Natal, a country on the S.E. coast of Africa, about 300 miles N.E. of British Kaffaria, from which it is separated by a thinly-inhabited country called Kaffaria Proper. It lies nearly between 28° and 31° S. Lat., and 29° and 31° E. Long.; and is bounded on the N. and N.E. by the rivers Tugela and Umzimvati, which separate it from the kingdom of the Zulu Kafirs; on the S.E. by the Indian Ocean; on the S. and S.W. by the River Umzimkulu, which divides it from Kaffaria Proper; while on the W. and N.W. the Kahlamba or Drakenberg Mountains wall it off from the territory of the Orange River republic. Its length is about 200 miles, and its breadth from the sea to the Kahlamba Mountains about 100 miles; area about 17,000 square miles.

The country rises from the sea-coast in a series of terraces to an elevation of several thousand feet, and presents a rare variety of scenery, soil, and climate. A sufficiently clear and practical view of the country, however, may be given by representing it as consisting of three general divisions,—1st. Along the Indian Ocean is a belt of land about 15 miles in breadth, the greater part of the surface of which rises and falls in a succession of round swelling hills and small valleys, carpeted with long grass, over which are scattered clumps of trees, chiefly of mimosa and euphorbia. In some places the uniformity of the scenery is relieved by forests and dense jungle, in others by vast masses of lofty and abrupt hills and deep ravines. This lovely region favours the vegetation both of the tropics and of southern Europe. Sugar, coffee, indigo, and almost every other tropical plant, flourish, along with the mulberry, olive, and vine. Nor is it unfavourable to some of the productions of a cooler climate; for oats, beans, and potatoes thrive well, especially the first two; maize or Indian corn grows luxuriantly in this as in every part of the country.

2d. Having crossed this belt, we ascend into a country where the hills take a longer sweep, something like the downs of Sussex. They are still covered with long grass, but the wood has disappeared, except in small patches in the hollows and on the banks of the streams. The character of the vegetation has changed; we no longer see that of the tropics. Good crops of wheat, oats, potatoes, and other productions of a temperate climate, are produced; and the district is admirably suited for horses and horned cattle. Many fruits also flourish in this part, among which are the orange, pomegranate, peach, apricot, and granadilla.

3d. Proceeding still farther, and ascending another terrace, we find the hills more massive, with a still longer and bolder sweep, covered with grass, but generally bare of wood. They are frequently flat-topped, and sometimes expand into table-land. At intervals on the crests of the hills we meet with stony ridges, composed of large boulders, stretching across the country like huge dykes. In the distance farther inland we see rugged hills cut by deep ravines, and beyond them the Kahlamba mountain-range rising abruptly like a huge wall 8000 feet above the sea, and nearly 4000 above the country at its base, with here and there buttresses thrown out like towers and battlements,—in summer casting a dark, rugged outline against the deep-blue sky, and in winter radiant in a mantle of snow. Sweeping round to the N.W., the range sinks into lower hills, presenting a softer outline, with passes winding over them. The long coarse grass of the lower country is here exchanged for a shorter and finer kind; and everything about him tells the traveller that he has now reached a land admirably adapted both for horned cattle and for sheep. He finds, too, that the country produces abundant crops of wheat, oats, and other cereals of England; while he is refreshed by the taste of excellent peaches, apricots, nectarines, apples, pears, walnuts, and other fruits of a temperate climate. Scattered at intervals over the whole face of the country are vast clusters of hills, varying in area from 10 to 20 by 15 to 30 miles. These localities seem to have been subject to some violent convulsions of nature; for the hills, or rather mountains, rear their rugged or scarped sides in every fantastic form, overhanging deep and gloomy glens, the channels of rushing rivers or foaming torrents. Some of these romantic regions are almost surrounded by the comparatively tame scenery of long sweeping hills or table-land.

Throughout his journey from the coast upwards, the traveller crosses innumerable streams and several considerable rivers. He scarcely descends into a valley which he does not find traversed by a brook of clear fresh water. Numerous rivers intersect the country, flowing generally S.E. into the Indian Ocean. The largest of them, as the Tugela, the Bushmans, the Mooi, and Umkomazi, have their sources in the Kahlamba Mountains; while the others, as the Umgeni, the Umlazi, and the Umvoti, spring from the lower ranges of hills. None of the rivers are navigable. Their sparkling waters flow with great rapidity, now between banks fringed with brushwood, now past the scarped sides of mountains which rise abruptly from their stream. Some of them have fine cataracts, as the Umgeni, near Pietermaritzburg, the sheer fall of which is 280 feet. All the rivers partake of the character of mountain streams,—low in the dry season, filling in a few hours in the rainy weather, and rushing down like torrents.

The land on the sea-coast is composed of rounded downs of sand, interrupted by strata of sandstone and shale, traversed by masses of erupted rocks. The latter in some places run out into the sea in the form of dark reefs. Farther in the interior the high lands are composed of stratified sandstone, almost horizontal, and deficient in organic remains. A huge vein of granite seems to run from N.E. to S.W. among these high lands. The Kahlamba Mountains were considered by the late Dr Stanger as divided in regard to geological structure into two parts; one part, forming the W. boundary of the colony—the bold, rugged outline of which we have described—he supposed to consist of granite; for it is so precipitous, and so guarded by rugged hills and ravines at its base, as to be almost inaccessible. The part of the range forming the N.W. limit of the colony exhibits a softer and rounder outline, and is composed of sandstone, with beds of shale traversed by basalt and other volcanic rocks. The soil near the coast seems to be a sandy loam; much of it is formed by the blending of sandstone, shale, and erupted rocks. Farther inland it mostly consists of friable loam, red or brown, resting on clay, ferruginous rocks, or granite. In parts from which wood has been cleared, the soil is a rich vegetable mould. Alluvial soil is not abundant; but at the mouths of some rivers, as well as on parts of their course, level plains occur several hundreds of acres in extent. Iron is found in abundance, and said to be of good quality. Copper has lately been discovered in small quantities. Coal exists in several places, but most of it is rather deficient in bituminous matter, though well adapted for furnaces. In the most remote, and perhaps the coldest part of the country, however, there is coal fit for burning in a common fire-place; but none has yet been found sufficiently near the sea to be useful for steam navigation. There are in the upper part of the country some valuable mineral waters, the chief ingredients of which are carbonic acid; carbonate, sulphate, and muriate of lime; and sulphate of magnesia. Their temperature is 128° Fahr.

The flora of the country has been but imperfectly investigated, but it seems to be remarkably rich and varied. It differs from that of the Cape of Good Hope in several respects. Geraniums, heaths, and proteas, so varied and abundant in that country, are here represented by few species, and by no means in large numbers. On the other hand, it has many plants which are either not found, or are but sparingly distributed at the Cape. The tribes chiefly worthy of notice are, the Acanthads; the Amaryllids, having among them the beautiful Natal lily; the Solanads; the Scrophulariads; the Euphorbiads, or spurge; the Papilionaceae, which are very abundant; and the Asclepiads. Grapes are far more abundant than at the Cape. Ferns are also abundant in some parts. Many indigenous plants grow within the belt of land along the sea, which are hardly ever found elsewhere out of the tropics. Among them may be named three kinds of mangrove, indigo, and the ground-nut.

The spring commences in September, and the autumn Climate about March. These transition seasons are, however, short; so that the period from September to March may be considered as summer; that from March to September as winter. The hottest weather is in December and January; the coldest in June and July. In summer rain falls almost daily, accompanied occasionally by thunder-storms. In winter there is but little rain, and the sky is clear and cloudless. In the lower belt of country the average temperature in the summer is 77° to 85°. In winter it ranges from 58° to 70°. In the second division of country, at Pietermaritzburg, the capital, the range of the thermometer in the summer is from 64° to 75°, and in winter from 48° to 60°. The climate, especially for persons taking much outdoor exercise, may be considered as one of the healthiest in the world. Travelling in this country, especially in the early morning, is extremely delightful. The light, elastic, and transparent atmosphere gives an indescribable freshness and vigour to mind and body.

This country was discovered by the Portuguese on Christmas-day History, 1498, and named Natal in honour of the day. They found it inhabited by a portion of the Kafir race, divided into small tribes, not unfrequently at war with one another, but kind and hospitable to strangers. The Dutch who, after their settlement at the Cape founded the town of Pietermaritzburg visited this country, gave a nearly similar account of its condition. Little more is known of it till 1810, when a remarkable man arose in the neighbouring country of the Zulu-Kafirs. This was Chaka, or Chakas, chief of an insignificant tribe of Kafirs called Zulus, but who became the chief of another more powerful tribe. The united tribes under his rule became a great nation, and conquered and destroyed other tribes of Kafirs far and wide. Nearly the whole population of Natal was swept away, being either annihilated or incorporated with the conquerors. Of the few who escaped, some fled into the country beyond the Kahlamba Mountains, and others to the Cape frontier, where, under the name of Fingoes, they became the serfs of the Amaross Kafirs. In 1824, during the reign of Chaka, Lieutenant Fanwell and a small party of British emigrants, chiefly from the Cape, settled in Natal, which they found almost depopulated. Chaka received them kindly, and ceded to them a considerable part of the country. In 1828 Chaka was murdered at the instigation of his brother Dingaan, who assumed the sovereignty. In 1837 a party of the Dutch boers, who, as mentioned in our article Cape of Good Hope, had emigrated from that colony, arrived in Natal; they were welcomed by the British settlers, and Retief their leader proceeded to the residence of Dingaan to obtain from him a cession of some part of the country. That chief consented to comply with his wish, upon condition of his recovering for him a large number of cattle stolen from him by a neighbouring tribe. The cattle were recovered; and Retief, accompanied by 65 Boers, proceeded to the residence of the Zulu chief, by whom he was received with apparent cordiality. With the aid of an English missionary, the Rev. Mr Owen, who resided near, a treaty was drawn up by which the whole of Natal was ceded to the Boers. Retief was, however, warned by Mr Owen's servants that the king meditated treachery, but he treated their warnings with indiffer- ence; and so completely did the wily chief, by marks of friendship and hospitality, succeed in disarming the suspicion of his guests, that as they were on the point of leaving him, he induced them to present themselves without their fire-arms, before himself and an array of his most trusted warriors, whom he had ordered to be drawn up to do honour to them on their departure. The warriors chanted the war-song in honour of their guests. In a short time the chief himself intoned a song, in the course of which he uttered the terrible words "Kill the wizards!" In an instant the lines of savage warriors closed in on the Boers, and butchered them to a man in cold blood. Dingaan then despatched a large force to attack the rest of the Boers, scattered in small encampments over the country. Some of them were surprised, and men, women, and children were murdered; others, who had time for defence, repulsed their assailants. A deadly war ensued between the Boers and the Zulus, in the course of which was fought a battle memorable in the annals of border warfare. A handful of Boers, not 40 strong, were encamped in a bend of a small river with precipitous banks, and protected on the outer sides by a barricade formed, in their usual manner, by their waggons lashed together. In this position they were, one Sunday morning in 1838, attacked by Dingaan's forces, upwards of 12,000 strong. A terrible conflict ensued. The Zulu warriors marched up in dense columns, and bore down upon horsemen in vain to storm the camp. Their close battalions met one after another, battered to pieces by the terrible fire of its brave defenders. At length, towards the afternoon, the attacks of the Zulus became fainter, and their whole army was observed to waver; then the Boers mounted their horses, stormed their barricade, and charged their assailants, who broke and fled. The Boers pursued them for many a mile, shooting them down without mercy. The victors lost but two or three men; while the loss of the Zulus is said to have exceeded 2000. After this the war continued with varied success. In the meantime the governor of the Cape, in consequence, as he stated, "of the disturbed state of the natives, arising from the unwarranted occupation of the country by certain emigrants being her Majesty's subjects," sent to Natal a small detachment of troops to prevent further bloodshed, for which purpose it was utterly useless, and was not long afterwards recalled. Towards the close of 1839, a brother of Dingaan, named Panda, whom he had for some cause resolved to put to death, went over to the Boers, carrying with him 4000 men. The combined forces then took the field, but as the Boers did not fully trust their new allies, they kept during the march some miles apart from them. Panda fell in with Dingaan's army and totally routed it, chiefly owing to several of its regiments going over to him during the battle. Dingaan fled from the field with a few followers, and sought refuge with a tribe near Delagoa Bay, by whom he was murdered. The Boers then proclaimed Panda king of the Zulus, and declared their own paramount sovereignty to extend not only over Natal, but over all the Zulu country.

They, however, only occupied Natal, where they established a republican form of government. That country at this period seems not to have contained more than 12,000 to 15,000 natives, the broken remnants of tribes who, by hiding in the mountains and forests, had escaped destruction from the Zulu armies. In a short time, however, a considerable number of Panda's subjects flocked in to put themselves under the protection of the Boers. Alarmed by this large accumulation of natives in Natal, the Boers resolved to remove a part of them to a country farther to the south. This project, and also an attack made by the Boers on a tribe in that quarter, represented probably with exaggeration, to the governor of the Cape, caused him to resolve to take military possession of Natal. A detachment of troops under Captain Smith accordingly arrived at the port, and encamped in the neighbourhood. The Boers refused to recognise the authority of this officer, annoyed his force in every way, and demanded that he should quit the country. Upon this Captain Smith made a night attack on their camp, situated at the upper end of the harbour of Port Natal. He was repulsed with severe loss, and forced to shut himself up in his camp, which for several weeks he and his little force defended with great gallantry, being compelled to kill their horses for food. In the meantime Mr King, one of the British settlers mentioned above, started on horseback overland to inform the authorities at the Cape of the position of the troops; and on the 26th June 1842, Colonel Cloete, despatched by the governor of the Cape, arrived at the Port with a detachment of troops on board her Majesty's ship Southampton. To this force the Boers made a feeble resistance; the port was taken, and the gallant little band under Captain Smith relieved. Finding further resistance hopeless, the Boers entered into a negotiation with Colonel Cloete. With few exceptions, a general amnesty was granted to them, and protection promised them against the natives. Their private rights to their lands were guaranteed to them, but the special terms by which they were to hold them was reserved for the decision of the government. Shortly after this, Colonel Cloete left Natal, and the command again devolved on Captain Smith. On the military occupation of Natal by government, the natives from the Zulu country poured into it in crowds, and it was then that probably the great bulk of Kafir population settled in it. In 1843 the government signified its intentions in regard to the property in land, by causing the governor of the Cape to issue a proclamation declaring that lands were to be held by payment of a small annual quit-rent, and providing for the recognition of claims to particular farms, but confirming such recognition to the cases of persons who had occupied their farms claimed for a year previous to the arrival of a commissioner to be appointed to register such claims. The commissioner, Mr Cloete, was at the same time sent to Natal. This limitation was scarcely in accordance with the terms of the convention, and was manifestly unfair, as pointed out by Mr Cloete. In the disturbed state of Natal during the preceding year, in a great measure the result of the arrival of her Majesty's troops, which gave courage to the natives to harass the Boers in every direction, it was absolutely necessary for the latter to throw themselves together into camps for their protection, and it was thus impossible for them, in the majority of cases, to occupy their farms. Mr Cloete seems to have done as well as he could under the circumstances. He registered a number of claims as coming strictly under the terms of the proclamation, and a number of others as entitled to favourable consideration. The government, on reference home, would only confirm claims of the first kind; and unfortunately even these claims, or rather rights, were not long afterwards interfered with in several ways. This, added to the previous dislike of the Dutch to British rule, caused a large part of them to emigrate from Natal to countries beyond, where, under their leader Pretorius, they now moved their strength with her Majesty's troops. Several attempts have since been made to conciliate them by further liberal grants of land, but with only partial success; their confidence once destroyed, could not be restored. The errors of the government with regard to these in this respect arose from its attaching too great a value to the grazing lands largely occupied by the Dutch, and its failing to see that Natal, with the large Kafir population within and around it, could not be held by the handful of troops it had there without the presence of the Boers; for even if British immigrants could have been at once poured in, they could not have supplied the place of men imured to the native warfare. These errors were perceived by Sir Harry Smith, whom governor of the Cape in 1848, and the measures devised by him, and carried out by the late lieutenant-governor, by retaining a remnant of the Boers in Natal, contributed largely to the tranquillity of the country, which has enabled it to assume its present satisfactory position. In 1845 Natal was constituted a part of the Cape Colony, and the Roman-Dutch law introduced. But in the same year it was again made a separate government, to be administered by a lieutenant-governor, under the general control of the governor of the Cape.

On the establishment of the colony, the executive functions of government were committed to a lieutenant-governor, assisted by an executive council composed of four chief officials. The legislature consisted of the lieutenant-governor and a council of only three principal officers; so the government remained until 1856, when the crown granted representative institutions. The legislature now consists of the lieutenant-governor and a council composed of four chief officers, who are ex officio members, and of twelve members elected by the people of the several counties and towns of the colony. The qualification for voters is the possession of freehold property worth £50, or the occupation of property at an annual rental of £10; all voters are eligible as members. The executive council is still composed exclusively of permanent officers of the government. By the new constitution Natal is made wholly independent of the Cape.

Each of the counties is presided over by an officer, called the resident magistrate, possessing limited judicial and executive authority. By a law passed in 1854, each county is entitled to a local council, consisting of the resident magistrate, the clerk of the peace, and of persons elected by the inhabitants. The qualifications of electors and members are the same as those for the general council. This system, owing to circumstances, has not hitherto worked well; but we see with regret that proposals are made to abolish it. It probably requires change, but to do away with it seems a step backwards; we are convinced that the prosperity of colonies greatly depends upon such local institutions.

The towns possessing 1000 inhabitants, or upwards, are also entitled to local self-government in the form of corporations. The governing body consists of councillors elected by the people, and a mayor chosen from their number. This system is in operation in the two towns, and works well.

The Roman-Dutch law is the common law of the colony, constituted by ordinances of the local legislature. Trial by jury, both in criminal and civil cases, has been introduced. The courts of law are—1st, The supreme court, presided over by a single judge, styled the Recorder; 2nd, The courts of the resident magistrates of counties, whose criminal jurisdiction extends to cases not punishable with death or transportation. They can only punish by inflicting three months' imprisonment and 25 lashes on an offender, and they can only fine to the extent of L10. In civil cases their jurisdiction only reaches cases when the amount in dispute does not exceed L10, with the exception of that of the magistrate of Port D'Urban, which extends to cases involving L100. From all these courts there lies an appeal to the supreme court. Owing to the uncivilized and peculiar state of the natives in the colony, they are in some respects governed under a different system of government from that applicable to the white inhabitants.

For some time after the establishment of the colonial government the natives were in practice governed by their own laws, administered by Mr Shepstone, under the title of diplomatic agent; a gentleman who, by his tact, ability, and perfect knowledge of their language, had acquired considerable influence over them. This peculiar jurisdiction was legalized in 1848; for Lord Grey, then at the head of the Colonial Office, clearly seeing that it would be impracticable and dangerous to attempt to rule men in a state of barbarism by laws framed for a highly-civilized society, advised Her Majesty to issue letters-patent, retaining and confirming, as to the natives of the colony, their own laws, except so far as they might be repugnant to the general principles of humanity as recognized throughout the civilized world. The lieutenant-governor is, in fact, as to the natives, with all the powers of a supreme or paramount chief, and with the right to delegate his authority to subordinate officers. In this capacity he is assisted by Mr Shepstone, under whose sway magistrates distributed over the colony charged with the administration of native law. These magistrates, for the sake of convenience, are the same persons as the resident magistrates mentioned above; but their jurisdiction is in this respect distinct, and in native cases an appeal lies from them to the governor, and not to the supreme court. It is considered that native law is applicable to cases civil and criminal between natives, and also between the government and natives. In cases of murder and some other crimes, the supreme court has co-ordinate jurisdiction. The crime of cattle-stealing by natives, however, which, if not promptly checked, leads to war and massacre, has been placed under the exclusive cognizance of native law, which is far better fitted to deal with it than more civilized codes. Cases of this kind are tried before two magistrates and the chief of the tribe to which the accused belongs.

The system of native government, in spite of some defects and some local difficulties, has worked well, and been one of the chief means of preserving peace in the colony, even when other parts of our South-African possessions were involved in war. The main object of the system is to control the natives by laws suited to their present condition, to modify and alter those laws from time to time as the people advance in civilization, and so gradually and silently to assimilate, or rather to identify them with the laws by which their more enlightened fellow-subjects are ruled.

The total population is about 125,000 persons, of whom about 8000 are white, the rest natives. The white population is made up of Dutch Boers, settlers from the Cape, immigrants from the United Kingdom and their children, and a few Germans. The Boers—about a third of the white population—are the remnant of the people whose struggles we have described, the bulk of whom have emigrated beyond our boundaries. The colonists from the Cape, mostly of British origin, settled in the country before, or soon after, its occupation by the government; the colonists from the United Kingdom almost all arrived since 1849. The natives are of the Kafir race, for the most part refugees from the Zulu country.

The colony N. of the River Umkomazi is divided into the following six counties:—D'Urban comprises the country about the Port, and the town of the same name; to the N.E. of this, Victoria stretches along the sea-coast to the Tugela. Above D'Urban, on the higher land, is Pietermaritzburg, containing the capital of the colony of the same name; N. and N.E. of which lie the counties of Umtati, Weenen, and Klip River, chiefly inhabited by Boers. The country S. of the Umkomazi, being only inhabited by natives, has not been divided into counties. There are two towns, Pietermaritzburg, the capital, and D'Urban, the port-town; and there are also a number of villages scattered over the colony. Pietermaritzburg contains about 500 houses, with a white population of about 1600. D'Urban has about 450 houses, and a white population of about 1200. This town stands on the north shore of Port Natal, a large and nearly circular basin communicating with the sea by a narrow channel. In this basin vessels drawing from 20 to 25 feet may be moored at all tides. Its mouth is obstructed by a sandy bar, the average depth of which was formerly not more than from 8 to 10 feet; but in consequence of works which have of late years been carried on, its depth has been increased to from 15 to 20 feet; and there is no doubt that it is capable of being rendered one of the safest and best harbours in this part of Africa.

In each of the two towns there is a public school supported by government. The government also assists other schools, under certain regulations, by granting to each a sum equal to that raised by private means. The several missionary bodies have schools in various parts of the colony; and there are some excellent schools established under the auspices of the bishop, both for Europeans and natives. By the new charter L5000 has been specially reserved out of the revenue for the education of the natives. Public libraries and mechanics' institutions have been founded in Pietermaritzburg and D'Urban.

The Church of England body, scattered over the colony, is presided over by a bishop, having under him a considerable number of clergymen. A handsome cathedral has been erected at the capital, and a very commodious church at D'Urban. In other places, churches are either built or in the course of erection. The Dutch Reformed Church embraces nearly all the Dutch part of the population. They have a church at Pietermaritzburg, and several in the upper country inhabited by the Boers. The Presbyterian Church, though embracing members of the several sections of the church at home, may be regarded as the representative of the Church of Scotland. It has a very commodious stone church at the capital, and small churches at one or two other places. The Wesleyans have several ministers, two chapels in each of the two towns, one for the natives, the other for Europeans, and other chapels in various parts of the district. The Independents have small congregations at the capital and the Port. The Roman Catholics have a bishop and several clergymen. They have small chapels at each of the two towns. The American mission is composed of ministers of several denominations, chiefly, however, Presbyterian and Independent. Their object being to convert the natives, they agree to drop all minor differences, especially as to church discipline, and to present to the native mind none but the great points of belief to which most Christians assent. They have upwards of ten stations scattered over the country along the sea-coast.

The revenue is chiefly derived—1st, From customs duties; Revenue 2d, From licenses to carry on certain trades, stamps, auction and expenditures, and spirit licenses; 3d, From a tax of 7s. per annum ditto. on every native hut; 4th, From fees of courts, fines, postage, &c.; 5th, From quit-rents on land.

The revenue and expenditure in several years were as follows:

| Year | Revenue | Expenditure | |------|---------|-------------| | 1846 | L3,073 | L6,905 | | 1848 | 9,268 | 10,101 | | 1850 | 28,410 | 21,774 | | 1852 | 25,606 | 23,332 | | 1854 | 31,397 | 31,474 | | 1855 | 34,050 | 33,603 |

The hut-tax was imposed in 1849, and has yielded an annual revenue of upwards of L8000 per annum. At the same period the expenditure was largely increased in providing the requisite machinery for the government of the natives, as noticed above.

The subjoined table shows the progress of the commerce of the colony: In 1853 the value of the chief imports were—cotton and other dry goods, L40,000; food, stores, &c., L30,000; spirits, wine, and beer, L7800; machinery and iron, L6600.

The exports in 1853 chiefly consisted of—grain, flour, &c., L2832; butter, L5805; bacon and hams, L1453; ivory, L11,065; sheep's wool, L3565; wood and planks, L1888. In 1855 the export of wool had risen to upwards of L8000; that of ivory to more than L14,000. The exports of some other articles have sprung up or been developed since 1853. In 1856 beef and pork, hides, tallow, and arrow-root became prominent articles of export. The export of sugar commenced in 1856; and its value was stated at L458.

Agriculture is steadily advancing. In the upper and cooler parts of the country the cultivation of wheat, oats, and other grains is rapidly increasing; the breeding of cattle and sheep is also making good progress. The manufacture of sugar is progressing very satisfactorily; several mills have been imported and are in operation; and at the beginning of 1856 it was considered that there were nearly 1000 acres of cane under cultivation. There seems, too, no doubt that its production will be highly remunerative. Land is not a tenth of the price it brings in the West Indies and Mauritius, while labour is cheaper. Natal, moreover, has a great advantage over these islands in so far as a European can labour out of doors without danger to health. The cultivation of indigo has been attempted with success. Cotton will grow admirably on the coast lands.