NOTES FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 1499, 7 August 1880, Page 9

NOTES FOR THE WEEK.

Tuesday's New Zealand Times says :—" A party of miners left by the p.s. Lyttelton yesterday for Nelson, where they will tranship for the West Coast. They may be looked upon as the advance guard of a large number of goldseekera, to whom the news from the Seventeen-mile Beach and Lake Mapourika comes as tidings of great joy. We hear that passage-tickets are beiDg issued at reduced price by the owners of the Anchor line of steamers, and that the p.s. Wallace will be kept specially running to Okarito as long as inducement offers. A letter received per private hands a few days ago states that miners in that locality have been making frontier to L 6 per week for some time past." The Western S^ar supplies the following Longwood notes:—"A meeting of the Bhareholders in the Duffar Company was held on Saturday last. A call of Id per share was made payable on the 11th August. Mr J. Lyle was appointed legal manager vice G, Howell, resigned. — Another small parcel of stone from the Great Extended claim was reduced in Messrs Eeid and Son's old flourmill on Monday. The stone was taken from the reef at a slightly lower hvel than former prospects, and the result of the crushing gave further proof that the reef is payable if it widens out a little. The four pounds of stone yielded a grain and a-half of fine gold. —The eale of the Prince of Wales claim took place at the Courthouse on Saturday, to satisfy a judgment in the case of Homer v. the Company. The claim was bought in for the proprietors at L3O. —Tenders are invited by the County Council for cutting a new track to Port's claim. —lt ia reported that the stone now being* taken from Printz's claim is much more promising than that hitherto met with. The proprietors propose sinking on the reef a distance of 50 feet to test its quality at that lsvel." Since our last (says the Cromwell Argus) there is nothing noteworthy from the diggings at Lake Hawea. Judging by the limited number of persons who are returning from the field it is evident that it will get a thorough trial especially as the weather is favourable to prospecting operations. It is said that Muir and party have struck gold in the high terrace overlooking the Panama Creek, and if this proves correct, it gives strong hope for the permanency of the new field. At the annual meeting of the Thames Goldmining Company, the report showed that L 786 per share had been paid in dividends during the year. L4OOO was out at interest at 6 per cant, as a reserve fund, Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram from Reefton on Saturday, stating that the Keep-it Dark Company's yield for the fortnight was 58^ of amalgam from 282 tons of stone. The retorted gold was 188 z. Several miners have left Naseby for the Hawea rush. The Richmond Hill Company, Waitahuna cement (says the Tuapeka Times), have been vigorously prosecuting operations for the past two months. So far, however, the results obtained have not been very encouraging; but the Company seem determined to give their grouad a thorough prospecting. They are calling for tenders for driving an additional 140 feet of the main tunnel. The Blacks correspondent of the Dunstan Times reports :—" Owing to the mild weather the miners are able to work continuously. I am pleased to report that by all accounts the prospects of good wasbings-up at the New Year may be expected. Efforts by some few of the miners, long resident in the district, are being made to trace the lost lead at the lower end of the Blaoks flat, but what their prospects are I cannot say. I have heard some inkling of a party being formed to take up a claim on the deep lead at Black* No. 3 ; at a later date I shall let you know further." Under the heading " Fourteen-mile Beach," the Mount Benger Mail says:—"The riyer rose here between four and five feet on Sunday night, flooding the claims and thus stopping all work for the present; and as the weather has been very mild and unsettled it is falling very slowly, and it will be some days before we can resume work again. There is a marked absence of all fossickera this year about this locality. Between {the Fourteen and Sixteenmile Beaches there are only two Chinamen,(and at the latter place three or four more. This has been a good beach. The best gold was at a pretty high level, and easily worked, and those who had claims here did well. Water was brought on to it from Shingle Creek in the early days, and proved a remunerative undertaking. It has been sluiced in some parts, twice, to the edge of the race. At the Seventeen-mile Beach there are a few more Chinamen. The race which commanded this locality seems to abandoned. It is a pity if such is the case, as there is a little coarso gold scattered on the terraces, and a little further prospecting might have led to something payable. It is a great mistake to imagine that there is any quantity of washdirt lying in these gorges ready to be cradled. Whatever has been bared by the floods has been washed long ago; yet anyone acquainted with the river workings, and watching the eddies where there is a little black sand, need not fear to make a living. On the other hand, by Binking through the false bottom on the bars or points of the river, or farther back on the terraces, he might strike something payable. However favourable the reports may be from either part of the river, thiu seems to me to be the correct stale of affairs between the Twelve and Seventeen-mile Beaches.''

The new find of gold at Wanaka ia exciting a good deal of interest amongst diggers (says the North Otago Times). We believe that Livingstone will contribute its quota towards those who are in search of fresh fields. It is a noticeable fact that in times of depression and lack of employment a greater amount of vigour is expended in prospecting for fresh diggings than at other time?, and lately this has been fully borne out by the number of new fielda of a payable description found. The Hokitika correspondent of the Lyttelton Times telegraphed on Saturday :— " Further news to hand to-day from Okarito confirms what I wrote you several months ago as to the genuine character of the goldfield. Everyone who has bottomed has come on payable gold." The United Alpine Company's return for the week was 2750z of amalgam from 165 tons of stone. The Lake Wakatip Mail saya :— " An antimony lode of Rome thickness baa been discovered by Messra Davii and party, at the head of the Lake (Uses Valley), but_ we have not heard the ihickneßS of it. It is also reported that another has been found in the neighbourhood with lead, gold, and silver. The nature and formation of this part of our country is rather singular, and' these discoveries will doubtless tend to further laminations which may probably lead to other products being found. Time and trials will prove the worth of the present disoovery, which may be of the greatest value, and fully answering the sanguine expectations of its owners, or it may, on the other hand, prove to be insignificant." His Worship the Mayor of Christchurch has received the following telegram from Mr Grimmond, mayor of Kos3 :— •• Seeing by Christchurch papers that some persons have advised a trial shipment of the unemployed to this district, I beg to advise you that nothing could happen that would be more to be deplored. While not underrating the value of the discovery at Mapourika, a > Jarge influx of people at present without capital would be disastrous both to the district and, more particularly, to the people coming here." Writing of the Denny and Roberts' Amalgimater and Grinder, the Tnapeka Times says :— Although these machines have been constructed with the view of extracting gold and silver from, quartz tailings, there can be no doubt of their applicability to the cement tailings of this locality^ There is a large proportion of iron pyrites in the cement, and it is the general belief that a considerable [quantity of # gold is lost from each battery. From the experiments made by the School of Mines, Ballarat, the percentage of gold extracted from the tailings by these machines is something extraordinary. One instance'quoted is that one ton of concentrated pyrites from the South Olunes, treated by Denny and Roberta' new process, yielded 4oz 15dwt lOgr of gold. A sample or' the stuff was assayed by the School of Mines before being operated upon by the new machine, and wasfcrand to contain just'Soz of gold per ton, thus showing that the maohine extracted 95 per cent, of the fire assay by a purely mechanical process, no scientific labour being necessary. We understand the cost of the machine is only a trifle over £200. Mr Evans, of Skippers Reef, has received the agency tor the Middle Maud. At the Seventeen-Mile Lead, West Coast, (writes a correspondent), a party of four had the exceptionally good yield of 2480z 12dwt for 14 days' work in their claims. Other parties are meeting with very fair returns. The new f goldfield at Mount Misery (says the Bruce Herald) has caused a little stir. One biker in town has bad to work all night to meet the demand for bread. The butchers have alao been called upon; the tinsmiths have been cleared out of pannikins, billies, and dishes ; a carpenter has been quito busy making sluiceboxes. We hear there are a good few people on the ground now ; some of them speak quite hopefully, aud we trust they will all have occasion <■•» -xpress themselves satisfied with the little field. The Mount Misery Diggings. A report on the Mount Misery diggings appearß in the Bruce Herald. The field is situated between Mount Misery and the coast. The creek on which the diggers are now working takes its rise amongst the broken land northeast of the mount, and flows southward for two or three miles. It is in the valley this little stream flows through that the workings are now being carried on by about 20 diggers, whose knowledge of the probable results are not much better defined than are those of any casual visitor. There ia gold in every claim, and from information and observation the precious metal can be got in every part of the narrow flat now being worked— from the grass downward to the bottom, which is only about three feet to five feet, and is composed of a kind of diorite. Under this false bottom is, of course, the true one, but up to the present time no one has tried to find it ; consequently, it is quite impossible to say how far down it is, or what, if any, quantity of gold it may carry. The gold is very fi-te, some of it scaly, and some rather granular, but otill fiae, and apparently pure. Up to the present there has beon very little mining, but many claims are carefully marked and pegged off, water rights secured, and other things done which would lead anyone to the belief that the men on the ground had some expectation of succeeding. The Thames The returns of gold from the Thames goldfields for the past; month are quite up to the average, being about 5000oz. Some of the mines in whloh speculation has been rife have not realised expectations, and the lull thus caused has been increased by the strict enforcement of the regulations in respeot to forfeited claims. There is likely to be another hitch in the pumping arrangements, the municipal authorities being advised by their solioitor that thsy have no power to devote a part of their funds as a subsidy to the Big Pump. Possibly amended legislation may be necessary to get over this difficulty.