Up the Puruni River. 331 
England to perhaps a very large extent. In the majority 
of instances here, there has not been so much swindling 
as incapacity on the part of the prospectors and managers. 
The public have now learnt to be cautious, and after all 
have not suffered very much. 
As an instance of what has happened in other gold 
producing countries, where a " fever" has set in, and of 
the amount of money there lost, the words of a recent 
contributor to one of the large English newspapers may 
be quoted. Speaking of the Transvaal and the promotion 
of gold mining companies there, he says : — " Kimberley 
" is the money market of South Africa for every kind of 
" speculation. Kimberley saw the spirit afloat in the gold 
*' fields and took advantage of it. Companies were floated 
" in the most reckless manner ; the newspapers were 
" given the publication of paying prospectuses, and. with 
" some exceptions, printed glowing notes along with them. 
" Unfortunately, at the time of the " rush," the greatest 
" of all newspapers gave the matter a tremendous push 
t% by the publication of an article from which it appeared 
" the fabulous richness of the discoveries was a settled 
" thing. In any company, before allotment of scrip 
" took place, shares now went to a premium. 
" And what tale does the share list tell to-day ? Out 
" of ninety-eight De Kaap companies, nearly all of 
" whose scrip was at a premium in 1886-87, tne £ l 
" shares of thirty-eight are now quoted at a discount 
" ranging from 6d. to 15s., seventeen are quoted at a 
" slight premium, and the remainder are already lost in 
" oblivion. 
" For three years, 1885-87 the total export of gold 
" from the Cape Colony and Natal, was 124,215 oz., value 
TT 
