THE WAKAMARINA GOLD-FIELDS.

ir NOTES OF A SPECIAL VISIT.

A personal visit to the "Wakamarina river from which we returned last night, enables us to lay a few facts before our readers on the subject which at present forms the principal topic of conversation. These facts are gathered on the spot from persons of whose experience, knowledge, and accuracy there can be no doubt, and relate to he state of the diggings, and to the gold produced, a great portion of which we have seen and handled.

As we rode down yesterday we met between the Wakamarina and Nelson not fewer than 137 persons, all of whom, with two exceptions, were bound to the Golden River to try their fortunes at gold-seeking. Among these were four boys, two with their respective fathers, aud two little fellows of not more than thirteen summers, one bearing blankets and provisions, and the other with pick, shovel, tin dish, and sundry other implements. " "What! are you off to the diggings ?" was the question. "Of course we are, and why not?" was the simultaneous reply of the bold little chaps; and off they set round by Dwyer's Accommodation House, and proceeded to rise the Mongatapu as manfully as their stronger seniors; leaving their interrogators astonished, and wishing the little fellows either back again to their mothers, or safe at the upper diggings, where we hope they will become the pets of men who are physically bigger, but not more plucky than the small pair seemed. But not only children, but the halt and maimed are struck with the gold fever, which at present rages with a violence that must we should fancy ere long undergo a reaction. One young man with his right leg cut off far up the thigh, and going on a couple of crutches scrambled through heavy gorgy bush from the main road up to the diggings on Sunday last, though how he got there, and how often he fell we are unable to record. Not far from Nelson yesterday afternoon, a sickly looking seafaring mau, walking languidly and painfully, supported by a stick, and occasionally by his mate, said that he too was off for the diggings ; though how he ever could ascend the Mongatapu,"or still less pass through the bush to the upper claims on the "Wakamarina is a question we cannot pretend to answer. But these incidents show how the passion for the bright yellow metal renders apparently trivial the many hardships which have to be undergone _in the search for it, and makes the uncertainty of. success disappear before the dreams of luck it cherishes.

Passing from: moralising,—for who will hear it while those golden visions glad the eye ?—let us descend to practical busincsfi, for which we confess to having a strong predilection. We first touch on roads! The road in the Marlborough province is in a most wretched condition in a great many parts. What once was corduroy is but a series of pitfalls for horses in numerous places; and after passing the Tiuline Eiver the road, on which some people have been working, but of course have gone to the diggings, Ts nearly in a state of barricade. Large heavy trees have been felled, and'in "falling" them the most inartistic and labor-losing method has been employed. They He by the dozen for several miles right across the track instead of having been laid either parallel with the road or being cut so as to fall into the bush on either side. Experienced woodmen would be ashamed of the clumsy work, but we understand that it was performed mainly by Maoris, and perhaps the Marlborough Government will learn that cheap ]abor°is not always the best in such cases, and that it would be far more to the purpose to employ intelligent workmen. Keeping out of sight altogether the bad parts caused by want of repair, those places where the trees lie across the path form a considerable obstacle to horse-travelling, and in cases of packing goods by either horse or bullock would enormously increase the labour. So systematically are those trees laid that it seems as if their position were intentionally chosen, and as some of the recent arrivals jocularly remarked, done with a purpose, in order to keep the Nelsonians out of the province as competitors in the way of supplies! Jesting apart, the road hence to the extremity of Nelson province is undoubtedly .a good one, easily travelled, keeping into account the height to which it rises and the descent on the other side. It has, during the past year been greatly improved; and though perhaps it might in places be made a little lower with advantage, the road along the entire route compares most advanta° gcously with that of Marlborough, which for many miles has been untouched for years, and both for foot and horse travellers offers numerous obstacles.

Coming to the diggings themselves, we may first briefly describe the river, partly from our own observation, and partly from the information of diggers, and also of experienced explorers, and practical miners -who have travelled over the country and visited the quarter. Tho Wakamarina river is believed to be from fifteen to twenty miles long. It may prove to bo longer, but from information we received last night from a gentleman who has explored the ranges in tho vicinity, and who knows something of the upper part of the river, it is notlikely that it will prove much more than the last named distance, if so much. It is gorgy on both sides, and generally, though it is low at present, it contains a good deal of water. Yet, it is not probable that it drains a large district, for it is a fact well known to the settlers, that it takes some days of heavy rain to make it rise, and after the rain ceases, it falls with great rapidity. At the bottom, near the junction with the Pel or us, there is a considerable patch of Hat flax land, fully a hundred acres in extent. Here it seems probable that good gold will ■be found, and on the river bars lower down than the first claim now occupied by "Wilson's party. Yet, singularly enough, none has thought of trying either of the places, preferring, to go up higher. No doubt the .heavier gold may be in the upper parts of tho river; but the oldest diggers on tho ground are fully of opinion that it exists all along its course, in the bed, on the bars, and in the banks also. But most probably with tho great increase in the number of diggers •which the current week will witness, many will be inclined to work the lower parts, -About eight or nine miles from the junction <tf tho "Wal?;awarin* a,M the P^loru^tie

former river divides into two branches, one of which goes in a westerly direction and appears to be partially open ; the other, the real direction of which is not yet ascertained, is close and gorgy. It was in this gorgy side, close by the fork, where Moore, the Pelorus settler, got the 9f ounces of gold which we mentioned last Eriday that heiiad obtained, and which he picked up in a couple of days by means of a knife, a chisel, and a tin dish, and unaided by either pick or shovel. Moore has since had further success, which is mentioned below in its proper place.

At present parties are chiefly engaged in working the shingle bai's on both sides of the river bed, and thelow state of the water affords excellent opportunities for this being done with success. The banks, as we have said, are most likely to be auriferous; and indeed this has been proved by parties who have made trials and got good prospects. But the belief, a belief borne out by facts, that the heaviest gold is to be got most plentifully in the upper part, has led to the neglect of the lower river and the banks until the upper portions are worked out. The nature of the claims is something like tais : The wash-stuff consists of about two or three inches of red gravel on the top of a partially disintegrated or rotten rock. In the crevices of this rock the gold is found, and in general is very scaly and waterworn. We state a few of the more notable finds, premising that many of the rawest hands, Avho never saw the gold-diggings before, got some gold after trials.

In the course of four days' work "Wilson's party (of four) took out 53 ounces 17 pennyweights and some grains, to the value of £210 18s. This is beautiful scaly gold, and is to be sent to the Province of Marlborough by its lucky finders. Moore, the settler above spoken of, who has a claim to himself, picked up with his three simple implements, on Saturday last, no less than either 8 or 10 ounces in five houvs, or something like £30 to £40. Among this lot he got nuggets varying from a quarter to half an ounce. James Newport, on Eriday, with his three mates, got 9 ounces 4 pennyweights 16 grains in seven hours. Another Nelson man, who does not wish his name mentioned, and his mate obtained in one day fully 10 ounces. He is however no judge of quantity, for he showed us a small sample of gold, the produce of two tin dishes of the wash dirt, which he estimated at three pennyweights. We guessed it at nine, and an old Australian digger said it was at least five. On weighing it was found to be exactly eight penuyweights, so that his estimate we believe to be rather under the mark. This miner informs us, what others had already stated, that the further up the river the better the gold is. He had the highest claim last Saturday, but Moore, who was below him, gave his claim to another and went above him, at a spot estimated to be about twelve miles up the river. His partner Edwards, on Thursday night, in one hour got 1 oz. 13 dwts. and 14 grains. Johnny Hyppolite, a half-caste policeman and road contractor, with a party of ten Marois took out on Saturday last, 24 ounces.

As yet, the diggings are in a very unsettled condition. Not much regular "working has yet been done, and the diggers arc now busy laying out claims, and considering as to the law for regulating them, which is necessary, inasmuch as many miners are appropriating more than their proper share of the ground. None of the regular extensive appliances of gold mining have yet been emploj'cd ; but within a few days greater order will prevail, and proper machinery will beat work, as several " long toms ""were constructed on Saturday and Sunday, and on our way down yesterday we met numerous parties with sheets of perforated iron for the bottoms of these instruments. A couple of men who would take with them a pit saw, and cut timber to make sluices and long toms, would be well patronised and make a good thing of it; for on Saturday we met.a digger who had to go a distance of something like twenty or twenty-four miles, (there and back) to get a long torn made, and carried it through the thick bush up to his claim, losing at least a couple of days by the business and having a hard journey with a heavy burden on his shoulder.

"We have enumerated some of the most talked-of successes ; and in general, when the men are willing and physically able to work, and have the power and pluck to undergo the hardships consequent 'on a digger's life, we believe there will be success. That there will also be great disappointment Aye have no doubt, for among the mass who have gone up to the diggings, a large proportion, webelieveat least half, are not the proper sort of people, and we may expect before a week is over to see many coming back disgusted, and by no means blessing their experiment ; in colloquial parlance, many will " return bigger fools than they went away." That the river will afford claims for the large number that have gone and are now on their way is not believed ; but the general opinion is that other parts will be'fouud to be gold-bearing, and that the numerous creeks and gorges in the district may well afford room for several hundreds more. G-old-digging at best is a gigantic lottery, the tickets of which are very high in price, in the shape of direct outlay, hard labor, great anxiety, and not over-healthy excitement or association. Some splendid prizes are to be got, and already some have been got at Wakamarina in the first successes of an early rush. The first blow is half the battle, and the tug of work will fall heavily on swaggers who have to climb and descend steop mountains, and scramble for sixteen or eighteen miles with great weights through a tangled bush. °

Regarding the route to the diggings the following particulars may be useful. After crossing the "Wakamarina the track enters the bush nearly opposite the Maori warre. For a mile or two the bush travelling is easy, because comparatively level, but it becomes more irregular further up iv consequence of numerous creeks which occur. There is also the bush, which, although having few creepers or supplejacks, is in many places dense and tangled, and has a good deal of fallen timber, together with several deep ravines and stiff hills, over which, especially in the upper part, the traveller lias to han«on by hands and feet and let himself down places rather too near the perpendicular to bo comfortable, especially with the heavy swag which at present every man must carry. But a good walkiug track could with comparative ease be made, and a packing track by the aid of a. few, simple bridges

roughly constructed would not take much time to form, and could be done at a moderate cost.

His Honor the Superintendent of Marlborough, accompanied by the Eoad Inspector of the province, arrived at Wilson's accommodation house on Sunday afternoon in order, to go up the river and see what was wanted, and be informed us that it was Ms intention to have a track cut at once, and that he would willingly pay the diggers good wages if a man from each party would volunteer for the work. This is the very thing the diggers were themselves thinking of, for we have learned that one point to be considered at their meeting held yesterday was the formation of a track, and the feeling was general that the diggers themselves should take part in forming it for the sake of easier conveyance of provisions.. This then is likely to bo accomplished without much delay, and the route will be easy, and we believe the Marlborough Government is bestirring itself to cut a road to Picton. In Marlborough the people are not less excited than are. those of Nelson, and they continue to drop in in large parties.

At present no one need go to the diggings without a supply of provisions. Wilson was on Sunday doling out flour at the rate of 25 lbs. and a few biscuits to each party; but the demand for consumption in his house was so great that he could only sell sparingly. No announcement of the arrival of the Thames at Havelock had been received when we left yesterday; but she was hourly expected, and no doubt supplies by that means would shortly arrive. Meat too will by-and-by be plentiful, for one gentleman from Wairau was on the look-out for ground for sheep, and another left Nelson yesterday to may arrangements for supplying sheep and cattle. A butcher's shop is to be opened either near Wilson's or at the Maori warre by the river side, and at the latter place a store was spoken of as being likely early to be established. But if a track is cut fit for a pack bullock to travel, there will soon be stores on the diggings.

We have given, our readers the facts as they stand-a bare recital. We should advise caution, for if very large numbers run up to this river too suddenly, we believe a good deal of disappointment will be experienced. Too much stress has formerly been laid on gold rushes, and suffering has resulted. The present diggings are but a week old. We would discourage no one, but we advise prudence and caution ; and we repeat that the fever which the discovery has caused has led many to leave work for which they were well adapted, and go to that for which another fortnight's experience will prove their utter unfitness.

The following extract is from a letter received in town last ni^ht:— O

" Wakamarina Diggings, "Saturday, 8 p.m. " Wo have got to the diggings at last after a hard two days tramp. W^ kept on the night wo started, (Thursday last, at nine p.m.) and held on till eleven o'clock, and then sat round the fire till four a.m. Had breakfast and started, and kept the road till dark, got to the Pelorus river and camped in a Maori warro, where we got plenty of nimble and unpleasant companions. Took the road next morning at daylight, and kept on again till dark. Our swags were too heavy, for the road on the other side of the Pelorus is very rough, as you will see by our taking from eleven to six o'clock to do eight miles, and we did not let the grass grow under our feet, in proof of which we passed on the road some sailors, shepherds, diggers, &c, who did not get up till an hour afterwards.

Tho diggers appear to be doing well, but have scarcely got to work yet. Ido not think there is room for many more, as the digging ground appears to be but limited. I expect we shall have a row on Monday as some of the diggers have taken too many claims."