THE COROMANDEL GOLD FIELDS.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 5, Issue 273, 15 April 1862, Page 3

THE COROMANDEL GOLD FIELDS.

(From the New Zeakmder, April 2.)Since the first discovery of gold in 1854, Coromandel haß ever been a source of hopeful anxiety to the colonists of Auckland. The believers in its inherent auriferous wealth were nothing dannted by the abandonment of its glens and gullies after a few weeks of unpractised and, comparatively, unsuccessful exploration. G-old to some amount, — sufficient to pay ordinary wages — even then was obtained, and the unprospected country whence that was gathered was very naturally concluded to contain more. To adverse circumstances, therefore, far more than to the character of the country itself, the cessation of digging was attributed, and that with the conviction of many that the day was yet to come when Coromandel would, take a place among the Southern gold fields. If it be asked why Coromandel did not succeed on the instant, the reply is that the season was wet and unfavourable ; that practised, intelligent, miners were few ; that a crushing license fee of thirty shillings per month was imposed before thirty shillings worth of gold had been raised ; that the natives were much more averse to mining at that date than now j and that discouragement, rather than encouragement, a desire to create patronage rather than to speed the mattock and Bhovel then prevailed ; and, in fine, that Coromandel was looked upon more in the light of a gilded delusion than of a golden prize to be won by the skill of the diligent and persevering. Times have changed. What has been done at Otago is instructing us to ascertain what can be accomplished at Coromandel. Now, if ever, the auriferou3 problem is about to be solved. Gold is again being obtained, not in alluvial deposits, but by working the creeks and glens, whence auriferous quartz of a very rich description is being extracted, and in quantities sufficient to encourage the finders to persevere in the pursuit. There are several exceedingly industrious and intelligent parties now at work at Coromandel — men familiar with the difficulties of gold digging, and not to be over elated with success, or discouraged because they do not on the instant make their piles. These men argue that where auriferous quartz is ao widely disseminated, there must be some parent source from whence it has been torn away. To discover that source, — to trace out a gold-bearing quartz reef is/the grand object of present pursuit ; in that occupation men of practical experience and untiring energy are actively engaged, most of them with the sanguine hope that their labours will be crowned with success. Having lately visited the Coromandel coast, it may not be out of place to commit a few jottings to print. The working parties are widely distributed — some are carrying on their operations at their own oost ; others — and these constitute the majority — draw rations and other supplies by means of the £COO bonus (a sum which, we regret to learn, is nearly exhausted) voted by the Provincial Government. Mr. Simmons occupies the position._of general inspector of such parties, and is the medium of communication between them and the Provincial Government; whilst Mr. Turton, Resident Magistrate, represents the General Government, and arranges all matters that may arise between the miners and the Natives, among whom the utmost harmony and good understanding has all along prevailed; The miners are naturally and prudentially guarded in communicating the amount of their success, and for two very sufficient reasons — firstly, because they have no desire to whet Native cupidity, and thereby beget Native obstruction; and, secondly, because they are anxious to avoid causing any premature rush to a spot as yet unprospected, and which may, possibly, not become a payable gold field, in the full interpretation of the word. They readily admit that their success, so far, has been fair, and sufficiently encouraging to induce them to proceed : so, at least, say the industrious ; but with diggers, as with other classes, there are loungers and loafers; and for such, the forests and water-courses of Caromandel have but few attractions. " They come like shadows, — bo depart." There is a party of four — Messrs. Geo. Turner, William Evans, Tbomas Roe, and Jas. Goosetry — at work on a tributary of the Pukawhau. This party has been nine weeks at Coromandel, and about five weeks at work. Their success has been such as to induce them to remain. They were most obliging in their intelligent, graphic, communications, and favored us with an exhibition of some rich specimens of auriferous quartz. In the immediate vicinity of the residence of Mr. Praece, there is another party, under the leadership of Mr. Watson, an experienced Victorian miner ; they are sinking one or two shafts at the foot of the mountain spurs, in the hope of striking a quartz reef; the greatest depth to which they had gone was about thirty- five feet ; no hole has been bottomed, but from the nature of the strata which had been cut through, Mr. Watson augured favourably of the result. A fatal accident had nearly occurred at one of these holes. Whilst the man who had been working was in the act of being drawn up, the earth suddenly caved in, and he was only rescued from death by being forcibly pulled through the falling soil, without sustaining any serious injury. At the Kapanga diggings, beyond Messrs Hinge' saw mills, there are several parties diligently occupied — one of these, Murphy's party, No. I, consists of Messrs. Laurence Murphy, James Jones, Robert Wynn, John Fleming, William Aloock, and Thomas Nash. The amount of labour already performed by this party stamps the energetic and enterprising character of the men. On the face of the hill, and in the immediate vicinity of the spot where Mr. Coolahan and his party made £205 worth of gold eight years since, they have sunk two shafts, and have driven into the hill side between sixty and seventy yards to communicate with those shafts and to draw off the water- in

accomplishing this, they have struck upon a leader eight inches wide, bearing North and South, and dipping to tbe West. The whole party are in excellent spirits, and sanguine of that ultimate success to which we trust their patient and unflagging zeal will ere long conduct them. At the foot of the kauri stump, where Mr. Coolaban was previously successful, a party, under the leading of Messrs. Von Temsky and Robinson, who arrived from Melbourne by the Benjamin Heape, are successfully operating. These gentlemen have been but a fortnight at work ; nevertheless they have already obtained a considerable amount of richly auriferous Band, and are daily adding to the stock 3 from seventeen pounds weight of auriferous sand, Mr. Coolahan extracted an ingot for which he received £65. There are'other parties, all obtaining gold. The whole peninsula is more or lees auriferous, and its extent is very considerable. In the creeks and gullies around Cabbage Bay, twelve miles from Coromandel Harbour, the same description of auriferous quartz is being procured. This information we have from Capt. Throop, formerly of the barque Dolores, at present a resident of that quarter. In September last, when our floating population were betaking themselves to the Otago diggings, we ventured to predict that in the course of March and April we should witness a much larger volume in the return than in the outgoing wave. That prediction is now in rapid course of fulfilment. Miners from the far South have not only flocked into Auckland, but will continue to do so; and by their means the actual auriferous character of Coromundel can scarcely fail to be fully and finally demonstrated. On Friday last, the schooner Flying Cloud, an old Auckland and Melbourne trader, arrived at Coromandel direct, haviDg sailed from Otago, with sixty miners, on the 18th March. Fortunately, the Superintendent of this Province was then at Coromandel, and was therefore enabled to make arrangements whereby the new-comers are to participate temporarily in the rations, &c, supplied by the Provincial Government. They expressed themselves much gratified, ac well as surprised, at the liberality with which they were welcomed, declaring their resolution to give Coromandel a full and diligent trial. They speak in rapturous contrast of the climate, and of their desire to cast in their lot with ours. The Flying Cloud reports as follows : — Canterbury, schooner, sailed from Otago for Coromandel and Auckland, with 40 passengers, March 16th ; Briton, brigantine, with 60 passengers, March 18th ; Phoßnix, a.s., with 40 or 50 passengers, on the 22nd March. The following vessels were also advertised in the Daily Times of the 14th March : — Sophia, Martha Ellen, Victoria, Zillah, and Rainbow, steamer. It wants but slight encouragement to cause a rush* We heartily hope that none such will ensue until the true character of the country shall have been fully determined. If that be, as we hope and trust it is likely to be, favorable, population will pour in by thousands ; if it should turn out to be the reverse, it will be well to escape the animadversions of misled and discontented spirits. From all we have seen and listened to, we confess we have sanguine hopes of Coromandel. A payable gold field, even upon a moderate scale, would speedily alter the entire aspect and condition of that lovely but sluggish locality. Its many fertile plains and valleys would rapidly be divested of their unkempt underscrub — meadows would bloom where the bracken now luxuriates — a flourishing town, a prosperous port of entry would spring up, and the whole face of tbe country become social and civilised. Already the means of creation and conversion are in progress. Four excellent saw mill 3 are at work, clearing the forests, and contributing to the Auckland exports ; those established are the property of Messrs. Ring, Roe . and Shalders, Mons. David, and Mr. Callaway. Two others are in projection, one for Messrs. Heron, Andrews, and Matthews ; the other for Mr. Sibbins. Besides these, there are two more mills on the Mercury Bay side of the peninsula, the one belonging to Mr. Craig, the other to Mr. MacQ-regor. Coromandel is pierced by navigable creeks ; it is studded with numerous well sheltered bights and baya ; it abounds with spars, and all kinds of timber requisite for ship or house building ; it has all the inherent qualities of a great maritime town ; and if gold, we repeat, be but moderately found, ifr will not be long before it takes a prominent position amongst the cities of New Zealand.