OFFICIAL REPORT.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 9, 9 December 1862, Page 2

OFFICIAL REPORT.

Through the courtesy of hia Honor the Superintendent, we are enabled to lay before our readers the subjoined Official Report of Sergeant Morton, who arrived in town late last night, from Lake Wakatip Diggings:— Wakatip Police Station, lst December 1862. Sergeant Morton has the honour to report, for the Information of the Chief Constable, the follow! ig particulars respecting the diggings on Mr Rees's run at the Wakatip. The original workings are on the river Arrow, a distance from Mr Rees's of about 17 miles over a very rough country. The population is about 400 miners, the most of whom are getting from one to three ounces a day per man. The sinking on the banks of the river is about 10 feet to the wash-dirt. The gold is very dark, and intermixed with black sand. The only appliances at present used for saving the gold are cradles, but saw* yers are on the field, and sluicing will bt the general means, and most profitable to tha diggers. There is also a rush to the Shotover where there are about bOO men, and ail are doing will. Some of them are making from one to nine ounces a day per man. They are forming win;} dams on the river. Provisions are very scarce, as the most of them have to be packed over the Crown Range from the Dunstan. Flour, 3s. per lb. ; tea, 75. ; sug.tr, 45. ; meat, ls. 6d. There are several dray-loads of provisions at the lake, but for the want of boats they cannot get them to the diggings. In consequence of the rush to Mr Rees's and Mr Switzer's, the population of the Nokomai has greatly decreased. In Victoria Gully there are about 30 men doing remarkably well ; and at the head of the Nevis there are 50 men who are making from one to three ounces a day per man. The last escort fri>m the Nokomai was 1000 ounces, which went down on the Ist of December.

Edward Mortos**, Sergeant of Mounted Police. William Fraser, Esq.,

Chief Constable of Police, Invercargill,

Wakatipu Police Station, December 6, 1862. Mounted Constable Hartnett reports for the information of Sergeant Morton, that according to his (Sergeant Morton's) instructions, he (Constable Hartnett), after conveying the Nokomai escort as far as Mr M'Kellar's on Monday the lst December, proceeded from thence to the new rush in the Umbrella Eanges, a distance of about 17 miles east of the Victoria Company's station. He found about 200 miners on the ground. It is creek workings ; the creek runs from the direction of the Dunstan diggings, and runs into the Wakaia Creek. The constable asked almost every party on the creek how they were ge.;ing on, and the answer was, "We are making good wages, aud we are satisfied " The constable asked them what they called wisges, and they said from a pound to thirty shillings per man per day. There was a party called Brien's party, and they told me they were making about 17 pounds per week per man, and some weeks more. I saw one of a party who made half an ounce the day I was there, while his mates were putting up the tent. A few have sluice-boxes, some working with the cradle and others with only a tin dish. There is a saw-pit in the course of erection, and there is plenty firewood. There are no stores on the ground, so the diggers have to go about six miles for their provisions : but there will soon be Btores, as I know of some on the road for there. At present, from the auriferous appearance of the locality, I think it will turn out a permanent and extensive field, and the diggers coincide with me in this opinion.

MiCHAEf. Hartnett, Mounted Constable, Wm. Fraser, Esq., Chief Constable.