HASTINGS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VI, Issue 1707, 12 May 1869, Page 5

HASTINGS.

(PBOM AN OCCASIONAL COUUBSPOHDENT ) May 6. Daring the laßt week or so a change has taken place in Tapu—a change for the bettor, as thingß look at pretent —and it is to be hoped it will oontinue so ; and though it seems that we lmre been thrown 1 up in disgust by the Auokland capitalists—thouyh we have been pronoanotid to be a " duffer" —yet, on the whole, I don't think wo are any the worse off for the opinions. One particular of the improvement is that most of the olaims that have been protected during the last three or four monthi, and which in some chbc» have been abandoned after th-* time ot protection was up, havo been tukan up again either by the old Bhureholderß or by Iroih anes, who think there is gold yet to bo found in Tapu which will umply pay them for the trouble of looking. New leader* tire being discovered almost daily, and are most of then saii to be payable. Last week a reef was opened oat below the Panama Route olaim, close to Patterson's machine, the Qrst two tons taken oat of which realised half an ounce to the ton, n very good beginning. Of course a rush took place, and the ground was taken up all round. It will soon show whether the real thing has been Btruck or not. The Full Moon has become .quite the talk of the plaoe. After it being worked for so long a time, and on the point "f buing abandoned, owi.-g to the perseverance of one of the shareholders a rijh pat oh of gold wa3 (-truck a few foet below the level on which they have been working ever since the claim was first opened. The One Tree Hill, joining the Full Moon, was at oncu taken np anew, and a shaft is being put down within five yards of the Full Moon shaft, and.two- feet from their boundary lino. The Evening Star ij in work again, having been protected, and the shareholders are in great hopes of getting something good shortly. They are sending down to the machine the quartz that was taken out before the cloirn was proteoted. The Eclipse, Star of the Kouth, Half Mopn, Summer Hill, nnd several others in the vicinity of the Full Moon, have Leon taken up again. The Panama bouto is stiil doing pretty well, as also the Hope. On the othar side of the creek the Company's, Little Josbio, Little Republic, and surrounding claims are turning out some good stuff: the deeper they get on the leaders the rioher tbe quartz. The machines are pretty busy crushing, and ate all giving eatUfuction as regards saving the gold. In the town the storas and hotels seem to bit doing a brisk trade to what they were a few months baok. Another improvement to the plaoa is the whar f , which iu being built at the entrancu to the creek, where a vessel can discharge her cargo instead of throwing it on the beaoh. The weather is very unsettled—sometimes rain and wind, and sometimes sunshine; it is to be hoped we will have a fine winter, for any kind of rough weather is bad for the miners, and if diggers pray at all K is for fine weather.