The Press. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1863. O BEL ETA DEL ORO!

Press, Volume III, Issue 335, 26 November 1863, Page 2

The Press. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 1863. O BEL ETA DEL ORO!

Ofb readers will remember that on the day of the Agricultural Show the morning was cloudy, but that there ni no immediate symptom of rain. The mountains to the northward were obscured in a cold haze of cloud; to the south they were at first clear, but presently a wraith of mist swept across the landscape from the sea towards Mount Hult, and the south-western mountains were soon completely enveloped in th c storm. Still overhead the ram held off: there was no certainty that it might not at- any moment commence; every one was expectant and anxious; but for a considerable time the threats were greater than the performance : and we remember that one kind and portly old gentleman, whose experience in the atmospheric changes of New Zealand was not to be slighted, gave it definitely

as his opinion tliat the rain would keep to the hille, and that with us the weather would be fair. He was mistaken; a few drops fell like the opening of Handel's "hailstone chorus," and then all was again quiet: hope* were hoped against hope, but it was of no avail; and in another hour, as our readers will well remember, the rain came pouring down, and every one was put to flight.

The clouds to the north are the Nelson gold* fields, those to the south are the goldfielda of Otago; the portly gentleman is the Provincial Geologist; the expectant visitors are the inhabitants of Canterbury; and the shower is the shower of gold. We are still in the expectant state : a drop or two has fallen, but as yet no one can say whether the storm will come on or hold off. It may not be amiss therefore to cast our eyes round the auriferous horizon and to observe the phenomena that we are actually at present sure of. Of this much we ore certain, namely, that the goldfields seem drawing gradually nearer us, and that in small quantities gold is alleged to have been actually found in this province. The range of mountains, the northern end o< which comes down upon the Waitangi. has proved to be auriferous, and digging; have broken out to the northward and westward of O&maru; the question is, will the lead of gold be found to cross the Waitangi and run up into this province P If so, where will i> stop ? It would appear as though it might rur right up through the front ranges and join with those of Nelson. It may be that, as we said above , the shower may pass over our heads, and remain confined to the north and south of us, but th«

recent discoveries near Oamaru are very suapisious: and when we couple this with a fact which w< have on the most reliable intelligence, namely that a large portion of the southern part of thi> province was hurriedly prospected last summei and that gold in very minute quantities was founr almost everywhere, and when we also look to th* announcement in the Lytttlton Time* of Tuesday of gold having been found at Oxford, we confes that we begin to feel as though appearances wer rather in favour of our dropping in for our sharv of the golden rain. We have never clamoured for gold fields; ii fact we have always professed a somewhat coy anr coquettish dislike for them: the fact is that wr have reaped a great many of the advantages o the Otago gold fields and have suffered very littl< of the inconveniences attendant upon them : w< have never either cried out for them as Southland is doing, or thrown cold water upon those of Otago we must take things as they come: if nature when she was sowing gold broadcast over Ne» Zealand, chose to hold her "hand as she move< over the half formed regie ns of Canterbury, w< shall be none of us verr sorry ; if on the othei hand she has dealt out "the same measure to us s> to the provinces north and south of us, we shal have to incur the soviewhat just reproach of bar ing been very slow in not finding it sooner, and to set to work at tmee to find as much as we can now. We do not wish to mislead our readers into th< supposition that there is an immediate probability that gold will "be found to exist in the front rangeof Canterbury. The Provincial Geologist hat prospected in every direction, and has never founr even the color. On the other hand we know tha< there are men who say that they have founr minute particles of gold all the way down fron the Ashburton to the Waitnngi, in almost evert place in which they chose to prospect for it Specimens of this fine gold we have ourselves seen* and we have also seen the men who professed tc "have found it. Their account was that they ha* , nowhere found paying gold, but that minut< particles existed all over the back country everywhere. They were both experienced diggers fron Australia, and appeared to be quiet respectable wen. For ourselves we feel half inclined to echo tlu sentiment of old Horace, " Aurum irrepertuin e< i sic melius situni quum terra celat," but if thr precious metal is there, it is sure to come out some day, and if the signs of the times seem rather to indicate the approach of an age of gold, we shal' derive no advantage from attempting to shut our eyes to them.