The evening times., 1899-10-30
THE FRONTIERS OF NATAL.
Mountain Passes, Rivers, and Rail.
fOad Lines.


road Lines.
LONDON, Oct. 30--The part of Natal
upon which military interest is now CEN
tired is the northern extremity Of the CO :
ony. the Kip River district. It may be
described as a promontory of British ter
ritory jutting about hundred miles to
the northward Of the more compact por-
tion Of Natal. hundred and twenty miles
wide at its base, and ending in a point at
Charlestown. the most northerly British
settlement, where the frontiers of Ma al,
the Orange Free State and the Transvaal
meet. From Charlestown, the British
boundary on the west follows the crest OF
the Drakensberg Mountains. which, risin 3
| like a great blue wall from the undulat-
| ing, terracelike country Of Natal, run al
most due south, and separate the CO ony
| from its western neighbor, the Orange
| Free State.
| The Drakensbergs vary in height from
| six thousand to eleven thousand feet.
They are crossed by several passes. A
traveller exploring the Drakensberg range
from north to south would first come to
Botha's Pass, over which runs a main
road-gOOd as roads go in Natal. He
would then see Muller's and the Tandjes
coils, over which the tracks are said to be
Indifferent. Next comes the most import
ant military feature in the mountains, Van
Reenen's Pass, which is traverse1 not only
by good main road, but by the railway
from Natal to the Orange Free State.
Further to the south again are two more
depressions in the mountains. across which
roads or paths have been carried, practi-
cable for mounted infantry, if not for
guns. The Orange Free State is chiefly
composed Of great rolling plains, excellent
for the movements OF mounted troops.
At the extreme north of the colony, a
few miles to the south of Charlestown,
spur from the main range of the Drakens-
bergs is thrown eastward. completely
blocking the entrance into the Transvaal
from Natal: the road over it is crossed
by the Laing's Mex Pass, a spot which
England has too good cause to remember.
The parent mountains themselves continue
to run northward a short distance into the
Transvaal, and then suddenly sink into
the plain, which. broken only by few iso-
lated hills, forms the greater part Of the
country. From the north the eastern from
tier follows the windings OF the Buffalo
River in a southeasterly direction as far
as Wants Drift. crossing over the Buffalo
few miles from Rorke's Drift-the scene
of the gallant exploit of Chard and Brom
nead, VINO IN 1879, with handful OF men,
successfully maintained their post against
several thousand Zulus throughout whole
night.
There are several places where the Buf-
falo can be crossed between Wants Drift
and Charlestown. Following the map from
south TO north the mere important are
Landmarks Drift. leading to Dundee, the
important coal field, a drift over which
passes the road between Newcastle and
Utrecht, and third. connecting the coun-
try about Laing's Mex with the Dutch town /
of Wakkesrtrocm. The railway line from 4
Durham to Johannesburg runs through the ,
centre of the Kip River district, of which /
the boundaries have been above described. I
The chief places 10 be noted on it are
Ladysmith, Glencoe Junction, where a
short branch line leads to Dundee. and
Newcastle. From Newcastle the line runs
through Ingogo. where Colley encountered
the Beers for the second time. with the
result We toe well know. 1t tunnels un- .
der Laing's Mex. where he received his
first defeat and it skirts the eastern slopes
Of Majuba Hill. where this most hapless
Of generals saw his British troops routed
by Boer farmers.