AFRICAN DIAMOND MINES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 6, 7 January 1871, Page 2

AFRICAN DIAMOND MINES.

[We are indebted to a gentleman in, Nelson for the following letter re<^ cently received from a settler in South Africa.] Bethany, Orange Free State, S.Africa. 18th July, 1870. My dear _; ■ No doubt you have heard ere this of the gold discoveries at Tutin, far in theiuterior of this country, but as they have. not turned out of much account I have not written to you about them before. Now, however, something much better has turned up in the shape of diamonds along the Vaal River, two days' ride from here, of which I will give you some little account. About two years ago a little girl picked up one which was kept in the house as a pretty stone, but in the course of time a party happene'd to call and gave the child a triuket for it. He took it away and had it tested, and it turned out to be a pure diamond. This soon became, noised abroad, and the natives who frequently found them, exchanged them with the farmers for stock. One lucky boer (farmer) bartered some produce for one, for which he afterwards received £11,000, but of this you have most probably seen the account in the newspapers. As you may imagine, this created quite a stir, and the blacks were to be seen on their hands ;and knees in every direction looking for diamonds. After a short time three Australian diggers came up from Natal, and commenced washing with the Long Tom, and out of their first claims they ' got about £20,000 worth of diamouds iu three or four weeks ; a party that was working next to them also did remarkably" well, and it was through them that the rush took place. A friend of mine -who called the

BH^H^HjHpld me that there are u<Jw at work," and a report says HHHB^are still pouring in from all dfl^^pprons; he also informed me that one BWBicketts (an old Australian) found a diamond a few days before he left for wnicli he had been offered*, and refused, £2,200. Prom wh/tl saw myself during the course of a visit to the diggings a few weeks ago I am conviuced that ,the diamond rush has paid better than any gold rush I ever : saw in Australia. I may state that they have been. picked up on the surface for a distance of 200 miles from where the men are now at work, and uo one knows how , ; far they will extend into the interior. : The boers in general are not in favor of the rush, as they are afraid of too many ... Englishmen coming into the country jj but for my own part, I say the more the better. This part of the world is not half popula-i-tedj and people possessing small means can do better here than in any- other place where I have been ,* Farms can be bough t . at from 2s. 6d. to ss. an acre, and sheep at from ss. to 10s. per head. The climate is much the same as in Australia. Our , rainy seasou is in the summer; we get a drought sometimes, but not of such long continuance as in Australia. The country answers well for all kinds of stock ; the Angora goat has recently been introduced, and has proved a great success; labor is so cheap that we can grow wool at half what it costs you in your colonies. Cotton is being grown along the coast and is doing well, and from Natal they export '■ sugar and coffee in large quantities. * * * * * •*