The British possessions in Southern Africa, at the present day, consist
of what has long been known as the Cape Colony, or the country extending
from the extreme southern point of the continent to the 29th degree of
south latitude; of a district adjoining on the east, called British
Kaffraria; and a detached territory, called Natal, lying far removed
from the rest, on the eastern coast, and bordering on the country called
Delagoa, of which the possession is claimed by the Portuguese. In so
large an extent of country there is, of course, much diversity of soil
and general appearance, but it is unquestionable that the parts best
adapted, on the whole, to European settlement, are the eastern
districts, including Natal. The extent and population of each of these
divisions may be roughly stated at--Cape Colony and British Kaffraria,
150,000 square miles, and 200,000 inhabitants; Natal, 18,000 square
miles, and 20,000 inhabitants. In the Cape Colony the white and the
coloured population are of about equal amount, [see Note 1], but in
British Kaffraria and Natal the number of white inhabitants is as yet
but small. Among the white inhabitants, those of Dutch origin greatly
predominate, as is shown by a Government return of the various religious
persuasions, in 1846, where, out of 70,310 white Christians, no less
than 51,848 belong to the Dutch Reformed Church.
Southern Africa may be described as consisting of a series of terraces
rising one above the other as they recede from the sea, and then
declining towards the great Orange River, which, after a long course,
generally from east to west, falls into the Atlantic Ocean about 500
miles north of the Cape. On the sea-shore is a belt of land, consisting
of a level plain, from 10 to 30 miles in breadth, with some gentle
hills, generally fertile, and enjoying a mild climate, but backed by a
chain of low mountains called the Lange Kloof, or Long Pass, which
support a wide table-land, or karroo, as it is termed, consisting
generally of barren plains, yet well adapted to sheep-farming. Beyond,
rises another mountain-chain called the Zwaarte Bergen, or Black
Mountains, and further north a still wider table-land, called the Great
Karroo, which is by some travellers compared to the steppes of Tartary;
rain seldom falls here; the climate is rigorous at one season and
excessively hot at another, and even sheep-farming can hardly be carried
on. But further north, as the land slopes towards the Orange River, the
climate is more equal, and the land increases in fertility, so that
large herds of cattle are reared.
A somewhat similar series of terraces is found on the western coast, but
their direction is north and south.
Of the rivers, much the largest is the Orange River, but from its
remoteness from the settled portions of the country little use has yet
been made of it. The Olifant's, or Elephant River, and the Great Berg
River, fall into the sea on the west coast; the Broad River and the
Knysna on the south coast while the east coast is watered by the Sunday
River, which falls into Algoa Bay; the Great Fish River, the Keiskama,
the Kei, and many smaller streams. In the vicinity of the district of
Natal are found the Umzimkulu, the Umlazi, and many others, of which
even the names are hardly known to Europeans.
The produce of Southern Africa is mainly agricultural. In the districts
in the neighbourhood of Cape Town wine is produced, while the more
remote parts furnish corn and wheat. The chief exports are wine and
wool, with hides, tallow, and salted beef, goat-skins, corn, and butter.
The provisions are sent chiefly to the Mauritius and South America.
The exports of wool are increasing rapidly, those of wine decreasing.
In 1827, only 44,441 pounds of wool were exported: in 1846, 3,000,000
pounds; while the wine had decreased in same period from 740,000 to
185,000 gallons. The white fishery, which was formerly pursued with
success, has now declined, but the amount of shipping belonging to the
Colony has more than doubled in the last ten years.
The Cape Colony is divided into the thirteen districts the Cape,
Stellenbosch, Worcester, and Clanwilliam, in western part; Swellendam,
George, and Uitenhage, in the south; Albany, in the east; and Beaufort,
Graaf Reinet, Colesberg, Cradock, and Somerset, in the interior.
Cape Town, on the southern shore of Table Bay, and about thirty miles to
the north of the Cape of Good Hope, is a well-built place, the streets
laid out in regular lines, and some are shaded by trees. The houses are
mostly of respectable size, and have a kind of terrace before the door.
It is spoken of as having a more English appearance than most colonial
capitals, the whole being extremely clean, and the public edifices
numerous and substantial, including the Government House, the Stadthuis,
or Municipality, several handsome churches, an exchange, and an
observatory. The population Is nearly 30,000. Immediately behind the
town rises the Table Mountain, and to the south is a district in which
are found many elegant villas, surrounded by vineyards and thriving
plantations.
The town next in importance is Graham's Town, in the Albany district.
This is the capital of the eastern district of the Colony. It has a
population of about 7,000, and is 650 miles distant from Cape Town. It
was only founded in the year 1810, by Colonel Graham, but it has many
good buildings, and its merchants and traders are considered as
particularly active and enterprising. Thirty-five miles off, at the
mouth of the Kowie River, is the rising settlement of Port Frances.
Of the other towns, it may be sufficient to remark, that Swellendam,
Uitenhage, and Graaf Reinet, are Dutch towns, and the latter occupies a
most picturesque situation among gardens and orchards. George and Port
Elizabeth are more English in appearance; the latter is the port town of
Algoa Bay, and its commerce is rapidly increasing. Worcester Beaufort,
Cradock, and Somerset, are mere villages.
The importance of the Cape as a naval and military station has been
often dwelt on by abler pens than mine. The desirableness of fully
occupying the country with a white population is also fully admitted;
and as it is certain that the most fertile and valuable districts are
those which yet remain to be settled, namely, the eastern ports, it is
to be hoped that thousands who now struggle for a precarious existence
at home, will annually take up their abode there, and that their
well-directed industry will tenfold increase the value of the country of
their adoption.
As regards the district of Natal, the following reports, abridged, from
Mr Stanger, the Surveyor-General, Mr Shepstone, the Diplomatic Agent,
and Lieutenant Gibb, of the Royal Engineers, will suffice to give a very
favourable idea of its capabilities. They are dated December 28, 1847.
The Commissioners state that they have divided the territory into the
six districts of D'Urban, Pietermaritzburg, Umvoti, Impafane, Upper
Tukela, and Umzinyati, (from the native names of the principal rivers
running through them), and then proceed to describe each in detail.
_D'Urban_.--"This division is well adapted to sustain a dense
population; it includes the Bay of Natal, and the township of D'Urban,
the port of the district. Cotton has been planted in the vicinity of
the bay, and yields superior and abundant produce. Sugar-cane and
indigo-plants thrive there, as well as elsewhere in the district, and
the coffee-tree has lately been introduced and grows well; but what
success will attend its cultivation, will require time to show. The
soil is rich, and favourable to the growth of barley, oats, etc, as well
as beans and most descriptions of vegetables. (Beans form a valuable
article of export to the Mauritius.) It is, throughout, well supplied
with water; being in its present state unfit for pasture-ground. It
appears to us desirable that the land should be laid out in small lots,
in order to encourage the settler, as much as possible, to cultivate it.
At present only the small Zulu cattle can be kept there, and those not
with advantage.
"With the exception of mangrove, scarcely any timber adapted for
building purposes is found in this division: in a few localities
valuable waggon-wood is obtained.
"A considerable part of this division is occupied by natives, inhabiting
the ground apportioned for them in the Umlazi and Inanda locations, and
the majority of white colonists will necessarily be north of the Umgeni
River, where a few are already located. It is of great and immediate
importance that a bridge should be constructed over this river,
separating, as it does, the seat of magistracy and the port, not only
from the most populous part of the division, but from the whole of that
of the Umvoti."
_Pietermaritzburg_.--"This division includes the seat of government, and
head-quarters of the military.
"It is a good grazing and a superior agricultural division; it is
abundantly watered, and capable of irrigation to almost any extent.
Vegetation is very rapid in this, as in all the other districts, and
consequently the grass grows rank and strong, so as generally only to
admit of the larger description of stock, such as cattle and horses,
being depastured upon it with advantage in summer. Valuable timber,
adapted for building purposes and furniture, grows in several parts of
this division.
"At present, Her Majesty's troops stationed at Pietermaritzburg procure
all their supplies of corn and meal from Cape Town, at a great cost to
the military chest. This evil may be remedied by the industrious
cultivation of the neighbouring farms (which have hitherto been very
generally neglected), and the lands that appear to us to be available
for this purpose around Pietermaritzburg, which might, at some future
period, be marked off in lots of from 50 to 500 acres, and disposed of
to practical agriculturists.
"Pietermaritzburg being the seat of government, it is of paramount
importance that bridges or other certain means of passage should be
constructed over the Umgeni river, so as to secure free communication as
well to the northern and north-western divisions of the district, as to
that part of this division that lies beyond the Umgeni.
"This portion of country includes the native location of the Zwartkop,
as also the one contemplated on the banks of the Unkomanzi."
_Umvoti_.--"This division comprises some of the finest land in this part
of South Africa, either for grazing or agricultural purposes; the
capabilities of the south-eastern portion of it are similar to those of
D'Urban, but cattle thrive better, and the upper portion of it is
considered much more favourable to the grazier than the division of
Pietermaritzburg; it is abundantly supplied with water, and some good
timber is found in it. The laying out and making a shorter road to the
mouth of the Tukela from the township, is a matter of importance, seeing
it is the high-road from the capital of the district to the Zulu
country.
"The site proposed for the township [the Umvoti Waggon Drift, high-road
from Pietermaritzburg to the Zulu country, _via_ the mouth of the
Tukela,] is an eligible position at which to station a military force,
to serve at once as a protection to that portion of the district, a
rallying-point for the colonists and native subjects, and to impart
confidence, in the event of any hostile demonstration by the Zulu
nation.
"The native location of the Umvoti is comprised in this division; and
natives, in considerable numbers, reside along its northern boundary,
whose location we have not as yet been enabled to report upon."
_Impafane_.--"This tract of country contains land which has been the
most thickly populated portion of the country by the Boers, before they
quitted the district, and crossed the Kahlamba; and has always been
regarded by them as healthier for cattle than either of the three former
divisions. Sheep have also thrived well in some parts of it; and,
although not generally so well watered, and, therefore, perhaps not so
capable of maintaining over its whole surface so dense a population as
the other three divisions, yet it is equally able to do so in
localities, and at the village of Weenen, and along the banks of the
Mooi River, and particularly Bushman's River. Wheat and oats have been
grown largely, and with success. The soil at the village of Weenen is
especially fertile, excellent garden land, the vine, fruit trees,
vegetables, etc, thriving well; but the place being situated in a basin,
and the approach to it on all sides being by miserable roads, that will
require considerable outlay and work to make good, and being situated
off the main road, have retarded the prosperity of the village, and will
be likely to do so. Small quantities of coal, of inferior quality, have
been found along the banks of the Bushman's River, near the surface.
Some building timber is obtained at the base of the Kahlamba mountains.
"The site recommended for a township on the Bushman's River is well
adapted for the station of a military party, and to form the
head-quarters of the upper portion of the district; it is sixty-three
miles distant from Pietermaritzburg. There is not, however, much
available government land about it.
"An objection has been raised to this site, that the Little Bushman's
River, from which the water would be led for the supply of the town,
fails in very dry seasons; and another spot has been proposed in its
stead, a few miles lower down the river. We are not sufficiently
acquainted with this site to be able to report on the eligibility at
present.
"It is highly important that bridges, or other permanent means of
communication, across the Bushman's and Mooi Rivers, should be
constructed."
_Upper Tukela_.--"Cattle thrive well in this division, and sheep in the
lower part of it. Its general capabilities, nature of the soil, etc,
are the same as those of the Impafane. Yellow-wood abounds under the
Kahlamba mountains, and coal of a fair quality occurs in the hills on
the north side of the Tukela.
"Some natives are resident under the Kahlamba: their location has not
yet been reported upon.
"At Lombaard's Drift a small party of military might be stationed with
advantage, as also at Venter's Spruit, to guard Bezuidenhout's Pass over
the Kahlamba, to keep up the communication with the country over the
Kahlamba, and road to the old Colony, _via_ Colesberg."
_Umzintyati_.--"This division has been esteemed as particularly
favourable for sheep and cattle; it has also been largely cultivated by
the Boers. Anthracitic coal is found near the Washbank's and Sunday's
Rivers, and in abundance and of excellent quality in the ravines between
the Biggar's Berg and the Umzinyati River. Excellent timber may be
obtained in this division.
"A spot has been selected by the late Volks Raad, for a town on the
Sunday's River, which has lately been occupied by Andries Spies, as a
farm; but the disturbed state of this division prevents us from
reporting definitely upon the capabilities, from personal observation.
"Considerable numbers of natives are resident in the south-east portion
of this division: their location we have not yet been able to report
upon.
"The formation of each town and village must, of course, depend almost
entirely upon the nature of the ground upon which it is to be traced,
and that of its immediate vicinity. But it seems to us most important
that each of these settlements should have some means of defence within
itself;--some rallying-point for its inhabitants and adjacent farmers,
in cases of emergency; and for this purpose we would recommend that the
Government should erect a church, school, and magistrate's office, with
a lock-up room, placed in a defensible position; perhaps, when the
ground will admit, which, in most cases we think it will, according to
one or other of the annexed plans, which includes a cattle kraal in one
part of the market-square, the whole to be surrounded by a fence, and
flanking enclosures, to be constructed either of stone, brick, or
palisades: the remaining portion of enclosures might at first be made by
a ditch and mud wall, to be replaced hereafter by a more durable
material.
"The size of the square and dimensions of the building, etc, must, of
course, be regulated according to the importance of the proposed village
or town.
"Thus would be formed a commencement, round which the settlers might
gather with confidence, which we believe to be essential to the
prosperity of such settlements, the more particularly at their first
formation; one of them, such as the Umvoti, we recommend to be
established at once, by being laid out and surveyed, the necessary
buildings erected, and a magistrate and clergyman appointed, in order to
prepare the way for settlers.
"We are of opinion that each township should have a portion of its town
lands appropriated to the use of such natives as are engaged in the
service of the inhabitants as daily labourers. The want of such an
appropriation at D'Urban is very seriously felt, especially by such of
the inhabitants as are engaged in the shipping business; and we beg to
recommend that at this, as well as at the other established townships,
such appropriations be at once made.
"We do not at present anticipate that any difficulty will arise from the
necessity of compensating any claims to the lands suggested as the sites
for towns and villages, as the sites recommended do not interfere with
any lands now occupied. And the details of compensating the claimants
of unoccupied lands, as well as of the extent of land available for
dense population around its township, and of the number of emigrants
that may be accommodated in and around each town, will form the subject
of future inquiry.
"Having thus endeavoured to comply with his Honour's instructions to the
extent of our ability, it now only remains for us to offer such
observations upon the present state and future prospects of this
district, as well as its general capabilities, as appear to us
desirable, in order that the Lieutenant-Governor may have before him all
the information we are capable of imparting, while deliberating on the
important subjects so slightly sketched in the Report.
"The continued emigration of the Boers from this district to the country
beyond the boundaries, that has been going on ever since it was taken
possession of in 1842, by Her Majesty's troops, has, as is well-known,
almost denuded it of its white inhabitants, and discouraged the few that
remain. It is also evident that there is no prospect of filling up any
portion of it with Boers, and little by any removals from the old
Colony; the only effective remedy to this evil appears to us to consist
in an extensive emigration from the United Kingdom; without this the
resources of the district, confessedly great, and in our opinion equal,
if not superior, to any other British colony, both as respects fertility
of soil and abundance of water, will remain undeveloped.
"The climate is most healthy, and subject to none of the epidemics that
are incidental to other parts of Africa.
"By emigrants we would be understood to imply not so much an exclusively
labouring population, as practical farmers possessed of small capital,
say 200 pounds to 500 pounds. Men of this class could bring out their
own labourers; and as an encouragement for them to do so, we should
recommend that they should receive an equivalent in land, to the amount
that they have necessarily expended in the outfit and passage of
themselves, families, and servants. An arrangement of this nature would
enable a man possessing capital to the extent we have mentioned, to
commence farming with advantage, the moment of his arrival in the
district; while, without it, the means of a most valuable class of
colonists would be swallowed up in expenses, and upon their landing
here, emigrants with limited capital, would find themselves very little
better off than before they left their native land.
"Could the fertility of the country and salubrity of its climate be
pointed out, together with advantages such as those we have mentioned,
we doubt not that numbers of the class we allude to, would be found
willing, and even anxious to avail themselves of the facilities which
this district in particular promises to emigrants.
"Any delay occurring in their obtaining suitable land immediately on
their arrival, would of course prove fatal to the success of the
undertaking. To obviate such a misfortune, we would recommend that a
considerable number of plots of ground be surveyed and ready for
selection by the emigrants, and that every facility be afforded them
immediately to obtain the spots thus chosen, either by public sale or
otherwise, as shall be deemed most advisable by his Honour the
Lieutenant-Governor.
"By a more extensive emigration than this appears to contemplate, or
rather by the simultaneous emigration of persons sufficient in number,
and suitable in character for forming communities of themselves, the
towns and villages might be peopled, and the adjacent lands brought
under cultivation. After a few of these shall be thus established, the
remaining intervals of country will speedily be filled up, and the more
so when each township shall be provided with its magistrate, minister of
religion, the requisite public buildings, and the means of defence.
"Most of the associations connected in the mind of an European with the
name of Kaffir, have been formed upon the represented bad character and
conduct of the nation so called, now engaged in a serious and expensive
war with the old Colony; and are consequently highly unfavourable to any
people bearing a name which, by common consent, attributes all the
cunning faithlessness of the savage, with an admixture of many of the
depravities of civilised life, to its bearer.
"In our Report of the 30th of March last, we pointed out the peculiar
position and character of the natives inhabiting the district; it will,
therefore, be unnecessary for us to say more on this, than that they are
widely different from those on the frontier of the old colony, and are
valuable and indispensable assistants to the white settler. We take
occasion to make these remarks, because we are of opinion that when the
recommendations we have made in our General Report shall have been
carried out, the presence of so many natives, most of them available as
labourers, should be an inducement to emigrants selecting this district
as the land of their adoption, rather than operate prejudicially.
"The future prospects of the district of Natal as a colony, depend very
materially, if not exclusively, upon the filling up of the unoccupied
intervals of the district with emigrants from the United Kingdom, and
the efficient management and control of the native population within it.
Its general capabilities, as we have already represented, are of the
highest class, either for agricultural or grazing purposes. It contains
an area of 18,000 square miles, within which is found every material for
improvement and prosperity a colony can be favoured with, and requires
but an intelligent white population to develop its immense and fertile
resources.
"Building stone of a very good quality is found all over its surface;
and in some localities a superior description of free-stone is found in
abundance. Iron ore is found in great abundance in the district, and
has been used by the natives for their assegais and agricultural
implements, and is said to be of a very superior quality.
"The prices realised in England for the first exportation of cotton
grown in this district, exhibited under all the disadvantageous
circumstances connected with the utter inexperience on the part of the
grower, of 7.25 pence per pound, warrants an inference highly favourable
to the quality of the article, when it shall have received the treatment
that experience has taught to be necessary in cotton-growing countries.
"We are of opinion that this district inhabited by an industrious white
population, will produce valuable exports, both in amount and quality,
and is capable of maintaining a denser population than the colony of the
Cape of Good Hope; and we trust that its resources and advantages may
not become lost to the subjects of the British crown, from their not
being represented as their high merits appear to us to deserve.
"In this Report," Mr Stanger remarks, "I shall not enter fully into the
geography of the interior of the district, reserving that for a future
time, as I shall have a good opportunity of continuing the same kind of
observations, and thus fixing more points than at present I have been
able to do, during the proposed enquiry as to the location of the
natives; but shall describe, as far as I am able, the boundary and
extent of the district of Natal.
"The Umzinyati rises at the base of the Draakberg, in latitude 27
degrees 46 minutes and longitude 20 degrees 25 minutes; from this its
course is about E.S.E., until it falls into the Utukela (incorrectly
called the Tukela.) From all the information I can obtain, (not having
yet visited this part of the district) this is below the confluence of
the Mooi River and the Utukela, and therefore not very far from the
mouth of the latter, which from the maps appears to be in latitude 29
degrees 16 minutes South and longitude 31 degrees 30 minutes East; thus
forming the north-eastern boundary of the district.
"The country below the rise of the Umzinyati, and for the distance of
about twenty miles, is for the most part flat and undulating, with
little or no wood, but covered with sweet grass, and from what I can
ascertain is considered a good tract for country sheep.
"The river, when I saw it (in February, 1847), was about sixty yards
wide, it being then full of water; below this, and during its whole
course, I understand it runs through a broken and thick bushy country.
"The Draakberg, instead of being considered as one continuous chain of
mountains, may be more correctly divided into two, of different
geological structure, and having different directions: the one forming
the north-western boundary I shall call the Great Draakberg; and the
other, forming the western boundary, the Small Draakberg.
"The north-western portion of the Draakberg is of the average altitude
of five thousand feet above the sea, and about fifteen hundred feet
above the general level of the country at its base.
"The outline is in general round and soft, presenting some remarkable
features, and occasionally high table-lands with precipitous sides.
These mountains are composed of beds of sandstone, cut through by veins
of trap, and diminish in height as they advance to the north-east, until
at some distance beyond the source of the Umzinyati they appear to
terminate in low hills. They are passable almost at any part by horses
and cattle; but there are only three passes in use by the Boers, one
near Bezuidenhout's Farm, in latitude 28 degrees 33 minutes South and
longitude 28 degrees 44 minutes East; and one at De Beer's, in latitude
28 degrees 20 minutes South and longitude 28 degrees 52 minutes East,
and another a little more to the south-west of Bezuidenhout's. The two
former are in constant use; the latter rarely.
"Timber abounds in the kloofs on the south-eastern side of the mountain.
On the north-west the country is much higher, being a plain of great
elevation.
"The Great Draakberg, or that portion of it which forms the western
boundary, has a direction N.N.W. and S.S.E. The junction of this with
the former, or Small Draakberg, is ten or twelve miles to the S.W. of
Bezuidenhout's Pass:--from this part the Utukela rises.
"These mountains are much higher than the others, and are quite
impassable, presenting a rugged outline and bold and precipitous
escarpments. From a distant view, from the nature of the outline (not
having been near them) I infer that they are granitic.
"The area of this district, from the ascertained and assumed boundaries
will be much greater than has hitherto been supposed. It cannot, I
imagine, be less than 13,500 instead of 10,000 square miles. At the
same time it must be remembered, that if I find by my future
observations, (which I think will very probably be the case) the same
amount of error, and in the same direction in the southern portion of
the district, of which at present I know nothing, as I have found in the
northern, the area will be increased by a great quantity, and may not
fall far short of 16,000 square miles, as a small deviation in the
assigned direction of the Great Draakberg will easily make that
quantity.
"The district is everywhere covered with vegetation, either in the form
of luxuriant grass, which grows to a great height, or thorns and low
bushes. Timber trees only grow in kloofs on sides of hills, excepting a
belt which runs along the sea-coast.
"Water abounds in every part, and flowing streams cross the path at
intervals of only a few miles. In the winter some of these become dry,
but then water may always be obtained at moderate distances.
"The soil is in all cases well adapted for cultivation, and on the
alluvial lands near rivers particularly so, producing much larger crops
than are ever grown in the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope.
"The rocks which occur in the district, as far as I have yet seen, are
granite, basalt, and members of the trap family, slate, sandstone, and
shale.
"Coal containing but little bituminous matter occurs in in beds in the
sandstone. In a kloof near the drift of the Bushman's River, there is a
bed nine inches thick. This is the nearest locality I am aware of to
Pietermaritzburg; it is distant about sixty-three miles. It is more
abundant to the north-west, and I observed it in a small river near
Biggar's Berg, in about latitude 28 degrees 7 minutes South, and
longitude 29 degrees 25 minutes East, in a bed six feet thick, and of
good quality; it is here cut through by a vein of trap."
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Note 1. In the Blue Book for 1847, the latest published account, the
numbers stand, 71,113 white, and 75,977 coloured; but this leaves more
than 21,000 of the total unaccounted for.