THE AFRICAN GOLDFIELDS.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 450, 9 January 1869, Page 2

THE AFRICAN GOLDFIELDS.

The latest news from Natal, having any precise reference to the new goldfields, is only to July 25. The Mercury of that date says :—" The excitement of the past fortnight has been placed beyond a doubt. A specimen of the quartz has arrived in Durban, and been exhibited at the store of Mr A. "W. Erans. Numbers of persons have eagerly sought to look at it. The specimen is very rich indeed, and Mr W. H. Evans is of opinion that a ton of such quartz would yield from 200ozs. to 2500z5. of gold' It was a picked specimen, but not the best. Others have gone direct from Secheli's Town to Sir Philip W odehouse and to Grahamstown. Those were the richest fragments received from the diggers." The following is the substance of Captain A. Black's letter to Mr Bisset, dated Victoria Diggings :—" We have very little to say about the gold j we have a long way to sink for it. We ha\e one pit down nearly 40 feet, and another about 15 feet, through solid slate. The slate-stone we do not dig; as it is very hard. It i« a very likely place all round. I should not advise any one to come until I can send favourable reports that it is worth coming for. We have fouud some pits which have been dug, which the

natives must have dug. I have been working the stuff that came out of the hole and found some gold dust, but very little. I shall enclose one of the largest nuggets that I have found to show that it is small, but as soon as we get to the bottom I shall give you all particulars. There is one thing certain, there is gold here ; hut the thing is will it pay ? We do not know yet, but soon shall. I think we shall be short of *ater in the middle of winter here for working purposes ; we shall always have plenty for our own use. Game is scarce, and we can hardly get any. . . Since I \i-rr.to this T "rn -h'i +r, , little more news. I was bound down g little by Mr Hartley until I heard of more coining for their safety at Moselekatse, but I consider myself at liberty to give all the reports I can, which will be the truth and nothing but the truth. You shall see what we have done. I shall send you a parcel with dust and nuggets. The pit we have sunk is about forty feet deep, an old sinking, perhaps SOOyearsold. "We are going to tbe bottom of it to see what they have been doing, and then we shall know how to get on. It is there where w.e have found the gold dust among the old stuff that has been dug out before; when we get there we expect to find the nuggets. There is every prospect of success as far as we can judge, for miles and miles all around there are quartz ridges, and room enough for thousands and thousands here if we succeed. But I will not mislead any person, because I cannot give any proper report at present." A correspondent of a New South trWales paper writes as follows with reference to the view 7 to be taken of the African goldfields by Australian miners:—"l find that at the present , moment there is a great inclination among the gold diggers of these colonies to start for the lately discovered African fields; and, not considering the long sea voyage, some 7000 miles, and a land journey of over 700 through a country almost un(;no\vn, and inhabited by savage tribes, here are numbers now earning a good iving here who are prepared to throw ip their present chances, and start at nee to this new and improved El )orado. Ido not for a moment wish , o throw a doubt upon the story of . he gold discovered in the interior of Africa, as bath ancient and modern : liistory have acquainted us with the act; but what I should wish to in[uire is, have we any authentic returns f the actual richness of the finds ; ! nd, if so, what are they ? Or is this nly another mad rush so common to ! he Australian gold-seeker ? Yet how iuch more mad when we consider the ast distances and dangers to be com- , >assed."