The New Era in Rhodesia.
The festivities are over, and the guests are departing. For seven days we have been entertained as well as the resources of Bulawayo would admit, and the Administrator1 and Committee have been continuously unflagging in their attentions to us. Next Monday the trains and railway will be occupied in bringing stores and machinery2 and cattle to supply the needs of the mining industry, and henceforward the traffic will be ordinary and uninterrupted between Cape3 Town and Bulawayo. On Monday morning also every Bulawayan intends to resume his own proper work, and I suppose that should be the real date of the beginning of the new era in Rhodesia.
What is Rhodesia?
And here, it seems to me, is a fitting place to ask: What is Rhodesia, about which so much has been said and written? What are its prospects4? I cannot help but wish I were more qualified5 by local and technical knowledge to describe the country; but as I have been at some trouble in soliciting6 the judgment7 of experienced men, conscientiously8 weighing the merits of what was told me, and carefully considering what I have personally seen, I can only hope the following summary may have some value to those interested in Rhodesia.
The Land to the North.
I have been asked by my fellow guests at Bulawayo how the face of the country appeared as compared with the tropical regions further north with which I am more familiar. With regard to the superficial aspect of Rhodesia, I see but little difference between it and East Central Africa, and the southern portion of the Congo basin. Indeed, I am much struck with the uniformity of Inner Africa on the whole. Except in the neighbourhood of the great lakes, which mark the results of volcanic9 action, where great subsidences have occurred, and the great plains have been wrinkled up or heaved into mountains of great height, the body of Inner Africa away from the coasts is very much alike. The main difference is due to latitude10. From the Cape Peninsula to north of Salisbury, or the Victoria Falls, the whole country is one continuous plain country. Between the tops of the highest hills and the highest grassy11 ridge12 in the Transvaal the difference of altitude seems solely13 due to the action of the rain. In the Zambesi basin you have a great shallow basin, and directly you cross the river and travel northward14 the ascent15 is being made to reach the crest16 of the watershed17 between the Zambesi and the Congo, which is but little higher than the highest grassy ridge in the neighbourhood of Salisbury. From thence a gradual descent is made to reach the central depression of the Congo basin. Northward of the Congo watershed, you gain the average altitudes of the grassy ridges18 of South Africa, and then begin a descent into the basin of the Tchad Lake, and from thence to the Mediterranean19 the same system of great land waves rolling and subsiding20 continues.
Noble Timber in Rhodesia.
Latitude—and I might say altitude—however, changes the appearance of the land. Rarely on the tableland of Equatorial Africa do we see the scrub and thorn trees of South Africa. The vegetation there is more robust21, the trees taller, the leafage thicker and of a darker green; the mere22 grasses of the tropics are taller than the trees growing on the plains of Cape Colony, Bechuanaland, and Rhodesia, though in the latter country there are oases23 favourable24 to the growth of noble timber. In nitrous belts—fortunately of no great width—in Ugogo, Nyasaland, East Africa, we should be reminded of the thorny25 productions of Bechuanaland, and ten degrees north of the Equator we should again see a recurrence26 of them.
A Magnificent Forest of Teak.
It must have struck even the most unobservant of our guests how the land improved as we travelled northward. How the ungrateful looking Karroo of Cape Colony was presently followed by expansive plains covered with dwarf27 shrubs28; how the plains became more promising29 after we passed the Hart River: how the rolling grassy prairie-like country of Southern Bechuana was followed by the acacias and mimosas of Northern Bechuana; and how as we neared Rhodesia these trees in a few hours of travel rose from 10 feet to 20 feet in height; how the land became more compact, and lost much of its loose porous30 texture31, and consequently the grasses were higher and water might be found at a lesser32 depth. That improvement, I am told, continues as we go northward towards Salisbury, even though we may keep on a somewhat uniform level, that is on the tableland separating the river flowing eastward33, south to the Limpopo and north-west to the Zambesi. So rapid is the effect of a lower altitude, and consequent greater heat and moisture, that about 80 miles from Bulawayo to the north-west a magnificent forest of teak has been found, from whose grand timber we saw several specimens34 of furniture, such as tables, desks, and bureaus, a log of 20 feet long and a foot square, besides a quantity of planks35.
Rhodesia’s Fine Climate.
Now, this Rhodesia consists of Matabeleland and Mashonaland, and covers about a quarter of a million square miles. It is the northern portion of the Great South African tableland, and its highest elevations36 run north-east and south-west, varying from 4000 to nearly 6000 feet above the sea. This height declines on the eastern, southern, and north-western sides, as it slopes along with the rivers flowing from them. This high land, which is eminently37 suitable for European families, is about 70,000 square miles in extent, of solid, unbroken agricultural country as compared with Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Those who remember what countries of similar superficial area in Europe can contain in population may be able to gauge38 what numbers of the white race may exist in Rhodesia. Outside the limit I have mentioned the resident must expect to be afflicted39 with malarial41 fevers, and the lower one descends42 towards the sea, the more frequent and severe will they become. There is this comfort, however, that long before the upper plateau is over-populated, population will have made a large portion of the malarious43 districts healthy and inhabitable—at least, it has been so found in every land that I have visited. On the upper lands, the resident who has come by way of the Cape and Bechuanaland need have no fear of malaria40. I regard my own oft-tried system as a pretty sure indicator44 of the existence of malaria, for a very few hours’ residence in a country subjected to this scourge45 would soon remind me of my predisposition to it; but during the whole of the time I have spent in Rhodesia I have not felt the slightest symptom. I have seen white women driving their babies in perambulators on the plain outside Bulawayo in a sun as hot as any in the Egyptian or Moroccan desert, and, though I felt they were unwise, it was clear to me that in such a climate a sufficient head protection was the only thing necessary to guard against a sunstroke or the feverish46 feeling which naturally follows a rash exposure to heat.
The Rainy Season.
Rhodesia has been visited by us during what is generally said to be its worst period. The rainy season begins in November and ends in March. We arrived November 4, and, though we have been here only a week, we have had four showers and one all-night downpour. The rainfall during the season amounts to as much as 45 inches. I fancy few men have had larger experience of the pernicious effects of cold rains alternating with hot suns than I, and the composure of the Bulawayo population under what seems to promise four months of such weather strikes my imagination, and is to me a strong testimony47 of the healthfulness of the climate.
No Stint48 of Vegetables.
The park of Bulawayo, the grounds of Government House, and especially the advanced state of Mr Colenbrander’s charming gardens, afforded to me valuable proofs that the soil responded very readily to civilised treatment; but the most conclusive49 proof to me of the capacity of the soil was furnished by a large market garden laid out in a depression just outside of the town. From end to end the garden, supplied with water by a windpump from a well, was a mass of robust European vegetables, whence cabbages weighing 30 pounds each, and tomatoes of extraordinary size, have been sent to market. At the Palace Hotel the hundreds of guests made large demands for vegetables, and there was no stint of them. Further on towards old Gubulawayo we were attracted by native women hoeing in a field, and our attention was drawn50 to the native fields, which showed by the old corn-stalks that the Matabele must have found the black earth of the plains gracious to their toils51. Here and there in these villa52 gardens, market gardens, public pleasaunces, and ornamental53 grounds we found sufficient evidences that, given water, the soil of Rhodesia was equal to supplying anything that civilised man with his fastidious taste and appetite could possibly demand.
The Gold of Rhodesia—Something to Satisfy an Anxious Mind.
The next thing to do was to find out something relating to the precious metal, whose presence in Rhodesia was the immediate54 cause of the railway. I remember last session having heard in the Smoking Room of the House of Commons the most disparaging55 views regarding the prospects of Rhodesia and the quality of the reefs. The gold of Rhodesia was said to be “pocket” gold, and that the ancients, whose presence long ago in this land is proved by the multitude of old workings and disused shafts57, were too clever to have left any for us moderns. Not knowing how to controvert58 such statements, I had left them unanswered, half believing that they were true. Sir James Sivewright, in his speech on the first festal night, said that Bulawayo was built upon faith, and the majority of the guests I discovered held the most doubtful views, and I must confess little was needed to confirm the scepticism which had been planted in me in England. But when I heard that there was an exhibition of ores to be seen in the Hall of the Stock Exchange, I felt that the Reception Committee had provided for us something more valuable than banquets—something which should satisfy an anxious mind. Within a well-lighted, decent-sized hall, on an ample shelf ranged around it, a few of the mining companies of Rhodesia had sent various specimens of the ores. Above these shelves hung admirably-drawn maps to illustrate59 the reefs whence they were taken. I had noticed, as I went in, other specimens of Rhodesian products ranged along the passages—bulky lumps of coal from the Zambesian coal district, a coal that is said to give only from 8 per cent, to 12 per cent, of ash; fine red sandstone blocks, a stone closely resembling that of which most of the houses on Fifth Avenue, New York, are built; blocks of grey sandstone, to which substance I had already been attracted, it being so much used for lintels and doorways60 of Bulawayan houses; and rough and polished granite61 blocks, which reminded me of the famous Aberdeen stone, besides several limestone62 briquettes.
Plenty of Evidences of Gold.
The first exhibits of ores I happened to inspect were from the Camperdown Reef, in which the virgin63 gold was conspicuous64 enough to satisfy the most unbelieving. The next exhibit consisted of a number of briquettes of cement manufactured in Bulawayo. The third was a glass case which contained old gold beads65, discovered at Zimbabwe, and attracted a great deal of attention from the dusky appearance of the metal which centuries had given it, the rude workmanship, evidently African, and the puerility66 of the ornaments67. Beyond this the Rhodesia Ltd. Company had specimens from the Criterion Reef, situate eight miles from Bulawayo. The rock contained no visible gold, and the Curator who guided me round had the assurance to say that the quartz68 where gold was not visible was more appreciated than that which showed nuggets. This made me think of the mountains of white quartz I had seen on the Congo, and to wonder whether the Curator was indulging in unseemly levity69. However, perceiving some doubt in my glance, he said it would be demonstrated shortly. Adjoining the Criterion ores was a heap from the Nellie Reef in the Insiza district, fifty miles from Bulawayo. The Curator said these were “very rich,” and taken from old workings; but despite the Curator and the old workings, I could not see a trace of gold in the rock, even with a magnifier. Next to the Nellie exhibit was a pile of rock from the Unit and Unicorn70 Reef—in the Selukwe district, Eastern Rhodesia—but I saw no gold in any one of these rocks.
A Successful Crushing of Gold Quartz.
Just at this juncture71 the Curator told me that one of these apparently72 valueless rocks was about to be crushed and panned for our instruction. We went out into a yard, where there was quite a crowd of curious people assembled. The lump of rock was put into a small iron mortar73, and in a few minutes it was pounded into a dusty looking mass. It was then passed through a fine sieve74 and the larger fragments were returned into the mortar to be again pounded. A sufficient quantity of the greyish dust having been obtained, the mortar was emptied into a broad iron pan. The pan was dipped into a tub full of muddied water, a dexterous75 turn or twist of the wrist, and the coarser material was emptied into the tub. Frequent dippings and twists reduced the quantity of material in the pan, until at last there was barely a tablespoonful of it left, and still I saw no glitter. Again the dipping and twisting and rinsing76 were repeated, until at last there was only a teaspoonful77 of the dirt left; but all around the bottom of the pan was a thin thread of unmistakable gold dust. It was beyond belief that such a barren-looking piece of quartzose rock should contain gold; but then these experts are wonderful fellows. I pay them my most respectful homage78.
How the Ancient Miners Worked.
Returning to the Hall under the influence of this very needful lesson, I resumed my examination of the exhibits. Beyond the Unit and Unicorn exhibit stood some planks of a teaky quality, beautifully polished, and showing numbers of small dark knots, and wavy79 patterns, which gave a walnuty appearance to the wood. The next exhibit was from the Gwanda district by the Geelong Gold Mining Company, taken from a 90-foot level. In this district the ancient workings are found deepest. The prehistoric80 miners were accustomed to build charcoal81 fires on the quartz, and when the rock was sufficiently82 heated threw water on it, which soon disintegrated83 it and enabled the picks and gads85 to be used. This reminded me how often I had done the same to huge rocks which blocked the way for my wagons86 on the Congo. The broken quartz, being brought to the surface, was handed to natives who crushed it to dust on blocks of granite with diorite hammers, or ground it as the modern natives do mealies. The dust was then panned in much the same way as is done by prospectors87 of to-day. In one of the old shafts, over 60-foot deep, was found the dome88 of a human skull89 and some pieces of human bone. These relics90 lay side by side with the quartz exhibits. One could moralise here if one had time.
Fine Specimens of Coal.
The exhibit of the Ellen Reef of the United Matabele Claims Development Company showed distinct gold. Just near it were blocks of fine-looking coal from the Matabele Gold Reefs and Estates Company. The coal field is situated91 120 miles north of Bulawayo. The coal has been already tested, and is found to be admirable for all uses.
120 Ounces to the Ton.
The Nicholson Olympus Block, Gwanda district, showed specimens which panned 120 ounces to the ton. The Mary Reef specimens assayed 5 ounces 3 pennyweight 10 grains to the ton. Next to these was a clock frame made out of trachyte in the form of a Greek temple. This trachyte is greyish white in colour and easily workable, but hardens by exposure. As there is plenty of this material it is probable Bulawayo will make free use of it in future. Mansions93 and villas94 of this stone would look extremely chaste95 and beautiful.
The Tebekwe Mine.
Then we came to the exhibits from the Tebekwe Mine, Selukwe district, seventy miles from Bulawayo on the Salisbury Road. The large map above was worth studying. It illustrated96 a reef about 1000 yards in length, and eight oval-form excavations98 made by the ancients resembling the pits Kimberley diamond diggers formerly99 made in the blue clay. The base lines of these excavations were not much over 60 feet from the surface. On the appearance of water in each shaft56 the ancients were unable to make their fire on the exposed quartz reef, and consequently had to abandon it, and they probably made another excavation97 along the reef until the appearance of water compelled them to relinquish100 that also 900 yards of this reef have now been proved by means of twelve winzes, the majority of which have been sunk to the first level 154 feet below the surface. On this first level 887 feet of driving has been done up to the present. The second level is 234 feet below the surface, and three winzes have been sunk to it. The total footage to now made is 3,311 feet 10 inches. The average width of the reef is 41.5 inches, and the narrowest width is 15 inches. Throughout the mine the average width is 31 inches. I am told that the richest average value of the reef is 84 pennyweight per ton of 2000 pounds, and the poorest 5 pennyweight to the ton. Throughout the reef averages 1773 pennyweight of fine gold per ton; 12 pennyweight is considered a payable101 quantity at Bulawayo. A block of rock from the centre shaft showed 57 pennyweight to the ton.
A twenty-stamp battery is on the rails between Port Elizabeth and Bulawayo, beside steam hauling gear and electric pumping machinery, and it is anticipated that the mine will be in operation about October, 1898.
“The Best Mines in Rhodesia.”
I next came to the Gaikwa and Chicago Reef, whose old workings had a shaft 70 feet deep. Its present owners sunk this to 100 feet when they came to the abandoned reef. I think the assay92 showed 1 ounce 11 pennyweight to the ton.
Close to it were specimens from the Adventurers Reef in the Insiza district which assay 1 ounce to the ton. Beyond was the Willoughby’s Consolidated102 Company, Limited, which had exhibits from the favourite mines, called Bonsor, Dunraven, and Queen’s. Shafts in the Bonsor have been sunk to 365 feet, the lode103 is 30 inches wide, and the average assay per ton is 18 pennyweight. The Dunraven has been sunk to a depth of 320 feet, lode and assay the same as the Bonsor. The Queen’s has been penetrated104 100 feet, lode 30 inches, and assay 18 pennyweight. People who have no pecuniary105 interest in mines have told me that the best mines in Rhodesia, and of which there is not the least doubt, are the Globe and Phoenix106, Bonsor, Dunraven, Tebekwe, and Geelong, all of which are in the Selukwe district, excepting the last, which is in Gwanda.
Next were exhibits from the Matabele Sheba Gold Mining Company: dark quartz, of which there were fourteen specimens. This reef is twenty miles from Bulawayo, and assays107 2 ounces 10 pennyweight per ton. The Marlborough Reef, four miles from Bulawayo; the Ullswater Reef, sixteen miles from town; Piper’s Reef, three miles from town, averaging respectively 1 ounce to 5 ounces, 15 pennyweight to 5 ounces, and 25 pennyweight. Very little gold is visible in these specimens; but the owners have panned repeatedly, and are satisfied that they contain the precious metal in profitable quantities.
Bulawayo the Centre of Auriferous Fields.
Just above these specimens was a large map showing the Rhodesian Gold Fields very clearly. From this I learned that the Gwanda district was south of Bulawayo; the Tuli district, which contains the Monarch108 Mine, is south-west from here, and constitutes a little republic of its own; the Bembezi field is north; Insiza district is east; and so is the Filabusi and Belingwe; the Selukwe district is east-north-east, comprising Gwelo; the Sebakwe, north-east; and the Mafungabusi district, north-north-east; so that the Bulawayan gold field seems to be the centre of this cluster of auriferous fields.
The Fort Victoria exhibit showed a large lump of native copper109 and excellent bits of gold quartz. The Masterton Reef, forty miles from Bulawayo, had two specimens and certificate of assay of 18 pennyweight and 22 pennyweight respectively. The Springs Reef, Belingwe district, exhibits consisted of galena, copper and gold, and appeared very fine.
The Unreliability of Assays.
From the Number 2 Kirkcubbin Reef, Bulawayo district, it appeared that an assay of 62 ounces 16 pennyweight to the ton was obtained, while from the Number 1 same reef there was an assay of 24 ounces 14 pennyweight to the ton. It should be observed that these assays, no matter by whom they are made, are misleading to the uninitiated, and though the panning is better, neither are to be relied on as sure guides to what the reef will prove throughout. When, say, 10,000 tons are crushed we shall better know by the result the true status of Rhodesia among gold-bearing countries. Nevertheless, every assay or panning has a value as indicating the presence of gold.
The next exhibit was from the Sinnanombi gold belt, south of the Matoppos. The Saint Helen’s Development Syndicate exhibit consisted of several pans full of grey powdered quartz ready for panning, each of which has been assayed by the Standard Bank with the following results: Thirkleby, Antelope110, Rosebery, Constitution and Thela Reefs, in the Sinnanombi district, respectively 2 ounce 4 pennyweight, 136 pennyweight, 27 pennyweight 18 grains, 58 pennyweight, and 46 pennyweight. The Syndicate have also properties in the Insiza district, the Nellie Rey Reef, Eileen Reef in Mavin district, Ben Nevis and Guinea Fowl111 Reefs in Selukwe district.
“In Every Stone the Gold Sparkled.”
The West Glen May Mine exhibit contained sections, one of which was remarkable112 as showing a 60-foot wide reef. Its rock specimens were rich with visible gold. There was also a rich exhibit from the Christmas Reef, sixteen miles from Bulawayo—in every stone the gold sparkled.
From Purdon’s Reef, in the Makukuku district, alluvial113 gold was on show. There was also an old iron gad84 from the ancient workings. Alluvial gold is found in the Myema River, twenty miles from Bulawayo.
Among other things at the Chamber114 of Mines Exhibition was a thick log of fine grained teak, several planks, furniture from native woods, samples of lime, trachyte blocks, Bulawayo brick, coal blocks from Tuli coal districts 200 miles south-east of Bulawayo and the Zambesi district 120 north of Bulawayo, and a champagne115 case full of plumbago lately discovered at a spot fifty miles from the Zambesi.
For the patient courtesy shown to me while making my notes, and the instructing and interesting conduct of me round the room, I am under the warmest obligations to Mr Walter Broad, the Hon. Curator, who, as you will be interested to know, is a Canadian, and whose first impulse to seek Africa as a field for his labours was obtained through reading my “Dark Continent.”
A Visit to the Criterion Mine.
After this exhaustive inspection116 of the ores on exhibition, it remained for us to see one of these Rhodesian mines in operation to dispel117 the last remnant of doubt which eloquent118 sceptics had inspired me with. We chose the Criterion Mine, which is by no means the nearest to the town. It belongs to the Rhodesia Ltd. Company, and is situate eight miles south from Bulawayo, and as Mr Hirschler, the Engineer of the mine, was willing to take upon himself the trouble of being our guide, we flung ourselves gladly upon his generosity119. In one hour and a half we made the distance in a spring cart drawn by four spirited little mules120. We halted at the Engineer’s station on a commanding grassy ridge, which neighbours that once occupied by Mosilikatse’s old kraal of Gubulawayo during the forties, fifties, and sixties of this century. A few spaces from the spot where we outspanned we came to a series of “old workings” which ran along the crest of the ridge for about 2000 feet. Where one of these old workings was untouched by the Engineer, it reminded me of just such a big hole as might have been made to unearth121 a boulder122, or to root out a large tree. One of these hollows was chosen by the Engineer to sink his first shaft. After penetrating123 through fifty feet of débris, he came upon the reef which the ancients had abandoned because of flooding, and time, aided by rain, had filled up. He continued for about 10 feet more, sampling every 3 feet as he went, to discover the grade of the ore. Since then he has sunk eight other shafts. The mine consists of 170 claims, but the development is concentrated on about twenty-five claims, ten of which are in the centre of the property, and fifteen towards the eastern boundary. In the centre two shafts are being sunk to the 150 foot level, and are at present connected by a drive 300 feet long. On this level the reef is throughout payable, while a chute 100 feet long is of high grade ore. Trenches124 on the line of the reef indicate its occurrence towards the eastern portion of the mine, where five shafts varying from 100 feet to 150 feet deep have been sunk. At the depth of 150 feet the various shafts will be connected by a gallery, which will give 2000 feet of reef material. At the present time work is being done for the purpose of developing sufficient ore to keep a twenty-stamp mill going. The necessary machinery has been ordered, and the engineers expect to begin producing some time about the middle of 1898. On examining the material at the mouths of the shafts, those among us who knew of what they were speaking declared that much of it was of high grade. High pyritic quartz abounded125, and this was rich in fine gold. Sulphide galena was found in some of the quartz. At the mouth of one shaft visible gold was very frequent, and about forty of the visitors obtained specimens wherein miniature nuggets were plainly visible. Where the reef was being worked at the deepest shaft it showed a breadth of 24 inches; in some places it is only 18 inches wide; at others it is 48 inches broad.
“We saw enough to prove that Rhodesia is an Auriferous Country.”
My readers need scarcely be told that the exhibits of ores are only such as a few companies of Rhodesia were induced to send after urgent appeals from the public-spirited citizens of Bulawayo. I saw none from Salisbury, Mazoe, or any part of Mashonaland, and only a few mines in Matabeleland were represented. There was no time for a proper exhibition. Many more were en route, but the distances are great and the ox-wagon is slow. At any rate we have seen sufficient to prove that Rhodesia is an auriferous country though as yet no one knows what rank it will take among gold-producing lands. My own conviction—a conviction that is, I suppose, made up from what I have seen and heard from qualified men—is that Rhodesia will not be much inferior to the Transvaal. True, it has no Witwatersrand—forty miles of reefs; but the superficial area is twice the size of the Transvaal State, and the prospectors have only succeeded in discovering a few plums.
Then, though the railway has been brought to Bulawayo, it is still far from the Belingwe and Selukwe districts, and within a radius126 of 100 miles from the town there are many gold fields richer than those in the immediate neighbourhood of the railway terminus. It is necessary to state this in the clearest manner, for many will be carried away by the idea that now the railway is at Bulawayo the output of gold should follow immediately.
But even the most forward among the mining companies can only say: “We have ordered all the needful machinery and shall set to work as soon as it arrives.” The machinery in a few cases is on the rail between Port Elizabeth and Bulawayo; but the necessities of life must precede mining machinery, and several weeks more may elapse before any portion of the material may reach Bulawayo. Then we shall have to consider the terrible calamity127 endured by Rhodesia, as well as South Africa in general. The rinderpest is not over yet, and cattle, mules, and donkeys are scarce, and the haulage of heavy machinery over the veld with feeble and sickening cattle for forty, seventy, and a hundred miles will be a tedious business.
Then will come the erection of buildings, the fitting of engines, etc., etc., with inexpert natives, and I think I need but suggest that all these preliminaries will occupy much time. The more confident engineers declare that they will be ready to produce about the middle of next year. They may be as good as their word, knowing their business better than we casual visitors; but it seems to me but common prudence128 to withhold129 expectation of results until eighteen months from the present.
Rhodesia’s Requirements.
There is no doubt in my mind that gold will be produced in payable quantities from these Rhodesian mines; but the extent of profit depends upon circumstances. It is also as certain that Rhodesia cannot hope to compete with the Transvaal under present conditions. Bulawayo is 1360 miles from the sea, and at least 40 miles from the richest mines. Johannesburg is 390 miles from the sea, and is in the centre of its forty mile long gold field. That simple fact means a great deal, and shows an enormous disadvantage to Rhodesia. The latter country will have to pay four times more for freight than the Transvaal gold fields. Against this must be set the small duties that will have to be paid. After paying five per cent to Cape Colony, goods will be admitted free to Rhodesia. Then the heavy taxes paid to the Boers will still further diminish the disadvantages of Rhodesia; yet when we consider the time wasted in the long railway journey, and the haulage by ox-wagon to the mines, we shall find a much heavier bill of costs against the gold output of Rhodesia, than on that of the Transvaal. A good substantial railway from Beira or Sofala to Bulawayo, via Victoria, would completely reverse things. Bulawayo would then be about the same rail distance from the sea as Johannesburg is; the poorer ores could then be worked profitably, and the aggregate130 of gold product would in a few years rival that of the Rand. If I were a Chartered Director, my first object should be to get the shortest and most direct route to the sea from Bulawayo, and a substantial railway along it, and having obtained that, and a liberal mining law, I should feel that the prosperity of Rhodesia was assured.
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machinery
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cape
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prospects
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qualified
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soliciting
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judgment
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conscientiously
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volcanic
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latitude
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grassy
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ridge
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solely
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northward
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ascent
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crest
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| n.转折点，分水岭，分界线 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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19
Mediterranean
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| adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的 | |
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subsiding
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| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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robust
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| adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的 | |
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22
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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23
oases
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲( oasis的名词复数 )；（困苦中）令人快慰的地方（或时刻）；乐土；乐事 | |
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favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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thorny
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| adj.多刺的，棘手的 | |
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26
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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27
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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28
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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29
promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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30
porous
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| adj.可渗透的，多孔的 | |
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31
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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32
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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33
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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34
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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35
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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36
elevations
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| （水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升 | |
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37
eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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38
gauge
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| v.精确计量；估计；n.标准度量；计量器 | |
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39
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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41
malarial
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| 患疟疾的，毒气的 | |
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42
descends
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| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
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43
malarious
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| （患）疟疾的，（有）瘴气的 | |
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44
indicator
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| n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器 | |
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45
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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46
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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47
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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48
stint
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| v.节省，限制，停止；n.舍不得化，节约，限制；连续不断的一段时间从事某件事 | |
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49
conclusive
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| adj.最后的，结论的；确凿的，消除怀疑的 | |
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50
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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51
toils
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| 网 | |
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52
villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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53
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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54
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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55
disparaging
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| adj.轻蔑的，毁谤的v.轻视( disparage的现在分词 )；贬低；批评；非难 | |
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56
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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57
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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58
controvert
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| v.否定；否认 | |
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59
illustrate
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| v.举例说明，阐明；图解，加插图 | |
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60
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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61
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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62
limestone
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| n.石灰石 | |
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63
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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65
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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66
puerility
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| n.幼稚，愚蠢；幼稚、愚蠢的行为、想法等 | |
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67
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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68
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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69
levity
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| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
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70
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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71
juncture
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| n.时刻，关键时刻，紧要关头 | |
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72
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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73
mortar
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| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
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74
sieve
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| n.筛，滤器，漏勺 | |
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75
dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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76
rinsing
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| n.清水，残渣v.漂洗( rinse的现在分词 )；冲洗；用清水漂洗掉（肥皂泡等）；（用清水）冲掉 | |
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77
teaspoonful
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| n.一茶匙的量；一茶匙容量 | |
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78
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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79
wavy
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| adj.有波浪的，多浪的，波浪状的，波动的，不稳定的 | |
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80
prehistoric
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| adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的 | |
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81
charcoal
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| n.炭，木炭，生物炭 | |
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82
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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83
disintegrated
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| v.（使）破裂[分裂，粉碎]，（使）崩溃( disintegrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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84
gad
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| n.闲逛；v.闲逛 | |
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85
gads
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| v.闲逛( gad的第三人称单数 )；游荡；找乐子；用铁棒刺 | |
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86
wagons
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| n.四轮的运货马车( wagon的名词复数 )；铁路货车；小手推车 | |
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87
prospectors
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| n.勘探者，探矿者( prospector的名词复数 ) | |
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88
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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89
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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90
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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91
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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92
assay
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| n.试验，测定 | |
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93
mansions
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| n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 ) | |
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94
villas
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| 别墅，公馆( villa的名词复数 )； （城郊）住宅 | |
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95
chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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96
illustrated
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| adj. 有插图的，列举的 动词illustrate的过去式和过去分词 | |
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97
excavation
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| n.挖掘，发掘；被挖掘之地 | |
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98
excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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99
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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100
relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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101
payable
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| adj.可付的，应付的，有利益的 | |
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102
consolidated
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| a.联合的 | |
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103
lode
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| n.矿脉 | |
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104
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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105
pecuniary
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| adj.金钱的；金钱上的 | |
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106
phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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107
assays
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| n.化验( assay的名词复数 )；试验；尝试；试金 | |
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108
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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109
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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110
antelope
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| n.羚羊；羚羊皮 | |
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111
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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112
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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113
alluvial
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| adj.冲积的；淤积的 | |
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114
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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115
champagne
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| n.香槟酒；微黄色 | |
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116
inspection
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| n.检查，审查，检阅 | |
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117
dispel
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| vt.驱走，驱散，消除 | |
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118
eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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119
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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120
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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121
unearth
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| v.发掘，掘出，从洞中赶出 | |
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122
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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123
penetrating
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| adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的 | |
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124
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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125
abounded
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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126
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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127
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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128
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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129
withhold
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| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
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130
aggregate
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| adj.总计的，集合的；n.总数；v.合计；集合 | |
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