The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1866.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume I, Issue 60, 14 May 1866, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, MAY 14, 1866.

Since the pursuit of gold mining has been domesticated in these colonies, great improvements have been made in the mode of extracting the precious metal from the soil. Almost everywhere the primitive cradle has given way to the more effective sluice, or to other labor-saviug machines. Various improved amalgamators have been brought iuto use ; and quartz crushing has been greatly facilitated by the beautiful machinery whicli has recently been invented for that purpose. A leading article in the Okarita Times of the Oth instant, would, however, lead us to infer, either that the present appliances with all their improvements, are still very imperfect in their operation, or that the majority of the miners do not avail themselves of improved implements. It is stated by our contemporary that from the tail race of one of the claims on the Five-mile Beach, a quart pot full of the sand produced 4 dwts. 18 grs. of fine gold. This result was obtained by three people very carefully blowing away the sand, and removing the iron with a magnet ; the operation occupied about two hours. But on further examination the iron which had been extracted was found to be impregnated with .fine gold distinctly visible to the naked eye. If many of the beaches have been worked in so careless a manner they offer a splendid field for the enterprise of capitalists from a distance to work them with effective appliances. Lately in Victoria, speculators have turned their attention to the heaps of quartz tailings which exist on the various gold fields of that colony, with a view to rework them ; but these tailings canuot yield any, return at all to be compared with those spoken of by the Okarita Times.