THE MARLBOROUGH GOLD DIGGINGS.

Otago Witness, Issue 658, 9 July 1864, Page 21

THE MARLBOROUGH GOLD DIGGINGS.

(From the Special Correspon lent of the Marlborough Piress.)

Blenheim, 24th June, 1864. Since my last report, dated from Timms' Valley, to the 17th inst., I have again visited the district north of the Wairau, and found that several parties of miners, in addition to those then at work, had commenced sinking and trying the banks of nearly all the creeks running into the liver.

Pine Valley, which was deserted on my former visit, is now the scene of active labor; about 15 to 20 men are camped on the creek, and working on a bank some three or four miles from Asgood's farmhouse.

Timms' Valley still continues to be the point of attraction, no doubt, from the fact ol several parties having stuck to it for three or four weeks, the result of whose labor must be satisfactory, as they have been working on the same spot for ten days. One party j showed me three ounces of gold, small but coarse, and of a good weighing description, it is different from the Wakamarina, inas-* much that it is not water-worn. Whether j they are obtaining more than sluicers are j satisfied with, I do not know, but I suppose had a patch been struck, others working in the creek would have learned something of it. It augurs well for the place when such perseverance is shown, and I should not be at all surprised to hear that the other parties working further up are more successful. The men at work in this locality number about 40; more would have remained, but, with the exception of wild pig, the men could not be supplied with provisions of any kind nearer to them ! than Blenheim, a distance of 30 miles This morning I met a man who had returned from there, leading a pack horse, with two weeks' tucker, aud shortly after an American waggon arrived with a ton and a half of flour, which will be a great boon, not only to the miners, but to the settlers in the district.

At Whayman's accommodation house, about four miles from the mouth of Timms' Creek, I heard from a miner, who had just arrived from near the Arm-chair, that a party had been at work near where he had been camped, who were suspected of getting more gold than they chose to tell of. I made further inquiry, and learned that a prospecting claim was to be applied for, but who the fortunate claimants were I could not ascertain, until returning to this place, I met with one oi them on his way to Picton, to see the Warden, or the officer in charge of the Gold Fields' Department. The gold he has with him, and which I saw, is of a large, heavy round description, weighing up to five and six pennyweight bits; some of them are intermixed with quartz. The general character of the sample is pure and free from dirt. The locality where this gold was found is difficult of access. Mineis would have to swag everything over almost precipitous banks. Ere this will be published the application for a prospecting claim will have been made, and should the officer who is deputed to receive applications from miners, consider the claim good, publicity of the particulars will be made in the usual way. I am v rather astonished myself that M'Grath's party, who have been at work such a length of time, had not put in an application for an extened claim ; they have done more than any other men I have seen to bring to light the gold in the gullies on that side of the country They have in their possession to my knowledge, three or four ounces of gold, obtained in abut ten days ; this of course is not payable, but I have a Bhrewd suspicion that this is not all they have got. Where they are working, and where the party who applies for the claim obtained his gold, are two distinct places, though not far separated. The Otago party I mentioned as having gone up with me last week, .say that wherever they tried, the color was 'foimd. They are now going to prospect, a plateau, situate within a short distance of the top of the range near the Arm Chair ; they are well provided with provisions, and are possessed of indomitable pluck. Your readers of the Press of the 1 8th will remember, that I then stated the probability of a quartz reef being somewhere iv the locality of Bartlett's Creek. This has been verified by the fact of two men having seen the color on the surface or cap of a reef of burnt quartz, which they stripped a little, when a solid body of brownish colored quartz presented itself; the men had gone to the accommodation house to obtain the requisite tools and powder for? boring and blasting They were desirous that I should remain and go back with them. However anxious I was myself to do so, my engagements prevented me, but in a few days I will assuredly proceed to the place aud report further on the subject. In Cat Valley, about a mile and a-half below Pine Valley, several men are at work, who seem to be satisfied of the ex-

istence of gold in the creek ; the metal is of a very fine quality, and floats in still water, to retain such gold as I saw in the dish, quicksilver and chamois leather would have to be used. One or two parties were going up the creek, with the hope of finding it coarser. Sinking is still proceeded with in Bartlett's Valley, but until a few more holes are simultaneously put down, and long pumps used, I fear it will be labor in vain to get to the bottom, — it is so much time lost for the party who are now working at the juuetion of the two creeks, to bottom with the appurtenances they haye — however, they think differently. With a larger party, sinking two holes, one a water shaft, deeper of course, and close to the other, it might be done. I suggested this to them, and as they were watched with some interest by others on the creek, two or three parties might amalgamate and work in this manner.

There could not be finer weather for prospecting than we have had since the time this district was rushed, about a month back — the days clear and bracing, with excessively cold nights. In those parts of the gullies where the rays of the sun do not penetrate, it must be very trying. However, it is in one of the moat inhospitable of these places that M'Grath's party have been working with so much perseverance.

I have heard no intelligence of the Maori party who were said to have gone to the Waidopoi. A few of the miners who had given up the north side of the Wairau had gone over, and in a day or two we may expect to be in receipt of news from that quarter. Should gold be found in payable quantities on this side of fhe range, which divides the Wairau from the Peloru*, I should say it lies in the flats and banks on the creeks. I am borne out in this opinion by most men here, who have turned the r aftention to prospecting these places, in preference to stripping the slate rock in the creek, a3 has been done on the Wakamarina. Warden Crawford, who hai lately visited this district, will, I suppose, publish a report of his opinion of the {geological formation of the country ; it will be interesting to all, as I understand his experience as a geologist is considerable. I shall now furnish you with informa. tion I had from a party who prospected the creeks and tributaries oi the Awatere, on the south side of the Wairau Valley, the truth of which your readers may | safely rely upon. Not having been with them myself, I shall narrate their tale as j nearly as possible in their own words: — " We started from Blenheim on Wednesday, the Bth instant, and prospected the Awatere in several places, as far up as the junction with the Winterton, in no instance did we find the color, either inside the banks or on the trap-rock, which had been bared by, the current of water. On Cross's run we tried a place called Golden Gully, which we were told had got its name from gold having been found in that locality about four years ago, and after giving it a fair trial did not succeed in raising the color ; returned back by way of the Awatere for five miles, and then went up a stream called the Grey, in which we found considerable quantities of sand, similar to that found in the Ovens district, in Victoria, which bears a large per centage of tin The crevices of the rocks were packed with it, but iv no quantity to make it ' payable ; several of the specks had a yellowish color, to account for which we leave to more scientific men than ourselves; in no dish did we find gold. After leaving the Grey we crossed the Rocky Hill Pass, and went down the Avon, which was tried without success. At Cross's we found a soft ironsto >c studded with pyrites and cryatalized quartz, much burnt. s In none of the places we visited did we find quartz or slate, but simply the main trap-rock. In our opi lion, the country, so far as we went, exhibited none of the indications found where gold is known to exist." These men are now working on Timras 1 Valley and have laid in a sufficient stock of provisions to enable them to remain some time. They are satisfied in every respect that gold must be found in the locality, and are determined to see it out. The inhabitants of Blenheim have materially assisted several miners who applied for means to enable them to prospect this district. Those applying were quite satisfied to receive provisions, but as working men must have something more substantial to live on than tea and damper, they were supplied with money to purchase beef or mutton from the settlers in the neighbourhood.

In your issue of the 22nd I observe a paragraph headed " Gold Bonus," which announces that his Honor the Superintendent excludes the district north of the Wairau from participating in the grant of LSOO placed on the Estimates for the discovery of future gold fields in the province. To those working in that locality it will appear unfair, and justly so too. I have no hesitation in stating, that, with the exception of Mr Tirains, who shows about a grain and a half of gold,

found some years ago, there is no other person in the whole length and, breadth of the Wairau who can produce gold having been known to exist there, and were it not for the perseverance of those now at work, in the midst of want and cold, the district might remain for as?es a run for wild pigs. It was not from any information of gold having been previously found that this side of the Wairau is now being prospected, but from the faith the miners have in the gold-producing features of the country.