NOTES FOR THE WEEK.

Otago Witness, Issue 1500, 14 August 1880, Page 9

NOTES FOR THE WEEK.

A trial test of quartz at Grabamstown, from Mohaka, Hawke's Bay, sent here, yielded only l|dwt for 5 cwt. of stone. The bank assay was nil.

The Grey River Argus protests Btrongly against the excessively misleading accounts published by a Christchurch paper, and pretty extensively copied, concerning the diggings to the south of Robs. The goldfields in the neighbourhood of Ross have been prospected over and over again, and the new discoveries at the Faringa, Waiho, and Okarito diggings are up to the present limited, and not worthy of being called a rush, much less to recommend that a trial shipment of Canterbury unemployed should be sent over to prospect for gold. What does it mean this sending over a shipload of unem] loyed 1 It means that a number of halfstarved unfortunates are to be landed at Hokitika or Okarito, and then left to shift for themselves. It means that they will, be left in a wild country, without food, without means, and to die, as the expression is, " like rotten cheep."

At the Hawea rush (says the Cromwell Argus) some claimholders have struck payable gold, promising fair wages. Tippett and party and Burrows and party are among these. The latter informs us that his party bottomed a small paddock last week, and from one dish of staff obtained half an ounce of coarse gold. In many other pans ttied they did not get colour. From this it will be seen that the gold ia patchy — one dish may contain the remuneration tor a day's work. Mr Burrows informs us that there are close on 300 men on the field, but many go up and never put a pick in the ground i His own opinion is that the field will prove payable. At present it is not obtaining a fair trial, as most all the washing of dirt is by tin dish, there not being more than three "toms" in the creek, owing to the scarcity of sawn timber. 'At the head of the valley some parties are sinking in deep ground, and are now down about 25 feet without bottom. It is probable the terraces will pay well for sluicing, but this operation is impossible while so many parties are working the creek bed. Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram from Reeffcon on Saturday stating that the Kaep-it-Dark Company's yield for the week was 190oz i of amalgam from 186 tons of atone,

The Alexandra correspondent of the Mount Benger Mail writes :— " The new dredge, which waa built in place of the one that sunk, I hear, is paying -handsomely. It is rumoured the same party intend buildiDg a second one. The Conroys quartz reef is a subject of Special gossip. A company is notv being floated in 6000 shares. The shares are going off well, and great faith is entertained in regard to the wealth of this reef by those who have a knowledge of quartz reefs. Over L2OOO worth of gold has been taken from this reef before." The Mount Misery goldfield continues to attract people from a distance (saya the Bruce Herald). We are informed that the flat through whiqh the creek runs has been tried, and excellent prospects obtained. The flat is about three miles down from the workings on the oreek, and is much more extensive. The gold also is coarser, but there is water to contend against, and the sinking is deeper, being about Bix to eight feet. There are now about 40 pernons on the place, and more are going to it. Bryne and party, of the Seventeen-mile Beaoh, .(says an agency telegram of the 6th), washed out eight pounds four ounces of gold from one truck of wash-dirt. The lead has been struck on the south side of Fagan's Creek, Seventeen-mile Beach. It is now supposed that the lead will extend for some miles along the base of Paparoa Banges. The excellent weather which has prevailed for some time past, with the almost entire absence of frost) more resembling summer than winter, has kept the miners busy at work (says the Mount Ida Chronicle). The supply of water also has been good. At Hyde, Holverson'a claim is showing most encouraging prospects in the drive overhead, which when completed will enable him to thoroughly test the rich character of the ground. At Vinegar Hill a considerable amount of enterprise is evident from the number of claims at work and now being prospected. Long and expensive tail.races are being brought up to work the lower ground, which will take many months to complete. When the country in the neighbourhood is opened up and an abundant supply of water introduced, we believe this will be not only one of the largest but one of the richest alluvial fields in Ofcago. In Naseby all the { water now being brought in by the head-race and other races is being used. The Cambrians correspondent of the Mount Ida Chronicle writes :— " At the washing-up of more than one claim in Welshman's Gully, for the six months ended 30th June, the yields considerably exceeded tbe anticipations of the claimholders. Within less than two months from now, Hughes and party'B tail-race will almost certainly pass through payable golden ground. Hughes and party are deserving of every kind of good fortune. They are intelligent working men— destitute of ' blow,' and of that low cunning which in some persons is a substitute for strength of mind. Some anxiety is felt by miners here on the subject of snow. Men who live by water are * killod ' by a drought, and a fall of snow is synonymous, with miners, with an elevation of funds. A few of our men went to the Hawea rush. The majority of the emigrants have returned, and the remnant are probably on thejr way back. •No gold' is the cry. The original prospect was good ; after-researches revealed the barrenness of the field." The Bannookburn correspondent of the Dunstan Times writeß :—" In mining matters things are very quiet, The miners on the Carrick are doing but little, as they have no water to work with. Griffiths and Grenfell have been busy setting their ironpipes. Another share in the Perseverance Company has changed hands, Mr W. Griffiths being the seller, and Mv It. Morris the buyer, and the price L3OO. All the reefers are busy getting out stone ready for spring. I hear that Mr W. Eadford is getting out; as much as 15 tons a week single-handed. S. Williams and Co. are pushing ahead, and are petting out a fair quantity of stone. On the Bannockburn there is not much to report. I hear that some good ground has been found by some Chinamen on Slaughteryard Hill. The new lessees of tbe Bannockburn Race are Messrs O'Neil and Co., and I think if the Carrick Water-race Company would only follow Mr Goodger's example, the Bannockburn people would be better off for water. This winter ha 3 been almost like summer weather here." Mr J. F. Watson received a telegram on Monday morning from Reef ton, stating that the return of the United Alpine Gold-mining Company was 3520z amalgam from 160 tone of stone. The retorted gold for the month was 583 oz. A dividend was declared of Is per 32,000 th share. The Waiau continues Intermittently to attraot the attention of diggers (says the Western Star). At present there are about twenty diggers at work on the river banks, who are dependent upon the stations in the vicinity for supplies, and who when the river is up in sum. mer time with a contiguous base from which supplies could be drawn, will doubtless try their fortune further west. The Lumsden correspondent of the same paper says :— My friend — whose departure for the Te Anau Lake district on a prospecting tour I apprised you of a few weeks ago— has returned. He says one man alone can do little good, but a party of four might find payable gold. He described a portion of the Waiau river that could be turned to allow of the bed being worked; but money would be required for that purpose. I fear that unless the Government grant an outfit to a party of prospeotors, we are not likely to hear of much gold being found in that looality. The Wakatip correspondent of the Southland News writes :— Mr Fred. R. Evans, the manager c>f the Phoenix Mine, Skippers Creek, is now busily engaged in the_ work of conveying his Denny and Roberts' grinder and amalgamator to the battery site at the mine. The new machine will doubtless prove very valuable to the mines both at the Shotover and Macetown, as the quartz in both places contains a very large quantity of fine gold, far more than is the case in reefs in Victoria, and here the results should be much more satisfactory. Mr Evans estimates that the gross yield of gold per ton of quartz broken out from his mine will be inoreased between two and three times. There can be ho doubt but that with present appliances the loss of gold in New Zealand reefs' is something enormouß, especially in the Wakatipu district. As there exists such a large quantity of very heavy metallic substances in the quartz here, all the tailings [or crushed material will require to be put through the grinder and amalgamator, the blanket sand, alone being much too heavy to pass off with the water in the new appliance. Three of the machines will be sufficient for a ten heAd battery, as the tailings to be headed upon will not represent more than one third of the quartz crushed, for tbe reason that the quartz is almost invariably largely impregnated with the "country" or rock in which it is found, and which will pass off with the water. The power to drive one of these machines is about one-horse, but this will not affect the actual power of the crushing battories, as the machines oan in most places be driven by the tail water being utilized after having done duty in the main motive power. Mr Evans and the proprietors of the Phoenix mine deserve the best thapis of the mining community in general for their very spirited enterprise. *

Three Chinese put in an appearance at the Hawea rush last week, but we are told that prompt and effective measures were adopted for their expulsion, and the Mongolians left in a hurry.

The prospectus of the Caledonian Goldmining Company (Limited) has jußt been issued. The Compafly has been formed for the purpose of working a valuable quartz-reef in the Wellington Province known as the Caledonian Prospecting Claim, Wairarapa, the property of Messrs Brandon and Co., who have been engaged in testing it and making arrangements for working it in a thorough manner for the last 12 months. The capital of the new Company will be LIO.OCO, in 40,000 shares of 5a eaoh. The ground which the Company intend to_ acquire is situated near Lake Wairarapa, 16 miles trom Featherston, and comprises 20 acres, said to extend along the line of reef for 1800 ft, The following is an extract from the Government Inspector of Mines to the Director of Geological Surveys, written in October last :— " Brandon's reef, the one from which a ton of quartz was recently sent to the Thames, is situated about 16 miles from Featnerßton, along the borders of the Wairarapa Lake, and can be reached with ease. It is cropping out on the banks of a small creek, and a drive has been put in for about 60 feet, and a shaft sunk at the end of this drive for a depth offabout 20 feet. The drive has been put in along the strike of the reef N.S. on the hanging wall, and from the bottom of the shaft a cross-cut has been entered, cutting through a leader about two feet thick,! and then, after passing through a narrow belt of elate, the main reef is struck, but up to the present this reef has not been driven through, and the thickness is therefore unknown, but it is not leßs than six or seven feet. Several assays have been made of specimens from this reef, and the first one that was submitted to the department yielded gold at the rate of 12dwt lgr per ton. This specimen was taken from the leader cut in the crosa-drive"mentioned above, and when I visited the mine I brought two specimens from the main reef. These specimens yielded on assay 14dwt lgr and 12dwtlgr of gold per ton respectively, a return which is very enoouraging in view of the large body of stone and the facilities which exist tor working the mine." In September last a trial crushing of 21cwt of stone from this reef gave a yield of loz 3dwt of gold.

The Coal Or«ek correspondent of thoTuapeka Times says : — I noticed nine Chinamen working on a beach opposite my claim a short time ago. There are a great many about Roxburgh, being driven in by the cold from the gullies of the Old Man Range. Some of the European miners winter there, and perform a good deal of work. The river is at a low level, and all the olaims are in full work. Some of them employ a good many men. I was told that Haugbton and party last year paid away OTer £30 per week for eeveral months. The same party are employing a good many this season. The mining interest is, without doubt, the mainstay of our district. Mr Miller'a letter respecting a Mining Board is well worth reading i and thinking over. No doubt a number of miners chosen from our goldfields could frame a code of byelaws far superior to those at present in force. Quartz-mining and other leases evidently re* quira alteration, seeing they tend to unproductive monopoly. The Okarita Rush. Hokitika, August sth. The following particulars by private letter reached here to-day from Okarito :■— " The Okarito rush is likely to be all right. Two young fellows, named Mearea and Fleming (Rossites), struck good gold laßfc Friday on a low terrace, running as straight as an arrow for about five miles along the Forks River, where the road crosse3 the river. There are four parties on payable gold, and about four miles up the creek is where Cunningham and party are working. The Chickens party have got gold between the Cunninghams and the road, which proves that gold has been traced for fully three miles. There is room for hundreds of miners. A steady rush is setting in, and miners are arriving daily overland. Those on the ground are satisfied with the appearances of the country." Gold Prospects in Madras. Under this heading, a correspondent signing himself Anglo-Indian, writes as follows to the Daily Times :— Sir, — Referring to your local regarding the "prospects of gold in Madras," the following few particulars as to climate, &c. may be of some interest to your readers. First, allow me to correct the name of the place mentioned. It should read Ootacamund, not Catacamund. Ootacamund is the centre of the Neilgherries, and garrison town of some of our English regiments. The Neilgherry Hills afford delightful summer residences and refuges from the scorching heats of the low countries. Everywhere the climate is salubrious and bracing, well suited to the English constitution, and equally Avell adapted to the production of European cereals, vegetables, fruits, and flowers. Gold-mining could be carried on with the greatest facility, as the country is free from many of the drawbacks found on the Australian and Cape goldfields. Should gold be found in such payable quantities as to induce emigration, a better field could not be obtained than the Neilgherries for the energy and pluck of many of our experienced gold-miners.