parallel, and neareft, to the fea-eoaft. The branches to. the
northward of this chain are periodical, but it flows, to the fouth-
ward, throughout the year, though, in the fummer months,
with a very weak current. In the Tainy feafon it is confidered
as the molt rapid and dangerous river in the whole colony.
Its mouth opens into the fea, where the coaft is ftraight, and
it is croffed by a bar of fand which, in fummer, is generally
dry.
The Knyfna, being altogether different from the other rivers
in the colony, is particularly noticed, and a fketch of it given,
in the fecond chapter, to which I mull beg leave to refer the
reader.
The Keurboom River, like the Knyfna, runs up into the
midft of tall forefts, and might be navigated by boats to a con-
fiderable diftance, but its mouth, in Plettenberg’s Bay, is completely
fanded up by the almoft perpetual rolling fwell of the
fea, from the fouth-eaftward upon the fandy beach.
The Camtoos River is a collection of waters from the fame
parts of the country as, but more eafterly than, the Gauritz
River. It falls into a wide bay of the fame name, in which the
only fecure anchorage is oppofxte the mouth of a fmall ftream
called the Kromme or Crooked River. Though Camtoos River,
juft within the mouth, is a wide bafon deep enough to float a
Ihip of the line1, yet the bar of fand acrofs the mouth is fordable
upon the beach at high water, and frequently dry at low wates.
Thé Zwart Kops River is a clear permanent ftream of water
flowing down one of the moft beautiful and fertile valleys in the
colony ; and is among the very few of thofe that, by damming,
may be turned upon the contiguous grounds. Mr. Rice, whom
I have had occafion to mention, fucceeded by a great deal of
perfeverance in getting a boat over the bar, and failed about
eight miles up this valley, to which diftance only the tide flows.
The whole country in the vicinity of the river and the bay of
the fame name, into which it falls, is among the moft fertile
parts of the colony.
The Sunday River, likewife, falls into Algoa or Zwart Kop’s
Bay, oppofite to the iflands of Saint Croix. It rifes in the
midft of the Snowy Mountains, and continues a permanently
flowing ftream, broad and ihallow in the middle part of its
courfe, and narrow and deep towards the mouth,. which, like
the reft, is .choaked with a bed of fand.
The Great Fiih River takes its rife beyond the Snowy Mountains,
and, in its long courfe, collects a multitude of ftreamlets, '
moft of which are conftantly fupplied with water. On each
fide of its mouth is a wild, rocky, and open ihore, but the
projecting cheeks form a fmall cove or creek, which, it feems,
was frequented by the Portugueze ihortly after their difcovery
of the Cape ; though, from the boifterous appearance of the fea,
upon the bar that evidently croffes the entrance of the river, it
is difficult to conceive how they dared to truft their ihips in
fuch an expofed fituation, unlefs, indeed, they were fo fmall as