THE Otago Daily Times. “Inveniam viam aut faciam.” DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1862.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22051, 6 September 1933, Page 4

THE Otago Daily Times. “Inveniam viam aut faciam.” DUNEDIN, SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1862.

SEVENTY-ONE YEARS AGO.

PORT CHALMERS— September 5. The barque reported yesterday as off the Heads has proved to be the longexpected Grasmere, from Glasgow, with emigrants and general cargo. The Grasmere has 102 souls on board, equal to 98-V adults, of whom 30 are single females assisted by the Provincial Government. . . . She reports having left the Clyde on the Ist of May. ... The stqamers from Waikouaiti did not bring back so many passengers to-day, and a few are still proceeding to the diggings better fortified than the pioneers against the privations of the journey and the difficulties of the diggings.

The existence of gold in payable quantities in the neighbourhood of the Dunstan Ranges was made known so long ago as March, 1858. At that time Mr. Garvie, a gentleman connected with the Survey Department, but since dead, brought to Dunedin some samples of gold, which he had obtained in the vicinity of the Dunstan. We extract the following report from the Otago Witness, of March 15th, 1858, and which may prove interesting at the present time:—"The gold was much of the same character as that which was procured at the Waiopa, and was mixed with iron sand and oxide _of tin. Mr. Garvie, who was accompanied by an experienced digger, reports that they found gold in every dishful of dirt they washed." It is singular that these indications of auriferous deposits should have attracted so little attention at the time as they appear to have v done. The exportation of kauri gum is _ a. more important branch of the colonial trade than is generally supposed. During the quarter ended March 31st, no less than 482 tons, value £5,000, were exported from the port of Auckland to Great Britain. One party who have returned from the Dunstan state that the river had risen considerably, and had covered where they were working. One man found a very rich patch under two large boulders, and another man had got out about 5 oz. in a few hours by working into the bank, but the rising of the river checked him also. All the available river claims were taken up, and they did not hear of anyone else trying the flats or anywhere but the river. I N V E R C A R"G I L L. REPORTED NEW GOLD FIELD. HEAD OF MATAURA. (from our own correspondent.) Invercargill, 29th August, 1862. The recent discovery of a rich gold field by Messrs. Hartley and Riley has affected us in a somewhat similar way as yourselves, by causing a great deal of excitement and unsettling of the population in every branch of employment. . . . Under the excitement of nope, the lassitude of despair, the elation of victory, man turns his attention to beer; the grand panacea of life—all which means that half the town of Invercargill—having turned its attention exclusively to beer for the last three days, to keep UP the steam—is off to the diggings, and the other half will, I suppose, follow shortly; not that, any of them know where they are going—the great object seems to be to start with a very large swag, and in a perfectly beery condition, trusting to Providence that they will find out the road and get grub. . . . I understand that a payable gold-held has been discovered, or supposed to be, in the forks of the Nokomai and Mataura, at the tail end of the same Slate Ranges that run down to the Clutha and the Kawarau. Some four or five ounces were brought down by a man who had been working there—a very fine sample of nuggety gold, all large, no fine amongst it, varying from a quarter to one and a-half pennyweights —one nugget, I believe, as large as six pennyweights. The man returned with a mate without disclosing the locality; but it seems it has been found. ...