The New York herald., 1870-10-31

PciPicAuies VI VIC peucc queS&ioH, uHu iIolu tue
senseless clamors Of New York politics, we
invite the attention of our readers in this
article 10 the moro pleasing subject of the
new discovery Of the diamond fields Of South
Africa In the voluminous and interesting
budget of miscellaneous matters in yesterday q
HERALD we gave page OF letters and news
paper extracts relating to those diamond
fields, from which we are satisfied that they
are great reality, and that, under the
encouraging conditions Of wholesome climate
aud the liberal colonial system of England,
they are destined in q wonderful degree to
build up in South Africa civilized communities
and cities over an area OF i've hundred thou
sand square miles. At this time the organized
white settlements in that quarter-Dutch and
English. Of the British colonies the Dutch
republic and other free States---cover an area of
three or four hundred miles in width and over
thousand miles in length, from the Cape of
Good Hope enthusiastically to tho north end
OF The Trans-Vaal republic and The attrac-
tons of these diamond mines will soon
develop and enlarge these settlements into a
prosperous nnion, with all the modern i'm
proyements."
These diamond fields are on the Vaal river,
the head stream of the great Orange river,
which forms the chain Of dividing mountains
hankins the Indian Ocean, flows eastwardy
for moro than thousand miles into the
Atlantic, in south latitude twenty mine. The
products Of this vast region between the
Orange river and the southern sea coast
include cotton, sugar, coffee, indigo, wheat,
Indian corn, sweet potatoes, grapes, oranges
and pineappes. But cattle and sheep furnish
the chief articles of export The Cape colony
alone has produced in single year eight mil
lion pounds of WOOL The Vaal is beautiful
river among the hills, the water clear aud
delicious. the climate healthy as California,
the country charming in its natural attrac-
tions, and living cheap, from the astonishing
abundance of cattle and Of wild game of all
kinds. Gordon Cumming has pronounced
South Africa the hunters paradise. His cata-
logue Of wild animals slain in that quarter,
from the lion, the elephant and rhinoceros, to
the buifaloes, zebras, girafles, wild boars and
gazelles of many varieties, is enough to excite
the envy of every young Nimrod in the world
who has not shared in his good fortunes.
What, then, to the adventurous spirits Of
the Anglo-Saxon race will be the limit to tho
rush to South Africa, when, in addition to all
the other attractions Indicated, we have this
irresistible magnet of the Vaal diamond
Goll X,ha fba <ho
river bills and water courses for five hundred
miles, are picked up, varying from five hun
dred to five hundred thousand dollars in
value--where thousands Of diamond hunters
are moving about like ants over an ant hill,
and where, from the lucky findings, the
host Of fortune seekers increases every
dayf Our reports from that now famous
region recall to us the stories Of the first rush
Of ''the diggers" to The Californiago placers
in lS49: Nay, the mind is carried back to the
vast migrations Of bold adventurers from
Spain which followed her first explorers in
search of the ingots Of gold and silver with
which the new Continent then abounded from
Mexico to Peru, and to the whole chain Of
the decline of Spain in her resulting exhaustion
and decentralization from her proud place as
the dominant kingdom Of Europe to the weak
ness Of third rate Power. We are carried
back to Sir Walter Raleigh, and to the dreams
Of gold placers which contributed to the
colonization of North Carolina and Virginia,
and to the discovery by De Soto of the Mis-
sissippi river, and which even affected, to
some extent, the Pilgrim Puritans Of Massa-
chuset,s and The French pioneers into Canada,
Acadia and Louisiana.
From these hopes and dreams of speedy
wealth in discoveries Of treasures of gold and
silver, which contributed so much to the early
settlements of America, North and South, by
Europeans, we are brought down in this cham
mel of history to California and Australia, and
thence to the later discoveries of gold and
silver in our new Western States and Terrific
res of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colo
RADIO, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming and
Montana, and TO the amazing results of the
Of The conqucsts Of modern civilization. Thus
The overland railway from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, or rather from st. Louis to San Fran
CISCO which was in 1850 considered utterly
impracticable, is in 1870 in successful opera
tion; and thus we find regions, pronounced
not long ago as worthless as the Desert o.
Zahara now sprnllled with prosperous towns
and rising cities boasting their daily news
papers
We have seen, too, that with the exception
Of the gold washings Of California her people
are developing enduring sources Of wealth in
her wheat fields and vineyards, and that as
the gold placers OF Australia are exhausted
new sources Of prosperity are opened in he
/ b,undless sheep and ca tie ranges. So will |