THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 451, 12 January 1869, Page 2

THE THAMES GOLDFIELDS.

(from a cobeespondext.) Jan. 3. Auckland seems a beggarly place to one used to the West Coast. The low wages of every kind of labour, miserable prices, and petty ways of doing things contrast unfavourably with those of the "rude West." Though all here complain of the dullness of trade, they admit that the present is a vast improvement o 1 : the past, and this is apparent even to the eye of a stranger. The place wears the aspect of a place recovering from a collapse. Poverty-stricken seediness is beginning to be relieved by a few brushes of fresh paint, a d splendid new shopfronts here and there, combined with the general bustle of a large city, induce a hopeful idea of some good times coming. Houses are not so easy to be had as they were a few months ago, yet even now they are moderate) to a new-comer like myself. In one of my house-hunting expeditious I came across a landlord who told me the rent of a certain cottage was seven shillings a week, but that, if I leased it for twelve months, he would let me have it for sixpence less. In conjunction with a fellow-passenger and his wife, we are now oceuping a six-roomed cottage prettily situated in a garden, the foot of which is washed by the waves of the harbour, aud the rent whereof is only seven shillings per week. A striking feature of this place is the number of churches and steam-boats. Of the latter some four or five ply between here and the diggings, two or three act as ferry-boats, and others trade to the neighbouring coasts. Ordinarily they scarcely earn salt, but this last week they have driven a roaring trade by carrying excursionists backward and forward, their decks being crowded by hundreds of people bent on enjoying the Christmas holidays. I paid a flying visit to Shorthand a. few days ago. The town is not so large or so well developed as I expected to find it, bu'_, looking at the extraordinary number and richness of the quartz-reefs in the immediate vicinity, I am induced to think that in another ye:ir or two it will become a great city.

As an instance of how people are tied up, I may mention the case of au acquaintance I met with in Shortland, a storekeeper from your district. This individual first came here about 15 months ago, and with the exception of a short trip, has been here ever since, and is now in one or two quartz claims, but as yet it has been all outlay with him. He has received no returns, and is not likely to do so for some months to come, though his claim may be valuable euough. Machinery is beginning to come in from Melbourne, and a few mouths will cause a great change in the mining business of this quarter. The great Hunt has again been the topic of general conversation, though in this instance he was not particularly to be envied. He was paraded in the Supreme Court as defendant in a breach of promise case, and a special and sympathetic jury awarded to the fair but not disconsolate plaintiff, damages to the extent of £1,300, which, with costs, will probably ease Mr Hunt's pockets of about £2,000. It was stated in court that he drew as his share from the claim £12,000. The Golden Crown claim, situated close to Hunt's, is paying dividends at the rate of £I,OOO per share per month. I do not think I shall remain here, but shall stay for another few weeks, and may even wait for the opening i of the Upper Thames district.