ALBERT. 
131 
farmers, who inhabit it, to have no settled loca- 
tion, but rove about with, their flocks in quest 
of this indispensible element. An effort towards 
locating them, however, has lately been made, 
by the formation of a new town in this district, 
called " Middleburg." 
Contiguous to this division, lies that of Albert, 
which was annexed to the Colony in 1848. It 
contains an area of about 1,643,960 acres. The 
chief town is entitled Burgherdorp. This is a 
rising place, but the district, itself, is the con- 
trary, owing to the great scarcity of water, and 
herbage for cattle ; the latter in the summer is 
sour, and in the winter the climate cold and 
bleak, hence beasts do not thrive well here. 
Next crossing the Korth-eastern extremity of 
the Colony, we close our tour of the Eastern Pro- 
vince, in the districts of Beaufort and Victoria. 
The former of these contains about 1,000,000 
acres of land, and a scattered population, chiefly 
of Fingoes and natives. It is a rich locality, in 
which sheep and cattle thrive well. The land 
is open and good for agriculture, possesses a 
luxuriant sward of grass, and fine perennial 
streams issuing from the mountains. The chief- 
town, "Whittlesea, is so called after the birth- 
place of Sir Harry Smith, its founder. Here 
an extensive coal deposit has lately been dis- 
covered, and fine building stone is abundant. 
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