This "auriferous" town is indeed a marvellous place, lying on the crest
of a hill at an elevation of 5,000 feet above the level of the sea.
Along its sides are spread out every variety of habitation, from the
substantial brick and stone structures, which are being erected with
extraordinary rapidity, to the multitude of galvanised iron dwellings,
and the still not unfrequent tents of the first, and last comers. It is
indeed a wonderful and bewildering sight to view it from the opposite
hill across the intervening valley. Scarcely more than two years have
elapsed since this town of twenty-five thousand inhabitants commenced
its miraculous existence. The excitement and bustle of the motley crowd
of gold seekers and gold finders is tremendous, the whole of the
live-long day. The incessant subject of all conversation is gold, gold,
gold. It is in all their thoughts, excepting, perhaps, a too liberal
thought of drink. The people of Johannesburg think of gold; they talk of
gold; they dream of gold. I believe, if they could, they would eat and
drink gold. But, demoralising as this is to a vast number of those, who
are in the vortex of the daily doings of this remarkable place, the
startling fact is only too apparent to anyone who visits Johannesburg.
It is to be hoped that the day will come when the legitimate pursuit of
wealth will be followed in a less excitable, and a more calm and
decorous manner, than at present regretably prevails.

I spent a pleasant, as well as interesting, week at Johannesburg; and,
during my stay, visited several of the mines, among them Knight's, the
Jumpers, Robinson's, Langlaagte, &c. At Robinson's, I had an opportunity
of inspecting the wonderful battery just completed, and in full working
order, constructed on the most approved principles for gold crushing,
with sixty head of stamps. It is a marvellous specimen of mechanical
contrivance for crushing the ore. Many parts of the machinery work
automatically. I ascended the various floors, and had all the processes