The universal geography : earth and its inhabitants

182 SOUTH AND EAST AFRTOA.miles to tlie ^vcst of the main stream, in a valley whose waters flow directlj- tothesea. AUiral South, the maritime port of this pastoral region, stands on the westside of Mossel Bay, at the root of the rocky headland of Cape St. Blaise, hywhich it is sheltered from the fierce southern winds. Aliwal South does a considerableimport and export trade, ranking fourth in this respect amongst thecolonial seaports.Farther oast along the seaboard follow several little towns, all lying at thefoot of the coast range, which Trollope compares to the Western Pyrenees, andwhich, according to this writer, presents the finest sites in the whole of AustralAfrica. Here the pleasant little town of Gcorgo is embowered in verdure ; Melvilleis mirrored in the auriferous waters of the Knj'sna, which flows from the forest-cladUteniqua Hills, and reaches the sea through a deep estuary accessible to largevessels ;Ilumdnxdorp occupies a picturesque position in an amphitheatre of thicklywooded heights. Uniondale and Willoirmove, the two chief places in the district,are both situated in romantic vallej's on the northern or inland side of the coastranges. Farther north, in the arid zone of the Karroo, but still on the slopedraining to the Southern Ocean, the two administrative centres are Aberdeen andMiimii/sbiirg.The basin of the Sunday Itivcr, although one of the least extensive, is one ofthe best cultivated and most productive in the colony. It owes its prosperity toits position in the relatively moist zone facing towards the Indian Ocean, and tothe two trade routes traversing it, one in the direction of the Orange River andthe Dutch republics, the other towards the territory of the Kafirs. Here Graaf-Reinet, a Dutch settlement, over a hundred 3-ears old, is laid out like a chessboai'dabout the headwaters of the river, which here ramifies into several branchesflowing through the surrounding fields and gardens.To the contrast presentedby this smiling valley with the arid plateaux to the west, Graaf-Reinet is indebtedfor its title of " Gem of the Desert."As indicated hy their names, JanscnrUle and Z^ifenhage, which follow to thesouth along the road to Port Elizabeth, were founded by the Dutch. But Uitenhagehas completely acquired the aspect of an English settlement since the year18'20, when it received a large number of British colonists. Of late years it hasbecome a favourite place of residence for traders and dealers who have retiredfrom business, and on festive occasions it is visited by a large number of pleasureseekers,who delight in the shady walks by its running waters. But Uitenhageis also an industrial centre. In the numerous little mills scattered amid thesurrounding glens, busy hands, nearly all Kafirs, are employed in cleansing bymachinery the enormous quantities of wool brought from the extensive sheepfarms in the eastern parts of the colony.Port Elizahefh, which lies 20 miles to the south-east of Uitenhage, on the westside of Algoa Bay, although dating only from the year 1820, has already becomethe most animated seaport in the whole of South Africa. Within a single generationit outstripped Cape Town in commercial importance, notwithstanding thedisadvantages of its open roadstead compared with the more favourable position