The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1895-06-07
SOUTH AFRICAN LETTER.

g
the entire editorial page with it:
Bulluwayo, the place am now living,
is very lively camp with rapidly in
creasing population of over 1000 people.
Ten months ago when l arrived here
there were but few houses: people
were living in tents, or under the shade
OF bush or tree, in fact any place 10 get
out of the burning sun; for in this coun,
try the sun often looks 90 close to you
that you could hit it with stone.
But at present there are man5 fine
buildings here blilt at heavy expense,
in fact every thing about the town has
lively appearance. The streets are well
defined now, and there is strong talk
OF street car system this year, and
it will probably go through Us an Ameri-
can here has succeeded in getting num-
ber OF English capitalists interested in it.
There is also large water scheme by
the same man TO bring water four miles
into camp. This Americans name is Z.
]. Clark, of San Francisco. He is min.
ing engineer aod is hired by large COM
pany as minirg expert at salary OF
clio, 900 pc, year. He has made at least
eIoo, ,00O here in the last year in specu.a-
ton.
There are many Americans here, some
very decent ones, but good many hard
ones. The Charter Co. favor Americans,
il they do the square thing as they go
along. There are several Americans here
who have made themselves world-re
nowned in the late MalaSele war.Among
them are Messrs. Burnham. Ingram and
Balm, of californis and Oregon. They
have Just returned from London, where
they had special attention shown them.
They have made nice fortune out OF it.
The Charter company gave theu 400
square miles OF land one thousand miles
north OF here as presents t.and they have
now gone to take possession OF 1t. ii
they all return will be greatly surpris-
ed, as they are going into the very Wild
est part of Africa, and where the fever Is
very bad. wouldn't make the trip Ter
any price, life is q bit short at best.
The Charter company own and manage
this whole country make their own laws.
and as long as one chooses TO stop in
their country he has 10 live up to them.
But no one can say their laws as whole
are too extottiona,e or binding. ss rigid
laws are quite necessary in new eoua-
try like this Wien came here
though: the laws awful but can't say
that now It takes Is policemen to gov
ern the town, so you can judge from that
it is bit rough nov and then. The
town is filling up with people rapidly,
there are fonr Is passenger Concord
coaches coming into camp each week
drawn by ten mules, each coach loaded
down The sgent told me yesterday hat
all coaches fer four weeks ahead were
engaged. II is treat to see the coaches
come in, they stop a, tl.. hotel aud come
/! up to it in run; three men manage
| each coach, the guard, the man who
| manag : the four lines and the man who
does nothing bat handle the whip, and
/ it isn't soft job either. An African
coach Whip is a wonderful affair; the
stock is about Is feet long, OF cane or
bamboo, and iash attached 10 that
abont thirty feet long; these" shippers
! az they are called, get TO be such experts
that II old Hank Monk was SO situated
that he could look down and see them
kno.k flies OF the lead mules ears. lie
would say at once that he never knew
how to use a whip; each coach b.oSs a
bugls coming into camp
The stage company have Is mile
changes from Pretroria here, distance
of GO miles; go you can judge The nuul-
ber OF mules used op the line. And
when ron take into consideration that
each OF these mules are worth from E25
to ESQ yon can see it means good bit
of money There is aox a move on loot
to build a railroad in the early part oi
next year, and when tfat starts this
staging will be done with. This country
is rich in minerals, there now being 80, :
600 claims s.aked; each man is allowed
10 claims with the right 20 peg any gold
land IN Matabelelapd. Tnese claims
when | came here could be bought for q
drink OF whisky, now they are eagerly
sought at five pounds. That in itseli
speaks veil for the Matebele gold fields.
The mining laws are very stringent
causing it 10 be awkward Tor poor man.
A poor man can do nothing but sell out
il he does md something good, "a be
cannot fill the requirements OF The laS
without money. If one-third OF the
properties found turn ont good, then the
country is good enough for me.
There was one block of claims sold d
few days ago for E20, GOO each, and the
same amount Of shares in the company
Big mining deals go through every day,
and there is now in thiscountry G4OO,-
loco working capital 10 develop the vaii-
iious compan,'s miues; heavy machinery
lie coming up to sork them with, Mines
are the only thing that will ever make
this country.
As stock country it cannot be Q sue
cess, as the cattle brought from the south
will not live here unless they are salt
ed" which term applies TO stock that
have recovered from the sickness, then
they are valuable; OF course there are
thousands of cattle in Matabele land
owned by natives bu. they are no larger
than an ordinary yearling calf and in
bred to such an extent that they are all
horns and legs. A big maiabele steer
would not dress over $50 or 400 pounds,
a steer OF this sort may have pair Of
horns seven feet from tip TO tip.
| Horses will not live here unless salt
ed" and a good sailed horse is worh
nearly any price asked for him a $25
horse in America is worth about IS or
so pounds sterling here. have very
nice horse which 1 can sell any day FOR
9l000.0o. The sheep here are really
curosities; to see sheep with tail on
him that weighs 25 lbs is nothing; the
butchers here in buying a sheep reckon
the tail as being worth as much as III.
rest OF the sheep. Aeheep here is worih
about 10 shillings.
+ nt.. To- kt,s. A