The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-08-18
New and Rici, Gold FFieId---The Adj
ventures of n Nevada Miner In Soutl,
Correspondence Of the New York Sun

Correspondence Of the New York Sun.
POTCHEFsTRoM, TRANsvAAL REPUBLIC,
AFRICA, VIA CAPE Town, May 3l.-A. G..
| Lobbett, an adventurous miner from Ne
vada, was yesterday introduced to me in
this place by mutual friend. This Lob
bett is fine specimen of the mining genus,
rugged, weather-bcaten daredevil. He
spent great part of his life mining and
hunting in your western Territories, but he
| had occasion some time ago to visit England,
where he heard strange rumors Of fabulous
wealth that was locked up in the rock
walled Golfers of the mountains of South
Africa. Although he should have known
| from costly experience how much such
reports are worth, he seemed to feel an un-
accountable confidence in the truth of this
one, and accordingly packed up his worldly
goods for this lengthy voyage, reaching
Port Natal in company with one of his
brothers.
THE EXPEDITION.
In Port Natal he made preparations for
his expedition up into the mountains The
rumors here were so numerous as to make
him confident of success. The range Of
mountains extending from the neighborhood
of Potchefstrom, Transvaal Republic, down
| through the lower part of Bechuanas, was
said to be the auriferous region. Lobbett,
| his brother, and o few adventurers who
volunteered to accompany them, armed and
equipped themselves, and started with two
| OK teams in n northwcsterly direction from
the port. They travelled over some five
! hundred miles, being about three months
on their way. The march was full of ad-
venture, and they encountered not little
peril and discomfort from the savage men
and beasts that surrounded them. Their
courage and confidence diminished wonder
| fully during that time, and, worn out and
| detected, they halted at last amid the rug
ged mountains on the banks of the Fati
river.
| THE AURIFER0US VALLEY OF THE FATI
RIVER.
But on looking about them they found
| that there was no cause for utter disap-
pointment, after all. 1t is true they did
not reach the ultimate object of their
search--thc gold-bearing placcrs of the val
leys of the Fati river; but the quartz dis
tricts around them were filled with mar
vcllously rich ore, that yielded from one to
three ounces of gold per ton. All the spe-
cimcns seen teemcd with great quantities of
| free gold. But it was no consolation to
them to see all this wealth with not the
faintest hope of getting at it. 1t was like
the cup of Tantalus, for they had not a
single Quartz-crushcr with them, and knew
not where to get any without retracinG their
| 900 miles to Port Natal.
THE KAFFIRs RECOGNIZE TIE VALUE OF
TIE YELLOW METAL.
They had still another obstacle to con-
| tend against in getting at the gold. The
Kaflirs of this region, unlike the fabulous
savages in the tales of the old sea captains
of former days, appreciate the part that
the yellow metal plays in the world, and
guard the quartz districts and rich placers
most jealously. Forty thousand warriors
of the Mosclo Katcke Kaftirs lie cncampcd
| in a single kraal in the heart of the gold
| fields, keeping off all intruders. Certain
exceptions seem to have been made, how
ever, for Lobbett mentioned having met Sir
John Swinburnc, of the Limpopoco, en-
route for the gold-helds, with ten wagons
and ix-stamp mill with engines, ANAL
camators, SC. lie also met Mr.. Mauch,
the German geologist and African eX-
plorer, who showed him large number
| lowed or somehow managed to procure.
Lobbett, however, and his friends were not
treated so courteously, and giving up all
hope finally of succeeding in this venture
at least, they turned their footsteps toward
this place, which they reached short time
ago. Their accounts Of the marvellous
wealth bound up in these districts have set
the wits of the Potchefstromians wool
gathering. Little else is talked about. E1-
peditions are hourly being planned, vari-
Gus inventors are studying the details OF
patent machines that will probably never
exist but in their imaginations, and not
few talk of appealing to the English Co
vernmcnt for aid in securing the gold and
keeping off the wild Kafirs, who cannot
get at the gold themselves, and will allow
no others to do so.