THE GOLD IN THE MOLYNEUX

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1633, 15 October 1862, Page 4

THE GOLD IN THE MOLYNEUX

Wis(Otago Daily Timcs)hivehetin peimitted the publish for geneial information, tlie following letter fioin Captain Thompson, ILirboi M.istci, to Mi P>ke, Comruissionei of Gold Fields — (Copy ) Poit Chalmeifi, 22nd Septembei, ISO 2 Vincent Pyke, Es([., Commissioner, Gold Fields. SIR, — \gieeably to your lpquest, 1 beg to fuini^h you with a lepoit lelativo to tlie auiifeious natuie of the banks of the jiver Clutha, fiom the lowei feny to seven miles beyond the mouth of the Be.uimont, that is to say as f.ir as my impeileet knowledge of the geological feattues of the couutiy extends. On my tvamination of the river, as to the practicability of estiblishing Kleain communication on the same, 1 saw nothing indicating the piesence of gold, unt'l about twelve milts above the month of the Tuapeka, wheie n. slate and quart? reef appears dotted all o\ci the stieam, c inning dangoious lapids The bed of the nvei fifteen miles upwards is of the same foimation, and on many parts of the nvei side, which is hilly to the watei's edge, the same slate and quait/. .ippeais; also in seveial small gullies I fouiul the quaiti bearing a veiy msty appearance, and containing a gieat deal of what I supposed to be mica, it covering so much of the sin face of the newly broken parts, and foumng so very thin a layei. On the upside of any bar in the bed of the rivei thoie is a depoßit of veiy fine gold, but with difficulty sepaiated fioin the steel sand with which it is mixed, which appcus to me to be the gold washed out of the broken quart/, th.it now forms numeious banks of quart/ shingle fin ther down the stieam. Wi thin throe miles of the mouth of the Beaumont I met with a party of ten men washing out on the liar of the nvei, all evidently s itched with the lesult of their laboi. The sample which I already foiwaulod you [ received fiom one of them, who mfoinipd me that ho had washed out one ounce, dm msj my s>t i}' of two and a half hours I also met a paity of fom men who had, I have reason to believe, been located there foi some time. They did not geem desirous to affbid me any infoi mation, but prefeiied manosuviinsx a little, as if about to leave after a short and unsuccessful efloit to make any discovery As we may shoitlv expict the rivei to rise, parties wolking the bais would do well to remove as much of the washdnt as possible above the summer level of the mer, to pi event their operations being biought to a stand still dining suinmei, unless the banks of the aver above high watei inaik aie ot the same aunferom ehaiacter. Theie is a Hat of about one squaie mile opposite the mouth of tlie Beaumont, and at tlie foot of the Blue Mountains, which the i>aity fiom whom I pioeuied the sample of gold intend giving a tnal as soon as shut out fro'ii tin nvei Tho quaiti leef tieiuls in that dnection, and it has no doubt, at aieceutdale, been the bed of the rivoi Ko ensy communication can be h.id with the locality lefened to l>v w.iy of the uvoi, having to piss thiongh thieo miks of i ipids, which aio d.ingeioiiH foi boating, but the locality is within fomteen miles of Gabnel's Gully Ti listing tint the foiegoui!> piiticukirs may convey to you a slight knowledge of the anrifeious natuie of the locality refened to. — 1 have &.c. (Signed) W-\r Tncnrrso\