FROM SOUTHLAND TO THE DUNSTAN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 215, 28 August 1862, Page 5

FROM SOUTHLAND TO THE DUNSTAN

OR HARTLEY DIGGINGS. ™E tak'- *J« foUowing iletter from the Southland A«« of 23rd August. It i s writteo by tJie Chief bun'eyor ot Southland.

TO 'JHE EDITOR OP THE SOVTUULSD NEWS. Sib,—Numerous inquiries having l>een addressed to me as to the position of the rich Gold Dig^in^s reported m the Otajro papers, it may afford some information tuhe public if I state the facts I have been able to gather respecting them. The prospectors say, "The rich part of the river where we obtained the piUt i« between the Manuhenka and Upper Clutha Valleys;" "We thea went up the river ax far as the junction of the Kawcrau and having satisfied ourselves that there was plenty more gold to he had, we started." kc. They niWwards Hueak of crossing the Clutba, both coming anl "oiu* • it is therefore clear, from these very lucid statement," I l.llipt d'B?l"3s thay describe In between the Clutha ! the Whakatipu Lake, and the Katrerau River; and they must be from thirty to forty miles from the i ttiiakatipu Dierfnuj,'-' in a North-easterly direction or nearly m tlic lin.: of the Slate Ranges, and there i' no reason to doubt that both, in fact/form part of the •same channel of siaty formation ; ani the auriferous ground uiay reasonably I* expected to extend from one to the ofher. When I vrivi at Whnkatipu, seeing eteariv that thf sate formation extended to the N.K, 1 wan"particular in mv inquires as to the lay of the country in that dm-etum, and 1 learnt from Mr. Kodg*rs, (Mnce unhappify dnr.v.u.d.) that the Nokomai, which falls into the Mataura, rises in a low watershcl uLich ctoswj the V-Hev h*rween the RemarkaWe Mountains and the Rocky Mount rangi% and tl. it .1 am*') stream the Nt-vw, rises on the North-east tide of the same watershed, and run* into the Kawenm ; which latter is a s'jort stream runninerout 01 the Whakatipu Lake about the middle of its length, and falling aa above noticed mto the Clutha. Mr. Kogere fauj travelled h>: tl I '-I r°V tC' aiJa :!id not "P** of h ™ extraordinarily difficult, and as it seenu to lie by a continuous valley which must debouch very near the snot indicatert by th«? Otago prospectors, it seems probable that it i« the best aactfss to it,-as that by Waikouniti i* notoriously difhcult,-indeed, scarcely practicable • -it all events, there U an excellent road ironi hence to the Aokomai (two days' journey for a horseman) — and from thence to thedi.^in^ cannot exceed forty miles; but as Mr. Hartley .says that « the great goldbeannpr country i 3 further to the westward of th« Upper Clutha Valley," it may be that the best part ot tne ai^insrs v at a much les« ili^tance Another way <n reaching the valley of the Kavrerau would be to go 'v, tlio lake by a boat; by thin route every pirt of tl> road is pasy ; but the boatim* may be found a sliglj: iaconveruence. I am, yours &c, . .„ Tiikoph. Healb. Invercarfflll, Aug. -2>. 18(>>.