WAKAMARINA GOLDFIELDS.

Press, Volume IV, Issue 489, 24 May 1864, Page 2

WAKAMARINA GOLDFIELDS.

The Marlborough Brest of the 18th contou*. following letter from its special cor ™ pondent !r tort It kaa now become necessary that we „, police protection placed on the grountt » ««* the consequences, I have reason to 6»r. bloodshed, outrage, and general d»°™ er * k -fee - twelve miles up the river a terrible »««*£ Jsf on Wednesday morning between two w gers, one of which had jumped ».<J UI * J™?* , a party of foreigners, dpades, P " wk aTbri«i seized on one side v weapons ol offen and revolvers were drawn bjthe it is certain that there would hare n J°"L|,%. had not a strong muster of the quietly gers stepped in and put a .top to socli •"££•*, Ld di/graccful fra.v. J™P ffl ß * order of the day, high up on the _ m«r, b opinion is entertained by the right. Without your (Jorernment «J fiokace . pohce force and a Blone figT , tionor they wUI make towi foi . they will enforce, be thocon^uenee^»JJJ wJjee I need eewcely »y th»t it irould btm *»•»

*•» introduced into the community. I horrors of Lynch law, and they are too i ' ■ *li*'*v\|-eesed on my mcrnory ever to forget them ; -' *2&2!>reonbehalf of the digger?, the storekeepers, ~ "-3rt** ier^ n lj a ged on the goldfield3, I do entreat that be placed on the ground. It is not so anT p reS cnt disturbances, as to prevent »■* t0 threatened vrith. That part of the rninwhich directs that all disputes in "M I ?!fclaim3 shaU be decided by a jury of twelve J ** eC and a chairman is perfectly useless. The plan " tried and has tailed. The party against jgf Oβ* Ter( ji c t is given invariably refuses to abide "m? decision, and of course there are no authorities If *»• c ground to compel them. There must *?*iLllving' ■*• Commissioner and assistants are : * *J?on the ground immediately. liv been done up to the present time to J"* , " 1 * s0 that bullocks and pack horses f or carrying provisions up the river. look to JO" to advocate their interests, 5? TMfflertlf trust you arc urging upon the GoJnttbenecessity of attending to this very ini*^tmatter I miss here what I have been always **Smed to witness upon every goldfield after "it "!fwn established a few weeks,—that is, the preat some of the wives of the diggers. I know ?!Lwnz better calculated to srrve the purposes of alter and comparative comfort on a goldfield fc"» ( w hard-working married -women. A score or '"""tare would make a small fortune by washing and but it will be utterly impossible at present £°Smaie9 to travel along bo difficult a track. Men JlTm* running to eeed. A clean ehirt is a luxury iTJeoossessed of. and a tidy clean ewe P fc tent ia * "s*llew not had the pleasure to behold. It is not !S1 expected that we arc anything else than in a state as regards our domestic requiref«Lbeing fulfilled, but as the Government becomes 2toei to » sense of what ia due to the diggers, I Lhmm v* shall fare better. Tlnd now as regards the progress being made in «tf«ttin». A very large proportion of those with £« cWu» aro dom S weU and a PP ear Q uite satisfied -2h their good fortune. I was both up and down the Wwrthie morning viewing the clams and watching the ttnSto of the washings out. I caw one man in the «ene of half-an-hour clean out nearly an ounce of -*!frfola—as fine in quality as could be desired. 2o&£ showed mc the proceeds of his week's work. Eldonged to a party of three. The quantity of «ii held was about twenty-two ounces, independ--sfrof«x O unce 3 which they had sold to lay in - "ifiw »nd purchase a cradle. Down the river, two Set below Wilson's claim, several parties are making nedlent wages. One man panned out yesterday : ' tm and a hah* ounces. He is working by himself, - indba digging apphances consist of a shovel and tin

Ihwe just been informed that on the Pelorus " ibH 1» lee ll itroclt, and several parties hare set in - to'work witb every prospect of success. J counted yesterday about forty diggers pass my 'feej cm their way back. The principal reasons given vera that the whole of the river was taken up, and Wμ unable to obtain bed claims, they had not the gflpm to remain and try the terraces and flats. Tatatky about one hundred and fifty diggers mc on their way up to the " I]prk." Last gaht two men came in from eighteen miles up the ear fcr provisions. These men, instead of making fir their present ground by the usual track, had -aioawd a very steep mountain known as the Devil's Irs Chair. They were four days crossing, having ■§£ their way "for two days, during which far wen without water. After enduring the - _MtMt hardships, they at length struck the left liadr ef the Wakimarina, where there was not a a« at work. In less than one hour's prospecting tk»jr secured a very rich claim. The two men had Sfttheir party to come on for stores. The news of flvmeccMSOon got wind, and next morning when .fcjfitaited to return, they were followed by about tPWtyr of Jhe diggers, who had been looking out for 'itSmt. Iliad a long conversation with both men, either informed mc that the locality they were Hiring on was likely to prove very rich ground. ffclfcud not object to give all the information it wae Mr power to offer. They told mc their claim "said tan them fully three months before it could Jwwilifl nut, ill Urn) linjir rl to make sufficient fittip them for thereat of their days. I am inI -- dial to place implicit reliance upon what was told - A. mart came in this morning of a rush to AniMdYuky, m the Nelson District. The most fabuare spoken of it. A few of the Nelson OO receipt of the intelligence, struck their tents -admoo after left the ground for the Eldorado. laparia-are also to baud that payable ground has ' toot struck in Bye Talley. -'Here are no gold buyers on the river, and the ' %■*■ who are desirous of disposing of a portion of ftartnuvre are compelled to walk long distances ■ eider to find purchasers. ■JP* , weather looks unsettled. Dark clouds are Mag up from the west, which threaten to buret mr the valley. Diggers are making the greatest '- nMoM to secure their wash dirt, fearing a sudden neof the river. «* Tinui of the 21st also contains a letter "■J* 1 the special correspondent of that paper, dated «% 10l After narrating the events of the journey •weaheim, the writer proceeds : — /Hwp I remained all night, and, in company with a companion, journeyed on the next day ~ of Havelock. During my short soM> ra Blenheim I had heard a great deal of some -t^" prospects which bad been obtained by a prty of men in the Kaituna Valley. .We determined ••Qeie/or ourselves as we proceeded along. From person could we obtain any information ' from a very respectable man who had seen ~*JJ**r nan, said also to be very respectable, who "au^ -, * ounceß °f g°ld *° r a day's searching on Jpkaaktra the bed of the Kaituna River. We did , the gold and you now know quite as much of ******** * do. The Kaituna certainly shows all ~r*Faanferous indications as in the case of the Waia"*2**» wnere it has been found in such large quanafternoou succeeding the day on which '9*™®enheim wo arrived at Havelock —the chief Prospective—of the Marlborough Province. "-**•*• foond numerous buildings in the course of ;:^j*^pwyding with that/extraordinary rapidity v?***»***b accustomed to r witness in the town"JJ* <* BeUen districts. The day was Suncaw no seation that every-day labf*. Your correspondent ""■?"** fed hnnsetf called upon to express an ■?T* ll ft t iQcn desecration. He certainly would n ** er nt >* have witnessed what he is here to relate. There can, I think, be little v?J**£**h* future of Havelock. I was informed * U ""J °' *^ c Dunediu merchants and traders , allotments, and intended to commence ''"fthwith. The Provincial Government , *. indined to recognise Havelock as ite 6 * c * a>ea ; but ito powers are limited, and ~;^^*5 I*'1 *' T *ry small. I think, however, that its posidepot for the diggings will cause it VJ**^ 011 »t» own merits. The owners of allot- :?_ ewwiderably abated iv their preposterous en Ouer ing tliem for sale. I remained v * * e bort time, when, man and horse duly refreshed, I rode on to Wilsons's 1 * house, where I remained all night. Kaeaed my present encampment, in diggings. And these are the latest T * oDtarae(l respecting them :—There eemi V three thousand men on the ground, all I, ?* B ** di SB in g- of tllcse full J three ** yesterday and two hundred* to-day. -I%M?rJ™* anting there are over thirty men in front Some of these are seeking information, tUe n 6i a °d the remainder chatting i*%*i»? smoking their pipes. There are "^ M DtMr l ? Bn ring who have met with little or no "Peak of the diggings in terms of bitterest -^*Sfi£* e,eat ' ETer J inch of tlie river bed and taien U P- Those who cannot work ~sf%ji ~ r tne water are closely shepherding *• » T er ia as low as it is *" wint * r - Mwi y °f the cleim * ■*•

proving wonderfully rich ; otljers are turning out satisfactorily, but the great bulk yield little more than fair wages. The rirc-r is over-rushed, and I think it? riches are over-estimated. Some who are working the banks are doing well, but the most have obtained httlo more than the color. Deep-sinking lias not yet been tried, but three parties intend to commence 'to-

morrow morning. I have been some dUuu-v up the river to-day, but men are veiy chary in affording information. The escort passed*by here yesterday for Picton. The escort passed by here yesterday for Picton. The Chief Constable* in charge refused to state how much he had in his "possession. I have no doubt J»e acted very propcrlv in withholding from mc what he knew. " The escort consists of four policemen with their chief at the head. They proceed on foot along the track, enquiring of the diggers and at the various stores for gold. There is no receiving office, and the diggers do not appear disposed to place their gold in such very inadequate custody : for two ruffians might at any time stick the escort up and carry off every ounce of gold into the bush, without any fear of being traced and captured. You may form some idea of the estimate in which the escort is held by the miners, -when I tell you that it was "joed " yesterday for a distance of a quarter of a mile along the river. Of the finds recorded —Henry Nilson and party divided two hundred ounces for their week's work. ltutland and his party disposed of 80 ozs of gold, obtaiued in the same period. Three men, in falling a tree at the edge of the river, in order to work their claim, came suddenly in a pocket, from which in a few hours they washed thirty odd ounces of gold. Matthews, an old man, with his two son 3, obtained eighteen ounces of gold near the " Fork" in four days. Many others have been more or less successful. These are

the fortunate ones, but I could not toll you how many men I have spoken with who have been hard at work for many days—ranging over from a week to a fortnight—without obtaining an ounce of gold. I know of several who have spent their all in fitting themselves out with tools and provisions for the diggings, who have gone back from whence they came, ruined men for the time being. The Otago men, so far as T canlearn.have been very unsuccessful, owing, I imagine, to having come late upon the field, when all the good ground was taken up. But they represent, I think, the pick of the diggers, and they have undergone too many hardships at the Dunstan and Shotover to be easily disconcerted. They are certainly a lively, jolly set, for so soon as nightfall sets in and they have had their supper, singing, laughter, and jollity, is hoard from every tent. Provisions cannot be taken beyond four miles up the river. As many of the men are working sixteen miles up, it takes those at the forks, and beyond it,

two days to go and come with provisions. Nothing can be worse than the track which they are compelled to pass along. Ateveryquarterofamile or so there is a steep gully, or a deep ravine to cross. A strong man, carrying a swag, cannot travel more than a mile and a-half in the hour. Many do not accomplish as much as this. The weather has been remarkably fine for a fortnight past. Should heavy rains set in, lam quite certain men would not be able to travel the track. Most of them confess to this. The consequence will be that the miners high up on the river will have to forsake their claims and go to Ilavelock, Picton, or some other place until fine weather again sets in. It will be utterly impossible for provisions to bo conreyed on the ground. The Government are doing nothing to improve the track ; nor, up to the present time, so far as I can learn, do they express any intention in this direction. .Provisions continue scarce, and are very high in price, perhaps 25 per cent, more than the quotations in my last letter. Those of the Punedinites whe recognise mc here inquire anxiously for Dunedin papers. I have not seen a copy on the ground. Many of the diggers who have determined to winter here are building themselves rough slab huts, which for winter campaigning possess so many advantages over canvas tents, but few are availing themselves of the presence of timber, than I thought would have been the case.

I have just this moment been told of a rush which has taken place about five miles from here. It is situated on a dry creek. Several claims have been marked out, and numbers are proceeding in the direction of it. Should I be unable to obtain authentic particulars, I shall proceed myself to the epot early to-morrow.

Several public houses are spoken of as likely to be erected along the river, but I do not conceive any person will be foolish enough to erect expensive buildings until the permanency of the goldficlds have been ascertained, and the Government have made a road on which drays may travel. A company is being constructed to form a wing dam, by which a portion of the river may be diverted from its bed on a spot surmised to be exceedingly rich. The work will not be one of very great dilliculty, unless the river should rise very high, as at the part proposed to form the dam, the water is very shallow. Nelson still continues to monopolise the principal portion of trade done with the stores, as well as to carry off most of the gold. Blenheim does not appear to derive the least benefit, and Picton but very little beyond the small trade done by supplying passengers with their requirements as they pass through, on their way to the goldfields. And now my letter is finished, my difficulty will be to get it forwarded to the port. It is not impossible, I may be compelled to convey it into Picton myself. There is no Post Office nearer than Havelock. which has only a bi-monthly delivery.