CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 465, 13 February 1869, Page 3

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.

The barque Bengalee brought to Auckland Cape papers to the 15th November. The Standard says that the best pro f of the practical belief in the extensive goldfields to the north of the Transvaal are the frequent departure of digging parties from the colony and Natal. "Diamonds are trumps" is still the slang phrase in Cape Town, for more diamonds have been found, and more probably will be found by those who take the trouble to search for them. The Southern Cross of Jan. 15 contains the following letter from a correspondent at the Cape : News from the Victoria diggings continues very fluctuating, but on the whole the prospects of those there are very good. Some excellent specimens have arrived in town within the last few weeks. There are many Californian and Australian miners waiting for the first favorable report to make a start and try their luck. Captain Bushel and a party of twelve diggers started for Queen's Town a short time ago, well provided. They had with them two bullock wagons, provisions tor twelve months, and a crushing machine said to be capable of crushing three tons per day, but of this I am rather doubtful. The machines are tei be worked by oxen or Kaffir labor. Ihe party is well provided in every respect for the journey, which is certainly enough to test the nerves of the strongest. They started, unfortunately, at a bad season of the year, and -X w mttD * difficulties to contend with before they reach the golden vaney. Several other parties have determined to try their luck. A fetter from Dr Taylor has appeared m the Mercury, giving an ac-

> count of his visit to the Victoria gold- ! fields. He believes the quartz would puy for crushing, but does not think—- ■ to judge from what is yet known—that it would pay digging parties. His visit, however, was very short, as he reached the diggings only a couple of days before Black's party left. While on this subject I might be permitted to say thatcopiousextractsfrom a letter written by a gentleman on the Thames gold fields, New Zealand, to a journalist in this city, have lately been published in some of the Cape Town, and copied into the Port Elizabeth and several other papers ot the colony, and have excited a good deal of attention. Those portions which referred to Mr Hunt's claim, the Manukau, the Golden Crown, the Middle Star, and others, together with the description of the field, the short distance from Auckland, the cheapness of provisions, and other facts that were mentioned were enough to damp the spirits of a good many in this town who had previously been boasting of our " diggings," and I venture to say that had there been any direct com'munication to the Thames a good many persons would have left this place for the New Zealand El Dorado. You have no lions, wol\ es, or jackals to look after at night on your diggings. Ours is very different from the Thames in this respect and sentries have to be posted, well armed, while their mates sleep. The latest excitement in town is about the alleged discovery of gold within 250 miles of Cape Town, but it now turns out that the specimen exhibited (richly impreganated with gold) never came from Oudtshoorn, and the gold fever has consequently again subfided. But several diamonds have been found in < the colony, within the last few months, i the best one valued at over £2OO. i They are not being systematically ] searched for but, are mostly found by ( niggers.