MINING NEWS. Grahamstown, Thursday.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4329, 30 June 1871, Page 3

MINING NEWS. Grahamstown, Thursday.

Thursday. A JSTsw Lease in an Unexpected Quarter. —The two native reserves in Shortland (or rather ou the bonier of the Shorfcland and Parawai), in which mining has been strictly interdicted since the establishment of the goldfields, are at last thrown open to the enterprise of speculators. The owners— Messrs. the two Taiparis, ftapahana, and Muremau —having arrived at the sage conclusion thafc the ground might be induced to product) something besides kumaras and peaches, intimated their desire to form a mining company to work it. The residence of the chief Taipari, and the beautful place formerly occupied by Mr. James Mackay, stand within the limits of the reserves, and it is now given forth that, when the foundation of Mr. Mackays house was boiug excavated, either the cap of a lode or at least loose quartz with visible gold in it was found. The native proprietors, in their desire to utilise tbe land for mining purposes, have found able seconders iv several gentlemen oh influence, Messrs. D. J. O'Keeffe, T. Russell, G. B. Owen, and W. Eowe being of the number. A private company is to be formed to work the ground, and, at a meeting recently held, money to defray preliminary expenses was promptly subscribed. The reserves contain about twenty-six acres. Besides this area sixteen acres of goidfields land adjoining it have been taken up on lease by the company. A large lode runs through the piece, and steps are to be at once taken to open and test it.

Durham Ux. — A company so named has been formed to work a section of the old Southern Cross mine, Moanataiari. The shares are 7,500 in number, at 30s. each, 2(h. paid-up. Mix Philp is the legal manager.

Tramway Machine. —The tributers of the Unicorn Company finished the trial crushing this morning; to a poor return. Hamilton and paity also finished, but will not re ten t until to-morrow. Both batteries are at pxesent crushing for the Moanataiari Union Company ; to-morrow one of them will start on a first crushing for the City of London Company's mine.

J'ujnce Alfred Machine. — Consequent upon stone from the Alburnia mine not coming in quickly enough to keep the batteries going, crushing it has been suspended, to make room for Dixon's No. 1, of which about 50 tons are ready. Meantime tho Alburnia stuff will accumulate, and when Dixon's is finished another start will be made upon it Messenger's Hill. — This company took up woik in the middle level of the West Coast mine, in which two or three fine lodes staking into Messenger's ground had been intoi seated. The tunnel wa3 350 ft. long, and to provide sufficient ventilation the Messenger's company decided to continue it until tho Waiotahi side of the hill was reached. Ifc is expected to break through to-day, after having i cached a length of nearly 500 ft. Prospecting the company's ground from the tunnel will then bo proceeded with. — [Corle&pondcnt. ]

The Red Queen.— A meeting ot the sl.aieholders was held yesterday, at the company's offioe, at which it was resolved that the following works should be carried out : — To drive 30 feet along the reef towards the Cure boundary, and to drive 100 feet towards the Central Italy Company's ground ; also to diivo4o feet along tho leader towards the Cure boundary, and to rise on it 14 feet It was also agreed to diive into the Caledonian boundary to catch the reef, to erect a" whim, mid construct a dam of bricks. The^e works aie of an. important character, and speak well for the determination of the shareholders to prospect their ground and develop its resources.

The Tara.ru Rush.— We loam that it was a lind which took place in the Cyclops Claim that caused the rush to Upper Tararu, which we noticed a few days since. The Cyclops adjoins the Vulcan, and the reef fiom which the prospects were obtained is the same that has turned out so well in the latter claim. Good prospects had been obtained more than two months ago, but the shareholders kept dark, awaiting the result of an application for a lease which they had made. The New Year's Gift, another adjoining claim, has also met with very encouraging prospects, and there is every reason to believe that Upper I'araru will become a very important part of the goldfield.

The West Coast. — Tho lode recently fouiicl in the upper portion of this claim, from which good prospects were taken, has been cut through in the shaft after having been carried down for a considerable distance. It has now been left in the side of the shaft, which is being sunk perpendicularly, but several stringers from the lode which have since been met with, show the presence of gold. The shaft is now down 65 feet, and it is going through, good working country. It will have to be sunk 10 or 15 feet more to connect with a cross-cut from the middle level, and as soon as this is reached the lade will be openod out on. If the part of the lode which has been cut through is not a patch, and at present it has no appearance of such, it will prove a very valuable one. At present no work is going on in the low-level tunnel, but as soon as the shaft is down to the mid-level another contract will be let to continue the drive. — Advertiser. Coromandel, June 28. The Tokatea crushing still goes on slowly at the Whakaroa and Nil Desperandum. The stuff continues to show up well. I hear that the Nil Desperandura will clean up this afternoon, and tho Whakaroa at the end of the week, when the final result of this crushing will be known. A large paddock of stuff still remains to bo crushed as soon as the tramway can fetch ib down. — The Harbour View continues to show up very good gold, and the prospects of the mine are looking better every day. It will, however, be at least three weeks before the Whakaroa battery can crush the stuff. — The Christmas Box, Excelsior, French Republic, aud other claims mentioned in my last letter, are all getting out .good stuff more or less, and preparing for crushing. — The New Zealand Company have just finished a crushing of six tons for Woollams and Co.'s new lease on the Tokatea, with the very satisfactory return of lOoz. gold. This battery is also engaged on a small lot of about 10 tons from the Flying Cloud.— Yesterday a lease was . applied for by Mr. F. H. Lloyd on behalf of the shareholders in the Peep o' Day aud Day Dawn, who are about to amalgamate and form a company. Another application for lease, &c, was" made on behalf of the shareholders in the Bismarck ajad adjoining claims. Altogether some 20 leases have been applied for within the last few weeks, manifesting, beyond all doubt, increasing confidence in the prospects of the goldfield. — [Correspondent.]

A call of 6d. per share has been made upon the shareholders in Messenger's Goldmining Company, payable on the Bfch July. A call (the first) of 6d. per share has been made in the Golden Lion Goldmining Company, payable by the shareholders on or before the 18th July-.

An intelligent producer of cabbages near Sydney states that he considers salt necessary to the best development of the cabbage, especially itf places far fr»m the coast. He finds them more crisp, of better flarajur, and to keep better when it is used. A £&W days* after setting out the plants, and when they * are damp, either after a rain or when the dew is on, he takes a small dish of fine salt, and sprinkles a little pinch of salt on the Qgnfre leaves. As they begin to grow, he wheats the salting ; and when the centre leaves begin to form the head, applies salt again, scattering it 07er, the leaves j4j 4 after this, he looks them over occasionally^aadif he finds any plants that do not head well, orappeS^ diseased, sprinkles salt over fre'ely.w TnW will save all such plants. A quart of salt is sufficient for -five hundred plants in a^se^o^ though more can be uSed with safetyi^A little too much on^eabbages will operAtHike kerosine^on chickens to destroy vermin and kill everything it touches. .' , „ 'Jfo convert an artless maiden into & hear fc--Usss <me 4 there is only wauling & "hq." I