AFRICAN AND COLONIAL JOURNALS

The African Review of Mining, Finance and Commerce, 1892-1904

This well illustrated journal documents the climax of the "Scramble for Africa" at the end of the nineteenth century. There is much material on Cecil Rhodes, the Jameson Raid, crises in the Transvaal, Mining and Finance, the new Cape Liners, the British South African Company, the situation in Egypt, the Suez Canal, the Boer Wars, the opening of the Delagoa Bay Railway and regular reports, highlighting international competition and economic exploitation.

Stocks, Shares, Mining News, the Economic and Political Situation are featured in every issue. The Transvaal Coal Industry and Witwatersrand Gold Mining are well covered.

The issue for 18 January 1902 notes "a considerable amount of coal mining is now in progress in the Transvaal, especially in the Springs District, where all the collieries but one are at work. For months past the output has been large but with comparatively small demand, prices fell almost to the level of pre-war days. Now, however, that the fuel requirements of the gold mines are increasing every week, there is a better prospect for the colliery companies".

On 25 January 1902 a fourth article in a series of reviews about De Beers Consolidated, looks into the events and mining conditions which gradually led up to the consolidation of the diamond industry. It tracks the successive amalgamations by which De Beers Consolidated won supreme control of all the great mines - Kimberley, De Beers, Dutoitspan, Bultfontein, and the Premier.

This is an excellent journal for all libraries interested in African Studies, Economic History, Empire Studies and the role of the British in South Africa.