Correspondence.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVI, Issue 46, 16 April 1867, Page 3

Correspondence.

COLLINGWOOD GOLD-FIELDS. To the Editor of tue 'Nelson Examiner.' Sir— Having lately paid a visit to this place, I thought ifc might interest your roaders to know | something of the first gold-fiold in New Zealand. This gold-field, when first discovered, laboured under the disadvantage of not being visited by any practical miners ; indeed very few of tho first workers had ever been on a gold-field beforo ; they consisted principally of farming people, and a few clerks, &c, from the various New Zealand provinces, who, although many of them were very fortunate, made many mistakes, and ruined the ground for future workings. Afterwards, when a few Australian diggers did come to try their fortune, they were so disgusted with the rough character of the Collingwood country, that very few of them did any more than look at the hills and gorges, express their disgust, and return. Had tho Collingwood field, instead of being the first, been one of the last discovered (thereby having the advantage of the presence in the country of a large mining population), I think I am justified in saying it would have had a very large population working on it. Indeed, from the vei-y rich patches which are occasionally worked by the few old hands who are there (most of whom have never really left, except to have a look at the various rushes that have placo, from that of Otago to the late West Coast ones), it is quite certain that a very rich, and, I may say, extensive gold-field, exists between Collingwood and the West Coast. Ifc has struck me as singular, that some of the very rich claims which have been worked there these last few years, and those which are now being worked, have not been noticed in your paper. We have plenty of accounts of the produce of the West Coast, but none of the field nearer home. I imagine there is some difficulty in procuring a return of the gold pi-oduced at a place like Collingwood j the diggers themselves have no interest in tho matter, or, if any, ifc would be to hide the fact of any extra richness in their claims ; and the storekeeper, for similar reasons, is equally averse to publishing how much is bought, as his interest would be, not in a rush, which would bring with it opposition storekeepers, but in preserving the pleasant little monopoly at present existing. I was able to ascertain but very few instances of particular finds, and I believe I am correct in saying that a ten -ounce nugget was lately found in tho Rocky River, which is the largest found in that locality ; a nine-ounce one was found there in 1859 or 1860. There are several parties doing very well in this river ; one of which, I believe, went over to the Nelson races just now with about forty ounces each man, which would be in excess of all expenses for very few weeks work, as the same persons pent over to Nelson little short of the same quantity a few weeks ago. In the Aorero River several parties are at work ; ono of these were getting at the rate of eight ounces per man per week. The flume of the Nelson Gold Mining Company built some years ago, having fallen into decay, is being reconstructed by a party of miners, who are very confident of success, indeed this part of the diggings is no doubt very rich, and has been a steady gold-producing locality ever since the first rush to Golden Gully. Then there is the Purra Purra, the scene of certain preliminary workings of the Metallurgic Company of London. The Pu.'ra Purra has never been without some diggers on it, has now a slight inci'easo in its population, who are, as far as I could ascertain, working successfully, as indeed are those engaged on all the old workings, Appo's, Lightband's, and the Quartz Ranges. The last-named and the country beyond, there is every reason to believe will one day be an extensive gold-field, but the valley of the Aorere is very little known beyond a distance of twenty miles from Collingwood ; at the present time there is little or no prospecting done, the diggers here being mostly old hands who know the country pretty well, and, when they have worked one claim out, generally know of some old workings which will pay to sot into, and, by doing bo, frequently find that the said old working has never been really worked at all. - The very valuable coal-seam discovered near this township, when got into working order, will be a very excellent thing for the place. I think there is no doubt that the seam is one of the best in quality that has yet been discovered, and, as far as some preliminary working lias gone, proves ifc to be a very workable seam. There are now about fifty or Bixty tons of very beautiful coal stacked at the mouth of the drive. A tramway from the shipping-place to the mine seems to be tho only thing required to bring the coal into the market, when we shall all have an opportunity of judging of its quality. I am, sir, &c , April, 18G!7. A SUBSCEIBEK.