THE THAMES GOLDFIELD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2211, 16 July 1896, Page 16

THE THAMES GOLDFIELD.

A petition which came up in the Housa on Tuesday,, 7ih, relative to a block of land in the vicinity of Hauraki Gulf reopens a chapter in what is well-nigh anoient history. In 1869 'Mr Creightoa moved for the production of correspondence between the Government and Mr Maokay, Native Commissioner. In doing to Mr Creighton said the object was to ascertain whether Mr Mackay, while acting as Civil Commissioner, had been trading on his own accoanb. Mr. Maokay's reply to this was in the form of a complete history of tbe Thames goldfield from its discovery in 1632 to the time of writing in 1869, and, the report throws a strong light on early colonial affairs, as well as on" the character of the -Natives with whom The . invading miners 80p53. :In -consequence of the gold discoveries in Australia .;n 1851 attention tras directed to gold mining in New Zealand, incl : in October 1852 Mr Charles Eing obtained numerous quartz and some -fine gold from the Kapanga stream at Coromandel, and thereupon ippliedfora reward of £500 whioh had been offered by a committee. This naturally at;

tracted a large number of persons to tho district aud on November 30, 1852, Lieutenantgovernor Wynyard entered into an agreement with th* Native owners to permit tho search for gold between Cape Colvilleand Kauaeranga. The terms were as follow : — Pajment for under 500 men, £600 ; from 500 to 1000, £900 ; from 1000 to 1500, £120Q I from 1500 to 2000, £1500, and so on. In addition to this, 2s was to ba paid for every licence issued to miners. About 3000 miners commenced operation?, hat the dijooverits iv Collingwood in 1857, at .the Buller in 1859-60, and at Tuapeka in 1861 drew them away, and the fMA was almost entirely abandoned. In 1861 the search for gold was renewed, and in 1862 Coromandel was proclaimed to be a goldQcld. Bui; in 1863 hostilities broke out in Waikato, and the fHil was again deserted. . After the fall of Rmgirii-i in' 1863 miniDg was again ro3um:d, mk) .Mr Mackay was sent there to act on be-half of rh« Government. His-soj urn there uutil 1868 whs a tempestuous one. The Natives reluctantly and very gradually and grudgingly permitted blocks to be opened for mining, and the successive agreements which are appended to Mr Mackay'B report show that they were as tentciout of their rights and as far-ieeing into the probable • oonutqutnoe of yielding as any European diplomatist could be They even set » value on the kauri trees destroyed by the miters, and were exceedingly oareful to reserve from intrus'on not only their burial and f acred places and their cultivated areas, but also their title to the land. The question now before the Housa by means of the petition is whether the Mabamataherekeke block was dealt with in the negotiations, and this will be a mutter of evidence. The question is of local importance, because of the new mining boom in the Hauraki district.