JuLV I, 1893.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
9 
GOLD GALORE ! 
South Afeican Mines. 
The prospects of an increased yield of the 
precious metal, whose " appreciation " accord- 
ing to some authorities is responsible for so 
much disturbance of business and currency, 
are, we are glad to think, greatly improving. 
From the Far West in Central and especially 
South America we have reports of new liuds 
of gold; and British Guiana and other British 
.settlements, such as Honduras, seem to 
promise really important additions to the 
annual yield of this indispensable metal. The 
Australian and New Zealand mines are showing 
increased signs of activity at present, atd the 
latest report of a discovery of reef gold in North 
Borneo is certain not to be neglected. Here 
is a brief summary of the information, 
<which we find in a Straits paper received by 
the French mail today : — 
Sandakan, April 20tb, 1893.— Captain BeestoD, wLo 
his been for the last month or so prospecticg for 
gold on behalf of the Goveroing Company in the 
district of the Segama and its tributaries, three days 
■ago wrote to the Governor that he had discovered 
heavy reef gold, and accompanied his letter with 
samples which, if he is not mistaken in his assertion 
that there is plenty like if, will very quickly bring 
British Nortli Borneo sgain to the froi t. 
But the great hope of those who wish to 
.Bee gold more plentiful in the world's money 
markets, undoubtedly rests on South Africa 
which is in a fair way to develop into a 
greater gold-yielding region than either 
America or Australasia. The Transvaal setms 
to be the centre of the principal auriferous 
region and already there are fourteen dis- 
tinct gold fields marked out in this terri- 
tory usually spoken of as the " Rand." 
The rettirns so far as reported of the 
yield of gold, are mar\c!!ous for the jDro- 
gress displayed, and at the end of 1892, 
" Transvaal " was officially proclaimed the 
third in the list of gold-producing countries : 
America and Australasia taking the first and 
second places. Russia and other gold-yielding 
countries are left behind: and very soon 
South Africa, if not Transvaal alone will 
reach the first place ; for here is one table 
dated from Johannesburg of the progressive 
output: — 
Gold in oz. 
1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 
Total 230,640 882,364 494,292 729,213 1,223,031 
1893— so far showing a large increase. 
One list of dividends before us for some 27 
Companies shows i-833,212 distributed in 1892 
— the lowest being at the rate of 5, the 
the highest 125, per cent. The report of 
actual gold production gives a list of 74 
Companies whose work, in 1892, is thus sum- 
marized : — 
oz, dwt. £ 
From Mill .. 973,291 9 3,506,787 
From Conoentratea 40,357 14 1.57,656 
From TaUlnga .. 160,1G8 18 50^,408 
AUuvial .. 1,939 1 6.877 
Other sources .. 35,111 14 V23fia2 
Total .. 1,210,868 16 4,297,610 
The ton* of ore actually milled for the year wore 
1,979,354— prodaced by 2,530 stamps worked on 312 
days, and representing 3 21 tons per stamp daily. 
The average yield of gold per ton was 9.777 dwt., or 
a value of £1 15s 3d per ton, irrespective of ooncen- 
tiates and tailings. 
There can be no question that we are here 
face to face with an established gold- 
producing industry of world-wide importance. 
But according to some experts we are only 
at the beginning of the development of South 
African mineral wealth. One of the most 
important and impartial Reports made on the 
subject was that published a short time ago, 
by Mr. Hamilton Smith, a well-known mining 
engineer connected with the house of Roths- 
child. This received a good deal of attention 
from leading journals at home, and in London 
the conclusions arrived at by the expert 
seem to have been accepted as decisive, 
marking out the Transvaal as about the richest 
field of mineral wealth in the world. Mr. Smith 
dealt only with the Rand and with not more 
than 11 miles of reef, and he estimated that 
the product from this comparatively small 
district will exceed that from the whole of 
the United States. It is stated that the Eand 
gold mines will in three or four years more, 
produce gold to over 10 million ounces 
(against the 6i million now given by America) 
at which rate it will continue for 30 years 
to come ! Mr. Smith calculates that the one ex- 
panse of reef-body he examined has an average 
width of 5 ft. carrying 12^ dwts of gold to 
the ton, thus making a total of 100 million 
tons of ore of which three million tons 
had already been mined and crushed, 
leaving a balance of 97 million tons, in turn 
equal to a gross yield of 60 million ounces 
or a cash value of ^21 5, 000,000 stg. whitfh 
will probably be increased by 50 per cent, 
from mines outside of the 11 miles dealt 
with, bringing up the total yield to 
^■325,000,000 stg ! The final results may per- 
haps exceed even this enormous sum. The 
trough of the Rand basin is conjectured to be 
15,000 ft. in vertical depth below the surface, 
and it is thought it may be worked down to 
a vertical depth of 3,000 ft. or with an 
inclination of 5.000 ft. The maximum depth 
yet reached is 3,300 ft. in the Great Comstock 
lode, but the heat was almost unbearable. 
Considering the great development that has 
taken place in refrigerating science during 
the last few years, it is quite conceivable 
that 30 years hence, means may be 
discovered whereby cold air may be supplied 
to miners in deeper levels of the earth 
than have yet been reached. 
Is it any wonder, we ask, that South Africa 
is being described as the great British De- 
pendency of the future '? True, these rich Rand 
mines are in the Transvaal Republic ; but they 
are worked in the great majority of cases 
by British subjects with English capital and 
all admit that the day is fast approaching when 
every separate State in South Africa will have 
to enter the great South African Dominion 
of Confedciated States. Meantime, let it be 
remembered that gold is not confined to 
the Transvaal. Many experts consider that 
Swaziland has reefs equally rich, while Mr. 
Rhodes is still sanguine about the develop- 
ment of gold mines in Mashonaland, and 
British Companies, as we know, have been 
taking up mining concessions in Portuguese 
territory, Altogstlicr, tbere ia a future 
