Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/271

 TRANSVAAL. 211 Mr. W. H. Penning read a paper on " The South African Gold Fields," in which he stated that it might now be safely concluded that the whole of the Transvaal WU8 gold-bearing except the " High Veldt " in the centre, although it was by no means improbable that even this district might yet prove rich in the precious metal, which in Africa often occurred in unexpected places and under entirely novel conditions. This experienced geologist is of opinion that here the gold actually lies in beds, a feature of immense importance to South Africa, and indeed to the whole world. He is satisfied that deposits hitherto regarded as mere " country rock " and localities believed to be barren would, on the contrary, prove to be highly auriferous. But there appears to be no doubt that the richest deposits are those most recently discovered, that is, those in the cast known as the De Eaap mines, from the neighbouring mountain and river, and those lying farther west in the Witwaters- rand Hills. The whites alone are privileged to acquire possession of the mines, from which the natives are rigorously excluded except in the capacity of day- labourers. By a measure passed in June, 1885, they cannot even receive payment in gold under the penalty of the lash and imprisonment. Even the Indians and Chinese are admitted to the fields only on paying a heavy residence tax of £25. In the De Kaap mines the rocky formation consists mainly of slaty schists, sand- stones, and conglomerates, with granites, quartz, and eruptive rocks cropping out here and there. Those of "VVitwaters-rand, or simply Rand, occur in a sort of conglomerate locally known by the name of iiugat, and the reefs, or auriferous veins, are everywhere disposed in the direction from east to west. Auriferous or nugget-bearing sands" are rare, hence the metal has to be extracted from its bed by powerful rock- crushing machinery. The consequence is that in the Transvaal independent private miners are not numerous. The operations have necessarily to be carried on in a large way by speculating companies commanding sufficient capital, whose headquarters are in Natal, Pretoria, Kimberley, and London. Round about the works populous towns rapidly spring up; new centres of European culture are established in the midst of the African world ; a stimulus is given to the industries, although one of the most flourishing is unfortunately the distillation of alcoholic drinks. The most productive mines enjoy a great economic advantage from their position on, or not far from, the direct route connecting Potchefstroom and the capital of the republic with Delagoa Bay. The railway, which is absolutely indispensable to the rapid commercial development of the State, has been so projected as to penetrate from the coast into the plateaux in the direction of the auriferous districts. Between Pretoria and Barberton, centre of the eastern gold fields, the line will attain an altitude of no less than 6,500 feet at its highest point. Even before the temporary annexation of the country by the English the most prominent sxibject of discussion in the National Assembly was that of the projected iron road, affording direct communication between the central regions of the republic and the Indian Ocean. Considerable loans had already been made with a view to carry out this undertaking, and rails had even been landed for the future line. But this first outlay was wasted, and the works