large to be put into an ordinary drinking glass.
Those hailstorms do a world of damage, and
mow down crops and fruit, like a scythe, floods
create devastations to a large amount. During one
storm, the Umgeni—- the River of the Entrance—-
rose twenty-eight feet above its level, swept
over a large sugar plantation, burst across the
sand flat on which D'Urban is built, and forced
a passage to the inner bay. Another river rose
thirty feet, and two hundred oxen were found
drowncil along the sea-coast within the space of
ten miles. But, these are only occasional
outbursts. As a rule, the climate is satisfactory.
Mild, dry, genial, it is of essential service in all
scrofulous and consumptive complaints; and
many a man seemingly doomed in England, has
become sound in wind and limb, in Natal.
Diseases of the digestive organs are more
frequent, and people often destroy themselves by
too much exercise in mid-day.

There are various climates in the colony, and
the coast line and uplands differ from each other
as much as England and Madeira differ, or
perhaps more. Along the seaboard there is a strip
of twelve or fifteen miles in breadth, where the
climate and the products are almost tropical.
Stiff spiny euphorbias and club-like cactuses
stand among native palms, and bananas
with mammoth leaves and golden fruit; while
purple and pink convolvuluses clothe them in
strange fantastic garments, and monkey ropes—-
the slim stems of climbing mimosas—- wave idly in
the air from branch to branch. The ground is
carpeted with some of our richest hothouse plants;
and in farms and gardens may be seen large
tracts of sugar-canes, fields of the white-flowered
cotton-plant with its purple eye, patches of
arrowroot, sweet potatoes, ground nuts (for oil),
coffee-trees, papaw-trees, mangoes, lemon-trees,
ginger, and cinnamon laurels, with beds of tufted
pine-apples—- that crowned king of fruits. For
industrial purposes this tropical belt is
invaluable. The emigrant who has a love for the
kind of climate and production may make his
fortune there, either as a cotton, a sugar, or a
coffee planter; and that, it is said, without
much outlay. On the uplands are the
English farm-lands, where cows, sheep, and horses,
are bred to perfection; where grain ripens well;
and where the better kinds of European fruit
flourish admirably—- at least if peaches, figs,
granadillas, apples, pears, quinces, almonds, and
grapes, be the better kinds, and to be cherished
with care. In the midlands, come the dairy farms,
very productive, but not yet thoroughly well
worked; fields of mealies, or Indian corn; patches
of buck-wheat, bearded-wheat, and rye; plenty of
good timber; with lemons and guavas, pomegranates,
peaches, oranges, bananas, figs, quinces,
bamboos, and loquats, in all the gardens; and the
rose, as a hedge, blossoming all the year round.

Natal is a good place for the emigrant who
is not afraid of work, and for the emigrant's wife
who is clever and capable—- not a fine lady. Many
a man who lauded penniless, is now the owner of
farms and trek (draught) oxen; and others, who
went out as servants, are now masters in their
turn, with servants under them. One day-
labourer, from the Eastern Counties, went out
with a gentleman, whom he left after two years'
service in Natal. His former employer in
England, hearing of this, sent him a message, saying .
that he would be glad to have him back, and
would give him constant employment if he would
return. The man's answer was, " Tell my master
if he will come out here to me, I will make him
a free gift of five hundred acres of land, all for
himself."

Dr. Mann closes his valuable and delightful
work with a few hints to emigrants and their
wives. He advises them to take out only money,
and nothing to sell, as they would probably
either overstock, or mistake the taste of, the
market; he advises them to take no furniture,
save, perhaps, an iron bedstead or so; not too
many clothes, but pieces of calico, chintz,
holland, &c.; plenty of strong, stout, serviceable
boots and shoes. Also, to supply themselves with
a good stock of simple domestic medicines; and,
above all, to carry with them stout arms and
a brave heart, ready hands, good temper,
courage, industry, and perseverance. With
these, according to Dr. Mann, any one may
make his fortune in Natal, live like a gentleman,
and leave a fine property to his children.

LAKE AND WATERFALL.

THE steep and ragged cliffs,
The lake, the dark wood sighing,
Like deep reflection seem,
Profound and calmly lying.
And there, with thundering roar,
Between the rocks wild gushing
Like to the hardy act,
The waterfall is rushing,
Thou shouldst, like yonder lake,
Reflecting, stay—- deep thinking,
Then boldly, like the stream,
Rush on to act—- unshrinking.

OUR SQUARE.

THIS is a pretty square of ours, bright, white,
and new, full of porticos and columns; quite
aristocratic in appearance; I may say imposing.
It is one of those squares which impress you
with a sense of respectability at the first glance,
and I am too old a woman of the world, my
dears, not to know the value of first impressions.
We, the inhabitants, are charmed with our lot;
aud I shrewdly suspect that not many of us
have ever lived in so much grandeur before.
My dears, if you wish people to think well
of your social condition, gently pooh-pooh
your present state in favour of your past. It
has a grand appearance, as of fallen greatness
or concealed strength; and people
sympathise and are awed by it. Yet, we are
certainly very well off here, and I for one own,
that I like the porticos and the columns, the
twisted iron railings, ornamented architraves,
plaster baskets, and ail the outward signs and
symbols of splendour, which it has pleased the
architect and our landlord to give us. They
look so well!