A New California.

Thames Star, Volume XVII, Issue 5228, 20 October 1885, Page 2

A New California.

The Russian newspapers have recently officially confirmed the discovery of immense deposits of gold on the Chinese side of the Amoor Biyer. Upwardi of 4,000 Siberian gold diggers and other Russian subjects bare rained to the snot, and the influx on the part of the Chinese has been twice or thrice that nunber.

There is no doubt about the new California being Chinese property. The Rtssiant bare already admitted that, and have stationed Cossacks on the frontier to intercept the gold seekers, ostensibly " because the Chinese are treating them so cruelly" (sic), but really on account of the diminution of ■ State revenue occasioned by the abandonment of the Crown mines in the Russian Amoor territory by the diggers. The Chinese! on their side, hare been equally prompt. They also have stationed Manchurian cavalry along the border, " because China is quite able to work her mines herself* and does not need any foreign labor." This is the pretext put forward by the Manchurian authorities, and by virtue of it a certain amount of energy is displayed in intercepting the diggers. But the fact that some 4,000 should have slipped through does not reflect much on their vigilance, and the Siberian correspondent of the Busski Courier is not far out when he asserts that the Chinese have placed their troops there solely to prevent the Cossacks from moving down on the mines and annexing them in the name ef the Czar 6f all the Bussias. This contingency, we are glad ifo observe, is J>nj^bAJi^oeA l -not^««»«^otHr^ltelyTto -occur. TTneT/binese Have not only placed a sufficient number of troops on the Amoor border, but have imposed upon the mining district in question a strong civil administration capable of keeping the 4000 Russian intruders under firm control. Russia, therefore, could only annex the new California by an open violation of the authority of China. Any secret seizure is out of the question, and to do Russia jus* tice, nobody at home has yet proposed that she should second the wishes of the military officials of Siberia and "go" for the newly-discovered treasures of Manchuria. Siberia, as most people who know anything about gold are aware, has for generations been one of the principal gold* producing countries in the world. Its reputation was already old before California add Australia became famous, and it promises to outlast them. The reason is not far to .seek. While California has been rushed and rapidly worked out, thanks to an immense influx of human

energy, the gold industry of Siberia, under the torpid influence of a Crows mboo* noply and the restrictive effect of political considerations, has never been allowed fair

play and free development. So long ai there is a slight increase every year the Imperial Government is satisfied, and refuses to listen to all suggestions that if freedom of exploitation were introduced and foreign capitalists encouraged, the existing annual output of £5,000,000 or £6,000,000 could be raised in a year or two to four or five times that amount. To those who know Siberia it is exceedingly funny to see European experts.gravely diseasing whether the gold production of the world is likely to undergo permanent diminution, when the Emperor: has. only got to issue a decree and Siberia could throw tens of millions, into circulation. The gold districts of Siberia are, roogbly speaking, two in number—the Ural and the Amoor. The Ural Mountains are too

far from Europe and too land-bound for adventurous foreigners to rush the mines, and the rules in force governing their exploitation have always excluded outside aid and rendered the industry to all intents and purposes a Crown monopoly. As regards the Amcor mines, these only oame into the possession of Russia in 1899, and to prevent any foreign inrosh the industry was absolutely tied up, and foreigners refused permission to acquire any land in the country. During the last few years the wonderful richness of these mines, surpassing anything in CalU foraia and Australia, has caused the bibenan diggers to abandon the Ural Mutei and repair to the Pacific coast. Ihe Ural region is not played out, the workings there being still equal to those yielding the highest results in California and Australia, although two or three centuries old, and were things in a healthy condition in Siberia they would still be worked. What has dcourred is simply that the gold output of Siberia has shifted from the Ural to the Amoor, aod the latter

now furnishes most of the precious metal which Russia yearly exports to Europe. The Amoor washings yield five or six times the percentage of those of the Ural, and wUh less trouble. No wonder, there* fore, chat the diggers who lease the deposits should prefer to make traoks for the far East. \, - Seeing that the Euifiau diitrict tf tfcf

■Aojoot uum lwrn:sli.:s rcost of .ihf «ol< now exported*fr< m Siberia, there woulc appear to be good grounds for believin* the new California on the Chinese side of the river to be of a thoroughly genmnt charecter. The deposits hare been found already in half a dozen of the rivers flow ing into the Amoor between the .Russia* Transbaiksl province and the town of Blagovestcbinsk. In all probability thf whole valley of the Amoor is more or les*. •uriferous, and further investigation will so doubt yield a fertile crop of discoveries. The Siberian digEers—and the Tobolsk and Tomsk papers have been publish ing letters from men on the spot for several months past—affirm that the Chinese washings completely surpass those which Russia has allowed to be exploited on her side of the Amoor during the last few years, and state thut roaay Chinese have already returned home with large fortunes. Until . now no European has penetrated thither . from the sea, but if the new California 1 continues to grow, doubtless some traveller or tourist will succeed in making his way thither from Pekin or overland through ' Siberia. Whether China would allow

Europeans to work the mines is a point upon which no decided opinion can be expressed—the Siberian diggers are only allowed to remain on sufferance —but it is possible they might be welcomed, if only to counteract the influence of the latter and deprive Eusßia of any pretext for . annexation. At any rate, the fact remains that China has apparently become endowed with the means of increasing the cold supply of the world, itself • welcome discovery, and this may shame the Bussian Government into unlocking ita own treasures in the Amoor region, to •void the spectacle of Siberia being beaten by China. The only fear that America might rush the Amoor and annex it if the mines were thrown open to the world ' ahould no longer prevail now that Valdivostock has been rendered a great arsenal, and thousands of Russian peasants settled along the coast.- Com inercially and financially Bussia would benefit, as every other European nation, . by helping to increase the stock of gold at the disposal of the world.