THE QUEENSLAND DIGGINGS.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 238, 13 October 1870, Page 2

THE QUEENSLAND DIGGINGS.

~-;Y i.' ' y ; ,;,- f- , THE AT C.LLfOPE We have reoljiVed copies of the Gladstohe Observer to th%^Bth September^ from,.which we cull the following letter"oji the goldfields, from-'their correspondent: — y » '■_

"' \dhce moyp the inhabitants of tha Calliope bate keen;toused" from their seinj-spmnol-rit state by -theSwelcome cry, Rush, Oh ! 'Claims were begged'off in all directions, and the excitement for a time was intense. Many could not, realise the fact, that so much gold should lie so close to the surface, in such a public place, and-not-b«.sooner- discovt-ved.. Rut.- so it was; and the discoverers of the present jpatoh Tiave'i cause to bless- their lucky; stars tlint they went fossicking at the rear of the jDig^.evs'-A^ims^.Pugto.wn, .on.JVfonday, last. Specks of gold had been frequently picked up after rain, upon tho old roadway across the point; but. no heed was taken of su ha common occurrence on the Calliope. People thought they had dropped from the drays when carting washdirt ; some thought they came from a leader ; but no one actually tried the place. A few dishes had been taken here and there at, odd times, but nothing got. | Luck is all. 'Tis a desperate doctrine'rbttfc highly applicable on the diggings. No on-'1 wondered when they heard that " Val." had struck it, for he has been one o Fortune's favorites upon the Calliope ; and if anything good was on the board, he always kept away from the worst end of it. I cannot say much at present about it,- as' Very Tittle ■ work has been done ; they have washed about a load of stuff from the leader, pricipally with the dish, and have j;ot, as near as I can judge, from 30 to 4 ) oza. The gold is r ugh, and very light for is bulk. I onqe lie 'i'd an Irishman say at Jembaicumbene, when asked by an acquaintance how he was getting on, "Faith, Mickey, its get in' an middlin' I am." " Any goold ?" " Lashins ov it, but it's mo tial poor stuff—two ounces of the creek goold would weigh a pound ov it!" Such is the case here. There is plenty of gold, but it's niortiil light; tife quantity however, makes up for tho quality, If it continues as it is at preset, th- prospectors have no cause to complain. £lsohas been offered and refused for :v-half,share in tho prospector's claimj INp ptherjcjaiujh liavo got it yet; the surface is cut up in all directions around them. A si,aft is being sunk upon their southern boundary, about 20 feet from the gold, but nothing has been disco ered yet. There is nothing to report in alluvial: prospectors are out in various directions, but nothing is being got. A large party of Chinamen are working the creek at Bpyne Retf?, .and getting payable gold ; the week-was 'partially worked before. The B yne Reefers are raising some goodlooking stone, but (he weathe-r has been ver unfavourable to them. Their present working shafts are in close proximity to their old workings, principally open' cuttings: so a littld rain causes them much annoyance.

Alining matters are. beginning to excite a legitimate interest in the minds of those who are looking for small investments. Shares can scarcely be quoted, but, the Boyne Re-f appears to be sustaining the promise which induced the Tri aitOrs to sink iii-W shaft: without prejudice to the old ones. When tailings yield 24 ozs 12 dwts to the fori, there must be more than quartz in the reef. The market value of g"ld from the new liggings may be safely put down at about, £3 10s, as the degree of fineness returne 1 by the Sy Iney Mint on various parcels, shows a considerable difference, and,the next yield after deducting expenses has not reached ariyfi ure to warrant a higher price at present. The Mint, assay, and the efforts being made to add copper to our li=.t ef exports, most rema n for future comment. — Gladstone, Observer. . I