Rising near Ermelo on the western slope of the Randberg, the already described frontier river Vaal flows in its upper course, under the name of the Klipstopel Spruit, for a considerable distance entirely through Transvaal territory. Here, with the alternating seasons, it is little more than a swift upland torrent or a waterless wady. At the point where it takes the character of a border stream it is joined on its left bank by the Klip rivulet, which descends from the Majuba heights, and is also a border stream between the two States from its source to the confluence.

Although quite 20,000 square miles of Transvaal territory belongs physically to the Vaal basin, the Vaal itself receives scarcely any further contributions from this extensive tract throughout its whole course of some 450 miles from its source in the Wakkerstroom district to its confluence with the Orange. Even the Hart, which is its largest northern affluent, does not reach the right bank of the Vaal until it has quitted Boer territory and traversed Griqualand West for some distance beyond the frontier.

Apart from the Usutu and a few other coast streams, which have their sources in

Vryheid or Swaziland, all the other running waters find their way to the Indian Ocean through the Limpopo, which next to the Orange is the largest watercourse south of the Zambesi. It has also the rare distinction of being navigable, as was first shown by Capt. G. A. Chaddock, who in 1884 steamed for 340 miles up to the Pafuri (Limvubu) confluence, where it enters Portuguese territory. But the Chaddock expedition was perhaps somewhat in the nature of a tour de force, for it has not been followed by others, and for all practical purposes the Limpopo would appear to be accessible to steamers of moderate draft for little more than fifty or sixty miles from the coast. In any case, all navigation is arrested at the Tolo Azime rapids, some distance above the point reached by Capt. Chaddock.

From its source near Johannesburg, the Limpopo flows first north, piercing the Magaliesberg a little west of Pretoria, and then describes a great bend of about one thousand miles to its junction with the Limvubu,

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receiving along this section of its numerous affluents on both sides. the Rhodesian uplands descends the Sha which with its numerous headstreams dr a large part of the Matoppo range, and j the main stream below Fort Tuli. the south comes the historical Marico, only river in Transvaal which reaches left bank. All the others-Apies, Matlab Pongola, Nyl, Olifant-join the right ba and represent a total drainage area of abo People sometim 90,000 square square miles. wonder how the Nyl (Nylstroom, "Nile came to wander so far south. explanation is that the early Boer trekke who first reached its banks, finding it flowin steadily north, concluded that it was th Egyptian Nile, which by following its cours would lead them straight to the Promise Land.

From the above description of the Bosc Veld it must be obvious that until artificia irrigation is largely developed, agricultura interests must, as in the Free State, continu to play a very subordinate part in the nationa But meantime Transvaal possesses

in her boundless mineral treasures an inexhaustible source of wealth, of which her southern neighbour is almost entirely destitute. Amongst these treasures, gold, of course, takes the foremost place, at least at present. But other minerals are also found in extraordinary variety and abundance. Amongst them are lead, sulphur, cobalt, saltpetre, diamonds, iron, copper, and coal, the last three being widely distributed. The Yzerberg, "Iron Mountain," near Marabastad, which is now reached by rail from Pretoria, consists of a huge mass of exceedingly rich. iron ore, which has been smelted and wrought into divers implements by the natives from time out of mind.

It appears that the rich coalfields of the Newcastle district in the northern part of Natal extend northwards far into the upper Vaal basin, and are already largely used as fuel both for the locomotive and by the Boer farmers for domestic purposes. Like that of Newcastle, the Transvaal coal is of good quality, burning with a clear flame and leaving little or no ash.

No gold was known to exist in Transvaal

before the year 1854, when a few grains picked up on the Witwatersrand. But thr a not unnatural dread of an irruption of a prospectors, the very mention of the sul was made a capital offence. Hence min operations were delayed for many years, the first workings, which had poor results, only from 1881.

Meantime fresh discoveries continued to made, especially in the southern Hooge Ve from the sources of the Vaal to the neighbou hood of Potchefstroom, and since 1885 the i dustry has acquired a colossal developmer From the subjoined table of the chief mi ing centres, it will be seen that gold-bearin reefs of varying richness occur almost every where:

LYDENBURG, west of the Mauchberg.

DE KAAP, South of the Mauchberg; chief town, Barbertor KOMATI, east of De Kaap; chief towns, Komati Poor

(frontier railway station towards Delagoa Bay), Eureka WITWATERSRAND, or simply "The Rand," a ridge or chair of hills south of the Magaliesberg, richest of all; chie towns, Johannesburg, Boksburg, and Elsburg. KRUGERSDORP and RUSTENBURG, west of Pretoria. ROODEPOORT, in Heidelberg district, south of Pretoria. SCHOONSPRUIT, in the Potchefstroom district, south-west of Johannesburg.