Gold in British Guiana. 277 
where he attributes the flourishing condition of the gold 
industry to the prolific richness of the diggings rather 
than to the intelligence or enterprise of those interested 
in it, while every one conversant with the manner in which 
gold business is too generally conducted must admit 
that his animadversions on the " child-like simplicity 
and folly" of local capitalists are only too well-deserved. 
As in all other new gold countries, the alluvial deposits 
are here receiving the first attention, on account of the 
facility in working, and the ready yield obtained from 
them, but some laudable attempts at quartz mining have 
already been made. The Demerara Gold Association 
conducted somewhat extensive explorations on the 
Cuyuni, Curiebrong and Essequebo Rivers, but hardly 
with the degree of success which its efforts as the pioneer 
of quartz mining deserved. The error committed by this 
Company appears to have consisted in too precipitately 
entering upon expensive development work upon lodes 
which proved ultimately to be disappointing. If a por- 
tion of the large amount thus sunk in unproductive work 
had been applied in the first instance to a general and 
systematic prospe6lion of the country, productive lodes 
might have been discovered whose development would 
doubtless have led to all that the shareholders could have 
desired. Very satisfactory progress however is being 
made by two firms, Messrs. FARNUM & Co. and Messrs. 
Winter & Co., who are on the point of starting quartz- 
milling on the Demerara River, where the prospects of 
successful quartz-mining are of a highly promising 
character ; while it is understood that similar operations 
are likely to be carried into effect at an early date by 
others on the Barima. 
MM 
