NELSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1264, 16 July 1864, Page 5

NELSON.

Wo have received our flies from this province to the 12th inst. We take the following from the Examiner of that date (Jou) Intkujoknck.—As the greater portion of the gold obtained at the Wakamarina is now forwarded by escort to l'icton, we have no longer at our command the ready means which we formerly possessed of of ascertaining the quantity of gold obtained in the district. Within the past month (including the shipment that will bo made this day to Sydney) 6.W0 ounces will have been exported from Nelson and Picton, the produce of the Wakamarina and our other goldfields. It Is, however, well understood that a very large quantity of gold still remains upon the ground, in the hands of the miners, who are extremly reluctant to sell at the price offered by the Hanks, and prefer rather to wait the departure of their friends for Sydney, where a larger price can be obtained, by the deduction of the export duty. This amount so h*ld is variously stated, from 8000 to '20,000 ounces, an estimate which must necessarily be problematical. Although no new ground is yet known to have been struck on the tributaries of the l'elorus river, deep sinking has been tried, with good prospects of success, on the terrace above the Wakamarina, and there is reason to believe that parties who have prospected in the gullies which lead into the Wairau from the watershed which divides that valley from the Wakamarina,have been well rewarded, and several are workiug there with no inconsiderable success. A quartz reef, of good promise, is also said to have been discovered in the same locality, and the " colour " may be found in almost every tributary of the Wairau, on its north-western side. Gold has also been found in small quantities in gullies leading from the ranges on the opposite side of the Wairau Valley, and many experienced miners are of opinion that a large and payable field will yet be found in that neighbourhood. The reports from the Upper Buller continue favourable. All the men engaged on the Matakitaki are said to be earning steady wages, but the state of the roads, and the distance of carriage, will prevent any considerable addition being made to the number of miners now engaged in that district, until thereturn of spring.

GOLD DIGGING AT THE GRET. We have been favoured by Mr. Waite, with the perusal of a letter from Mr. William Smart. It contains the following :— I have found very fair prospects at the Grey but could get no provisions from the Government (Canterbury) store, as their agent has orders not to sell any more. I got, in several places, four grains to the dish. It was gold similar to the old diggings (Buller) gold; and I consider it far before the Buller, for we could get gold wherever we tried. I saw a " paddock " put down in the bank of jthe river for trial; it was in very indifferent ground, and the men knew where much better places were. They were nearly eight days at work in the " paddock," and got seven ozs. Three of the men left for Canterbury, and one is now stopping on the claim, living on potatoes till a, craft comes with provisions. The country is very accessible, and plenty of feed for pack bullocks. The Maoris have horses down there, as have Mr. Dobson and his party, and these they use for packing on their Survey. So satisfied is Mr. Waite with the above information that he is now in treaty for chartering the steamer Nelson for a trip to the Grey, for the purpose of taking with him a large quantity of provisions. Me. Cardwkll's Dispatch.—After the actual war news, by far the most important event of the month has been the receipt by his Excellency the Governor of a dispateh from Mr. Cardwell, her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Colonies, which we give in another column; and which, combined with the late debate in the House of Commons on the confiscation policy, has created very considerable excitement and dissatisfaction throughout the colony. The dispatch has only just reached us, and we are, therefore, at the present moment, unable to offer any lengthened criticism upon it. At the same time we may state that, whilst deciding that the Confiscation Act shall remain in operation, it recommends, instead of confiscating the lands of the rebels, that the process shall take the form of a cession from them to the Crown, as the condition on which they are to receive her Majesty's clemency on their submission. The General Assembly is also required to pass a fresh Act, limiting the operation of the existing Act to a period of two years, and a Commission is to be appointed (composed of members who will not be removable on a change of Ministry), who shall decide what lands are to be forfeited. Moreover, no act of confiscation is to take place without the assent of the Governor, who is specially charged to retain in his hands ample power to make subsequent restitution and compensation, to any natives whom he may consider entitled to claim either one or the other. Finally, a general amnesty is to be proclaimed to all natives engaged in the war, on its conclusion, except those who have been guilty of murder, as distinguished from mere acts of war. There can be no question that these conditions, conferring, as they do, an exclusive and irresponsible power on the Governor, are utterly inconsistent not only with the action of a really responsible government, but they are also strongly suggestive of the suspicion with which the colonial native-policy is regarded at home,and must therefore be most obnoxious to the colonists generally.