Smyrna times., 1892-04-20
THE GOLD FIELDS OF MASHONALAND.

Al length we get lucid idea of the
resources of South Africa. and of Mo
Shonaland in particular. its climate its
wonderfully fertile soil, its gold fieIJs
and the remarkable ruins of Zimbahvo
1nce a great city, supposed to have
peen ouIit before the dawn of history
oy tne Fh@niclans. Mr.. de Waal. a
naVlVe OF cape Colony, for the last nine
years member Of the Cape parlia-
ment, and at one time mayor of Cane
| 1own, has recently returned from "a
grand tour of Mashonaland with Mr.
Cecll Rhodes the prime minister of
cape colony, and being in England
mas gwen the Review of Revie,ps the
result OF his long observations and of
MS personal experience of a conntrv
IN which he and his Dutch ancestors
nave lived for three hundred wears
Il Inc voyage was made from Cane
iOWh by sea to the river Pungwee on
the Indian Ocean, and thence mn the
river and by Massikesse, the Iimit of
the South African possessions of Por.
tugal. Through all this low conntrv
Cue hsat and the ravages of the tetse
ny makes travel painful and dangerous
ouC Che Mozambique Company is build
ing railroad from the head of navi.
eaIion on the Pungwe to Massikesse.
"here the uplands of the British nos.
Sessions begin, and over which the
trade OF MashOnaland will ultimately
oe carried to the sea. A small man In
the heOieW shows the system of roads
constructed over the ridges of water.
sheds traversing Mashonaland and
the series of forts which have beeD
constructed to protect the worlers
In the gold fields that have been Sis.
covered, against the attacks of the
S5AcKs IN the adjacent territory of
m Mataoeland. OF these gold fields six
sle ere 'a'u uoWn on the map, and each
lort Is gar:lsoned by a small. company
VI Wh'te men, armed with Gatling
guns 4he total number of white men
III Mashonaland does not at present
ex0eed 200, but cOlonists are slowly
coming in from the Transvaal ana
taxing up lands under the rules laid
lown by the company. All the high.
lands are healthy and well watered
You ask me-" said Mr.. de Wosl
'What think OF Mashonaland. will
ell you, not in my own words bnt in
nose oil one who has been hunting in
nat country Tor the last twenty wears
Masaonaiand is the finest country
sod ever made He spoke as a bunt.
er; speak as farmer. 1t is a land
Which to anyone who knows ANYTHING
bout the veldt, is the richest in Soutb
AIrlea--a country abOunding in all nat
Iral wealth, rich, sparsely populated.
ut tull OF everything that is necessary
or great colony. As to the gold.
nat Is matter upon which am NOT
n expert, but although not miner or
rOspector or speculator myself. | can
I'VE you the evidence of the hest
uthorltles on the subject, / have
lslted the leading reefs and talked
lth the men who are working them
nave brought back samples of the
lartz, which have had submitted to-
an analyst in Cape Town, and / can
we you here the exact figures as to
le results which the various reefs
eId, and you will see from these Go.
res that in gold the country Is ss
,od as it is for grazing and fsrmiDg.n
Thus far all the work has heeu DTe-
'ratory-the building Of forts the
for new gold bearing reefs
"a the making of roads. Very little
ia has been Hained, most of the reefs
Ivlng been simply opened to test the
IaFt4 and subject it to analysis.