THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4117, 29 April 1875, Page 3

THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Late recounts to baud concerning the Auckland goldfiulds are encouraging without beingglowingly enticing. Gold has. toon struck at Ohiueimiri hi other claims that that of the prospectors, and ulthough the " show ". is not particularly rich, it is sufficiently substantial to stamp the new district as payably auriferous —in parts at least. The lodes struck there di not, however, so far as we can judge by the description given of them, apj>ear to be'very well defiued. They aixi said to Ije rubbly and highly oxydised. The latter is a. go<Hl featitre, because it indicates greater or less decomposition of the mj'.trix, ami consequent Kelease of gold from its grip. About "five ounces to the ton seems to be the richer prospect obtained, and that is certainly a goo<l return, but then Jt is not general «o far, and is certainly not rich, enough to cause more than TocaX excitements The discovery subsequent to the ojiening of Ohuieinuri of another gold district at : Tairua, on the East Const, j'nst across the ranges in fact froni SliortKmd, at ; the Thiuufis, has militated not a little argainst against the development of .OhfuemurL. The I. Tairua rush is so far promising.. Parcels of stone taken from the pros] lectors' claim ai-e r conveyed across the ranges to Gjraiiamstown, j an<l there tested. The fisst, of 161b, gave Bdwt ! 17gv ; the second, 3olb, 3dwt; and the third, . 5521b, 12oz lldwt. The gold is va.lued at £2 13s tier oz—about the same quality as the gold of the average of the Thames aalnes. Gold is also, said to have been struck four miles from the prospectors' elaim^ The latter has been registered as the Tairu* Gold-Mining Company, upon a prospecting lease of 30 acres. When the district was rushed, the miners proceeded to take up ground under the Licensing Act of 187H, and hence an immense area of country was soon staked off in 30-acre leases— the maximum area allowed. This proceeding' has excited grave discontent, and th« Government has been, or is to be, memorialised upon the subject, with the view of having all new districts worked fa accordance with the terms of the Act of 1807, which provides for the lona fide manning of claims according to their area, and places the maximum area at very much less than 30 acres. The old law is cer- I tainly the best to apply to n. new district, I as it promotes prospecting- and checks monopoly. The new one comes in after the district ] has been thoroughly prospected and proved to be uiiremunerative to .small parties. Then cooperative laboiir and capital, on a large scale, follow with the best results. < Tlie proclamation of the Olmieruuri and Tairna gold fields has vastly increased the available mining territory of the North. The total .area now open to the enterprise of miners fs estimated at 300,000 acres. The correspondent of the Herald states that tlie prospectors' claim at Tairua Ls"twelve miles from Pnrirf, and is situated on a broad spur, overlooking the East Coast. Water and timber are abundant, and the. place also commands water-carriage from Auckland,_ a small river, the Tairna, open, to the sea, being adjacent to it. .. Touching the old Thames field, the news therefrom is, on the whole, encouraging. A significant discovery has been made in the Caledonian, and leads to tlie inference tha tlie lost run of gold-may yet be picked up, if it is not absolutely in hand. A "dropper" from the main lode was cut at the 300 ft level, some 40ft Lnver than where the gold wa-> lost, and is turn-

ing out wry well indeed, between 300 and 400ozs having been obtained from a'trial crushing of the stone, the rate per ton being over Sozs. It is not improbable that this dropper'may either develope into a large reef or lead into One. Too

much importance cannot be attached to this j prospecting, at great depths, for upon the result ! is dependent the character of the mines for permauency Of the other old miues, ■ the Kuranui is paying the tributors vi\\a took it up, but no_ great things need be exacted -from it, the mine having been thoroughly {(respected'when in the c«m{«any's bauds. One or two fair prospecting returns h?ve Iweu obtained out of the continuation of the Young American lode in the Albion -Company's ground, and prove tlie existence of paying gold at a greater depth than had been.formerly tested. .The. lode in the United Company Association's shaft at nearly 500 ft. is also auriferous, but not payably so ; still, the fact of gold being there supports hope, and warrants the further prosecution of the great work, par excellence,-of the field. The old Moanataiari Company's mine holds its own, aud'by aid of extended operations, contributes a fair (junta of gold to the monthly returns. Last month the yield •was 5440z5.. but this docs, nit ■ leave much of a dividend. Hijher up the Moa-

nataiari Creek the Lincoln Castle Mine, upon which thousands of pounds had been .lavished one way or another, was sold.the other day for L4O to the Albuniia Company. The prospect* of the latter, with those of tlie adjacent mines

—Dixon's, the Old.Whau, and theKo.se aud Shamrock—appear. to be brightening, a very nice-lode-of a paying character-having been struck ill the deep levels, of 'Dixon'ik and promises to traverse the other mines. Very much hindrance and loss have been entailed uj ion these companies through the scarcity of water, the effects, of .the trying drought that .so long-pre-vailed in tlie Auckland Province. The Alburnia and Pixon's are glutted with stone ready for tlie mill. The value of this mine is vastly en-

hanced by tlie purchase .of the Lincoln Castle, as the latter held a right to use the Souk of Freedom" low level adit,"which commands the Albumin Mine several hundred feet deeper than :xuy level yet opened in it. The "Maiiu kau Mine, next the Caledonian, is still yielding well,but thclatteVrctu'iiisfollcohsideraVdyshort of those v.'liich caused so much stira few months ago. The mine is, however, good property, aud pays, regular monthly divideinV. Five hundred ami ten ozs of gold were obtained from tlie mine during the month: ending April 14th. During the same period the Queen of Beauty produced 1(5020z5, and paid large1 dividends, amountingto£3sopershare. Goldisbeingti-aced from this mine through the, City of London and the Queen of the May. The latter is coming to the fore at last,.after-yearsbf proHpecting'work. It yielded loSozs during the month, whilst the City of London trod close upon?* the Queen '"of Beauty?<> heels, its.-produce-amounting'to 1341 ozs,' out of which a'dividend of: 5s per scrip share was made. The Bright Smile did poorly,' under three hundred ounces'l'.fiing" the return for the month. The Long Drive is not yet worked out, its yield -foiytlie month being 3JK) ozs, rather better than 3ozs the ton..-.. There.is nothing Clinch to report concendng other claims —the llna isdepresKed,- Khares quoted at under 3s,:'and ths Prince:lmperialiis absolutely" n.t- a discount, shares being unsaleable at rvn'n:ti<m. From Coromiuidel 'we hear that1 tU6'City of Auckland is On goosl gfono, I-Uoa-1 !>ejiig ob-

tamed fromjj, small parcer of picked stone and specimens, and, fair stone is getting in the ■Emily mine ai^HatrbovtiDView -mine. The Koyal Oftkjß^oluoin'gJwelli TMdzrt being the result of Jthe>iontKy work. " " ■ ,f -