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fresh herds from their westerly neighbors by the sale of antelope skins, especially those of the blue-buck, the antelope pygmea, a favourite and costly ornament, used for the head dresses of the Caffer belles. Laws of great severity, therefore have been enacted, and scrupulously administered, to protect this now-important branch of trade; and the various chiefs have respectively assumed a landed proprietorship over several districts, which they either hunt in themselves, or let out at high prices, for determinate periods, to parties of native adventurers; thus creating a novel and lucrative source of wealth to repair their previous numerous losses.

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The coast from the Omzimvooboo, or St. John's river, to the Omtavoomoo, is one continued bed of elevated rocks without one patch of sand; oysters are most abundant along this whole line, and of the most delicious kind. Most of the rivers and rivulets, with which the country is intersected incessantly, precipitate themselves over those rocky ledges into the sea, in numerous and beautiful cataracts, more than one of which are said to have a fall of full three hundred feet.

"The Terra de Natal, the next division, commences at the Omtavoomoo river, and is bounded on the east by the Omtangala, Fisher's river of the Charts. Its superficial contents are about nine thousar d square miles. It is a natural division, possessing similar productions, and the same climate, and distinguished from the N.E. country, which is hotter, less healthy, and more arid, and from the south-western, which is cold, damp, and variable.

"The chief rivers which water this delightful region are the Umzimcooloo, or Great river, the Omcoomas, (the streams of which fall into Natal bay,) the Omgani, and lastly, the Omtangala. The Omzimcooloo is a large stream, emptying its constantly-replenished reservoir into the ocean in about lat. 30. 30., and long. 30. 25. Its estuary appears to be accessible to shipping; it has a course of above ninety miles, is full of fish, especially eels, haunted by a number of hippopotami, or sea-cows, and its wooded and picturesque banks are thickly populated by that real monarch of the forest, the stately elephant.

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The Omcomas, or Cow river, is a very fine stream, and open at the mouth; its first drift, or ford, is about four miles from its estuary, at which place the river is one hundred yards wide, and three feet deep. Like all the other streams along the coast, it is remarkable for the translucency and sweetness of its waters. Wild fruits, of some very fine and large kinds, worthy, it is imagined, to be introduced into our gardens, are said to be abundant in the neighbourhood. Alligators begin to be found here, and a species of the boa

is said to infest the woods.

The harbor of Natal is situated in lat. 29. 53., and long. 30. 55.; is about three miles in depth, by two and a-half in breadth, containing three small islands easy of access from the shore at low water. The eastern side is a low sandy flat covered with wood, reaching to the margin of the sea, and at high tide presents the singular appearance of an indurated forest. At the head of the bay is a large plain covered with trees, bamboos, and long grass, but swampy near the water. Three small rivers discharge themselves near this plain. The western side is protected by a bluff point of land, covered with bush, which has inside of it fine anchorage, and careening ground. The entrance is about three hundred yards wide at high water, and the depth at this time, twelve feet, which at the equinoctial tides, exceeds fourteen.

"The banks of the Omganie river are described as very beautiful, from its romantic rock scenery. It is about one hundred and fifty yards wide one mile and a half from its mouth, which is situate in about 29. 50., and long. 30. 55. It offers every possible advantage as a future settlement for a

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ZOOLU KRAAL, NEAR DOORN KLOOF, UMCOMAZ RIVER, NATAL.

Published for IC Christonhen.

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civilized population, having abundance of limestone, and chalk, fine timber, a rich soil, the most luxuriant pasturage in the world, the capability of irrigation, if required, for thousands of acres, and a land-locked harbor within three miles. Bananas grow spontaneously in this highly-favored region.

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The serpentine Ontongela, or Fisher's river of the Charts, (or Tugela,) bounds the rich and delightful district of Natal. It is second only, in size, to the St. Lucia and Maporta rivers, and it rises in a breach of the Ingale, or Snowy mountains, about two hundred and fifty miles from the coast, where it disembogues in about lat. 29. 20., and long. 31. 25., being fed along its lengthened course by innumerable tributaries. Its extreme breadth is from one mile to a mile and a-half, and its ford, six miles from the mouth, is two hundred yards across. A large salt-pan exists near its source, but very difficult of access, and lower down is a warm bath, sufficiently hot at times to boil an egg.

"The climate of this division is salubrious throughout the year, suffering no great extremes; rains generally arrive with the westerly wind, but seldom last more than three or four days together, when the east wind springing up, clear the atmosphere; the east and westerly winds are the most prevailing.

"The planting season commences in July, and the country corn continues to ripen from the month of January to that of May, so that there is a constant harvest during these months.

"The soil coastwise, is generally sandy, but capable of raising most luxuriant crops of millet and maize; proceeding inland, it assumes a reddish hue and loamy stiffness, changing as it recedes, to a black and deep mould, until at the end of the base of the mountains it becomes gravelly and strong, The country is covered at intervals by forests of considerable extent, but which are difficult to explore, from the impervious nature of the underwood. Trees of large size, are rare about the port itself, although the smaller kinds are most plentiful. At the distance of fifty miles, however, are extensive woods, containing trees of the largest dimensions; and in the Impensewan, or Ingale mountains, are inexhaustible supplies of ship and other timber, easily transportable to the harbor.

"The native inhabitants of this place, are, at present, the wretched and scattered remains of that once populous tribe, described by Captain Woodes Rogers, and other navigators in the seventeenth century, as remarkable for their Arcadian felicity, their innocence of manners, and humanity to strangers. By the ambitious policy of the late Zoolah chieftain, they have dwindled into a small number of fugitives, finding a precarious existence from the indigenous and wild produce of the field.

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Besides these people, there is a considerable number of Europeans from the colony, settled round the port for the purpose of trade; but of late a want of confidence in the Zoolah ruler, Dingaarn, and of unanimity among themselves, arising out of a petty and misplaced jealousy of each other's success, has brought this flourishing settlement into a very low condition, and if not soon supported with the arm of a recognized government, it must be altogether abandoned

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'Does the fabled Lotus' grow in this portion of Africa, of which, all who have eaten, desire to remain, and all those who have roamed from its feast, pine to return.? Is there a maladie de pays, a sickness, not of home, but for a foreign land, generated by the atmosphere of this clime, barbarous only as respects its inhabitants? or, why is it that no one individual, whatever his pursuits, whatever the circumstances which have thrown him upon, or directed his steps to this land,—trade,-science, or misfortunes,—but seems enraptured with the natural beauties of the country? The wrecked mariner,

even while despairing of returning to his civilized home, has not withheld his meed of praise; the adventurous trader, searching for his profit thus far from home, has expressed a frequent wish, that this was, his own, his native land,'—and the only scientific visitor to these regions, declared a wish to live and die there. There must be, certainly, something extraordinary in a country, to call forth so general a testimony in its favor.”

The testimony of an American missionary, for thirteen years a resident in the country, shall now be produced ::

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Sir,

Umvoti Mission Station, 1st. Nov. 1848. "Yours of the 31st ult. is before me. In reply to which, I may say I arrived at Port Natal as a missionary to the natives in 1835, and with the exception of about two years absence, have remained in the country till now. I have travelled through the coast country, from Port Elizabeth in the old colony, to the Umfalosi river in the Zoola country, and when employed in my calling, have lived near the coast, and have occasionally travelled inland, but am not so well acquainted with the country there, from actual observation. As regards the climate of this country, it being in about 30° south lat., I may say it is warm. Upon the coast I have never seen frost but twice in thirteen years, though I have heard of it a few times more. At Pietermaritzburg, about fifty miles inland, frost is common in winter, and ice is occasionally seen upon the water in the morning, and upon the mountains in sight from P. M. Burg, thirty or forty miles further inland, snow may sometimes be seen. As to the healthiness of the climate, compared with my native country, America, I think it decidedly preferable. That country when new, as this now is, was very productive of fever and ague, and till now, that disease prevails in the new portions of the country; and fevers of various kinds, and pulmonary consumption, and dysentery, are yet very common in all parts of that country. The same diseases are known here, but so far as I have seen, they are comparatively rare; indeed, the absence of stagnant water, and the sufficiently dry and pure state of the atmosphere, would naturally leave the country in a healthy state in these respects: and if I were asked if any particular disease prevailed here, I should be unable to refer to one. I think I have heard our physician, Dr. Adams, say, that perhaps dysentery is more prevalent than any other. I was myself an invalid from pulmonary complaints, when I came to this country; but my health has been improving from the first, until now. Our mission has indeed, a physician, but I am more than fifty miles from him, and we all have no hesitation in locating so far from a doctor as that we could not avail ourselves of his services. I would not, however, be understood to say that a man in that profession here, is useless. I speak of it to show that the country is comparatively a healthy one.

"As to the fertility of the soil of this country, it certainly surpasses by far, that portion of my country, (the United States of America,) called New England, in this respect. Having never seen the country upon the waters of the Missisippi river, I am unable of course, to compare it with that. Wheat will grow in any part of the colony, but is invariably destroyed by the rust on all the coast country; it however, does well in the interior part of the colony; but Indian corn, oats, barley, beans, peas, Irish potatoes, sweet

*Other persons contend that the Victoria and Egyptian wheat will answer well, even on the coast. The Devonshire golden ball wheat appears to be well suited to the soil and climate of the eastern province, and will probably suit even the coast line of Natal. The solid stalk, it is supposed, resists the rust better than the hollow straw; it is better for thatching.

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