THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1862. Shipping Intelligence.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22068, 26 September 1933, Page 5

THE Otago Daily Times. "Inveniam viam aut faciam." DUNEDIN, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 1862. Shipping Intelligence.

SEVENTY-ONE YEARS AGO.

PORT CHALMERS.— September 25th. The Result and the City of Melbourne both arrived very shortly after the Lightning. . . . The gross number of passengers brought by the three vessels is, according to the official reckoning, no fewer than 2168, and, including additions to the crews, stowaways, and others, it may be computed as being considerably more. It is a matter of surprise that Cobb's Company do not start a line of coaches from the Molyneux Ferry to the Nokomai. The Government to encourage them to do so might give a postal subsidy. The Dunstan and the Nokomai are proclaimed as gold fields. . . . We understand that Mr. Eeddell is appointed Commissioner for the Dunstan Gold Field. There is said to. be a large quantity of gold already waiting for transit to town, and an escort is to be sent up immediately. . . . The Commissioner of Crown Lands is prepared to receive applications for leases of agricultural areas of not more than ten acres each, in the mining districts of Gabriel's and Waitakuna. At the sale by auction yesterday, of agricultural lands, in blocks 1,2, and 3, in Pomahaka district, the total quantity of land disposed of was 13,340 acres, 2 roods, 13 perches, realising £18,730 10s., or an average of £1 Bs. per acre. There was plenty of crowding and bustling in the streets yesterday, consequent upon the large number of new arrivals. ... It was satisfactory to see that a large proportion of the arrivals were old and seasoned diggers. That such was the case was evident at a glance, not alone from the appearance of the men, but from the nattiness of the swags, and the jaunty ease with which they were shouldered and borne. But in the crowds that swarmed along the jetties and mingled at the foot of the street, crowding it from side to side, there were not a few very green hands, who clearly knew nothing of gold-getting, and who will never stand the toil of the tramp to the Dunstan or the Nokomai, even -should they screw their courage to the starting point. They may get to one of the gold fields, blunder in their efforts at work, and then return lamenting to Victoria, loudly declaring Otago fields, as a whole, to be nothing but " duffers." From the various accounts which have been received from the Dunstan diggings, there seems no reason to doubt that the first escort from the new field will approximate very closely to, if not exceed, the amount upon which the reward to Hartley and Riley is contingent. We are informed that the gold-buyers for the various banks have been unable to purchase nearly all the gold offered from want of notes, a fresh supply of which haß had to be despatched. Rumor states that from fifteen to twenty thousand ounces are ready to come down, but of this no authoritative account has been received. We were informed by Mr. Commissioner Pyke yesterday that he had _ received intelligence from the Commissioner on the Tuapeka field to the effect that great numbers of the miners who had come back from the Dunstan, had returned thither, and large bodies of miners had left for the Nokomai. At the date of the last report the mining population on the Tuapeka gold field did not exceed 1500, of whom about 1200 were actually engaged in mining, three himdred and fifty being located on Gabriel's Gully, where good claims were still being worked. Wetherstone's is described as being almost entirely deserted, there not being over fifty miners on the ground.