THE DIAMOND FIELDS.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1126, 7 March 1872, Page 3

THE DIAMOND FIELDS.

The following is an extract from a private letter received in Christchurch, dated Cape Town, October 9, 1871 :— The most wonderful news I have to relate is the discovery of immense quantities of diamonds in our colony, and of such size that all dealers in these gems have been utterly astonished ; the only drawback in the value of these large stones is, that they are often of a bright straw color, which greatly depreciates their comraercial'value and demand. They are betas' found at the rate of more than half a million per annum. The diamond fields are situated about 760 miles N. by E. of Cape Town, and you can reach the fields by ths Inland Transport Waggon, which starts . every Thursday, in about nine days for LI 2 . sterling. On the fields there are congregated I about 30,000 people, English emigrants and colonists. Part of the territory on which the diamond fields are situated is in dispute between the British Government and the Free State Republic ; the latter country inhabited by about 80,000 people, formerly in fact British subjects, who left the colony, rebelled, and fought against the British Government, and were afterwards granted their independence. At present both Governments jointly occupy the territory in dispute, and both have Magistrates resident there. The disputants have wished to refer the questisn to arbitration, but the Republic is unreasonable, wanting to appoint the Emperor of Prussia and President of America arbitrators, with tho Emperor of Russia as umpire; but I believe the British Government, with the sanction of our Parliament, has threatened to annex the disputed territory to the Colony (i.e., thft" part of Cape Colony under British rule), and if necessary go to war.