' Unfortunately he leaves us no notice of its position; it
is probably lost, like many of the old Brazilian diggings. The Gambia
River still exports small quantities of dust supposed to have been washed
in the Ghauts, or sea-subtending ridges, of the interior. Most of it,
however, finds its way to the wealthier and more prosperous French colony.
Whilst the English chose the Gambia the French preferred Senegal, where
they founded (1626) 'St. Louis,' called after Louis XIV. The Sieur Brue,
Director-General of the Senegal Company, made a second journey of
discovery in 1698, and reached with great difficulty the gold-mines of
desert and dreary Bambuk. There he visited the principal districts, and
secured specimens of what he calls the _ghingan_, or golden earth. He
proposed a third incursion, but the absolute apathy of his countrymen
proved an insuperable obstacle.
M. Golberry describes Bambuk in gloomy and sombre colours. Its gold is
distributed amongst low ranges of peeled and sterile hills. Probably this
results from fires and disforesting. It occurs in the shape of spangles,
grains, and _pepites_ (nuggets), whose size increases with the depth of
the digging.
Pages:
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402