8 



probably this is quite correct. It will therefore be interesting 

 to record here the rainfall which we experienced in Durban 50 

 years ago, and of which I have a very distinct recollection. I 

 quote from Cullinyworth's Almanac for 1857. 



Rainfall from 1st July, 1855, to 30th June, 1856. 



Taken at the Natal Agricultural and Horticultural Society's 

 Garden's, Durban, Natal. 



1855 



July 



3-326 



August 



3-796 



September - 



21-509 



October 



4-531 



November - 



2-516 



December - 



20-824 



56502 



1856. 



January 



10609 



February - 



5430 



March 



13-618 



April 



29-428 



May 



653 



June 



•709 





60-447 





56-502 



Total 



116-949 



Of the rain which fell in April I have a very distinct recol- 

 lection, inn] it was said at the time that between the Saturday 

 ever.iiitr when it commenced, to the Wednesday afternoon, when 

 it ceased, that 26 inches of rain had fallen. However that may 

 be, it is certain that the Umgeni ran over the eastern vlei, and 

 into Cato's Creek, and that it. was not until a week after the rain 

 had ceased that the rivers Uml an ga andUmhloti were fordable, 

 the writer and two companions being almost, if not, the first to 

 cross them, having been taken over in a boat which on the pre- 

 vious day had been sent from Durban to act as a ferry boat at 

 the Umgeni drift; the Umhlanga and Umhloti were more than 

 breast high, and were crossed with difficulty. The population 

 was not so great as now, and the Indians had not arrived, so 

 that, although there was some less of life, it was not nearly so 

 great as the flood of May 31st. The kitchens for the Indian 

 labourers, alluded to in my last Report, have been erected and 

 are now in use, and the garden seats, also alluded to in the same 

 Report, are now distributed in different parts of the Gardens, 

 but I regret to say that the practice of defacing them by carving 

 initials on the seats and backs has not been discontinued. One 

 young man was detected in the act and gave his name and 

 address to the Curator, both of which proved to be incorrect, as 

 two letters written to him w r ere returned by the Post. Office 

 Authorities, marked, " unknown." The next person detected 

 will not escape so easily. 





