INTERCOLONIAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 1461, 15 November 1879, Page 9

INTERCOLONIAL.

(From our Australian Exchanges ) NEW SOUTH WALKS.

The Dr Windrum claim at Donkey Hill, Adelong, has just finished a trial crushing, which yielded lOoz lodwfc to the ton. Favourable reports are to hand (says Town and Country) from the new alluvial diggings, Bongongol ng Creek. Barrett and party obtained l£oz as the result of a day's work, and are stated to have struck something better. There is no doubt this creek will find profitable employment for a limited number of diggers for a tiaie.

A late telegram from Parkes says :— Kidney and Maria struck rich gold in their quarts claim at Currajonj? on Thursday week. They washed 12oz of gold from a few dishes of. dirt and broken stone. This claim adjoins Haokett and party, who are now raising excellent atone S. Croiz and party h*ve also struck good alluvial gold, giving splendid prospects. A good comber of men are on the. ground. Cooke and Mathieson's cultivation paddocks are pegged out in .all directions Nothing definite has been received from M'Olaud'e party yet on M'tiaigan's lead.

Testimony of a valuable character has lately been given of the wealth of the Cook district by the renowned geologist, the Rev J. E Tenisou Woods, F.R.G S:, F.L.S., &c., who,,in lecturing on " The district of Cook — its ' coal and gold," said he had visited the Hodgkirisop and very innch regretted that time did not permit' him to visit the Palmer ; bat, from what he had seen and heard he was convinced that in these two goldfields there were some of the greatest mineral riches in Australia. The abundance of gold-bearing quartz reefs on the Hodgkinson was truly surprising, and he was informed that their abundance and richness was even greater on the Palmer. What he had seen of the gold and stone of the latter convinced him that the quartz was richer and the gold purer, bat altogether in the two.fields referred to there was " one of the richest' mineral inheritances which Australia possesses"

SANDH4JHST.

The miners' strike presents no new developments, nor yet any immediate prospect of coming to an end, both parties to the dispute being equally resolute in refusing to yield. However, the feeling in favour of a general strike is evidently cooling down, and the graver apprehensions it occasioned are gradually passing away. An occurrence of this kind would involve serious loss of capital, leaving destitute labour to grapple with absolute misery in the end.

BALLARAT.

The quarterly mining returns for the central division of the BaUarat district hava just been complete"', and show that the total number of miners within that area is 2285, of whom 2075 are European and 210 Chinese- The yield of alluvial gold for the quarter is 57850z 6dwt Bgr, and from quartz-reefa 11,2350z 9dwt2lgr ; total, 17,0200z 16dwt sgr. The alluvial returns were supplied as follow :— Band and Albion Consols, 6410z ldwt; New Eureka. 46bz 6dwt 6gr ; Guiding Stir, 103oz 18dwt 2j?r ; Waiter's Freebold, 887oz 15dwt ; New Gallant Extension, lOGoz ldwt ; purchased by gold buyers, other than banks, 4000oz The quartz returns >-re aa follow :— Number of tonß operated upon, 29,087 ; average yield per ton, 7dwt 11 92gr ; totdl yield, 10,902 z 17dwt 21gr.