Colonial News.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VI, Issue 362, 23 April 1856, Page 4

Colonial News.

1 THE COROMAXDEL GOLD FIELDS. Most of our readers will be aware that gold has been discovered in two parts of this district —one on the Waiau Creek, upon which is erected the saw mill ol Messrs. Roe, Street and Co., and which takes its origin in the rocky peak called Castle Hill, supposed by many to be the matrix of the various quartz veins which are believed to extend, in divergent lines, throughout this part of the country. The other locality is that generally known as the Wyiiyard diggings. These are about six miles to the northward of the Waiau, and are upon the branches of a creek which takes its rise in the same range of which Castle Hiil is a part, but considerably further towards Cape Colville. Buiii creeks discharge their waters into Cor«unandel harbour, and at high water are navigable some distance up for ressels ot small burthen. ! Tali Waiau, from the mill up to the falls, a distance of about a mile, bears evidence of having been well prospected on the surface, but presents no appearances that would indicate operations of a more exisnded character. Tiiis creek has been very recently worked upon by the Messrs. De Thierry.wbose whare is still standing on its banks : while the presence of cradles, 1 nig-torn s, &c, throughout the distance we have mentioned, leads to the belief that the locality has been recently visited by other prospectors. At present, however, it seems to be deserted. It is a deep ravine, fivnn the sides of which large boulders have in many places been removed, a-nd the surrounding earth found to yield a sufficient quantity of the precious metal to pay | for labour. Specks of gold, indeed, are to be seen in almost every dishful of the gravelly soil winch forms the banks of this ravine, as weil as of many others—plainly showing, not that gold 16 there in sufficient qu.mtiti&s to pay, but that auriferous deposits, of which these specks would be termed*by the Jigger "the breakings off," remain to be discovered iv this highly interesting district. The locality tn-iwu as the Wynyard diggings is nearly equidistant with the mill frosa the nearest part of the beach—about three miles, and is approached by a track of about a mile in length .through a dense forest. On arriving at the spot where Col. Wynvard's temporary residence was fixed, the visitor will see, on the opposite side of the creek, the raupy house of the prospecting party now in the field. The party, as must of our readers are aware, consists of Messrs. Blizzard, White, and six others, acting in concert with a similar number of residents in the city—the one party to work, the other to find the means. On reaching the hut, which was at du>k on ihe evening of our arrival, we were very kindly received by such of the I party as were at home. Three, it appears, had gone to Mercury B iy. anil tw > (Messrs. Bizz ird and White) to -Manaia, a part of the country a little to the s■mMward of C ir.j:ni;i.Ul il<j.i\U, The former would seem to have departed in pursuance of a system of general projecting— in other worrls. of i£ iedviug no sion-i unturned," which the company have laid down for tueir guidance; the i;tuer acting upon the; fact of the chief of that -i'i--irter havinir shown to some of the party a nugget »f two ounces and a half, which be had procured on the >i:; facu of iiis own land. Th 2 i"d-.uit of this visit wiil, wh-jn kuowu, hi iniete.-stnig ;we may :uM, however, th it it will nut prib.il/iy be suffered t<» transpire, so Jung as ih\i imprests of the party wiii be beuefikle'l by sscrecv. 0; the thr^e -.v'io r'vmined, mic <v ts a young mm of evi.j«:ii '-xp^nfine as ;i di/j^er, who kndly slj-jWe-i us lii ; wtri-ms holes i i the vi"initv lij-it they had sunk, and the various p-,ms of the creek atui its iirdiifli^s in ivhich they, a< well as tueir urn] -:e'j--•.•!■>. hud hecn enyf.i^e.! in w,i.!iin<r w-iitt tniy he t(i^,u; i the suvf.tct stuff. A.ij'/inin-f ii le of i\n:^ sp its (.1:1 er,:c.ivu.tio:i iv the'side of ihe r.'ivitm) >.vi- a i<>!)g-ii):n. in •.vhi>;ii we i^-irnc-d t's.tt, ti diy or f.v-i before, fi.e >,f -iie party hid wniird iieit.iy Jivo iiii-ijes in c >urs'; of a few hour-. T '■'< wtj loirued m >re by acci'iem than <!lh-*r-vise— er-ryjv with r?_ rard to lh« q-.iaiHtty pro.:U!'e-i ijejtig •!•■) '»!»•.-> i:i», ;j:i-I, i'i'lee-1, a rerv propsr part oi the eiHpiuv'.s tactics, it was fiec-ly ad-Tiiite i. !ii v M-' ?r . thut i'u-r: <:,»\\d eara W3£f;2's were mi •'; ' yy1'' :^\y.s- :in 'ai.-t, that U)'fa w i< an au-.«i!-?*•' r-rt-iiUiv of from M,. to 1-2*. a dxy nft'uis ve-il\<f'\ lii ;ii'- •-' n >' i> •-••■ !<■■.< <,f wr^hiiur i'! ';!-' f-'-f.rt. 7'iih i.,-., |' :u; i to v/hich all uur cx]<erici)ce iciiUe;!, and .vliic'i w - c ursi-icr

as established. At the same time, it is qualified by the circumstance that winter is approaching, that the creek will be then more a mountain torrent than a placid stream, as at present, and that an interruption to the process of washing, a diminution to the personal comfort of the washer, and a difficulty of bringing up supplies, will necessarily be entailed. Nevertheless, the fact is one which may yet exercise an important influence on the welfare of Auckland.

In tlisse ravines, as in the Waiau, we saw the contents of several dishfuls washed, rarely without exhibiting a speck or two, and in one case resulting in three or four little nuggets, now in the possession of a resident in this city. These, and the innumerable pieces of qu-mz laid down by the torrent, are appearances of a gold-bearing country, indications of a rich auriferous vein, or rather ramification of veins; hence the object of the prospector, having the command of means, should lie, not to " fossick" on the creeks for bare wages, but to sink methodically and perseveringlv, with the view of falling upon one of these veins, and of following it up. In the diggings in Victoria, for instance, it is not unusual for the digger, ia sinking with the view of finding the lead, to throw up " top stuff," which might yield excellent wages, but which he often prefers to give to the old women and children who earn their bread by what is termed " fossicking," than to lose his own time by washing it. The one would yield good wages; the other is v little fortune or it is nothing.

It is on this nrinciple that the party of eight profess to ace. It is true thac they have been washing in the creek : but this, it would seem, only by way of experiment In the neighbourhood of the old diggings, they hare suuk and bottomed seven holes, varying in depth from eighteen to thirty fire feet. The holes are now full of water, and the result we know not; but it is evident that the bottom of neither has been driven ; and our own inference is lhut they have been bottomed in pursuance of a greater object —that the bed of each hole has been carefully examined, more with the view of finding a guide, or the attainment of that object, than in the expectation of local richness. At the same time, \he value of the bottom stuff has, in each case, doubtless been ascertained, and the information thus procured may be used "at a more convenient season. " Prior to, or simultaneously with, the sinking of these holes, a ditch or sluice, of upwards.of one hundred yards in length, and averaging three in depth, has heen cut at considerable labour. The contenis of this cutting were, we believe, all washed; and, there is little.doubt, paid for the process. But the more immediate object was the diverting of the stream, an I the consequent facility with which the holes were kept clear of water while being gone down with. E"en with the water thus diverted, we were informed that two buckets of water hud to be hoisted up for one of earth.

In addition to the seven holes we have advened i>>, ihe m-nv>er of the piuiy who attended u=, and. kv'uu, impenetrably close in some matters, was perfectly open upon subjects which lie thou/vi it safe to dwell upon, informed us that they hud sunk about eiirht more in different j pans of the hush—.he locality kept studiously j quiet, as, in ihe event of any discovery, temporary, privacy would doubtless he an important point, <?airi :d. He was in hopes that one of these, ii'it yet h:)tt'tijio'l, i\as ovui the le;ul. If so, he w >u!d realize for his shire something handsome; if not, he was sull c Miuient of ultimate success, uiul determined co persevere in the search. The p irty we have referred to enjoy an advantage which ivould not ue so easily extended to future explorers—that of beiujr ;illosved to prospect up on v ilive land. Mr. White's lonjr resilience in liie colony (Hi yeais), and his great intimacy with the native chiefs, have <fiven him an amount of influence which few other Europeans co.ild command. The Wynvard ; di<m fiv!^s, !>rop-.-iiy socilied, are on the land of | Mr. K'.-veu, hooi-sn.ikijr; his property adjoins that of Puil, the nauie Chief; a:/'i it is on the laud of tii-i laiier that the two ounces, were washiid m the turn, as '.veil as other ifoo'1 prospects obtained. I\uil has refused permission to several others ; hut, has inliinatod his willingI ness to sell th': land, a;id his itueiuiou of shortly ; visiting his E^cjiienc\, to asceri.ain if the I <rov'.;njm-.'iiL w.ii tr;,u with him in tlie waller. J l'iie Wiiii; i^ the propcuy of K'.'ta, another i chi'ii, wiio.se inienuons towards applicants for permission m iii<r we have not ascertained, but who is known to he very tenacious of his rights

He is the same man whi, it will bo remembered, raised an armed force of 150 men to prevent Messrs. Roe, Street, and Co., ('mm taking what he conceived to be an unwarrantable liberty with conain of his goodly kauries. Were an important discovery now to be made, native interests would prove a bad obstacle to a rush. At another time we may return to a subject which is of deepest interest to the citizens of Auckland, and respecting which we have at present been able to do little iiiijto than hastily string together of i'ew items of information.— Southern Cross.