketchwago's soldiers
saw the skin of a kid lying out, which he took a great fancy to.
He came, however, to Mr. Tonnesen, to ask permission to take it,
before he ventured to lay his hands upon the coveted treasure.
Upon the whole there is probably no land in the world in which
property is more absolutely safe than it is in Natal. This is,
however, far from being the case among the Kafirs of the
frontier of the old colony. The Kafir races there are inveterate
thieves. Sorae portion of the honesty of the Zulu Kafirs is
probably due to the traditional policy of Chaka and his successors.
Eobbery has been commonly punished by death in Zululand,
since Chaka's accession to power.
Having glanced at the bright side of the picture, there now
remain certain peculiarities of a less pleasant kind to be named.
Human nature of course is not more perfect among rude people
than it is in cultivated communities. It is a curious fact that
the wild Kafir himself recognizes the antagonism, and the
struggle between good and evil, which are found in his own
breast. He has a name for the " angry heart" {ugovane), and
the "peaceful 'h.ewi" {unembeza); and he remarks in common
conversation, when relating what he has felt, " The angry heart

44 THE COLONY OP NATAL :
said — SO and so ; but the peaceful heart said — so and so." In
attempting an analysis of the " ugovane" then, first and foremost
must be placed the Kafir's laziness. This is found to be the
greatest stumbling-block at the outset of every attempt to
civilize the race. Whatever the Kafir performs, he does in a
slovenly fashion, and so to speak, by halves. He is quite unable
to comprehend why exertion should be made to get any task
accomplished off hand. It is his temperament, and his second
nature, to dawdle and dream. There are exceptions, where the
Kafir does learn to work with the energy and the assiduity of
the European. Such exceptions, however, are but rarely met
with. The German missionary, Mr. Posselt, states that during
an experience of twenty years he has found only two such instances.
In one particular the Kafir seems to be more lazy than he
really is. He is quite unable to carry on any occupation with
order and predetermined arrangement. He will go through a
task which he has been a lon^ time in the habit of performing.
But in any new and improved kind of labour, of however plain
and simple a character, he must have the white man's eye
constantly upon him, or he soon falls into inextricable confusion.
It is a curious fact that the wild Kafirs very readily learn to
work in circles, but can only be taught to trace out squares,
triangles, or other regular straight-sided figures, with the utmost
difficulty. When the Kafir comes into the service of the white colonist,
he almost always proves to be personally dirty as well as
disorderly. His hair soon gets filled with vermin, and his skin
profusely soiled, if he be not looked to closely. He is not dirty
in his habits in his state of dignified leisure. He then commonly
bathes every morning at sun-rise. His hair is filled with wood
raspings, and other rude cosmetics, to keep the vermin away ;
his body is greased after his morniug bath ; but this is to prevent
his skin from cracking in the heat of the sun. His hands are
always washed after eating, and also before milking. In the
life of leisure these personal cares furnish an important part of
the occupation of the day. When the life of leisure is exchanged
for the life of servitude and toil, such good observances naturally
tend to fall into abeyance.

KAFIR RACES. 45
The Kaffi- is far from being as honest in words as he is in
acts. It is not his nature to be straightforward in speech, and
to tell the whole truth. He is prone to have very large reserva
tions in his own mind when he is avowedly giving a full account
of some occurrence, and manages to di.sguise and distort facts
with exceeding cleverness and skill. A Kafir will excuse a fault
with such ready plausibility, that he will make an intentional
act of wrong doing seem but an undesigned accident. He is
also a consummate hypocrite. Praise and flattery are commonly
upon his tongue, when there is only contempt within his breast,
and when he thinks the man whom he is flattering but little
better than a fool.
The Kafir is greedy and stingy. He is very fond of cattle,
and of money also when he has leai-ned what it is. With the
exception of the practice of hospitality, which has been alluded
to, he is a miser, and infiuenced by an uncontrollable impulse to
hoard. It is a maxim with him that " It is better to receive
than to give." It is almost impossible to ascertain what a Kafir
is worth. He always pleads poverty and hunger. However
easy in circumstances he may be, he is always unwilling to buy
clothes. All his cash must be turned into cows. It is to buy
cows that he works and saves. The Kafir's mode of taking care
of his money is to tie it up in a piece of rag, with so many knots
that it is next door to impossible ever to get the fastenings
undone, otherwise than by the adoption of Alexander's plan in
a similar case.
Beneath theh light-heartedness, sociality, and politeness, the
Kafirs have a considerable vein of grosser ore. They quarrel, as
well as talk. They easily take offence, and their most usual
mode of settling the dispute in such cases, is to club each other
fiercely. The ladies of a kraal may sometimes be seen rating-
each other soundly, with then- heads just protruded from the low
portals of the several huts ; and occasionally, when the verbal
sharpness has acquired a certain edge, they rush forth upon each
other, and continue the dispute, at the point of the nail. In
cases of extremity they get their little affairs finally brought into
arrangement by the authoratative application of the marital Club.
The anger of the wild Kafir is blind and unreasoning rage,

46 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
when it has reached a certain point. As might be expected, in
this respect uncivilized barbarians very much resemble the lower
and irrational members of creation. When thej' break through
the surface-shell of good humour and politeness, they are devoid
of all further restraint, and then fight like dogs, which turn the
sharp tooth towards an antagonist's throat, until one or other of
the combatants is beaten or cowed. It must, however, be added
that the Kafirs are not, as a general rule, vindictive in their
resentments. In Kafirland the moral tempest commonly passes
by as quickly as the thunderstorm; and when the sunshine
again breaks out, it is without any cloudj^ obscuration fi-om
revenge or moroseness.
The Kafir is unmistakeably proud. This is strikingly
expressed in his haughty gait, and in his love of ornaments.
To the Englishman of gentle breeding, who engages in no
menial work, who dresses well, and who is open-handed in his
dealings, he learns to look up with real respect. He takes with
him the place of a chief. The white men of a lower grade he
holds in unmitigated contempt; mimics their bearing and
manner behind their backs, and almost always finds for them
some very apt derisive nickname.
Kafirs, as a rule, are cruel to dumb animals ; they have not
much sympathy to spare for creatures that do not speak.
In many of their social relations and habits the Kafirs are
addicted to practices, which are sanctioned by their own customs,
but which are not consonant with the higher and more enlightened
morality of civilization. In this particular they are like all other
barbarians, who have strong instinctive passions, and who are
devoid of the constraints which religion and education impose
upon the rational creature. Judged however by the standard
of barbarism, they are not essentially an iinmoral people. The
marriage tie is almost universally respected, and some of the
most revolting forms of vice, rife in Christian communities, are
not known in Kafirland.
The Kafir race, consisting of individuals thus constituted, is
now scattered over the entire face of the colony of Natal. Kafir
kraals are found alike in the locations especially reserved for
their use, on the unoccupied tracts of the unreserved districts,
and on the estates of English and Dutch proprietors.

CHAPTEE IV.
THE CLIMATE OP NATAL.
§HE Colony of Natal lies just outside the tropical zone of the
earth, where exogenous trees show a strong inclination to
clothe themselves with evergreen foliage, but where the palms
withdraw themselves from the face of the landscape. At mid
summer, in Natal, the noon-day sun comes within twelve times its
ov/n breadth of being immediately overhead. The tropical (i.e.
turning-back) movement of the luminary in the sky is made
when it has arrived within this short distance of the zenith.
The colony is extra-tropical only by this narrow measure. The
traveller who advances due north from the colonial territory, at
the proper season of the year, loses his own shadow, and sees
the twelve-o'clock sun diametrically over his head, before he
has journeyed three hundred miles. The noon-day sun at mid
winter is seventy-four times its own breadth above the horizon.
It rises every day as high in the heavens, at that season, as it
does in England (in the latitude of London) at the middle of
the month of March, and the end of the month of September.
The winter's sun appears at seven in the morning, and sets at
five in the evening. The midsummer's sun rises at five, and
sets at seven. The longest day is, therefore, fourteen hours in
duration, and the shortest day ten. In the summer, the twilight
is of exceedingly brief span ; in the winter, daylight fades awa,y
somewhat more slowly. As there are only two hours between
the lighting-up time in summer and winter, the home distinction
of the seasons of long and short evenings, obtains but in a very
modified degree ; there is good margin for artificial illumination
in the evening all the year. round, even when midnight oil is
not consumed.

48 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
The inequalities of temperature dependent upon diversity of
season, follow very much the same rule as the analogous in
equalities of illumination. Extremes are strikingly softened
down by the approximately tropical position of the land.
Summer and winter present themselves in due alternation as
they do in the higher latitudes, but neither is as clearly and
antagonistically marked. The opposite seasons seem very much
as if they had been broken up into a number of fragments, the
pieces being mingled and shuffled together, and then joined into
a continuous connection. In the midst of the fresh winter, days
occur when the temperature rises nearly to the standard of sum
mer ; and green leaves on the trees and bright blossoms on the
ground, lend their aid to strengthen the illusion the senses then
experience. In 1858, the thermometer occasionally registered
78 degrees of Fahrenheit's heat-scale during the coldest months,
in the neighbourhood of Maritzburg.* In the hot summer,
there are also days when the heat falls nearly to the standard
of winter. In the year 1858, the mercury of the thermometer
was occasionally below 60 degrees in the hottest months, and
was down to 42 degrees in March. One reason for this
peculiarity is found in the length of the winter day ; the period
of sunshine is never sufficiently short, and the noon-tide sun is
never sufficiently low in the sky to enable the winterly chill to
gain its full ascendancy. The condition is an essential incident
of almost all tropical latitudes. In the case of Natal, however,
the peculiarity is strengthened to a very remarkable degree, in
consequence of the winter being a period of protracted dryness
and sunshine, while the summer is the season of frequent
thunder-storms and cloud, and of heavy rain.
The winter of Natal may be said to begin in the month
of April, and to end in the month of September. The
thermometer during this season falls on the " midland terrace"
* All the facts stated in illustration of the climate of the midland district
of Natal, are deduced from very accurate and careful observations made by
the editor himself, with standard instruments, three times daily, during
eighteen months, at the residence of the Lord Bishop of Natal. This station
is within six miles of Maritzburg. and 2050 feet 'above the sea. The series
of Meteorological observations is now continued in Maritzhtire.

CLIMATE. 49
in the night, to 45 or even 40 degrees, and the air is then
laden with moisture, owing to its inability to sustain, while
at this temperature, the vapour with which it had charged
itself during the warm hours of the day. The sky is gene
rally filled with haze in the early morning, and the air is so
fresh, that extra clothing and brisk exercise are essential to
comfort. Between eight and nine, the sun breaks through the
mist, and the temperature then rises rapidly to 66 or 70 degrees.
The sunshine continues until the evening, with occasionally
masses of cumulus-cloud floating across the sky, and the day-
luminary sinks behind the distant hills as a clear round disc.
The air then becomes cool enough to make a small wood fire a
pleasant, but by no means indispensable, feature of the in-door
economy. A large maj ority of the inhabitants of both Maritzburg
and Durban know nothing of fires beyond the cook's domain,
from the beginning to the end of the year. The routine of
sunniness is continued day after day. During the six winter
months of the year 1858 there were only twenty-four days of
unbroken cloud, and there were eighty- three days of uninterrupted
sunshine. The highest reading of the thermometer {in the
neighbourhood of Maritzburg') was 90 degrees. The mercury fell
only twice to 38 degrees ; six times to 40 degrees ; and thirty-
three times to 45 degrees. There were only two days when the
thermometer did not rise in the day to the temperature of
60 degrees. The average highest temperature for the three
coldest months was 69.3 degrees, and the average coldest
temperature of the night for the same months was 47.7 degrees.
The lowest reading of the thermometer on the sea coast (at
Durban) during the winter of 1858, was 43 degrees. The mean
temperature of the six winter months at Maritzburg was 60.7
degrees. The same on the sea coast was 65.5 degrees. The
mean temperature for the winter months at Cape Town, deduced
from observations carried on during fourteen years, 57.2 degrees.
Thus the mean temperature of the winter of Maritzburg was
3.5 degrees above the standard of Cape Town, and that of Durban
was 8.3 degrees above the same standard; the winter ofthe sea
coast in Natal being 4.^ degrees warmer than that of the midland
district near the capital. E

50

THE COLONY OF NATAL:

During the winter months, a fresh south-east wind blows
almost constantly during the middle of the day in the inland
region. This mid-day wind is obviously a current brought in
from the cool sea by the heating and rarifying effect of the sun's
rays over the land. There is generally a gentle wind from the
west or north-west in the morning and evening, which freshens
and veers until it is from the south-east towards noon. During,
the six winter months of 1858, the wind at Maritzburg was
blowing from the south-east, in the afternoon, 141 times.
Eain fell at Maritzburg dui-ing the six winter months of 1868
only on thirteen days. The entire rain-fall for the six months
amounted to 4.8 inches. The rain-fall on the sea coast in the
same time was 13.2 inches.
It is a dogma of meteorological science, that fine weather
constantly attends upon the occurrence of cold nights followed
by warm days. This notion is certainly well founded, so far as
the winter of Natal is concerned. The daily range of temperature
during the winter months is remarkably large. This peculiarity.
is very well expressed to the eye in the accompanying diagram,
where the shaded belt represents the breadth or extent of daily
range : —

DiAQEAM 2. Showing the Range of the Thennometer, near Maritzburg,
for the Winter Month of July, 1858.

CLIMATE. 51
The days of the month are represented by the perpendicular
lines, and the variations of the thermometer by the transverse
tracings. The upper line of the belt represents the highest
reading of the thermometer for each day, and the lowest line the
lowest reading of the same; the breadth of the shaded zone
therefore gives the extent of the daily range of heat. The dark
central line of the belt marks the mean daily range. It will be
observed that the general character of the season is expressed
by comparative steadiness of daily mean range, and great breadth
of daily extreme range ; the central line zig-zags up and down
very gently, and the shaded belt itself is even and broad. The
signfficance of this will be at once apparent when the diagram
is compared with the one which is given in a following page to
represent the state of affairs in the hot month of January. The
mere form of these belts and tracings at once distinguishes the
season which is present. By following them up continuously
the eye can detect at a glance where each season passes into the
opposite. The average daily range for the month of July, 1858 ;
that is, the difference between the warmth of the midday and
the midnight, obtained upon equalizing the differences among
all the days, was 22.6 degrees.
The summer in Natal may be said to begin in the month of
October, and to end in the month of March. This season is the
period of frequent thunder-storms and heavy rain. The rainy
season is not, however, a time of continued down-pouring as
in many tropical lands. Each day begins, for the most part,
with a clear bright sun. By three in the afternoon heavy cumulo-
stratus clouds are seen to be collecting towards the hills ; soon
after, the sk;y is overcast throughout, the muttering of distant
thunder is heard, and lightning flashes from the darkest clouds.
In the course of a couple of hours the rain pours down, and the
storm is drifting away towards the sea. In the six summer
months of the years 1858-1859, there were eighty days on which
rain fell in the neighbourhood of Maritzburg, the entire fall for
this period amounting to twenty-one inches and six-hundredths.
If this entire rain-fall had been equalized over all the days of
the six summer months, it would have given an allowance of
rather more than a tenth of an inch for each day. If the same
e2

52 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
equalization had been made for the entire rain of all of the
previous six winter months, it would have given an allowance of
rather more than two-hundredths of an inch ; of this, however,
three-fourths fell in the month of August. The daily allowance
for the other five winter months was only nine-thousandths of
an inch. The rain-fall on the coast (at Durban) for the six
summer months, 1858-1859, was thirty-two inches and four-
hundredths. During the six summer months of the years 1858-1859,
thunder was heard or lightning seen, in the neighbourhood
of Maritzburg, on seventy-two days ; on forty of these occasions
the storm was near. In the month of January, 1859, there
was lightning or thunder on twenty-two days. During the
same six months lightning was seen, or thunder heard, at
Durban on sixtj'-four days. The thunder-storms at Maritz
burg are of exceeding magnificence ; but the danger attending
upon them has been greatly exaggerated. Violence from
the rending force of the electrical discharge, and the deaths
of men and quadrupeds, are occasionally reported in different
parts of the colony; but considering the frequency of the
thunder-storms, and the high degree of tension which the vast,
electrically-charged clouds assume, it is very wonderful that
these accidents should be of such rare occurrence as they are.
No case of accident has occurred amidst the buildings in Maritz
burg during the last two summers. It is true that the buildings
of the city are now plentifully furnished with lightning rods, but
the construction of these appendages is far from being of the
most perfect and effective kind. They are for the most part
isolated iron rods, standing some distance apart from the struc
tures to be protected, and considerably smaller above than below.
These unsatisfactory rods are now being gradually replaced by
ropes of copper or galvanized iron wire, led down from the
metallic masses of the building to the moist earth, or to the
streams of running water which com-se through the streets. So
far as the safety of fixed property is concerned, no settler in
Natal, who can command a few shillings, need now entertain a
fear of the destructive meteor which has acquired, whether justly
or not, a terrific reputation in the colony.

CLIMATE.

53

The thunder-storms generally occur with the mercury of the
barometer low ; that is, when the pressure of the atmosphere is
comparatively slight. If the daily fluctuations of the mercury
of the barometer be traced upon paper as a continuous curve,
and marks be made beneath on the days when thunderstorms
take place, it will be found that the storms correspond with the
troughs- of the atmospheric waves, and that the crests of the
waves are devoid .of similar accompaniments. In the accom
panying diagram, the movement of the atmospheric waves for
the month of January, 1858, for Maritzburg, is represented by
the transverse tracing, and the round dots beneath show when
lightning and thunder occurred: —

?.o 7.1 ts

l/
'X
I
r
\
A
/
V
J
"^
y
/
\
r
-
J
/
\
\f
r
\f
r\
./>
f\
J
J
¦
A
A
V.
0
o
•
o
•
a
•
o e
—
•
O jO^tcbunff only
Diagram 3.
To illustrate the relation of Barometric Pressure to the
occurrence of Thunder-storms.
During the progress of the storm, the mercury of the barometer
rises. The wind is generally fi-om the north or west before the
storm, and then becomes south-east during its continuance,
and begins to blow with considerable violence. The air is not
^ generally very moist at the time of the storm ; the hygrometer
for the most part indicates between 70 and 80 degrees of moisture,
the point of saturation being taken at 100 degrees. The fall of
rain during the storm ranges in the midland districts from a
tenth of an inch to an inch; the latter extreme being very
rarely reached. The lightning is extremely vivid, and the track
of the discharge appears against the dark cloud as a ribbon of
light, rather than as a mathematical line. This track is also
commonly seen to quiver, as if it were a succession or interrupted
54 THE COLONY OP NATAL:
stream of discharges, and to endure in the sky while the observer
counts two or three. Its forms are of astonishing diversity.
Sometimes it is curved, S shaped, or hooked. Very often it is a
zig-zag line darting down from the centre of a broad paraboUoid
bow. Occasionally there are quivering rays starting out from a
centre like the lines of fracture when glass is starred. Now and
then a complete coronal or garland is traced on the dark grey
field, and lines of horizontal discharge may be seen ranging to
aud fro immediately above the flat masses of the table-mountains.
The colour, too, of the electric track is as varied as the form.
Now the light is of a bright rose colour ; now it is the delicate
pink hue of the topaz ; now of a light amethyst tint ; now orange ;
now pale blue ; now pearly pure white ; and now of a remarkable
dead leaden tinge. It is quite impossible that any adequate
conception of the gem-like lustre and beauty of these subtropical
lightnings should be given by mere description. They must be
seen before a notion of their character can be realised. To those,
however, who have contemplated them, it becomes a much easier
thing to believe that modern science is right in considering
lightning to be fire fed by mineral and metallic substances found
by the electric agency diffused in the air. These bright-hued
lightnings bear a very obvious resemblance to the coloured lights
which are observed when the different metals are burned in
intense flame.
The thunder-storms very rarely hover long over one spot. They
are generally in continued motion towards the south or east, and
their highest intensity passes away in a few minutes. When a
storm goes over at five or six in the evening it is, however, no
unusual thing to see the distant lightning flashing up from
beneath the horizon at ten and eleven o'clock. Occasionally
'distant lightning is seen flashing in this way, up from the
horizon, at six points of the compass at once. The appearance
of these remote flashings is often of exceeding brilliancy. Some
times the end of the great storm-cloud looms fi-om the horizon
with a splendid glow or brush of light bursting from behind it
at each discharge, and throwing the black masses forward in
strong relief At other times the foldings of the troubled and
twisted clouds are rendered conspicuous by coloured lines and
sheets of fire, which exceed in complication and variety of device.

CLIMATE. 65
the most ingenious display of human pyrotechny. As many as
fifty-six distinct lightning-fiashes in every minute may sometimes
be counted rising in this way from one spot of the horizon, and
thewexhibition be seen continuing upon the same scale for one
or two hours at a time.
During the six summer months of the years 1868-1859 there
were only five days on which the thermometer did not rise at
Maritzburg to 60 degrees. There were only twenty-nine days
on which it did not rise to 70. It was above 70 degrees on 153
days ; above 80 on seventy-four days ; above 85 on twenty-five
days ; and above 90 on four days. The highest reading of the
season was 93.4 degrees. There were only fifty-four nights
during the six summer months when the mercury of the
thermometer sunk to 60 degrees ; and seventeen when it sunk
to 55 degrees. The lowest reading at night for these months
was 50. 5 degrees. The mean temperature for the six summer
months, near Maritzburg, was 69.4 degrees ; upon the coast
(at Durban) it was 74 degrees. The mean for the summer
months at Cape Town, deduced from fourteen years' observation,
was 66.5 degrees. The Maritzburg summer in 1858-1859 was
nearly 3 degrees warmer than the standard summer of Cape
Town ; and the Durban summer 7^ degrees warmer than the
same. As a rule, a fresh wind from the south-east blows over
the midland district of the colony in the middle of the day.
During the six summer months of 1858-1859 the wind was
blowing at Maritzburg from the south or east, at three in the
afternoon, upon 160 days. During the summer season the mid
day sky very commonly puts on the precise aspect of the trade
wind. A light misty background is overspread with beautiful
patches and heaps of white cumulus-cloud, chasing each other
steadUy from north-east to south-west. The general appearance
at this time is very much as if Natal were included withui the
range of the trade-wind region, the main atmospheric current
being, however, continually broken in upon and interrupted by
the limited and local disturbances set up over the sun-scorched
slopes of the land, and issuing in the thunder-storms. The
prevalent south-east wind of the summer season is probably half
a sea-breeze and half a trade-wind. That of the winter season
seems rather to be sea-breeze alone, the extreme range of the

56 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
southern trade being then carried away considerably to the north
by the northerly declination of the sun.
There is one remarkable feature connected with the climate of
Natal, which makes itself somewhat disagreeable to the se|pes,
and is therefore not very easily overlooked. Every now and
then a " hot wind" blows over the land from the north-west. As
a rule, these South- African siroccos begin in the early morning
and blow until the afternoon, when they yield to the south-east
current. They do not often continue more than eight or ten
hours at a time ; once only during the last eighteen months the
hot wind was sustained for fifty hours. The thermometer rises
during the prevalence of these winds to between 85 and 95
degrees. The highest reading in a hot wind during the last
eighteen months was 96.8 degrees. The wind blows with great
violence, and is so drying that the wood of slightly-made furniture
in dwelling houses cracks and splits during its continuance
with sudden explosions. The hygrometer indicates somewhere
between 26 and 42 degrees of dryness ; that is to say, the air is
only between one-fourth and one-half saturated with moisture.
The hot winds rarely blow in the middle of winter. They begin
in the month of August, and are then very trying and trouble
some. The hot wind was blowing at Maritzburg eighteen times
during the year commencing with April, 1858. There can be
no doubt that these hot winds come from the scorched plains of
the interior of the continent; they are currents of air heated by
contact with tropical sun-burnt ground. The puzzling point
about them is that they move in opposition to the ordinary laws
of atmospheric arrangements. Heated and rarified ah- is almost
always driven in an upward direction. But these heated currents
fiow downwards from the Drakenberg over the descending terraces
and slopes of the colony. They do not, however, actually reach
the sea. They are scarcely ever experienced on the immediate
coast. Upon seven occasions, when the hot wind was blowing
furiously at Maritzburg, during the months of August and
September, 1858, with the thermometer ranging between 85 and
90 degrees, there was a gentle east wind at Durban with the
thermometer ranging between 75 and 78 degrees. It seems very
much as if the scorching breeze were the advanced guard of a
strong current rushing from the north-west over the higher

CLIMATE.

67

central plains, and carried by its mere momentum beyond the
ledge of the Drakenberg, and some distance along the lower
slopes, until its forward course is checked by the resistance and
antagonism of the denser air setting in from the sea over the
coast lands.
Observations are yet needed to establish the precise limits
of these remarkable and puzzling winds ; but in the mean
time, this much at least can be said of them. They would be
very distressing in the upper regions where they blow, if they
were sustained for any prolonged period of time. As it is, they
are very easily braved on account ofthe discomfort being transient.
From six to eighteen hours is the general average of their
duration. It is a very rare occurrence indeed for them to present
themselves on two consecutive days. When the wind veers at
the time of their prevalence, and begins to blow from the south
east, the thermometer often falls from fifteen to twenty degrees
within a single hour.
The daily range of temperature in Natal during the summer
months is comparatively small. This peculiarity is pictorially
represented to the eye in the accompanying diagram, where the
shaded belt expresses" the breadth or extent of the range, as it
does in that for the winter months, alluded to at page 50.

DiAGEAM 4. Showing the Eange of the Thermometer for the Summer Month of
Febniary, 1859.

68 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
It ynU be observed that the general character of the season is
marked by great irregularity and oscillation of daily mean range,
and by narrowness of daily extreme range. The central line zig
zags abruptly and violently up and down, and the shaded belt is
narrow, and also very peaked and jagged, like the mean line. K
the diagrams (Nos. 2 and 4) illustrating the range of temperature
in the months of July and February be compared together, the
peculiar differences alluded to will instantaneously strike the
eye. The average daily range of temperatm-e for the month of
February, 1859, near Maritzburg, was 13.7 degrees; that is, the
night was 13| degrees colder than the day, instead of being
22 1 degrees colder, as was the case in July.
Now and then heavy hail-storms occur during the summer,
and commit some little devastation upon the growing crops.
Sometimes they come whirling up with a kind of tornado-wind,
but at other times they fall without this accompaniment. The
stones are sometimes so large that travellers are glad to take
shelter from the volley beneath their waggons. Horsemen
caught in the open veldt unsaddle their horses, and place the
saddles, shield fashion, above their own heads. The storms may
be heard approaching for a long time, their advance being
accompanied by a very distinct drone or roar, which is probably
caused by the swift passage of the large stones amidst the
resisting particles of the air. Masses of ice as large as pigeons'
eggs are commonly seen, and occasionally there are angular
lumps too bulky to be put into an ordinary drinking-glass.
Hail-stones of three-quarters of a pound weight have been weighed
immediately after their fall. These destructive storms extend
over very limited areas, it being no uncommon thing to find
corners of enclosed ground battered by them where the general
extent of the inclosure is uninjm-ed. During the last two
summers there have only been two heavy hail-storms in the
neighbourhood, of Maritzburg. Visitations of this kind are,
however, more frequent in the higher lands. It is a curious
fact that even in the uplands, some districts are more exposed to
hail-storms than the neighbouring localities, and consequently
acquire a reputation of danger, which causes them to be avoided
by settlers. The hail-storms which are accompanied by wind

CLIMATE. 69
are very much more destructive than those which fall through
comparatively still air. '•
Although the principal rain-fall in Natal takes place with the
thunder-storms of the summer, it does sometimes happen that
a continuous rain sets in at the transition of the seasons, with a
wind from off the sea. These rains from the south-east are
maintained for two or three days at a time. The rain falls most
heavily upon the coast, and with less and less intensity inland.
Now and then upon these occasions the rivers become so charged
that their channels are unequal to the conveyance of the water,
and the neighbouring lands are overflowed. Intervals of several
years generally intervene between the successive occurrences of
these local deluges. The last one took place as recently as the
yeir 1856. During the 14th, 16th, and 16th of April, twenty-
seven inches of rain fell at Durban. The fall was diminished to
between ten and eleven inches at Maritzburg ; and the Great
Bushman's Eiver, one of the higher branches of the Tugela, was
not swollen beyond its usual summer amount. For the first
two days the wind was blowing steadily from the south-east.
On the third day, the storm assumed the character of heavy
squalls with intermitting showers. Dm-ing this rain the Umgeni
rose near its mouth twenty -eight feet above its usual level, swept
away a large sugar plantation standing on its banks, and burst
across the sand-flat on which Durban is built, forcing a passage
to the inner bay. The water was at this time within twelve
feet of the level of the principal street of the town, and from
the neighbouring hills the houses looked as if planted in a
watery waste. The Tongaat rose thirty feet above its proper
level. The Umvoti rose sixteen feet, and spread a bed of sand
four feet thick on the neighbouring pastures. The Umsindusi
carried away the bridge near Maritzburg, and so stopped all
communication between the city and the port for several days.
After the subsidence of the flood, the sea-beach was covered
with trunks of trees and a huge bed of reeds many feet deep,
which had been all swept out to sea by the roused rivers, and
then thrown up by the breakers and the wind. Two hundred
drowned oxen were counted lying upon the sea-shore between
the mouths of the Umgeni and the Umhlanga, a distance of
only ten miles.

60

THE COLONY OF NATAL:

The daily oscillation of the atmospheric pressure is very
distinctly marked in Natal. The mercury in the neighbourhood
of Maritzburg, as a rule, falls about the tenth part of an inch
towards the afternoon, and then again rises in the evening.
The mercurial column stands about a flfth of an inch higher in
the coldest month than it does in the hottest. The mean height
of the mercurial column for the month of July, 1858, at a station
near Maritzburg, and 2055 feet above the level of the sea, was
27,700 inches. The mean height for the month of January, 1869,
was 27,884 inches. The highest reading for the winter months
was 28,304 inches. The highest reading for the summer months
28,143 inches. As a rule, the atmospheric pressure continues
much more steady in winter than in summer. This, as well as
the greater height of the mercury of the barometer in winte^ is
very plainly shewn in the accompanying diagram —

May-TSSS

June

JS 17 10
Jfovember-lSA8 DiAGKAM 5. Comparison of Barometiic Wave for Winter Month and Summer
Month, at Maritzburg, 1858.
In which the oscillations of the barometric column inthe months
of May and November, 1868, are traced down as continuous
lines. The lighter shade represents the wave of barometric
pressure, from the 15th day of the month of May, 1858. The
darker shade represents the wave from the 16th day of November,
1858. There is, no doubt, an intimate relation existing between
the incessant variations of atmospheric pressure, and the
frequency of thunder-storms, during the season of summer.
Notwithstanding its almost tropical position on the earth.

CLIMATE. 61
and its fi-equent vicissitudes of temperature. Natal is remarkably
free from the more grave forms of disease. In this respect the
several colonies of South Africa are all eminently favoured.
Statistical returns have shewn that the rate of mortality is
singularly low, even for troops engaged in military service. It
is upon record that while 480 soldiers die yearly out of every
thousand kept in service at Sierra Leone ; 121 in the thousand in
Jamaica ; 78 in the thousand in the West Indies generally ; 48 in
the thousand in the Madras Presidency ; 28 in the thousand in
Bermuda ; 27 in the thousand in the Mauritius ; 25 in the
thousand at St. Helena ; 21 in the thousand at Gibraltar ;
16 in the thousand in Malta and Canada; and 14 in the
thousand in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick; only 13 in the
thousand die yearly in the western district of the Cape Colony,
and only nine in the thousand in the eastern district. In the
campaign in Kafirland in 1835 not a single officer or man was
invalided during five months of active service. In Natal newly-
arrived .settlers often remain for months under canvass, or in
slightly and very carelessly constructed buildings, without
experiencing the slightest injury. Individuals engaged in trans
port work pass to and fro between the Transvaal territory and
the sea-coast, and are weeks upon the road without any other
shelter than the waggon and the open veldt, and yet suffer no
inconvenience. Instances are continually encountered of persons
who came to Natal as invalids a few years ago, but who now ride
on horseback from Durban to Maritzburg in one day with the
most perfect ease. Strong men in vigorous health tell how a
long time since they suffered from habitual spitting of blood in
; England. The climate proves, indeed, eminently serviceable to
those who manifest a tendency to consumptive disease, provided
the benefit of its influence is secured to them before the malady
has made decided progress. The important result in these cases
is brought about in several ways. The genial temperature
enables the most delicate people to live very much more in the
free open air than they could do in England. There is also
strong temptation to spend a considerable portion of every day
on horseback. And in addition to these influences, the circula
tion is constantly and powerfully diverted from the oppressed

62 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
organs of respiration to the skin. The grave forms of malarious
and intermittent fever are entirely unknown in the colony.
Asiatic cholera has never shewn itself between the Drakenberg
and the Indian Ocean. During the past few months small-pox
has been prevalent at Cape Town and Graham's Town ; but up
to the present time the disease has not appeared to the east of
the Umzimkulu. Fevers, connected with primary derangement
of the digestive organs, and thence assuming the type known
technically as gastric and hepatic, occur occasionally during the
season of transition which lies between summer and winter, and
after prolonged exertion and exposure to the hot sun; but
they are generally very tractable, and soon yield to judicious
management. Diarrhoea and dysentery are of somewhat common
occurrence upon the first decline of the greatest heat, and are
excited obviously by the infiuence of the chUl upon the skin,
which causes a large quantity of blood to be suddenly and
injm-iously thrown from the external covering of the body, upon
the membranes which line the alimentary canal, and which are
in the most immediate relation and sympathy with it. The skin
itself is also prone to suffer at the commencement of the winter
from an eruption of a very annoying and troublesome kind — (a
kind of ecthyma). Vesicles appear on different parts of the
body, which are each at the first the exact counterparts of the
vesicle of vaccination. They rise, fill, pit in the centre, turn
into pustules with a circle of inflammation round them, and then
dry into scales. But they do not then readily heal like the
vaccine pustules. Matter forms beneath the scab again and
again, and if due care be not taken, broad shallow ulcers are
produced, which continue to cause considerable discomfort for a
long time. The places however soon heal after the maturation
ofthe pustules, if the. person suffering from them lives carefully
and simply, and keeps the affected parts quiet and covered with
folds of wet linen. The eruption is in reality a consequence of
the skin having been continuously excited and stimulated by
heat for a long time, and of its being then left in a depressed
and exhausted condition when the stimulus is withdrawn. The
affection is, in short, a superficial inflammation of a low and
congestive kind.

CLIMATE. 63
Eesidents upon the sea-coast acquire after a time a sallow
complexion, and become languid. These signs point to the
prudence of making a trip up into the higher lands, or of
arranging for a voyage home to England. Upon the whole a
considerable proportion of the illness which is encountered in the
colony may be traced to obvious mistakes in personal manage
ment. Many young colonists, when thej'^ become sensible of
the depressed energy which results from sustained exposure to
the high temperature, seek to keep themselves up to the mark
by the aid of stimulant drink. This is an error of the most
grave and mischievous kind. The exhaustion which follows the
first excitement is antagonized for the time by the artificial
stimulus, but fche way is necessarily paved by it for a subsequent
double amount of depression. The capital of the strength is
wastefuUy and ruinously drawn upon. Every di-op of the
spirituous liquor added to the blood has to be got rid of at the
cost of exertion on the part of organs that are in an already
over-worked state. Very few constitutions, indeed, can bear
with impunity a stimulant temperature and stimulant drink
combined. Another mistake which English colonists are very liable to
fall into, is the continuance of the same habits of exertion and
exposure in the mid-day sun, which they have been in the custom
of practising in their old home. The native inhabitants of all
really hot climates keep themselves quiet during the middle of
the day. The Dutch in South Africa have wisely adopted the
same custom. But the energetic and industrious Anglo-Saxon
is very backward in entering upon such seemingly lazy pro
ceedings, and resolutely works on, whatever his occupation may
be, during the most searching hours of the hot season, and
sooner or later pays the penalty for his temerity.
A third frequent cause of illness in the colony is the unsuitable
character of the structures whicli are too commonly erected as
dwelling-houses. On account of the great value and cost of
skilled labour, and in many particulars also of material, the
houses are built inconveniently small, and with an insufficient
number of apartments for the comfort of their inhabitants. As,
however, the structures are for the most part very slight, and

64 THE COLONY OF .NATAL:
pervious to the movement of the air, the small rooms are less
injurious on the ground of deficient ventilation than they would
be if the walls were more compactly and solidly built. These
small rooms, with thin walls, on the other hand furnish a ready
access for warmth as well as air, and very soon become injuriously
oppressive under the rays of the blazing sun. The Dutch have
generally built their houses with fairly large and lofty rooms ;
but they, in common with the majority of the English settlers,
have not been sufficiently alive to the necessity of providing an
efficient protection from the out-door heat. This is a fault
which will be sure to find easy rectification with the advancing
prosperity of the colony. The kind of house most suitable for
the climate is a sort of bungalow of a single stor^ with a steep-
pitched thatch roof which extends all round eight or ten feet
beyond the walls, and is supported upon posts at the edge.
The windows of the apartments are thus made to open into cool
and shaded verandahs, and the direct rays of the sun never fall
upon the walls themselves. When the rooms of the house
are sufficiently large and lofty, and are separated from the
sloping part of the roof above by boarded ceilings, dwelling-
houses built upon this bungalow-plan are very salubrious and
comfortable. It is one strong recommendation to this style of
architecture that the walls may be entirely made of sun-dried
bricks. The broad thatched verandah affords such a perfect
protection from the effects of rain, that walls built of these
simple and comparatively uncostly materials last as long, and
are in every sense as serviceable, as those made of kiln-dried
bricks, or of stone.
The evenings and nights of the winter season in Natal, are
frequently free from clouds, and starlight. During the six winter
months of 1858, there were ninety-seven star-light evenings.
It unfortunately happens, however, that the beauty of the
nocturnal heavens is much marred at this season by the smoke
rising everywhere from the burning grass. The atmosphere
is brought, for all star-gazing purposes, tantalizingly near to
the London standard. Scarcely an evening can be found for
months that is entirely free from this drawback. During the
summer season, an evening sky, unencumbered by clouds, is a

CLIMATE. 65
very much more rai-e occurrence. Dm-ing the six summer
months of the years 1868 — 1869, there were only twenty-six
star-light evenings. The large comet of 1858 was first seen
near Maritzburg, in its full blaze of glory, on the 13th of
October, after the thunder-storms and rain had commenced.
Not a single glimpse of the interesting visitor could be again
had until the 24th of October. After that the heavens were
covered every evening by impenetrable cloud until the beginning
of November, when upon two occasions the departing luminary
was seen. These four opportunities comprised the only ones
upon which the comet could be contemplated by the unaided
eye. When, however, the few and far-between visitations of a
clear nocturnal sky do occur in the summer season, on the
uplands of Natal, the spectacle amply makes amends for its
rarity by its transcendent magnificence. The stars seem half
as large and half as bright again as they ever do in England,
and shine with a steady effulgence. When the eye is directed
towards the zenith, the entire surface of the otherwise dark
canopy is found to be there thickly studded with silver points,
sprinkled broadcast over the vast field. The countless sixth-
class ('¦magnitude") stars, of which even faint glimpses can
but rarely be caught in England, are perfectly within the range
of distinct visibility, and are seen crowding up the spaces
which lie between the more obtrusive twinklers. It is quite
true, that as a whole, the heavens of the southern hemisphere
do not present so many large and bright stars as the skies of
the north. The brilliant luminaries of the Great Bear, Cas
siopeia, Perseus Auriga, and the immediate attendants of the
Pole-star, are missed for themselves as well as for their associa
tions. But these southern vistas of far space have on the
other hand compensatory glories and graces of their own. When
the Scorpion looks down from a high altitude in the black field,
with its venomous red eye, and its star-barbed tail scrolled over
its back, a stream of clear light sets fi-om the scattered twinklers
of Sagittarius across the reptile's tail, and then fiows on past
the truly magnificent pair of Centaurus (one of them an object
of unsurpassed interest to human eyes, on account of its being
man's next-door neighbour among the stellar host), and past
F

66 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the kite-like Ehomb of the so-called Cross, until it only fades on
the far horizon among the gleaming points of Argo. On the
side this phosphorescent track is ornamented, as if by a glittering
gem-set pendant, by the broadcast cluster of third-class stars,
which is known as the Wolf. On the other side it is ornamented
by the delicate garland-like tracing of the Southern Crown.
There is nothing in the northern hemisphere which can compare
with this southern sweep of the galaxy ; in places it blazes up
into all but distinguishable star-clusters, and in others it is rent
by fissures and gaps of absolute blackness, — glimpses of the
actual void made almost appalling to the eye, by immediate close
contrast with the surrounding weird light. The southern pole
is itself a desert tract of blank mystery, where the close observer
seeks in vain for some distinguishable pivot on which he may
fix the nightly whirl of stars ; and near at hand in this region
of obscurity, as if to enhance the weirdness of the mystery, there
loom two ghostly spectra of far-away star kingdoms, — remote
islands of the illimitable firmament which are called the " clouds
of Magellan," because their faint forms were first marked by the
keen sight of that early navigator of the southern seas.
Sir John Herschel has remarked that the evenings are almost
always cloudless and clear at the Cape of Good Hope, about the
time of the full moon. A similar remark might be made for
Natal. In the latitudes of this colony the moon occasionally
comes within four times its own breadth of the zenith as it
crosses the meridian. At such times the moonshine is often
of such intense brilliancy that strong black shadows are cast by
it, and that the smallest objects can be distinctly seen by its aid.
The following tables express the details of the main character
istics of climate for Maritzburg, Cape Town, and the sea-coast
of Natal, for the year 1858.

1. Abstract of Mean and Extreme Barometric Pressures, Mean and Extreme Temperatures, and Bain-fall; for
the neighbourhood of Maritzburg, in the several Months of the Year 1858.

Barometer corrected and reduced.

Thermometer.

Mean

Moisture of Air.
Saturation = 100.
Eain-fall
Months.
Monthly
Highest of
Lowest of
Monthly
Highest of
Lowest of
Mean
Highest
Mean
Lowest
in
Inches.
Mean.
Month.
Month.
Mean.
Month.
Month.
Eeading
Eeading

Januaby -
37.689
97.981
27.356
68.3
93
53
76.1
60.3
78.6
3.59
Febeuaey
97.745
97.993
37.461
73.3
96.8
53
89.3
63.3
70.7
9.19
Mabch
97.769
98.139
97.499
69.4
91
42
78.6
60.8
71.7
3.63
April
97.734
98.183
97.919
65.6
85
43.5
75.5
56.1
69.9
1.36
May
97.941
98.996
97.515
59.5
79
38
71.5
47.5
60.6
0,00
June
97.899
28.158
27.640
58.6
78.2
39.3
78.3
39.3
66.4
0,08
July •
¦97.884
98.153
37.606
58.1
81
38
69.6
47
65.6
0.14
August
97.893
98.153
37.571
61.3
89.8
43
70.6
53
55.8
3.15
Septbmbeb
97.676
38.304
37.487
64.4
90
43
74.8
54.1
70.5
0.07
OCTOBEB -
97.813
38.083
27.546
63.8
89
50.5
70.8
56.8
84.3
3.99
NOVEMBEE
37.781
38.109
27.339
68.3
88.5
53.4
75.9
60.6
79.6
3.81
Decembbe
37.415
98.058
37.440
69.3
93
54.6
76.6
63.0
76.0
5.31
Mean fob Yeae
97.763
98.394
97.466
64.9
87.7
45.7
75.0
54.9
70.8
95.14 SUM.
Note. The observations,
from which the abstract is
derived, were taken at the
residence of the Bishop,
with standard Instruments,
by Dr. Mann. The station
is six miles east of the
city of Maritzburg, 50 feet
higher than the city, and
2055 above the sea.
In Latitude 29° 30' S.
Longitude 30° 8' E.
The Mean temperature is
taken from the Mean of the
self-registering Maximum
and M^TiimTiTTi thermome
ters.
OS-J
Abstract of Mean and Extreme Barometric Pressures, Mean and Extreme Temperatures, and Rain-fall; for
the neighbourhood of Cape Town, Cape of Good Hope, in the several Months of the Year 1858.

OS
00

Barometer corrected and reduced.

Thermometer.

Mean

Months.
Moisture of Air.
Saturation = 100.
Eain-fall in
Inches.
Monthly Mean.
Highest of
Mouth.
Lowest of
Month.
Monthly Mean.
Highest of
Month.
Lowest of
Month.
Mean
Highest Eeading
Mean
Lowest
Eeading
Jantjaby -
99.949
30.358
99.686
72.9
92.0
68.8
75.2
59.4
67.3
1.292
Febedaey
99.936
30.193
39.733
76.3
98.7
54.0
76.4
60.1
68.1
0.984
Maegh -
30.019
30.308
99.773
68.0
84.4
51.6
74.4
58.9
66.4
0.896
Apbil
99.987
30.268
39.649
68.3
89.8
40.8
74.1
56.7
66.9
9.645
May
30.194
30.543
99.789
56.5
72.8
40.3
04.4
59.1
80.6
0.754
June
30.133
30.419
99.770
57.6
74.2
41.0
69.9
80.7
81.7
9.978
July
30.172
30.416
39.683
49.3
62.0
30.0
67.1
45.6
83.9
4.796
August -
30.047
30.379
29.671
56.4
68.8
44.0
60.4
50.3
79.5
5.608
Septembeb
30.130
30.479
29.703
63.8
83.0
44.7
64.3
51.6
75.1
2.693
OCTOBEE -
30.070
30.994
29.898
65.0
81.5
48.5
67.7
54.5
69.9
1.101
November
39.989
30.994
99.-518
69.8
88.0
51.6
73.8
57.5
65.0
1.109
December
29.939
30.193
99.603
71.3
90.4
59.2
47.0
76.8
59.3
63.7
0.040
Mean foe Year
30.039
30.337
29.705
64.7
82.9
68.8
¦54.7
72.3
94.93
SUM. 1
Note. This abstract is
from observations taken at
the Eoyal Observatory, Cape
Town, by standard Instru
ments. ¦ The Observatory is with
in three miles of Cape
Town, near the sea level.
In Latitude 33° 56' S.
Longitude 18° 28' E.
The Mean Temperature is
taken from the Mean of the
Self-registering Maximum
& Minimum Thermometers.
The Mean taken from the
five observations of each
day is 62.42 degrees.
WH
O ot-i
o SS«to
>
3. Abstract of Mean and Extreme Temperatures and Rain-fall; for the Port of Durban, in the several
Months of the Year 1858. '

Months.

Thermometer.

Mean
Moisture of Air.
Saturation = 100.

Sum. of
Eain-fall in
Inches.

Monthly Mean.

Highest of
Month.

Lowest of
Month.

January -
FebruaryMarch -
Apbil May June
July August -
SeptembebOotobee -
NovemberDecember

74.277 73.670.9 6463.662.4 63.267.1 65.97274.0

9391 91
89 838681818784 9392

57
61 51
4744 48464947 56
55 55

76.671.67882 76
76.6 77727185.386.384

3.2103.104
19.138 4.4940.4040.9599.9883.9280.936 9.915 5.0997.791

Mean fob Yeae

69.1

87.6

51.2

77.9

54.13

Note. The observations from which
the abstract is derived, were taken at the
Gardens of the Horticultural Society of
Durban, by standard Thermometers ; the
station being at the base of the Berea hills,
about ninety feet above the sea level, and
three mHes from the shore.
In Latitude 290 53'S.
LongitudeSlo 2' E.

I-l fel

OS

CHAPTER V.
THE COAST LANDS AUD TBOPICAL PBODTTCE.
SUGAE — coffee — ABROW-ROOT — COTTON  INDIGO  THE APPROXIMATELY
TROPICAL TERRACE, PINE TOWN  THE POET OF DURBAN.
fHE coast district of Natal, possessing an average breadth of
from twelve to fifteen mUes, and comprising ^ithin itself an
area of about a million of acres of land, is supereminently the
region of tropical produce. This luxuriant strip is defended
towards the sea by a rampart of low hills, which are in many
places densely covered with trees, technically distinguished as
" the bush." The trees for the most part are small evergreens,
compressed into a thick jungle, which extends inland from half
a mile to five miles. In some situations, however, the trees are
of large size, and the tangle of underwood disappears. In these
situations huge leafless and cactus-like euphorbias frequently
fill up the extremities of natural vistas, with theu- stiff and
spiny clubs, projected forty or fifty feet towards the sky. The
foliage of the bush is for the most part glossy, and is interspersed
with clusters of brightly-coloured blossoms. The pink and
purple convolvulus, and various other climbing j^lants, are
festooned from the branches, and monkey-ropes, — the slim
stems of climbing mimosas, — hang from tree to tree. Within
this belt of bush the land assumes a more open character.
Green undulations are seen spreading out in all directions, and
these are diversified here and there with steep and precipitous
valleys, and occasionally with abrupt and almost bare walls of
rock. The valleys are always filled with trees, and in many
places the spiny mimosas are scattered over the verdant slopes
as ornamentally as if they had been planted by design. In
many instances it is hardly possible to realize the idea that

COAST LANDS AND TROPICAL PEODUCB. 71
these park-like glades have been produced without artificial
interference. The slopes themselves are carpeted with grass,
and ornamented by flowers, which are among the valued exotics
of the hot-houses at home. The wild banana, the native palm,
the tufted aloe, the spiny and stiff cactus, and the grotesque
euphorbia, furnish every now and then a hint that the beautiful
scene inclines to clothe itself with a tropical garb.
The soil within the belt of bush-covered land is principally
a light, but rich red compound, containing within itself the
mouldering remains of vegetable growth of past centuries.
This mouldering compound is technically known as the "choco
late" soil, and is, of course, of a very fertile character ; but it is
not available to any large extent for the purposes of agriculture,
without the expenditure of a considerable amount of labour
to clear it of its burthen of wood. The more open ground is in
some places a black clayey loam, and in others a light and loose
sand. In raany situations it is of great productiveness in its
virgin state, and in all it is capable of being brought to a con
dition of high fertility by art. The virgin soil not unfrequently
is capable of yielding two crops of either cereal plants, or of
esculent roots, in the year.
Nine years ago, the coast-lands of Natal, notwithstanding
their natural capabilities, were little more than a beautiful and "
luxuriant waste, yielding scarcely any produce that could be
turned to commercial account. Soon after this period, however, ^
a remarkable change came over the wilderness. About the year
1851, Mr. Morewood sent up from Compensation, on the
Umhlali, a spot between thirty and forty miles to the north of
Durban, a sample of fine sugar, grown and manufactured upon
his own farm. This sugar was crushed out of the cane by means
of a rough wooden roller hewed from an old mast, and was
boiled and manufactured in one of the ordinary iron cooking
pots, such as are employed in preparing the Kafirs' food. Several
settlers on the Isipingo, twelve miles to the south of Durban,
shortly afterwards followed Mr. Morewood's lead. Year by year
the plantations of these pioneers increased, and fresh adventurers
were added to their ranks. The high capabilities of the district
for the growth of this valuable article were quickly established.

72 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
and it is now generally believed that a very considerable propor
tion of the entire coast region is calculated for the profitable
growth of sugar ; and that the yearly yield if the whole of the
available land were brought into cultivation, would be no less
than one million of tons of the manufactured article.
A rapid sketch of the existing condition of the belt of coast
lands, within seven short years of Mr. Morewood's important
experiment, will form the best possible introduction to a notice
of the capabilities of Natal as a seat for agricultural and
commercial enterprize. The river Umgeni empties itself into
the sea about three miles to the northward of the Port of Durban,
the great inlet to the colony. Upon the south bank of this
river, and at the base of a tall range of hiUs f" The Berea")
which impinge upon the stream a little way above its mouth,
stands the Springfield estate, one of the oldest establishments
for the cultivation of sugar within the colony. The cane grows
on a fine flat skirting the river, and is of great luxuriance. It
was this estate which suffered so severely in the great flood of
1856, when the swollen Umgeni made a clean breach through the
mill, reaching a height of nine feet within the building, and
carried the heavy metal pans of the boiling battery sheer out
of their masonry. A large number of acres of plantation was
destroyed ; but the manufacture of sugar in Natal is in so elastic
a state, that already the Springfield works have recovered from
the injury, and are again in a fiom-ishing condition. The
Umgeni at the time of this flood had its channel so thoroughly
cleared, that a very long time will in all probability elapse
before a similar catastrophe can occur again on the same spot.
A measm-e of precaution has, however, been taken by carrying
the plantations up the ascending slopes of the valley.
Where the Umgeni is crossed by the coast-road from Durban,
it is about two hundred yards wide, and there is there a sandy
ford or drift. In the rainy season at this drift the water is so
deep, and the current so strong, and the channels also shift
about so capriciously in the loose sand, that the passage of the
river is not always either easy or safe. In the winter season,
the passage is for the most part readily made on horseback and
by waggons. The attention of the colony is at the present time

COAST LAi^DS AND TKOPICAL PEODUCE. 73
fixed upon the practicability of increasing the facility of trans
port in this direction, either by the formation of a traversable
weir, or by the construction of a bridge. Immediately after
the Umgeni is crossed, the county of Yictoria is entered ; and
here upon the north bank of the river, some three miles from
its mouth, the sugar-cane is being planted, and steam crushing-
mills of considerable power are in process of erection, by Messrs.
Kennedy, Millar, and others. The land at this spot is so rich
that it readily fetches even now the price of thirty shillings, and
two pounds, per acre in the market. The road, after leaving
the Umgeni, passes for about eight miles through the dense bush.
The country then opens out, and becomes comparatively destitute
of wood, and homesteads may be seen in various directions,
surrounded by large fields of cultivated ground, planted princi
pally with the sugar-cane and the arrow-root. The white calico
trays used in the manufacture of the latter become here con
spicuous objects in the landscape. Many of the planters in this
situation at present only grow the cane upon a small scale, and
send their produce to be crushed and manufactured at the mills
of larger proprietors. Some of the most enterprizing and
determined of these small holders, by dint of great personal
exertion, work off their own crops with very inefficient and
inferior mechanical contrivances. Upon the banks of the
Umhlanga in this neighbourhood, there is a cane-planta|tion
of eighty acres belonging to Mr. Gee, with a steam mill in full
operation, which crushed last year thirty acres of cane.
About nineteen miles from Durban, upon this northern road,
there is a very thriving little settlement known as the village
of Verulam. It was founded in the year 1860, by a party of
Wesleyan immigrants, and is placed on the south side of the
river Umhloti. It now boasts of a population of a hundred and
fifty white inhabitants, and has for the service of its community
a well-appointed school attended by about thirty scholars, a
library comprising some hundred volumes, and a literary
association, to which lectures are frequently delivered. In
many particulars this thriving little' settlement sets a very
praiseworthy example to its neighbours.
Beyond the Umhloti, a shallow sandy stream, stands the

74 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
township of Mount Moreland. This was one of the spots fixed
upon by the agent of Mr. Byrne, the originator of the ill- digested
and unsuccessful emigration scheme of 1848. The township
was laid out by this gentleman's instructions, and many of the
immigrants received their allotments here. The district around
was long known as " The Cotton Lands." Many hundreds of
individuals became landed proprietors in the small way on this
spot, but of those hundreds very few indeed settled down upon
their property. The "Township of Mount Moreland" now
consists of one solitary house and a neat little church. There are,
liowever, several farmsteads scattered around, and arrow-root is
cultivated somewhat extensively.
Beyond Mount Moreland the road leads to the Tongaat river.
Here is situated one of the most extensive sugar estates in the
colony. The surrounding hills are covered with cane in various
stages of growth, and the mill (at present worked only by oxen
pending the arrival of expected machinery), and the dwelling
of the manager, Mr. J. E. Saunders, stand near the bank of the
stream. There are 250 acres under cane, andof these, 100 acres
were ready for crushing in the last season. The river Tongaat
runs through the midst of the estate, which is enthely environed
by low bush-covered hills. Ten or a dozen miles beyond the
Tongaat, lies the birth-place of sugar enterprize, the spot where
Mr. Morewood produced the first sample of Natalian sugar,
with his block of wood and his iron pot. This locality is now
becoming very populous, and the growth of sugar is already
widely extended. The Messrs. Reynolds have in this neighbour
hood 250 acres of cane, and a distillery for rum in full operation.
The Messrs. Mc'Lean and Mr. Gifford have here extensive plots
of cane. Near at hand are also the " Chaka sugar works," so
called because they are established in the place where Chaka
had of old a military kraal. There is here a very powerful
steam-mill, which has just commenced operations. The pro
prietors of the estate, in order to secure to themselves elbow-room,
have purchased neighbouring farms, until they have acquired
control over thirty-three thousand acres of land. They have
now 50 acres of cane ready for crushing, and expect to have
500 acres under cultivation in the course of another year. In

COAST LANDS AND TBOPICAL PEODUCE. 75
*
this favourite and original home of the cane, the country already
presents quite a civilized and thriving aspect to the eye. No
sugar has yet been manufactured beyond the Umhlali, near to
which the Chaka works stand; but cane is already planting,
and arrow-root is produced further on towards the Tugela.
Both the climate and soil continue to be here of the most
congenial kind for the growth of sugar. Indeed it is generally
understood that there is a wide plain over the Tugela, and
between its channel and St. Lucia Bay, which promises even
greater things in the production of sugar than Natal itself can
boast. It will be obvious at a glance that, in a region where such a
valuable manufactm-e as that of sugar is developing itself in so
energetic a way, facility of transport is a consideration of the
very highest importance. The Umhlali sugar-fields are about
forty miles from the Port of Durban. The road which runs from
the Umhlali to the port is level and tolerably good, but it is
inconveniently crossed by rivers which are apt to become swollen
and impassable for heavy traffic at certain seasons. As the
wealth of the district increases, bridges no doubt will be formed
over these streams ; but this cannot be done until a considerable
amount of capital can be spared for their construction. In the
mean time, a sanguine expectation is entertained that it will be
found possible to ship the manufactured sugar upon the coast
by means of surf-boats. The sea-shore is for the most part
rock-bound, and a very heavy swell is apt to roll in before the
south-east wind from the Indian Ocean. There is, however, a
little indentation to the south of the mouth of the Umhlali,
commonly known as "Morewood's Bay," which seems to be
available for the purposes of shipment, and there is also hope
that the mouth of the Umvoti may be sufficiently cleared, to
become serviceable for the same purpose, without any very
extravagant expenditure. An experienced civil engineer is at
present in the colony and turning his attention to this subject,
and he, has already expressed his belief. that properly-constructed
steam surf-boats may be made to accomplish this work with
absolute safety.

76 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
There is also yet another hope of a somewhat similar character
gleaming upon the horizon. A very sanguine anticipation has
been formed that Bray's or Boydell's traction engine, at present
bending its iron thews to agricultural work successfully in
England, will be found capable of conveying heavy loads along
this road. It is possible that the engine may be so contrived as
to be made available for the performance of three several essential
branches- of heavy work. It will first plough the ground ready
for the reception of the cane ; it will then drive the rollers and
crush the ripe crop ; and afterwards it will harness itself to
trucks or waggons of sufficient capacity, and carry off the manu
factured produce to the port. An engine equal to this multi
fold labour will cost about two thousand pounds. A spirited
proprietor of sugar plantations, in the dhection which is now
under notice, has already sent an order to England for a traction
engine, in order that its capabilities for the work required in
Natal may be put to the test. If the issue of the experiment be
a satisfactory one, a very brief interval will elapse before the
engine will find its way to the higher grounds, and enter into
the service of the upland agriculturists. It is hardly possible to
calculate beforehand the benefit that would be rendered to the
colony if the capital and the port could be brought into con
nection by one of these ingenious steam drudges. The traction
engine is able to climb a slope with a gradient of one in three.
It works well upon a gradient of one in ten. The steepest
gradient which has to be faced upon the present Durban and
Maritzburg road is one in twelve. The traction engine is capable
of dragging a heavy load along a fair gradient at the rate of
from three miles and a-half to four miles an hour. The journey
for heavy traffic between Durban and Maritzburg would therefore
be about fifteen hours, instead of three days, as at the present
time, with ox waggons.
The population of the Sea-coast County of Victoria now
amounts to 622 Europeans and 29,982 Kafirs, of whom 874
have been in the service of the white colonists during the
year. Three thousand two hundred and twelve acres of
land are under cultivation in this division, of which 1413

COAST LANDS AND TKOPICAL PRODUCE. 77
acres are devoted to sugar-cane.* The produce of the county
for the past year was 165 tons of sugar ; 91 tons of arrow-root ;
159 tons of oat hay ; 130 muids of oats ; 2945 muids of Indian
corn (exclusive of that grown by the Kafirs for their own use) ;
857 muids of sweet and common potatoe. There are at the
present time in the county 6057 head of cattle; 183 sheep;
124 goats ; and 125 horses.
The southern division of the coast-lands comprises the county
of Durban, and the now rapidly fiUing-up district lying beyond
the Umkomanzi. The road from Durban in this direction sweeps
round the head of the inner bay, passing through the suburban
village of Congella, with its pleasant market gardens, and then
leads on to the estate of Claremont, situated about six miles
from the Port. This estate is of historical interest, as being
the parent of the colonial coffee produce. There are now some
thirty thousand coffee plants within its precincts in various
stages of growth. There are also some sugar-canes planted in
the neighbourhood ; and at the farm known as " Sea-view,"
which offers a very beautiful view of the Bay of Natal, there is
a fine grove of orange trees bearing abundant fruit. These trees
were among the first of their species planted within the boundaries
of the colony, being about contemporaneous with those planted
at Weenen by Mr. Boshof. A few miles farther inland there is
another coffee plantation, belonging to Mr. Middleton, which is
already in produce ; Mr. Middleton also grows arrow-root, and
has successfully manufactured starch from the sweet potato, and
expressed oil from the ground-nut. In close neighbourhood
is also the farm " Stella," upon which similar work to Mr.
Middleton's is carried on. This place furnishes a striking and
interesting illustration of what may be done in Natal by industry
* All the statements made respecting the produce of the dijfferent parts of
the colony must he understood to be approximatelij correct. They are taken
from the Government Returns, which are however only collected with difficulty.
The number of Kafirs stated to be in service is limited to those who are in
service within the district under notice; many of the Kafirs within each
district, however, go out into service in other divisions of the colony. The
Indian corn returned as grown on the land is altogether irrespective of the
very large quantities produced by the Kafirs themselves for their own use,
and for sale.

to THE COLONY OF NATAL:
and care. The proprietor, Mr. Knox, came as a trader to the
colony, a few years ago, with limited means. At first he opened
a store in Durban for the sale of Kafir truck ; that is, beads,
blankets, and trifies, which find a market among the uncivilized
tribes. By degrees he saved money, and formed an excellent
and remunerative business connection. Two years ago he pur
chased the fine estate known as " Stella," for a considerable sum
of money, and he is now a large producer of arrow-root.
The high lands in connection with the Bluff, which forms the
southern entrance of the inner bay, furnish a considerable
quantity of arrow-root. The southern coast-road passes along
under the shelter of these grounds, until it emerges upon a flat
plain of many miles in extent, and of a high degree of fertility,
the soil consisting chiefly of a deep, rich black loam. The
Umlazi river winds through this plain, and at rare intervals
overflows its banks, doing some considerable amount of damage
to growing crops at the time, but leaving an ample compensation
for the mischief, in the deposits which the water spreads over
the ground. The Isipingo also drains this plain. Near this
rivulet are the sugar- works of Mr. Jeffels, who claims the honor
of having been the first large cultivator of the sugar-cane within
the colony. Mr. Milner imported and set up the first steam-mill
for crushing, his object being to bring numerous small growers
around him to supply the mill. But Mr. Jeffels worked the
first large steam-mill for himself, growing the cane which the
machinery required to feed it, and manufacturing the sugar at
his own works. There are now two other steam-mills belonging
to Messrs. R. King and Atkinson, in the neighbourhood. Mr.
Babbs and the Messrs. Piatt are also prosperous sugar planters.
Mr. Babbs has a large quantity of cane in the ground, and is
producing su^ar of excellent quality. There were eight mills
at work on the Isipingo, in 1858; and the traveller may here
ride for six miles through sugar-cane, in one continuous stretch.
The white population of the county of Durban, amounts to
2248. The Kafir population to 11,288, of whom 1827 have been
in service to white colonists during the year. Five thousand three
hundred and sixty-five acres in this county are under cultivation,
of which 1490 acres belong to sugar-cane, 121 acres to coffee, and

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 79
361 acres to arrow-root. The produce of the county for the last
year was 362 tons of sugar ; 127 tons of arrow-root ; 7220 pounds
of coffee ; 2296 muids of Indian corn, (exclusive of that used by
Kafirs) ; 144 muids of oats ; 100 muids of beans ; 1120 muids of
potatoes; 21,060 muids of sweet potatoes; and 658 tons of oat
hay. There are in the county 3546 head of cattle, 10 sheep,
and 200 horses. About 79,000 acres are serviceable as pasture,
and some 800 acres are in preparation for the reception of the
sugar-cane. There are at work in the county twelve sugar-mills,
4 corn-mills, 16 arrow-root manufactories, and three coffee
manufactories. Beyond the Isipingo, the coast-road passes through the
Umlazi location, one of the large tracts set apart, for the use
of the Kafir inhabitants. This reserved tract contains 130,000
acres : land in many places well adapted to sugar cultivation.
The country is very picturesque, being composed of green hills
and wooded valleys, interspersed with kraals of beehive-like
huts and mealie grounds. At the further bound of this location,
the Umkomanzi river is encountered. This is a clear and fast
stream, with a mouth capable, it is believed, of being made
available for the shipment of produce, and with a channel
navigable by small craft for four miles from the sea.
The land to the south of the Umkomanzi, is at the present
time so far extra-territorial, that it belongs to no county. It is
under the control of a magistrate, who resides beyond the
Umzinto : and for electoral pm-poses is for the present appended
to the county of Durban. The land here still continues to be
perfectly adapted to sugar. Planting operations were commenced
three years since by Mr. Mackenzie at Craigie Burn, on the
lower Umkomanzi, and 40 tons of sugar have been already
manufactured by a steam-mill from 20 acres of cane, and next
season there will be 64 acres to crush. Several intending
planters have settled down near to the Umzinto, 65 miles from
Durban ; and near the same place, a company with a capital of
£20,000, have commenced planting. Mr. Arbuthnot has also
30 acres of cane in the same neighbourhood. In this new
district, upon the banks of the Umkomanzi and the Umzinto,
there are now 93 white residents and 89,000 acres of land

80 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
occupied, 1400 of the acrfes being actually under cultivation,*
and of these 250 are in jan^ In the same district there were
two years ago twelve whit^ residents, occupying 9000 acres
of land, of which eight acres alone were broken up. In 1856
there were two farms surveyed; there are now 170 farms sm-veyed.
The reason for this very rapid increase of occupancy is that a
large number of government land-grants were made in this
neighbourhood, while the regulation allowing of quit-rent-grants
was in force. The Umzinto Company procured a grant of 9000
acres of land. The grants first made were to the extent of 6000
acres each. In consequence ofthe introduction of sugar-planting,
the more recent grants were only of 600 acres each.
Last year, the mail steamer, Madagascar, took away at one
time, 260 bags of sugar produced in this locality. There are
16,853 Kafirs in the division of the lower Umkomanzi, and 270
Kafirs in service during the last year.
It has been stated that a very large proportion of the area of
the coast-lands is generally conceived to be adapted for the
growth of sugar. A fourth part of the same area is of a light
and sandy texture, and equally suited for the production of
arrow-root and cotton. The remaining fourth is rugged and
bush-covered, and therefore not fitted for agriculture in any
form. Nearly 300,000 acres of the coast region are still in the
hands of government, and open to the enterprize of capitalists.
The remaining part is either appropriated by private individuals,
or reserved for the native locations.
In regard to the requirements of a sugar-planter, it may be
at once stated that the command of some little capital is essential
to success. An immigrant with several grown and able-bodied
sons, could do with a much smaller capital than a man whq had
to begin single-handed. In a thinly-peopled land, children are
virtually capital. Some of the most successful of the sugar-
planters are men who, having had the assistance of their children,
have actually made their way without any money to start with.
There is one in comfortable circumstances at the present time,
who landed with a family seven years ago, and who had only a
few shillings in his pocket when he entered upon his campaign
in the new country. It is not, of course, every man who is

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 81
capable of accomplishing such a task as this. The victory in
this instance was due to the unusual' share of energy and per
severing industry which were brought to bear upon the work.
The small capitalist, however, who has a few hundred pounds
in his pocket or in the bank when he lands, wiU find his way
much more open and smooth. In the year 1858, an estimate
was made by a gentleman well acquainted with facts, that it
was possible for an energetic and experienced agriculturist to
turn even as small a sum as £500 to excellent account in
planting the cane. Since that time the price of land and of
working cattle has, however, been considerably enhanced, and
it must be at once stated in round terms, that the settler who
has not a larger sum than this at his command, may turn it to
much better account. It may also be further added, that no
settler should on any account begin to plant sugar, until he has
reaped some considerable amount both of experience and
information on the spot. With the additional caution the
estimate then made is presented, because it shows the way in
which a man of unusual determination and resource, and who
is resolved upon becoming a planter, may best apply his means.
Upon such a capital, or even with two or three hundred pounds
more, the intending planter must not, of course, think anything
about erecting machinery at his start. Many mills now working
in the colony have cost more than double the sum alluded to.
The course which should be adopted is simply this. A suitable
field must fu-st be selected. It will be the best plan to rent the
selected land for a time, and he will experience no difficulty in
doing this, as several proprietors of extensive sugar estates now
let out portions of their land on lease at moderate rates, and in
some instances even undertake to erect machinery for the
occupants. If the adventurer determine, however, that he must have a
plantation of his own, the best way of proceeding is to endeavour
to join with some other individuals in the purchase of ground,
which may be subsequently divided in shares of about 200 acres
among the individual«»purchasers. This ground should be care
fully chosen in the neighbourhood of some estate which has
already a crushing-miU working upon it. The next need will
G

82 THE COLONY OF NATAL
be a colonial cart and eight oxen. This may be made available
for the transport of goods and chattels from the port to the new
home. A site for a dwelling-house may then be fixed upon.
In making this choice, an eye should be kept upon the facilities
for procuring the two prime necessaries of colonial life, water
and wood. The wood, it should be borne in mind, wiU be
needed both for fuel and for building. If a great distance has
to be traversed to procm-e a supply of either of these essentials,
it will be a heavy draw-back, on the ground of economy. By
the aid of ten Kafirs the settler may, if he be at all a handy
man (and if he be not this, he had better think twice before he
leaves his old home with small means) in the com-se of a few
weeks erect a temporary residence of wattle and daub. Structures
of this kind are made by fixing strong poles in the ground at
short intervals. These are held together by a running beam, on
which the roof is to be placed, and the whole are firmly tied
together by cross poles. The timber frame is then filled in with
a basket-work of saplings or wattles, which is plastered with
successive coats of clay, until these are made tolerably smooth
on the face. The last coat is finished off with a plasteringr
trowel and white-washed. The roof is simply thatched with
dried grass. This kind of building is both inexpensive and
expeditiously made, and possesses the further very important
advantage, that the great part of the work can be done by the
natives. Structures of this character, if reared upon good poles,
will generally last for five or six years, and make very comfortable
dwellings until more enduring ones can be formed. A small
garden for the supply of vegetables, and cows for the supply of
milk, for family use, will constitute veiy valuable aids to the
domestic economy.
As soon as a sufficiently commodious dwelling has been
provided, the settler should turn his whole available force to
clearing and breaking up land for planting. With the aid of
eight oxen and Kafir labourers he should manage to plant as
much as twenty acres of cane in the fu-st year. Mr. Arbuthnot's
experience proves that this may easily b« done. In the month
of June, 1858, ten Kafirs cleared, stumped, and picked over
upon his farm, without any assistance from the plough, five

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PRODUCE. 83
acres, which at the commencement of the operation was a perfect
wilderness of vegetation, consisting of shrubs and old stumps of
trees. On each of the two following months, the same amount
of work was accomplished. During the second year he should
plant thirty acres more, taking his shoots from the year-old
cane. Up to this time his expenditure should stand something
in the following form : —
First Tear's Expenditure.
Purchase priceof 200 acres of land, at 10s. per acre ilOO
Eight oxen, at i65  40
Cart, with appui-tenances ... ... ... ... 20
Plough, harrow, hoes, &o. ... ...  25
Doors, windows, &c. for house ... ... ... 10
Sis Zulu cows, at i£3 ... ... ... ... 18
Ten Kafir labourers, at 7s. per month  42
Mealies for labourers' food  30
Household expenses  50
Cane tops for planting 20 acres (4000 to the acre),
at 3s. per lOOO  12
Incidental expenses  15
Total  ^362 ;£363
Second Year's Expenditure.

Ten Kafir labourers

...

£42

Food for labourers ...

...

30

Household expenses ...

50
Incidental expenses ...
20
Total ...

... ^142
£U2
Entire Expenditure
OF
Two Years
^504
The caution must here be repeated, that some allowance must
now be made for increase in the value of land and cattle since
the estimate was made. Land now sells in the sugar districts
at £2 per acre ; and in many places trained oxen cannot be
bought for less than £8 a head. Kafirs, also, cannot always be
hired so low as seven shillings per month. The twenty acres
of cane first planted wOuld be ready for manufacture at the end
of the second year, and taking the yield at the fair estimate of
two tons per acre, the produce at present prices would be worth
g2
84 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
at least £40 per acre to the grower, and would leave for the
manufacturer a return of not less than a like 'sum for his share.
In default of machinery upon the grower's own estate, the cane
would be taken for manufacture to the nearest mill, and the
actual value of the sugar would thus be divided between the
planter and the manufacturer. Thus, at the end of two years,
under thrifty and prudent management, the original investment
of £500 would have brought a return of £800. It is exceedingly
probable that with the extension of the manufacture, the price
of sugar will fall, but it wiU be obvious that a very considerable
margin can be safely allowed for this possibility. It must be
borne in mind that the price of sugar will fall, not in the
immediate ratio of the increased production of Natal, but accord
ingly as the entire wide world is more abundantly supplied with
the important luxury. Natal alone may very well yield her
million tons a-year without any very decided impression having
been made upon the prices in the market. To establish the
fact that the above estimate was a fair one for the time at which
it was made (that is, in the year 1858), it may be stated that
Mr. Mackenzie, of the Craigie Burn Estate, on the Lower
Umkomanzi, has been actually producing two-and-a-half tons
per acre of sugar, and receiving £42 a ton for the article, the
manufacture being frona canes not two years old. This sugar
was pronounced by competent judges to be fully equal in the
particulars of colour, grain, and saccharine strength, to the best
qualities sent from the Mam-itius. An estimate was made at
the end of the last year that Mr. Mackenzie had expended nearly
£5000 upon his mills and estate, but that he was aheady netting
a profit of £60 per acre upon the land that had been brought
into yielding. Mr. Atkinson, a planter upon the Isipingo, who
came into the colony four years ago, was last year getting as
much as three tons of sugar per acre from some part of his
plantation. The assumption is made, in the preceding estimate, that the
settler comes into Natal, and begins operations at the com
mencement of the dry season ; that is to say, that he manages
to take possession of his land in May or June. If he comes
later, and loses the opportunity for building and clearing

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PRODUCE. 85
afforded by the dry season, he must consider that he has the loss
of a year to meet.. The land should be ready for planting, at the
latest, in the months of September, October, and November.
The general opinion of individuals who have now had a few
years' experience in sugar-planting in Natal, is that the best
sugar lands will yield five or six crops before they need to be
replanted, and that the lighter and poorer lands will yield only
three crops from one planting. Three crops from each planting,
it may be remarked, is the average produce in many other
parts of the world where sugar is grown. The cane is
planted in rows six feet apart, with an interval of three
feet between the canes. The ground needs to be ploughed
between the rows, and hoed between the canes, until the plants
have acquired a certain amount of strength.
When the small capitalist has his first growth of cane ready for
crushing, his most advantageous course of proceeding vnll un
questionably be to send his cane to some larger proprietor to be
manufactured, provided there be a mill within two miles of his
plantation. It will be open to him, under such circumstances,
either to dispose of the canes at once to the manufacturer, or to
arrange to give him a certain fixed per centage upon the produce.
If, however, there be no mill within this convenient distance, the
carting of the cane would be too costly a process. The only
alternative is then to mortgage the sugar and land, to procure
machinery for erection on the spot. Such arrangements have
frequently been made, with twenty or thirty acres of cane to
fall back upon.
There is one point connected with sugar-planting which it is
important to note. Oxen are required in considerable numbers
to carry on the transport of the cane from the plantation to
the mill, and to plough the ground. Two hundred acres of
plantation in actual produce, would need scarcely less than
200 oxen. These four-footed labourers must be fed. From
one to two thousand acres would barely suffice to furnish them
with pasture. As the available land becomes more densely
occupied by the cane, this will be a matter that will be ever
pressing itself more imperatively upon the planter's attention.
It is to be hoped that before the difficulty has become a very

86 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
urgent one, the traction-engine will have provided an efficient
solution, and will have given the planter a warrant to place all
valuable coast land under the cane. At any rate some plan for
providing artifical food for the working cattle, may certainly
be contrived.
The present state of affairs at the Chaka sugar plantations,
near the Umhlali, may be very well alluded to as affording the
appropriate contrast to the picture of operations upon a small
scale. The first canes were planted here three years ago, under
the superintendence of Mr. Balcomb, the manager of the
estate. There are now 250 acres green with the cane, and
there is also a large quantity of land ploughed and ready for
planting, and a field of considerable size which was under cane
during the flood of 1856, and which had its produce entirely
destroyed. During the present year, there will be not less
than 500 acres under cane. A large proportion of the plantation
lies upon the hill-tops, and the canes there present a very
satisfactory appearance, notwithstanding the universal amount
of drought which has prevailed during the last two years. The
work of ploughing is proceeding very rapidly, and is entirely
performed by Kafir ploughmen. As many as five ploughs may
be seen at work at a time in one field, each driven by a Kafir.
The work is performed with remarkable celerity and regularity,
and at a cost of ten shillings per month each man, without
food. The current rate of wages, for common labom-ers upon
this estate in 1858, was five shillings per month and food. Mr.
Balcomb has never found any difficulty in procuring an abun
dance of labour. This result seems to have been due in the
first place, to the neighbourhood being somewhat thickly
peopled by Kafirs, many of them dwelling as tenants upon
the estate, and in the second place, to the fact that the manager
is peculiarly happy in his '¦'¦knack" of dealing with his men. His
bearing towards them is characterized by that precise combina
tion of firmness and moderation which accords with their own
idea of the chieftain's rule. In the midst of this thriving and
highly promising plantation, there stands one of the most
powerful steam-mills yet erected within the colony.
Tlie sugar-cane is, of course, not indigenous to Natal. It was

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 87
first introduced into the colony in the year 1847. There is,
however, a plant native to Natal which elaborates a saccharine
juice. This is a species of Holcus, and is known commonly
under the native name of Imphie. The true cane thrives best
in a rich, dark, fallow soil. It was at first conceived that it
could only flourish on low sheltered flats. But it is now perfectly
determined that it can be advantageously grown upon hill-sides,
as well as in valleys. The rattoons seem to lose nothing in
ultimate productiveness, by having then- homes fixed upon the
hills lying within the coast district. A growing confidence,
indeed, is gradually manifesting itself within the colony, that
many sheltered localities in the higher lands will be found to be
well adapted for this valuable cultivation. The Dutch have,
indeed, succeeded in growing both sugar and coffee in the
Transvaal States. No process of manuring has yet received
attention. The virgin land capable of supporting an abundant
elaboration of the sweet juice is so plentiful, that for some time
it will answer better to bring new ground under cane, than to
make any attempt to sustain the fertility of the portions first
occupied. This, however, is of course merely a transition state
of things. Before long there will be need fbr a careful re
consideration of the present mode of proceeding, and a new call
will be made for science to follow the march of the planting
pioneers. When the call is made, this arch-friend of commerce
and civilization will be found true to its proved spirit, and will
answer to the invitation.
There are three kinds of cane in favour in Natal. One, the
Bourbon variety, is bright and sparkling when cut, and seems
to be best adapted for the production of the more delicate
crystalline sugars. The purple-leaved and green-leaved varieties
are more rich and luscious, and possess somewhat the fiavour
of honey. These varieties are better suited for the manufacture
of the coarser and stronger sugars. It has been suggested that
the Chinese cane would be very likely to do well in the higher
grounds of the colony, where there is too much cold in winter
time for the more delicate varieties to succeed.
The processes employed in the production and manufacture
of sugar are of a very simple kind. Cane-tops are first planted

88 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
lengthways in the ground. The canes requu-e eighteen months
to ripen, after they have begun to spring. They are then cut
down near the ground, carted to the mill, and crushed between
iron rollers connected with moving machinery. The canes are
thrust between these revolving cylinders by hand, ends foremost.
The expressed juice is carried off from beneath the rollers by
metallic gutters, and conveyed to the battery or series of boiling
pans. It is then boiled and passed on from pan to pan as it
increases in thickness, and finally is received into the curing
house, where the thick juice is placed in a hollow metal cylinder
formed with perforated sides and contained in an investing case.
This piece of apparatus is called the Turbine, or centrifugal
machine. The inner cylinder is capable of being whirled round
with great rapidity by steam-power, and as it is whirled, the
treacle of the juice is thrown off centrifugally through the
perforations of the inner cylinder, and runs away from the outer
case by a spout, the manufactured sugar being left in the interior
of the Turbine in a dry and more or less crystallized condition.
Each batch of sugar is made in this way in the com-se of five
or six minutes. In small factories, where the centrifugal
machine is not at work, the process of separation and drying is
a work of great trouble and anxiety. The drying has to be
principally effected by allowing the sugar to stand a long time to
drain. In a pamphlet published by Mr. Coqui, the aggregate cost
of growing and manufacturing sugar, is stated upon the authority
of Mr. Babbs, an experienced planter, to be under five shillings
per hundred-weight, exclusive of outlay for working stock and
machinery. The capital deemed requisite by the same authority,
for the growth and manufacture of 400 acres of cane, without
the value of land, is £16,225. The annual returns for this
capital are estimated at £13,550, and the annual expenditure
in carrying on the operations, is fixed at £4338. Mr. Babbs'
calculations take £15 per ton as the price of the sugar manu
factured. Hitherto planters have readily obtained £35 and
£40 per ton.
Natal possesses certain unquestionable advantages as a sugar-
growing country. Its climate is peculiarly healthy for one
which is warm enough to ripen the cane. The Kafir race, which

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCB. 89
is available to the planter for the supply of labour, entertains a
strong fondness for the sweet juice of the cane, and for the
refuse treacle, and hence is more willing to engage in the work
of manufacturing sugar, than in any other kind of operation
which is carried on. The Kafir will barter his mealies for
treacle, when he refuses to sell them for anything else. In
addition to these circumstances may be named the low price of
Kafir labour and the cheapness of food. Natal, indeed, has
already taken an unmistakeable stand among the sugar-producing
countries of the world. At th« present time, the colony has
cane growing upon 2500 acres of its lands, which in the year
1860, will furnish at the lowest estimate 3500 tons of sugar.
Another very valuable product, which experiment is now
endeavouring to show may be advantageously grown in the
coast-district of Natal, is coffee. The coffee-plant requires to
be sheltered from the sea-breeze, and thrives best upon the
slopes of hills which have an inland exposure, and which are
crested above by the bush. A warm, rich soil, appears to be
most suitable for its support. Trees have been successfully
reared at Mj. Thompson's farm at Claremont, at Mr. Middleton's
at Snaresbrook, and at Stella by Mr. Knox. Mr. Thompson's
trees have already produced at the rate of four and five pounds
of berries a plant. In the last season, Mr. Middleton sent one
ton of coffee to Durban, as the first-fruits of his entei-prize.
The berries were full and weU formed, of the true lilac bean
kind ; and their aroma was finely developed, and in due pre
ponderance over the bitter extractive to stamp the produce as
exceedingly good. These three localities of coffee-planting are
all near to Durban. There are also some bushes on the Lower
Umkomanzi, belonging to Mr. Johnstone, which were laden
with berries when only two-and-a-half years old.
As it is the bush-land which is best adapted to the growth
of coffee, some little preliminary outlay is essential to clear the
ground for planting. The cultivation of this berry demands a
certain amount of patience also on the part of the planter, as
the trees are generally three years before they come into bearing.
But on the other hand, no expensive machinery is requhed for
the manufacture, and therefore, a moderate amount of capital is
sufficient for the work. A simple and inexpensive pulper is all

90 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the mechanical aid that is called for. The plants are reared in
the first instance from seed, which is caused to germinate in a
sort of nursery. The young seedlings are then subsequently
planted out in rows which are nine feet asunder, intervals of six
feet being left between the trees. The plants begin to bear
fruit eighteen months after they are planted out, and increase
then- yield untH they are eight years old. They are productive
until they are twenty or thirty years old. The plant is an ever
green shi-ub, nearly allied to the tribe which is represented in
England by the honeysuckle, the elder, and the lauristinus. It
has glossy oval leaves, distributed in pairs, and small white
wheel-shaped flowers. The flowers appear generally on the
summits of the young shoots, and at times make the glossy
green shrubs look as if they had been sprinkled with snow.
The berries present themselves in various stages of maturity at
one and the same time, some being green when others are
bright or dark red. When the berry is fit for picking, it has a
dark red skin, which incloses within, a bean surrounded by a
soft tender pulp. The berry is plucked by hand and pulped,
and the bean is then dried, sorted into sizes, and packed in
casks or bags for the market.
The primary cost of clearing an acre of bush-ground <for
planting coffee is about £22. Of this outlay £5 14s. is tolerably
sure to be returned at the end of the third year. Year by year
after this the returns go on increasing. After the primary
outlay of planting, scarcely any further expense has to be
incurred. Where individuals can afford to make this first invest
ment, and then to wait for their returns, the cultivation of coffee
promises to be both an agreeable and profitable occupation.
The price of land in the immediate neighbourhood of Durban,
suitable for the cultivation of coffee, ranges from £2 to £5 per
acre. About 680 plants are generally allowed for each acre, and
each of these shrubs will yield annually, when arrived at maturity,
about two pounds and a-half of berries. One hundred and sixty
acres are already employed in the production of coffee within
the colony, and it is anticipated that there will soon be a yearly
produce from these lands of about eighteen tons of the berries.
Arrow-root has now become literally a staple production of
Natal. The plant does not require a first-class soil. It grows

COAST LANDS AND TROPICAL PEODUCE. 91
very readily, and yields heavy crops on coast-lands, which are
entirely valueless for the growth of sugar. Upon these grounds
it is deservedly a great favourite with the colonists. Five years
ago the fact was first ascertained that its production might be
profitably entered upon. There are now 628 acres of land
employed in its growth, which yield yearly from half a ton to
twelve hundred-weight of fecula {starch) for each acre. The
market value of the arrow-root now manufactured in Natal every
year is about £9000.
The cultivation of arrow-root requires but a very moderate
capital at starting, and is attended by quick and large returns.
Cuttings from the roots, something after the fashion of the
cuttings of potatoes, are put into the ground in rows, in the
months of September and October. The roots are ripe at the
end of the wet season, and the manufacture of the starch is
carried on during the dry months of winter.
The arrow-root plant {Maranta arundinacea) consists of a
shoot of lily-like leaves rising from a horizontal root-stock, or
more properly speaking, under-ground stem, which gives off
fibres while growing, that in turn develope into tubers. The
plant is closely allied to the Indian Ibot (Canna Indica) of the
garden. When the root-stock is matured, the tubers and off-sets
are densely filled with starch, and are accordingly taken from
the ground for manufacture. The tubers are grated by being
pressed against a revolving rough cylinder of tin, somewhat of
the nature of a nutmeg-grater, and the raspings are then sub
jected to successive washings ; the fibrous refuse rises to the
surface and is skimmed away ; the pure starch compacts itself
into a kind of white paste, which is dried on calico trays and
broken into lumps. The great object of the manufacture is to
render this paste as pure and spotless as possible, and the
apparatus required to effect this is of a very simple and
inexpensive kind. In one very complete factory now at work,
the necessary machinery and appliances, for operations upon
a large scale, with the labour expended in cultivation, cost
£200, and the proceeds in the second year were nearly £400.
Individuals, who do not wish to invest capital in the erection of
machinery, may dispose of their produce to neighbouring manu
facturers on profitable terms.

92 THE COLONY OF NATAL":
A rich light soil is unquestionably the best for arrow-root ;
forest land is generally very good. The spot selected for the
growth should, above all things, be near to a running stream.
Strong and heavy soils are objecfionable, because the tubers are
unable to attain their proper expansion in it, and because it is
very difficult to dig them out from such ground during the dry
season. On stiff soils the labourers are often compelled to
suspend their operations for weeks, until rain falls. The land,
which is about to be devoted to the crop, must be broken up in
the month of April, or May, or at least before the close of the
dry season, to the depth of twelve inches. It should be ploughed,
harrowed, and thoroughly cleaned. Upon the occurrence of the
first rain in October, planting should commence, and should
continue upon all practical opportunities until all the cuttings
are in the ground. The operation should be completed at the
very latest by the end of November. If the tubers be put into
the ground in rows thirty inches apart, and with eight inches
between each, there wiU be convenient room for a horse-hoe to be
used between the rows.
In a fair average season, fifteen hundred-weights of fecula
are produced from a single acre of plantation. A ton per acre
may very possibly be realized. The foUowing statement wQl
show in details the capital required for the several particulars,
in cultivating ten acres of land, and the profit which may be
expected to be reahzed ; it being, however, borne in mind that
the value of land, oxen, and labour is rising rapidly in the colony.
The purchase-money for 100 acres of land
A span of 12 oxen, at £i each
A cart
A plough ...
Harrows and other implements
Dwelling-house aud outbuildings
Cost of living for a family for 18 months
Eight Kafir labourers at 12s. per month,
including food
Machinery and manufacturing appliances
Contingencies ...

£.

s.

d.

100

0

0

48

0

0

20

0

0

8

10

0

20

0

0

60

0

0

150

0

0

86

8

0

75

0

0

56

0

0

^623

8

0

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 93
i
The return which may be fairly anticipated for the outlay,
ten acres of the land being in produce, will be
Ten acres of arrow-root, at 15 cwt. per acre,
= 7§ tons, value ^£40 per ton ... J300
By the time this crop is realized, there should be twenty acres
more ground broken up, and ready for plantng, promising to
produce with a far lower expenditm-e, £600 in the following year.
At the present prices of arrow-root, the growth and manu
facture of this substance may be fairly said to yield £25 per
cent for invested capital, and great saving may be effected
beyond this, by adapting horse labour and machinery to much
that is now done by hand.
It is well known that the cotton plant grows luxuriantly in
Natal. There is, indeed, a brown-coloured cotton which is
indigenous to the colony. The first specimens of the true
plant reared in the colony, were raised by Dr. Adams, of the
American Mission, in his garden at the Umlazi ; the seed had
been procured from America. About the year 1845, several
individuals had engaged in experiments with New Orleans and
Nankin seeds. At this time Mr. Tookey, Mr. Hogg, Mr.
Wilson, and Mr. Francis, all had small plantations. Mr. Hogg
had as much as twenty-five acres under cultivation on the
Umgeni. The operations were not steadily persevered with,
- mainly on account of want of capital, by the individuals who
first directed their attention to the matter. The plantation of
Mr. Hogg was transferred to Mr. Chiappini, of Cape Town,
who, however, found that there would be some difficulty in the
way of getting a safe title to the land, and who was therefore
deterred from prosecuting the cultivation with energy. This
gentleman, nevertheless, stated in 1849, as results which he
had obtained even from the neglected plantation, that twenty-
nine acres had yielded 8,925 pounds of clean or ginned cotton,
an average produce of 307 pounds per acre, netting upon an
average when shipped to England, fivepence per pound. The
expense of cultivation from August 1, 1847, to July 31, 1848,
for native labour, spades and bagging, was £64 14s. lOd.,
making the cost of production, exclusive of the purchase of

94 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
land, ploiughing and planting, one penny and thirteen-sixteenths,
per pound. At fourpence-halfpenny per pound, the value of
the 8,925 pounds was £167 8s. The profit from a neglected
plantation, in which the produce was almost spontaneous, was
therefore between three and four pounds per acre. The cotton
plant is perennial in Natal, certainly in the coast district, and
goes on yielding year after year without any additional labour
being required for renewing the plantation.
Many small planters had sown seed between the months of
August and October, 1845, and in May and June of the following
year, the prospects of the cotton-planting were so promisingj
that the government, which was then engaged in establishing
the Kafir locations, advertized for tenders to supply cotton
seed for distribution among the natives, and also for contractors
to purchase the cotton grown. Some delay was experienced in
procm-ing the cotton-seed, and ultimately the project failed
altogether for some reason that does not very plainly appear.
About this time Mr. J. Bergtheil, at present a member of the
Legislative Assembly of the colony, in conjunction with certain
individuals in Cape Town, commenced operations with a view
to the growth of cotton on a larger scale than had previously
been attempted, at an estate about eight miles from Durban,
known as Brooker's farm. Superintendents were brought from
the Cape, and cotton-seed and machinery for cleaning and
packing, were ordered fi-om America. An association was also
shortly afterwards formed in Cape Town, which was designated
the " Natal Cotton Company ;" the object of the association
being to bring families into Natal, and aid them in becoming
cultivators of cotton. This project did not find the success
which was anticipated for it. Mr. Bergtheil, therefore, proceeded
to Europe, and brought back with him in the year 1848 the
party of settlers who are now located on the estate known as
" New Germany," near Pine Town. These settlers were under
a contract to grow cotton when they were landed, but at the
time of their arrival, the general aspect of affairs had changed
very materially. Many of the Dutch farmers, who had been
engaged in producing the necessaries of life, had abandoned the
colony, and the cost of provisions had consequently risen to

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCB. 95
double and treble the previous price.^ The German emigrants
on this account found a more profitable investment for their
labour than the growth of cotton. They turned their attention
to the providing of food, in the place of the raw material of an
article of clothing. Operations continued on the original plan
tation of Brooker's farm, until 1850, but after that period they
were put an end to by a combination of adverse circumstances.
During the three previous years, however, twenty bales of cotton
were shipped from this plantation to England, each bale con
taining from 250 to 300 pounds. Sea-island cotton grown on
the estate, realized in Manchester a price of Is. 8d. per pound.
Cotton grown from Natal seed realized T^d. and 8d. a pound,
and cotton from green seed 6d. and Id. a pound. Ground weU
cultivated and cared for produced 400 pounds of clean cotton
per acre.
Several causes have co-operated up to this time to prevent
the cultivation of cotton from establishing itself as firmly within
the colony, as some other productive operations have done.
One very important and infiuential drawback has been the
uncertain and inadequate supply of native labour. In the case
of cotton, this drawback teUs with considerable force, because
the produce requires to be gathered the instant the seed has
reached the proper stage of maturity. Any delay in gathering
at this time is fatal to the success of the crop. It may also be
added that the very great impulse given to the yet more profitable
cultivation of the sugar-cane, tended at an early period to divert
both attention and energy from the less-remunerative article.
The tide, however, seems now to be again about to turn. No
one within the colony doubts for an instant that both climate
and specific localities are alike suitable for cotton growth. The
problem which has to be solved is simply an economical one,
turning upon the question of abundance and value of labour.
During an interview which the Rev. Calvert Spensley, of Durban,
had last year with Professor Maury, at Washington, the Professor
expressed his conviction that there were excellent reasons why
Natal must become one of the finest cotton-growing countries
in the world.
In addition to these indications of confidence, an energetic

96 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
movement is now being made by His Excellency the Lieutenant-
Governor to induce the natives to plant cotton in suitable
localities, seed being furnished to them for the purpose, and
arrangements made to purchase the produce. In its present
early stage, the experiment promises well. There wiU be forty
bales of good cotton ready for shipment this year, as its first-
fruits. It is extremely probable that it will ultimately be
found that the midland districts of the colony are more suitable
for the growth of cotton than the low-coast lands, because the
cold of winter there, while not so severe as to do injury to the
vitality of the plant, is nevertheless sufficiently keen to check
the excessive luxuriance which causes the ripening of the pods
to take place at all seasons of the year, and so interferes with
the adoption of any systematic plan for picking at stated and
regular periods. One of the most experienced of the American
missionaries, who has a practical acquaintance with the cotton-
growing States of his own land, holds strongly this opinion.
Some practical authorities state that annual varieties of cotton
yield the finest and most valuable produce. It has yet to be
seen whether annual cotton plants are not converted into
perennials by the genial climate of Natal. Upon the whole the
question of the successful cultivation of cotton in a commercial
sense, is one that yet stands in the position of an interesting
experiment. The best season for planting cotton is September, or as soon
as the spring rains set in. The seed should be inserted intp.
the ground in rows eight feet apart, with intervals of six feet
between the plants of each row. It is usual to insert four or
more seeds in each spot, and then to draw out the wealcer plants
as soon as the seedlings have attained some size. This should
not, however, be done too soon, because the germinating plants
are apt at an early period of their growth to be partially cut off
by the ravages of insects. The ground should be carefully hoed
between the plants, until they have become bushes of considerable
size, and are able to destroy other vegetation by their own shade.
The cotton plant (Gossypium) is a kind of mallow, bearing
beautiful large yellowish-white flowers, purple-eyed in the centre.
and having broad fine-lobed leaves. It grows into a very

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 97
ornamental shrub four or five feet high. The capsule is divided
into three, four, or five cells, of which each contains one seed
densely and closely packed round with the hairy investment
which matures into cotton. The development of the hairiness
of the seed very much depends upon the prolonged maintenance
of a summer temperature ; and it is on this account that climate
is an essential element in the successful cultivation of this
valuable plant. A certain amount of cold ftyr a short period
intervening between the seasons of active growth, is not at all
disadvantageous to the produce. In Virginia, where the cotton
is now a staple production, frost is very commonly experienced
in the coldest months.
The indigo plant is a native of Natal, and there can be no
doubt will thrive well within the colony, and will yield its
peculiar colouring matter, when proper attention and care are
devoted to the cultivation. Several species are found both on
the coast-lands and in the higher regions. It is a small
papilionaceous plant, something like a shrubby vetch. Its
rose-coloured flowers are seen in abundance on the pastures
round Maritzburg. Extensive preparations for the cultivation of
indigo were commenced by Javanese planters, at Pine Town, in
1855. The operations were not prosecuted on account of special
difficulties encountered by the individuals, not connected in any
way with unfitness of locality. Specimens of indigo have been
produced in the colony, which have been pronounced excellent
by competent judges. The production of indigo requhes, however,
a considerable amount of skill and delicacy, and it is necessarily
attended by a rather heavy outlay. The cultivation of this
plant does not, therefore, exert so strong an attraction for
enterprize as most of the other kinds of activity which have
been alluded to.
The long warm summer, abundant summer rains, mild winter,
and rich mineral soil of Natal, furnish such an unusual com
bination of auspicious influences, that it is quite certain many
other valuable productions of the hotter regions of the earth
might be remuneratively extracted from its soil, by individuals
possessing the requisite knowledge and experience. It may be
stated, in passing, that the tea-plant has been reared experimen- H

98 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
tally upon the coast. Ginger and turmeric are produced with
great ease. Rice has been grown, and has yielded grain, in
two or three localities. The sesamum, or oil-seed (the banglo
of the West Indies), and the earth-nut (arachis hypogeia) are
cultivated by the natives on the coast as food. One hundred
muids (300 bushels) of the earth-nut have been grown on a
single acre. A mill has been established at Durban for the sole
purpose of expressing the oil from both these kinds of seed, and
the proprietors, Messrs. Russell and Coy, offer either to purchase
the raw material from the grower, or to manufacture it for him,
according to his own wish. The oil is also manufactured by
Mr. Relph. The earth-nut is a very curious and- remarkable
production. It is a kind of bean, and is produced by a plant
of the leguminous tribe. The young fi-uit is placed at the
bottom, and inside of a long tube, which looks like a flower-
stalk ; the flower matures, fertilizes the germ at the bottom
of the long tube, and then withers away. The stalk of the
impregnated fruit then lengthens, curves towards the earth,
and finaUy buries the half matured pod in the soil, where it
remains to perfect itself A light sandy soil is essential to this
strange proceeding. The ripe pod is pale yellow, and wrinkled,
constricted in places, and contains in the interior two or three
seeds of the size of a hazel nut, which are as sweet as the
almond in flavour, and charged with a pure oil equal in excellence
to that of the olive. When the plant is artificially sown, as
much as 40 muids of the nut may be very readily procured from
an acre of ground ; for these nuts a price of six or seven shillings
a muid is given. Each muid of the nut yields at the lowest
estimate two gallons and a half of oil, worth six shillings a
gallon in the market. The compressed residue, after the
expression of the oil from the crushed nut, constitutes a valuable
oil-cake for feeding poultry and cattle, worth £12 per ton.
Growers who do not wish to have the trouble of extractine: the
oil themselves, may now get their nuts manufactured for them
at the charge of eight-pence per gallon, upon the produce.
There are sixty acres of land employed in the cultivation of the
ground-nut, in the neighbourhood of Durban.
As a final illustration of the anticipations which are entertained

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PRODUCE. 99
of the capabilities of this district, the statement may be made
that Messrs. Russell and Coy, profess to be preparing to manu
facture the fibre from the plaintain, banana, pine-apple, and
some other kinds of fibrous plants, which thrive on the sea-coast ;
and that tobacco grows most luxm-iantly in all the sheltered
parts ofthe colony.
Before turning from the coast-districts of Natal, there is yet
one other point that is worthy of remark. It has been stated
that about one-fourth of the area of this favoured and luxuriant
region is so bushy and broken, that it is altogether unsuited to
the operations of enterprizing colonists. It would be a mistake,
however, to infer that even these wUd spots are devoid of value
to the civilized inhabitants. They are thickly peopled by Kafirs,
who manage by the aid of the pick or large hoe, to place the
soil in such a condition that large quantities of Indian corn,
Kafir corn, and pumpkins are produced upon it. The surplus
of the gi-ain crops are disposed of at the rate of Is. 6d. or 2s.
the bushel. By purchasing the produce at this rate, the planter
is enabled to feed his Kafir labourers upon very reasonable
terms, and is saved the necessity of turning his attention to the
growth of the same prime necessaries upon his own land, which
he would otherwise have to do to the detriment of his more
remunerative occupations.
The high road from Durban to Maritzburg ascends the range
of Berea hiUs, which skirts to ihe north the sandy fiat stretched
between the mouth of the Ulmgeni river and the broad water
of the inner bay. It is cut through the bush for two or three
miles, and then descends upon an open undulating plain,
scattered over by homesteads and farms, and presenting in
many places to the eye the neatness and order of the best-
kept park scenery. Arrow-root and oat-forage share this domain
with the wild pastm-e. After passing on for about a dozen
miles, the high thoroughfare comes upon a lofty hill, which at
one time used to be the terror of waggon-drivers. The terrors
of this " Comefs hill" are now, however, gone, for the road has
been carried round this obstacle; horsemen now canter, and
oxen trek along its escarpment up an easy gradient, until the
pleasant village of Pine Town, named from the late Lieutenant-
h2

100 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
governor. Sir B. Pine, is seen upon the plain immediately below.
The view from the summit of Cowey's hiU is very magnificent.
The Bluff at the entrance of the harbour, the line of white foam
marking the position of the bar and the outer bay, are con
spicuous objects over the declining spur of the Berea, in one
direction. In another, the valley of the Umgeni, the gleaming
surface of Sea-cow lake, a veritable haunt of the hippopotamus,
and the sugar-plantations of Springfield, are visible. In front,
the houses of Pine Town, with their environments of verdant
gardens, are scattered upon the landscape. The township of
Pine Town was founded seven years ago, and the settlement
has been advancing into prosperity ever since. It now bears
the reputation of being one of the most pleasant and salubrious
localities within the colony. Many of the buUdings are con
structed of brick, and are both substantial and commodious.
There are a small church, a school, a very good road-side house
of entertainment, a butcher's and baker's shop, and one or two
general stores scattered widely over a broad expanse of ground.
The colonial " towns," with the exception of the capital and the
Port, are all at present of this shadowy kind. This settlement
stands upon the first step or terrace of the ascending land, and
is raised a considerable height above the sea. In passing through
Pine Town, the eye detects at a glance the fact that this terrace
properly associates itself with the sea-coast territory, which it
immediately surmounts, and is subtropical in its climate. A
fine grove of bananas stands immediately behind the hoteL A
tree-fern is encountered here and there. The trees are nearly
all evergreens, and the pine-apple grows as the turnip does in
England. This is also super-eminently the region of the sweet
potatoe. In the immediate neighbourhood of Pine Town is the settle
ment of New Germany, where the emigrants, brought out by
Mr. Bergtheil in 1848, are located. Most ofthe residents have
now managed to purchase allotments of land, although they are
for the most part entirely of the labouring class, and have
erected houses and gathered together herds. They have worked
out their prosperity in a very unambitious way by growing
forage, potatoes, mealies, and other vegetables, for the supply of

COAST LANDS AND TROPICAL PRODUCE. 101
Durban. The produce is generally taken into town for sale by
the women of the settlement on Saturdays. New Germany is,
as it were, the market-garden of the Port. Pine Town will
probably some day contain the country residences of such
Durban merchants as incline to get a little way from the sea.
The white population of Pine Town and New Germany at the
present time consists of 254 individuals. There are in the two
places clergymen of the Church of England, the Presbyterian,
and the Lutheran persuasions. Mr. Posselt, who has been in
the colony from its earliest days, has charge of a station belonging
to the Berlin missions in New Germany.
The lower, and approximately tropical terrace, which imme
diately overlooks the coast-lands, is for the most part a very
broken and bushy tract. HiUy prominences and ridges, and
abrupt ravines and valleys alternate with each other incessantly.
An immense chasm, indeed, seems to run the whole length of
the colony at this distance from the sea, having a loftier
escarpment on the landward than on the seaward side; and
having conical eminences, jagged ridges, and table-masses
reared from its fioor in the wildest confusion. The sloping pro
minences are grass- covered, but the table-masses are for the most
part circumscribed at the top by walls of bare rock. Enormous
blocks of stone are scattered in many places over the hill-sides.
The Inanda location, set apart as a Kafir reserve, and standing
immediately beneath the eastern Tace of the Great " Table-
mountain," is one of the most characteristic specimens of this
magnificent wilderness. The entu-e location indeed is but a
basin-like dilatation of the wild extra-littoral vaUey. From the
summit of the Table-mountain the eye roams for miles over a
wide prospect extending beneath for miles, and composed every
where of a succession of grey and violet hills, lookuig like
hUlocks in the distance below, with ravines winding between,
and serpentine streams glittering here and there. At times the
air is so transparent and clear that every inequality of rock in
this wonderful basin landscape stands revealed to the eye, for
mile after mile, with a distinctness that renders it very difficult
to compass the idea of the enormous expanse of territory that
is spread beneath the gaze.

102 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
The slopes and ravines of this valley-wilderness are thickly
peopled by the Kafirs. Both the coast-lands and the uplands
derive a considerable portion of their labour from the kraals
that have been established in these localities. The Kafir
inhabitants of these wild haunts have also performed another
service of very great value for their white-skinned neighbours.
They have hunted out and nearly exterminated the tigers (" leop
ards"), tiger-cats, wolves (" hyenas"), wild pigs, and numerous
other equally objectionable quadrupeds that once infested the
sheltered and wood-encumbered spots in destructive numbers.
The portions of the extra-littoral terrace, which are principally
occupied by white settlers, lie in the upper parts of the counties
of Victoria and Durban, and of the Lower Umkomanzi district.
At present no extensive attempts have been made to plant sugar
within the region. But arrow-root, cotton, indigo, and tobacco
have been successfully grown. Indian corn produces heavier
crops than on the lower lands. Most of the European vegetables
and corn-crops thrive. A species of wheat known as the " Golden-
ball," which was introduced into Natal two years ago, does
remarkably well ; but other kinds of wheat are liable to rust in
certain localities. Some of the finest samples of Golden-ball
wheat grown in the colony have been sent from New Germany.
Potatoes yield heavy crops of excellent quality. French-beans
are very productive and highly remunerative, as they command
a ready market for export to the Mauritius. The sesamum and
the tobacco are grown by the natives. Cattle and horses do
better than nearer the sea ; and the abundant dairy produce, and
rapidly-multiplying stock, add greatly to the comfort and pros
perity of the settlers here. Pigs are a great source of emolument
in many spots ; but some difficulty is experienced in curing
the bacon, in consequence of the sustained elevation of the
temperature. Poet Natal. — Durban.
The town of Durban stands upon the edge of a broad flat of
sand lying between the mouth of the Umgeni river, and a land
locked piece of smooth water which is known as the " Inner
Bay." It is this inner bay which forms the harbour of Port Natal.

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PRODUCE. 103
The natural harbour of the Port of Natal stands entirely alone
as a safe refuge for ships, on the long stretch of the South
eastern coast of Africa. Its land-locked basin of smooth water
is the result of a very curious and remarkable combination of
ch-cumstances. From the Umlazi river, northwards, the
immediate coast is composed of a ridge of lofty hills, which
terminates near to where Durban stands, by an abrupt promontory
jutting into the sea. This promontory is 290 feet high, and
serves as a magnificent landmark or beacon, being caUed by
seamen, " The Bluff of Natal." Parallel with this sea-coast
ridge, and about four miles inland, another range of hUls (" The
Berea") runs in a simUar direction and overshoots the Bluff, so
that it strikes the sea at the mouth of the Umgeni, three mUes
further to the north. Looking from the sea, and towards the
south-west, an open valley is seen included between these ridges.
But the seaward mouth of this valley is nearly closed by a low
sand-bank. Sand has been drifted in this direction by sea-
currents, and piled by the breakers until it has risen above the
tide-line and formed a kind of plain. Upon the immediate
shore the plain is bordered. by a bank of blown sand, which has
been caught by the rootlets of a gigantic bean, that here performs
the office of the marram-grass of home, and so cemented into a
kind of rampart. This rampart extends southwards and sea
wards into a kind of " Point," which nearly reaches " the Bluff,"
and leaves only a narrow channel of water between. The flat area
contained between the sand rampart and the inner range of hills
is not all sand. A portion of it still remains covered with water,
and the water of this part flows to and fro with the change of the
tide between the Bluff and the Sand-point. The water is the
Hai-bour, or " Inner Bay," and the unclosed space between the
Sand-point and the Bluff is the sea-channel, by means of which
ships pass from the boisterous ocean to the smooth water of the
Port. The harbom- is a basin of about ten miles in circumference,
completely land-locked, with green tree-covered slopes in many
parts coming quite down to the water's edge, and with small
islands dotted about in its expanse. Two small streams of fresh
water empty themselves into the basin towards its inner side,
but the great bulk of the water is derived from the sea with the
flow of the tide. The larger portion of the basin is very shallow,

104 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
a considerable area being converted into dry sand at low tide ;
but deep channels cut through these shoals, and form the
anchoring-ground of the harbour. Upon the northern run of
the basin, about two mUes from the Sand-point, the town of ,
Durban nestles upon the edge of the plain, behind the protection
of the sea-rampart. A custom-house, landing warehouses, and
a block-house have been erected near the extremity of the Sand-
point, and a small pier there projects out into the ship-channel.
The sand-flat between Durban and the sea is thickly covered
with stunted bush, and a road runs through this bush between
the town and the Point. At the present time all the merchandize
which either comes into the colony, or is shipped from it outwards,
has to be conveyed along this bush-road ; but a railway is now
in process of construction from the landing-stage into the town,
under the direction of Mr. Albert Robinson. This railway will
be connected with a pier, carried so far into deep water as to
allow vessels of heavy burthen to be moored at its side. It is
expected that the railway will be in full operation by the month
of September or October in the present year, 1859. The engineer
who has planned this little work calculates that, in consequence
of the necessity of all imports and exports to and from both the
colony and the Overberg States passing along the line, of the
entire absence of all engineering difficulties on the sand-flat,
and of the land through which the line passes costing the
company of proprietors nothing, this railway will pay the share
holders better than any other existing in the world.
The silting-up powers of Nature have for a long period been
doing their best to complete their work of closure at the
inlet which connects the harbour of Durban with the sea, and
a sandy accumulation is stretched quite across the sea-channel,
as a token of their efforts, from the sand-point to the side of
the Bluff. But the quantity of water which is contained in the
wide area of the inner bay, at the height of the tide, is so great
that it continually scours away portions of this deposit as it
flows into and out of the basin. The breakers of the sea are
continually piling up sand, and the to and fro currents are as
continually scooping out, and clearing away the pile. Some
times the one power, and sometimes the other, gains a slight
ascendancy, and the channel is accordingly a little more, or a

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 105
little less, wide and deep. The accumulation of the sand
beneath the water at the mouth of the inlet, is the troublesome
" sand-bar" which constitutes so serious a drawback to the
fitness of the Port of Natal for commercial purposes. The
depth of the main channel varies between eight and seventeen
feet, the average being about nine feet and a half. Vessels of
three or fom- hundred tons burthen, in consequence of this
impediment, have often to remain a long time at the exposed
outer anchorage, waiting for the high tides, which give an
addition of about two feet of water, and for an otherwise favour
able combination of circumstances to enable them to transfer
themselves from the tossing billows to the safe and quiet
retreat within. Even under such circumstances, if there be
any heavy swell on when they make the passage of the bar,
they are apt to be bumped unpleasantly as they glide over the
sandy shallow. The chief cause of the uncertain and capricious
state of this bar and its channels, is the broad span of the outlet.
The scouring water finds its way sometimes more in one
direction, and sometimes more in another, and so both shoals
and channels shift their positions, and alter their relative
elevations and depressions. If by any means the entire force
of the scouring water, during the influx and efflux of the tide,
could be concentrated upon one narrow and permanent channel,
there can be no doubt that a depth of at least eighteen feet of
water, at ordinary high tides, would be continuously maintained
there, and the harbour would be open at all times to ships of
the largest class. If such sure and ready access were provided
to this land-locked inlet. Port Natal would at once take rank
as one of the finest harbours in the world-
The experience of marine engineering shows that this per
manent maintenance of a deep and safe channel, in inlets of
water situated like the inner bay of Durban, may be effected
by art. The question is simply one of outlay. In the case of
the Port of Durban, art has for some time (to the extent of the
small means which have^been available for the purpose) been
directed to the labour. A mole of stone has been graduaUy
extended from the Point in among the loose sand. But in
consequence of the very slow remedy for the evil which this
course of proceeding seems to promise, the works have been

106 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
stopped for a time, and advice has been sought from experienced
civil engineers at home. Initiatory arrangements have also
been made to procure a loan of £100,000 from English capi
talists to enable the labour, in conjunction with that of certain
other essential public works, to be conducted upon a scale,
and with a rapidity commensurate with the importance of the
aim. There can be no doubt that, in the present state of affairs
in Natal, the securing a first-class Port would warrant any
outlay the young colony can command. It would do more to
hasten on the material prosperity which stands so obviously
and invitingly near, than any other step which could be taken
in the existing phase of affairs. In all human probability the
cost would lead to its own repayment in a few years. Both the
enterprizing colonists and the colonial government are now
keenly alive to this fact, and there is no doubt that before long
a satisfactory plan of proceeding will be determined upon, and
the desh-able end worked out. Within the last year, an
American ship of two thousand tons came to anchor in the
bay, in an almost sinking state, and was efficiently repaired
even at the exposed outer anchorage, by the mechanics of
Durban. StUl more recently, the maU-steamer, which main
tains the postal communication with the Cape of Good Hope,
carried away her rudder and stern-post in an unfortunate
attempt to make- her way out of the harbour under unfavourable
circumstances. This vessel is an iron one — nevertheless, the
defective parts were restored by the mechanics of the same place,
in so satisfactory a way, that the steamer was enabled to brave
a severe hurricane upon her next voyage, without the new work
being injured by the strain. If once an easy access is secured
for vessels of large burthen to the inner harbour. Port Natal
will become the great refuge for the distressed shipping, and
possibly also an important station for the imperial squadrons
within the wide fields of these southern seas, to the great
advantage of its own finances, and to the furtherance of its
general prosperity.
The following rough sketch will give a very good idea of
the peculiarities which have been alluded to, as determining
both the difficulties and the facilities of the Port.

COAST LANDS AND TROPICAL PEODUCE.

107

PLAN OF PORT NATAL

¦ifiles

108 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
The Bhiff-hUls and the Berea-range are there seen constituting
the low vaUey between ; and the sand-spit of the immediate
sea-shore {Sand Downs) marked runniug across the mouth of
the vaUey, from the debouchure of the Umgeni towards the
face of the Bluff, inclosing the harbour, but leaving the bar-
encumbered channel between the Sand-point and the Bluff-ridge
to connect its inner spaces with the sea. Dm-ban is represented
as nestling upon its sand-flat under the protection of the sea-
bank of blown dunes.
In consequence of the abrupt termination of the Bluff-hills
to the seaward, and the extent to which the parallel ridge of
the Berea is set off from them towards the west, a tolerably
deep gap or indentation is here hoUowed into the coast line.
This indentation forms the outer bay of Port Natal. There is
excellent holding ground in this roadstead for ships ; and in
consequence of the heavy winds blowing on this shore, either
from the north-east, or south-west, in a general direction
paraUel with the line of the coast, it is always possible on the
occurrence of a gale to beat out to sea, provided the anchor has
not been dropped too near to the shore. The only danger
seems to be that the vessel may have been riding so far in, as
to be unable to clear and weather the projecting Bluff, in case
of being compelled to run towards the south. The few
accidents which have happened to vessels visiting Port Natal
have occm-red either from this cause, or in attempts to get into
the harbour in the presence of unfavourable conditions. Ships
arriving at Natal, now drop their anchors in the outer bay and
wait until a north-east breeze sets in, and the Port-boat gives
intimation that there is sufficient depth of water in the channel
for the passage of the bar. If the ship be a large one, several
days may elapse before the two requisite conditions combine,
and an expensive and tantalizing detention has to be experienced.
This possibility of course tells upon the charges for freight, and
so affects the pockets of the colonists by raising the prices of all
sea-borne necessaries and luxuries. One very important step
has just been taken to lessen this evil. The colonial government
has ordered a steam-tug for the service of the Port, and as soon
as this arrives, vessels either in the harbour, or at the outer

COAST LANDS AND TEOPICAL PEODUCE. 109
anchorage, wUl always be able to avail themselves of any favour
able state of the bar to free themselves from detention. The
steam-tug will at least cut off one-half of the difficulty. It will
also afford a means of communicating with ships lying at the
outer anchorage, in weather when the ordinary Port-boat would
be quite unable to face the rollers of the bar, and will be made
instrumental in loosening and disturbing the accumulation of
sand as it passes to and fro over the impediment. The steam-
tug and harbour railway promise to mark the year 1859 as one
deserving a " red letter" in the annals of Natal.
A light is occasionally shewn upon the Bluff at night, either
when there are vessels in the roadsted, or when certain vessels
are expected to arrive. It is, however, in contemplation to tm-n
this arrangement into a more permanent establishment, and to
erect a fixed Ughthouse upon the hill. Outwardly-bound ships
proceeding to the Indian Ocean or to the Pacific, give the " Cape
of Storms" (Cape of Good Hope) as wide a berth as they can ; but
if there were a fixed lighthouse upon the coast of Natal, it is
probable that many would endeavom- to sight the Bluff, in order
to verify their position, and that some would resort to the Port
for supplies and other purposes. It is quite within the scope
of human occurrences that Durban may one day become a much
frequented place of call.
Durban itself stands on what was a sand-waste not long ago.
It has not even now lost all traces of its origin. Some efforts
are now being made to convert its footpaths into firm promenades,
and seringa-trees (a species of lilac) are planted along the sides
of the streets, and thrive even in the barren soil in which they
stand. But the greater part of the streets are ankle deep in
loose sand, which is peculiarly laborious and disagreeable to
walk in, and only becomes firm to the feet after a fall of rain.
In the west end of the town, the houses are loosely scattered
about with blank spaces around them, and the general impres
sion made upon the eye is that of a cluster of rough cottages,
many of them of the character of vUlagers' cottages in England,
distributed very confusedly upon the waste surface of a sea-side
dune. The eastern end of the town consists principally of a
broad and long thoroughfare, bordered on each side by an almost

110 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
continuous but very irregular row of stores and shops. Many
of these buildings are at once commodious and substantial, and
bear looking into with something more than a casual glance.
Some are even two-storied, and here and there a structure
designed for some particular service begins to try to look as if
it had been transplanted, with its proprietors, from England.
Most of these stores are places of residence, as well as of business.
But many of the merchants of the town have now built little
villas for themselves on the top of the Berea, to which they
retire in the evening, and from which they come forth in the
morning. The land has suddenly become of such value on the
top of this range of hills, that it is no longer to be purchased
in the spots most eligible for dwelling-houses. It has recently
been selling for £20 per acre. The corporation of Durban, to
which this ground belongs, will now only let allotments upon a
long lease of twenty-one or fifty years. The annual rental ranges
from fifteen to forty shiUings per acre.
Durban now has a church for the Episcopalians, and chapels for
the Wesleyans, Congregationalists, and Roman Catholics. There
are several hotels and boarding-houses, where fau- accommodation
can be had. The water is procured from wells sunk in the sand,
and as might be expected, is not of unquestionable quality. The
affairs of the town are regulated by a Town Council and Mayor,
elected by the burgesses. The white population now amounts to
about 1000 individuals. A single person may find board and
lodging in Durban, at houses of public entertainment, at a cost
of from fifteen to twenty-five shillings a week. Small un
furnished dwelling-houses may be hired at a rental of from £2
to £3 the month.
There is a Mechanics' Institute in Durban, possessing a
tolerable library of about 1300 volumes, and a reading-room,
well supplied with periodicals. Lectures are frequently delivered
at this Institution, and membership is constituted by a small
annual subscription of twelve shillings. Two weekly newspapers,
the Natal Mercury, and the Natal Star, are printed and pub
lished at Durban.
One of the most interesting efforts that has hitherto been
made in the direction of practical science in Durban consists in

COAST LANDS AND TROPICAL PEODUCE. Ill
the formation of a Botanical Garden on the lower slope of the
Berea hills, about a mile and a quarter from the town. The
ground is the property of a society bearing the name of the
" Agricultural and Horticultural Society," and extends over an
area of fifty acres, of which twenty-five are under cultivation.
The expense of the establishment is defrayed by small annual
subscriptions contributed by the members of the society, and
by a yearly grant from the Government. The cultivated portions
of the gardens are well laid out, and in different parts may be
seen, in the very highest stage of luxuriance, banana groves
with their mammoth plumes of leaves and enormous bunches of
golden fruit ; beds of crowned pine-apples ; hedges of fruit-laden
mulberries ; the papaw, the mango, the cinnamon-laurel, the
orange, the lemon, the sugar-cane, the cotton plant, the arrow
root plant ; ginger, indigo, and magnificent specimens of thick-
leaved euphorbias, cactuses and aloes. The Botanical Gardens
of Durban have now been in existence ten years, and have
rendered very considerable service in demonstrating experi
mentally the capabUities of the climate.

CHAPTER VL

THE trPLABTDS AHD THEIK CAPABILITIES.
OXEN, SHEEP, AND WHEAT— THB KLIP BIYBR AND WEENEN COUNTIES.
§HE uplands of Natal consist of the two large counties lying
above and within the trident fork of the Tugela ; that is, of
the Klip River county and Weenen, and of the higher portions
of the counties of the Umvoti and Maritzburg. There is also
wUd unsettled land belonging to this upper division south of the
Umkomanzi. The two large counties of Weenen and Klip River, which
together form by far the greater part of these uplands, contain
between them an area of nearly four million acres of land. The
county of Weenen (i.e. "weeping") takes its name from the
small village now established on the Great Bushman's river, at
the precise spot where the massacre of the Dutch by the forces
of Dingaan, occurred in 1838. The KUp River county is so
called because the Klip (or "stone") River runs through its midst
to join the Upper Tugela. The county itself well deserves the
designation on its own account. For many mUes in extent its
hill-sides are literaUy covered with boulders of trap.
The lands of these uplands, which lie upon an average between
2,500 feet and 3,000 feet above the sea, are super-eminently the
grazing grounds of the colony. They supply the meat and
butter to the more densely-peopled districts below. Horned cattle
thrive upon these high pastures almost without any attention
from their owners. The oxen in many places run over the land
by night and by day, and through summer and winter, with
simply the general supervision of the master and the eye of a

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 113
Kafir herdsman upon them lo keep them from straying away ;
and after five or six years of this free life, they are turned into
beef. Several of the Dutch farmers send down annually to the
market three or four thousand pounds, and in extraordinarily
good seasons, six thousand pounds of butter. The butter is
of course salted, and generally coarsely and carelessly made ;
but it finds a very ready sale in default of a more delicate article.
Occasionally small quantities of a very excellent kind are to be
procured from choice dairy farms.
Up to the year 1855, the pastoral farming of the upland
districts was a very profitable and thriving occupation. But in
that disastrous year the epidemic lung-sickness (a species of
malignant pneumonia) crossed the border from the old colony,
and attacked the cattle with fell virulence. The disease proved
to be very capricious, devastating the herds of one individual,
an'd leaving those of neighbouring farms altogether unscathed.
All kinds of remedial treatment were alike unavailing. The
only device which seemed to possess any power over the murrain,
was the inoculating yet sound cattle from portions or exudations
of the diseased lungs of oxen, which had fallen victims to the
epidemic. From 80 to 85 per cent of the cattle, which are thus
inoculated, are found to recover from the disorder, and to be
capable subsequently of again taking the disease in only a mild
and comparatively harmless form. The inoculation is generally
performed in the tail, and more or less of this member is des
troyed by the virulence of the poison. The inoculated cattle
which have passed the ordeal, are seen making vain efforts to
whisk away the flies, with the instrument supplied by nature
for this useful purpose, largely shorn of its proper proportions
in consequence of more or less of it having sloughed away during
the process of recovery. Not more than four per cent of cattle
prove to be incapable of catching the lung-sickness in the first
instance. Before the appearance of the lung-sickness in the
colony of Natal, good cows and oxen sold for prices varying
between two and four pounds. At the present time six and
seven pounds are paid for fat beasts for slaughtering. The
disease has proved more destructive in the old colony, than it
has in Natal ; and the Cape butchers and dealers consequently

114 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
now purchase beasts in the Klip River and Weenen divisions at
high prices, for their own markets. Advertisements are not
uncommonly seen in the Cape Colony papers, of the approaching
introduction or sale of "Natal monsters," these "monsters"
being neither alUgators nor hippopotami, but bullocks fattened
on the wild pastures of the Natal hills.
Colonial cows do not yield milk as abundantly as their cousins
of the English farms. Some part of this result may probably
be due to the peculiar management to which the milch cows are
subjected by their keepers, and therefore it may be capable of
being advantageously modified in the course of time. Cow-
keeping in Natal is now pretty much what it was in England
centuries ago. A bundle of green forage, or a proportionate
amount of artificial food given daily to milch cows, increases
their yield threefold, and indeed keeps the winter quantity up to
summer mark. The usual measure adopted for milk is the
so-called quart bottle, a vessel which is always conveniently at
hand, on account of the great number of its tribe which come
into the colony laden with porter and ale. Milk enough to fill
two or three such bottles is about the average daily yield of
Dutch cows. Cows of the Zulu breed ofteii do not give more
than a coffee-cup full of milk in the day, over and above the
maintenance of their own calves. The custom in matters of
vaccine economy is to leave the calf and cow to run together all
day, and then to shut them up separate at night, and milk the
cow in the morning before the calf is given over to it again.
Animals of superior breed are occasionally known to give as
much as fifteen bottles of milk in a day. This, however, is a
rare exception, and such cows are valued at a rate proportioned
to their productiveness. The Dutch farmers who have large
herds, expect to get about one pound of butter per week from
each cow during nine months in the year, and to sell the same
at from ninepence to one shilling per pound. The butter is
salted and sent down to Maritzbm-g once a year, where it is
exchanged for a variety of household necessaries. The greater
part is exported to the Cape and to the Mauritius ; the towns of
the colony being themselves supplied from their own more
immediate neighbourhood. Cheese is gradually becoming a

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 115
favourite branch of dairy manufacture, on account of a greater
weight of it than of butter being produced from a given quantity
of milk. The principal demand for it lies among the English
colonists. There are four distinct kinds of horned cattle encountered
upon the pasture farms of Natal: — 1. A coarse-boned, long-
legged breed, with enormous horns. This is best calculated for
treking work, on account of its activity, and is known as the
" Africander" 'hue&A. 2. Amore fleshy and thickset animal,
with smaller horns and softer hoofs. This was originally im
ported from Holland, and is in high esteem for milking ; it is
known as the " Fatherland" breed. 3. A diminitive, active,
and somewhat humped animal, which is found chiefly among
the natives, and which seems to have, with its masters, an inbred
detestation of all kinds of artificial restraints. This animal is,
in all probability, a cross between an Asiatic quadruped and a
Spanish beast from the Portuguese South American provinces ;
the tendency to rise in the back being derived from the eastern
side of the parentage. This is known as the Zulu breed. 4. A
long-legged animal with remarkably poor quarters, and with
horns even bigger then the Africander's. This belongs to the
" Basuto" or " Macatees" breed. This animal is not often seen,
and is of very low value indeed. There is every chance that the
best breeds of Fatherland will now be further improved, as
valuable bulls have been recently introduced for breeding pur
poses by enterprizing colonists. Hides are tanned in the colony
upon a limited scale ; and untanned, they constitute a very
important branch of exports. Recently the exportation of hides
has formed an unfortunately large item in colonial business on
account of the ravages of the lung sickness.
In the instance of the seemingly inauspicious visitation of the
cattle mm-rain to the pastoral lands of Natal, as so commonly
happens in the worldly concerns of men, good came out of evU.
The lung sickness of 1855 has placed mutton upon the tables of
the colonists of 1859. The most thriving Dutch farmers, seeing
ruin staring them in the face from this unexpected danger,
bethought them that their brethren in the old colony were in a
i2

116 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
measure compensated for their losses from the same cause by
the success of their sheep. They accordingly introduced wooUed
sheep of the Merino variety from the Cape colony, and after a
certain amount of care during the acclimatizing period, the
animals were found to thrive remarkably well. The consequence
is that flocks are now spreading over the upland pastures in
increasing numbers every year. The lambs cast in the colony
almost invariably prove hardy and strong. The success which
has attended sheep-farming has, indeed, aheady proved to be
so signal that the occupation is now pretty generally becoming
the employment of the settlers in the upper districts, and wUl
before long secure to them wealth and independence. One or
two statements of facts wiU be deemed amply sufficient to estab
lish this assertion.
Three years ago Mr. Carwin, formerly landrost of Harrismith
beyond the Drakenberg, invested £90 in sheep. He has since
frequently had mutton for his own table from the flock. Dm-ing
the year before last, he made £8 of his wool. During last year
he made £16 of it. At the present time he has pocketed
altogether more than the original outlay made for the sheep, and
he has now a flock of 250 all in the finest condition.
Mr. Edwin Parkinson, of Shafton Grange, an estate upon the
Kar Kloof, sixteen mUes to the north of Maritzburg, entered
upon sheep-farming in 1855. The following statement gives
the cost of his venture up to the year 1858.

£

s.

d.

1856.-

— Oct. 31.

Purchase of 45 ewes, at 14s.

31

1

0

1856,-

-Jan 31.

Expenses of bringing to farm ..
Kafir wages for herding 
One ram 

1
0 1

15
12 0

0
0
0

Dec, 31.
Year's wages of herd 
Food for herd 
33
00
00
1857.-
-Dec. 31.
Year's wages for herd 
3
0
0
Food for herd 
3
0
0
1858.-
-Aug. 23,
Eight months' wages for herd ..
Food for herd 
Total outlay 
2
2
0 0
00
^£50
8
0
UPLANDS AND THEIE CAPABILITIES. 117
In the August of 1858, the profit side of this gentleman's
account stood as follows : —
1855.— Nov. 31. Sale of 83 lbs, of wool, at lO^d,
1857.— February. Sale of 110 lbs. of wool, at Is. ..
Dec. 31. Sale of 3 rams 
Sale of 3 fat wethers ...
Sale of 3 ewes
1858.— Janry. 6. 454 lbs. of wool, at is. 6d.
Sale of 10 rams, at 20s.
Sale of 23 fat wethers
Sale of 4 ewes
Total money produce
Total cost ... 
Balance of profit over expenditure ... 43 16 7i
But in addition to this, the stoct now on hand
amounts to 160 sheep, woi-tli 20s. each (six
having been slaughtered for home use) ... 160 0 0

£ s.

d.

3 12

Ii

5 10

0

3 6

0

3 6

0

2 2

0

34 1

0

10 0

0

18 8

0

4 0

0

^94 4

n

50 8

0

Sum total of produce  j6a03 16 7J
Here an outlay of £50 8s. yields in three years a return of
£203 16s. Mr. Parkinson states that his losses, including
lambs, for the three years, averaged about 8 per cent, per annum.
The sheep were taken great care of; well shedded, and in wet
weather abundantly supplied with grass or straw. In the winter
season, a few turnips were thrown into the kraal for them every
evening, and this contributed greatly to keep them in good
condition. This gentleman, in support of the opinion, that both the
climate and pasturage of his part of the colony are eminently
favourable for the growth of wool, also draws attention to the
fact that the first clipping of the comparatively newly-arrived
sheep yielded eighty-three pounds of wool, or nearly two pounds
per head. The second clipping from the same sheep, with
simply the addition of one ram, yielded one hundred and ten
pounds of wool, or nearly two and a-half pounds per head. The
next clipping in November, 1857, yielded four pounds and
a-half for each sheep. It is a somewhat remarkable fact that
wool grown in the Dutch states beyond the Drakenberg has

118 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
generally a weak place in the middle of each fibre, and readily
breaks there when submitted to strain. This is caused by the
pastures yielding an insufficient food for the maturation of wool
at the change of the season where the extremes of summer and
winter are very strongly marked. The extremes of season are
not experienced in the same strength in Natal, and consequently
Natal grown wool is without this imperfection.
Sheep are now all but universally sought after by the farmers
of the open and fertUe county of the Umvoti ; and there is not
a single instance of disappointment to be met with in the district.
One gentleman states his experience to be a loss annuaUy of
two, or at the very most, three per cent, of the lambs ; and
that this loss has been mainly due to the richness of the grass,
and the difficulty of restraining the animals to the most suitable
localities while feeding. Some sheep died from actual over-
fatness, and the proprietor aUuded to now allows his sheep to
graze only six hours out of the twenty-four, and finds that
this plan is eminently successful ; no deaths whatever having
taken place since it has been pursued. The great practical
point in the management of sheep in Natal seems to be to
protect them from extremes of temper^ure, and to shelter them
carefully after shearing.
Some little difficulty is experienced in procuring supplies of
sheep in quantities at all proportioned to the present demand.
With a view to aid in the removal of this difficulty, a company
of gentlemen has recently been formed to import flocks, and to
sell them to the farmers at prices that yield a fair profit to the
company, to be re-invested in fm-ther importation. The first-
fruits of this enterprize have already been gathered in, and
£33 per cent, were realized by the company. A great number
of sheep have been brought into Natal and disposed of. They
were purchased at the average price of 16s. per head, and sold
at the average price of 24s.
It is now received, then, as an established fact, that sheep-
farming is as profitable to capitalists in the upland districts of
Natal, as sugar-growing is on the coast-lands, and that it is
quite as remunerative as it is in any part of the world. When,
, in connection with this fact, another important one is brought

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 119
under the attention, namely, that in this very district, there
still remain three millions of acres of land belonging to the
crown, which can all be purchased at the up-set price of four
shiUings per acre, it will be seen that these high regions form
& real land of promise to the sheep-farmer. The yearly rent
paid by many farmers of England and the Scotch Lowlands to
their landlords, would in Natal buy a farm and stock it off-hand
with the best bred Merinos ! There are four distinct advantages
which the sheep-fitrmer possesses over all other occupiers of
land in Natal : — 1. The amount of capital invested may be any
thing the proprietor pleases ; the settler may begin as well with
fifty sheep as with one thousand. 2. The current expenses of
the occupation are comparatively insignificant ; they amount to
little more than the smaU wages of the Kafir herdsmen. 3.
The returns are both quick and considerable. 4. There is
always an unhmited market for the sale of wool, and a ready
one for the sale of mutton.
The number of sheep in the colony of Natal, at the end of the
last year was, according to official returns, 86,902. The price
then paid for wool in Maritzburg and Durban was thirteen-pence
the pound. Five years ago, mutton was scarcely ever seen in
the colony. It is now always to be procured of excellent
quality in the butchers' shops at Maritzburg, at sixpence per
pound. The pastoral lands in Natal are kept in good grazing order
-by a very rude and simple proceeding. In the dry season, the
ground is encumbered by a stiff parched stubble, which entirely
destroys its use as nourishing pasture. The colonists and Kafirs
get rid of this encumbrance in a very cavalier way. They set
fire to it and burn it down, and a young tender grass then very
soon springs from the blackened soil. As the old pai-ched grass
is burnt in patches, the firing is continually in progress from
the month of May until the month of September, as occasion
serves. The opportunity is generally taken to light the fire
when there is not much wind. The conflagration then spreads
in a circle, or wide bow ; running over the ground with con
siderable speed, and making its way against the wind. It
continues to blaze until it is extinguished by the heavy dew of

120 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
night, or until it comes to some limiting road or water-course.
There is scarcely an evening during the winter months, when
several of these fires may not be seen burning in various
directions of the wide landscape. Before dark the line of the
fire is marked by puffs of white smoke as the fiame runs along
the ground, not inaptly re-calling the idea to the mind of a
railway train rushing across some broad English plain. Long-
legged cranes hover about this line, and flit through the smoke,
keeping -an attentive eye upon the smaU fugitives which are
roused from their lurking-places by the sudden and unwelcome
heat. In the darkness the fire is visible as a tracing of brilliant
flame winding and cm-ving over the inequalities of the ground,
and sometimes descending the side of a distant hill, like a
stream of incandescent lava. If a high wind rises while the
grass is burning, the fire rushes along before it with irresistible
impetuosity, not unfrequently attaining a speed of four or five
miles in the hour. The only possible means of arresting its fell
progress, under such circumstances, is to deprive it of its food by
anticipation ; small patches of grass are burned, and the flame
beaten out, ere it can obtain too strong a hold, in the direction
in which the conflagration seems to be advancing, and while it
is still distant. BuUdings and the huts of natives are protected
in this way, but the careful proprietor provides this safeguard
beforehand, and does not delay his defensive proceedings until
the danger is at his door. He makes a wide clearing around
his buildings and homestead, as soon as the dry season fairly
sets in. If the wind be very strong, the fire wUl leap even
wide roads with the greatest ease. At such times, the line of
flame is seen advancing at a terrific pace, with a loud inter
mitting roar, which swells every time the breeze freshens for an
instant, its red crests leaping eight or nine feet above the
ground ; a cloud of pungent suffocating smoke, interspersed
with fragments of half-burnt charcoal, and a scorching glare
preceding its march. A notion is generaUy formed by those
who hear of these fires, without witnessing their doings, that
the face of the country is rendered very monotonous and gloomy
after they have swept by. The fact, however, is far otherwise.
The burning is only carried on in limited patches, and by

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 121
successive steps, and consequently the sable of the parts first
consumed is turned, by the freshly springing vegetation, into a
tint of velvety olive, before the ground in the immediate neigh
bourhood is tinged in its turn by the same dull hue. As each
patch, too, is of very irregular outline, the slopes are finally
mottled over by such a diversity of hghts and shades, that the
details of the hills are brought into more striking relief than
when clothed with an even tint of green, and the landscape
gains, rather than loses, in picturesqueness.
On nearly all the sheep-farms of the uplands, wheat is grown
for the consumption of the family. On some of them, more
than this is now produced, and sent down to the markets below.
It wiU be found ultimately to be a very satisfactory proceeding
to grow wheat upon the land where sheep have been for some
time penned at night. Thousands of muids may be raised in
this way at very Uttle cost. The distance of the upland farms
from the markets does at the first glance seem to be a very
serious drawback upon this kind of activity. Weenen is seventy
miles from Maritzburg, Grey Town forty-one miles, and Ladis-
mith one hundred miles. There is, however, an opposite side
of the question, which may very weU be taken into consideration
as a set-off. The colonial waggon carries three thousand pounds
as an average load. When the settler or his driver has placed
this quantity of either wheat or wool in the commodious vehicle,
and has packed his iron pot, tea-kettle, and frying-pan, and
some little store of food, by the side, he can inspan his twelve
or fourteen oxen, and trek all the way to Maritzburg without
expending a single sixpence for entertainment upon the journey.
In Maritzburg, he outspans upon the open ground where there
is nothing to pay for accommodation or feed, and then he
returns as he came. When two or three drivers travel in
company, the journey bears more the character of a, pleasure-
excursion than anything else. Provided the oxen do not get
astray, and that rain do not fall, it is very much like a, chronic
pic-nic, prolonged through several days. While the oxen are
being driven up from their pasturing ground in the morning,
by the native attendants, coffee is prepared and consumed. A
journey of twelve miles is then accomplished before the heat of
the day. On outspanning, dinner is taken beneath the shade

122 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
of a tree, or on the bank of some cooling stream, and another
ten or twelve miles are leisurely accomplished afterwards in the
cool of the afternoon, and a resting-place is selected for the night.
It is scarcely j)ossible to conceive a more independent position
than that which is occupied by the settler, when he possesses a
farm in these upland regions, well stocked with sheep, cows,
and poultry. When the waggon goes down to the market
with the staple productions of the farm, wool or wheat, the
produce of the dairy is exchanged for the grocery and clothes
required by the family. The flour, mutton, poultry, vegetables,
and fruit, which he feeds on, he produces for himself, and there
is abundance of venison on the hills and plains around, if he
chooses to go after it. He is secure of all the necessaries, and
some of the luxuries, of life. Even if at the first all his capital
has been absorbed in the purchase and stocking of his farm, he
still has nothing whatever to fear. There is no rent-day looming
before him. There are no heavy periodical payments for labour ;
no poor-rate, no income-tax, to be met. All that he has to do
is to set the land producing what he wants for himself, and then
to grow rich upon any surplus that appears. K after his pur
chase of land and stock, he has but eight months' supply of
food, and a few pounds for native labour, in hand, , he may sit
down by his own hearth, with a sense that he is an independent
man for life.
As figures in some cases convey more definite impressions
than words, it may be as well here to show what the capital
would be, that would suffice for embarking in sheep-farming in
Natal, upon the most satisfactory scale. The following state
ment comprises all that the most ambitious settler would
require : — £.
For 3000 acres of land, at 4s  600

600 sheep, at £1 
A colonial waggon and span of oxen
A saddle horse
Twenty cows and heifers
Pigs and poultry
Reserve for building, food, and wages Total

600150 1560 10
305
;£1800

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 123
This estimate supposes that the settler has brought out with
him to the colony his plough, harrow, and smaller implements
of husbandry and tools. If he has not done this, another £50
will supply them iu the colony. It is now the better course
indeed to purchase them in Durban or at Maritzburg. Under
arrangements of this kind it may fairly be expected that the
clipping of the first year will yield what would be deemed a
fair rate of interest at home for the entu-e capital, namely £90 ;
this, of course, would be irrespective of the gain from increase
of the flock.
Men of smaller means might advantageously enter upon the
same speculation with £600 at their command. This sum
should be expended in the foUowing way. £.
1000 acres of land, at 4s  200

200 sheep 
A colonial cart and oxen 
Ten cows
Pigs and poultry
Eeaerve for building, food, aud wages

200 6030 5
105
^600

It would, however, prove a better course with such limited
means to hire a larger farm, and employ the capital in stocking
it. Upon farms of this description, any quantity of good grass-
hay may be provided for litter and food at the beginning of the
dry season, at a very small expense.
Farms are continually to be purchased in the uplands at one-
half the government upset price, or even less. Excellent farms
of 8000 acres frequently change theu- owners for from £300 to
£600. The usual and certainly the best course of proceeding
for the English settler is to pm-chase from the Dutch, after
these pioneers have made a farm habitable, and, therefore, to
pay for the improvements. The Dutchman then treks off to find
another piece of wild land to get ready for the next customer.
Late in the last year, several families left the Dutch states
beyond the Drakenberg, owing to the unsettled state of their
affairs, and crossed the border, bringing with them into Natal
flocks numbering some twelve or thirteen thousand sheep.

124 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
This will form a very welcome addition to the resources at the
command of breeders. Very recently a placard announced the
sale of 1000 wethers and 2000 sheep from these very flocks.
The growth of wheat in Natal has not advanced at an equal
pace with that of some other kinds of agricultural produce.
One reason for this is that the flrst experiments with this grain
were not very successful, on account of their having been made
by inexperienced persons who managed badly. Wheat, never
theless, thrives readily and admirably on the uplands, and also
does very well in the midland districts. The Dutch have long
grown sufficient for the supply of their own wants. The
cultivation is now extending fast among both the Dutch and
English settlers, especially around and beyond the Mooi River.
The recent erection of powerful mills driven by steam, by water,
and by wind, has already given a great impulse to activity of
this particular kind. The crop is most generaUy grown in the
¦winter season, because in this way the injurious effect of the
summer rains is avoided. Wheat grown in summer is un
fortunately liable to rust.
When the wheat crop is good, the returns to the grower are
very considerable. The only outlay required is the cost of
ploughing, fencing, and sowing, which are all for the most part
done by the farmer's own hand. The cost of cultivating twenty
acres in this way, reckoning the wages and food of two Kafirs
for driving the oxen at the rate of ten shillings each the month,
does not exceed ten shillings per acre. The thrashing is
principally effected after the primitive fashion of stamping or
trampling out the grain by horses or oxen. Thrashing machines
worked by horses are now, however, beginning to make their
appearance on the best managed farms, and before long the
horses will of necessity be replaced in many situations by water-
power. So far as the actual yield of the crop is concerned, this of
course varies materially, according to the character of the season
in the particulars of drought and rain. One farmer, in the
Umvoti county, reaped 120 muids (of 2|ff bushels each) from
30 acres of land which had been sown with 5 muids of seed.
Another proprietor states that he reaped 95 muids off 15 acres

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 125
which had been sown with 3 muids of seed. The average price
given for wheat is 27s. per muid. The price ranges from 24 to
37 shiUings per muid.
There are now about 1000 acres of land in the colony engaged
in the growing of wheat ; these are principally situated in the
upland district, and the average produce for the whole may be
stated at about 6 muids per acre. The exact quantity cannot
be ascertained, because the Dutch are unwilling to furnish
returns of their produce. In many places the entire meal,
without any separation of the flour and bran, is made into
bread. The meal supplied in this crude form, is known as
Boers' meal, and the bread thus made is equal in excellence to
the finest brown bread that can be procured in England, and is
alike nutritious and wholesome. The Boers themselves generally
pass the meal through a fine sieve, and separate the coarsest
bran before they use it.
All European vegetables grow well, and yield abundantly, in
these upper lands. The peach, the fig, the granadilla, the apple,
the pear, the quince, and the almond, thrive. The grape ripens
at Ladismith. It has been aheady stated that verj- fine oranges
are produced at Weenen. The same delicious fruit is also
abundant at the very foot of the Drakenberg, in a gi-ove which
was planted there many years ago by Mr. Posselt, at the station
of the Berlin mission.
The county of Weenen occupies a large extent of ground in
this upland division. It contains 804 white inhabitants, who
are principally Dutch, and 17,000 Kafirs. It is generally
deemed to possess a less arid and stony soil than the Klip River
County, and to be quite as well adapted for cattle and sheep,
and better adapted for horses. Some of the most enterprizing
horse-breeders are found in this county. Sheep fed on its
pastures rather increase in size as a breed. Many parts of the
land are covered with bush, or forest, and are of a very rugged
and broken character. The seat of the magistracy until very
recently was at the village of Weenen, on the Great Bushman's
River. This village consists of fourteen houses, scattered over
a broad valley, entirely surrounded by lofty hills thickly covered
by trees. Great extremes of heat and cold are experienced in

126 THE COLONY OF NATAL: *
this sheltered nook, at opposite seasons of the year, and young
stock are, therefore, difficult to rear. Grapes do not succeed as
an ordinary crop, but they do extremely well when trained upon
trellises. There is an abundant and never-failing supply of
water. The climate and the soil are particularly adapted for the
growth of corn, vegetables, and fruit. Tobacco grows luxuriantly,
and a kind of brandy is distUled from the peaches, in large
quantity, by the Dutch. There is a Dutch Reformed Church in
the village, and a branch of the magistrates' office is still
retained there ; but the head-quarters are now placed upon the
drift of the Great Bushman's River, at a spot which is to be
called " Estcourt." The change has been made in consequence
of the routes from all the passes of this portion of the Draken
berg converging towards this one drift.
There are at the present time in the county of Weenen, 14,690
head of cattle, 9,760 sheep, 6,250 goats, 1,510 horses. During
the last year, the principal produce of the county has been 4,500
muids of wheat, 50,000 muids of Indian corn, irrespective of
that reared by the natives for their own use, 2000 muids of oats,
150 muids of barley, 400 muids of sweet and common potatoes,
and 120 muids of dried fruit.
The Klip River county is the extreme corner of the colony.
It stretches away to the north-east into the wide angle formed
between the remote Buffalo River, and the furthest stretch of
the Drakenberg. The Klip River County and Weenen form
each a triangle, whose base in either case is the Upper Tugela.
In the case of Weenen, the apex of the triangle is turned
towards the south, and lies where the Great Bushman's River
and the Drakenberg join. In the case of Klip River county,
the apex is to the north, and where the Buffalo River and the
Drakenberg meet. Families of the Dutch are at the present
time treking continually into this remote pastoral nook. A
road is at the present time in process of formation from the
mountain pass near the source of the Klip River, through Grey
Town and the Umvoti, direct to the Bay, avoiding the more
circuitous route through Weenen and Maritzburg.
The Klip River county has a white population of about 1250
individuals, of whom a sixth part are English, and five-sixths

UPLANDS AND THEIR CAPABILITIES. 127
Dutch. It has a Kafir population of 6377 ; and of these about
nine hundred individuals have engaged themselves in service
during the past year. There are in the county 2000 acres of
land under cultivation ; the produce of the last year having been
4050 muids of wheat, 1200 muids of Indian corn, 300 muids of
oats, 300 muids of barley, 800 muids of potatoes, 100 muids of
beans, and 30 muids of dried fruit. It may be worthy of remark
that while the county of Weenen, with a Kafir population of
seventeen thousand, yields nearly fifty thousand muids of Indian
corn, the county of Klip River, with a Kafir population of six
thousand, yields only twelve thousand muids of Indian corn.
There are in Klip River county at the present time 25,110 head
of cattle, 35,570 sheep, 7,194 goats, and 1,714 horses. A
considerable quantity of barley and of oat-hay is grown for
fodder. The yearly produce of butter is estimated at about
200,000 pounds.
The seat of the Magistracy of the Klip River County is the
Town of Ladismith {"Lady Smith"), situated 100 miles away
from Maritzburg, and bearing the odd name it does that it may
be a suitable partner for the Dutch settlement of Harrismith
{"Sir Harry Smith") on the further side of the Drakenberg.
The foundations of Ladismith were laid seven years ago. It
now has a white population of 100 individuals, principally
English; and possesses a Government-office, a court-house,
two houses of public entertainment, several well-stocked stores,
and a Dutch Reformed church. A Government district surgeon
is resident in Ladismith. There is also an English Episcopalian
church in process of construction. Ladismith is on the high
road to one of the principal passes of the Drakenberg, and is
the seat of a considerable Dutch trade. It is also the head
quarters of a gentleman volunteer-corps, called the " Frontier
Guards."

CHAPTER VIL
THE MIDLAND DISTKICTS.
DOUBLE-CROPPING — THE GROWTH OF FOEAGE — DAIRY FARMING — INDIAN
CORN  WOOD-CUTTING  TRANSPORT WORK  THE COUNTY OF MARITZBURG
 YORK  RICHMOND  THE UMVOTI  THE BREEDING OF HORSES  THE
CITY OF MARITZBURG.
fHE high road from the Port to Maritzburg passes through
the wUd valley-terrace, which immediately surmounts the
coast lands, by winding along the escarpments of lofty hUls,
now ascending the slopes for some distance, and now dipping
a little into intermediate hollows. In places it is cut into the
hardest sandstone and granite rock. Improvements are still
being made in various places in its line ; easier gradients being
adopted from time to time, and shorter cuts found. At a
distance of about thu-ty miles from the coast, this road of a sudden
emerges from the rocky wilderness, and enters upon a broad
undulating plain, which presents a fine open grazing country
before the eye, where the grass is of much finer quality than
it is in the more luxuriant lands nearer to the sea. This plain
is the district already alluded to as forming the Midland terrace,
and standing between the highlands and the sea-coast lowlands,
of the colony. Northwards this open plain extends quite to
the hills of Maritzburg, that city being built upon its edge.
Eastwards it runs through the lower tracts of the Umvoti.
Westwards it passes through the upper district of the Umko
manzi Its central part is taken up by the county of
Maritzburg. This county indeed constitutes the heart of the
colony, and may be taken as the chief representative of the
Midlands ; bearing in mind that it trenches northwards upon the

MIDLAND DISTRICTS. 129
uplands, and southwards upon the broken, approximately
tropical ten-ace. The settled parts of the Midlands are for the
present, principally contained within the counties of Maritz
burg and the Umvoti.
This Midland terrace is abundantly supplied with water:
streams run down between the more prominent slopes and
ridges, which succeed each other, like low billows, in seemingly
never ending succession. Wood is not very abundant, but
there is enough of it for the purposes of fuel. This is chiefly
drawn from the kloofs and ravines, into which the water-courses
are here and there changed. There are also in places more
extended forests of valuable timber, of which some belong to
private proprietors, and some are yet retained in the hands of
the government.
All the corn crops and vegetables of Europe (excepting
wheat) are grown throughout this Midland division of the
colony with ease ; the vegetables in a perfection rarely exceeded
by the very best management in England. Two crops of most
kinds can be obtained in each year. Potatoes yield very
great returns. Five years ago, Mr. Arbuthnot dug up 100
muids (300 bushels) of marketable tubers from one acre of
land. The potatoes were planted in the beginning of September,
and dug up at Christmas. A part of the land from which they
were taken, was then planted with French beans, and these
yielded at the rate of twelve muids, or thirty-six bushels per
acre. The potatoes were sold at the low price of 5s. per
muid, upon an average, and made £25 ; the beans at £1 per
muid, and brought £12. The gross money-produce of the
single acre in the single year was £37. Potatoes now rarely
sell for less than eight shillings the muid ; at this price, there
fore, £15 more would have been added to the sum. This may
be taken as a somewhat exceptional instance of what may be
done within twenty-flve miles of the capital.
In raising two crops in the same year from one piece of
ground, great attention needs be given to select the crops in
such a way that each shall be planted in the season most
suitable for it, and that so the greatest possible advantage may
be secured to it. No plant should ever be sown for the first
K

130 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
crop which is liable to be damaged by rain, because that crop
must of necessity be harvested in the wet season. Potatoes and
Indian corn are very good for the first crop. Wheat, French
beans, oats, or flax, may succeed these. French beans are very
easily damaged by rain, and therefore should not on any
account be grown but as the second crop. The best time for
planting them is the month of January, because when so
planted, they ripen in the early part of the dry season, before
the nights become too cold. If planted too late in the season,
they are apt to get nipped by the slight frost which occurs
occasionally at night, in this division of the country. French
beans follow potatoes very advantageously, because they
constitute an early crop, and are soon off the ground. Wheat,
on the other hand, being comparatively hardy, and standing a
little frost with impunity, very well follows Indian corn, which
requires more time to ripen than potatoes do. Mr. Deane, a
settler on the Illovo, recently planted Indian corn on well-
manured land for a first crop. In ploughing the land, a Kafir
dropped the grains in every third or fourth furrow at a distance
of about six inches from each other. Twenty muids, or sixty
bushels, of Indian corn were harvested from an acre of this
land. It was then sown with " Golden ball" wheat, and this
sowing yielded as a second crop, eleven muids, or thirty-three
bushels. At the average price of these articles in Maritzburg,
namely, 12s. per muid for mealies, and 27s. per muid for wheat,
the year's return for one acre of land amounted to £26 17s.
Manure is not actually needed for the greater part of the
lands in this district. There are many choice spots where
successive crops have now been taken from the soil year after
year, without any signs of exhaustion or diminished fertUity
having made their appearance. On the upper Umkomanzi
wheat has been taken from the same land thirteen times in
succession. There can, nevertheless, be no doubt that the
productiveness of most farms, employed in the cultivaticn of
crops, would be greatly increased by the use of manure. The
ground reserved as permanent pasture, would of course be
comparatively independent of such artificial aid.
In the district immediately round Maritzburg, oats are

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 131
extensively grown, and the growth proves to be eminently
remunerative ; a ready market being constantly at hand, at the
camp and in the town. The crop is reaped before it is quite ripe,
and sold enthe for forage ; the straw being chopped up and
mingled with the grain when it is used as food. Forage of this
kind forms the almost universal feed of stabled horses through
out the colony. Two crops of forage are generally grown in
the year. About three tons per acre produced in each crop,
and these sold at the present average price of 4s. per hundred
pounds, bring in £17 per acre for one crop, or £34 per acre
for the two crops. The price of forage fluctuates a little
according to the comparative abundance or scarcity of the
supply. Two years since the average price was one-thh-d less
than the sum named above. The price never sinks much
below 4s., and it has risen to seven and eight shillings the
hundred pounds. A farmer with six native labourers, costing
him for wages and food 15s. each per month, can, under
favourable circumstances, keep twenty acres of land under
cultivation for the growth of forage. The contingencies to be
aUowed for as possible adverse occm-rences, are, prolonged
drought, destruction by birds ,and insects, failure of the crop,
and difficulty at times of securing native labour. Many
settlers have saved large sums of money by the cultivation of
forage. Dairy farming is capable of being made a som-ce of high
emolument in the neighbom-hood of Maritzburg. Butter and
cheese are certain of a market at the price of one shUling per
pound. Bacon sells from sevenpence to fourteen-pence per
pound, and is easily cured dm-ing the winter season in this
division of the colony. The plan usually followed in rearing
pigs, is to allow them to graze and root at large over the land,
and pick up their own living, with the exception of a few
handfuls of mealies furnished at night, until they are ready
for fattening. They are then taken up and fed upon Indian
corn for a few weeks. The sows make themselves curious
covered litters of straw, hollowing out the ground and thatching
the hollow above ; they select sheltered, well- watered kloofs for
these retreats. Fowls of all kinds are reared with the greatest
k2

132 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
ease, and may be fatted upon Indian corn, for the table, at very
trifling expense. A large species of poultry of the Cochin
Chinese kind, possessing long feathered legs, is now in high
favour among the Dutch. Ducks, geese, and turkeys are common
appendages to the homesteads. The Guinea-fowl runs wild in
the bush. There is one drawback to the keeping of poultry'"on
the more open grounds ; that is the rapacity of the somewhat
too abundant animals and birds of prey. Hawks not uncommonly
carry off whole broods of chickens, and finish by taking the hen
after her brood. The correct tactics for meeting these hostUe
invasions, are of course the employment of enclosed and covered'
poultry-yards, and coops, and the assiduous employment of the
gun. It was in this midland district that wheat originally failed
from the constant attacks of rust. This difficulty seems now to
have been in some measure obviated by the introduction of the
" golden ball" variety. The " golden ball" has now been grown
with perfect success in many parts of the district.
The midland division was from the first occupation of the
country considered to furnish the finest fattening ground of the
colony. The lung-sickness, however, fell upon it with such
severity that for a time the fatal murrain seemed likely to cause
the entire abandonment of the district as a pastoral field. The
introduction of sheep and the cultivation of the " golden baU"
wheat, have now put an end to all fears of this kind ; and what
threatened to be so grave and irremediable an evil, has actuaUy
turned out to be a source of high and well-grounded hope.
Four years ago the settlers in this district had fallen into the
lazy habits of the purely pastoral life, and depended entirely for
their wealth upon the natural yearly increase of their herds.
If this state of affairs had been continued, the cattle market of
Natal must within a few more years have been so glutted, that
stock would have been of no value whatever. Now a very
different future is in store for the midland proprietors. Sheep
will be penned upon land destined for the plough, and when
the plough has done its work, abundant crops of the finest wheat
wUl be extracted from the ground. Excellent mutton will be
furnished to the markets. Cattle, although in less abundance.

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 133
will be of much higher value. And large yearly returns will be
made by corn crops and wool. The settler, instead of being
¦ dependent upon a single tightly-stretched cord, will have several
strings to his bow.
It is now a perfectly established fact that sheep thrive quite
as well in many localities of this division, as in the uplands
beyond. The higher and most open grounds prove the best
adapted to their needs. The natives have always had flocks of
goats, and also of what are generally termed Kafu- sheep ;
animals which have a large proportion of rough, why, dark-
¦ brown hair among their wool. This breed is most probably a
modified or crossed variety of the Siberian goat, or " Moufion"
of Asia {Caprovis Musimofi). Some authorities hold it to be
merely a cross between the goat and the sheep. Such an origin
is possible ; the goat and the sheep do breed together, although
not very readily, and the mule produced as an offspring is also
fertUe in a limited degree. M. F. Cuvier procured a female
mule which coupled with a goat in its third year. Professor
Cretzschmai-, of Frankfort, succeeded in breeding with the
Cashmere goat and the Saxon Merino sheep. Whatever may
be the actual fact of this somewhat doubtful zoological question,
the Kafir sheep makes excellent mutton, and has a tail which
constitutes an esteemed delicacy upon the table. The animal
weighs, when fat, about fifty or sixty pounds. Some years since
it was thought that the wooUed sheep would never succeed in
the pastures of Southern Africa unless bred by crossing the ewes
of the Kafir sheep with a Merino tup. The Dutch for a long
time adopted this practice. Mr. Arbuthnot recently repeated
the experiment, with a view to seeing the result for himself.
He pm-chased twenty-five Kafir ewes and a Merino tup. The
ewes and tup were allowed to run constantly together, under the
idea that the increase would be more immediate under this
arrangement, and the ewes dropped lambs twice in the year.
The first cross produced a great improvement in the lamb, and
a marked infiuence on the fleece. In the second cross most of
the lambs were white, and many promised to have fleeces nearly
as fine as pure sheep. Only two of the ewes first purchased
died in the course of three years, and the losses in lambs did

134 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
not exceed seven per cent, annually. The entire produce was
disposed of in the third year of the experiment, and its details
of cost and profit then stoodas specified below.
COST Side of the Account.
1855. Twenty-five ewes, purchased at 9s.
Purchase of one ram
Total cost 
No other outlay was required. No extra keep was needed in
winter. The old grass was simply burnt at intervals ; and in
this way plenty of food was secured all the year round.

£

s.

d.

11

5

0

1

0

0

il2

5

0

PKOFIT Side of the Account.
1857. Thirty lambs killed for home use, and partly
sold at 4d. per pound ... ...
] 858. Fifty lambs, disposed of in the same way ...
One hundred and eight sheep finally sold ...

£. s. d.

15

0

0

25

0

0

50

0

0

Total value  ^90 0 0
Balance of profit for the three years ... 77 15 0

Original cost  ^12 5 0

The Merino tup throve in every respect as well as the Kafir
sheep ; and there is no apparent reason why it should not have
been a better proceeding to have purchased Merino instead of
Kafir ewes at the first. More recent experience, indeed, tends
to shew that the Merino breed is stronger than the Kafir, and
lives where the Kafir fails.
Horses and mules occupy a considerable share of attention in
the upper portions of the midland districts of the colony ; the
principal drawback being that they are now liable to be attacked
at certain seasons by the horse-sickness ; a very rapid and fatal
epidemic infiammation of the lungs. The only protection from
this scourge seems to be to drive the colts up to the higher
lands, such as the summit of the Table-mountain, and to keep
the riding-horses carefully stabled, especially about the decline
of the summer. The horses belonging to the troops, which are

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 135
kept in stables and carefully tended all the year round, enjoy a
comparative immunity from the disease.
Very great care is now given to the breeding and rearing of
horses. Stallions have been imported from England, and from
the Cape, in several instances at great cost. Races, established
to test the qualities of the breeds, take place annually in five
out of the six counties. The number of horses at present in
the colony is estimated at about seven thousand. Upon the
whole the higher part of the midland districts and the lower
part of the uplands are considered to be the best suited for the
breeding of this indispensable animal. Very good hackneys for
the road may be constantly purchased at prices varying from
£12 to £20. The horse which is best adapted for the pm-poses
of the general traveller is of a small size, and accomplishes about
six miles an hour by alternately walking and cantering. At this
rate of traveUing it is capable of making a journey of between
fifty and sixty miles in the day. The journey between Durban
and Maritzburg (fifty-four miles) is commonly performed by
experienced horsemen in the single day. The two most important
qualities for a horse to possess under the existing circumstances
of the colony, are an easy pace, especially in cantering, and great
endurance. A sedate and orderly disposition may be placed next,
seeing that many of the colonial horses have a peculiar and favour
ite knack of disposing of their riders, when disinclined to carry
them further, by putting their own heads between their knees,
and then after a kind of rapid pirouette, throwing up their hind
heels in a very determined and effective way. The horses possess
fair opportunities of putting their " bucking" propensities into
play, in consequence of many young colonists having their own
first lessons in horsemanship to take in their adopted land.
Many parts of the midland districts are thickly peopled with
Kafirs, who grow very large quantities of Indian corn and Kafir
corn (millet), and dispose of their superabundant produce at
comparatively low prices to the white settlers. The Indian corn
is grown with the utmost facility in all parts ofthe colony; but
the principal demand for it over and above the mere need of
the native producer, of course lies in the more abundantly settled
lands of the midland and lower districts. Many settlers are now

136 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
beginning to reap good incomes, by purchasing Indian corn of
the natives in somewhat remote districts, and conveying it to
the markets of the capital and Port, ground or unground, in
their own waggons and carts. The rivers and streams in the
midland districts afford great facilities for the establishment of
grinding-mills. There are very few spots where some sufficient
fall of water for the driving of machinery may not be found
tolerably near. Water-mills are every day becoming more
common. There are now five mills driven by water power in
Maritzburg. There are also five meal-mills in daily operation
in the neighbourhood of Richmond.
The Indian corn {" zea mays") maize, or mealie-plant, is a
gigantic grass which bears its stamens and its grains in separate
flowers. The culm, or stalk, springs to a height of seven or
eight feet from the ground, and has broad bent-down grass-like
leaves. The fertile flowers are arranged as a kind of spike which
shoots out from the side of the culm and ripens into a large
club-shaped cob, consisting of a dense fibrous stalk entirely
covered over at the surface by closely and neatly-packed grains.
In favourable seasons mealie cobs are occasionally produced,
which are twelve inches in length, and weigh from three to four
pounds each. As many as eight hundred grains may sometimes
be picked from a single cob. There are also frequently two or
three cobs produced from a single seed ; the produce therefore
of a sowing is incredibly large. In a general way the process
of cultivation is of the rudest kind. The land is just broken
with the plough, and the seed-corn is scattered broad-cast over
the sm-face. When greater care is taken in the sowing, and the
corn is planted at equal distances, and in regular rows, like the
sugar-cane, the finest crops are obtained. The maize crop,
when mature, forms a kind of miniature jungle, into which men
may walk and be entirely lost to sight after the first few steps
have been taken, the broad leaves waving and shaking above
their heads. Even horsemen may ride into the thicket, and
conceal themselves, when the culms are in their highest state of
luxuriance. It has happened that an entire herd of oxen has
marched into the recesses of a mealie garden and made a full
and hearty meal, before then- presence in the forbidden ground

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 137
has been discovered by the farmer, or his herds only a few
yards away.
The mealie garden is an altogether indispensable possession
in the colony. Its grain furnishes the principal part of the food
of the Kafirs. Those who are in the service of the white settlers
live almost entirely upon mealies, the grain being softened in
boiling water, and sometimes crushed between stones. In
towns, the ground corn, or mealie meal, is boiled up in a large
hon pot into a kind of porridge. The pot is then placed on the
ground and the porridge is taken from it in rough wooden
spoons, by the Kafirs, who squat on then- haunches around.
The usual allowance for the adult's food is about a pint of the
dry meal three times in the day. When a pound of meat is
added to the rations twice in the week, the fare is considered a
somewhat lordly one.
The Indian corn is, however, consumed by the white settler
as well as by the Kafir, and forms a very wholesome and nutritive
addition to his meals. The porridge, when eaten with mUk and
sugar, is a very agreeable food. The young mealie cob, roasted
or boiled whole, and then placed on the table for the grain to be
picked away from the stalk as it is eaten, is considered by many
persons to constitute a very dainty dish, and by chUdren is
generally preferred to bread. Many a now prosperous settler
can tell ho-w, in the days of his early difficulties and struggles,
he subsisted entirely for weeks at a stretch upon the produce of
the patch of mealies surrounding his rough home, and how he
waxed both fat and strong upon his fare. The Indian corn is
not altogether so nutritive as the grain of wheat ; but it is very
much more fattening. Poultry, cattle, a,nd horses fatten and
thrive upon the uncrushed grain. Young mealie-plants thinned
out from the crops when about six weeks old, and two feet high,
are eaten entire by the horse, and greatly relished. The Indian
corn grows very rapidly. The average yield of an acre of ground
under the crop is about eleven muids, or thirty-three bushels,
and the value of the produce varies with the season, and with
circumstances, from four to twenty shillings the muid.
Barley has been tried as a forage-crop, and has been found
to answer very well. The millet grows luxuriantly, and is

138 THE COLONY OF JTATAL :
largely cultivated by the Kafirs as an article of food. It yields
very abundantly, and furnishes a very minute, but nutritive
grain, which is known in the colony under the name of " Kafir
corn." Buck wheat, bearded wheat, and rye 'have aU been
grown in limited quantities, and can be raised without the
slightest difficulty.
Small patches of the flax-plant have been successfully culti
vated in the midland district, and there is every reason to believe
that if sufficient care were given to the cultivation and manu
facture, flax of very excellent quality might be produced. There
are, indeed, several wild plants which yield fine and tenacious
fibres. Two in particular; one a species of mallow, and the
other a kind of nettle, are very abundant. The Kafirs form a
coarse kind of string from many of the vegetable productions
which are furnished by the ground around their kraals. They
also use the dried leaf of a species of wild hemp for smoking.
It is anticipated that the wild banana {streletzia), the palm, the
plaintain, and the pine-apple will all be made available for the
production of tenacious fibres, suitable for textile fabrics. Whilst
alluding to the subject of the material of textile fabrfcs, it may
be stated that the silk-worm has been found to do well both in
the lowest and midland divisions of the colony, and samples of
very excellent silk have been produced. The white mulberry-
tree, which yields the best food for the worm, grows most
luxuriantly and without requiring the slightest care. In the
neighbourhood of Maritzburg, its cuttings strike immediately,
and form little groves laden with fruit, within a couple of
years. The tree is not bare of leaves more than six weeks in
the mid-winter.
An excellent livelihood is niade in the midland district by
sawing timber. Forests belonging to private proprietors are
let out to sawyers. Good workmen can readUy earn from ten
to fifteen shillings a day. The plan generally pursued by those
who are without other capital than their thews and sinews, is
for two men to enter into an agreement of partnership, and then
having made their bargain with the proprietor of the place they
have selected for their operations, these men erect a simple
Kafir hut for a dwelling, and sink a pit. They next engage

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 139
some other person who possesses a waggon and oxen to carry
the planks to market. The general agreement is that the value
of the loads of plank shall be divided equally between the
sawyers and the waggoner. The plank always meets with a
ready sale, large quantities being exported to Cape Town. There
is one very fine saw-mill (Thew's) worked by water, on the
Elands River, within twenty-five miles of Maritzburg.
Transport work is also another source of very fair and certain
income for individuals who like a wild and roving life. Having
procured a waggon and oxen, the owner travels with loads of
merchandize between Maritzburg and the Bay, or between
Maritzburg and other spots where different kinds of commodities
are required. It will be readUy conceived that this must be a
very certain source of income when it is borne in mind that the
ox-waggon is at present the sole means of transport for all
imported articles inwards, and for all exported produce outwards.
Waggons are incessantly traversing the high roads of the colony,
and they constitute a constant mode of communication even
with the distant nooks of the Transvaal States. The cost of
transport for a waggon load, of a ton and a-half, between Maritz
burg and Durban, is £3. Many proprietors of waggons carry
theh own burthens instead of their neighbour's, and trek off
beyond the boundaries of the colony with freights of beads,
blankets, or picks, which they exchange among the independent
tribes for cattle, ivory, wild beast skins, and ostrich feathers ;
and then, after an absence of two or three months, return into
the colony with the proceeds of the traffic, to dispose of them
there. At one time the trader's business was a very remunerative
one ; but the temptations of the high amount of profit, and the
free roving life, have proved so attractive that the competition
is now inconveniently large.
There are only two spots in the county of Maritzburg, apart
from the metropolis itself, around which settlers have con
centered themselves ; one of these is in the north of the county,
and the other in the south. The northern village is named
" York," and the southern one " Richmond."
The viUage of York is a thriving little settlement, chiefly
inhabited by Yorkshhe people. It was founded by a party of

140 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
emigrants from HuU, and the small community having been
composed of steady and persevering individuals, is in the way
of meeting with its appropriate reward. The settlers have
principally directed their attention to the growth of oat-forage,
which they send to Maritzburg. One farmer in York states
that he made £300 by oat-forage in the last year. There is a
school established at York. The settlers are principally of the
Wesleyan persuasion, and have successfully set their faces against
the establishment of any house of public entertainment, on
the ground of the habits of excessive and injurious drinking
which are apt to be fostered, when such an accommodation is at
hand. The viUage of Richmond is situated upon the river Illovo,
and is about twenty-four miles from Maritzburg. It is the
seat of a magistracy. The village itself contains a school house
and an Episcopalian church, which were both built by public
subscription. There are between two and three hundred white
inhabitants, living in small farms scattered about among the
hills. The country consists of fine rolling undulations which
make excellent pasture grounds, and is exceedingly healthy.
There are stores and two or three tradesmen within the precincts
of the village.
Richmond was originally settled by individuals who were
brought out in connection with Mr. Byrne's emigration scheme,
and who for the most part, had little more on their arrival than
their allotments of land and their industry. The settlers, as a
rule, had very little knowledge of agricultural matters, and
none whatever of the character of the country and climate they
had selected for their future homes. Nevertheless, there are
at the present time in this village, persons who have overcome
these difficulties in such a way, that they are now in very
prosperous circumstances. The following interesting and note
worthy instances of successful issue to struggle at the outset
by residents in this locality, are given upon the authority of a
gentleman, well known as a witness to be entirely trusted.
This gentleman states that he is acquainted with one individual
who landed in Natal with a wife and three little boys, and
without any money. The only gratuitous aid he had received

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 141
was two barrels of flour from the Duke of Buccleugh. At the
end of five years, he was the owner of upwards of forty head of
cattle, including a span of trek oxen, and also of a cart and a
saddle horse. Another person who had some experience in
farming, had £50 in hand when he arrived upon his allotment.
After five years he was the possessor of a pretty and commodious
stone cottage, a stable and cattle kraal, forty head of cattle,
and a saddle horse, and had five acres of land inclosed and
under cultivation. A third settler, a stone-mason, had £15 in
his pocket when he reached the parish, and is now the owner
of a stone cottage, a good substantial water-mUl, a saddle-horse,
a waggon and twelve trek oxen, and a small herd of milch cows.
Another individual, whe had been a tradesman, was wrecked in
the Minerva, on arriving at the Bay, and lost all he possessed.
He was himself in delicate health, and he reached the land with
a wife and five smaU children, and without any money. He
has now a cottage and garden of his own, forty-six head of
cattle, and five acres of land under the plough. A carpenter,
who was also wi-ecked in the Minerva, and lost everything, now
has a waggon, two spans of trek oxen, a large herd of cattle,
and several horses ; and he has lately purchased a bush-farm
for a considerable sum of money. Another person came to
Richmond with a very small sum of money, built a water-mill
and worked it for a little time, then let his mill for a yearly
rental of £50, and purchased a six-thousand acre farm, on
which he now lives in a good stone house, with a cattle kraal
and offices ; he has upon his fann a cart, a span of oxen, nearly
500 sheep, and a herd of milch cows. A shoemaker, who had
a very little money when he took possession of his farm, made
£1 05 in his second year, and has since buUt a good stone house ;
he now possesses thirty trek oxen, fifty head of cattle, and four
horses. All these instances are within the personal knowledge
of the responsible informant.
There are a few white settlers in the upper part of the county
of Maritzburg, around the sources of the Umgeni, who are
farming with a marked degree of success, the district proving
alike fertUe and healthy. At present their neighbourhood is
subjected to one drawback. They are open to the occasional

142 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
incursions of predatory Bushmen, who lurk in the adjacent
fastnesses of the mountains, and make raids upon the outlying
farms, driving off whatever cattle they can lay theh hands on.
This, however, is an evil which cannot be of long duration.
The colonial government is at the present time considering
what measures can be taken to put an end to these unwelcome
visits, and some of the Kafirs of the colony have already been
placed as a sort of barrier between these outlying settlements
and the mountains.
The white population of the county of Maritzburg, inclusive
of the city, at the present time numbers 3399 individuals ; and
the black population, including the district of the Upper
Umkomanzi, is 50,670. There were 1860 Kafhs in service
during the past year. 21,524 acres are now under cultivation;
6587 with Indian corn; 4991 with oats ; 1067 with Kafir corn;
266 with wheat ; 845 with potatoes ; 90 with other kinds of
vegetables ; and 2 with sugar-cane. The principal produce of
the last year was 35,089 muids of oats ; 38,481 muids of Indian
corn; 1122 muids of wheat; 7130 muids of potatoes; 538 muids
of sweet potatoes ; 390 muids of buck wheat; 67 muids of beans;
and 33 muids of barley. There are in the county 4,666 head
of cattle ; 32,406 sheep ; 2389 horses ; and 6434 goats.
The county of Maritzburg contains very nearly two mUUons
of acres of land. It is very open, and has comparatively little
bush. Its soil is in many places fertile, lying upon a subsoU
of either trap, shale, or sandstone. The idea is now generally
gaining ground, that tropical produce may be advantageously
reared in some of its most favoured localities. Mr. Baynes
produced a fine crop of arrow-root last year in the immediate
neighbourhood of the city. The sugar-cane has also been
matured in some sheltered flats, thirteen miles eastwards of the
same spot. The scenery in many parts of the county is remark
ably beautiful. There are two very striking waterfalls a few
miles to the north of Maritzburg, one on the Kar Kloof River,
and the other on the Umgeni. The Umgeni makes a clear leap
of some 300 feet at one bound. Immediately beneath the
shoulder ofthe Zwartkop, and within a short ride ofthe town, there
are two other falls of great picturesqueness, both on the Little

MIDLAND DISTRICTS. 143
Bushman's (" Umsindusi"), or Maritzburg River. In the one
case, the river makes a double-leap of about 80 feet into a
wooded ravine ; in the other case, it falls in a sheet over an
open ledge. Near to these waterfalls is a very interesting place,
the Edendale mission station, presided over by Mr. Allison.
Some years ago, Mr. Allison brought with him a number of
Kaflrs belonging to the Amaswazi tribe, into the colony, and
settled in this place. He has taught the men various handi
crafts, and these men by the labour of their own hands have
saved money enough to buy little plots of ground, and the huts
in which they dweU. The settlement wears the general aspect
of a rustic village. The entire estate has now been paid for by
the labour of the Kafirs, the cost having been £1200. There
are 600 individuals in the remarkable little community, of whom
120 are independent proprietors of tenements and land. The
chUdren are taught English, as well as industrial trades. The
success of Mr. Alhson's scheme has, no doubt, been in some
measure due to Maritzburg being near enough to his settlement
to afford a market for produce, and a remunerative employment
for handicraft labour. The settlement is also aided by the
government. Amid the green slopes between Maritzburg and the Table-
mountain, six miles away from the town, but hidden from it
by an intervening ridge, is the residence and missionary
station of the Lord Bishop of Natal. In this institution
another experiment as to the capacity of the Kafir race is in
progress. The Bishop has here a school of forty boys, most
of them the sons of chiefs or head men, who have been
placed under his care by their parents for five years. The
boys are learning to read and write, both in their own tongue,
and in English, and show a surprising aptitude for high-class
culture. Three of them have already been taught to perform
compositor's work and to print. Two are engaged in acquhing
the art of the book-binder, and two others are engaged in
bricklayer's work. The Bishop has also a few native girls
under training; and near at hand the commencement of a
native village, which it is intended should grow under his
auspices. Among the boys in the Bishop's school, is the

144 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
youngest son of king Panda ; the lad having been placed by
the Lieutenant Governor under his Lordship's protection,
when he came into British territory as a refugee at the time
of the struggle between Ketchwago and the other sons of
the king.
Tobacco has been successfully grown at Uys Dooms, six
miles from Maritzburg, by Mr. Kinghurst. An acre of land
yielded 2,000 lbs. of cured tobacco, which was sold for the
average price of eightpence per lb. The expense of ploughing
and planting was £2 10s., and the cost of curing £18.
£66 13s. 4td. - £20 10s. = £46 3s. 4.d., therefore gives the
profit for one acre of land.
The Umvoti county, of which by far the larger portion
belongs to the Midland district, is a trifle smaller than the
central county of Maritzburg, and lies for some distance
upon the bank of the Tugela, and there forms the boundary of
the colony towards Zululand. It is principaUy inhabited by
Dutch. There are, however, some English settlers in. the
division, and great attention is given to the rearing of stock
throughout its farms. This county is considered to possess a
remarkably rich and fertile soil ; its climate is foggy and moist,
and it is undoubtedly capable of supporting a large population.
The number of its white inhabitants, is'^ at the present time
671 ; and of its black population 16,751. Of these latter 448
have been in service in the course of the year. 1407 acres of
land are under cultivation; of which 415 are in wheat; 253 in
oats; and 170 in Indian corn. The produce of the county in
the past year was 1083 muids of wheat; 1084 muids of oats;
478 muids of Indian corn; 199 muids of barley; 250 muids of
sweet potatoes ; 63 muids of common potatoes ; and 59 muids
of beans. There are in the county 6117 head of cattle; 8969
sheep ; 2222 goats ; and 963 horses.
There is but one so-called township in the Umvoti. This is
known as Grey Town, and is a thriving little vUlage. It
possesses a store, a school house, and a Dutch-built stone
laager, or place of defence, intended to receive the surrounding
inhabitants and their waggons in case of need. It is the seat
of the magistracy of the county. If the new route between the

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 145
northern passes of the Drakenberg and the Bay is formed. Grey
Town wiU necessarily become a very important depot of mer
chandize. When the high waggon-road from Durban has undulated for
some miles among the inequalities of the pastoral midlands, it
passes through a district which is covered with a stunted bush
of thorny mimosa trees, and which was originally the settlement
of the Dutch clan of Uys, whence it is still designated Uys
Dooms (" Uys" Thorn"), and it then ascends a long gently
inclined slope. From the summit of this elevation a broad
shallow valley suddenly breaks in front upon the view, backed
by an amphitheatre of bold green hills. At the base of these
hills, and about six miles away, there is a long line of white
and red dots, set in a rich environment of foliage. The road is
visible in front, winding along towards this spot. It passes
over a bridge, aud is then lost among the trees. The dotted
line at the foot of the hills in this valley-landscape, is the city
of Maritzburg.
The seat of the government of Natal is very beautifully placed.
The city itself stands upon a broad sloping plain, which runs
with a gentle gradient down from the south-west towards the
north-east. Immediately towards the north-west, the plain is
waUed by a ridge of lofty green hills, known as the Town hills,
and mounting up some 1200 feet above the plain. Low spurs
project from this wall westwards and eastwards, until the city
plain is converted into a kind of recess notched into the high
ground. Towards the south-east there is open undulating land,
with the Little Bushman's river running through it, parallel
with the borders of the town, and about a quarter of a mile away.
The hilly back-ground is over-topped towards the west by the
truncated and tree- capped cone of the Zwartkop ("black head")
mountain, some seven or eight miles away. Towards the east
the landscape is closed by a conspicuous grey wall. That is the
Table-mountain, flfteen miles away. In the bright evening,
when the sun goes down behind the back-ground of the " Town
hills," and the sky above is a bright glow of soft light, the
varied details of the broken ground are thrown forward by the
changing hues ; the Zwartkop grows into gigantic proportions

146 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
in the deepening shadows, and the basement ridges and ravines
of the Table-mountain rise into red distinctness in the last
touches of the sunshine yet lingering upon them. In the
cloudless winter sunsets, Maritzburg is seen to stand in a spot
of unquestionable beauty.
In general form Maritzburg still remains what it was when
it was first laid out by its Dutch founders. It consists of eight
parallel thoroughfares about 180 yards asunder, which all run
along the sloping plain, and look up to an elevated saddleback,
a quarter of a mile away, towards the south-west. This saddle
back is crowned by the military camp of Fort Napier, a kind
of barrack imperfectly defended by an earth rampart. This
camp entirely commands the town. At the centre of the higher
end, and facing the camp, stands the Government house. The
eight parallel thoroughfares are connected with each other, here
and there, by cross roads. The entire length of this regular
quadrangle is about a mile and a half, and the breadth some
thing less than a mile.
When the town was first traced out, the quadrangular idea
was carried even further than its public thoroughfares. The
spaces lying between the parallel roads were sliced up by fences,
real or imaginary, into distinct four-cornered lots of nearly two
acres in extent, which were termed erven. Each erf of land
thus abutted upon two roads. By what seems to the present
English occupiers of the city an odd whim, the blocks of erven,
instead of the public thoroughfares, were termed " streets."
Each erf was the allotment intended for the reception of a
single residence, which was pitched in almost every instance by
the first builders close upon one of the roads or thoroughfares.
As the town has been becoming more populous, many of the
erven have been subdivided across the middle and in a line
parallel with the main thoroughfares, and houses have appeared
at each end, so that now A lives in Loop street, and B in
Burger street, and yet A's front door is just opposite to B's
front door, with only a few feet of dusty road between. The
names still retained by the greater number of the lines, or long
blocks of erven, express at once the Dutch origin of the town.
They are known as the Burger (Citizen) street, Loop (Walk) street.

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 1^7
Langmarkt (Long-market) street, Pieter Maritz street, Baum
(Tree) street. Burg (Borough) street, and Greyling's street.
One only has made a marked change in its name, having become
" Church street," in the place of " I-Cirk straat."
In the central parts of the town the erven have been so
divided again and again, as the land has been growing in value,
that stores and houses have crowded in upon each other until
their corners nearly or entirely touch. But throughout the
greater part of the broad spaces the houses still stand alone,
isolated in their original allotments, and in many cases sur
rounded by gardens and trees. Even in the most thickly peopled
parts, the interior of the blocks yet remains open ground. On
these accounts the city presents, on a bird's-eye-view being
taken from the heights above, more the aspect of a large garden
besprinkled M'ith residences, than that of a town furnished with
gardens. It will be at once understood that it must be so,
when it is remembered that in the so-called city of Maritzburg,
a population of about fifteen hundred is sown pretty evenly and
broad-cast over a large area of nearly two square miles.
A considerable proportion of the houses in Maritzburg are
structures of a single story ; many were built by the Dutch, and
these are at once recognized by the long raised platform (stoep)
which ranges in front of them, and by the stiff' formality of the
regular rows of tall windows equally balanced on either side of
the central door. These houses have generally lofty rooms with
ceilings of planked wood. Some of the residences are thatched
bungalows, with shady and cool verandahs running entirely
round. Some few are doing their best to look as if they belonged
to some suburb of London. Many of the stores are both com
modious and substantial. Indeed, business is for the present
better lodged than either laziness or pleasure, in Maritzburg.
The greater part of the private dwelling-houses are slimly built
and inconveniently small for persons who come to them with
English notions and habits. Every succeeding year, however,
presents unmistakeable instances of amendment in this par
ticular. Indeed, when one recals to mind that the not-easily-to-
be-counted structures which now stand everywhere over the two
square miles of land, were nineteen short years ago represented l2

148 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
by six little dwellings, and nothing more, surprise is felt at
the abundance, and not at the lack, of accommodation furnished
for civUized cravings. The real reason for the smallness of the
dweUings first built in the town, is the great cost of both material
and skilled labour. Where carpenters' and bricklayers' wages
are from six to eight shillings a day, and lime costs some
shillings per bushel, it is not wonderful that men become
economical in the span of roofs and walls. Fairly comfortable
dwelling-houses may be hired in Maritzburg, for about three
pounds per month. A complete erf of land in the town is now
worth from £80 to £100.
Along one or both sides of the streets of Maritzburg open
water-courses have been cut, which are fiooded with running
water all daylong. These " slmts" {" sloots-ditches") are the
almost exclusive sources of water-supply to the town. The
water is furnished from one of the tributaries of the Bushman's
River, some little distance above the town, and returns to the
main channel of the stream below, when it has accomplished its
beneficent work of yielding the civic supply. Even the summit
of the Camp-hill is abundantly supplied with running water.
The sluits are kept in order by the municipal authorities, and a
small yearly rate is levied upon the inhabitants for this and
other services. The water is very excellent. During the busy
hours of the day it becomes somewhat turbid, notwithstanding
municipal interdictions and rules, in consequence of the tempta
tion which the perpetual wash-tub always running past all doors
presents. If, however, the water intended for domestic use
through the day be drawn at either an early hour in the morning,
or at a late one in the evening, and be passed through a filter
before it is employed, it makes an altogether unexceptionable
beverage. The never-failing and never-stinted supply of ex
cellent water is unquestionably one of the great luxuries of
residence in Maritzburg.
A large open space of unoccupied blocks has been reserved
between two of the main streets, near the centre of the town,
to serve as a market square. The market consists of waggons
laden with produce from the rural districts. The clerk of the
market gives notice of the arrival of saleable articles by the

MIDLAND DISTEICTS. 149
ringing of a bell. The oxen are outspanned and allowed to feed
upon the surrounding grass, and the waggons remain standing
on the spot until the oxen are again inspanned for return.
Dutch farmers may sometimes be seen encamped near their
waggons under canvass in this square, the hon pot boUing upon
a wood fire on the open ground. In continuation with the
Market-square, another open space is also reserved as a site for
the Government-offices of some future day. This site now has
a stone Gothic building, used as a native chapel, and belonging
to the Church of England, on one side, and on the other side
the prim square-towered church of the Scotch Presbyterians.
At the further end of the Market-square a handsome new
building is in process of erection for the Dutch Reformed Church,
to take the place of the one first used. The Episcopal Church
has two neat stone buildings in the town ; in Church-street the
cathedral and parish chm-ch of St. Peter's, a lofty, turretless,
gothic structure, with a steep pitched slate roof; and in Pieter
Maritz street, the small chm-ch of St. Andrew's. The Wesleyans
have three chapels, all near to the cathedral, one of them a
large red-briclv building with a columned portico. There is
a small chapel belonging to the Congregationalists in the
town ; and the Roman Catholics have also a chapel and
college, and a residence for a bishop.
The public buildings, which are for the present merely
rented tenements, stand scattered in the streets inclosing the
Market-square. There are in this position the government
offices, the court house, a magistrate's office, a gaol, and a
post-office. There is a government school-room in another
portion of the town, which serves also to accommodate the
legislative councU during its session. A commodious and
handsome red-brick buUding is growing under the trowel for
the future home of the Natal bank. The approach to the
town from the Durban road, passes over the Little Bushman's
river {Umsindusi), at a spot where a cast-hon bridge, upon
the radiating rod suspension-principle, is just in the process
of being erected at a cost of above two thousand pounds.
Near to this bridge stands a red-brick flour-mill worked by
the stream. By the side of the road, which connects the

150 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
bridge with the town, and which is ajjpropriately termed the
" Commercial Road," seeing that for the present all the
merchandize which is transmitted between the interior of the
country and the Port rolls along it, are the cemeteries of the
various religious denominations, and also a large stone hospital
erected by means of a grant made by the Home Government
through the Imperial Commissioner, Sir George Grey, and
thence bearing his name. The streets of the city are wide,
and in many places edged by trees. The roads get speedUy
covered by grass along the sides, and in the least frequented
thoroughfares ; but this growth is periodically cleared away
by the municipal authorities. In the dry season the streets
are covered by a thickish layer of red dust, which causes some
little annoyance in windy weather. In summer, the walking lies
mainly through a very tenacious mud. This is one of the
small troubles of the town. By degrees, no doubt, devices will
be found for the removal of much of the inconvenience.
Already one water-cart has made its appearance for the winter-
service. The trees of Maritzburg are chiefly seringas {a kind
of lilac), weeping willows, and blue gums. In the gardens,
pomegranates, peaches, oranges, lemons, guavas, quinces, figs,
loquats, bananas, and bamboos, appear very abundantly, and
the rose is used everywhere as a hedge, and blossoms all the
year round. A single tree in one garden in Maritzburg ripened
last season, not less than fifteen muids of oranges.
Fort Napier, which stands on the elevation at the south-west
extremity of the town, is a loop-holed quadrangle of brick,
bastioned at opposite corners, and mounted with three or four
large guns, which command the buildings and streets lying
beneath. This military camp is at the present time the head
quarters of the 85th regiment of Light Infantry, and the
station of a detachment of the Cape Mounted Rifles, and of a
company of the Royal Artillery. Maritzburg is also the head
quarters of a gentleman Volunteer Corps, called the " Natal
Carbineers," of which one company is located at Richmond.
A Voluntary Rifle Corps is also in process of formation, under
the colonial Secretary, the Hon. Major Erskine.

MIDLAND DISTRICTS. 151
The white population of the city of Maritzburg, at the
present time, exclusive of the royal troops in barrack, consists
of about 1500 individuals. The municipal affahs are regulated
by a mayor and seven councillors, and the city returns two
members to sit in the Legislative Assembly of the colony.

CHAPTER VIIL
THE WATUBAL PKODTJCTS OF NATAIi.
fHE soil in Natal is nearly everywhere covered by grass
constituting a natural pasture. This grass is of a finer
character in the uplands, and more rank on the warmer and
moister lands near the sea. In the richer spots, and in places
where the kraals of natives have been, a large coarse kind,
almost amounting in size to the English reed, grows in great
luxuriance. This particular species is known under the name
of the Tambookie grass, and is the great resource of the thatcher.
It possesses a fragrant smell, when rubbed, like that of the
bitter orange, and is very valuable and enduring when applied
to the purpose of roofing buildings.
Soon after the pastures have been cleared of their old parched
growth by burning, young and tender grass begins to make its
appearance on the blackened ground. Then bulbous plants, in
infinite variety, send up their opening tufts of leaves, fiower-
stalks rise in the midst of the tufts, and in a few more days
these staUis are crowned with clusters of bright-hued blossoms.
In the midwinter and early spring, the pastures are literally
sprinkled with beautiful fiowers, most of them belonging to
the narrow-leaved endogenous tribes, allied to the amaryllids,
and true lilies. One of these amaryllids, a species of
cyrtanthus, is known to the Dutch under the name of the
" fire-lily," on account of the gorgeous flame-colour of its
clustered blossoms, which hang down from the top of the
otherwise bare peduncles, not unlike at fhst glance to bunches
of the large-flowered scarlet fuchsia. Moist places are commonly
covered with another very beautiful amaryllid (amaryllis bella
donna) which is termed par excellence the " Natal Lily." The

NATURAL PRODUCTS. 153
flowers of this striking plant are large white pink-ribbed bells,
hanging in enormous bunches round the summit of the flower-
stalk, which rises to a height of three or four feet from the
ground. The aloe grows in abundance among these amaryllids.
In midwinter its spikes of orange and red florets are thrust
up from the centre of its chevaiix defrise of barbed and serrated
leaves. The allied family of the irids is represented by very
beautiful species of the gladiolus, and by several varieties of a
-very graceful form of ixia, which are almost unparalleled for
elegance in any of the floral ranks. The flowers of these ixias
are pink and lavender-hued bells, suspended from long pendulous
hair-like foot-stalks, something like those of the English hare
bell. The flower-stems are sometimes six and seven feet high.
The bright blossoms issue from dry membranous sheaths, or
bracts, which remain after the flowers have withered. Before
the buds open out, the spikes of grey scaly bracts look exactly
like the fructification of a grass ; and when the gay corollas
appear, it is as if some of the slender, pendulous wood-grasses
of home had suddenly burst into gay fiowers at the end of their
spikes. The ixias are not uncommonly termed "fiowering
grasses," by observers not initiated in the secrets of botanical
lore. The bulbous amaryllids, and their near allies of the lily,
iris, and onion tribes, seem as if they had seized upon South
Africa as the head-quarters of their clan ; they are found upon
its hill-sides and slopes in so rich an abundance, and in so great
a diversity. The amaryllids themselves are the most numerous
of these gay bulbous plants. Nearly all the " lilies" of common
language are really amaryllids. They are so called because the
general aspect of the flower is lily-like. The corolla is large,
bell-shaped, and furnished with six stamens. In the true lily,
however, the young fruit is concealed within the flower;
while in the amaryllid the young fruit is visible to the eye at
the bottom of the gay flower. This is a somewhat important
distinction, because the amaryllids all possess poisonous qualities,
from which the lilies are altogether free. The poison used by
some of the South African tribes to render their arrows deadly,
is taken-from a species of amaryllis. It is a piece of botanical
knowledge by no means unimportant for the settler in South

154 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
Africa to possess, that any of the numerous succulent bulbous
plants of the district, which has six stamened bell-shaped
flowers, growing from the top of the young fruit, is .at once to
be set down as of dangerous and poisonous character.
Most of the trees in Natal bear gay and bright flowers ; and
most of them are also evergreens. The bush of the sea-coast-
district is a thick jungle of glossy-leaved trees, not much
exceeding the dimensions of large shrubs, but gay with bright
blossoms throughout the greater part of the year. Many of
these bush-evergreens are leguminous plants, and have bunches
of papilionaceous (butterfly -like) flowers. One of these pod-
bearing trees, of common occurrence throughout the colony,
is literally covered with thick masses of scarlet blossoms about
midwinter, the leaf- buds only opening as the flowers fall awaj'.
This scarlet-blossomed ornament of the midwinter landscape
(an erythrina) is known under the name ofthe " Kafir boom."
The bush of the uplands is principally composed of different
species of mimosas. They are for the most part trees of limited
size, with fiat tops, and many of them are armed with formidable
spines. The larger trees grow only in kloofs and ravines,
seizing by preference upon the sides which have a southern
exposure, and which therefore are sheltered from the mid-day
sun. Many of these larger trees are of the laurel, the yew, and
the myrtle tribes.
Several of the trees of Natal furnish excellent timber. First
and foremost among these useful plants stands the tree which
yields the "yellow wood." This is a species oi jew {Taxus
elongata), and bearing a leaf something like that of the English
yew, but that it is longer. The yellow wood is the timber most
generally in use within the colony for building purposes wher
ever there is protection from wet, and for the construction of
household furniture. This wood has a very compact appearance,
and works easily and well while stiU moist ; but when dry it
cuts jaggedly and unevenly across the grain. The wood is of
short fibre, and of slight tenacity. If painted or varnished with
the sap stUl in it, it very soon decays. It shrinks more than
any other wood in use ; beams made of it shorten themselves as
much as half an inch in twenty feet. The wood is altogether

NATURAL PRODUCTS. 155
unfitted for out-of-door work. The yellow-wood trees are
procured chiefiy from the kloofs of the upland country. They
grow to a large size. Trees forty feet long and five feet in
diameter have been cut down as clean poles without a single
branch. Where the branches are given out from the top of the
stem, the wood is knotted and twisted so that it cuts there into
very ornamental planks for cabinet work.
There is a second and distinct kind of yellow wood, known as
the " Bastard-yellow wood," which is the produce-of a tree with
smaller leaves, borne chiefly in terminal tufts at the end of the
branches, the naked stem being hoary from an investment of
shaggy lichen. The bastard wood is stronger, when thoroughly
dried, than the true yellow wood ; but some specimens are very
much better in this respect than others.
The wood known in the colony as sneeze-wood, is also the
produce of an evergreen which grows to large size. Trunks
have been cut down eighty feet high, and four feet in
diameter ; but the largest and oldest trees are generally
unsound at the heart. The wood has received its name from
the Dutch, because it gives off an irritating dust when it is
worked, which excites to sneezing. In general appearance,
it very much resembles satin-wood. But notwithstanding its
delicate and handsome grain, it is not suited to cabinet-makers'
work, on account of the large quantity of resin which it
contains. Joints made with it will not hold glue, unless
carefully chalked beforehand. Planks of it often fall into little
holes after planing, from the opening of many of the minute reser
voirs provided within the substance of the wood for the reception
of the resin. The cause, however, which unfits this wood to be
employed by cabinet-makers, renders it valuable for out-of-
door service in the same degreee. It bears wetting with
comparative impunity. Instances are known in which posts
of sneeze-wood have been taken out of the ground perfectly
sound, although they could not have been in use for less
than sixty years. A block of sneeze- wood fiames like a candle
when it is burned. Trees of it will continue to blaze in the
bush for two and three weeks at a time when set on fire.
Sneeze-wood enjoys a tolerable immunity from the attacks of

156 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
insects. The wood is particularly straight-grained, and has a
long tenacious fibre; it is considerably stronger than yellow
wood, but readily splits, and is therefore well adapted for
making laths.
The stink-wood of the colony is the produce of a species of
laurel (fhe Laurus bullata). This wood has a longer fibre than
sneeze-wood, and possesses greater tenacity. When it breaks,
it presents a more stringy fracture. It is, however, not so hard
as sneeze-wood, and is of very inferior durability to it, when
used in exposed situations. It is well adapted for making
furniture. Stink-wood receives its name from the peculiar
odour which it emits when under the saw and plane. The wood
is dark, something like the most ornamental specimens of the
walnut, and often variegated with great diversity of shades ;
choice specimens of it have almost the beauty of tortoiseshell.
The markings, however, are very evanescent, unless the wood is
protected from the infiuence of the air, by a covering of resinous
polish. The stink-wood tree grows in the uplands, at the very
top of ravines and kloofs, where it is difficult to get at. It is in
extensive use for the rims of wheels. There is a variety of this
wood, known under the name of the " Cannibal Stink-wood,"
which is of a light colour, woolly and porous ; the surface, when
it is cut with the saw, presents a texture very much like the nap
of cloth. This wood is of no use whatever to the cabinet-maker,
and is chiefly employed in the fabrication of yokes.
The iron-woods of Natal are very long fibred, tough and why.
The grain is so close that it can scarcely be detected by the eye ;
but it is arranged in knotty and curly bundles. There are two
kinds of the wood ; the one being light, and the other nearly
black. The white wood is sometimes cut in blocks twenty-five
feet long, and eighteen inches in diameter. The black wood is
more commonly unsound at the heart when the tree is of any
size. With one exception the iron-woods are the strongest of
any kind of timber that grows in Natal. They are in great
request for the axles of waggons ; and are also used for forming
cogged wheels. They are excellent for the purposes of the
turner. The dark wood would be of great value in England for
church furniture and carving.

NATURAL PRODUCTS. 157
The hardest and toughest of the woods of Natal is that known
under the native name " Umsimbiti" {iron-wood). The tree
which yields this wood grows principally upon the coast and
bears' a sort of pod ; it is sometimes procured as much as eighteen
inches in diameter. It is particularly dense and heavy, and is
preferred before everything else for the construction of axles for
waggons. The axle, however, has to be cut in a particular form,
because the wood has a tendency to bend up when it has been
in work for some time. Axles of the umsimbiti are very enduring,
and will stand continued wear for ten or twelve years at a stretch.
The natives make tall, knobbed walking-staffs of this wood, some
of which are twelve or fourteen feet long and perfectly straight
from end to end.
There are several other kinds of wood furnished by the trees of
Natal which are used for various purposes, but are less generally
known than those which have been particularized. A strong
wood called the " White-pear wood" is straighter in its fibre than
even stink-wood, and furnishes a valuable material for the rims
of wheels. The spokes of wheels are for the most part formed
of a kind of lance-wood, termed "Assegai wood" because the
Kafirs use it for the handles of their spears ; this wood is very
compact and hard, but grows to no size. There is a very valuable
wood procured from the bush of the sea-coast, which is termed
the " Flat-crown wood." The tree grows with a clean stem
fifteen feet high, and some two feet in diameter. The fibre of
the wood is very much like that of elm, but its colour is a
brighter yellow than even the true yellow wood, and it cuts with
a firm and even grain. It is chiefly employed for constructing
the naves of wheels. There are two woods known on the coast
as " Red-and-white milk woods," which are procured of con
siderable size, and which are put to the same uses as stink-
wood ; even axles of waggons being made of them. A compact
and close " Red-ivory wood" is procured from the banks of the
Umgeni There is also a wood known under the name " Chestnut-
wood ;" the tree bearing a seed like that of the horse-chestnut.
A dark brown, very hard wood, distinguished by the Kafirs as
" Tamboti-wood," and used by them, when scraped, as a dressing
for the hair, is employed in the construction of axles, and for

158 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the stocks of guns ; it is cross-grained and hard to clean off
after it has been cut, in consequence of being charged with gum.
A wood known among the Dutch as the " Saffran {saffron)
wood" is the produce of a tree something like the laurel, but
having the leaf prickly on its edge. This wood is of great tough
ness and strength, and yields a bark which is employed for
tanning. There is also another useful wood found in the bush ¦
which is designated the " Bitter-almond wood ;" and yet another
kind designated " Rooibessje" {red berry), very much resembling
Honduras mahogany.
A few of the wild plants of Natal bear edible fruits ; but it
must be confessed that the native fruits are curiously few for a
spot so rich in the productions of the vegetable kingdom. It is
also somewhat worthy of remark that the two wild fruits, which
are perhaps in most general use, are furnished by poisonous
tribes. The " Amatungulu" {Natal plum) is the berry of an
evergreen periwinkle ( 'Vinca) growing as a small shrub on the
sea-coast lands. The fruit is about the size of a damson, and
is filled with a milky white, pleasantly acid juice ; and it becomes
of a bright red colour as it ripens. The CajDC gooseberry, a plant
which should perhaps be rather considered as naturalized from
the Cape, than as truly indigenous to the colony, is the capsule
of a broad-leaved straggling plant of the deadly-night-shade
family {Solanacece). This plant grows very luxuriantly on waste
land around dwellings, and is very constantly and extensively
used by colonists ; but its fruit has a peculiar coarse flavour
which is not always relished at the first. The kaw apple
{DingaarCs apricot) is the fruit of an ebony tree {Diospyrus),
which constitutes a very valuable thick-set fence, when properly
planted, impenetrable by cattle. The fruit forms an extempo
raneous pickle, and when ripe is capable of yielding in skilful
hands a preserve, which forms a very excellent substitute foi-
the currant-jelly of home, and quite an epicure's addition to
colonial mutton and venison. The granadilla (a species ofjmssion-
fiower) is now quite naturalized in the colony, and grows with
surprising luxuriance. Its fruit, when ripe, is perhaps on the
whole one of the most delicious and wholesome ofthe productions
of the colony. The pulp and seeds scooped out from the cavity

NATURAL PRODUCTS. 159
of the capsule, present a remarkable combination of pleasant
acidity with exquisite aroma. The fruit of the prickly-pear, a
spiny cactus of rapid growth, which is also employed for fencing,
is eaten by many. A species of banana {Strelitzia alba) and a
species of fig, grow wild in the colony. A very excellent kind
of wild raspberry is also found. The Kafirs are acquainted with
another kind of plum, somewhat resembling the amatungulu,
but having a real stone in its inside; this is called the
" Anwttunduluka." They also eat the fruit of the water-boom of
the Dutch {a species of mimosa) under the name of " Izindoni."
The wild fig ( Umkiwane) of the natives is a small fruit which
hangs in bunches on a long string. The fruit of a wild olive
( Umgwenyd), a shrub armed with innumerable thorns that hook
the foliage together into a dense tangled mass, is another
indigenous production which is consumed by the wild tribes.
The three great leafless and succulent-stemmed tribes of the
vegetable kingdom are all abundantly represented in Natal.
The euphorbias occur in every possible variety of size, from
weeds the length of the finger to trees forty feet high. The
large euphorbia tree of the bush has ah-eady been alluded to as
constituting a remarkable feature in the landscape of Natal.
The true " Candelabra Spurge," aptly named from its grotesque
mimicry ofthe old-fashioned branched candlestick, is encountered
in rocky places near the margins of rivers. The prickly pears
{Cacti) grow luxuriantly to a gigantic size. The Asclepiods
are a numerous family, and put on an infinite diversity of form ;
that of the Stapelias, with their livid and disagreeable smelling
fiowers, among them. On some parts of the immediate sea-
coast, complete walls are formed of magnificent aloes, standing
ten or twelve feet high.
The "Kafir-orange" of the sea-coast-bush is a "strychnos,"
and has strychnine in its seeds. The castor-oil plant, the senna,
and several species of indigo, are encountered wild in various
localities in Natal.
Some portion of the four-footed tribes of the animal kingdom,,
which originally shared the colony of Natal with its native
human inhabitants, have retired in dudgeon before the footsteps
of the white-skinned colonists. But a few years ago, the mer-

160 THE COLONY OF NATS.L :
chant of Durban who rode up into the bush of the Berea, stood
a very fair chance of having to pull up mid- way in his canter,
to allow a file of half a dozen elephants to pass across his path.
The mimosa-bush around Uys Dooms, seven miles out of Maritz
burg, on the Durban road, was a favourite haunt of these huge
creatures, when the Dutch laid out the streets of Maritzburg.
The elephant is still plentiful in the bush along the banks of the
Tugela. Dm-ing the two or three midwinter months, the
monarch with the big mane crosses the Drakenberg into the
Klip River county, and the upper districts of the colony, with
the blesse buck, wilder-beest, quagga, and zebra, which then
migrate so far in search of pasture. Upon very rare occasions
indeed, the lion follows smaller game further towards the sea.
It must be also stated that the lion of South Africa, is a well-
fed good-natured creature, manifesting very different points of-
character from his Mauritanian relative. The panther is common
throughout the colony, and is a very fierce and formidable beast.
It crouches upon the branch of some tree and di-ops upon its
prey, as this passes beneath. There is at the present time a
panther skulking about in the Town bush, in the immediate
neighbourhood of Maritzburg. The leopard is even more fre
quently encountered. It is a smaller animal than the panther,
measuring eight or nine feet from the nose to the tip of the tail.
The panther and leopard are called " tigers" among the Dutch.
There are several varieties of tiger-cat in Natal, mostly about
the size of a greyhound, and nearly resembling the chetah of
India. There is also a small and beautiful species of wUd cat.
The hyena is found everywhere, and is exceedingly useful in
taking upon itself some of the duties of the scavenger. It
prowls about the slaughter-house of Maritzburg at night. It
is a large, powerful, and very fierce animal, but of com-se does
not meddle with living prey. It is the " wolf" of the Dutch.
The jackal is also frequently met with. The wild dog of the
colony is a large and very swift animal, and is able to run down
the buck with the greatest ease. When the buck makes to a
cover, the dog may be seen leaping, in the eagerness of the
chase, many feet high above the foliage, looking for the game
beneath. Three wild dogs will tear down and literally consume

NATURAL PEODUCTS. 161
a buck of 60 lbs. in a few minutes. There are two kinds of wUd
pig in the colony. The prairie pig is only found in the open
veldt ; it has an active body, to which is appended an ugly head
of enormous dimensions. When hard pressed, it seeks shelter
in the burrow of the jackal, and it is very ferocious when brought
to bay. It has the habit of throwing itself backwards, as it
issues from the burrow, and woe betide the sportsman who
stands thei'e under the idea of shooting it as it issues from its
retreat. The prairie pig sometimes weighs as much as 80 lbs.,
and makes excellent pork. The bush pig is a much larger
animal, and frequents only covered ground. It is very much
like the European wild boar, and the boar sometimes weighs
180 lbs. The sea cow (Hippopotamus) is very abundant in
certain localities. There is a kind of preserve of it within two
hours' ride of Maritzburg. The porcupine is also constantly
encountered. There is a great variety of the weasel-tribe in
Natal, to meet the necessity of the equally great numbers of
mice and rats which overrun the ground. The ants, the
mice, and the rats would indeed have the whole South African
land to themselves, if it were not for the enemies which
nature has supplied to keep their hordes in check. The holes
formed by the ant-bear are stumbled upon everywhere on the
open pasture. The meer-cat and. the mole are also seen very fre
quently. Monkeys and baboons inhabit the more retired parts
of the thick bush, but are rarely caught sight of, excepting by
travellers who find themselves in those thick retreats in the
early morning. Troops of these four-handed gymnasts occa
sionally show themselves on the ledges and in the ravines of
the Table-mountain near Maritzburg, about the falls of the
Umgeni, in some parts of the bush near Durban, and, indeed,
in almost every retired kloof The buffalo may be still seen
within a day's ride of Maritzburg. It is one of the most
exciting, but also one of the most dangerous objects of the
colonial chase. It is only found under the shelter of the dense
thorn-bushes. It is the habit of the animal to stand in thick
cover, with its head held low, so that it can see an approaching
antagonist under the creepers, whilst it is itself in perfect
concealment. It rushes forth all of a sudden, and strikes the

1 02 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
hunter who faUs into its clutches with its horns. The tactics
of the hunter consist in advancing, in all suspicious places,
warily from tree to tree, and dodging the infuriated animal when
it makes its rush, firing after it as its impetus carries it past the
hunter's shelter.
The division of animal life which is most interesting to the
colonist upon the whole is that which contains the antelopes.
There are several different kinds of these still shot as venison,
and all are technically known in colonial language as "bucks."
The most common of the tribe is perhaps the " oribi." It is
spread all over the colony. It is a red animal weighing about
30 lbs. It lives in the open prahies, excepting during the
winter months, when it seeks shelter. It squats on the ground,
and starts up from under the horse's feet. Its habit is very
much that of the hare. It keeps very much to one locality, and
runs in a circle. With the exception of one or two of the lai-ger
species, the males only of the antelopes are furnished with the
sharp conical horns.
The duiker buck (diver) is a dark grey animal, somewhat
smaller than the oribi. It lives entirely in cover, and has the
habits of the rabbit rather than of the hare. When it is hunted,
it is started from the cover, and killed in the open land. It
also is widely spread over the colony.
The riet buck (reed buck) is a fawn-coloured animal with
prominent eyes, which avoids dense foliage and underwood, but
haunts swampy covers of reeds and high grass. It is a slow
runner and a squatter, and only to be started at a near distance.
Its weight varies from 80 lbs. to 100 lbs.
The Rhe buck is the chamois of South Africa. It is found on
the Natal hills. It is a light grey animal, with a wavy coat.
It is very wary and only to be kUled by surprise. It places
sentinels on high posts above the sleeping troop. It is chased
by two hunters, the one of whom drives the animal upon the
runs where the other is lying in wait.
The bush buck, or bush ram, is about the same size as the
riet buck. It is a dark^brown spotted animal, with a mane
running down its back, and lives always in cover. It shows
fight when brought to bay, and is somewhat formidable from

NATUEAL PRODUCTS. 163
the length and strength of its horns. It barks like a dog when
rushing upon an antagonist.
There is also found in the bush a very choice little animal
known as the blue buck, which is not very much larger than a
good-sized hare.
The hartebeest is found in the winter season in the upland
districts, within five hours' ride of Maritzburg. It is a magnifi
cent animal, weighing sometimes 350 lbs. It does not squat,
and must be cut off, when hunted, by a fair hard run. It lives
entirely in the open pastures, and both the males and females
carry horns.
The eland far exceeds even the hartebeest in size. It lives
in the open pasture, and is soon run down on account of being
generally encumbered with a considerable deposit of fat about
the heart. A full-grown bull weighs as much as a thousand
pounds, and falls with a crash, like that of a tumbling house,
when it is shot. The eland comes over the Berg into the upland
districts of Natal in the months of July and August.
Both the hartebeest and the eland (as well as the buffalo)
are shot with ball. The rest of the antelopes are, for the most
part, killed with large shot.
The hare is found in Natal, but it is far more rare than the
more common kinds of buck, A kind of coney (rock rabbit) is
common in many localities.
The blesse buck (an antelope with a white blaze down the
body), the quagga (wild ass), the wilderbeest (gnu), and the
zebra, are found under the Drakenberg, on the Natal side,
during the three coldest months of the winter. They always
have the lion with them.
The open veldt of Natal is abundantly stocked with pheasants,
partridges, and quails. The pheasant is an ugly brown bird,
marked by a white horse-shoe, and with a cry exactly like that
of the English pheasant ; it has white, but dry flesh. The grey-
winged partridge is like the English bird ; it is principally
confined to the coast-lands. A red-winged partridge, as large
again as the grey-winged, is found in most parts of the colony.
The teal is occasionally met with in small numbers. The wild
duck is rare. The Muscovy duck is more common. So also is
m2

164 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the wild goose, which is a very delicious bird on table. The
paauw (wild turkey or bustard) is very abundant, and is one of
the most esteemed species of game in the colony. The meat
of the breast is brown and of a peculiar short fibre ; the meat
of the other parts is white ; its flavour is intermediate between
that of the pheasant and the wild duck, and nearly resembles
that of the moor fowl of Scotland. It is shot in the open
country by sportsmen riding in circles round it. The koran is
a smaller bird, but of very excellent quality in the proper season ;
it is more like the English woodcock, and has half an inch of.
delicious fat upon its back. The guinea-fowl abounds in the
bush, A species of snipe is very common on the open land.
There is also " a golden snipe," which is ornamented with
circular yellow and black spots. There are various kinds of
storks, cranes, and pelicans, in Natal. There is one known as
the locust bird, and another as the Kafir crane. One of the
most interesting of the tribe is the secretary bhd, which wages
incessant and very successful warfare with the snakes.
The birds of prey are an extensive family in Natal, and have
very important business entrusted to their care. A large black
eagle is now and then seen. There are several kinds of falcons,
kites, hawks, and owls. Some of the hawks are very small,
and prey only on the insects (insect-hawks). There are two
species of the vulture. One kind, a large, heavy, black-and-
white bird, with fringed, fiapping wings, is constantly seen
winging its way through the higher regions of the air, intent
upon some business-visit to carrion. The most common crow is
a raven-like bird, with a curious carunculated and hooked beak,
and a white crescent upon its back.
The birds of the bush are many of them of most beautiful
plumage. Among the most striking may be named parrots,
toucans, the lori, king-fishers, wood-peckers, the sugar-bird,
the honey-bird, and a kind of canary. There is a very remark
able long-taUed finch, common in most localities, the male of
which carries behind it a waving tail three times the length
of its body. This is known as the Kafir-finch (Kafir-vink).
The reptiles of Natal are important items in its list of living
creatures. Large alligators breed near the mouths of sonie of

NATURAL PEODUCTS. 165
the rivers, and upon rare occasions prove troublesome to passen
gers, who attempt to cross the drifts when the streams are
unusually fiooded. Their huge forms may now and then be
seen basking upon the sandy shores of their favourite haunts.
They readily take a poisoned bait, and are disposed of in this
way whenever they begin to show in force in any locality.
Snakes constitute a legion in the land, far too numerous to have
been hitherto numbered and catalogued. They abound alike in
the tangled bush, in the grassy pasture, and in the stony wil
derness. The boa constrictor, and large species of python,
haunt some of the tangled kloofs, but are altogether harmless to
man. They principally affect the smaller antelopes, and crea
tures of yet more diminutive size. A fair illustration of the
kind of relations which exist between these gigantic, but not
poisonous serpents, and man, was afforded recently. Two young
boys were crawling about among some tall reeds near the river
Umhlanga, when one of them came within a few inches of the
head of a large boa. The boys retreated a few yards, and began
pelting the monster with stones, and he took himself off quietly
out of sight. Many of the smaller snakes are venomous.
Among these the most formidable are some species of cobra,
the puff adder, and two or three kinds of a snake much dreaded
by the Kafirs, under the name of imamba. This serpent is
slender for its length, and of a dark brown colour, and is chiefly
formidable on account of its quick movements, and bellicose
habits. The imamba is probably the only serpent which volun
tarily acts on the offensive against man. Snakes are for the
most part sluggish and timid, and manifest no other anxiety
when they are disturbed than to get out of the way. An inces
sant warfare is of course continually waged against them;
thousands are destroyed in the colony every year. They are
immediately rendered powerless for harm by a smart blow across
the spine, inflicted by a stout pliable stick, or heavy thong.
When the number of the poisonous snakes in Natal is borne in
mind, it is truly wonderful how rarely injuries are inflicted by
their bites. Colonists very soon get to be perfectly indifferent
to their presence. A tradesman's wife, in Maritzbm-g, a few
days since, sat down upon what she conceived to be an empty

1 66 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
box that chanced to be standing near the door of her cotta,ge,
and a few minutes afterwards made the discovery that the box
contained a large puff adder, which had appropriated it before
herself She merely called a Kafir servant, and sent him away
with the box and the adder, as coolly as if the event had been a
matter of course in the occurrences of the day. The writer of
these lines, after eighteen months' experience in a favourite
haunt of the snakes, where he had frequent occasions to verify
the fact of their near neighbourhood, only saw one animal which
had been bitten, and that was a trek ox. The beast was enor
mously swollen from the effects of the bite, and pronounced by
the Kafir attendants to be past hope. But it ultimately recov
ered under the use of ammonia.
The reptiles encountered in Natal are not all repulsive.
Beautiful little lizards bask everywhere in the sunshine, and
play bo-peep in the most familiar way with observers, and still
more beautiful chameleons cling to the foliage of the trees.
The Kafirs have some tradition regarding the chameleon, which
confers upon the interesting little creature immunity from
attack, a privUege which it seems quite to understand, as it is
without any fear of the human form. The chameleon is a
common household pet among the children of settlers. A
large species of iguana, nearly a yard long, is found near the
water. The insect race, as a matter of course, musters strong in the
South African sunshine. The tribes, however, which seem to
claim for themselves most immediate notice, are those which
belong to the fan-winged (orthopterous) division. A locust, two
inches long, and wearing a gorgeous green, gold, and black
coat-of-iuail, feeds gluttonously under the trees. Grasshoppers
leap from under the pedestrian's feet, and when well up in
mid-air, expand a pair of bright scarlet wings, and lengthen
their leap into a fiight. The grotesque phasmidee, or spectre-
insects, lurk in the pathway like limbed and animated straws
and twigs ; and the green mantis lies in wait on the branches
and trunks of trees, and with clasped and uplifted legs turns
its queer goggle eyes upon the approaching intruder, and even
waits curiously and patiently with waving horn-like antenufe

•NATURAL PRODUCTS. 167
whilst its back is stroked. Big-thighed crickets complete this
motley orthopterous fan-winged) group, which as much deserves
to be considered the representative type of the insect race of
the colony, as the amaryllids do to be taken as a leading type
of its vegetable tribes.
The butterflies of Natal are very varied and beautiful. At
night, throughout the season of the summer, the darkness is
spangled with the soft-glowing light of the fire-fiies. The
water-courses along the streets of Maritzburg are completely
fringed with their dancing fires night after night. The cicadas
keep the air filled with shrill grating discord, during pretty well
eight months of the year. Solitary bees make tunnels in the
walls of dwelling-houses, and long brown-and-gold wasps
suspend their paper nests from the beams of verandahs and
out-houses. The ground is alive with colonies of ants, some
big shiny-black fellows, others rusty red, and others of pigmy
size and brown. Scarcely a yard of bare ground can be dis
covered which is not occupied with the busy marchings and
runnings to and fro of the^e active and energetic insects.
Insect life teems in Natal. But, strange to say, it is hardly
possible to conceive any land on the globe where less annoyance
is occasioned by its abundance. The ear must become used and
insensible to the shrill chirp of the crickets and cicadas ; spiders
must be cleared away from ceilings and walls pretty constantly;
and fieas must be hunted to extirpation now and then ; but this
is about the extent of trouble many colonists will experience
from these reputed plagues. Flies are as obstinate and
self-willed as they are in confectioners' shops in England.
Mosquitoes are confined to limited localities. They are very
sparingly seen in the neighbourhood of Maritzburg. The very
wasps are weU-behaved and polite. They never beset the
dwelling apartments, and buzz impertinently about, as they do
at home. A solitary one now and then sails quietly into the
room, and after a minute survey of the rafters and ceilings,
with a mere view to business, sails as soberly out again. The
insect plagues of Natal, apart from the special depredators which
attack the crops of the agriculturists, and which are of course
as numerous and as diversified as in other parts of the world,

168 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
may be named in a very smaU compass. They are simply ticks,
ants, and fish moths.
There are several kinds of the insect known under the name
of the tick (Ixodes) found in Natal. The larger species confine
their attention to oxen and horses. These are often as large as,
or larger than, a pea. Those which attack man are very much
smaller. The most troublesome of all is so small, that it can
be barely seen. These insects are shaped something like a bug.
They have no wings, and cling to the stalks of the grass, from
which they are brushed by passing animals. They possess, in
the place of mouths, a pair of sharp delicate lancets, and a pipe
covered over externally with small curved-back spikes. They
plunge this implement into the skin, and then suck away,
holding on unconsciously, and therefore very resolutely, by their
barbs. They are destitute of eyes, and hence it may be hoped
are not altogether conscious of their evil deeds. The ticks are
very troublesome to animals, especially in the sea-coast district.
They also occasionally cause an inconvenient amount of irritation
in the human skin. This much, however, must be said even for
these blind, blood-thirsty insects ; their reality is not so bad as
their reputation. Their numbers are kept very much under by the
custom of burning the grass on the pastures ; and they gradually
disappear from well-cultivated land. It is said that they were
once very much more troublesome in the sandy precincts of
Durban, than they are at the present time.
The " white ant" is properly not an ant at all. It is an insect
holding an intermediate position between the orthopterous tribes
already alluded to, and the true, or hymenopterous, ants. The
little white workers which constitute the labouring part of the
community, are the immature forms {larvce) of the insect. The
soldiers, recognized by their larger heads and mandibles, are in
more mature states ; but these soldiers never put on wings. The
winged members of the community are individuals which have
attained full perfection as males and females ; these fly off from
the nest as soon as their development is complete, to establish
fresh colonies. Such of the females of these insect emigrants
as escape the numerous dangers of their out-of-door excursion,
Rre found up by scattered parties of workers, and imprisoned in

NATUEAL PEODUCTS. 169
a cell of hardened clay as the centres of independent settlements.
The white ants labour entirely out of sight in covered ways.
They form galleries of hardened clay a short distance beneath
the surface, which ramify in various directions from the royal
cell or nest. These galleries are often carried beneath the
foundations of houses, and then up through the interior of the
wood-work ; a mere thin surface-layer of which is alone left to
mask their proceedings. The ants sometimes travel from the
floor to the upper stories or the roof, through plastered walls.
They then betray their course by making small openings here
and there, through which they fling the waste materials of their
excavations. These ingenious depredators are very abundant.
Many of the buildings in the towns, the Court-house in Maritz
burg for instance, have had the timber in them replaced again
and again in consequence of their resolute attacks. Some of
the rooms of the Grey Hospital in the same town have suffered
in the same way from the energetic activity of their mandibles.
There is but one method by which the white ants can be displaced
from any building they have taken a fancy to. The ground in
the neighbourhood must be thoroughly examined, and dug over,
and the queens and their royal chambers destroyed. So soon as
this is effected, the depredators give over their attack and
disperse of their own accord. In all towns of any size, such as
Maritzburg, they gradually withdraw themselves centrifugaUy.
They never remain long in the neighbourhood of cultivated
ground, or where their proceedings are subject to frequent
disturbance. The true ants now and then take the fancy into their little
obstinate heads that they will send out their swarms of perfected
males and females into, or through, the apartments of dwelling-
houses. It is only under such exceptional circumstances that
they cause any trouble. When they adopt this course, they
cluster in enormous quantities about the skirting-boards and
floors, and their winged swarms are scattered from these in un
pleasant quantities during the evening and night. This process
of swarming goes on pertinaceously for a few successive days,
and then comes to an end, and the ants disappear. They can
only be got rid of during the process by the external removal of

170 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the nests and runs. All the ordinary in-door tactics, such as
deluges of boiling water, and supiilies of arsenic and sugar, fail ;
they merely shift the ground of the exodus by a few inches, and
perhaps prolong the term of the eruption.
There is, however, one kind of true ant which belongs especially
to the house, and which is especially the housekeeper's pest.
This is a small brown species, or emmet, which makes its nest
in walls and beneath floors, and which has an unconquerable
liking for all sweet and fat articles of food. The first thing it
does is to find out the pantry. Some stray foragers then discover
where the good things are deposited, and a run is forthwith
established ; that is to say, a procession begins of insects passing
to and from the discovered treasm-es in a wide track or train, in
which every pah of mandibles going downwards or outwards is
laden with a pilfered morsel. If the run be broken across, or
disturbed, a detour is made round the difficult point, and the
communications are established along another line. Complicated
campaigns extending over weeks, may be fought in this way
with the emmets, and be ended in their favour by their estab
lishing themselves in possession of the disputed ground. The
ingenious shifts and contrivances to which they resort in such
contests would be quite incredible, if not observed. There is
only one course of proceeding which proves to be too much for
them. This consists in isolating every article that they affect
by placing it upon shelves, or in safes and cupboards, standing
upon legs thrust into little tin vessels of tar. All the shelves
of a pantry may be easily isolated iu this way, by having four
legs three inches long at their corners placed in such tar
receptacles standing on lower shelves. A house may be kept
fairly clear of these ants by dressing all the crevices of the floors,
first with tar, and then with Roman cement. The great practical
rule for the housekeeper, in dealing with these invaders, is
however never to aUow anything which they have a fancy for, to
stand unisolated by the tar-buckets. Under such treatment they
soon vote the " grapes sour," and the house " a bore ;" and
leave it for forays in more productive directions.
There is a very destructive insect in Natal, known commonly
as " The Fish Moth." This is a steel-grey fishy-looking creature

NATURAL PRODUCTS. 171
with six legs, without wings, and with diverging spikelets to its
tail. It inhabits the crevices of walls, and wood-work, and is
nocturnal in its habits, being greatly addicted to the insides of
boxes which are not often disturbed, and more especially if lined,
as instrument-cases are, with green baize. It is very fond of all
fabrics containing starch, and attacks woollen clothes of all
kinds, riddling them full of holes. Very considerately it prefers
old clothes to new ones. The slimy-looking grey body is really
covered with scales of microscopic minuteness. The troublesome
creature is, indeed, a species of the Lepisma, which is in such
high repute among the microscopists of England, on account of
its furnishing them these minute scales as test-objects, adapted
to try the optical excellence of their instruments. It is an insect
which is destitute of wings, which undergoes no transformation,
and which for these and other structural reasons is placed in the
" Thysanourous," or tassel-tailed, wingless group of entomolo
gists. The fish moths possess an incredible tenacity of life.
The writer now has one of them, which was placed in a wine
glass three months ago to test its power of endurance, which has
had no supply of food since, saving one companion that was at
first the sharer of its captivity, and which is at the present time
as lively as when the incarceration commenced. There is scarcely
a hou^e n Natal that is not over-run with these destructive
fish moths. There is, however, a very easy method of protecting
clothes from their depredations. It is simply to isolate all ward
robes and boxes that are used as depositories of garments not in
constant use, from the floor and walls, by tar-buckets. It is one
of Nature's beneficent compensations that the fish moth is
devoid of wings.
The spiders of Natal are also a host which can hardly be
numbered. Some of them are big, hairy, bold rascals, rather
o-iven to let themselves down from the thatch in unceiled
rooms, at inconvenient and unseasonable times. They are of
seemingly infinite diversity, and many are spotted, and of
beautiful bright colours. The scorpion now and then turns up,
but is very rarely seen.
It is a somewhat unpleasant fact that the " Entozoa" or
intestinal worms, are common in Natal. Both the " ta})e worm"

172 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
and the " round worm" are of frequent occurrence. The reason
for this is at present not known. In all probability the crude
germs of the creature are derived from some extraneous source,
and introduced into the digestive canal either with uncooked
articles of food, or in the water. Various effectual remedies are
in use in the colony. One of the most powerful of these is
procured from the roots of the pomegranate, and the granadilla.
The male fern is also employed medicinally by the Kafirs.

CHAPTER IX.
THE COMMEROIAL PROGBESS OF NATAL.
tHE Commercial history of Natal, as a British dependency,
may be considered to date from the year 1846. The settle
ment ofthe colony had at that time been so far carried out, that
mercantile enterprize had commenced to flow into its proper
channels. In the year 1840 the white population of Natal
amounted to about 6000 individuals ; but these were almost
entirely Dutch. The Kafir population at that time was between
twenty and thirty thousand. Before, or soon after, the final
annexation of the territory by the English, at least two-thirds
of the Dutch again crossed the Drakenberg. When Sir Harry
Smith visited Natal, eleven years ago, the white population had
been reduced to a very low ebb. There was nevertheless within
the colony, at the end of the last year, a white population of
nine thousand, of which probably the smaller half was Dutch.
The Kafir population at that time was estimated at one hundred
and thirty thousand.
In the year 1846, thirty vessels, averaging each 117 tons, came
to Port Natal, bringing goods of the value of about £40,000,
In 1849, forty ships, averaging 147 tons each, brought merchan
dize worth £56,000. In 1850, sixty-four ships, averaging 259
tons each, brought goods worth £111,000. This rapid increase
was in some measure due to the reckless way in which merchants
began to send manufactured and other goods into the new
market. The overstocking of the market, and the failure of
Byrne's emigration scheme, soon put a somewhat disastrous
check to these proceedings. During the years 1851, 1852, 1853,
and 1854, the value of the imports averaged for each year
£110,000; but in the year 1855, twenty-seven ships, averaging

1 74 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
137 tons' burthen each, brought imports of the value of only
£86,000. Since then the increase has been very steady. In
1856, forty-one ships of 122 tons each, brought imports to
Natal worth £102,000. In 1857, forty ships of 202 tons each,
brought imports worth £184,000. In 1858, forty-five ships of
245 tons each, brought imports worth £173,000.
It may be somewhat interesting to note the way in which
young Natal chose to spend its pocket-money during the past
year. Of the £173,000 paid for imported articles, the following
was the general mode of distribution : for —
Articles of food  ^30,000

ClothingStrong drinks (nearly)
Agriculture and manufacture
LuxuriesHousehold hardware ...
LuxuriesBuilding materials
SaddleryBooks, paper, and printing materials (nearly)
Candles and soap
Drugs

27,00014,00012,000 11,02510,000 8,000
4,9754,0004,000 2,000 2,000

The details of expenditure in the several classes, were —
Food, — Flour from the Cape, ^8882 ; coffee, ^£66-32 ; rice, ^5183; tea,,
^2837; sugar, i£2775j dried fruit, i£l312; oats and wheat from
the Cape, .£944 ; salt, ^749; confectionery, ^376; pickled fish,
^335; cheese, ^323; spices, ^196; vinegar, ^6122.
Articles of Clothing. — Haberdashery mid Millinery! i?14,153;
woollen cloth and flannel, ^63972; woollen blankets, £3165;
sheets (15,000 pairs), £2010; cotton manufactures, ^£1639; hats,
£1543; linen, ^1445; hosiery, ^1091.
Strong Deinks. — Ale and heer, a6 J 621; brandy, ^£3985 ; wine,i62155;
gin, ^61962 ; rum, J888; whiskey, ,£210.
Agriculture and Manufaotukb, — Machinery, ^66481; implements,
ifi4011; vegetable fish oil (partly for domestic lighting), ^£1042;
seeds, ^£832 ; fish oil, £244.
Household Hardware, — Ironmongery, ^7981; earthenware and
glass-ware, J; 1472 ; tin-ware, i£536; lucifer matches, i£l82.
Articles or Luxury, — Household furniture, ^£3516; oilman's stores,
£3025; tobacco, ^1638; musical instruments, £1210; plate and
jewellery, i£575; philosophical instruments, ^381; perfumery,
^353,

COMMEECIAL PEOGEESS. 175
Building Materials. — Iron, ^£1190; wood, ^£780 ; lead, i£667 ; paint,
£560; nails, i£341; window glass, i6295 ; paper hangings, £277;
slates, £228; fire bricks, £120; zinc, £80; cement, £26.
Caudles cost £1322; soap, £711; stationery, £2459; printed books,
£1237. The cost of printing materials was £432. Guns to the
value of £954 were imported, and also 9653 barrels of gunpowder,
(This article is, however, only imported by, and sold under the
special permit ofthe Government.)
In addition to the articles specified above, 15,000 pairs of
cotton blankets, worth £3598, were brought into the colony, and
£5786 worth of beads. Neither of these properly are for the
use of young Natal. Young Natal likes millinery ; but has not
yet taken to necklaces. The beads and cotton blankets are
entirely for the Kafir trade. The articles which are imported
expressly for the use of the Kafirs, are known collectively as
" Kafir truck." They consist of blankets, sheets, rugs, shoes,
coloured beads, brass wire and finger and arm rings. There are
shops for the sale of these valuables in all the towns and principal
settlements of the colony, round which groups of Kaflrs may be
constantly seen admiring the wares contained within. Supplies
of these commodities are conveyed over the borders into Zulu-
land by traders, travelling either with packs or waggons on
theh own account, and wandering on from kraal to kraal until
their stock of saleable merchandize is exhausted. The itinerant
traders are especially favoured by King Panda, who has instituted
a law in their behalf, to the effect that " no white man shall
sleep in the grass" within his dominions. Payment for the
" truck" disposed of is principally made in cattle, ostrich feathers,
and ivory.
The chief importers of merchandize are the merchants of
Durban, who keep in stock a heterogeneous assortment of all
kinds of goods, which they dispose of wholesale to the retail
shopkeepers, or send to depots which they have formed by their
enterprize in the upper districts, and in the Independent Dutch
States beyond. A very large and profitable trade is now carried
on through these branch stations, which extend quite to the
Mooi River Dorp, four hundred miles distant from the Port.
The articles in most request in the remote Dutch settlements are
tea, coffee, sugar, and manufactured goods. The journey between

176 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
the Bay and the extreme stations in the Transvaal, is performed
by the ox-waggons of the traders in three weeks, and the price
of the commodities is of course greatly increased by the time
they are delivered at their destination. Prices are, however,
not so much increased by this cause as might be expected. The
value of the trade with the Dutch States beyond the Drakenberg,
which is technically known as the " Overberg trade," was
estimated last year at £60,000.
An amusing notion of the heterogeneous character of mercan
tile proceedings in Natal, will be gleaned from the following
selection of articles contained in an advertisement of one of the
Durban merchants, which appears in a weekly newspaper,
bearing the date of June 23rd, 1859.
Geneva Pale ale
Countess slates Coal tar
Lead Sheet glass
Wrapping paper Jamaica ginger
Sugar candy Currants
Umgazi beads Yarmouth herrings
Buby beads Hops
Rose beads Eau de Cologne
Lemon beads Prunes
Sky-blue beads Gloucester cheese
Black beads Blankets
Tambo beads Salempores
Pink beads Shirts
Green beads Moderator lamps
White beads Champagne glasses
Mioanda beads American clocks
Brass wire Blotting paper
Kafir hatchets Slating nails
Yellow wood Lime
Fire bricks
Of the £173,000 worth of imports brought into the colony
last year, nearly £118,000 worth came from Great Britain;
£40,000 worth from the Cape of Good Hope ; £8000 from the
Mauritius; nearly £4000 worth from Akyab; £1500 worth
from the St. John's River ; £766 worth from Holland ; £550
worth from Hanover ; and £60 from Zanzibar.

COMMEECIAL PEOGEESS. 177
In the year 1848, colonial produce to the value of £10,000
was exported. In 1850, the value of exported colonial produce
was £15,000. In 1852, it was £20,000; in 1855, it was
£45,000 ; in 1857, it was £78,000; and in 1858, £91,000.
The most important articles of exportation from Natal, are
ivory, wood, hides, butter, wool, arrow-root, ahd sugar. The
following statement shows the value of these exports for each
year during the last six.
1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858
£. £. £. £. £. £,
Ivory  8,634 14,688 13,504 13,715 18,170 31,000
Wood  1,958 3,699 1,705 691 885 1,300
Hides  902 2,041 3,201 11,568 22,365 16,487
Butter  5,506 8,444 8,915 7,591 12,142 15,682
Wool  3,450 3,366 8,331 7,325 9,887 11,360
Arrow-root 31 97 999 1,826 3,135 5,464
Sugar  0 2 19 483 2,008 3,860
The only other articles of any consequence exported during
the past year from Natal, were fifty-six horses, worth £1227, to
the Mauritius ; eighty-five pounds of ostrich feathers, worth
£510 ; green fruit, to the Cape and the Mauritius, worth £298 ;
Indian corn and oats, to the Cape and the Mauritius, worth
£311: molasses, to the Cape, worth £207; fiour and meal, to
the Cape, worth £91 ; rhinoceros' horns, worth £455 ; dressed
skins of the calf, sheep, and goat, worth £213 ; dressed skins of
wild animals, worth £102.
Of £100,000 worth of merchandize sent out from Natal during
the past year, £56,000 worth went to Great Britain ; £38,000
worth to the Cape of Good Hope ; £3000 worth to the Mauritius ;
£3000 worth to the St. John's River ; and £93 to Zanzibar.
The following table exhibits at one glance a very fair picture
of the commercial position and growth of the colony. It gives
for a period of eighteen years the tonnage of vessels employed
in the import and export trades for each year, and also the
value of both imports and exports, and the amount of customs'
dues paid upon the former. N

178

THE COLONY OF NATAL:

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The revenue of Natal is derived from the rent and sale of
land ; transfer dues ; stamps ; the Post-oifice ; a direct hut-tax
of seven shillings per annum on each Kafir hut ; auction dues ;
licenses ; port and harbour dues ; and the customs' duty.
A small quit-rent of from £3 to £4 per annum is charged on
farms of 6,000 acres, granted by Government. A duty of £4
per cent, is charged on all sales of immovable property. Auction
dues of £2 per cent, are levied on public sales of movable
COMMEECIAL PEOGEESS.

I7y

property, and £1 per cent, on immovable property. One pound
per month is charged for each saw, cutting wood on crown-lands.
The harbour dues are four shillings and sixpence per foot for
the draught of vessels entering the Port.
The principal fees for licenses levied by Government are
yearly, for butchers £3 ; bakers £2 ; retail shops £1 10s. ;
sphits and wine (near town) £20 ; spirits and wine (in provincial
districts) £8 ; auctioneers £3 ; brewers £30 ; distillers £30 ;
public billiard-tables £7 10s. ; special license for marriage
£3 10s. ; admission of notaries, £7 10s.
The custom duties levied on imports are : — beer and spirituous
liquors 3s. per gallon; wine 2s. per gaUon; guns 10s. per
barrel, and pistols 5s. per barrel; coff'ee 10s. per cwt. ; tea 4id.
per lb. ; rice Is. 6d, per cwt, ; soap Is. per cwt. ; sugar 4s, per
cwt. ; tobacco 40s. per cwt. ; and beads 3d. per lb. All other
articles are charged an ad valorem duty of £6 per cent. The
customs' duty, on the goods imported into the colony during the
past year, amounted to £15,904. Printed books, flour and
grain, machinery, salt, seeds, and casks, are free. A law,
recently passed, will shortly come into force, to increase slightly
the duties on some of these articles, and to impose duty upon
machinery and agricultural implements.
The yearly revenue of the colony, for the years from 1850 to
1856, varied between 25,700 and £29,700. In 1857 it was
£41,000 ; and in 1858, £42,800.
The revenue of the colony for the year 1858 amounted to
£47,043. This sum was derived from the following sources, and
in the proportions expressed by the figures.

Customs' duty
Port and harbour dues
Land sales
Land revenue
Rents
Transfer duties
Auction duties
Licenses ...
Stamps 
Ta.xes Postage 

£15,990 160
216
1848 11
2374 683 150
1563
] 1,725 1729
n2

180 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
Fines, forfeitures, and court fees ... ... ... £1955
Fees of office ... ... ... ... ... 525
Sale of Government property ... ... ... 96
Eeimbursements ... ... ... ... ... 195
Miscellaneous ... ... ... ... ... 1599
Refunded suras and surcharges ... ... ... 69
Special receipts ... ... ... ... ... 3265
Advances repaid ... ... ... ... ... 2982
The expenditure of the colony for the year 1858, amounted
to £48,209. This sum was distributed to the various services
as follows : — Civil Establishments.
The Lieutenant-Governor ... ... ... £1350
Executive Coungil ... ... ... ... 50
Colonial Secretary ... ... ... ... ... 1466
Secretary for Native Affairs ... ... ... 668
Colonial Treasurer ... ... ... ... ... 665
Auditor  829
Eegistrar of Deeds ... ... ... ... ... 362
Distributor of Stamps ... ... ... ... 100
Surveyor-General ... ... ... ... ... 876
Customs  1088
Port-office  762
Post-office  756
Field-Commandants ... ... ... ... 413
Ferrymen ... ... ... ... ... ... 255
Judicial Establishments, &c.
Supreme Court  £2129
Sheriff  195
Attorney-General ... ... ... ,.. ... 837
Division Courts ... ... ... ... ... 4324
Ecclesiastical Establishments ... ... ... 684
Educational Establishments ... ... ... 352
Medical Establishments  317
Police and Gaols ... ... ... ... ... 1815
Pensions and allowances ... ... ... ... 450
Revenue services ... ... ... ... ... 595
Administration of Justice ... ... ... ... 217
Education  478
Hospitals  267
Police and Gaols ... ... ... ... ... 811
Rent  610
Transport ... ... ... ... ... ... 457
Conveyance of mails ... ... ... ... 1977

COMMEECIAL PEOGEESS. 181
Works and buildings  £1606
Roads, streets, and bridges  8693
Miscellaneous  4419
Aborigines ... ... ... ... ... ... 229
Native purposes, reserved under Royal Charter... 2229
Immigration ... ... ... ... ... 155
Gratuities to Religious, Charitable, and Scientific
Institutions ... ... ... ... ... 297
Sums refunded and surcharges removed  506
Special payments ... ... ... ... ... 2592
Advances made ... ... ... ... ... 2151
Remitances to Agents —
For Immigration purposes  £3000
For Education ... ... ... ... ... lOO
For purchase of gunpowder ... ... ... lOOO
In the same year the Home Government expended on behalf of
the colony —
Pay and food for Royal Troops engaged in
protection  £28,049
For military works and stores ... ... ... 1,106
The public expenditure of the colony for the last eight years
has been —
1850  £21,361
1851  20,777
1852  25,232
1853  28,688
1854  31,642
1855   28,301
1856  28,916
1857  33,683
1858 ¦  43,646
A Banking Company, with a capital of £20,000 in £5 shares,
has now been carrying on operations in Natal during five years.
The shares of the company bring, at public sales, at the present
time, £7 12s, each, and the Directors have for some time declared
a dividend of £16 per cent. This Bank transacts business with
the Union Bank of London. Its establishment has proved a
very great benefit to the mercantile community. It has offices
and a Board of Directors, in both Maritzburg and Durban, and
its affairs are in a very prosperous condition, as the appended
statement will show.

Abstract of the Accounts of the NATAL BANK for each year since its establishment.

00

On

Capital paid
up.

Reserved Fund.

Undivided Profits.

Deposits.

Gross
Profits.

Net Profits.

Dividends declared.

Notes in
Circula tion

Amount of
Bills
Discounted.

Stock of
Bills
on Hand.

Cash on
Hand.

31st December, 1854,
8 montlis.

£. s. d.
6761 15 0

£. s. d.
118 16 1

£. s. d.
453 18 8

£. 5. d.
21144 17 1

£. s. d.
1774 6 U

£. s. d.
572 14 9

f, s. a.
lejo/o

£.619

£. s. d.
48118 2 4

&. s. d.
21962 13 2

£. s. d.
7549 3 11

3Ist Deceinber, 1865,
12 montlis.

11293 5 0

983 4 4

805 17 8

25770 4 11

4818 5 10

2007 0 10

1546 11 11
10 0/0

690

89222 9 3

28677 10 3

9445 8 4

3Ist December, 1856,
12 months.

13565 15 0

1355 17 2

542 15 8

30187 18 5

4078 16 3

1679 8 4

1306 15 6
15 0/0

1315

I0858I I 3

37522 U 6

6812 15 2

31st December, 1857,
12 months.

16055 5 0

2079 8 3

939 5 10

37753 0 10

6192 14 7

3626 17 7

2317 3 10
15 0/0

2256

175208 9 0

55089 13 6

8954 7 1

31st December, 1858,
]2 months. .

19213 15 0

3045 0 0

1096 9 10

47795 5 3

8051 2 10

4206 6 I

2740 14 4
740/0

2621

199264 18 6

60982 2 1

17652 3 11

30th June, 1859,
6 months.

20000 0 0

8770 0 0

1977 9 4

68540 8 4

5510 8 10

2725 0 0

1600 0 0

2213

138221 2 9

81069 4 2

25991 12 8

During the above period the rates of Interest allowed on twelve months' deposits were from 5 to 8 0/0.
„ „ „ Discount charged were from 8 to 12 %¦
C. BEHEENS,
Natal Ban?, 25<A August, 1859. General Manager.

COMMEECIAL PEOGEESS. 183
It may be here stated that money is of exceeding value in
Natal. Where there is so much of important'"and remunerative
work for enterprize to perform, and where inhabitants are yet so
scarce, it could hardly be otherwise. Twelve per cent, is common
interest for capital in Natal. In the Natal Mercury of July 8th,
1858, an advertisement appeared to the following efi'ect : —
" Natal Fire Assurance and Trust Company. — Other three thousand
pounds on loan.
" Notice is hereby given that applications will be received until
Wednesday the 21st instant, from parties applying for loans on mortgage or
on other good securities.
" Interest payable half-yearly, to be not less than £12 per cent.
" By order ofthe Board of Directors,
"Maritzburg. (Signed) " 0. Bbheens, Secretary."
Investments upon good security may be constantly found at
£16 per cent., and even higher rates of interest. Money indeed
is so scarce and so desired a commodity in the colony, that any
capitalist bringing with him a moderate supply, may sit himself
down quietly, and amass a considerable fortune by merely
lending his capital out to his more enterprizing neighbours.
The average prices of the various articles of consumption in
Natal, at the present time, are — wheaten flour, £2 12s. 6d. per
barrel of 196 lbs. ; wheat, 10s. per bushel; wheaten bread, S^d.
per lb. ; butter. Is. 2d. per lb. ; cheese. Is. per lb. ; beef, 4d.
per lb. ; mutton, 6d. per lb. ; pork, 6d. per lb. ; rice, 3d, per lb. ;
coffee, Is. per lb. ; tea, 2s. lid. per lb. ; sugar, 6^d. per lb. ;
salt, lis. per cwt. ; milk, 3|d. per quart; Cape wine, Is. 4d. per
bottle; Cape brandy, 2s. 8:^d. per bottle; beer, is. 4|d. per
bottle; tobacco. Is. 9d. per lb.
Oxen, £5. to £8. each ; cows, £3 to £5 each. (Horned cattle,
£3 8s. 6d. each.) Horses, £18. each; sheep, 18s. to £1 each;
goats, 5s. 3d. each ; swine, £1 Is. each.
Fhe-wood is purchased in the towns at from 12s. to 16s. the
waggon-load ; a quantity enough to keep up a single fire for
about three weeks.
The following list presents at a glance the series of vegetable
productions which have been found to thrive in Natal : —

184

THE COLONT OF NATAL:

Plan

TS OF Commercial Value.

Sugar-cane

Hemp

Coffee

Tobacco

Arrow-root

Sesamum

Eice

Earth-nut
Cotton
Turmeric
Capsicum
Ginger
Flax
Grain.
Indigo
Indian corn
Guinea corn
Oats
Buck wheat
Kafir corn (millet)
Wheat
Barley
Esculent Plants.
Wild asparagus
Sea-kale
Native spinach
Spinach
Native fennel
Tomato
Potatoes
Asparagus
Cabbage
Celery
Beans
Sweet potatoes
Peas
Pumpkins
Beet-root
Shalots
Carrots
Onions
Turnips
Thyme
Parsnips
Mint
Radishes
Horse-radish
Cucumber
Sage
Vegetable marrow
Parsley
Lettuce
Fruits,
Plantain
Grape
Banana
Melon
Papaw
Almond
Pine apple
Walnut
Guava
Chesnut
Granadilla
Strawberry
Orange
Loquat
Lemon
Fig
Citron
Wild fig
Pomegranate
Wild medlar
Lime
Natal plum (amatungula)
Mulberry
Amatunduluka
Peach
Water-boom
Apricot
Wild olive
COMMEECLAL PEOGEESS.

185

Nectarine

Prickly pear

Quince

Kau apple
Apple
Cape gooseberry
Pear
Native
Timber Trees.
YelliJW wood
Red milk wood
Bastard yellow wood
White milk wood
Sneeze wood
Red ivory wood
Stink wood
Chesnut wood
White iron wood
Tomboti wood
Black iron wood
Saffron wood
Umsimbiti (Kafir
iron wood)
Eooi Bessje wood
White-pear wood
Essen wood
Assegai wood
Bitter-almond wood
Flat-crown wood
Meoioinal
Plants.
Aloe
Strychnine
Capsicum
Senna
Castor oil
Sarsaparilla
Euphorbia
CHAPTER X.
A PEW "WORDS TO EMIGBABTTS.
fHE individual who is needed beyond all others in Natal is
the capitalist, who can bring with him money to be employed
in the advancement of the material interests of the young
community, and a sufficient spirit of enterprize to induce him to
expend that capital in the creation of wealth for the colony, as
well as for himself. An interesting iUustration of the impulse
that may be communicated by a solitary individual possessing
intelligence and energy, has been afforded within the last few
months. The brief sojourn of a civil engineer, who came to the
colony to investigate its fitness for the cultivation of sugar, has
already issued in the laying down a line of railway from the
harbour to the town of Durban, and in the determination to
make trial of surf-boats along the coast, for the embarkation of
the produce of the sugar-plantations. Apart, however, from the
wide field of this nature which is open to men of a high standard
of attainment, there are also the patent facts that any one may
make from twelve to sixteen per cent, by finding money for
other persons to employ ; that the outlay of every sixteen pounds,
on the coast lands, in the cultivation of sugar, may very soon
be made to yield a yearly profit of nine pounds, and that the
outlay of £1800 in sheep-farming in the uplands, will yield a
return of £90 in the first year, and a rapidly increasing sum year
by year afterwards. The capitalist who inclines upon these
temptations and considerations to transplant his infiuence and
activities to Natal, has only on the other side to learn that he
will do so at the risk of having to dispense with many con
veniences and luxuries that he has in all probability been
accustomed to in his English home. This will be the price he

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGRANTS. 187
will have to pay for his increased opportunities, and usefulness.
He, however, is the person of all others who will be the least at
the mercy of these inconveniences. He will be able very soon
to build himself a commodious and comfortable residence in any
position he may select ; it will also be open to him to arrange
for the presence of a sutficient staff of white servants to render
him independent in the matter of domestic work, if he care to
do so. Beyond the dwelling-place and service, there is scarcely
anything in Natal that a reasonable Englishman of cultivated
tastes would feel to be ground of dissatisfaction and regret.
To the small capitalist possessing from £200 to £500, the
advantages held out by the colony of Natal, as a place of
residence and work, are very great. Land is so cheap, that for
the mere sum which would be paid in England for a single
year's rental, a man may purchase hundreds of acres of his own,
where he may sow and reap his own crops, improve his own
fields, fell his own trees, and gather his own fruits. Good farms
are at the present time continually selling by private proprietors
for two shUlings per acre. Those who do not care to be proprietors
of theh own land at first may hhe at almost nominal rentals,
and in many instances upon terms so advantageous that they
would seem" absolutely incredible to tenant-farmers at home.
The following advertisement, which appeared in the columns of
the Government Gazette of August 17, 1858, will aptly iUustrate
this statement.
" To Let,— a portion of the farm, 'New Lanark',— all but adjoining the
town lands; admirably adapted for a dairy, the grass being very excellent
for cows, sheep, goats, and horses. Its proximity to the town will enable
the tenant to send in milk daily; to say nothing about butter and eggs.
First year, rent free— & few cows,[and such other facilities as a good-natured
old colonist might be expected to render an honest new colonist, until he
' flnds'his feet.' ¦ ;
" Apply to David Dale Buchanan, junior, who will show the land."
EngUshmen who have never strayed beyond the fences of the
counties of Norfolk or Kent, may possibly be slow of belief of
the existence of a state of affahs, even within ten thousand
miles of them, where a good;dahy-farm is off'ered to be let for
nothino- and a few cows are thrown in. This advertisement

loo THE COLONT OF NATAL:
nevertheless is in every sense an honest one, and entirely in good
faith. It relates to an instance that is very far from being a
solitary occurrence. Again and again old colonists have actually
given new comers farms rent free, and have left in their charge
large herds of cattle and pigs, with the simple understanding
that the increase should be divided equally between the tenant
and the proprietor. Arrangements of this character are now not
often made, simply because the immigrant prefers to work
entirely for his own advantage, and experiences no difficulty in
selecting a suitable occupation where he may do so.
To the facility with which the small capitalist may find a
suitable field for his exertions, certain other advantages are
added. Away from the town no dhect tax of any kind has to be
paid. The farmer needs to contribute nothing more to the State
than a small addition to the cost of such articles of consumption
as he receives from beyond the sea, and this small addition falls
very lightly upon the pocket, on account of the cheap rate at
which other articles of prime necessity may be procured. In the
wild country the cost of living is very smaU indeed.
The cost of additional labour is also very low. Kafirs are hhed
as household servants, at wages which vary from six shiUings to
ten shillings per month, and their board, which principally
consists of Indian corn. Sometimes the Kafir is paid five or
six shillings per month extra, and feeds himself The cost of
each Kafir servant to his employer may be put down altogether
at about £10 per year. Field labourers receive from seven
shillings to ten shillings per month ; waggon-drivers about
twenty-five shillings per month. The settler, however, must
understand that, although he can obtain service at these low
rates, he must be mainly dependent upon his own hands at the
first. The Kafirs will do whatever they are taught to accomplish,
and whatever they are kept up to the mark to perform. But at
present very few of them have had any kind of skilled training,
and by temperament the race is disinclined to sustained labour.
By good management and constant watchfulness a great deal of
valuable service may be got out of the Kafir. But when left to
himself, he sits upon his haunches, and gossips and snuffs half
his time. It is also another very serious draw-back, for which

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 189
at present no efiicient remedy has been contrived, that the Kafir
will not enter upon any long term of service. He will work for
a few weeks, or possibly for a few months, and then taking the
proceeds of his labour, he goes off to his kraal to pay his hut-tax,
and to invest his gains in cattle and wives, and to enjoy himself.
On this account there is very little inducement for the white
settler to devote any particular amount of pains to the training
of his men. By the time one agent has become of fair value, on
account of having learned to do what is required of him, he
disappears, and a raw recruit has to be taken up in his place.
Some housekeepers manage to escape in a considerable degree
from this difficulty, by arranging a relay of servants : some
ready to come into labour when others go off to play. Where
there is management and system enough to carry this plan into
«ffect, it answers very weU. Trained servants will return to good
masters, by whom they have been kindly treated, at stated times
and after having had a fair run. Proprietors who have Kafir
kraals upon their property generally experience less difficulty
than other persons, in procuring a good supply of labour ; they
come to an understanding with the head man of the kraal that
he and his people shall be allowed to continue in theh squatting,
and enjoy certain other advantages, upon condition of furnishing
a certain quantity of work at a certain price. To persons who
¦do not hold this position of influence, an abundant mealie harvest,
or the arrival of the cold weather, is at any time sufficient to
produce a dearth of servant.?. It must also be added that some
persons experience very much greater difficulty than others in
procuring Kafir service. If any one gets a bad name as an
employer, his reputation runs from one end of the colony to the
other, like wild-fire, and he has very small chance indeed of
tempting any applicant for work to cross his threshold. When
a Kafir is going out to «eek employment, he first reconnoitres
from a distance any household that he takes a fancy to, provided
he has no standing engagement to fulfil, and then before he
comes to closer quarters, carefully ascertains from the gossip of
the neighbom-hood what treatment he may expect
Notwithstanding the fair probability that he will be able
ultimately to procure the assistance of Kafir servants to any

190 THE COLONY OF NATAL i
extent he may desire, the small capitalist should nevertheless go
upon the assumption, when he emigrates to Natal, that he will
be mainly dependent upon his own hands, and the hands of his
family. It is of the very highest importance that this necessity
should be clearly understood and fully realized. Indeed, the
entire chances of final success really turn upon this point. No
one who has been used to a life of refinement, and dependence
upon others in England, should ever turn to the rough prospects
of a young colony without first having carefully determined his
ability to meet the discomforts, and to perform the new functions
which will necessarily await him there. On the other hand, any
one who is conscious that he possesses sufficient ingenuity,
determination, and industry to serve himself and to supply his
own needs, may very fairly reckon, however small his means,
upon working his way quickly to competence and comfort. These
remarks apply with ten-fold force to the gentler sex. A man
who takes with him to the colony either a wife or daughter,
who is able to arrange and carry on, as well as to superintend,
the details of the internal economy of his household, will find
that he has in such a companion a helpmate beyond all price.
The colonist's wife should know how to cook and bake ; and
how to iron and get up linen ; she should be able upon a pinch
to clean and place in order the sleeping and dwelling-rooms of
the house ; and she should be well skilled in the use of her
needle. She ought also to have energy enough to teach and
rule the Kafirs entrusted with in-door occupations. Besides all
this, she should have the temperament, and bodily strength,
which will enable her to find pleasure in these household engage
ments. The delicately-nurtured lady, who can do nOne of the-e
things, should on no account be transplanted to what must
necessarily prove to her a sadly ungenial soil. In Natal she
can find, at present, nothing but vexations, hardships, sorrows,
and regrets.
The settler who has self-helpfulness and practicality enough
to meet the requirements of rough colonial life, will find a very
immediate compensation and reward. It would be a mistake of
the most flagrant kind to conceive that the existence of the self-
dependent settler is wearisome and monotonous, however far he

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGRANTS. 191
may be withdrawn into the lonely wild. The less aid and
countenance he has from companions, the more he has to think
of and to do himself. There are the fittings and conveniences
of the house to be planned and enlarged ; shelves to be put up ;
hinges and fastenings screwed on ; perhaps even tables and
chairs to be made. Then there is a pig to be killed and salted ;
young oxen to break in ; and a buck to be shot for the larder.
The plough, the waggon, the seed-time, the harvest, the cattle,
the horses, the sheep ; aU to receive their share of his attention
and regard. Fences have to be made. Fire-wood must be cut
and brought in. Every hour and every minute has its occupation.
Days and weeks fly faster than they ever do in any more civilized
part of the world. Every new comfort added, and every fresh
difficulty conquered, confer a gratification of the keenest kind.
In addition to this source of pleasure there is also the agreeable
sense of emancipation from the thraldom of slavery to appear
ances. The industrious colonist may walk or ride abroad in
whatever dress best suits either his fancy or finances. His
family, as well as he himself, may pursue their avocations their
own way, without having once to think of how they will stand
in public esteem in consequence of their doings. The temptation
to incur expenditure beyond legitimate means is never felt for a
moment. But in its place there very soon comes the colonial
experience, that the more self-reliant and industrious the entire
household-community is, the more it wins of general admhation
and esteem.
Individuals, who have been trained to the learned professions,
must not expect to find facilities for the practice of their special
acquhements, in NataL As a general rule, there is a very limited
demand for this class of service, and the few who do enter upon
professional life, meet with a proportionally limited and pre
carious reward for their labours. Young and rude colonies care
more about hands than heads. The land-surveyor is perhaps
the solitary exception to this general rule. Most of the members
of the learned professions who come out to Natal, very soon turn
into farmers, or find some other more remunerative work than
attending upon patients or clients. It should be here understood
that sound professional knowledge is a very valuable possession

192 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
in the colony, and capable of being turned to most excellent
account, when it is superadded to other attainments of a lower
and more generally practical class. It should, however, be looked
upon as a means of indirect influence and usefulness, rather than
as a direct resource for a livelihood. There is a very limited
demand also for clerks, shopmen, and persons of that class.
Any, however, who have been brought up at home to such
occupations, may be quite sure of very soon providing suitable
and congenial work for themselves, if they come to the colony
prepared to keep their eyes about them, and to tm-n their
activities into any promising channel that is perceived.
Merchants and tradesmen do not very readily find fresh
openings in the colony. Their occupations require but little fore
knowledge or preparation, and there are therefore always great
numbers of persons ready at hand to avail themselves of any
opportunity of this kind that occurs. The merchants of the
colony are for the most part connected with firms in England,
and therefore possess great advantages in procuring theh supplies
of merchandize. Nothing could be more unwise than for any
individual to emigrate to Natal with the purpose of starting in
business immediately upon his arrival, and while yet entirely
unacquainted with the wants and necessities of the population
of the place.
There is a very large demand for handicraft labour in Natal.
Workmen who experience in England difficulty in getting
employment, even at wages that are barely sufficient to furnish
the necessaries of life, may reckon with certainty upon an
immediate engagement in the colony at seven shillings and six
pence per day. If the workmen has children, he may also make
himself equally sure of remunerative employment for any or all
of them, who are above ten years of age. To the tyro in colonial
affairs, it is at first a somewhat amusing sight to see the
mechanical labourer, who has been used enough to hard work
and hard fare at home, calling to his personal Kafir attendant
to pick up for him the saw or hammer which he is about to use.
The workman in Natal rarely thinks of carrying his own basket
of tools. He walks along the road on his way to work with one
or two laden Kafirs behind him. Blacksmiths receive ten

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGEANTS. 193
shillings per day. Carpenters, bricklayers, masons, shoemakers,
and tailors, seven shillings and sixpence per day. Handicrafts
men of all kinds, indeed, are in such high request, that they
constitute a kind of petted and privileged class in the colony,
and if they be of steady and reliable habits, they may use their
privileges to their own certain aggrandizement. Mechanical
tradesmen in the towns are in the receipt of excellent incomes ;
and some of them keep their one or two riding-horses. The
supply of mechanics is so much under the needs of the colony,
that no complaint is more commonly heard than that of the
impossibility of getting important work done. One reason for
the deficiency is the temptation that is offered to the mechanic,
in the colony, to abandon his early occupation for the more
pleasant life of the country-farmer. By steady work he soon saves
enough money to purchase and stock land of his own, and then
sets himself up as an agriculturist. The supply from home has
therefore to meet this drain, as well as the current and increasing
demands of a multiplying population and augmenting enterprize.
Agricultural labourers are of great value in the colony. It is
almost impossible to keep anything like a fair supply of them,
because the man who comes out from England to-day as a
labourer, is a farmer and proprietor of his own land to-morrow.
No man continues to follow the plough for a master when he
can follow it more remuneratively for himself. About four years
ago an agricultural labourer came out from one of the eastern
counties of England in the service of a gentleman of high station.
After a couple of years he left the service of his employer. The
master for whom he had worked in England, hearing of this
change, sent word to him that he would be glad to have him
back, and would give him constant employment if he would
return. The reply was, " Tell my master if he will come out here
to me, I will make him a free gift of five hundred acres of land,
all for himself" The labourer is now his own master, and
living near the Umkomanzi upon three thousand acres of land
of his own, which he received as a Government grant. He has
built himself a house, and cuts down from his almost limitless
woods his own timber, which he disposes of at the price of £6
a waggon-load, 0

194 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
Ploughmen and shepherds in the colony receive from £5 to
£6 per month as wages. At the estate of the Umzinto Sugar
Company, labourers receive £5 per month, and a house to live
in. The wife of one of the men working for the company on
these terms, states that she can make fifteen shillings a-week,
by washing clothes, as an addition to her husband's wages.
Household servants of every class are in constant and high
demand. The wages of female domestics vary from £15 to £20
a-year. White servants are, indeed, scarcely to be had, because
they invariably find more pleasant modes of life open to them
immediately on their arrival in the new land.
The voyage to Natal occupies between eighty and ninety days.
The Lady of the Lake, a barque of 256 tons, which trades
regularly botween London and Natal, has made the passage, upon
an average for eight voyages, in seventy-seven days, including
a stoppage at the intermediate Port of Algoa Bay. The
passage is occasionally accomplished in less time. The brig
Portea, in the year 1856, arrived at the Port in fifty-six
days, and in 1858 the three-masted schooner Phantom was
within fifty miles of the Port sixty-eight days after leaving
Plymouth, The mail-steamers, at the present time, make the
voyage between England and the Cape of Good Hope in
thirty-five days ; and the Natal mail-steamer, Waldensian, then
reaches Durban in ten more days, having called at Mossel Bay,
Algoa Bay, and East London by the way, A few days are lost
at Cape Town between the arrival of the English steamer and
the departure of the Waldensian, Altogether the mail-service
is performed by these vessels with a surprising amount of
regularity. The letters which leave England on the 6th of one
month are delivered at Durban on the 28th or 29th of the
following month, and it very rarely happens that the delivery
is more than two or three days beyond. It is in contemplation
to establish a line of postal and steam-packet communication
between the Mauritius and Port Natal; and when this is
accomplished, if this scheme be carried out, London wUl be
brought within a thirty-four days' voyage of the colony.
The fares from England to Cape Town, by the mail-steamers,
amount to about fifty guineas for each passenger. The fares from

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGEANTS. 195
Cape Town to Natal are ten guineas. There are several vessels
trading regularly and direct to the colony, which have very
good accommodation for passengers. The fares in such ships
vary from £30 to £40 for the cabin accommodation, and from
£10 to £20 for the steerage. The English agents for passen
ger ships are —
Lamport & Holt, 21, Water Street, Liverpool.
T. & C, Nichols, 150, Leadenhall Street, London.
Fry (fe Davidson, 60, Fenchurch Street, London.
Cookes & Co., 60, Mark Lane, London.
H. C. Groom, 9, Lime Street, London.
Pothonier, TUsey, & Co., 150, Leadenhall St., London.
Messrs. Rennie, Aberdeen.
G. W. "V^Tieatley & Co., 150, Leadenhall Street, give infor
mation respecting Ships, Ship Goods, and forward Parcels, &c.,
to Natal.
Messrs. W. & W. H. Savory, 3, George Terrace, Commercial
Road East, London, also charge themselves with Commissions
of the same kind.
In almost every Port of any consequence in Great Britain,
there are government emigration-agents, appointed by Her
Majesty's Land and Colonial FJmigration Commissioners, for
the express purpose of giving information and advice to
emigrants on matters that immediately concern them. It is
the duty of these agents to see that all vessels engaging to
carry emigrants are sea-worthy, and sufficiently supplied with
provisions, water, and medicine. They have also to take care
that vessels sail at the time advertized, and that all agreements
made between emigrants and emigration-agents are properly
and punctually carried out. It may be of importance to in
tending emigrants to know that the Natal newspapers are
regularly filed at Lloyd's Coffee-house, and the Jerusalem Coffee
house in London. A great deal of useful information as to
the actual state of affairs may be gleaned by running the
eye down the advertising columns of these journals.
Emigrants should encumber themselves as little as possible
with luggage. A sufficient stock of clothing for the voyage
and for the first year, is all that it is prudent to lay in. Clothing
o2

196 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
suitable for the climate is now abundant in the colony, and
costs only a little more than it would do in England, Boots and
shoes are the most important exceptions to this statement. It
will always answer to bring a good supply of these. Large
stocks of superfluous clothing of other kinds, on the other
hand, are exposed to the ravages of, moths and various other
sorts of insects, and require incessant watchfulness and care
to keep them from damage. The rule for the emigrant should
be as much money, and as little of anything else, as possible.
The best and safest arrangement to make in the matter of the
money, is to bring a letter of credit from the Union Bank of
London addressed to the Natal Bank. Such a letter of credit
may be procured from any branch Bank in Great Britain,
and will be duly honoured in Natal, without charge for the
accommodation. English furniture should on no account be taken out by
persons of narrow means, excepting trifling articles of a
portable kind. The expense of freight and land-carriage, and
the very imminent risk of damage during transport, are
considerations which should alone be sufficient to deter the
settler from burthening himself with conveniences of this
character. Articles which are indispensable in the household,
may be procured in the colonial stores, or may be had upon
order from colonial tradesmen. Good strong boxes, not too
large, and about the height of ordinary chairs, so that they
may be used as seats, are always valuable. They can be
turned to account in various ways by the exercise of ingenuity.
Tables are best made of the yellow wood of the colony, and
may be procured at a fair price upon order in any of the towns.
The class of furniture which is most used in the colony, consists
of various articles packed compactly into cases, in separate
pieces, which are not put together until they arrive at their
destination. Furniture of this kind of a very low price, is
now sent to the colonial merchants in considerable quantity
from America. Very excellent cane-seated American chairs
are furnished in cases, in this way, at a cost of 12s. 6d. each
chair. Folding iron-bedsteads and couches are also kept in
store by the merchants, and are the best kind that can be used

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 197
on account of their being easily packed away for transport.
The characters which are required before every thing else in furni
ture for Natal, are that the articles shall be strong enough and
compact enough to be readily and safely conveyed in springless ox-
waggons over rough roads. The place of carpets is almost
entirely supplied by Kafir mats, or by Indian and Mauritius
matting, the latter made from .the fibre of the cocoa-nut, and
very strong. These are all to be readily procured in the colony.
It is somewhat curious to see how very comfortable dwelling-
apartments may be made to seem, in the mild climate of
Natal, by the rudest and simplest appliances. Bare floors and
curtainless windows, are far from being felt as discomforts.
The expenditure of a little ingenuity and contrivance, indeed,
is of more avail in the matter of comfort, than the upholsterer's
skill. Mattresses are made in the colony of dried sea-weed,
of grass, and of wool. But it may be added that good hair
mattresses are always great comforts, and are capable of being
turned to account on the voyage.
Emigrants should on no account take out with them goods
for sale. The chances are ten to one that they will select for
their little trading venture, articles which will prove on arrival,
to be altogether unsaleable. Carts and waggons are best
purchased in the colony. However strongly made, or however
well put together, English vehicles of this class do not stand
the climate so well as those made of timber indigenous to the
place. The African waggon, too, is of a construction so
peculiar that it can only be made by workmen who are familiar
with all its requirements and details. It is framed principally
of well-seasoned stink-wood, (the wood of the Laurus bullata)
a material of very great strength. Its several parts are so put
together that the joints yield to blows and severe strain, instead
of being rigid and fii'm. The vehicle is about three and a half
feet wide and twelve feet long, and is hooded over with canvass
stretched upon a frame-work of twigs : the structure actually
undulates and wriggles as it passes over inequalities of the
ground. It has no springs, and as the span of twelve or
fourteen oxen which drag it are without reins, or any precise
means of guidance, except when occasionally led by a Kafir,

198 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
it necessarily finds inequalities enough on the way. The
Dutch, for the most part, make their own waggons, but some
particulai-ly devote themselves to the work as a kind of trade.
The cost of a good waggon in Natal, is about £100,
Emigrants often bring out with them their farming implements
and tools of various kinds. It is by no means necessary that
they should do so, as articles of the kind most closely adapted
to the wants of colonists are now imported by the merchants in
abundance. All agricultural implements require to be of the
strongest and heaviest quality. The fierce sun bakes the soil so
hard that no fraU implement is able to stand the requisite amount
of strain. Light two'-horse ploughs twist and go to pieces almost
as soon as they are put to work. Nothing lighter than the four-
horse plough is worthy of confidence. Harrows must be upon
the same scale. Garden-spades are of no value ; navvy-spades
and the Scotch field-spades answer very well. The tools used
by shipwrights, which are adapted to the working of hard wood,
are very much to be preferred to ordinary carpenters' tools.
Very excellent axes are imported in abundance from America.
All tools brought to the colony should be strongly and carefully
handled, and ready for immediate use. Harness for draught
cattle had better always be procured in the colony. The chains
and yokes which are sold there are well suited for their work,
and cheaper than such harness as would be purchased in England ;
they are also of a kind that the Kafu- labourers are already
accustomed to use.
Emigrants of limited means should always content themselves
with a steerage passage on board some good emigrant ship.
The money, which they will save by this means, will prove to be
of very great value to them when once landed in the colony.
And besides this, a sea-voyage of two or three months, under
circumstances where the individual will need to look after his
own wants, is a very good preliminary lesson for one who is about
to enter upon colonial life. There is no discomfort or privation
which has ordinarily to be endured in a steerage-passage which
may not be made very light by patience and good humour.
After all, the chief real hardships at sea are such as have to be
borne by the cabin passenger, as well as by those who travel in

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 199
the rougher way. Confinement within narrow and crowded
spaces, and imperfect supply of light and air to the sleeping
births, make up the main sum of the discomfort. These are both
very much lessened on the voyage to Natal by the fact that the
greater part of the j)assage is ordinarily a fine one, and in
latitudes where the time may be principally spent upon deck, in
the soft genial air. In six or seven days the vessel leaving
England is commonly in the genial temperature of the South of
Spain. WhUst in the Trade-wind region, rain scarcely ever falls,
and the temperature of the atmosphere stands generally between
70 and 80 degrees. Two or three days of rain and intermitting
squalls may be looked for near the equator, which after all serve
to do little more than make a break and change in the monotony
of the voyage. The wind generally becomes fresh and cool while
the ship is running across the Atlantic for the Cape, and whilst
it is rounding that promontory during the last week or two ot
the voyage. But by the time this cold has to be- met, the
emigrant is an old hand, and has served a sufficient apprentice
ship to the sea to have learned how to take care of himself. In
the majority of cases the period of real discomfort in the voyage
is probably limited to the first week or ten days .after leaving
port. The emigrant who makes a steerage passage will need to
furnish himself with certain conveniences for use on board ship.
He wUl find a chest divided into compartments for the reception
of the provisions for the day's use a very great accommodation.
He should take neither glass nor crockery, as being too fraU for
sea-service. The trenchers, basins, cups, jugs, and;<ither necessary
utensils should be of pewter, of tin, or of enamelled ware, A
tin tea or coffee-pot should be furnished with hooks for hanging
upon the bar of the cooking-grate. A frying-pan and a tin slop-
pail should also be provided. A sufficient number of knives,
forks, and spoons ; a mop and broom ; two or three canvas bags
for soiled linen and for clothes in use ; and a keg, jar, or can
large enough for the day's supply of water, pretty well complete
the list of requisites. The bedding should be such as will
continue to be serviceable in the colony. The mattresses on
ship-board measure six feet by two. These fit either into standing

200 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
bed places or into swinging cots. Whenever arrangements can
be made to sling a cot, it will be found to be by far the most
pleasant mode of proceeding. Cots can be readily lashed up to
the beams overhead with cord by day, and let down for use at
night. The swinging cot is very durable, and inexpensive ; it
also makes a capital cover for the mattress and bedding when
stowed away in boats or on waggons. A swinging cot can always
be turned to temporary account in a colonial home.
Old clothes of any kind do very well for wearing on ship
board. Light thin grey fiannel, and brown Holland, make
excellent dresses for the hot latitudes. A light cap covered with
white linen should never be omitted for the head.
A sufficient quantity of linen for the voyage will of course be
required. Woollen shirts or Guernseys are very comfortable for
the colder latitudes, and also prove exceUent possessions in the
subsequent colonial life. They are very commonly worn by
colonists when engaged on long journeys. A couple of dozen
long-cloth shirts, and half a dozen woollen ones, wUl be a very
fair outfit. The clothes intended for colonial wear should be
light and strong. Light grey flannel and stout brown Holland
make very serviceable outer garments. Warm clothes are not
generally wanted for more than one or two months in the year.
A woollen great coat should however be at hand to fall back
upon in case of need. Broad-brimmed white felt hats, or " wide
awakes," and light white napless hats of ordinary shape, are in
common use in the colony. Travelling caps of light blue cloth,
covered by a loose outside coating of white linen capable of being
removed for washing, are also in great favour among horsemen.
White-leather helmets, and helmets made of pith, which are
imported from the Mauritius and India, are likewise in request.
A fold of white linen rolled round the crown of a common
white wide-awake, turban-fashion, constitutes a by no means
contemptible defence for the head fi-om the hot sun.
A stock of good tea, a fair supply of arrow-root, and a small
quantity of brandy, should be entered first on the list of luxuries
for the voyage. Short composite candles, adapted to some safe
description of lanthorn, form altogether the most available and
least objectionable kind of light at sea. The so-called Crimean

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 201
lan thorns are perhaps upon the whole the most satisfactory
articles of their class.
Whilst alluding to the matter of outfit, there are two or three
other articles which may advantageously be named. The settler
should, if possible, take out with him a good tent. Tent-life is
very common indeed in Natal, and by no means an uncomfortable
one in the fine season. Settlers often live entirely in tents
while building theh dwelling-houses. Travellers also bivouac
in them when upon long journeys. A double-barrelled gun or
fowling-piece of course must not be forgotten. Gunpowder is a
prohibited article. It is not allowed to be taken into the colony
by private individuals, but must be purchased of the Government
under permit. A few simple medicines should also be laid in,
in store. The most useful and necessary articles are perhaps a
little compound rhubarb-pill ; half an ounce of calomel ; a few
grains of tartar emetic ; an ounce or two of rhubarb powder ;
two or three ounces of laudanum; half an ounce of quinine;
a little sulphate of zinc ; some lint ; some adhesive plaister, in a
tin case ; and a little thin Indian-rubber cloth ; (oU-silk spoils
very rapidly in the warm climate ;) one or two grains of calomel,
mixed with five or ten grains of the compound rhubarb-pill, and
rolled into one or two pills, constitute a very safe, pleasant, and
effectual medicine for occasional use both at sea and in the warm
climate of Natal. Lint soaked in water and applied to the skin,
under India-rubber cloth, makes a very valuable and manageable
water-dressing either for injuries, or for external attacks of
inflammatory character, of whatever kind. The articles intended
for medicinal use should be carefuUy and compactly stored in a
closely-fitting tin case.
Yet one other suggestion remains to be made which would
probably be deemed superfluous by most, but which nevertheless
must not be omitted, on account of the difficulty there would be
in supplying the deficiency in the colony itself. The settler
should take with him a good supply of standard books ; and in
making his selection of these, he should bear in mind the
exceeding value of all works of high authority on the practical
matters which are likely to engage his attention. There is not
yet a single bookseller, properly so called ; that is, a tradesman

202 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
keeping on hand a stock of books for the supply of customers,
in Natal.
It is hardly to be expected that the landsman can exchange
the firm earth for the restless sea without having to go through
the ordeal of sea-sickness. This ordeal, however, is by no means
very dreadful, when the voyager knows how to conduct himself
through it. Various specifics have been spoken of at different
times, as affording a promise of immunity from the discomfort.
All of these prove to be but of small avail when made trial of
by new hands. The probability is that they have all succeeded
just at the instant when the disagreeable affection is passing off'
of its own accord, and have so recommended themselves to the
faith of their practisers. The best thing to do on going to sea
for a long voyage, is to lie down in the bed-berth the instant
the nausea is experienced, and to abstain from food altogether
for some time; then to take small quantities of plain arrow-root
frequently, at first without brandy, and afterwards with a small
quantity of the spirit added, and to refrain still from more solid
food until an appetite begins to be felt. On the return of
appetite, the patient may rise and make an ordinary meal, and
the chances are that this meal will then pretty well complete the
cure. Most persons may avoid actual sickness altogether by
this proceeding, and confine the discomfort to the mere feeling
of nausea. The system soon accommodates itself to moderate
motion, but the sickness is at all times liable to recur on the
occurrence of heavy weather and very violent rocking, when the
same tactics may be adopted again. Most persons find a sea-
voyage a very disagreeable and tedious mode of passing time.
It, however, by no means needs to be so. The tedium is solely
due to the want of objects of interest and occupation. Every
passenger on ship-board should contrive to have some daily work
to perform. The chief difficulty depends upon the impossibility
of following up, in a crowded ship, pursuits that require isolation
and retirement. By slow degrees, and by perseverance, how
ever, a certain power of abstraction may be acquhed. A person
of kindly disposition may also always find amusement of a
pleasant kind among his companions. There is no mode of life
which affords greater opportunities for winning the pleasure

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 203
which comes of doing and saying kind things, than the sojourn
on ship-board. It should be the first duty of every one, who is
placed in the necessity of living in close communication with a
number of companions for several weeks, to study how he can
best make himself agreeable to all who are around him, and
how he can most certainly avoid giving offence or annoyance to
any one. Sea-life is notoriously a quarrelsome one, at least so
far as the passenger and unoccupied part of the community is
concerned. This is merely because nearly all have nothing to
do, and because many do not care even to try to make them
selves agreeable companions to those who are around them. It
is surprising what a revolution a single individual, who has tact
and kindly purpose, may effect in the humour of a ship's
company. But in addition to the pleasant social duties and occupations
which he may make for himself, and to the steady day by day
work, which he may have provided beforehand, the emigrant
to Natal will find a constant source of interest in the mere
incidents of the voyage itself, on account of its lying through a
wide range of latitude. There are for observation, the working,
the route, and daily progress of the ship, and the appearance
night by night of new stars rising above the horizon of the
southern sea, to observe. The aspects of the trade-wind skies
and ocean also have to be marked as the vessel rolls and
staggers, all studding sails set, like widely expanded wings,
before the north-east trade ; and as it bends over and bounds
obliquely into the south-east trade, with stretched and sloped
canvass. There are the equatorial calms and squalls to look
out for; the magnificent sunsets of the tropics to be revelled
in ; and the glorious phosphorescence of the tropical night- waves
to be wondered at. Now shoals of glistening silver-grey fiying-
fish skim off with a duck-and-drake sound from under the
quarter. Now there is a sail in sight to be speculated about,
and perhaps to be signalled and communicated with. Now
there is a shark , to be looked after, leading a pair of tender
sharklings in the wake of the stern, after having stolen the
seaman's dinner from its brine-bath before the bows. Now
there are shoals of porpoises, and perhaps a whale to be watched

204 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
as it rises uncertainly here and there for blow after blow.
Now in the low latitudes of the south the ship is bounding
across the wide basin of the Atlantic before the western gale,
over waves 20 feet high, and surrounded by the butterfly-
plumaged Cape pigeons; the dark-plumaged Cape hens; the
snipe-like whale birds ; the swan-like molly mawk ; and the
noble albatross. And now there is the rapidly shortening span
of the voyage to be measured, and the first glimpse of land to
be longed for and hailed. There are, indeed, enough of variety
and incident, and enough of novel experiences to be formed, in
the mere voyage itself, to prevent time from hanging weari
somely, when the interest is once awakened for, and the attention
once fixed upon, what is taking place around.
The colony of Natal is itself now becoming every year more
anxious to bring a steady and continued stream of emigrants to
its shores, under the keen sense of how essential it is to its own
progress and prosperity, that new bands of fellow-workers
should be added to the ranks of those aheady within its bounds.
As a proof of the deep interest that is felt in the colony in this
vital matter, it may be stated that the Legislative Council have
voted from £2000 to £3000 annually of public money to be
expended in advancing the movement of emigration from home.
This little book is published under the authority of the Immi
gration Board, with a view to the same end ; and in putting
it forth, the greatest care has been taken that a picture of actual
facts, and nothing more, shall be presented for the consideration
of such as may be inclined from any cause to seek a new field
for their industry and exertion. Old colonists now settled in
Natal feel that no better plan can possibly be adopted to bring
recruits to their insufficient ranks, than the publication to the
world of the unvarnished tale of the capabilities and character
istics of their present home.
Within the last year or two, a plan has been adopted to afford
increased facilities for emigration from Great Britain, which
has worked very satisfactorily, and which it is possible may now
be somewhat extended. The colonial government provides a
passage out for emigrants, upon the guarantee by residents in
Natal of the re-payment of £10 of the passage-money ; a family

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 205
may be brought out by the guarantee of the re-payment of £10
each year, until £10 for each adult has been returned. The
persons who avail themselves of this arrangement, are of course
acquaintances, friends, or relatives of existing colonists. As
many as 150 individuals came to the colony in this way during
the past year. A stronger evidence of the confidence which
colonial residents feel in the promise of their new home, could
hardly be given than that which is furnished by this fact.
The first thing which the agriculturally-inclined emigrant has
to do on arriving in Natal, is to decide upon the character of
his future proceedings and to select suitable land. He will do
well in the first place to devote a few days to inquiry and
conversation amongst old settlers. He will find many both
able and willing to give him every information that he can
possibly require. In the year 1857 the colonial government
came to the determination to make land-grants to emigrants,
on the condition of personal occupation, and of the payment of
a small annual quit-rent, varying from one to ten farthings per
acre, according to the value of the situation. The grants con
sisted of from 300 to 3,000 acres, according to the situation
and value of the land. A large number of grants were made to
persons already residing within the colony upon these terms.
In the month of July, 1868, however, instructions came from
the home government to discontinue these free grants, and to
revert to the system of public land-sales at the upset price of
four shillings per acre. A strong feeling is prevalent in the
colony, that in the existing state of affairs this change has not
been a wise one. Many of the original grants, comprising very
valuable land, are now in the market, in consequence of the
original possessors having found it inconvenient to occupy them.
A non-occupation tax, amounting to four times the quit-rent,
was from the first levied on all persons taking the land, and not
residing upon it.
It has been stated elsewhere that coast-land may be now
purchased at prices varying from 15s. to £5 per acre, land near
to the Port being of course more valuable than that further
away. In the midland districts, land may be bought at from 3s.
to 15s. per acre. In the upland districts, the price is lower than

206 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
this. The value of land in the colony is steadily rising year by
year, as the capabilities of the soil are becoming more developed.
When the choice of a settler falls upon a piece of government
land, application for permission to purchase must be made to
the office of the Surveyor- General, in Maritzburg. His Excel
lency, the Lieutenant-governor, then, in consequence of the
application, causes the land to be advertized in the Government
Gazette, as for sale by public auction, fixing the day of the
sale. Lots from private property, not suitable for sugar-planting,
sell upon an average for half the government upset-price.
As soon as the selection of land has been made, and the
character of the future occupation determined upon, the settler
should proceed to transport his possessions at once to the
selected place. A few days of deliberation are well expended
before fixing upon the spot for final operations. But the
decision having once been made, no further time should be lost
in hanging about the towns. The first emigrants to the colony,
on account of not knowing how to proceed, suffered heavy loss
in this way, and frequently were kept back by difficulties which
had no existence save in their own fears and fancies.
If the settler, arrived upon his ground, has a good tent, he
proceeds at once to pitch and make it comfortable as a
dwelling-place, while he is building a more convenient and
enduring residence. In doing this, he uses stone if he has
a supply upon the spot. In many places there are very good
specimens of sandstone, or a kind of hardened shale, which
are easily quarried. If there be no stone at hand, bricks will
have to be made with the aid of a few moulds, and Kafir
labourers. Where fuel is abundant, the bricks may be burned
before using. Otherwise they can only be sun-dried, and the
walls, under such circumstances, must be protected from wet
by projecting verandahs of thatch. Mortar a,nd plaister are
formed of cow-dung and clay. The timber required for the
doors and windows, and the roof, must be cut from the neigh
bouring bush. The floors are plastered with a mixture of
cow-dung and clay, the composition in general use among the
Kafirs, which hardens into a smooth firm fioor, and which has
the further exceUence of being disliked by insects. Glass for

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGEANTS. 207
windows can be readily procured from the stores in the towns,
and the thatch is cut from the neighbouring pasture. Work
men able to superintend the various steps of the building
proceedings, may generally be hhed in the colony for limited
periods, and wood-work may be prepared by the tradesmen
resident in the towns, and sent to the spot where it is needed.
The settler, however, who has learned enough of constructive
work to be able to get through his building with no other aid
than such as he can teach his Kafir assistants to give him,
wiU find his skill a great gain. Very many colonists build
their own houses in this way. The advantage which the
Dutch settlers possessed over their English successors, in a
large measure depended upon theh ability to perform this kind
of work for themselves. It is very easily performed, because
houses of slight construction are amply sufficient to afford as
much protection as is needed in a South African climate. Very
few colonists, indeed, ever asphe to have two stories to their
dwellings. It is a great stretch of luxury to nail grey calico, as a
sort of ceiling, beneath the rafters. In most country houses
the apartments are open above to the rafters and the thatch.
Waggon-driving is an art which is not very easily acquired.
The Kafirs, however, are now many of them excellent drivers
and managers of oxen. This is one of the occupations that
they take to with facility. Twelve or fourteen oxen are yoked
together in a long span, by means of a kind of fork of wood,
which is thrust over the neck of each animal, and confined in
its place by a stout thong of bullock-hide. The trek-chain,
or hide-rope, (trek-tow) runs along between each pair of the
oxen, and is attached to the forked yokes of each pair by a
cross bar of wood. The oxen are caught for yoking by
throwing a looped thong over theh widely-spreading horns, and
are then marshalled into their places along the trek-chain so
that the yokes can be slipped over their necks. The driver
stands or sits in front of the waggon, and plies a long thong,
fastened upon the end of a taU bamboo-cane ; with this whip,
he can inflict a sharp cut upon any ox in the span. He
uses his voice mainly to direct them when they are to turn, and
to encourage them to increased exertion, addressing each beast

208 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
by its proper name. The driving vocabulary consists of a very
remarkable jargon, half Kafir, half Dutch, which seems how
ever to be perfectly understood by the quadrupeds to whom it
is addressed, difficult as it is for the uninitiated biped to whom
it is not addressed to comprehend its meaning. The progress
made in travelling with the ox-waggon is between three and
four miles an hour, which is effected by alternate fits of walking
and running. In suitable spots the long span of oxen is
roused, by violent use of voice and thong, into a kind of trot,
which is continued for three or four minutes, the trot being
then allowed again to subside into the usual slow walk. A day's
journey for a loaded waggon consists of from twelve to twenty
miles. As a general rule, the life of the settler in Natal is rude,
rather than hard. There is scarcely such a thing as absolute
poverty to be found in the colony. Each man very soon learns
to provide for the immediate wants of his family from the
production of his own land. Porridge made with the meal
of Indian corn, and eaten with milk and sugar, is a never-
failing resource. And to this, poultry, game, eggs, butter, and
wheaten bread, are very soon added. The fire is maintained by
wood cut in the neighbouring bush, and water is taken from
the running stream. Cooking is for the most part performed
in large iron pots, orin ovens. The practical fact ofthe settler's
position in Natal may be summed up in a very few words.
Persons who have been used to easy circumstances and who
have learned at home to consider luxuries and dependence
upon the service of others essential, will necessarily find life
in Natal a hard and uncomfortable one, unless they bring with
them all the appliances requisite for the supply of their acquhed
wants. Persons who have been accustomed to narrow means
and hard work, at home, and who have been trained by circum
stances to perform menial offices for themselves, will find life
in Natal a very pleasant one. In the cheap Kafir service they
will command help, such as they never could have thought of
looking for in England. The one great recommendation of
colonial life to persons of this character, is that they can at
once maintain a respectable position upon very slender means.

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGRANTS. 209
on account of their freedom from the artificial restraints im
posed by society at home, and on account of the unlimited
resources by which they are environed. The mistress of the
household never needs hesitate to clean her own rooms, to
open her own door, and to cook her own dinner, when circum
stances require that she should do so. The master of the
land, as a matter of course, drives his own cart, and follows
his own plough ; in fact, the very labourer who is honest,
industrious, and sober, in Natal, takes rank immediately in
the grade of the social scale, which would be considered in
England to belong to his so-called " betters." It must be
admitted, however, that persons of good education very often
bear the privations and roughness of colonial life better than
individuals who have not had the advantage of the same
mental discipline.
It may be as well here to state succinctly what the work is
that Kafir servants are accustomed to perform. Upon the whole,
domestic occupations are to their taste. They cut and bring fire
wood ; make the fires ; fetch water ; attend to the cooking ;
wash the kitchen utensils ; sweep and cleanse the rooms ; run
of errands ; carry burthens ; and wash the linen in running
streams. The men only go out to service. Kafir women are
too much required for the drudgery of theh own kraals to be
permitted to make their appearance in the dwellings of Europeans.
The Kafir men are singularly docile and can be taught to do
anything, if they can but be induced to remain long enough. As
has been already stated, Kafirs do sometimes attach themselves to
families to which they become used, and return to them again and
again after intervals of dignified ease. Some Kafirs become very
tolerable cooks, and learn both to serve the dinner and make the
beds. Mr. Arbuthnot records that upon one occasion he came
upon a Kafir who was adroitly ironing out the fiounces of his
mistress' dress; as he shook out the voluminous folds of the
garment, he now and then ejaculated the single expressive
exclamation, " Wow," which means a great deal in the Kafir
tongue, and then fell to work again at his strange occupation.
The young men and boys make excellent nurses and attendants
upon young children; the dark-skinned, strong-limbed man
p

210 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
may often be seen outside the cottage door in towns, with a
young white infant upon his knee, and a cup of pap by his side,
gently administering spoonful after spoonful.
A certain measure of tact, and a peculiar kind of management,
are required by the Kafir servant, in order that he may be at
once satisfied and comfortable in his place, and yet serviceable
to his employer. The master or mistress must be at once
moderate and firm. The attempt must not be made to exact
too severe a measure of labour, neither must violence be done
to innate notions of self-respect and dignity. There are services
which are looked upon as matters of course by white domestics,
which the Kafirs can scarcely ever be induced to perform. But
while care is thus taken to avoid giving unnecessary offence to
national habits and prejudices, and while certain small privileges
are freely accorded, the employer must also show that he means
to be master, and to maintain the authority of his position with
an even and strong hand. The natural disinclination of the
Kafir to labour must not be excited by too exacting demands,
or he soon becomes uneasy and restless, and finds that there is
some imperative need for his presence at his kraal. Some leisure
to chat with his companions and to snuff is indispensable to his
existence. On the other hand, a certain degree of reserve is
necessary on the master's part for the maintenance of authority.
The Kafir is so used to be kept at arm's length by his own head
men and chieftains, that he looks upon familiarity as an expres
sion of the want of that superiority of rank on the part of his
employer which entitles him to wUling obedience. He serves
the white man quite as much because he is an " Inkosi,"" or chief,
as because he is the payer of wages. The employers who get on
the best with domestic servants of the Kafir race, are those who
never scold, but who issue theh orders in the tone of off-hand
good-tempered command, reiterated with decision when there is
need. Nearly all the Kafirs who enter upon white service are
observing and quick, and at the same time light-hearted and
good-humoured, and easily pleased and encouraged by looks
and words.
The usual dress of the Kafir servant is a shirt of white, or
blue-and-white cotton, and nothing more. When the shirt is

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 211
belted round the waist and made to look a little blouse-like,
it presents a decent appearance enough. But to the eye
which has but recently left the household scenes of England,
the apparition is, to say the least, a very strange one, when upon
a first visit to some hospitable merchant's house at Durban, a
stalwart Kafir in a white shirt hanging loosely about half way
down his naked thighs, and with perhaps the addition of a black
silk handkerchief round his neck, comes in to serve the table.
The insufficient clothing of the Kafir servants is one result of
the uncertain tenure of service. The housekeeper has but little
temptation to furnish his servant with decent clothes, when there
is the strong probability that the man so clothed may start off
to his kraal at the end of the week, and that the process may
have to be repeated some half dozen times in every year. No
provision is made for the accommodation of the Kafir servant
beyond a blanket and a straw mat. At the hour of rest he
spreads his mat upon the floor of the kitchen, rolls himself up
in his blanket, places his head upon a block of wood which
serves him for a pUlow, and his arrangements for the night are
complete. The Kafirs make excellent grooms if the eye of the master is
kept upon their doings. They also carry heavy burthens long
distances with great readiness. The cumb^some post-bags
are conveyed between Durban and Maritzburg, a distance of 64
miles, three times a week, by walking Kafh-s, with unfaUing
punctuality. The distance is traversed uninterruptedly by the
carrier in fifteen hours. The attempt was once made to accom
plish the mail service, between Durban and Maritzburg, by
relays of carriers, but the plan could not be made to work as
satisfactorily. The hard strain of agricultural labour is especially repugnant
to the Kafir's constitution and habits of idleness. In his own
barbarous home, it is his women who dig and delve, while
he sits in the shadow of his hut and fashions his assegai, or
talks with his companions. It can be hardly surprising, there
fore, that he should be slow to engage in what is, to his notions,
mean drudgery. On this account the owners and occupiers of
land sometimes find it difficult to get labourers enough to do
p2

-12 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
their work, especially if they have not kraals upon their own
property. In some instances, planters have succeeded in pro
curing labour by sending gratuities to petty chiefs. There is in
this plan the objection that it makes it to the interest of the
chiefs to use their infiuence to keep back labour unless the
gratuity be paid. It is yet an open problem how, with rapidly
increasing demands, the requisite amount of labour shall be
satisfactorily secured. At the present time it is in contemplation
to import a certain number of coolies from India. The Legis
lative Council of the colony have recently voted a sum of £5000
to be expended in this way. It is impossible to predicate what
influence the introduction of coolie labourers may exert upon
the Kafirs. Although unwilling to perform laborious work, the
Kafir race quite knows how to value the opportunity of earning
money when inclined to do so. It is just possible that fear of
the introduction to any large extent, of this kind of competition
into the labour-markets, may work wonders upon the shrewd
Kafir mind.
In the year 1849, a book was published in England, addressed
to intending emigrants, which was termed " The Settler's New
Home." In this book Natal was aUuded to as a field for colonial
enterprize in true and glowing terms, but the emigrant was
advised not to make his "new home" in this colony, on account
of the unsettled and unsafe state of the Kafir population. The
following extracts from this book very sufficiently and fairly
express the views of its author.
" The colony (of Natal) is surrounded by hostile, savage
tribes, who maintained a constant and deadly warfare with the
original Dutch settlers, and stole and burned theh property and
dwellings whenever they had an opportunity. These savages
amount to at least 100,000. Besides these the colony swarms
with refugees from the tyranny and cruelty of the native chiefs.
It'may almost be said to be occupied by escaped savages to an
extent to ou '-number, enormously, any amount of white emi
gration likely to take place for a great many years, A strong
military force will be required for a great length of time to
' overawe the boers and savages C and in the present economical
temper of the mother country, we entertain a strong conviction
that the expense will not be suffered. We are, indeed, assured

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 213
in this case, as in all others where colonies are infested with
savages, that the native population forms the most valuable
element of the district. They are, we are told, good herdsmen,
tractable to rude labour, and willing to undertake very simple
duties. It is to us, however, only certain that they are too
numerous to be easily got rid of, and too barbarous to
be safe, either as domestics or as neighbours. We do not
believe in the practicability of civilizing savage blood. The
wild and fierce tendencies of the children of nature have
never yet submitted to labour, or the plodding monotony of
civilization. The red man has been extirpated, not civilized in
America, and nature seems to rule that races, like rats, may
eat each other, but never amalgamate. In this settlement are
4,000 Dutch boers, only 2,000 British colonists, and it is com
puted at least 100,000 Zulu or Kafir refugees from the tyranny
of the native chiefs. The present military force requhed to
overawe these is 600 men, at an annual cost of £30,000. The
colonial commissioners report that the universal character of the
natives is at once superstitions and warlike ; their estimate of
the value of human life very low ; war and bloodshed the en
gagements with which their circumstances have familiarized
them from their childhood, and from which they can be restrained
only by the strong arm of power; their passions are easily
infiamed, while from their servUe obedience to despotic rulers
they show ready obedience to constituted authority.
" This work is intended to be the friendly adviser of private
individuals in theh plan of life and scheme of happiness. It is
not a government project or apolitical system. Were we merely
to square our ideas with the objects of the colonial office, the
power of the mother country, or the public purposes of govern
ment, we would strenuously advise every one to go to Natal
who had a mind to emigrate, because we are persuaded that if
this colony were fully settled, it would be nearly, if not quite,
the most valuable dependency of the British crown. But we
are abundantly satisfied that individual emigration to that
colony would entail only danger, anxiety, and disturbance to
the emigrant, and that the constant necessity of watching his
property, repelling aggression, and defending his life, would
render his exertions unprofitable, and his existence miserable.
Society in such a district must be of the rudest kind. The
comforts and appliances of civUization must be absolutely
wanting. Even civilized men rapidly degenerate into barbarism,
amid barbaric circumstances; and the very spirit of daring
and adventure, generated by the vicinity of danger, is inimical
to orderly and settled habits. The antagonism of races

214 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
degenerates into a loss of respect for humanity and life. Where
there is no power of enforcing respect for the law, each, man
must depend on his bowie knife and revolving pistols.
" We, therefore, under the existing circumstances of Natal,
regard emigration thither as perfectly suicidal, and as totally
unfitted for individual adventure or private enterprize. In
other colonies emigrants are absorbed into an existing civilized
population. At Natal they only land to have to cope with
strangers, the wilderness, and savages. Emigration will not
do there. Nothing but wholesale colonization upon a well-
matured and orderly-contrived plan, will answer."
These remarks afford a remarkable illustration of the extent to
which the facts of a remote position may be misapprehended by
persons who glean up information concerning them, without being
able to look into matters for themselves. The truth in regard to
the position of Natal is as far from the conception of this writer
as any thing well can be. It is true, that when the Dutch
emigrants from the Cape Colony first came into the territory
which now comprises the colony of Natal, they suffered severely
from the hostilities of the Zulus. But they did so because they
were taken by surprise. Their best men went, as has been
elsewhere narrated, as they conceived under the sanction of
friendly relations, to the stronghold of the Zulu despot, and
were caught in a trap. When, the Zulus burst, after the success
of their stratagem, upon the almost defenceless encampments
of the Boers, they of course committed acts of cruelty and
destruction. Their aim was to exterminate the unwelcome
intruders upon their territories, and to get rid of their presence
in the most summary way. But what was the result of even
this struggle, in which the Zulus were at the height of their
power under Dingaan, whUe their antagonists were but a hand
ful of surprised men ? The Dutch retired into fortified encamp
ments, whose ramparts were nothing more than frail waggons,
and there made good theh ground ; and so soon as their num
bers were slightly augmented, they advanced into the heart of
the Zulu territory, and with their own right arms, without any
aid from without, without a single company of trained soldiers
— they crushed their antagonists, deposed Dingaan from his
throne, and set up another in his place. The author says that

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 215
the savages " maintained a constant and deadly warfare with
the original Dutch settlers." History tells us that so soon as
the Dutch settlers had reason to understand the character ofthe
race by which they were surrounded, 460 Boers bearded the
Zulu lion in his den, scattered his army, and effectually and
finally broke his power. It was a handful of Dutch Boers who
really took and held the land, which is now the dependency of
Great Britain. Before the British troops came into operation,
those men had securely established themselves in possession
of the country, and had founded the city which is now the seat
of colonial government. It is stated that a military force of
600 men was required " to overawe the Boers as well as the
savages." The fact is that so soon as they understood the
determination of the British Government to maintain its pos
session of Natal, those Boers either at once withdrew beyond
the mountains, or settled down as contented British subjects in
the uplands of the colonial territory, where they now form a
most valuable and friendly trading community. It is true that
Natal is sm-rounded by savage tribes ; but it is also true that
during the ten years of colonial infancy which have elapsed
since the publication of the " Settler's New Home," not a single
hostUe demonstration has been made towards the British by
those tribes. Traders have, during that period gone continually
with waggons loaded with coveted merchandise, into the midst
of these hostile savages, where they have not even a claim to
the protection of the British Government ; have remained there
for months until theh merchandize has been entirely disposed
of, and have then returned with herds of cattle acquired by barter,
without one single case of molestation. This too has been done,
not by a few individuals alone, but by hundreds, many of whom
have made their wives and famUies the companions of their
travel. It has been no uncommon thing for these traders to
leave a portion of their goods, which they could not dispose of
in a limited time, in the " barbarian territory," in charge of
some petty chief, and to return months afterwards and find
their property safe. In the face of these facts, what can be said
of this author's prophecies and fears !
The " Settler's New Home" aUudes to the 100,000 barbarians

216 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
who have settled as refugees from the tyranny of theh own
chiefs, within Natal, as a further source of danger. It is perfectly
true that Natal has a very large black population of this character,
upon which the colonists have hitherto drawn for their supply of
cheap labour. Hitherto these refugees have proved an additional
guarantee for the safety of the colony, instead of being a source
of danger. They are perfectly aware that their only protection
from the power which they dread, is in the British Government,
and that, were it not for the existence of this government as an
efficient protecting power, they would have been followed across
the frontier and destroyed.
It is of considerable importance that a correct idea should be
formed of the condition in which the black population of Natal
is actually placed. These people are almost entirely refugees
from surrounding powerful tribes. Hence, when they come into
Natal, they cease to feel bound by hereditary aUegiance, and
merely attach themselves de novo to some of the petty chieftains
who are living there in submission to British authority. The
Kafirs in Natal are split up into innumerable small clans, each
dwelling under its own chief and ruler. But these petty
chieftains are all jealous of their neighbours' infiuence and power,
and are all looking up to the paramount chief, that is the British
Lieutenant-Governor, as their own best support and safeguard.
As matters now stand, it would be one of the most difficult of
tasks to unite these small, mutually suspicious, and jealous
chieftains in a course of combined action. Nothing indeed but
the sense of a common grievance and injustice could effect such
an end. This in reality is the only danger of which the colonists
of Natal have any cause to beware. The Government has simply
to avoid entering upon any course of proceeding which would
of necessity enlist the sympathy of every petty chief against
itself. If such a course were unfortunately taken, it would still
issue but in one way. It would end either in the expulsion or
extermination of the black element of the community. The
white foot is now so firmly planted on the soil, and white enter
prize is now so thoroughly vitalized there, that no other final
consequence could come. This, however, would only be worked
out through intermeJiate stages of suffering and devastation.

A FEW WOEDS TO EMIGRANTS. 217
which would be repugnant to every actor in the scene. It is to
a very different result that the future of the colony of Natal,
under the blessing of Divine Providence, and under wise and
judicious rule, is directed.
The author of the book under notice remarks, that the Red
race in America has been extirpated and not civilized, and he
thence draws the inference that a like fate is in store for the
Kafir race of Southern Africa. The root of his error lies in
over-hasty and unsound analogies and deductions. The Kafir
of Natal is not the Red Man of the West, and has scarcely any
thing in common with him in his constitution. He is about as
much like to him as the horse is like to the zebra. He has a
certain love of ease and independence in his disposition, but he
has also a considerable dash of the negro-docility and gentleness
combined therewith. He likes to roam free over his wild hills,
and to sit and dream athis own pleasure in his kraal ; but he can
be made to bend to the rein and the spur, when these are
judiciously brought into play. He has at once fierce Arab and
soft negro blood in his veins. Who ever heard of the Red
Indian labouring for money? And who has not heard of the
Kafirs working for personal gain ? During the last year there
were nearly ten thousand, Kafirs in Natal working daily for white
settlers, without any other pressure being applied to induce
them to do so beyond the offer of wages, and the sense that they
could leave their employers whenever they pleased. The Kafirs
are indeed particularly fond of money ; their liking for it amounts
to quite a passion, and this passion has already gone far to
reconcile them enthely to the presence of those white masters,
who seem to have so exhaustless a store of the silver " pennies,"
The " Settler's New Home" did not advise emigration to
Natal because " abundantly satisfied that such a course would
entail only danger, anxiety and disturbance upon the settler,
and the constant necessity of watching his property, repelling
aggression, and defending his life," Notwithstanding this un
promising picture, many persons did emigrate to Natal, and
have now been ten years in the colony, and what is the state of
affairs that they have found ? Such a state that they, iu common
with all their neighbours in the fearful danger, never think of

218 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
using either bolt, bar, or lock upon their premises from year's end
to year's end. In the hot weather they do not deem it necessary
to close either window or door, having discovered how much
more they have to fear from close air than from Mr. Sydney
Smith's bugbears. Labouring men often leave their wives and
families in the most lonely places for weeks and months, while
they pursue their avocations in distant parts of the colony ; but
such a thing was never heard of as any act of violence being
committed towards those who are so left. Ladies ride from
place to place through wild districts without a single attendant,
and are never molested. In the early days of colonization
newly-arrived settlers, having the urgent necessity of repelling
aggression and defending theh lives in their minds, were in the
habit of carrying a tolerable burthen of fire-arms with them
when they travelled. Now a man mounts his horse and canters
from one end of the colony to the other, sleeping at wild Kafir
kraals by the way, and would as soon think of carrying a weapon
as a featherbed. Herds of cattle and troops of horses gi-aze at
large round the settlers' homesteads, and are not even penned
at night, being merely counted now and then to ascertain that
none have strayed away from their companions. In another
place instances are adduced of Kafir messengers having been
sent long distances with large sums of money in a loose bag,
and having to sleep in the kraals of theh countrymen by the
way, without the slightest defalcation taking place.
The author of the " Settler's New Home" states that the
colonist in Natal has "to depend for his personal safety on
his bowie knives and revolving pistols. " So far from such a
dependence being either required or allowed, there is perhaps no
country in the world where the majesty of the law is more
thoroughly vindicated, or more faithfully reverenced. There is
an efficient staff of resident Magistrates in commission throughout
the colony, and crime scarcely ever escapes detection, and its
due meed of punishment. In one of the last sessions of the
Criminal Comt in Maritzburg, a Kafir was tried for an act of
violence against a young female of his own tribe, which ended
in the girl's death. Ihe criminal was convicted for his offence,
condemned to death, and executed. The occurrence took place

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS, 219
in one of the wild upland districts of the colony, and the criminal
was seized by the Kafirs of a neighbouring kraal, when suspicion
fell upon him, was carefully imprisoned and watched fur the
night, and the next day was carried some considerable distance
and delivered up into the hands of the resident Magistrate at
Greytown. So much for the lawless state of society in the
wildest districts of Natal !
Since the year 1849, hostilities have broken out more than
once between the Cape'colony, and the hereditary chiefs and
independent tribes dwelling on its frontiers, and there has also
been war both in Basuto-land andZululand. Peace and security
have nevertheless remained undisturbed within the precincts of
the colony. In the years 1857 and 1868, some little trouble was
given to the Government by two refractory petty chiefs residing
under British rule; but in both cases the matter issued in
furnishing a very striking illustration of the facts which have
been already dwelt upon, as characterizing the relations of the
British with the Kafirs of the colony. In both instances the
recusants were young men who had been allowed to assume the
office of chieftainship over petty tribes, as Lieutenants of the
Government, but who unfortunately proved to be unduly under
the influence of superstitions common to their race, and there
fore not worthy of the trust reposed in them.
In the month of March, 1857, a quarrel took place between
two petty chieftains residing in the Umkomanzi district of the
colony, at the wedding of a young man of the one tribe to a girl
belonging to the other. The dispute led to a struggle, in which
one of the chieftains, and twenty of his men, were slain. The
surviving chief, Usidoi, was thereupon summoned by the Magis
trate to undergo examination concerning these deaths.
He refused to obey the summons, and was consequently called
upon to appear before the Lieutenant-Governor, as paramount
chief, at the seat of Government. Usidoi sent excuses in words,
but was obviously too timid to trust his person in the hands of
the offended authorities. The matter accordingly came to be
gravely discussed among the smaller tribes, and there was
reason to fear that they might incline to combine among them
selves for mutual defence if the Government did not adopt

220 THE COLOSY OF NATAL :
strong measures against the offender. The Lieutenant-Governor
accordingly deemed it necessary, for the vindication of authority,
and for the sake of example, to depose Usidoi and his family,
and to fine the tribe, and give them a more trustworthy leader.
A Kafir force, under the command of the Secretary for Native
Affairs, and supported by a small detachment of regular troops,
was sent to effect this object. Usidoi fled on Mr. Shepstone's
approach, and his tribe submitted. Seven thousand head of
cattle were seized in payment of the fine ; not more than ten
per cent, of the living wealth of the tribe escaping the levy. A
new chief was appointed, and a number of the cattle were left
in his hands to be distributed wherever the Magistrate deemed
it needful. The death of four of Usidoi's Kafirs was unfortunately
attendant upon this expedition, and one of the Government
Kafirs was also killed by accident. At this comparatively trifiing
cost, however, the supremacy ofthe law was effectually vindicated.
The tribe has continued in orderly obedience to its new chief
ever since, and Usidoi has remained beyond the frontier.
In the month of December, 1857, a Kafir, who was a particular
favourite of the Chief Matyan, located in the Klip River County,
died. A brother of the deceased was considered by Matyan to
have caused the death by the practice of witchcraft, and was
seized and bound by a party of men from the Chiefs own kraal.
The prisoner died from injuries received at the time of his arrest,
and Matyan was summoned by the resident Magistrate of
Ladismith to answer for the violence. The offence was deemed
exceedingly grave, because Matyan had been implicated in the
murder of an uncle and two sons, under a similar pretence, in
1860, and had been then cautioned after being fined, that if any
thing of the kind occurred again, his own life would be in danger
from the law. On this account he was naturally unwilling to
obey the Magistrate's call. He refused to appear, and the
Magistrate then requested him to meet him at one of his own
kraals, whither he went for the purpose. The Magistrate there
received a point blank refusal, and learned that Matyan had
surrounded himself with armed followers for protection. He
accordingly reported the matter to the Lieutenant-Governor, and
His Excellency forthwith repaired to Ladismith, directing the

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGR.WTS. 221
Natal Carbineers, consisting of forty-seven men and officers, to
follow him immediately. Messengers from the Magistrate in
the mean time continually urged upon Matyan the necessity of
submission. The Chief in return insisted upon his innocence
of the murder ; but resolutely refused to place himself in the
Magistrate's hands. An expedition was consequently organised,
consisting of the combined forces of the Natal Carbineers, the
Natal Frontier Guards, thirty-eight of the Dutch Boers, and
five hundred Kafirs, under Mr. John Shepstone. Matyan's
entire tribe retired into the bush, ancl the armed force swept
through the location, meeting with only passive resistance,
(except in one case,) and seized 7000 head of cattle belonging
to the refractory tribe. Thirteen of Matyan's Kafirs, and two
of the Government Kafirs, were killed during an attempt made
by the former to rescue some of the captured cattle in the act of
being driven through an intricate pass. The Secretary for Native
Affairs now placed himself in communication with Matyan's
tribe, and a proclamation was issued deposing and outlawing
Matyan, and intimating that the entire tribe would be broken
up and scattered, after the reaping of their mealie crop.s, unless
full submission was made and the person of Matyan surrendered.
Mr. John Shepstone was left, with his Kafirs, on the borders of
the location, during the ripening of the mealie crops, to enforce
this condition, and had several interviews with Matyan, who was
always surrounded by armed men. Upon one occasion he made
an unsuccessful attempt to arrest the Chief with an inadequate
force, and twenty-five of Matyan's men were killed. Matyan
made great efforts on this occasion to excite his people to attack
Mr. John Shepstone; but this was prevented by the' prudence
of the old men, and by the timely appearance of half a dozen
horsemen prepared against the contingency. Matyan, and a few
ofthe young men of his tribe, fled across the Buffalo River into
Panda's dominions, after this, and the rest of the tribe submitted
themselves to the sentence of the Government. The tribe is
now entirely broken up and scattered. The resident Magistrate
of Ladismith not long afterwards procured men for work from
this very clan. At the time Mr. John Shepstone made the
attempt to seize Matyan he had only thirty Kafirs with him,

222 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
while Matyan was surrounded by three hundred followers aU
fully equipped for war. The Kafirs evinced such readiness to
answer the call of the Government, that the difficulty was rather
to avoid excessive numbers, than to procure a sufficient gathering
for the efficient performance of the service. Such is an apt
illustration of the position of affairs, as regards internal danger
from the Kafirs, in the colony at the present time ; and aU old and
experienced residents agree in the conviction that a disciplined
troop of one hundred and fifty well-mounted and well-armed
men could go any where, and do anything, in the territory,
beneath British rule. In the year 1852, the late Recorder, Mr.
Cloete, remarked that "he did not believe the history of man
afforded a parallel to the instance of security of property and
safety of life, found during the preceding ten years by Europeans
in Natal." The present Chief Justice, Mr. Harding, emphatically
confirms the opinion of his predecessor, and adds expressions of
unqualified surprise at the evidence, furnished by the annals of
his court, of the comparative freedom of the Kafirs of the colony
from crime.
It remains then finally to append this practical coroUary to
the rash and unwarranted statements of the " Settler's New
Home." Without the adoption of any "wholesale system of
colonization," and by the sole aid of " simple and gradual
emigration," Natal has, in ten years, become a flourishing colony
of more than eight thousand prosperous European inhabitants, and
with prospects brightening day by day.
It may not be amiss here to enumerate formally the relations
by which the colony is connected with its neighbours. Beyond
the boundary of Natal, towards the south, lies the Amaponda,
a country under the friendly Chief Faku. Beyond the boundary
towards the north and north-east, lies the Zululand of King
Panda, who was placed on his throne by the Dutch, and whose
people have had friendly connections with the Europeans ever
since. Towards the north-west. Natal joins upon the Dutch
colony of the Orange River Free-state. Beyond the boundary
towards the south-west, stretches the Basuto-land of the
enlightened Chief Moshesh, separated however from Natal by
the inaccessible precipices of the Drakenberg mountains, where.

A FEW WORDS TO EMIGRANTS. 223
in case of hostility, only two or three passes would need to be
guarded to make all approach from that direction next door to
an impossibility. The traditional enemies of the European
colonists of South Africa, the formidable frontier Kafirs, who
have furnished one element of the so-called Kafir wars, dwell
hundreds of miles away from the peaceful and favoured " Land
of the Nativity."

APPENDIX.

HINTS TO EMIGRANTS' WIVES.

CONTRIBUTED BY A LADY.

[IVES who are on the point of emigrating to Natal, cannot
too soon be aware that in all young, hard-working,
colonial communities, there is very little room for the display
of drawing-room graces and accomplishments. The wife, in
Natal, is either a "help-meet" in the fullest and strongest sense
of the term, or a hindrance and draw-back to her husband.
The colonial wife commonly needs to be, as well as companion
and adviser, the instructor of children, the cook, baker, laun
dress, gardener, farming bailiff, and often tailor. For these
duties, solid and sterling qualities are required, rather than
refinements and elegancies.
In the choice of articles of dress to bring out to Natal, regard
should first be had in all cases to utility and strength. The
heat ofthe climate makes it desirable that the quality of strength
should in some instances be combined, as much as possible, with
that of lightness ; still, a good material of its kind should always
be selected. Thus, dresses of cool, light material, such as
print, gingham, muslin, barege, and llama cloth, are most
suitable ;. the two latter, as not requiring washing must under
some circumstances, be reckoijed the most serviceable of all.
A large stock of well-made, substantial, but again, not over-
stout, under-clothing, will be found invaluable, since needle-work
is not only dear in the colony, but difficult to get done. In
addition to this, pieces of long-cloth, hoUand, print, and in
short, of almost any kind of cotton fabric used for clothing.

HINTS TO emigrants' WIVES. 225
may, be brought out, and will prove of great worth at the
beginning, when colonial supplies and colonial prices are most
likely to be felt disappointing and disheartening by the new
colonist. A good stock of boots and shoes should be included
in the outfit, and these, like other articles of dress, require to be
well made, but not too heavy. There is one particular in which
the boots now in common use by ladies in England, are unfit
for colonial wear. It is in having only the part that covers the
toe, made of leather, while the rest of the boot is of cloth or
cashmere. In the rough paths and roads of Natal, this is an
insufficient defence to the foot," besides being ruinous to the
pocket. It is desirable to have boots that are "goloshed," as
the trade expression is, all round; that is, which have the
leather carried on from the toe, in a strip all round the sides
and heel.
The same rule should be observed in choosing furniture as
has been recommended for clothing. Strength and not style is
the great desideratum ; and so great is the demand for articles
possessing this qualification, that any which may be found
superfiuous on arrival in the colony, may be readily disposed
of by auction (the general mode of buying and selling in the
colony), not only for their full value, but often for more than
the price originally paid for them. A piece or two of chintz,
even of the plain kind called furniture-lining, is sure to prove
a good store ; as the rough furniture, and the bare, unfinished
rooms which have occasionally to be put up with in country
places, may often be rendered pleasant-looking and comfortable
by the use of neat covers and simple curtains made of this
material. The iron bedstead is in most common use in the
colony, on account of the ease with which it can be taken to
pieces or put together, and also for lightness of carriage. It is
not always possible to obtain a full-sized one in the colony ; such
a bedstead is, therefore, no bad provision to make. Horse-hair
or spring mattresses are most desirable during the five or six
hot and the three or four warm months of the year. Bolsters
and pillows wUl be found no ill store, though after two or three
years' residence in the colony, the colonist's wife may have a
large stock of them at pleasure, from the pluckings of the
Q

226 THE COLONY OF NATAL:
innumerable fowls that are a staple commodity of a South
African country table. A good supply of bed and house linen
(the former of cotton), of blankets, and light counterpanes, is
desirable. Any one of those useful and portable machines, lately invented
to save manual labour, would be almost sure to prove useful :
such as a meat-chopper, a washing-machine, a small patent
mangle. Here washing is performed principally by male Kafirs,
at the river's side, and these make up for their want of skill by
a double exercise of brute force, and by the employment of
boards and stones as aids in the work. The consequence is
that any articles of clothing of tender nature barely survive
their first ablution in the Natalian streams. Ironing is generally
dispensed with, in the case of all but the gai-ments which
require to be starched, and its place is supplied by a process
of stamping, which is also accomplished by the native servants.
The result is more satisfactory than might be expected ; still an
English housewife wiU be very glad to have her preference for
perfectly smooth linen indulged, as it can be, when she possesses
a patent mangle.
Complete dinner and breakfast services of enamelled crockery
will soon pay theh price twice over ; for everything of earthen
ware is so sure to suffer breakage, sooner or later, in the hands
of the Kafir servants, that the replacing of losses thus expe
rienced becomes a heavy item in household expences.
The hon baking-pot or camp-oven is the article most com
monly employed in the colony, for cooking. In it meat is roasted,
bread, cakes, and pies are baked, and irons are heated. It is
placed over the wood fire, on bars of iron provided for the
purpose. It is an inconvenient article for the service it has to
do, both on account of its size and weight, and of the difficulty
of regulating the heat that is applied to it. Some sort of stove,
that will burn wood — and excellent ones are manufactm-ed now —
will be a very serviceable addition to the domestic outfit.
Soyer's Shilling Cookery Book is a useful manual to be
provided with, because it gives directions for so many diff'erent
ways of dressing the same articles of food, such as beef and fowls
for instance, which are the two chief, uay almost the only kinds
of animal food to be had in many parts of Natal. The multi-

HINTS TO emigrants' WIVES. 227
plicity of ingredients mentioned in some of these receipts, need
not discourage the colonial housekeeper. Carrots and turnips
may be scarce, but pumpkins and sweet potatoes wUl fairly
supply their place, particularly when seasoned with a few ounces
of good-will, and when the eater brings with him the sauce of a
good appetite. This seldom faUs to accompany the colonial
husband, who returns to his evening meal after a day's work in
the field, at the arrow-root mill or in the sugar-house.
The seeds of cabbages, lettuces, endive, carrots, turnips,
celery, beet-root, radishes, and cress, will be found valuable,
as there is nowhere in the colony a regular market for the
supply of vegetables ; and if brought out quite fresh, these seeds
will be likely to thrive. Provision for the kitchen-garden may
seem to come rather within the husband's province than the
wife's. But in reality the care of that useful portion of the
homestead is very likely to fall to her share, since the labour
of the husband may be entirely requhed and more profitably
engaged in the plantations or farming pursuits, in which the seed
of his future prosperity is, with God's blessing, to be sown. The
garden may become a pleasant portion of the wife's daUy work,
in a country where the climate, especially in the morning and
evening, is so agreeable for out-of-door occupation, and where
the plants that willj'grow, grow so rapidly. In this as in most
departments of the household, she will have to employ a Kafir
for her coadjutor. And here it may be well to add a few words
on this most peculiar feature to the new colonists of domestic
life in Natal — the employment of the native population as
servants. An Englishwoman's first feeling on landing in the colony,
and beholding the dingy, half-clothed figures of the Kafirs,
wUl be one of repugnance to the idea of having to employ such
rude creatures as servants in her house, and nurses to her
children. The sooner, however, she conquers this repugnance,
so natural at first, the better for her comfort. She will find
them, under good training and management, become very useful
and intelligent assistants in^ theh own departments of the
kitchen, thejgarden, and even in that far more important part
of the household establishment, the nursery — where the young

228 THE COLONY OF NATAL :
human plants are to be reared and trained, to form in time
good and profitable members of society. Many Kafirs wUl
come to her hand already well experienced in the work of all
these departments ; but even where such is the case, their worth
as servants wUl depend greatly on the treatment they experience
at her hands, and on the character of her general bearing
towards them. Befqre all things it is requisite that these should
be marked by firmness and the maintenance of her right position,
one of superiority to themselves. It sometimes happens that
the repugnance first' entertained towards the dirty-looking
savage, is followed by a revulsion of feeling, on finding what a
useful, efficient, and intelligent being he is, and an inclination
to treat him with familiarity, such as is rarely adopted even
towards a " good old servant" at home. Nothing can be more
mischievous than the indulgence of this inclination, for the
Kafir is as prone to feel contempt for one who lowers himself
by familiarity, as he is to bestow respect on one who commands
it by keeping him in his right place. With him, everyone who
is not an Inkosi (lord or ruler), is Inja (a dog).
But whilst avoiding an unwise familiarity, and enforcing the
duties of obedient domestics, from the Kafirs towards herself,
the colonist's wife will do well to remember that she too has
high duties to perform towards them. In throwing her into
contact with these untaught heathens. Providence places her in
a most responsible position, one in which she may obtain great
infiuence over them for good. If her own conduct testifies to
the truth and uprightness, the kindness and good- will, inculcated
by Christianity, she may be the means of inclining these dark
heathen to listen to the teaching of those who are labouring to
bring them within the light of the Gospel.
We have ah-eady mentioned the use of the natives as nurses.
It should be said also that a nursery, properly so called, is almost
unknown in Natal. The broad verandah to the house supplies
its place admirably for the younger children, and a little Kafir
boy or girl will look after them there as carefully and tenderly
as an English nursemaid. As children grow older, the less they
have to do with the native portion of the household the better.
They should now be as much as possible the companions of the

hints to emigrants' wives. 229
mother, and be trained by her, as their strength permits, to
become her useful assistants in her varied occupations both in
and out of doors. Where a school is within reach, she will
gladly avail herself of its aid for their instruction in book-
knowledge ; but her home may be so situated that she has to
take this part of their education also upon herself. It is there
fore extremely advisable that she should include in her domestic
outfit, a good stock of well-selected school-books, as manuals
for her help and guidance in teaching.

J^ittis.

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YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

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