COUNTRY NEWS.

Evening Star, Volume VII, Issue 2063, 15 December 1869, Page 2

COUNTRY NEWS.

A Chinese camp has been formed at the Nevis.

During the past week several parties have started on prospecting tours in the Tuapeka district. Several of these are composed of old Victorian miners, who are very sanguine cf success. Payable reefs are expected to reward their efforts. A rifle match between the Oamaru Company and the East Taieri Volunteers was fired on Saturday last. The ranges were 200, 400, and 500 yards—five rounds at each. Oamaru won by two points, the scores being —Oamaru, 301; East Taieri, 299. The weather was blowy at both ranges, which partly accounts for the smallness of the scores. The Alexandra correspondent of Dnnstan Time*, 10th December, says;—“A report having reached me that a rich quartz leader was struck at the back of Xeipor’s store, at Butcher’s Gully, and knowing that there had been some very rich surfacing worked in that direction, I determined to ascertain for myself as to the correctness of the statement, especially as my informant was a new-chum quartz-reefer. On arriving at the spot I found a number of individuals assembled and two men busily at work exposing the ‘ rich leader ’ to view, but totally to detect the precious metal. The lifeandra reef, Butcher’s Gully, is sSIV progressing as far as the necessary work is concerned. Three shafts were left by tender since my last communication, one sixty feet at 20s per foot, another fifty feet at 20s, and a third fifty feet at 18s per foot. Ilalladay ancj party have on a night and day shift. Iverson and party, on Conroy’s, are down seventy seet, but have nqt as ye| met with any body of stone, but still continue to carry gold with them. A share in Butcher’s Gully, consisting of tail-race and claim, has just changed hands at LISO cash. The Ovens Company are constructing a splendid dam, capable of holding ja large quantity of surplus water. It will cover an area of about fifteen acres, with an average depth of three feet. This company have a magnificent race of water, commanding an extent of auriferous ground that will yield splendid returns for yean to come. A correspondent of the Oamara Times, writing from Marewheuua, says :—Conflicting accounts are given of the progress of the

g ildfield. The population appears to be p eadily increasing, and I heard of s.ome remarkably good finds ; but on the other hand I saw persons leaving who said that until the water was on they could do no good. The fact is, the field will not bo at all fully prospected for months to come ; but I believe, after shearing and harvest, many men with a little money will try the field and give it a belter chance, I myself am fully convinced, from the testimony of practical miners on the spot, that it will turn out a valuable goldfield in one or two years from this. The quartz leader in the Awamoko has yielded some traces of gold, but will no doubt require a good deal of labor to develop it sufficiently to ascertain whether it is payable. . 1 . The area under crop this year at .Clyde is set down at 400 acres, oats being the principal produce. . A report was current the early part ot tno week in Cardrona, that two men lately employed on Thomson’s station, Lake Wan aka, had obtained 12lhs weight of gold for two on the Maktitupa Creek. A new fine of reef was discovered at Bendigo Gully on Monday last by Wilson and party. It is near the south side of Ihe lower workings of the Kise and Shine Company, and about one mile east of the Alta Beef. The vein of stone is from six to eight inches in width, and gold can be distinctly seen throughout. Prospects of nibble quartz, tried in a tin dish, gave very promising results.