New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-04
GOLD MINING IN CHINA.
AN ENGLISH COMPANY TO EXPLOIT AL
LEGGED ILLIMITABLE DEPOSITS.

From The Pail Mall Gazette.
The appearance of company for the purPoso
Of gold mining in China Is decided noVeiey
and marks a departure Of considerable signli-
canoe The country Is known to be rch IN ihnny
and enormously rich in few minerals. But
hitherto little has been done even by the Chinese
themselves to develop these valuable resources.
Foreigners have as we know, endeavored 10
benefit China as well as themselves by the OPEN
ing up of the country by railways and the es-
tablishment Of mining and manufacturing In
dustries; but the intense hatred entertained
toward Europeans by the official classes has IN
almost every individual instance defeated these
good Intentions What diplomatic pressure,
aided by liberal offerings Of palm OIL failed
to do during thirty years or more has been ac-
complished, it would seem. by the issue of war
with Japal. The Government has brought it.
self-very reluctantly, no doubt-to recognize
the advantages of Western methods in peace as
well as in war; and the necessity or providing
more revenue to meet Japan's bill OF expenses
has probably been impressed upon II 1orcipiy
by the European and American Ministers az
Picking, who have also, we may suppose pointed
out the means whereby this additional revenue
may ultimately be secured. and the condition or
the whole people ameliorated Whhe IL was
able to secure the money it wanted by 'Squeez-
ing the lower officials, who in turn "squeeZed'
the poor, the Tsupg- IL Yamen was too conserva-
tive to trouble about the exploitation OF the
mineral or other potentialites Of the vast ana
unwiedy empire which it governed with no
conspicuous success
Matters, however, have changed. Hence the
numerous railway concessions of which we nave
heard recently. Hence the establishment of
Bureau Of Mines in Human, one of the principal
coal-producng provinces; and hence, again,
among other indications OF progress which we
need not enumerate, the granting Of gold mining
rights to English syndicate. As to the ex-
act possibilities of China in this latter direction,
not much that is definite can be said IT'S an
nual output of gold is estimated, for statistical
purposes. at the equivalent of the exports Of
that metal in the shape Of bullion to Great
Britain and India In 1879 the total Of these ex-
ports was 11O,62S ounces. But, obviously. this
can be accepted as no measure of the actual
producton-it is accepted only in default OF
more complete details, and because it is the
sum that counts in the worlds supply; the pro-
portion retained in China being boarded OK
converted into articles Of personal ornamenta-
ton by such afford these luxuries. We
ourselves are not disposed to believe the state
ment mentioned in the prospectus af the North
China Gold Territories Development Company
that 100000 ounces exported annually
from China. We do not question the bona fdes
of the gentlemen responsible for the prospectus
of this pioneer concern. but we doubt the ac-
curacy of the State paper from which they say
they have obtained these figures. We have seen
what quantity was exported to Great Britain
and India in 1895 Where did the rest go to"
total Of close upon $4,000 ounces Of fine COLA
can scarcely disappear every year without leav-
ing any trace. The Oriental mind has way
Of running riot in the contemplation of the
precious metals and precious stones. and
900 600 ounces Is suspciously round sum.
If it be replied that the authority of a state
paper is sufficient, one has ready the answer
that Chinese State paper does not carry with
it, to mind. at least, the same authority
as. say. British State paper
MODERN METHODS TO BE USED.
Al the same, we have evidence enough, on the
authority Of European travellers. of the aurifer-
Gus richness Of certain parts Of the Chinese En-
pre- The observations Of these gentlemen in
loco go to show that large quantity of gold
might be won by the aid of modern machinery.
Such gold as is obtained in the North. and
in no nrOy a
the Southwest and of Shansi to the north of the
Yellow River, and south Of the capital, is mined
by the most primitive methods, which in-I
consistent with the complete extraction OF theI
gold, and consequently with the most satisfac-s
tory returns Apart from the washngs along
the Kin-cha- kiang, which finally becomes the
YaNg-ts -Kiang, the gold region of which we
know most is that located in the Northwest
some portion of which the development COM
pany proposes to exploit II the samples as
sayed. from the dumps rejected by the Chi
nese," on behalf of this company represent any
thing like an average. it must be allowed that
the prospects are encouraging. 1t Is certain !
that long before this syndicate was ever thought
of, fair-siZed nuggets came down from the gold
Mountains along with the miscellaneous TAX
ings and it is certain. too, that in spite of the
waste by the miners, respectable quantities OF
gold are brought into Picking every year from
the Governments private mines which are 10
cated in the same region For our own part, we
should not expect much from washings. Though
many natives up and down contrve to make
living by this means. it is more than doubtful
if the deposits from the mountains of Tibet OF
which we are told, are large enough to repay an
English company for the working Of them.
The real richness lies in quartz: the only trou-
bic is to come across IL, for knowledge happens
to be shadowy. II may be said for the English
syndicate which is asking the public to SUBJ ,
scribe f3l3,00O, that it has plenty Of ground to
work over seeing that the concession covers
thirty thousand square miles The great draw
back consists in the surprisingly bad state OF
the communications and the remOteness of the
LIST ic mint 1ips bup drad