1854.] RUBIDGE — GOLD IN SOUTH AFRICA. 7 



found the difficulties of reaching the eastern part of the range from 

 the westward so great, owing to the uncivilized state of the country, 

 that I was obliged to abandon all thought of the undertaking in the 

 limited time I had at my disposal. Indeed, I fear it will be a long 

 time before anything effectual will be done without assistance from 

 home. South Africa is a poor country ; there are few or none who 

 have the means of spending their time in such researches. 



As I could not find any other probable source of native gold than 

 the veins of the meridian-directed dykes, in which, for reasons before 

 given, I believe that the gold is found in situ, and as they appeared 

 to be poor in quality and remote from each other, though extending 

 through a wide range of country, I gave it as my opinion, that 

 though small quantities of gold might be found occasionally in all 

 that region, yet it seemed improbable that it could ever be a 

 source of profit for mining operations. If I could have traced a 

 tendency to convergence of the northerly ranges in any point, I 

 should have thought that a more extensive igneous action there 

 might have occasioned larger gold deposits, but all my inquiries led 

 to the belief that the ranges continue to run parallel for several 

 hundreds of miles. 



From the eastern ranges of the Stormbergen to some distance 

 beyond Aliwal, there occurs through that country a layer of anthra- 

 cite, which is incombustible, although it deflagrates with nitre. There 

 are some fine vegetable impressions in the sandstone covering it. 

 I regret to say I could not get any specimens sufficiently portable 

 to enable me to bring them away. Where the dykes pass through 

 this coal-like substance, it is converted into an inferior plumbago. 



Throughout that country also there are numbers of agates and 

 cornelians, some of them of good quality. They do not appear to be 

 the produce of the spot where they are found, and are generally met 

 with in the lower grounds near the course of the large rivers, and asso- 

 ciated with the amygdaloid pebbles above referred to. Some agates are 

 found on the eastern coast also, near the mouth of the Sunday river. 

 These too appear to be associated with the amygdaloid of the 

 Zeurbergen. 



I thought of sending specimens of the rocks and minerals alluded 

 to in this letter, but have deferred doing so until I hear that they 

 will be acceptable. 



Mr. Bain has gone to the western copper-field, near Walvisch 

 Bay, to examine the new metallic discoveries there. I have seen 

 specimens from thence which appear to me to promise great benefit 

 to the country. 



Port Elizabeth, South Africa, May 11, 1854. 



