MINING NEWS. Grahamstown, Tuesday.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXVII, Issue 4456, 6 December 1871, Page 2

MINING NEWS. Grahamstown, Tuesday.

Waitemata.— A maiked improvement is taking place in the leader that is being followed down on the boundary of the Nonpareil mine from the level of the main tunnel. As* I observed in a late report, its size is increasing, From a mere ' String vein of mullock it has deve'oped into a good-looking lode full}' two feet thick, which for the last 20ft. has shown gold. This morning a patch of really rich specimens was broken down and takento the company's office, where myself and others examined them. Much diversity of opinion still exists abont the identity of this vein with that one which was worked, in the old workings of the Waitemat^, mine. Nothing howsver has yet transpired to induce me <Ho regard them as other than identical. Certainly there can be no question about the leader in the winze and the Nonpareil lode being one and the same. That no marked alteiation for the worse should have occurred in the lode where it was followed down ia the Wiitemata old workings is to be attributed to the uncertainty of its lie, arising from the sinister influence of the oft-quoted Waitemata slide. The lode evidently makes and wanea. At one level it may be payable and well developed, and at the next below pinched and unprofitable to work. This, I think, will be found to be the true solution of the problem, wliioh has been puzzling not a few of; jbhe , mining initiated. Where the gold was foundVthis morning in the winze is a little deeper. r than the lowest point reached in the Waitemata old workings. Therefoie it is quite possible that a groat deal of payable ground* has been left untouched in the lower levels' of the mine towards the Crown boundary. Savage. — The unremnnerative character of the lode which the shareholders of this claim followed and worked out of the shaft sunk in the Collar-bone Gully, above the old Lucknow shaft, has induced thent.to open another shaft under the point of Pretty Jane spur, for, the purpose of. picking up a good specimen leader, which the Lucknow shareholders worked upon with' good results. The leader was followed for some distance, and stoped a little, and yielded handsomely. Ninety pounds of specimens produced, 48oz. of melted, gold, while the general stuff crushed over loz. the ton. The leader was not a small affair by any means, its average thickness being 20in. It was worked until the mine was swamped by the big flood of last winter ; and aow that the ground has drained again it is to be re-opened, and I trust yield a rieb. harvest to tt» men who have undertaken to find it. The leader runs into the Pretty Jane spur, which, excepting some sur-face-scratching, is untried country. In the opposite direction i% strikes across the creek, and through the ground occupied^by the

Talisman Company, which for some time has been driving to find it at a level 90ft. below the creek-bed. The drive from the shaft, which I may observe is worked by horsepower, is in 200 ft., and from certain indications which were met with -yesterday it is assumed that the leader is not far off.

Tookey Company.— Tho 'contractoris are pushing on the low level with>all haste, and manage to make good headway, the hardness of the country notwithstanding. Progress is much accelerated by a soft "dig" against the foot wall of the lode. Mr. Dewer expepta to be in a position to resume sinking the shaft by the latter end of this week. Tenders for the work have been called for.

Caledonian. — The specimen-stealing case has m no slight degree impeded the new manager at the outset of his career. Bat fo,r all that he has made a gopd beginning. v The most of the tender* called for are in, and to« morrow morniag will see the principal contracts in full operation. — [Correspondent.]

The George Stephenson.— Another .small, parcel of Sib. of very rich stone was brokea out of the George Stephenson mine yesterday. There are now 801b. of this rich stuff on hand, and ten tons of general stuff. A crushing will take place next week, and from the richness of the stone" and reef the return ought to be a very heavy one. The Windsor Castle. — Crashing for the tributera waa commenced last evening at Partiugton'a batbery. There are about 30 f!bns to be put through. — Advertiser.

Coromandel,, Tuesday. The Golden Point are driring maia tunnel on the large leader with improving prospects. There aie about 40 tons of general stuff in paddock ready for crushing. The leader is a tine compact body of stone from 4ft. to jsffc, thick, and shows gold freely. When machinery is erected on the ground this claim will be one of the most valuable in the district. Shares are in brisk demand ; no local sellers. — The Nil Desperandum are timbering up the winze and making preparations for stoping out. The leader in the main drive looks very well, and rich specimens are occasionally mot with. Twenty tons o£ general stuff already in paddock will be sent to the company's battery next week. A good payable return is expected. — The Conqueiing Hero are driving on the Alpha and Omega loader at the bottom of the new sh if t with very good prospects. The leader is not so niullocky as in the upper workings, and is 2ft. thick. The show of gold is very good, with occasional rich patches of specimens. Ten tons will be sent to the Nil Desp'craudum battery at an early date. The shareholders contemplate erecting pumping, machineiy, and sinking the shaft 100 ft. ,% deeper. — The Whakaroa are tunnelling through the hill on the Flyiaj? Cloud leader, judintend sinkinga winze to connect withtho lower u orkings. Kich prospects can be washed out of the crop of the ltader on the surface. Large ictnrns are expected from this claim when stoping out commences. — Murphy's Hill Company are driving main tunnel by contract ; good progress is being made. Five tons recently crushed at the Nil Desperaudnm battery, from the leader in the upper workings, yielded lOoz., equal to 2oz. to the ton. — The Independent are stoping out the largo loader in the upper workings, and driving low-level main tunnel ; 10 toni ' general stnff from the stopes will be sent to the Nil Desperandum battery to-morrow. A return of ooz. to the ton is expected. —The Bonshaw, and other claims in the neighbourhood of the Driving Creek, are fully employed driving main tunnels, and otheiwise prospecting their grounds with vigour and energy.— The Tokatea,,contiuues to send down large quantities of rich stone to the batteries. The drives and stopes throughout the mine are being worked energetically ; large quantities of rich Btnff being brought to grass daily. The lowlevel drive is being punned forward, rapidly. The manager expects to cut the leader early in the new year. Recent rich finds at low level in the Bismarck and French Republic add tenfold to the value of this company's claim. A mseting of directors will be held on Friday next, at which a dividend will be declared.— Bismarck ' and French Republic are driving and sinking "on the leader, with splendid^prospects, rich gold being taken out daily. There are STOO ± tons of rich general .-tuff in paddock ; prejra-' rations are being made for an eafly crushing. The great drawback to the claims in this conntiy is, that the stuff intended for crushing baa to be lifted up to th^e level of the tramway. Machinery on the eastern slope of the range is much needed. — The Siege of Paiis are also on good gold. The main diive is beine; pushed forward on the leader. —The rush to Maiiaia is considered a partial failure : nearly all the parties who went out on Friday have returned dissatisfied: The prospectors, however, intend working their gtound, and say they will show something very rich before long. — Moore and party, at Sykes's Creek, are still getting out good staff, and are driving along the course of the leader. — Messrs. Morris and Co. have commenced a main dnvo to cut the leader at a low level. — Messrs. Yelland and Co. report food prospect 3 from their claim at , the head of the Driving Creek. ' Other prospecting parties report good prospects fiom their claims -in the ranges. — . 51 r. Home, who was passeDger by the ' Lalla Rookh' to Grahnmsfcown last evening, was the beaierof 2, 7920zl o/ gold, th,« proceeds of recent crushings for the Tokatea Company. [ Mr, Home, on his last trip to Grahamstowo, I wag the bearer of 1,2QG0z., proceeds of the.

amalgam taken off tho plates then retorted. Total return for the present, 3,9920z. This is the large?t return yet obtained from the Tokatea. — [Correspondent. ]

The half-yearly meeting of the Caledonian Mutual Mining Investment Company is to bo held on the '20fch instant at 3 o'clock, in the office of the Company. An extiaordinary meeting of the Star of the Thameß Goldmining Company will take place on December 23, at Gr.ahnmstown. A meeting of the Queensland Goldinining Company is convened for the same day. The half-yearly general meeting of the shareholders jn the Cock-a-Doodle Goldmiuing Company i<* to be held at tho Company's office, Owen street, Grahamstown, on the 23rd instant, at 2 o'clock, to receive the balance-sheet, and to appoint directors in the place of those retiring. An extraordinary meeting of the Kohinoor Goldmining Company is advertised to be held at the Pacific Plot el, Covomandel, on the 27th instant, at 7 o'clock, to pass rules and to elect directors. An extraordinary meeting of tho shaieholders of the Argo Goldmining Company is advertised to bo hold at Coromandel on the 27th instant at 8 o'clock, to pass rules and to elect directors. It is intended, unless valid objection is shown, lo grant leases to the Thames View and Star of the Thames Goldmining Companies; and to Charles Snowden, Thomas Douglas, and Richard Coupland, for auriferous ground at Coromaudel. Applications havo boon made to rcgiotcr the Waverley and Whakaroa Goldrnming Companies. A Oazptle notice yesterday drew the attention of legal managers to the necessity •of gazetting in June and December of each year a statement of the affairs of the companies they are connected with. A call of 2d. per share has been made in the Ravenatock Goldraining Company, payable by the 4th January, 1872. A call of 6d. per share has been made in the Dauntless and Sink to Rise Goldmining Company, payable by the 21st instant. It is announced that the Ladybird and Hand of Friendship mine will be sold under distress warrant on December 9, by Mr. S. ■Jones.