THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 384, 6 August 1869, Page 2

THE AUCKLAND GOLDFIELDS.

There is no connected report either in our Auckland or. Thames exchange flies. The following items are taken from the papers of both places, chiefly from the Herald oi Auckland, and the Thames Times :— The Moanataiari Company's ground is tbe largest, and we have no doub"; will become one of the finest mines on the goldflelds. The All Nations workings are being carried on in a first-rate style; tbis claim will have a considerable portion of the underlay of the Long Drive leader. The workmen io the Black Eagle, Bape Creek, came upon a patch of scone richer than ordinary on Monday, and during the day a considerable parcel of specimens was taken I OUtr

The Young American has* been worked some two years, and h»s been for Borne time, thourh never heard of, a paying claim.' It will now, however ,take rank with the firstclasa claims. * ( \ We were exceedingly gratified last night with the intelligence that the Young American, adjoining the Golden Crown, Caledonian, Otago, and Belfast claims, had struck a very rich lode, a feeder to the Golden Crown reef, the underlay of which passes through the Young American claim. We have been informed that a promoter's share in the British claim, adjoining the Jupiter (Hape Creek), has changed-, hands to-day for the sum of £100. This, considering the position «f the claim, iB a decided bargain. It is said the British claim is about to be formed into a company affair. Fifteen tons of stone from the Knight of St. Patrick claim, Karaka, crushed at White's Hokianga machine, yielded 35 ozs. of gold, which was lodged in the Bank of Australasia on Saturday. The reef from which this stone was taken is known as the Lord Nelson. The KnranuiHill every day. produces additional evidence of the great richness of this fine piece of ground. I have heard it esti: mated that it will produce gold enough to pay'o"ff all the debt of the colony. It is difficult to say which is the richest part of the hill, as it is nearly all alike, only some parts have been prospected more than others. A fine leader was struck yesterday in the Bank of New Zealand Company's ground, at the head of the Waiotahi. It is two feet thick, and gave some excellent specimens, which were exhibited to-day at Mr Herbert's, Brown street. The company's ground comprises the Golden Walk, Bonnie Dundee, Bank of New Zealand, and Mary Jane. The manager of M'lsaac's Gold Mining Company, , Upper Karaka, reports that the battery recently Btarted has been working most efficiently, and commenced last week on the parcel of rich stone, a ton of which gave such a splendid yield a week or two ago. There has been no cleaning up at the battery, but the appearance of the plateß warrants the expectation of a good yield. By a boat which arrived from Coromandel this morning, July 29, several gentlemen arrived, and are applicants for a lease for a claim on the dividing range between Coromandel and Kennedy's Bay. The ground applied for Ib next a claim worked by McLeod and party, and in which gold of exceeding richness has been struck. . A rush to the locality has set in. The Braganza Leasehold is peg and peg with the Australasian Gold Mining Company, Carpenters', and other good claims ; large and well-defined leaders have been discovered, from one of which a trial crushing gave a return of over three ounces per ton. Sonthern capitalists are largely interested, and the lease is to be worked in the most systematic manner. * The Great Republic claim has been. turning out some rich stone. The shareholders intend taking vigorous action for the purpose of having an extensive crushing/and 1 doubt not the yield will eclipse anything yet from that claim. The appearance of the leader warrants the idea that it will be good. Having personally made a visit to the. claim, I am, therefore, able to give an opinion. The Inverness, Undaunted, and Little Angel claims, amalgamated, is also sure tn become one of the favourite claims, the ground is situated on the crown of the hill oh which the junction of several leaders are expected to be found ; a long drive is being pushed forward in which tbe. Little Angel, and other leads have been cut; and from which, gold specimen stone is being daily taken. On the Junction claim, the shaf t that it is in course of sinking to catch the City of Glasgow leader (which . was expected to be cut at a depth of about 90 feet), is now down about 170 feet, it is expected that : the shaft will require to be sunk another 100 feet. The ground being on the pitch of the hill the leader has probably been broken off, but tbe shareholders calculate on finding it at a greater depth. Mr Tookey informß us that the reef is from six to eight feet thick, and that 160lbs ef quartz taken from it were crushed at Bull's one stamper machine on Saturday last, yielded 8J dwts bf gold, being at the rate of soza 19dwts to the ton. A party of workmen were despatched to the ground this morning, to cut the lease lines, build a hut, and do other preliminary work. The locality of the claim is a hill side on Mongakirikiri Creek. ' Some very pretty specimens were exhibited on Saturday from the Pride of the Morn, Lucky Hit spur. Tbe neighbourhood is rapidly improving in public estimation from the fact that several rich leaders have been struck during the last week or bo. The Great United and Star of Fermanagh Company's ground is in the same locality, ahd both companies' scrip have lately gone up in the market, as the leaders are said to run ia their direction. Our latest accounts from Ohinemuri state that an impression was gaining ground amongst the natives that the land would be opened, and probably next summer will find something effective done in the matter. It is rather surprising, but it ia a fact, that not the slightest apprehension is felt in consequence ol Te Kooti being at Tokangamutu. It is obvious . that the natives do not anticipate that he will have the temerity to come to any part of this district. . Long Drive and City of Glasgow continue to send out a good quantity of specimen stone. Tbe main tunnel, 'which will prospect the whole hill, is being proceeded with. This la the beßt undertaking that has-been put on foot. The different claims are all ready to complete their portion of the work, when this is finished. I would like to see the whole hill owned and worked by one grand company ; it would make one of the richest mines in the wortd--The Una Quartz Crushing Co.'s machine, on ths Karaka, crushed seven tons of stone for the Monarch claisß, which was finished yesterday, and turned out 200 ounces of amal-

gam. This yield speaks well for the head of the Waiotahi, although this is by no means the first good return from this claim, which on former occasions has given as much as 1 1 ounces to the ton at the same machine. The battery is now employed crushing for the Duke of Edinburgh, the Pride of Erin, and the Wells Reef claims. . . .One of the richest patches, if not the richest of the many that have been taken out of the Long Drive claim, was cut into this morning, in the low level workings, about eight feet above the old long drive. Several bucketsful of specimens were taken out. We say specimens, whereas the few that we examined belonged rather to the category of nuggets than specimen?, so thickly did the gold lay in them. Unlike other parcels of specimens taken out of this claim, the stone of this one is of blue colour, and very solid. A crushing of stone from the Excelsior claim commences to-day, taken from the rich leaders in the claim. They have a good proportion of specimens, and the general appearance of the stone to go through the mill on this occasion is equal to former parcels. The shareholders have formed the claim into a company, and in future the working is to be under the supervision of an experienced mining manager. We have no doubt the coraI pany will be a success, and the working, under the new management, remunerative to the shareholders. The cleaning up of the ten-stamp battery of the Kurunui machine, that has been engaged the last eight days on stone from the Eureka claim, was effected on Saturday, and 1000 ounces of amalgam obtained from it. A parcel of specimens obtained from the same claim was crushed to-day in the singlestamp battery, and gave about 400 ounces of ! amalgam. The lot is to be retorted this ! evening. The vacated battery commenced this morning on a large lot of Deep Lead stone, which is expected to keep it going for the next six months. The cleaning-iip of the Eureka Company's crmshing at the Kuranmi battery, and a parcel of specimens put through the one-stamper on Monday, were retorted yesterday, and afterwards melted at the Grabamstown branch of the Bank of New Zealand, with 281 oz. 16 dwt 6gr of gold ss the result. There is a small quantity of amalgam from the latest washing yet to be retorted, from which some fifty or sixty ounces are expected. This amount of gold has been obtained from a ! week's crushing of general stuff, and about sixty pounds of specimens. The batteries of Goodall's machine were cleaned up on Saturday, and the stuff retorted, the result being 245 ozs of gold for two and a half day's crushing of Golden Crown stone. .. On Thursday last, the amalgamating pans were cleaned out, and 112 ouqces of gold obtained from them. Tbe batteries are still on Golden Crown stuff, excepting the one-stamper, which is reducing a couple of tons from a claim, the name of which is kept secret by the owners. One cwt of specimens from the Red, White and Blue claim was treated in the usual manner on Saturday, and yielded 27£ ozs of gold. The excitement at Shortland on July 26 haß been " Jupiter's," several interests having changed hands at very high prices. I have visited the claim, which is .situated on the Hape, a short distance from the renowned i Tweedside. I was rather surprised to see the body of stone, and the specimens taken out are very rich.., A. sampte goes to Auckland to-night, and no doubt yoUr readers will get a sight of them. The claim consists of 12 men's ground, and I know of none in the neighbourhood to equal it. The prices paid have been after, the rate of £800 a full share. There appears some indication that a new goldfield— or rather,: a new district of the I Thames goldfield — will, at no distant date, be opened up in. this district known as the Otunui Block, situated about six miles from Shortland, and beyond the boundary of the Hape Creek. Already a lease of thirty men's ground (fifteen acres) has been applied for by Mr Daniel Tookey, and we learn that a small parcel of 168 lbs of stone taken out of the 'prospectors' claim by Mr Bruce, and crusded at Bull's one-stamper battery, gave a surprising yield, wuich we shall be able to state precisely to-morrow. Tbe probabilities of a patch of payable country being opened between Shortland and Puriri were never greater than at present, and most heartily do we hope that they will be realised. The attention of miners is again directed that way by the reports that have been in circulation since Friday, of sundry alluvial prospects obtained there, and aleo of the discovery of auriferous quartz by Mr D. Tookey and party. Certain it is that the latter have applied for a lease of fifteen acres. On Saturday a number of miners visited the ground and marked out claims. The site of the discovery is in the Otunui block, about five milea from Shortland. The good people of the Bay of Islands are in a state of intense excitement. A Mr Davis, of Kororareka, found on the beach in the early part of the week, a piece of stone which, attracting more than ordinary attention on his part, was broken up, and found to be full of gold. It was thoroughly waterworn. We are informed that two Thames miners, who went up to the " Bay " by the last trip of the Comerang, have already leased some of tbe land in the vicinity, with the intention of mining on it, and we really see no reason why, if proper steps are taken to develop the capabilities of the field, the Bay of Islands- should not yet prove to be one ot our richest goldflelds.