AUSTRALIA.

Colonist, Volume III, Issue 306, 25 September 1860, Page 4

AUSTRALIA.

(From the Sydney Herald.)

SNOWY RIVER DIGGINGSTo the Editor of the Herald.—As the SnowyRiver diggings are at the present moment causing a great deal of excitement in all parts of the country, and as thousands are making preparations to start for this place in the spring, I thought that something like a true account of the actual state of matters up here would be acceptable to, you, and at the same time a benefit to all who are hurrying to the great Snowj/ River. The glowing statements that have been made, by interested persons are so far away from the truth that I be* lieve it to be my duty to contradict them, and to endeavor to make public the real prospects of the place. . We have a paper lately published hero called the Aipin* Pioneer, which gives a most exaggerated account of the mining affairs at K.iandra; and unless the statements of the great richness of those diggings, which have appeared in its columns, are contradicted, I am afraid they will cause an immense amount of misery, of want, .and among thousands who may thereby be induced to leave perhaps comfortable situations in all parts of the colony in order to rush to this second Port Curtis. , The Alpine Pioneer calls, the, Snowy River Diggings the richest ever,discovered in the. country—an assertion so absurd that it has been ridiculed by all who know anything: about the goldfields of the country—and as a proof, it calls attention to the escort,, which took away about 1300 ozs.' of gold for the fortnight, which it says ia very good for the number of diggers employed upon the place. That number it states to be 800. Now, any perion who has taken the. ti-ouble to look must know that 1800 would be nearer the mark. Why, ;there are fully 7QO. Chinamen, and certainly not less than 1200 Europeans at the present moment working upon this place. Surely, then, 1300,pzs. of gold for, a fortnight for 1900 diggers, is not a very large return for the richest gold-field in the country. ;.. ;. ~: . ;',..:,.. '.'; However, that is not altogether what I, want Jtp., point but J. I merely .wish to explain that the. fikst a patch discovered is the only ground that paid well, and that it is the only ground that is paying now.! The greater portion of the,diggers; are working the: old ground over again, for all the new, ground; that has been prospected is worthless, or nearly 50..,: It' will not pay more than : All'the new rushes are failures, without pxeeptipn, and there is not a creek or gully within forty miles of the! Kiandra diggings that, has not been;sufficientlyj tried to. satisfy any. practical, man, pf their utterj worttilessness. I know a doz^n parties who have] been prospecting all oyer this place, for the last; four months, and have never succeeded in getting j a prospect that, wuld'half pay. ;,; i; ;,i ; I - (The Kian.dra.diggings.is nothing but.aipatch, as all working men know to their cost^ but,lj suppose; a -working man's opinion will not be received.Storekeepers, publicans, and reporters know more' about those things than the working man, who has j had seven or eiggt years'experience in the goldmines.; I know, at the,present moment, two hundred men, old diggers, who cannot make more than enough' te keep them; and if an experienced; miner cannot' make more than a living, what will the thousand; of, all sorts who are madly, rushing: here in the, spring^ do. lam quite sure they wi11 ... not be able to get enough of gold tokeepi them alive; for the only ground that would pajr will be worked out in two months-by the population at present working here. The new groundsill perhaps afford a living by hard work, but nothing more." Tliope for the sake of the working man, you will be good enough

to make this letter public, and if you ddtittot alfogether prevent people from, rushing up liere you may be able to prepare them for the consequence. The weather is still very bold; it is blowingand sleeting all to-day, and I would advise all who have got the Snowy River fever not to be in too great a hurry to get to the, Snowy, for there are many here who are in a hurry to get away. In conclusion, I will state the average earnings of all my acquaintances are about £2 per week, and'it costa 30s. to live here. =1 know^a few who are making £5 or £6 a week, but they are very few indeed. I—John Davis, digger.