Another Sabia flows into the ocean near Sofala.
Chapter Twenty Six.
A cursory glance at those ports of South Africa that occupy the extreme south of the African continent, south of South Central Africa.
South of South Central Africa, which has comprised my field, of exploration, is the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope, which takes in the whole of the southern peninsula of the African continent, from the Orange river to Cape Agulhas, and extends towards the east as far as Natal. It is divided into the eastern and western provinces and Griqualand West. Cape Town is the seat of Government and the capital, and is governed by a High Commissioner and Governor, a Ministry and Legislative Council, and a House of Assembly, both elected. The Governor is appointed by the British Government.
The principal ports are Table Bay at Cape Town, False Bay, including Simon’s Town, and the naval station of the colony, Mossel Bay, Algoa Bay at Port Elizabeth, East London, and a few small bays along the coast.
The principal rivers are the Orange, Caledon, Kraai, Zeekoe, Buffalo, draining Little Namaqualand, Olifant, Berg rivers draining the district of Malmesbury, Zout river draining Koeberg and neighbourhood. Easters river enters False Bay, Londerende river drains part of Swellendam and Worcester districts, Gawirtz and its tributaries drain the George, Worcester, and Beaufort districts, and several small streams up to Zwartkops, that enters the sea a few miles to the north-east of Port Elizabeth. Following up the coast are Samdays, Bushman, Kowie, Great Fish river, Kaga, Koonap, Kat, Keiskama, Buffalo, Great Kei, White Kei, Indwa, Tosmo (which drains the country round Queen’s Town and part of Kaffraria), Bashee, Umtata, Umzimvobo, and Umzimcula; not one of them is navigable from the great fall they take in their course to the sea, and they have deep water in them only after heavy rains, which is the case with all the rivers in this colony.
There are several mountain ranges, viz. Table mountain at the back of Cape Town, 3500 feet above sea-level. Stormberg, Zwagerskook, Winterberg, Amatola, and their spurs, and many others of less note. Some of them are 8000 feet above sea-level. On the eastern border in Noman’s-land is the Drakensberg, that divides this colony from Natal, having its lofty head 10,000 feet above sea-level, where the grand scenery is rarely to be equalled in any part of South Africa. Noman’s-land or Griqualand East, principally occupied by the Griqua tribe who left Camphill ground and took up their residence in that fine rich country.
Numerous vleis and pans, some extensive, many are dry the greater part of the year. The largest is Commissioner’s pan, in what is called Bushmanland, some twenty miles in circumference, and contains a crust of salt on the dry bed, where there is no water in it. There are salt-pans near Uitenhage, Cradock, and Betheldorp, beside many fresh-water pans of considerable extent, but they are becoming dryer every year, as also the fountains: many of them thirty years ago gave out a copious supply, and at the present time are small streams. Verkeerde vlei, close to the Karroo Port, water is generally found in it, as also Vogel vlei, no great distance from the Berg river. Nearly every other vlei may be termed pans, being so shallow, they are scarcely distinguishable from the surrounding country; so impregnated is the soil with salt that many springs and fountains have a brackish taste, and this is the case all over the southern part of the African continent, which indicates that at one time it had a close connection with the ocean.