THE WEST COAST GOLD-FIELDS.

Colonist, Volume VIII, Issue 823, 19 September 1865, Page 3

THE WEST COAST GOLD-FIELDS.

c 3400 OUNCES OE GOLD FROM THE GREY, TWO NEW PROSPECTING CLAIMS. i DEATHS BY DROWNING. INCREASING PROSPECTS OF THE GREY i DIGGINGS. • The p.s. Lyttelton arrived on Sunday from the Grey, bringing 310 ' ounces of gold for the Union Bank The Barwon arrived shortly afterwards from Hokitika, ancl on Monday the Egmont also came in from the same port. Our files from Hokitika are to the 15th, but there is nothing of importance 'n extract. 1 From a private source we learn that, 7000 ounces of gold were waiting at the Grey fof the next steamer. The latest rush is towards Macklay's, and if. is reported to be good enough to bear the heavy charge of £70 per ton Cor carriage of stores up tlie river. As the Lyttelton was leaving, intelligence came down that the hodies of four men had been picked up in the Grey. Their bauds were clasped together as though they had tried to for I the river, and had lost their lives in the attempt. Another accident, with a fatal termination, occurred in the river, above B dry's Whatf, where a. boat with timber was broken by a snag, and out of the four men who \\\ive in her, one was drowned, the others were picked up by Baity's men. [from OUlt OWN" correspondent.] Couden, September 11, 1865. Since my last letter to you all has been activity and bustle, steamers ami sailing-vessels arriving and departing with perfect safety ; yet with all this traffic we do not get goods half fast enough to supply the great demand from the storekeepers for the supply of the thousands of miners who are now profitably employed up the Grey. The news is all that coul Ibo desired ; the late extensive rush on the Arnold turning out splendidly. Gold is brought down by the bankers and traders literally by the hundredweight, whi-h finds its way to the Hokitika, and he'p< to swell their exports. The hundred pound weight of gold, lately taken to Hokitika by the prospectors who found it, came from a creek within three miles of the Grey. The West Coast Times, iv a leading article, lately made some unwarrantable remarks about this gold-field which has given great offence to most of the merchants hero, from the evident tendency exhibited of cracking up the southern diggings at the expense of this district,—caused no doubt ny the loss of thousands of the southern population, who make their way to this part of the coast, finding the diggings here more rich and lasting. One portion of the leading article referred to the number of persons who had left this field for the south, stating that two thirds of the miners had returned from the Grey. This I can contradict as an absolute falsehold, for it is well known that not a twentieth, part of the number who have passed up the river have ever returned back No, they are all engaged there, and profitably. I took the trouble to ask the ferrymen on the rivers between the Grey and Hokitika, and they all laughed at tho tale, when I told them that they must be doing a great stroke, by so many miners returning to Hokitika. They all said they wished thoy were, i'ov their pockets, but not one iv thirty came from tiie Grey to that number making for it from Hokitika Another piece of evidence of such being the case I have from a letter handed to mc; on Sunday last, in which the writer says, l: I have a claim I can get from a quarter to one pennyweight from every shovelful of dirt I take up, and I have three feet of washdirt. P. Co! i, the Maori, washed out six and a half ounces from his claim on my boundary line ; I shall make a good rise out of my claim. There are thousands of miners here noir." This is to the last rush, ly) miles up the river, by boat, but about 30 miles by land. Men can waik up on a beach nearly the whole way; so it thousands at si time can leave good payable ground for a new rush in the same district it shows that ihe men are the c, and not away to that pet district of the West Coast. Times, '■ 'Tiie South." Since my last letter we have had quite a rush of steamers in the river ; there were five at one time ; three cam am loaded with pissengers. About 2 l«) were brought oil' from the Gothenburg steamer, which came direct from Melbourne to Hokitika, but on arriving there found the bar closed mr ail ordinary traffic, so had to run down to the Grey, where her 1 passengers landed with ease and comfort. The township of Cobden is g dug ahead firs'-ra'-e ; Ihe streets are now nearly cleared of the heavy tim- ] ber, and from tlie number of lights reileete I on the water of an evening, there must be a considerable I population settling down, j Both sides the river public works arc progressing j rapidly. The Cobden wharf has been let to Mr. Edgar, late of Nelson, who has also obtained the contract for building the jetty on the Grcvmoul h side. Mr. Dobson is here for the Canterbury Goverumeul, j pressing forward Ihe new line of road ou the south I side of the Crey, leading to the new diggings and to j the coal-fields. A Custom House is being built and I other works going ahead rapidly. We slid lack a | j proper Post Office, which want is greatly felt, and j j much indignation is expressed at the delay there is in ! i establishing postal communication on anything like ] i business principles. \ We have had a public meeting concerning the I proposed site \lor the new jetty on I he Greymouth I | side; one party, who have taken up frontages on the Government land, insist that the public money shall I be spent where Ihe revenue will be increased by the ! outlay, and not, in front of the Maori lml (the pi ice ; the Government.are about to construct a. jelly), where j it can only increase the value of land for the benefit j ofthe leaseholders ; whereas, if the jetty were built iv front of the Government land the occupiers argue that the revenue would be benefitted by the higher price the land would Celeb when the Government, sell the freeholds. Those who take I his lai ter view have sent a deputation lo Mr. Sale, at Hokitika, concerning the matter, who has promised a, more careful inspection before the works are proceeded with. LATEST NEWS. I have just heard of two .Maoris and Iwo Europeans calling at the (.'amp lor a prospecting claim Cor a new diggings, situate within four miles of Cobden ; splendid prospects. IC this be true I will send full particulars in my next. True or not it matters little, for the miners have now opened up s> large an extent of known rich ground that profitable work for years to come is ready Cor thousands of men.