rrives. Still it must be remembered that, so far as minerals go,
South Africa is now living, not on her income, but on her capital, and
that in twenty-five years half or more of the capital may be gone.

There are other metals in the country besides the precious ones. The
presence of extensive coal-beds in the Transvaal and Natal has been a
circumstance of the first importance for the profitable working of the
Rand gold-beds, and may encourage the growth of some kinds of
manufacture.[89] Iron is abundant both in the Transvaal and in
Mashonaland, and has been found in many other districts, often in the
neighbourhood of coal. It is not worked now, because all iron goods can
be obtained more cheaply from Europe; but it may one day grow into an
industry, as copper-mining already has in Little Namaqualand on the west
coast.

The mention of coal and iron brings us to another branch of the
subject--the possibility of establishing manufactures which may become a
source of wealth and the support of an industrial population. At present
the manufactures are insignificant. All the textile goods, for instance,
nearly all the metal goods, and by far the larger part even of the beer
and spirits (intended for the whites) and mineral waters consumed in
the country come from Europe. The Boers in the two Republics and the
Boer element at the Cape have neither taste nor talent for this kind of
industry, and such capital as exists is naturally attracted to mining
enterprises. Nevertheless, it may be thought that as capital accumulates
things will change, and that the English part of the population in the
two British Colonies will take to manufactures, as it has done in
Australia. Let us see whether this is probable.

To enable South African manufacturers to compete on a large scale with
the established manufacturing countries, such as those in north-western
Europe or north-eastern America, three things are needed--a large
market, cheap sources of mechanical power, cheap and efficient labour.
Of these the first is at present wanting, and even should the growth of
the Rand mining district raise the white population of the two Colonies
and two Republics from something over 700,000 to 1,200,000, that number
of consumers will still be too small to encourage the expenditure of any
large capital in endeavouring to produce articles which the immense
manufacturing establishments of Europe, working for populous markets,
can turn out more cheaply. A