THE REPORTED GOLDFIELD IN THE THAMES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 11, Issue 863, 3 August 1867, Page 2

THE REPORTED GOLDFIELD IN THE THAMES.

. • ■•"'.• %•• .-'* i '''^oP ! f :? '^:-y.i^^f^^U^ • [C^^^'~.^f^. : _W^]^^^^^^^^ Oif Saturday. eVe^^f^^So^j^^X arrived irpnii^he sengers Messrs. 3Wgaii, J; W^^X^sot^X 0. Davis, and Te Tijipaitf _& .sposu^^ -..containing a lew p^titticles r bf^j^^-^JtaS-t^:^ been brought up; This gold was;,obi^|^:|v. • some eighteen miles iip\the 'j^a^^'/b^xX yond Kauaeranga, fromi-^he liitiy es^o^Xp district is presently closeo\to Etdrope^l^Ojf -y .. As a good deal o£ stir has heen-:f jif ß^: : ' lately about this matter of \ goldfleldi'iio/ X the Thames, we will state shiiply the ivhblfr ■: facts connected with it, by which it^ivvilly bo seen that we do not nowkno\ anything -.-,- more than we did two years ago.V , J V-y . Several months ago, a nativk.nanied' . Paratene came lip here feom theYWest ' Coast, where he had been working. YThis man belongs to Otago, and has be^^o;.' long on the mines that , he has.^cijiiil^'" • considerable experience in tW.rsimpti^ modes of finding gold. About three months?;, ago, Paratene, who is accompanied .by V his wife, began work at Taupo, , in the \ Firth of Thames, and from? theftce \ worked up the Wharekawa ifageXio * Pukorokoro. In all that groimdyhe did not find even the colour of gold. He then crossed over to Kauaeranga; and was attracted by the appearance" of Me country a"bout that neighbourhood. Hewas joined in the work by a native named Hamiora. The land about here belongs to a chief who rejoices in a multitude of names, and, as confusion has arisen in^this matter in- consequence, we may onco jfor all' give a complete Mst-r-^Wiropi.Hotereni • Taipari Hauauni Tikapa. This native was engaged sitting as assessor, in the Land Court at Coromandel, when his wife, who came down tp see him, brought word - that Paratene and his " chum". Hamiora had found gold. After the conclusion of the business before the Land Court at ; Coromandel, Mr. Eogani accompanieid by : : Mr. Davis, went up to hold one at eranga — not in any way to investigate into the truth of the report about the gol<|. : Mr. Lawlor, Resident Magistrate of the district, however, went np with them in the vessel to see how affairs really stood.. On reaching Kauaeranga, they" found. Paratene, his better half, and ; Hajnidrpi: " busily engaged at the . Karaka .crepkr : These pioneers had gone to work in v. a.' scientific manner. '_ They had built ]w|alh* : - : on each side of a small- air creek hext:.^:'- . tlie Karaka creek, and, by a dam, ledjffstream of water through it. Here*;|he three were operating with a .''Jong*^torn" and a tin dish, and they; V intend- by-and-by to turn the .'watej*/ out of the mam creek, expecting "'i&X--. find there a good return for their labour. They said they thought that gold-working, there could be made to pay, but that they were too few really to test the place/ Ll the mean time the Maoris of the place were sitting quietly by, and smoking their pipes. As we said before, the fact that,' gold exists in this very creek is no disco- , . very. In Mr. Walter Williamson's jourl- * * nal of July 8, 1865, (already published* in "•' this paper), it was stated—" In the bed of tho Karaka creek found a prospect that was payable; put about three-quarters of a load through the sluice-box, which showed up better than any sample yet found, and will assuredly pay. The gold is of a description different from that usually seen here; it appears to weigh well, and is evidently the tail end of a; heavier deposit. A few specks mixed with quartz were got, indicating the presonce of', a gold-bearing quartz reel in the vicinity." The very important question of how much ' a man could produce in one day has not yet been properly tested, as there-were no proper implements upon the spot. A part of tlie dirt was washed out in the presenceof the Europeans, and we believe a sample - has been brought to Auckland. - It will be remembered that several-men ' : : v went down in a coaster some days ago to Kauaeranga to work at the gold. The natives will not allow these men to work until some some understanding is come to. with the Government as to the terms on - which digging is to be permitted. . For '•'• that, Taipari has come up. He and his father, old Hotereni, are willing, and even anxious, that the land should be worked j butTaipari says that all confusion in future must be avoided as far as possible, by the - ' working being conducted under proper regulations. So far as Kauaeranga and its immediate . neighbourhood are concerned, we may make certain that, if there is a goldfield, leave will be given by the natives to work ' it. But it is known that the "prospect", improves as the Thames is ascended till it culminates at the Aroha mountain, where we have no chance of getting for some considerable time. Even Paretene would not get leave to carry his tin dish within a long" distance of that. Even although Taraia might consent to have his land worked, . there are other claimants so- minded that prospecting would be a very dangerous occupation. Perhaps we might suggest that, so far as te Taipari's land is concerned, the Grovernment might test the payability .by" sending down a few Europeans, and then agree for a payment to be made for each miner's license issued. Do not let us repeat the Coromandel blunder, by agreeing to pay an annual rent for a piece before'we : - know what it is worth. We are glad to be able to announce that active measures are to be at once taken to open up the Thames for gold-digging, at least so far as Kauaeranga and its neighbourhood is concerned. It is unnecessary to say a word to any of our readers upon the benefit which even a middling goldfield at the Firth of Thames would be to Auckland at present. That there is a payable goldfield seems, from all the information that can be got, highly probable. We cannot here have what is called " a storekeepers' rush ;" the parties most immediately concerned havo taken care for\ years to conceal the gold ; and some of the precious metal which the natives got by mere accident, thoy disposed of surreptitiously. We can now get access to . the Kauaeranga land, but it would be worse than useless for any Europeans to-go down yet, or till arrangements are completed with tho natives. After that, let the place be fairly and fully tested, without any filing like a "rush." We have no chance of getting much further up the Thames, where the best ground is at present. Between Kauaeranga and Ohinemiiri there are about thirty miles of country; most of which might be opened up next summer if the negotiations are judiciously managed. There is no confiscated land at the Thames, but at Ohincniuri a line is drawn which divides the dominions of King Tawhiao from those of Queen Victoria, and we . might get up to something near this line. Tho Aroha Mountain is within this boundary, so that there is but little hope of testing the most promising country for some time to come. We fear that the presence of a number of Europeans in the Thames valley will excite the Kingites to a considerable degree ; but we believe that no attempt need be feared on their part to interrupt their operations if they are confined to the Kauaeranga district. W. H. Taipari, the owner of the land on which the gold has been found, and the " principal chief of the district, had an interview on Monday with Dr. Pollen, Deputy Superintendent. Mr. Mackay, Civil Commissioner, and Mr. C. 0. Davis were •

washed out at the^rsitfcV. i|l#^i^(E.k:iMti^ ,pe^c> oT Mr. Mr. was-prpduced.; Tlie : oi^Mt^'«^ water-worn appearf^|^^■t^iar|est .piece being about ; the ';£'^s.(ses^ been tested, and ly^Gi^^ duality. Taking I'jl^lfqia^ti^ofdirt out o? which the gold ;|:^sho^-oh .Monday was washed, to be aiiyX^ : thhig ylike-^n average, the ground would K. bedebidedly payable. 2 . : v,, ''>^-;''Qi^^Mdit : 'iß due to Mr. Rogan for pl he has taken in the matter, • [ sSeing;that he was at' Kauaeranga on enXX: tirely"mffer6nt busuiess. X' yi Iti^consequence of what took place at ; : ,lihe interview with Dr. Pollen on Monday, fXtMi. Mackay left town on Tuesday niorn*X ing with Taipari for Kauaeranga, to make '''_ arrangements to open the district. Should i the consider it necessary, he will engage an 'Oxperieliced party of miners to prospect on thejbart of the Government. * We may conclude by again saying that anything like a rush is to be deprecated. Such a thing would, by startling the na- '.;. tiyes, hinder the opening up of the Thames ' country, and embarrass the operations of - the Government.