THE CANTERBURY GOLDFIELDS.

Otago Witness, Issue 925, 21 August 1869, Page 20

THE CANTERBURY GOLDFIELDS.

The excitomont in Canterbury regarding the roportod gold diaooverioa in that provinoo still continues. At a meeting ol tho Pooinsu'A Quartz Mining Company it was statod, according to the Ly ttolton Time*. tb»t » careful survey of tho ground resulted in tno unanimous opinion thftt the company posacsbcs quartz reefs of considerable promise, woll worthy of bring thoroughly tested. In At least tivo different p acea lo*dors varying from two to three feet in thickness h»ve been laid bare, and tho direotora satisfied thouißclvoa that tho rcofa could bo opened up ao as to tost thoir quality at a comparatively moderate cost. It has now been proved boyond doubt tint «ro to bo found BtNtching from the Kaituna Valley acrow to Putmu As yet there is no absolute proof that tho rcofo are auriferous, but tho charaot«r of tbo quart* is s»oh m to induce jjroat confidence. The tamo journal »«*«»• a rumour to the effect that two French, men had arrived in Clmstohuroh from Akaroa with four ounocs of gold, ana that they intended •wdtnain * t °¥? for tho Government reward.— With regard to the Opuha quartz rcofs, the Timartt H«rald •nysj-A letter baa been wewved from Vr ! Haait, reporting on the specimen! of quarto whioh had beea son* him by tho pro»j»oton Thow M d party, now "iWJLS

to discover' gold 1 , ,but th*t, the quartz is '••likely looking," ■*»& advises the men to follow up the'streaksVof pyrites iri therook. This advice h»a been-adbpted, and on 1 sinking deeper pyrites were found to be morer plentii ful, but no gold. ' We 1 hear that the men are now down 43 "feet,' alongside the' 'second reef, ! and had put in a, drive, 23 feet, from the surf ace- of the ground crossing the reef. No cold was found, but iron pyrites were plentiful, both in the reef .and adjoining rocks.