or half a mile along the bay front, while
behind a suburb is built up the slope of a hill facing to the west. The
site looks healthy enough, though it would have been better to plant
the houses nearer to the high point which shields the anchorage. But
behind the town to the east and north there are large swamps, reeking
with malaria; and the residents have, therefore, though of course much
less in the dry season, to be on their guard against fever, which,
indeed, few who remain for a twelvemonth escape. The Portuguese
Government is unfortunately hard pressed for money and has not been able
to complete the projected quays, nor even to provide a custom-house and
warehouses fit to receive and store the goods intended for the
Transvaal, which are now discharged here in large quantities. In
November, 1895, everything was in confusion, and the merchants loud in
their complaints. Business is mostly in English and German, scarcely at
all in Portuguese, hands. With better management and the expenditure of
a little money, both the approach to the harbour and the town itself
might be immensely improved; and although the country round is not
attractive, being mostly either sandy or marshy, the trade with the
Transvaal goldfields seems so certain to develop and maintain itself
that expenditure would be well bestowed. It has often been suggested
that Great Britain should buy or lease the place (over which she has a
right of pre-emption), but the sensitive pride of Portugal might refuse
any offer. Nevertheless, it needs no great boldness to foretel that some
day it will come into British hands.

The other port which now competes for the Transvaal trade with Delagoa
Bay is Durban, the largest town in the British Colony of Natal. It
stands on a sandy flat from which a spit of land runs out into the sea
between the open ocean and the harbour. The harbour is commodious, but
the bar on the channel connecting it with the ocean formerly made it
unavailable except for vessels of light draft. Although much had been
done by the Colony to deepen the channel, the largest steamers were (in
1895) still forced to lie out in the ocean a mile or two away, and as
there is usually a swell, in which the little steam-tenders pitch about
pretty freely, the process of disembarkation is trying to many
passengers. There is, however, good reason to hope that the bar
difficulties may ultimately be overcome, as they have already been
greatly reduced: and the har