TRAVELLING NOTES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4023, 9 January 1875, Page 5 (Supplement)

TRAVELLING NOTES.

(isY OUR COUNTRY REPORTER.)

Although a place . where once goldminers have loved to congregate may arrive at that particular stage of existence that is known as " worked out," and the workers have left for "fresh fields and pastures new," it is by no means satisfactory evidence that such really is the case. This, in the experience of gold-mining, has been proved over and over again, and Otago is by no means an exception to the rule. The once busy little spot known as the "Roaring Meg," between Cromwell and the Arrow, has become suddenly resuscitated, and now supports a larger and more prosperous mining population than it did in the palmiest days of its existence. As a rule, when the crowd leaves, some few old fossickers remain behind, who keep steadily plodding along month after month, and perhaps year after year, sometimes in debt and sometimes out of it, preserving a very Micawber-like existence as with the utmost philosophy they await the turning up of some little stray patch of gold that may have escaped the observation of the first comers. Even John Chinaman, 'cute and observing as he is, is not proof against the possibility of, leaving gold behind him, and such was the case in this instance. About

a year since the patience of a fossicking party was rewarded by finding payable gold in a little bit of a shelf or terrace high up in the mountain side, above a larger but similar formation, but already worked out, forming the bank of the Kawarau River, it is said that this little sh,e]i yielded the discoverers from £10 to £20 worth of gold per week a man over a considerable period, while they wero at the same time put to great trouble to wash their stutf, having to drag it in a sleigh first by hand and then by horse-power some distance dgwn to the river's edge. As party after party set in to work "quite a number of similar discoveries were made; and for a distance of about a quarter of a mile, a continuance of little shelves or terraces have been proved to contain gold in paying quantities. Two "flames" have been erected to cp.nvey water by means of galvanised iron pipes across the Kawarau, so as to sluice the stuff on the spot whence ii; is obtained, and a third flume is in course of cons'raction. The finding of gold in thia particular instance opens" up a question much canvassed amongst persons experienced in grc.ui}d sluicing, that gold has, not travelled far, and that, instead of having been brought from long distances by floods and deposited in runs in old river beds, it has come from the ranges close by, let loose probably by the decomposition of quartz veins or tho. disintegration of the mountains" themselves, s, proosss which is surely but slowly going on, and which must at times be greatly accelerated by rapid running streams undermining hills at their bases, and so causing great land slip*, when the stream, gating like a gigantic ground s^uipe, washes away the d'yhr-h and. leaves the gold behind. Experience in ground sluicing has completely upset the fallacy of gold travelling long distances, for although a stream of water is capable of carrying stones half a hundredweight each in weight down a tail race, the quantities of carried a\v.iy are infinitesimally small. Another circumstances justifies" this supposition it is that almost invariably, or when circumstances admit of the formation of beaches, wherever the terraces are rich in g.>ld above them, they are ?i^li in gold also.

Tha people in the Walcatip diatricfc have been pretty jolly this season in the matter -of the annual festivities ; these enjoyments commenced on Christmas Day and were continued until the !Now Year ; and notwithstanding the complaints of had times more money wa^ expended than iipon any other previous occasion, There is no mistake about it, bat the producing classes are in a very prosperous condidition. As to the ciy about poverty of the people, I have not met a hard up man during my travels l;eye, while those who p : mploy labour declare it is almost' unobtainable. If the business people complain of diminished trade, they certainly deserve it, and it is only their sins that are recoiling upon their own heads, any regrets must he that the innocent sutler with, tVie guilty. Promoting mining companies that had'no chauco of paying,' or \\-here the scheme proposed was impracticable of realisation, merely as they say, "to bring money into the district," only turns out disastrously in the long run. A pretty correct solution of the difficulty is contained in an old mining phrage, which says, "anything that will net wash up well, ;s best left.alone."*

The tourist season has Qoynmeneed prosperously. Queenstown has already been honoured with a number of distinguished visitors, both New Zealand and Victorian, and who unanimously express themselves delighted with the magnificent mountain and lake scenery in this portion of Otago. I haye not Heard of any of them penetrating as far as Martin's Bay yet, but to enterprising travellers (and the journey is by no means difficult at this season of the year) a across the great dividing r?Cnge, amidst glaciers, waterfalls, and here and there Brilliant and shining picturesque little lakes, appearing as if they had been scooped out in the hollows among the mountain tops, is delightful. Then the descent on the opposite side to Lake Rl'liEevraw, culminating iy the solitary grandeur of the. wild mountain and forest scenery of the West Ooast, and there looking down upon this grand and vast solitude, is a sight almost worth living fov to behold. The generally expressed opinion of tourists is that, were the natural beauties of this portion of the Province only more generally known in Australia, the number of visitors, every summer would be something enormous. Queen3town is a very pleasant place to live in, a voyage up or down Lake Wakatip, eilher by steamer or sailing boat, is really enjoyable, while equally so h n pedestrian excursion or a ride on horseback out to the neighbouring mountains and glen 3on the eastern shores of the Lake, or to Moke Creek or Moonlight, taking on the,way the tracks by tho pretty little lakes every now and then till up some hollow, and lie sparkling like mirrors in secluded grassy flats, shut in by high surrounding hills, and not ctistiviguisnabie xmtil you are right upon them, It is not only Lake Wakatip that the visitor should see, but there are at least a dozen small lakes hid away near its shores', and so romantically situated as to make them really gem's of picturesque beauty,

The shearing season has commenced in earnest ; m fact, some. few are through already. The wool appears to bo all finding its way to Dunedm via Southland, earringe by waggon being largely in advance of what is demanded by the steamers and railway as a rnlg. Tha season's clip appears to b@ about an average

The grain crops promise an abundant yield, but the season is a backward one, and harvest will not bo likely to commence in earnest until the middle of February. _ The breadth of land under cultivation is, however, considerably less than upon former seasons. The low prices ruling for wheat until very lately prevented much of this cereal being grown. Good samples will now fetch 4s per bushel, but there i 3 little offering. Oats, in quantity, may be purchased at 4s on the ground. The local demand is extremely small, the feed that nature provides without the assistance of the husbandman beijTtg- rich and luxuriant everywhere. The coming season promises favourably for tho farmers—the amount of produce

grown not being this time in excess of probable demands. I should imagine that were a little more co-operation exercised, as well as a more intimate knowledge of supply and demand ascertained, that the Cockatoos of the'Wakatip would find things jog along much more cheerily. I hey possess good land and-a good climate, while to make up for a distant market they can produce as much more per acre as will rectify the difference. In all probability the demands for the Cromwell market will be larger this coming season than ever.

The Good Templar movement promises to prove of enormous benefit to the goldlields. In the Wakatip district they number nearly four hundred, while fresh converts are weekly made. Of course some few have broken their obligations, but they do not amount to more than half-a-dozen since the good work of temperance was first begun here in June last. Instead of a drunken orgie follow^ mg the Christmas washing up, the storekeeper gets his account squared off, or as nearly so as possible ; good suits of clothes are purchased, while the hut is also furnished with many little articles of luxury to which its mining inhabitants were hitherto strangers ; and many men who, previously, were bye-words of reproach for their dissolute habits, have been converted into highly respectable members of society. In articles of jewellery, quite a brisk demand has sprung up, and ie shows a marked improvement to find men wearing their own watches and chains than be paying the publicans to do so for them. The attendance at places of worship has been considerably increased, owing to Good Templarism. Each Sabbath presents satisfactory evidences that we live in a Christian land aiid in a Christian country. In my opinion the Good Templars will prove the best help the goldfields ever had. The money saved in whisky will develope more ground than Government aid accomplished, while the new spirit of_ self-respect and self-dependence infused into the people cannot fail but to make a vast improvement in men and morals. The benefits of the movement although plainly discernible, are not so appreciable as they will bo. This, of course., is a. vork of time, as a deal of lost way has to be pulled up ; but, when this is accomplished, the reaction will be highly beueficial in every sense. In the matter of joint stock mining companies, everything looks very dull. The Shotover Terraoo has discharged a number of outstanding claims, greatly to the satisfaction of those to whom money has been owing for a long time, past, but of the yield of gold I can hear nothing Perhaps it is enjoying the holidays or refuses to be dislodged from ita hid-ing-place, because sgi-ip-holders so very much des^e ii A nasty obstinate thin» is. gold ! The Arrow River Corn^ panyaro pumping away—shall I SAy satisfactorily, if such can be said of the efforts of the old woman th.a.t "set herself to the task of bailing the sea dry with a tea cup." I fancy that Boards "of Directorsj whether Dnnedin or local, will have to sit upon this subject a long time before they bottom their shaft by the present means in use. Negotiations, it is said are r ending for working the Phoenix Company s mine at Skippers upon the tributo system, This is the proper way to dp. tlunga, and is well worthy the attentioncftheSliotoverTerraeeCompany The Nugget and Cornish Companies at Upper eOiotover are arranging to put in drives at a lower level, so as to cut the reef in the solid country, where ii is doubtless more compact and richer-in the precious metal, w^tn the. advantage that it can be more easily wrought both as regards economy, m labour and material, while the stone could be trucked out from the drives almost to the machinG-house dispensing altogether with cartage. This is the only case that I see where the directors would, not permit a mine to be property worked; and preferred destroying the ground, by working out a lot of sur" face veins to opening up properly in the solid ihere are three surface' reefs m,. this claim, but which "undoubtedly will all run i nto one at a lower level. The advantages to be delved; from striking the quartz are obvious, but then the board of directors °f this miuo hve in slow-going InveroargiU. Ihis is a magnificent property wasted. There is really so better show for opening a highly profitable mine in Otago. Were it in Victoria, or even at Cromwell, the possession of suoh a property would be prized as a certain fortune. The Sons of Fortune, Alluvial Arrow Falls, should prove an excellent speculation. The company own nearly two miles of the river bed, all imicmched ground, while the whole will be drained by a tunnel ncjw in course of formation. That public, confidence exists in that undertakinglhaveouly tomentionthat out of GOOQ shares, 4000 have been locally subscribed for. Hero Dnnedin speculators would not risk their money in one pound shares, payable at Is per month, probably because the directory only contained the names of minora, the bonajide owners cv the property, instead of the high sounding onca of atorekeeping promoters. As veiy rich ground is now being worked right up to the company's boundary at both ends, when once the tunnel has been pierced thra«gh the land slip that has for years past sucqessfuly defied the efforts of individual miners, notwithstanding most determined attempts have from time to time been made to effect this, costing a total in labour and blasting tools of more than the whole of the present subscribed capital of the new owners, a fortunate I result can soaroely be doubted.