Natal has but one harbor on its coast, and that is D'Urban, or Port Natal, in lat 53'. It is completely landlocked, but a bar prevents vessels above a certain tonnage from entering. There is, however, generally a depth of water on it varying from 9 to 18 feet. There is secure holding-ground in the outer anchorage, The harbor of D'Urban is-of great importance to Natal, as it is the only one worthy of the name on the south-east coast. Many extensive engineering operations have been carried on with the purpose of improving the harbor and increasing the depth of water at the entrance. The principal rivers are the Tugela or Buffalo, the Umcomanzi, Umgani, and Urnzimculu; like the South African rivers, they are of no use for purposes of inland navigation; but streams are permanent, and often available for irrigating purpo ses, thus giving Natal in one very essential point a decided superiority over the Cape Colony.
Coal, copper-ore, iron, and other minerals are found in several places, and there is no doubt that when the great mountain-range is properly explored it will be found very rich in mineral wealth. Large forests of valuable timber abound in the Moors of all the mountain-ranges, and many tracts along the coast are also well wooded. Natal is divided into the following counties: D'Urban, Victoria, Alexandra, and Alfred on the coast region; Pietermaritzburg, Umcomanzi, and Umroti, central; and blip River and Weenen at foot of the mountains. The capital is Pietermaritzburg, with about 6,300 inhabitants, on a tributary of the Umgani river, about 50 miles inland. It pos sesses a large military establishment, and many substantial public buildings. Its name is a compound of the Christian nammm of Pieter Rietief, and the surname of Gert Maritz, two celebrated leaders of the emigrant Boers who were murdered by Dingaan. D'Urban, or Port Natal, is also a very flourishing town, having a railway connecting the landing place at Point Natal with the town, and a population of (1872) 6,276. It has twb news papers, and several banks and other public institutions. Verulam, Weenen, Richmond, ewcastle, and Ladysmith are also flourishing towns, and several other new villages have been recently formed.
Natal is governed by a licut-gov., aided by a legislative council, consisting of thirteen members appointed by the colonial office, and fifteen elected by the constituencies into which the colony is divided. Municipal institutions have been granted to the principal towns. It forms the diocese of a colonial bishop, and many stations of the Wesleyan, American, Norwegian, and Berlin missions exist. Education is receiving much atten tion, mind schools are multiplying.
The De Beer and Bezuidenhout passes are the only practicable roads across the moun tains, and lead by very circuitous routes across the Free State into Cape Colony; and the numerous mountain streams wanting bridges render internal communication very diffi cult Three lines of railway, of a total length of 104 miles, are in course of construction; the chief to connect D'Urban with the capital.
The principal articles of export from Natal are wool, sugar, ivory, and hides. The wool exported to Great Britain in 1875 was valued at £514,310, and weighed 8,328,524 lbs. The total value of exports for•the same year was £985,695. The exports comprise cotton, ivory, sugar, coffee, arrowroot, wool, hides, feathers, molasses, and rhinoceros horns. The value of imports in 1875 was £1,268,838. The revenue of the colony in 1875 was £260,271, principally raised from custom duties, transfer dues, and taxes on native huts, etc. In 1843 the value of imports was £11,712, that of exports 11261, while the revenue was only £12 000. Natal's productions were very respectably repressnted in the great exhibition of 1862, and formed one of the most interesting of British colonial compartments. The population consists of Dutch Boers, who remained in the country after it became a British colony; of English and German settlers; and the remains of the Zulu tribes, who originally possessed the country. It numbered, in 1877, 325,512, of whom 22,654 were whites. The natives, the most industrious of the Kaffir races, pos sess horses, cattle, sheep, etc., valued at £1,500,000, and, properly managed, make excel lent servants.
The total tonnage bf the vessels that entered and cleared the port of Natal in 1875 was 137,227 tons, of which 121,322 were British. diamond-fields on the Vaal river is an event in which the colony is deeply concerned.
The large animals are gradually disappearing, although elephants are still occasionally met with in the dense bush of the coast region. Lions, leopards, wolves, and hyenas still hang on the outskirts of civilization. The smalleramtelopes are plentiful, and alli gators are met with in nearly all the rivers north-east of the Umzimeulu. Natal, besides several poPonons snakes, produces a small species of boa, which sometimes attains a length of 10 feet. The hippopotamus is still found near the mouths of the rivers on the eastern frontier.
The botany of this region resembles that of Kaffraria proper, although generally of a more tropical character. All the timber-trees of the Cape Colony are found here, besides many- new ones. The climate of the coast region, howevor, is too warm for the'grape, at least for the purpose of \yine-making.
Brook's Beta), by Mann (1809); Hall's South African Geography; Xatal Almanac (1873); The Cape and South Africa, by John Noble (1878).