ABSTRACT
COMING from the cold British Isles, in the NOlllth, into a distant tropical COlIntry, 8itllated to the south of the Equator, ill tIle illterior of a large contillellt, InallY differences may lluturally be expected ill the seaSOllS, climate, alld noctllrilalileavells. The four quarters of the year, ill the Amalldeble coulltry,-\villter, sprillg, SUlnlller, and autulnll, are called by tIle llativos, ubusiga, isihlu'11l0, is-il-iu'to, alld ugll)inhla. TIle coldest month is June, and the hottest tilne is about Chl'istmas and New Year's Day. The difference between summer and winter is not so apparellt as in England, or in any other COuIltry situated at a considerable distance from the Equator. The longest day-21st of December-has only foul'·teen hours' SlIn; and the shortest day-21st of JUlle-has only fOllr hours less; while in England, the difference between these days is more thall the ,vhole leIlgth of the shortest ,vinter daJr. ThllS evell ill the S1111l1nel' months, "1e
have tell llours out of the twellty-four, durillg "rhicll the heated groulld lnay again be cooled. Whell it is considered also,-tllat there is 110 raill ill willtel", but genel"ally a brigllt SUll and a clear sky; ,vllile ill SUlnlller the SUll is often behilld the dark cloud, and the lleavy rain saturating the dry land, causes the llitherto bare plains to put 011 a beautiful green lllalltle, alld tIle trees to be covered witll lle,v foliage,-the very little diffel"ence there is betweell the winter alld SUllllller temperature ,viII at Ollce be accounted for. The meall temperature of the SUlllnler is about 77°, and tllat of the willter is abollt 68°. It is very seldoln that the thermolueter stallds above 1000 ill the shade, evell ill summer; and durillg elevell years' residellce ill the country, I have seen frost Ollly a few tillles, alld thell very little, and ill the middle of willter. There is no raill fronl April until October, alld snow is quite unknowll ill tIle land, while ice and hailstones are vel'y rare. Tilus, tIle ,villter being drJ7, alld its telnperature wOllderfully evell, it is very IlealtllY. But tIle SUIDlller season is quite differellt. There are two raillY seaSOllS, -early alld latter raills. With the exception of occasional slight sIlovvers of ,vhat are called land raills, all l·aill ill the Alualldebele country is accolnpanied by thunderstorlllS. Tilis lllakes tIle SUlllmer temperature very changeable and unhealthy. Sometilnes the change is so great alld sudden, that ill a few hours the thermometer falls sixty degrees, and from being now almost roasted in the sun, we may soon be found shivering by the side of a log of wood 011 fire. At such tilnes a cilill is oftell caught, ,vllicil lllay result ill
fever, or severe rIleumatic attacks. The fall of tIle year, however, when vegetation decays, alld the effluvium arising from the swaillps is conveyed by the wind to various parts of the neighbouring districts, is the most unhealthy seaSOll. Even the natives, altIlough accustomed to the locality, oftell contract a fatal fever in these low lands, at this tillle of tIle year. Nor can foreigllers, who choose for their habitation a spot on the high, dry, and opell lands, far removed frolll marshy places, always escape the fever.
