THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXI, Issue 2607, 25 November 1865, Page 5

THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

The 'Kennedy' arrived from Hokifciku, on Saturday evening with 1,270 ounces of gold. She reports the prevalence of wet weather, and heavy floods. The ruih of Jiggers ii spreading northwards from the Grey ; and a lot of 500 men h»d gone on to the Buller Eivev, to which place the 'Wallaby' had taken a cargo of stores, aud was full of passengers.^ ' The rush to the Buller is comequent on tho flattering report of * party of Maori prospectors. We wait further intelligence from this ruth.— Nelson Ooloniit, November 21.

(FROM THE "EXAMINE*.") The arrival of the Bteamer* Kennedy,' from Hokitika, on Saturday, with only 1,250 ounces of gold, would lead to the iuppoiition, unless some explanation were given, that there wa» * sudden and great falling off in the supply of gold obtained at these digging!. There is no reason, however, for such a belief. On the contrary, private letters as well as the public ljourn».ls speak of the general thriving character of the West Coatt goldfield, which, as we shall presently show, is r»pidly extending itself. The immediate caus« of so little gold beipg shipped was the wretohed character of the weather, which, for a succession of days, prevented the ' Kennedy from landing her cargo, and afterwards from leaving the rirer through the heavy flood which swept out of it. In a country destitute of roads, and with numerous unbridged rivers, intercourse between places a few mil«t apart -is more dependent on the weather than is generally imagined,

The heavy raius which have lately fallen on the West Coasb, added to tho snow they have brought off the rauges, have giveu deep bars to all the West. Coast livers, and, as will be seen by our oorrespondent'* letter, and by extracts from the West Ooait papers, at Hokitika a* well as at the Grey the number of vesiels in port was considerable. When the 1 Kennedy ' left, on Friday morning last, there were nearly fifty oraffc of one kind or another in Hokitika river. Our correspondent speaks of the highly important discovery, a few miles to the southward of Bruce Bay, of a really safe harbour. This may be too remote from Hokitika to be of material benefit to the diggers in its neighbourhood ; but it may become of immense value as a port from which diggers may be supplied who are working in its own neighbourhood, or still further south, and must give great additional value to the adjoining country. Captain Hepburn, of the ' William Miskin, 1 reported a few weeks ago, when landing passengers at Bruce Buy, and drivou to the southward during the night, that he saw what looked like a well-sheltered harbour at the spot where auoh harbour i? now found to exist. There is no direot news from the Grey, the 'Wallaby' not having returned, but it is hourly expectod. By way of Hokitika there are oxcellent accounts of the gold prospects of that district, aud a rumour of a considerable rush to tho Duller, for which it is said several hundred mineri have already started. Before Thursday, we shall no doubt be in receipt of fuller information. Should tlie Buller become the centre of a Jarge digging population, Westport would be accessible to a class of vessels which can never look at Hokitika or the Grey. The depth of water is greater on the bar, the entrance to tho river undergoes little change, and is sheltered from the prevailing south-west winds and swell. Captniu Whitwell has more than once entered and left the Buller in the 'Wallaby' in the middle of a dark night, sounding as he went—what no man would undertake to do at the other harbours named. But tbo opinion we have often expressed, that these diggings would extend this summer far into tho Nelson province, is further likely to be verified. A. party of men who formerly workod in the Karamea, a river about twenty miles below Rock's Point, have determined to return there to prospect, and have arranged to he lauded in the IC.iramea by the ' Kennedy,' which leaves for Hokitika to-morrow morning. We may reasonably suppose that these meu, having gathered further experience on the West Coast, by returning to prospect the Karameiv, consider it lius attractions that will recompense them for their tioublo. We shall be happy to hear of their success.