26 Mr. John Broivn — 



Just at the time of our visit a few Chinese had got away from the 

 compounds, and had committed crimes, even murders, but strong 

 measures were being taken to round up these miscreants and 

 prevent further misdeeds. I saw a gang of these being brought 

 in, and no doubt such things would in future be prevented. A 

 large party of us visited Pretoria and the Premier Diamond Mines, 

 and saw Kruger's house and the Government Buildings, which 

 were very fine. 



Bloemfontein has a rural air, and seems a prosperous and 

 growing town. There was a fair going on, and the Boers bringing 

 in their produce struck me as rather like our own Northern Irish 

 farmers. I was hospitably entertained here by Mr. W. S. Johnston, 

 formerly principal of Larne Grammar School. 



From Bloemfontein the line runs through miles and miles of 

 lonely veldt with here and there a herd of cattle or flock of 

 ostriches, apparently trying to eat stones and sunburned grass. At 

 the end of the dry season the country gave an unfairly bad 

 impression. 



At Kimberly I was received by Mr. John Orr and his lady with 

 true Irish hospitality. The diamond mines here again struck one 

 as very costly undertakings. The diamonds occur in the famous 

 " blue ground " contained in the immense " pipe " or outlet of an 

 extinct volcano. When brought to the surface it is first spread on 

 the ground to be " weathered," then washed from mud and waste, 

 concentrated, and finally put through a most ingenious apparatus, 

 where it is carried by streams of water over plates covered with 

 grease, to which the diamonds stuck, while the waste was carried 

 on by the water. Kaffirs were employed in these mines, strictly 

 guarded, and thoroughly searched on leaving. We were told, 

 however, that one ingenious person evaded the searchers by 

 concealing diamonds behind his glass eye. Sir William Crookes 

 gave a most interesting lecture oh diamonds here. Kenilworth, 

 a kind of garden city arranged by Rhodes for the white employes, 

 was very interesting, with the adjoining experimental fruit gardens 

 and zoological park. 



