The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-10-21 00:00:00

THE SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMOND
FIELDS.

A gentleman has sent a most interesting letter to
The Times em the subject 4.1 the South African Dia-
mond Fields, and from which we make the following
extracts :

So little apparently is known in connexion with these
fields, and opinions are so diversified, that any direct infor-
mation on them Irons impartlBl sources may prove acceptable,
in the leas so from being from no lif pair own craft.
Having left Natal on the .21th of May. in sesrch of health
and information, and travelled 2.25 miles north of this dis-
trict, along the Vaal, visiting all the field, by the way, no
opportunity of gaining knowledge has been allowed to
escape. By the time they are ended and I return to Natal
my travels will have been 1,300 miles by land and rid miles
by sea. The whole conld have been completed In two
months, slow from a European point of view, but it will de-
note what existing facilities are, and these are likely to im-
prove.

This is written from within a stone's throw of the spot en
Which stands the veritable house (Van Wyk's) said to have
been plastered with diamonds, a paragraph about which
went the round of the home and colonial Press not long
OW'. Two small stones were, there is no doubt, picket out
of the plaster on the outer wall,—a thing not to he won-
dered at, seeing that this faim and the two adjoining ones
have proved the rbbest yet known. The Bultfontein
diggings alert almost ou those of Initoitspan. lie Beces,
the third, being distant two miles only. All three, in fart,
are adjacent to each other, and on them are congre.'mted
about 15,(0) whites (men, women and children), with their
native servants. Nearly all live under canvas, many In
their waggons, which are commodious and answer all the
purposes of eating and sleeping pnms. Stores and hotels
Itre built of il'On MOTU% Or W 4.4 et 5, ith iron roofs, and, being
numerous, the whole forms a imrions mid nth:ll.AM.; sight
as seen in the bright sunlight. Tle.re is nothing O.! Ilk. it
in south Africa, if in the world. Ct-rtainly nothing like it
csists anya here connects d with the search fir diamonds.
These diggings are far romoved from any river, the vo irk
being confined to .11y siftings. At first diamonds were ois.
Snivel on and immediately below the surface. At present
they are found largely to a depth of 16 feet, or even note.
This morning a at sire of 124 carats has been unearthed—
probably led worth 111011,, however, on the spot, than .c 2,000
hang of very irregular shape.

What more interests the general reader Is whether diamond
digging will pay, anal the reinhest finagle of getting to the
Beth. I far (Cr' giving a few particular facts, leaving the
rester to draw InLinen iiiineinsio inn. iiist, then, as to yin-
bpeets. My °WI, eanacill6iiila IA that as yet any one without
Meant to take hilla home avai at ha the event, ad failure ought
not to come here. Not lcat that there are diamonds sufficient,
for I believe, judging fn.!. por-onal observation, there are
fields still undevelopol that will :Word vv.•rk for any number
of years to come, anal that alialoonal digging will before long
because all estalailthet inallistry, its gold diggings ia na dn.-
tralia anal calif... but, unlike gold, diamond diggials,' is
a huge lottery. Tone prise there arc nutty hlanks. This
It is renal, s the occupation less g•ncrally attractive, anal
accounts for an; few entering into it compared, with the
other. In gal diet:hat, once on a given field a man eau
reasonably anticipate that a day's a ark a ill )ielal an average
day's pay. Not no here. At the same time, a diamond
digger, working steadily on, stands a v... 1" chance of
being successful in tie, tee; rain, exeoptionat many though
they be) to the rie,trary notwitiedandiug. floe case, that
of three brothers of my acquaint:aloe, a-, ia king separably,
but in close proximity tO one another, will hest illustrate
what I wish to a,fivey. One, the youngest, yet, if anything,
the most persevering of the three, who never had less than
Bye natives working under his alirecti.,n, realised but .a. 12
worth of diamonds ; the otlwr two nearly 02,asat) can, In, all
baring hail 12 Mountie ateatly snack. Within the last few
days, however, the youngster lurch would appear tO have
rhanfml far the Ilener. Ile has had a gOO.l grail or two.
Alany there are. I arn bound to St de, who after 12 months'
labour have got but little by it. vine,, of these rod, how-
ever, all—for olaviolls reasons, woul.l fail in 'any hiPlettaking
they entered into with their preFent h.:odium. A man ..f
unsteady habits, or unable to •• neigh it," ought to be
the last to come hero. Above all, no (Mr, thealti hp per-
loaded to throw up remunerative occupation if ally kind,
~p„,, y if pennane,t. linac WhO IS rehnst anal can abort'
It, persevering, seeking weupation, or determined On try.
hag to letter himself elsewhere, may fairly take his chance.
If lie fails of suceess lie. will, at all events, have enjoy, if
a pleasant ends° in other respects. 'the tlwrough change
will do his health no banal Ignite the reverse in my OWn
case, bar I ant as strong again as wile. I felt ~,, Mail
It his tarsal only be screwed ran the right arty he cannot fail
La gain valuable experience, anal all at a moderate outlay.
last now those who have exhausted flair own resources,
earl, if of good character, obtain mph aynient, tools, and
together with a fair share ill the liotin they may Pell-
vldnally make. Men corning here require t, a have theirleamp
of determination fairly developeal, anal parties ad two, three,
fir riot eteeeding four are found to wick loot together. At
present native labour is not very' reliable, lull, snick its it it,
may 'actual ashy he Meketl up at gUs. to :Ws. and rations per
month, Some few favoured new COIII,S, rail Natal, there
clatainedl lulus by far the pink of the native tribes—to
arcompany them.
Living at the fields is lay no means out of the way. Bread-
meal varies from 2.A. to 45i. per Issalb. Opt. to 3.1. per lb.),
English rawney anal weight, according to the season. Beet
nnaljawitton of prime quality are I ht round to our tent
at Be beer's, by far the pleaAalatect of the ramps, to my
fancy) daily, the pi ice heing yh. per 111. In fact, most non's'
earl's. whether in ("but ~r clothing, are in go.l supply, anal
obtained at rtimetialile The hotels awl boanling-tents
only abarge 20. anti 2.5. per week, exclusive, of finalise, of
lipiws, The setacity atl water in this dry Kate/Ilia the grtat

drawback. Sunday is the only day on which tubbing is
general. It is net altogether the !dice, 3d per neleket, but
the distance water has the I,tehed which. if you have no
native, is the dirthadty One party with mon- money than
energy I, emitted with haling tried a bath of sods water. I
do not, however, vouch tor it as a fact, though I think it very
likely to be a true hill. Vegetables are scarce and dear.
Both light &MI heavier clothing are re, paired, the summer
(the rainy season) being so hot as the winter (or dry season,
more appropriately) Is cal. It is HOW OM dry season, and
the days are pleasantly warm. Once the stilt is down the air
is often intensely cold. Boisterous winds put ft stop to all
outdoor work for several hours occasionally. Nor do we nod
anise Indoor work—writing in one's hint, for instance- at
each times the pleasantest oecupat ion in life. Nor, after the
rains and heat set in, or, say, between November and March,
can the sojourn be so pleasant as now. Fever and dysentery
sometilneb oerlir then. Still people hang on to the work all
the 'ear rued. This shows, at. any rate, that it has something
fascinating alient It. lhe /if, in nthessarily a 1,11.4:1 inter net
the Inst. Allni 11101011 A several lady eie,naiutan,ea,ni mine
vow they eith .y it. others. troth (nun Barone especially, ulna
he prepared to tonl v erUtit:lig utterly unlike home.

Another correspondent also sends the fsdioWing : -
In your digest of latest I:ape news, you draw from cqe if
the cape papers brilliant 'picture of operations at the ilia-
MOlni field, 'rhat the diamouiliferous region akirting the
hanks of the Vaal Is, in the aggregate, rich beyond compare,
there Can be no question. But lest any sliould, under
the impression that individual enterprise stands a fair
chance of rewaiii, throw up a position by which they
are earning a fair lit elillood, to try their fortune at
the fields, let thew weigh these fa As. A few months'
ago I paid a visit to the retitre of operations on the Vaal.
At the ',inn. (hoe there arrived, by ballock.waggoti, a man
and his ev-n, farmers On the coast line Soo miles distant.
They set t.• wink, and on the third day, flaunt a small stone
if a carat and half, value c. 4. flu obwrving the crowd which
gathered around to have a sight of this stone, the man is as
astonished. " Bow long have you been digging:" " Oh, about
ten weeks." "And you:" "'Nigh 'bout four months, I reckon."
" And you?" (to a stoma navvy fellow), "lid burn yer, doant
ask. and a ilahmonil I've seen till now, mi. pelt less
picked op."'' And have you all been unfortunate?" " Yes,
all but three in abont five and twenty, :MI their Joint findings
have amounted to shad £400." There and then the man gave
his son orders to inspan the oxen, and " trek " his month's
journey back again, notwithstanding that a 73-carat stone had
been turned over by a Boer the day before is Rhin a quarter
of a mile if the spot). rightly judging that the chances were
against him. I know clerks in wool stoma within In) miles
of the !kids, who prefer their certain £l5O per atimun to
their chance at diamond hunting. Ent to Individuals who
liaVt'nhamile their minds up tdo I:, I
WOlllll 93y, If you would
reduce the inconvenience of inland transport to a minim u m,
If also you are fond of the chase, go viit Natal.