The production in June 1899 was:—
| 445,763 ozs. | for the Witwatersrandt district |
| 21,508 ozs. | for the outside district |
| ———— | |
| In all 467,271 ozs. |
And in July 1898:—
| 359,343 ozs. | for the Witwatersrandt district |
| 22,663 ozs. | for the outside district |
| ———— | |
| In all 382,006 ozs. |
This table shows that during the twelve months since July 1898 the production of gold on the Randt has increased by 100,000 ozs. a month—equivalent to 1,200,000 ozs. a year. It will be found that, if these returns are compared with the estimates made by competent authorities, the actual output is far in excess of all estimates, following is the gold output table, Transvaal, to July 1899:—
| month. | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | total to date. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ozs. | Ozs. | Ozs. | Ozs. | Ozs. | Ozs. | |
| January | 177,463 | 148,178 | 209,832 | 336,577 | 431,010 | 369,557—1889 |
| February | 169,296 | 167,019 | 211,000 | 321,238 | 425,166 | 42,000—'87-8-9 |
| March | 184,945 | 173,952 | 232,067 | 347,643 | 464,036 | 494,817—1890 |
| April | 186,323 | 176,003 | 235,698 | 353,243 | 460,349 | 729,238—1891 |
| May | 194,580 | 195,009 | 248,305 | 365,016 | 466,452 | 1,210,867—1892 |
| June | 200,942 | 193,640 | 251,529 | 365,091 | 467,271 | 1,478,473—1893 |
| July | 199,453 | 203,874 | 242,479 | 382,006 | 478,493 | 2,024,163—1894 |
| August | 203,573 | 213,418 | 259,603 | 398,285 | ... | 2,277,640—1895 |
| September | 194,765 | 202,562 | 262,150 | 408,502 | ... | 2,281,175—1896 |
| October | 192,652 | 199,890 | 274,175 | 423,217 | ... | 3,034,674—1897 |
| November | 195,219 | 201,113 | 297,124 | 413,517 | ... | 4,555,009—1898 |
| December | 178,429 | 206,517 | 310,712 | 440,674 | ... | 3,193,777—1899 |
| Total | 2,277,640 | 2,281,175 | 3,034,674 | 4,555,009 | 3,193,777 | 21,899,562 ozs. |
Government Returns; some additions to be made for Rhodesia.
DIAMONDS
The discovery of diamonds in South Africa was made by a curious accident. One day a trader travelling along in the neighbourhood north of Cape Colony happened to stop at a farm. While there, he was interested in a small child who was toying with a bright and singularly lustrous pebble. His curiosity was aroused, and he suggested that the thing might be rare enough to be of some value. Thereupon the stone was sent to an expert in Grahamstown, who declared it to be a diamond. The stone weighed twenty-one carats and was valued at £500. From that date search was made in and around the locality, and more diamonds, smaller and of inferior quality, were found. During the years 1867-68 nothing very active was done, though now and again these precious stones were discovered near the Vaal River.
In the month of March, 1869, the world was startled and began to open its eyes. The diamond known as "the Star of Africa," weighing some eighty-three carats in its raw state, was obtained from a Hottentot. This individual had been in possession of the valuable property for some time, and had kept it solely on account of its rarity as a charm. The stone was eventually sold for the sum of £11,000.