THE COROMANDEL GOLD FIELDS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1018, 31 March 1857, Page 3

THE COROMANDEL GOLD FIELDS.

To the Editor of the Sonthetn Cross. Sir. -As llie Coiomandel Di22»ig& are a<ram beooming «i matter oi < onsich r.ible interest to the Public, I think a JW reraaik* in relation to then general character may not be out of place. The general opinion I believe is that it is questionable whether those diggings will pay ioi voiking them, but this I cannot believe to be the opinion of an) practical miner who has visited Goromandel. The return of gold from Ooromnnd.pl in the early part of 1853, accouhng to the Commissioner's estimate amounted to £1100." When wo take into consideration the small aiea. of digging that has been done for this return, I think we may with propriety say, that it is j questionable whether any other country in th.? world has produced raoie from "the same average amount of digging. Gold was first discovered in Cow. andcl in the bed of a large creek that runs in re south wrstuily course through land th.it is owned by the Chief Paul to within two miles of its discluuge into the harbour. A number of persons settled down on this creek in a favourable looking place and commenced sinking; here many beautiful specimens tvere found near the suitace of the gravel. Thus stimulated at the commencement, they pro cured tackle to enable them to remove thelaige boulders from the bed of the creek, but although their prospects became richer as thoy went down, few if any of them were fortunate enough to discover what was on the bed rock, as the Government at this stage of the prospecting prohibited their woiking any longer on Paul's ground; but there was enough done to show beyond a doubt that the ground is rich and will pay well for the working. At this time the Government thought proper to tax all who should dig, 30s. per month, and made arrangements with the Chief Pita lor the flat ground down near the mouth of the creek; but although there is a general diffusion of gold all over this flat ground, yet the creek has changed its course and shifted its bed so often, that it is doubtful whether there are very rich deposits to be found there. Rich deposits are more likely to be found where the high ground closes on either side of the creek. A great number of those persons who were digging, being unable to pay the tax, were obliged to leave, and many of the old miners also left through disgust. It is much to be regretted that the Government at that time did not use wore active measures to procure the land from the Chief Paul, which could have been easily done, instead of which, they taxed the miners, inflicting a fatal blow on the interests of the Province. But it is to be hoped that the Government will soon bestir themselves; otherwise they will have to witness the flower of the working population of this province moving towards Nelson. There were other reasons however besides the tax that went far towards preventing the diggings from being opened at that time. The summer was extremely wet, so much so that the miners could not work one half ot their time, and the thickets and underwood were and always will be obstacles m the way of prospecting The Australian diggings at that time were paying well, and many of the old miners came to the conclusion that they would not let the certainty of the Aubtialian diggings slip for the limited patch of giound that was open to them in Coromandel. • I think it has been asceitained, beyond a I'oubt, that the gold-field extends from Cape Colville to the East Cape, and from the East Coast to the Thames. This vast range of country, which is of <i piimitive formation, contains probably more auiiferons quartz than any other section of country either in California or Australia; the N-itives of Tauranga have bi ought rich specimens of it to Auckland. I have prospected Meicuiy Bay and found gold in a number of places there; in Wangaprau I have p'ckedgold from the sides of a creek with my knife ; and in Kennedy's Bay the prospects are good; but as tin- western slopes of mountains are generally the lichest, it is. piobablc the best diggings will be found near the Thames. It would be difficult to decide whether the winter or the summei would be the best time to woik those diggings : the best prospects which I have found in Coromandel were in what might be called dry diggings, for working which the winter would be the best ; but as the quartz veins shew a much better field for operations than the allu\ial diggings, it matters but little whether they are worked in summer or in winter. A knowledge of the different varieties of quartz is a matter of the greatest importance to the miner, as it frequently happens that one side of a vein will pay well while tue oilier will nol be worth ciushing. In quaitz that pay well for ciushing— say 100 dollais a ton— it is difficult to see gold with the naked eve; while other veins, in which gold is visible, will not pay for crushing. Hence, an ordinary obverver, not acqxi tinted with the quality of quartz, could not tell the paying veins by their appeal ance — unless lie should find lite matnx, which forms but a small portion of the vein. There are three different kinds of quartz that pay for crushing— the rose colour, the cream colour, and the pale blue Tho voins in Coromandel are all cither rose or cream coloured ; there can be little doubt of their paying ; and he that shall be fortunate enough to strike the matrix ot one of those veins will find a treasure. Veins are found richer where they dip and disappear fiom the surface ; also, where two veins join together, the junction is apt to be rich. Veins vary in thickness fiom 3 inches to 7 or B feet ; the sides being ncar'.y parallel ; they may be compared to a stone wall leaning many degrees to the east or west. The direction of large veins is nearly north and south, and may be traced by the out-croppings which generally appear on the hills or rising, grounds. I may here add that the proper method of testing quartz is by bringing the sediment in contact with niercirry, as is usual in amalgamating machines. A test by nitro-muriatic acid will shew accurately the amount of gold, but as it cannot be used on a large scale in connection with machineiy, it is not to be depended on. I shall soon have a small Quartz-crushing Machine completed, and in working order. If a few tons of quartz cm begot fiom Coromundel without difficulty I shall be able to shew what the yield is. Youis &c, John McLeod. Dundee Saw Mills, March 28, 1857.