SOUTHERN AFRICA. 333 
enclofe the Vale of Drakenftein, and falls into Saint Helena 
Bay ; and the Oliphant or Elephant's River, which, after colled- 
ing the ftreamlets of the firft chain of mountains in its northerly 
courfe along their feet, empties itfelf into the Southern Atlantic 
in 31° 30' fouth. Though both thefe rivers have permanent 
ftreams of water, fufficiently deep to be navigable by fmall craft, 
to the diftance of about twenty miles up the country, yet the 
mouth of the former is choaked up with a bed of fand, and 
acrofs the latter is a reef of rocks. 
On the fouth coaft of the colony the permanent rivers of any 
magnitude are, the Broad River, the Gauritz River, the Knyfna^ 
the Keiirboom River, the Camtoos River, the Zzvartkops River, 
the Sunday River, and the Great F'lfo River j the laft of which 
terminates the colony to the eaftward. 
The Broad River is difcharged into Saint Sebaftian's Bay, 
which the Dutch confider as a dangerous navigation, though 
there have been inftances of their fhips taking fhelter there in 
the north-weft monfoon at no great diftance from the mouth of 
the river, which is here a fheet of water more than a mile in 
width; but, like every other river on this coaft, except the 
Knyfna, it is crofted by a bar of faud. Within this bar it might 
be navigated by fmall craft about thirty miles up the country, 
an extent, however, in which there are fcarcely half a dozen 
farm-houfes. 
The Gauritz River is a colledion of water from the Great 
Karroo plains, the Black Mountains, and the chain that runs 
parallel, 
