Taprobane
awake from the slumber of ages, proving that if she is not the Ophir of
Solomon, she is yet the land of Gold! We believe the earth is yet young:
We are the ancients of the earth And in the morning of the times.
(From the Colombo Observer March II, 1854.)
But
probably the most striking item of intelligence from Ceylon on this
occasion is that which announces the alleged discovery of Gold by some
Sailor Diggers from Australia. It is greatly to be regretted that the
present Mail should leave Ceylon with the question in an uncertain
state. The Superintendent of Police proceeded to the scene of the
alleged discovery, about 30 miles from Colombo, on the evening of the
9th, and his report is anxiously expected. Our readers will not err, we
think, in exercising a considerab'e degree of scepticism as to gold
being found here in sufficient quantities to render working for it so
remunerative as to interfere with other and established industrial
pursuits. We wait for information, however, and say boldly " Who's
afraid." In our columns will be found the best accounts we could get
hold of, but as usual in such cases there are errors of detail. Capt.
Manning of the ," Faithful" corrects some which affect him, in the
following letter:—
Barque " Faithful" Colombo Roads, March nth, 1884.
Sirs,—Having seen a paragraph in your fournal of
the 9th instant, entitled " Gold in Ceylon," I beg to contradict that
part of it which relates to my ship and self. The paragraph I allude
to, runs thus:—" It appears that some of the men engaged in navigating
the ship " Faithful" had been " Diggers" in Australia, on their arrival
in this Port six of them asked Capt. Manning for a few days leave to go
" Prospecting" under ihe firm conviction looking at the features of the
country that Gold existed. The leave was granted, &c, &c'
Now
sir, on my arrival at this port I took all these " Runners" before the
Collector of H. M. Customs and formally discharged them. Some few days
after seven of them returned to the ship and wished to sail in her
again; after being on board two days and not on the ship's Articles,
some intelligence appears to have reached them from the shore, for on
the third day four of them made various excuses that they wished to
leave the ship, one said I want to get back to " Australia," a second I
want to see a doctor, the other two said ' two of us is not enough to
tar the rigging down and we will thank you to let us leave the ship."
I,
having no claim on the men, had no alternative but to let them go. No
mention whatever was made of gold to me and it was several days after
that I heard a rumour about the Gold. All I hope is they-may not find the old proverb come true that " it is not all gold that glitters."
I remain yours truly, John Manning. Master, Bk. "Faithful."
(From the Colombo Observer, March 12, 1854.)
In
our last ordinary issue we announced the ail-but certainty of Gold in
Ceylon; and have now the pleasure to state that doubt is entirely
removed by the arrival of the joint report (then expected) of Mr.
MacCartney the Superintendent of Police, and Mr. T. Power, Assistant
Government Agent, which says that they witnessed the digging and
washing of "two pans of Earth" which contained " very many minute particles of Gold."
Their
report is dated " Yattegodde, nth March (yesterday) and is unavoidably
hurried in order to reach Colombo in time to be forwarded by Government
to the Secretary of State by the out-going Overland Mail.
We
may add that the Mudaliyar (Native Headman) of the District sent in
yesterday to the Government Agent of Colombo a specimen of the Gold
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