WESTLAND

Wβ take the 'following items from t he« West Coast Times," of the Bth instant:

Okaeita.—"Wβ are glad to hear that Okarita is " redivivus," a great many of her truant population having been induced by the failure of the lox river rush to return to their old haunts. It is stated that over fifty passages have been engaged in.the p.s Bruce which should have sailed last night; but as she is likely to be detained another day, we dare say there will be a considerable advance upon that number. Our latest advices from Okarita tell of plenty of unoccupied eround, from which fair wages might be extracted providing miners would settle down and work it steadily, and this we should imagine they will now be prepared to do with the bitter disappointment - caused by the Fox riverswindle, fresh in their recollection. Leaving the back country out of the question, there is much untried ground m the district that should pay for working. Not one of the beaches can with truth be termed exhausted, as is proved by the fact that the few diggers who stayed at home, instead of following the rush northwards, have done exceedingly well, and many hold claims that will afford months of steady remunerative employment. A thriving little community is established on Gillespie's beach, consisting of come fifty diggers, who are supplied by three stores, a butcher, and a baker. At the Waiho, the population is very Bparee, but on the old Five-mile beach between 200 and 300 miners are working, the minimum rate of wages being £5 per week, whilst some few are making six times that amount. Six hotels and eight stores still grace the beach. Peospecting in the Back Countby. —Every report that reaches us from the back country strengthens the belief that extensive and payable goldfields exiat between the coast range, on which the principal diggings of the district are situated, and the snowy mountains that form its eastern boundary. Many parties of miners are buried in the bush prospecting in that direction, and although their labors have not resulted in any discovery of sufficient importance to cause a rush, their apparent non-success is less owing to the absence of gold than to the impenetrable character of the country, which renders the transportation of provisions, at anything like a reasonable coet, an utter impossibility. Wβ aie credibly informed by an Hungarian gentleman of con-' siderable mining experience who has been prospecting up the Kanieri and Hokifcika riyers, that he came across patches of country out of which a hard-working man might readily make an ounce of gold per week, the sinking being shallow with a fair thickness of washdirt. Deeper ground was, however, met with, as our informant's mates are even now sinking a shaft that hae already reached a depth of fikty-four feet, through perfectly dry etratas of sand and light gravel. The work, however, has been much hindered by foul air; to obviate this difficulty a fanner and the necessary gear attached thereto was dispatched by boat up the river last week. The men are very B&nguine that gold will be hit upon, 'and we sincerely hope they will not be disappointed, as their success would lead to such results that at present are hardly appreciable. Our Hungarian acquaintance related a little anecdote in relation to his sojourn in the back country, which ie strongly suggestive of heavy gold deposits in and about the snowy range. During their wanderings his party came across a little creek running unon a bed of soft slate, the crevices of which were filled with sand. This they dug out, prospected, and found it would yield gold to the amount of three grains to every panful, which induced them to more thoroughly test the ground by the aid of a small ground eluice, and an ounce or two of fine gold were obtained by this process, when their labors were checked by a flood, which brought down a quantity of silt and filled the crevices again. As its appearance was precisely similar to that they had been washing, curiosity prompted them to prospect it, and to their astonishment it was found to pay equally as well. This process was repeated three times with like results. We expect further information from this party in a few days. Mis-pa Company.—We are glad to notice the further extension of mining enterprise in this district, a new company having formed under toe name of tho Great Extended Gold Mimng Company, for the purpose of working a lease of ground on Tucker nat two acres in extent. This ground was the scene of tho boring operations which but the other day were brought *° a m< >3t satisfactory termination, gold in good payable quantities saving been sent up by the borer from a depth of sixty-four feet. Thie is undoubtedly a continuation of the tto-ho lead, but as the ground is too wet to be worked by a small party, it Jaa been decided by the owners to throw it into the hands of a company, ♦? i P^P of working it in a thoroughly eytematic manner. «W . I FI 7 E^ IILE ~- Last Saturday's ic Weßtland Observer" states that tw o applications for extended claims S m Ti ea « t]l . c . Wardeil ' soffice last week. Ihe first is an application by Z T* for . of an S?«? c Bituate at the Rve - gto beach, m front of the police camp, lhe other i 8 from nine men, asking for tlT**' about ywfr irom the north corner of the back of f e P° l,c e camp, at the Five-mile. It EJK ea J ia& ct<»y to notice these ex--2«V * m \ beiDg taten U P' " miners, by amalgamating and forming

themselvesi into large parties, are enabled to eiriphyy horse-power, and even machinery, to keep the water down. This is the only means by which the deep ground will ever be thoroughly tested, and the query set at rest whether or not there are as rich deposits of gold in the deep levels as have been found nearer the surface. Mr Warden Price has often intimated his willingness to grant extended claims, and we are certain that no reasonable application will be refused."