on the fact that the diamond seems to be the only stone which will stick to a bed of grease when a pan of 'concentrates' (the remainder after all the earth and lighter material have been washed out) is passed over it with a properly adjusted flow of water.
A cross country trek from Pretoria to Mafeking seemed to offer greater attractions than the 882 miles of rail which separate those places, in spite of the fact that Bloemfontein and Kimberley would thus be omitted. At present there are no rail connections between the two trunk lines going north from De Aar Junction (which lies just south of the Orange River), although Klerksdorp, the terminus of a branch line from Johannesburg, and Mafeking, on the Cape-Bulawayo
railroad, are only 93 miles apart. These connecting links are of course valuable for opening up the country through which they pass, but it is difficult to get a return on the capital laid out where the chief traffic is to and. from the coast and not an exchange between inland centers. But it is hoped that the time is not far distant when the farms in this district may furnish regular supplies to the large towns and make them independent of imported food produce. Railways are already projected from Pretoria to Rustenburg, sixty miles to the west; and also from Klerksdorp to Fourteenstreams which lies on the Cape-Bulawayo railway, 140 miles to the southeast, thus making the first connection between the two trunk lines north of their branching point.
