FURTHER PARTICULARS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 218, 20 August 1862, Page 5

FURTHER PARTICULARS

We are informed by Mr. Hartley that the diggings are partly on Maclean's and partly on Sheenan's station*, but that no sheep were in the country so fur out as where they were working. It is Mr. Hartley's opinion that the great gold-bearing country is further to the westward of the Upper Cluthn Valley, but the country being very difficult of access, it will take time to develope it. Messrs. Hartley and Riley found gold wherever they tried— in fact one of them says 4i that an old woman could scratch more gold out with her finders than all the miners on the Province could get elsewhere !" Besides the washings on the bars and old river beds, we are informed that there are several extensive flats all the way up, which Mr. Hartley considers will turn out excessively rich. They did not try them, for the very sufficient reason that they were doing too well when they were there, to lose time in prospecting. Thcrosi'.l via the VAist ■ Taieri is most difficult between Campbell Thompson's and Valpy's stations, a distance of about -ir, miles, without any .-tojjpns place, and a very wlhi desolate' country. l\r* ms unaccpiainted with tiie track, would, in the event of a snow3torm, run the risk of being lost, awl perishing on the road. Beyond Valpy's" we are told the road is not vet- dilHeult. The distance from Dunedin to the new divings may be estimated at about 110 miles, viz :—Dunedin to West Taicri 16 miles, West Taieri to Healey'sli) miles, Ilealcy's to Tompsou's 12 miles. Thompson's to Valpy's 35 miles, Valpy's to Muirson's 5 miles— at this point, the druyroad to Manulicrikia Valley is struck—Allowing which toNcwtonVstation 14 miles, from Netfton'.i to Lowe's 12 miles, from Lowe's to the Upper Molyncux River, aSout 6 miles, above this point the diggings commence. The diggings arc about no mi lea from Waikouaiti. Messrs. Hartley ami Itiley did not wash lower down than within G miles of the crossingplace, about 6 miles from Lowe's, Tiie roa I along the river after leaving the Manuherikia Valley, becomes inaccessible for drays and is even difficult for paek-horsw.

From what we can gather from the discoverers, there scums no doubt but that the whole course of th« river, from the point at which it was first worked, rig!)t up to its source is gold-bearing, imd that the flats and rocks in the vicinity are also very .rich. It is the opinion of the more experienced of the two mon, and one who has had a long experience in California: th.it auy miner may mako an ounce a day with nothing hut a knife and tin dish. The two men have undergone great hardships living for a long time on flour on'.y, and on the way to Dnnedin, between Valpy's and Thomson's one of them was compelled to "cave in," and for some time his companion feared he would not hold out the rest of the journey. Their progress through the country lias been attended with enormous difficulties, travelling by night when the moon permitted, and being compelled to adopt strict precautions to preserve their secret. A shepherd hailed them one day as they were working on ihe river, but they <^ot rid of him by the old tale— "just making tucker." They never worked under the most unfavorable circumstances, without getting two to four ounces a day, but the steady average of their returns was about 12 oz. Mr. Hartley says that the approaching season will probably be unfavorable for the richest workings in the river, as the melting of the snow will flood the river, but the flats and the high bars will still be available.

At one point on the river the discoverers came across" «-»;» v; -nci working a seam of excellent coal, (!■!.• ii, i iv thi-k-j. were from Eraser's station. They had once occasion to go to the Lindis for provisions, but they dared not repeat the journey for fear of arousing the suspicion of the few miners nt work there. Indications of copper were also found in many places on the Manuhcrikia. One of the miners, who has worked on the Fraser River, says that it cannot compare in richness with the Manuherikin. It is not the intention of the men to secure a prospecting claim on the new diggings, as they state they know where to find other spots equally rich; where they can work away from the rush. In cleaning the gold the men used quicksilver, but they found the process too slow for them, they preferred cleaning it roughly in the cradle, and even allowing a good deal of the gold to escape rather tiian incur the delay of more careful process. Mr. Hartley is in raptures with the climate in the district where they have been working. During the whole time they have been there, the weather has not retarded their operations in the least. He describee the climate as the finest winter climate he ever experienced. They saw no wild piga up there, nor game of any kind, except a few wild duck.

We have been careful in making particular inquiries about the road, and have had the advantage of seeing Mr. Sheenan on the subject, on the border of whose run and that of Mr. M'Lean, the diggings are situated. Mr. Sheenan knows the spot we!!, und has seen the twu men at work, besides one of them having called at the station. When he heard of the eighty-seven pounds weight brought to the Treasiiry^the idea struck him that they might be the same men, and he went to the Government offices yesterday on purpose to see them, but did not succeed in doing so. Ms. Sheenan tells us that the best road is by Waikouaiti. The West Taieri ia nearer^but the

road is in an impassable state. The distance from Waikouaiti is about a hundred and ten miles. The road lies by Hamilton and Wain's, and the CoJe Creek. The distance from the Lindis is about thirty miles, but the road between them is impassable except to pack liorses. For some time to come -he Waikouaiti road is likely to be the one most favored. Miners going to the diggings should remember that there are at present no stores in this neighborhood, and that without supplies they niny suiter the greatest hardships.