Gold Regions of South Eastern Africa (Bloemfontein pioneer Andrew Hudson Bainʼs copy)

Professionally restored in full leather with seven raised bands and gilt lettering on spine, large folding map in pocket in slip case decorated in marble paper. The original title block in gilt and on green cloth appears on spine, original green front board with gold stamped design is preserved on the inside front cover, new end-papers, pp. 240 (including 51 pages advertisements), frontispiece portrait - a laid down photograph of Baines, title page vignette. Internally there is some minor foxing to page edges, the text on title page plus the inscription is faded with some loss to text and inscription, otherwise very good, complete, a well bound copy.

The following inscription appears on the title page: "Andrew Bain, Kimberley, Griqualand West, 23 April 1877”. Comes with a Christmas Card (Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape, 1852. Water-Colour and pencil sketch by Thomas Baines) in an envelope addressed to The Wessels Family (the Toyota pioneers in South Africa) from Mr and Mrs Harry Oppenheimer, dated December 1989 and Signed by Mr Oppenheimer + original newspaper article (no date) with the heading: 'African Goldfields 3,200 Years Ago'. 

"The volume is a most important work, and contains full information of every description upon the subject of the gold discoveries in Matabeleland and Mashonaland. The book also contains an account of the gold discoveries in the Transvaal." Mendelssohn 1.71. 

Andrew Hudson Bainʼs life was interwoven with the early history of the Orange Free State. “The most prominent member of the small civilian population of the (Bloemfontein) area since the earliest days was Andrew Hudson Bain, an Englishman from the West Indian Islands who came to South Africa for health reasons. He ventured into the interior of South Africa and became a big game hunter. After the foundation of the town he aquired three water erven and thirteen dry erven. He also owned eight farms in the immediate area, of which he called one Bainʼs Vley (today called Bains Vlei) where he lived”. Just after the proclamation of the area between the Orange and Vaal rivers in 1848 news broke that Voortrekker leader Andries Pretorius was about to invade the Orange Free State. 

Bain was tasked by Major Henry Warden to inform Colesberg for help (Warden later rewarded him with a farm for his effort). Bloemfontein was surveyed and pegged out by Bain who lived on Bainʼs Vley from 1849 to 1870. He was a member of Wardenʼs Executive Council, supplied wood to the town and was described as “very sociable and pleasant, a man of intelligence”. Bain was also instrumental in finding the first bank in Bloemfontein. However, the man who settled in the area before the town was founded became ʻinsolventʼ in 1868, Bainʼs Vley was sold and he and moved to the diamond fields. He died in poverty in Boshof in 1894. 

In 1860 Bain organised one of the greatest hunting expeditions in recorded history on his farms Baynʼs Vley and Hartebeeste Hoek just west of Bloemfontein. The event was arranged to commemorate the visit of the first member of the British Royal family to visit South Africa, the 16-year-old Prince Albert, second son of Queen Victoria. "On the occasion a shooting party of 25, in conjunction with Baralong tribesmen drove about 30 000 head of quagga, zebra, wildebeest, kudu, ostrich, eland and antelope towards the Bains Vley homestead. The animals were stampeded through a narrow pass on the farm where the hunters slaughtered the game at random. Around 1000 head were killed on the day and thousands more (estimates range from 5000 to 10 000) during the ensuing days by the Barolongs". Thomas Baines documented the event at Bainsvlei with a painting titled - The greatest hunt in Africa - which appeared first in The Princeʼs Progress. The name Bainsvlei today describes an area made up of smallholdings where the farm was situated. 

A rare piece of Africana and history that survived since the mid-19th century.