The Ubombo Mountains are interrupted at two " poorts " through 

 the northerly one flows the Pongola or Usutu River, and through the 

 southerly the Mkuzi River. Southwards the Uboin bo. Range merges 

 into the Hlabisa Hills (1000-1500 feet), and here the country is 

 very broken. From this western boundary, which marks the edge of 

 the " second terrace," the country falls away sharply to the east, 

 although the slope is steeper in the north than it is in the south. 

 Gently undulating country, never more than 500 feet in altitude, is 

 succeeded to the east again by a belt of flat sandy country, some 10 

 miles wide, in which vleis and bogs are common. Before it reaches 

 the sea, this belt is interrupted by so-called " lakes," which are 

 really lagoons, much larger than but corresponding to the lagoons so 

 common along the Natal coast. The chief of these is St. Lucia Lake, 

 with its westerly inlet " False Bay," 30 miles long and from 8 to 2 

 miles broad ; it tapers sharply at its southern end, which flows into 

 the sea near the north of the Umfolosi River. This lake is fresh in 

 its northern portion, brackish to the south, the tide ascending 10 

 or 12 miles. North of this lake is Lake Sibayi, which is strictly a 

 lake, as it has no outlet to the ocean at least, not above ground. 

 North again is Kosi Lake, ill-represented on most of the maps. It 

 really consists of a northerly lagoon, which drains into the ocean by 

 a channel running north, and a southerly lake, into the lower end 

 of which runs a short, but deep and wide, river. During the dry 

 season a marsh separates the lagoon from the lake, but during the 

 wet season their waters are continuous. All along the shore there 

 runs the usual line of sandhills, attaining. very considerable height 

 along the narrow strip of land separating St. Lucia from the sea. 

 The beach is generally sandy ; east of St. Lucia it is rocky in several 

 places. 



The rivers flow from west to east. The longest and largest is 

 the Mkuzi, which rises west of the Ubombo Mountains, and cuts 

 through them ; it is joined on its right bank by the TJmsunduzi, which 

 flows in a north-easterly direction from the southern end of the 

 TJbombo Mountains. The Mkuzi flows into the north end of St. 

 Lucia Lake, which- might be called " the Mkuzi Lagoon." All the 

 other rivers take their rise amongst the hills forming the western 

 boundary of the area under description, and all those between the 

 Mkuzi River, and Somkele flow into St. Lucia Lake. The chief of 

 these (from- north to south) are the Mzinene, the Hluhluwe, and the 

 Inyalazi. North of the Mkuzi is the Mseleni River, which is short, 

 flowing into Lake Sibayi. 



(2) Soil. Where it is not sandy, the soil is everywhere of the 

 compact, hard-baked type, and capable of producing good crops where 

 well cultivated. In the district round the Hluhluwe River it is red 

 in colour, elsewhere not so. In parts it is very stony, particularly 

 along the foot of the Ubombo Mountains. Coast wards the soil is 

 sandy, and north of the Mkuzi every inch of the country, except in a 

 few places along the rivers where red and brown clays are obtained. 

 is covered with deep white sand. 



(3) Climate. As in the rest of Natal, rain falls in the summer 

 and not in winter. No figures could be obtained for rainfall, but it 

 is fairly heavy in summer, and there is occasional rain even in 

 winter. Along the strip of seacoast the winter rainfall is so 

 considerable in its amount that the natives reap a small crop of 

 mealies nearly every winter, making two in the year. As the river 



