The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-29 00:00:00

DISCOVERIES OF COPPER .AT THE CAPE
OF GOOD HOPE.

An outline of the circumstances connected witk
certain- discoveries of oopper, which have—lately
caused great excitement at the Cape of Good Hope,
was given in. The Sup, The subjoined document
is one of those presented by the Governor to the
Lcgislattire pf the-cOlony on'tte sub4ect, and pur-
ports to details of the latest observations
. made . during an inspection.of .the district: 11i June
last by. Mr. A...G, Bain, a prafessional,geologist.
The territory in Anestion is called Namaqualand,
and was incorpare.ted,?yitlii,he division of Clanwil-
ham, which forms 'the nbrthern part of the Cape
' •colony,- -•during the administration of Sir -Harry
Smith: • From its -florid charactet, the report of
Mr. Bain recalls the announcements by which de-
lusions *were .spread regarding similar discoveries
is Nova Scotia and Jamaica a year or two back,
and/ if unsupported by extensive collateral testi-
mony, it would, as the public ou this side.have
no means of estimating the ability ortrustworthi-
ness of the writer, challenge little attention. The
existence of these miuee, however, has in some
degree been known for . more than a century,
and, although the wild and uninhabitable nature
of the country has prevented until lately any
general exploration, shipments of ore in increasing
quantities
bare now— been in progress for two or
three- years :
"His Honour the Lieut., naut-Govern or having expressed
a desire to be furnished with :a written aceount of the geo-
logy of Namaqualand. from .Ivhich country I have lately
returned, and that I should effer any suggestions likely to
b 3
Public. utility in the 'altered circumstances of that
remote pare of the colonY, I most willingly comply. At
the same time, I must premise that my visit to,the copper
mines was such a hurried one that I was precluded from
making such careful observall°ll
of the country wished. The following
of the geological features
as I could have
must therefore be considered as a very rough sketch ; yet,
as containing the opinion of a geologist, it may be of
some value at this crisis, when so many conflicting ac-
counts are in circulation respecting that now highly in.
tereating territory.
"Having had some professional duties to perform in the
division of Clanwilliam, I took that opportunity of making
a hasty trip to the copper mines of Namaqualand, princi-
pally with a view of filling
of South Africa. up a gap in my geological map
"Entering Namaqualand, and approaching the copper
regions, the roads become steep and undulating, though of
such a nature as easily to be converted into
good' ones.
Leaving the Kamies Bergen behind, we descend l3y a very
tortuous route to the missionary's station of gee:azzes, a
wretched-looking place, as far as buildings go, there being
only the missionary's house and one or two other small
walled houses, the rest being merely a Namaqua kraal,
consisting of a few mat lints. There is, however, a beauti-
ful little stream of fresh water, the first I had seen in
Namaqualand, which will doubtless fix this locality as the
future capital of the mining regions.
"Twenty miles' ride in a north-easterly direction from
Kamaggas brings us' o Mosars'. Phillips and King's cele-
brated 'Spec takel, Situated near the confluence of the
Kousie and Schaap Rivera. ' Hero the surface indications
are very strong, the green carbonate of copper boiling out,
as it were, through the gneiss rocks in all directions.
" This mine, or rather quarry (for it resembles the latter
more than the former), has been tvorkegl to the depth of
about 20 feet, and on descending into it it presents, on the
northern side, .exactly the appearance which geologists call
an anticlinal axis.' It is one mass of green carbonate and
brown oxide of copper, with only some thin strata of gneiss
intervening, which latter distinctly shows the shape of the
anticlinal arch. The bottom of the mineoonsists of a round
mass of gneiss, without any appearance of ore ; yet the
miners told me that they intended to
.blast through it, as
rich beds of ore would be found below, so that there is no
telling to what depth they may go. There are large heaps
of valuable ore thrown away at the entrance of the mine,
which, on account of the heavy land carriage to Hondeklip-
bay, will not pay to ship to England.
" The ore sent away generally yields about 45 per cent.
of copper on an average, and I was assured, on the best
authority, that one miner and two assistants will quarry
and prepare for shipment a ton a-day. This, when worked
on a largo scale, ought to pay well, being worth nearly
401. per ton.
"In this neighbourhood are numerous mines, many of
them exceedingly rich in surface indications, but none of
them has yet been worked, except one of Mr. Daniel's.
"Mining in South Africa is so different from what it is
in Europe that many of the best miners frequently find
themselves at fault, for when they imagine they are work-
ing in a vein or lode, to their surprise they find they are
in a quarry of unbounded mineral riches.
" Leaving the mining district of Schaap and Kousie
rivers, where Mr. J. 0. Smith and many others are the
fortunate lessees of the richest and most promising mines
of the country, I ascended the Spectakel' Mountain to
visit the mines of Springbock Fontein, the property of
Messrs. Phillips and King. On the way I saw several in-
dications of copper, and from the mountain's summit had
a beautiful view of the surrounding country.
"It has generally been reported that no other rock but
granite was to be found in Namaqualand, but from this
mountain I could distinctly see three different geolo-
gical formations—viz., granite, gneiss, and micha schist,
an regular sequence.
" In speaking of the different formations to be found in
Namaqualand, I may observe that all the copper mines I
have met with are invariably situated about the junction
of the granite and gneiss rocks, and never, so far as I am
aware, has any indication of copper been found there in
the micha schist. Unfortunately the lots of many persons,
whose leases of ' mineral centres' from Government were
chosen because they wore near to those known to be rich,
are in the mica schist, and consequentlygood for nothing.
" Springbock Fontein is situated about four hours' ride
on horseback beyond Spectakel. Bare amorphous granite
mountains evirywhere rear their naked heads above their
rugged bases of gneiss, the former without a fissure or
crack, and perfectly destitute of vegetation, if we except
some patches of red and blown lichens.
" The mines are situated in rather a pleasant valley (an
oasis in the desert), and hero we already;behold the nucleus
of a rapidly rising village.
" It has been said that Namaqualand is perfectly desti-
tute 2f water, but by sinking here to the depth of a few
feet the best of water has been procured : and, from the
geological construction of the country, I feel certain that
by digging to a very slight depth good water will be sure
to be found in every valley.
" The mines hero differ little, save in shape, from that.
of Spectakel ; like the latter, the external indications are
exceedingly rich, and only want common quarrymen to
work them, except. for the selection of exportable ore.
Specimens of ore, containing 75 per cent. of copper, are
frequently picked up on the surface. Malachite, blue car-
bonate of copper, and minute particles of gold, are also
found, but the latter, when the copper ore is so rich and
easily obtained, is not worth looking after.
" On this farm is the celebrated Copperberg, which has
appeared on our maps f.-r the last 70 years, and whose
riches are quite astounding.
" From Springbock I took a trip to the borders of the
Bushman land, Where several, copper Lanes have also lately
been discovered. The mountains • here begin to diminish
until the whole country stretches out into one interminable
bare granite pleitr, upwards of 3.000 feet above the sea level.
To this country the Name sualand farmers invariably `trek'
with their flocks and herds after the first rains of February,
March, or April, where they find rich pasturage for their
cattle, 'which fatten in an incredibly short time. They
return again in May or June to plough and winter at their
, homes. .

"I next visited the mines of Prince, Collison, Watson,
and Co. at a place calthu • Concordia. These are also ex-
ceedingly rich, but, unlike the others, had something of the
appearance of immense ;odes runningln an easterly and
westerly direction; yet, fr.'m their length, breadth, and
depth, seeming ieexheilitible. Hero I saw some of the
richest and most beautiful specimens of copper pyrites,
peacock, and malachite. &e., that I had anywhere met
with. For miles around strong indications of copper
everywhere appear ; and a large village is in the course of
construction. Much activity prevails here, as well as at
Phillips and King's mines, but more in the way of build-
ing than of mining, as transport to the coast is not at pre-
sent to be obtained, even at very high prices.
" I regret that circumstances would not permit me to
visit Steinkopf and the Orange River, though so near to
both, as many of the richest mines are, I am told, about
those localities, some of which at the latter place are being
worked to great advantage.

"Namaqualand has hitherto been considered by the.
colonists as an arid, woehless waste ; but, fortunately for
us, Sir Harry Smith, a few years ago, extended the boun-
dary from the Kousie to the Orange River, and thus was
this contemned country included within the colony.
"When a beer has from3o,ooo to 40,000 acres of land, as
is now commonly the (ewe, little improvement can be ex-
peeled. Let the farniabo cultivated and the mines opened,
and it will be found that. Namaqualand contains more real
wealth than the whole ' colony put together, for I have
little doubt that ell thi country from the Olifants River
to the Orange River at ounclii in mineral wealth, and only
wants to be thoroughly explored to develope its riches.
The general physical appearance of the country is, on the
whole, not unlike that ef-tire neighbourhood of Cape Town,
only the mountains of the former are granite and gneiss,
while the latter are sandstone and claystone ; still we
have the same range of mountains running parallel to the
coast; with the same sandy plains intervening.
" Without some grand improvements in the roads, tke
mining companies never can advanoe. Hundreds of tons
p-
of ore are now lying at the different mines, which the pro-
prietors cannot get conveyed to the coast at any price.
The distance from Hondekli bay
to Kamaggas is between
30 and 40 miles, the whole being a nearly level sandy flat.
To make this plain available for easy transport, one line
of tramway for horse traction might be laid down on the
most economical principles lately introduced into England
and America. To effect this, the different mining com-
panies should engage a company in England to law down
the tramway each ensuring the said company a certain
,
number of feeds per annum, which they could very easily
do, as soon a. •e:„
• they
mineral qua__ad opened a small portion of their
.T lead
transport would then amount to
one-third of its present price, and much available ore
which is new turown away
would become available for
expertation.
The subjoined memorandum is from the Agua
Fria Company
"The Agua Fria t,'-old Mining Company have received
advices to the 14th of August of the shipment of 201. ounces
of gold. Of this 198 i ounces were obtained from Steptoe's
vein, the new discovery at Agna Fria, of which 1,220 feet
in length had been leased fur three months, with option of
renewal, on paying $lO per ton for 'all quartz brought
thence to the mill.
"The remittance from Gold-hill was 921 ounces, the
milt having done but little work, from want of water and
other causes. They were to commence working below the
water level the sepia week, and trials had been made of
samples from the different places they were working, which
were satisfactory."

DISCOVERY QF GOLD IN CORNWALL.—SALTASH.—
This ancient borough was aroused from its usual quiet
as early as seven o'clock yesterday morning, by the ar-
rival of 10 waggons, under a regular escort, laden, as
the story went, with gold dust. Upon inquiry it turned
out that some fortunate mining adventurers at Carrick-
wood, in the neighbourhood of Callington, had discovered
a lode containing a fan- Proportion of the precious metal,
and the 10 waggons were laden with a quantity of the
ore, securely packed in boxes, on their way to Plymouth,
.whenae,they-were, t,ft IP Allipped for Messrs. RaWSOI3,
and May, of Ipswich, to be cruslied and assayed. Re.
portrays the proportion of gold is such as to warrant
the expectation of a rich return.....pirnouth_ _Mail,