WAITAHUNA.

Otago Witness, Issue 524, 14 December 1861, Page 2

WAITAHUNA.

{From our own Correspondent.) ' Things are not so bright here ns they were a' ..fortnight since. Many of the parties in the upper [?ond and middle of the gully havo-washed up, and Are off to Wcthersfcoue's,- the groat centre of at'.tracbion nt present. Still there is a great crowd /at the lower end of the gully, and the workings '4i"c gradually and -surely extending towards -"the riVQr, thq banks of which I predict will be extcnjsiyely worked during -Hie present -summer. The 'flat. on 'either side 6f river is very extensive, ,apfi if we arar to judge of the auriforous nature of ■the place by its indications, there is an imruenso .•Quantity of gold here. \ VThc river itself has been tried, and even with itl\e present rude ajipliances brought to bear on 'the work, has been found to pay. There was one $|irty Put iv a dani near the Bridge, and I believe *jiQund .it . to pay very well. Unfortunately, the 'darii (made of sods), was unable to withstand the ftorce of the- stream, and gave way ;' but not until j£ub party found some very good prospect?. And Ipgw, there is one great evil I would advert to, and Voji^that it devolves. on the Provincial Council to i jrqipedy, because it •so glaringly shows the utter /inefficiency of the Gold Fields Act 1858, to meet tij&fpresont requirements:- I allude to the ricVicu'yio^isly small quantity of ground allowed, 24 x 24, jM;w<.cnqttgli ; and the stupid clause regulating ','wiVaniount of ground for eacli man, is one that is jgenorally condemned- amoug the miners in this 4nla,CG\) Aud being one myself, I know pretty well a^'foeling^ existing ainoug them. • Why, Sir, ift indutfamcntsAvcrc held out in the shapes, o^pprmissioh to turn'tho river in the first place' *4ndVhich I ■believe is not allowed), and a larger Jitpa of ground given in the second, the whole of th'p .flikiind river would be turned over. But at present no one is stupid ■ enough to invest capital ,irt piunping-^ear, water-whcols, or turning thebed "o'F,itlie!river, for a paltry bit of ground about,lai - pe cn6u'g(i 't6 erect the plant on, and that's all. ought to look to this, aud ' afj<joi«j(?. 'Lot them not imitate the Victo--rif|^ Groycrnmcnt in its- tardy legislation, and tthefredson that so many thousands 'of men hare k'^t, and -will leave it, for this., and other places. jpLeftueni 'do it'whiln the mass are l\6re, iiiot when (jhiy avo.^bno a:id there is none to. take, $ul vantage Vofitheii' liberality.- I- would advise thp : Govern'mcM*t6 look, into it at puce ; the .evil id 'the less sei-Mitij'bccaiispit is smouldering. ., s -„ ■; ;.';'' -■ ,-' vI? Ehijlk^ntsO; it would bo conducive -to the in[tor^wts pfrtho'.Ftorckcep'ira and publicans, 1 , both on ' t)ii^'plri<{o aiid Crabi-icl'^, if they were toibrm thcmsjhifcfc iutoa^l'rospettting Association.-, *I nicrely | thriu; thus out as a fjug<;ostion ,;' they pan.takoadVvauttvjjo dT tW.,hint if thoy like. ; ' . , \ l} ",- i.^' s'filL sonic very gopd finds '.no\r and 1 'tigjiinl' -I.k'.icj^ otic, party of four who Imvo.'sbared ■ t 4fit*l i 'i3ci' man-in sovoi(\vocks,froin a ola,imtat,the low^i^Oßdpr^hp'.jFlat, audl -am positive, jf; yon tiiktj;tlj'o)flat-'tlir'6u'ghj ypxi wjll^^d,^^ tlfo defeat, 6 i oUt^fc,v t cry ,10 claiins^vai ( givo" pi yi'offiKar'e.li^cr9, . £ \Q$ por rnim.^ltfaf, p/jall expense?.^sTbiSiflat ,has •no'^t-'bce.iv jitdgcd/ property- ;.'ftillv-^one.;, I tl j )ij i d bf tho'fcoM obtained lioro bo}ng seTit j to : G'ra,br ; icfs arid sscoriiljtp5 scoriiljtp the crctli!; of jbljat'i place..- .j'So.^hat^bn^tue;' „wlfpfc>,tl!!a iii Jfuliy /ipny}nc«d/triat'"tliose.whd;, jive, Jciitonii^^lm pfaco,are)piily^haking'vppitnfor 'others Avho HYtH'isorao ilifaVd' take what, they have left, and' 1 ■fiud'i vjfljscjod .remaining- still. ,V Tlifl^iii'tQQnth/s^Jon of ,*»? Provincial feonn-/ ,cil p£, tlja^^ovinco of Otago coin'moncqd on Thuradav, Ifcho fith inst.,and ended on Wednesday, the'

.:.; ;^ji£ r e:^ mining clainis. yon"v on" jßa^laajaii is^stnkingjy^ejertiy. ft^9^^u^^p^cp4 i e(aispute*d .] Although ttQ,rampToini£&4ias yjbfcbeeh;,cffected, some membersNjf both parities -still^nticipate nn agreement" out of cbur'i. A|l Opr has been niaije by both the Extended and' Band- of Hope Comnanies; but neither has been.aqceptedi Tho Jfctuudod pfl*frj?d "£2O,OQb for the disputed-ground an^ ■ MualjEamatlon beyond its llm^t .whilst the JEknfroi* Hoije offered to ama}gu.ujaj;(i At.ones iaftnil tile ground hBH. a b*,t^,t,fJ iffljfc, id to allow the 1 'Mtended to, take out £35,000 worth of gold before dividing with .the Band of Hope. The same journal states that " the Extended Company made" 'about 600 ounces last week towards the dividend for the current fortnight." . -' »r.» r . - The Great Republic Company li reported by -the Ballavat.Smr to lmv« obtained fe&twetti 700 and sop ounces of gold ibr thel«st f&rtnlght, ahd dlvidfed £3& per nh&re'Oß BatUMay> - A great hOdX Jito, b(it!H.;-tfffia{j^.ilJ^)dnfar. A rtkul ttdit^A^fe^^^THWr^ R fceflain JtrtirilVnt Be»H£ feSaratlt«3BU hlfe, to : point out tlte Vvllfeireabouts of a new' gold field close to the town. , The amount /required -was .subscribed, when Mr. Hughes iriade known at a public meeting the locality. No sooner was the alleged discovery announced than a gener*l stampede tookplace towards the Dog Rocks.' Some who knew the lay of the country took. the Pyansford road, but the great body ' followed' the cab containing Mr. Hughes and tho 'four membcrfl of committee by the Batestbrd road. The distance, seven miles and thf ee^ua* t«e», is übdltt 'tlltj efttrie eithdr way (br Horses' and>ehides> but pedestriuns (Jan ftiake ifshoi'testbyFyaasrorduf theyrtirofis 6p\Qe siielosed i>a > ddDi>ks-. The beoiilK iti -the neigiißb'urllobd were iha state bf blissful Irfridr'aiice of the rush",' arid their puzzled, half-doubtiHg looks and wllfetl ch^fßriglv MiWd L?t the pagsfersgr aßßlit gdiH B ttt tllij dfgglrigs Mi atiiUsltig; lArni labourers leant over the fence to hear the cry ; there would be a moment of hesitation, but a glance.at the line of cabs and horses, with the cloud of dust, telling of more behind, settled the matter ; and off they went, following the rush, as fast as thick moleskin* and hob-nailed boots could follow, some with pick and shovel hastily grubbed out of th 6 stable or farm-yard, and some with nothing. The seventh' mile-post on the B.illarat road passed, there is on the left-hand side of the road ABouk a tliird of A illile of fencing. At the uiid of this fence the pioneer cab turned sharp to the left into a large piece of unenclosed ground ; a gentle sloping valley with watercourse in the middle,- a tributary of the Moorabool, but now dry, save waterholes at short intervals. Driving along, and at last across this watercourse for about a third of a mile, , Mr. Hughes alighted, :ind, pointing to a place where the earth had been disturbed, said that was where he had procured the sample of gold he oUdVred t»J the Committee. Several tin dlsllds wefti immediately filled with the dUartS ghiVel and clay of which the soil is oomposed, and Avere carefully washed at- the waterholes close by, but not one single speck of gold was found by anybody. While this was going on about a hundred persons had collected. Many were busy marking out claims, and about half-a-dozen had already commenced to sink. Dishfuls of stuff were tried, some from tlie surface, some deeper down, but the result in every case was disappointment. Not one single grain of gold could be found. By this time it was getting dusk, and a light drilling rain set. in, which dispersed the gokl-seckers, sending them homewards almost as quickly us they had gathered.