BRIGHTON'S PROSPECTS.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 651, 28 April 1870, Page 2

BRIGHTON'S PROSPECTS.

(To tlie Editor of the Westport Times.) Sir, —Seeing a letter in the CharlesI>Vll TJ.KTU-M Una! JOl <Sy;I,V,„ JZV//I.C/0 I'lu.u a correspondent stating that Walsh and party had got 70 ounces of gold for a fortnight's work, and fearing it may lead the miners in your district and elsewhere astray I beg to state the facts of the case. A.bout the 20th March M. Walsh, J. Morisey and party started up Pox's River prospecting, they were followed by other parties for a little time but at last gave them the slip. When they were clear of their followers they took into a gully about one mile from the left hand branch of Fox's River, being about eight miles from Brighton ; they found coarse gold, so made a sluice box about ten feet lorg, and three worked the gully while two prospected elsewhere. Nothing was known of them until the 9th of April when they came to town for "tucker," On the 12th instant they started back with 3GO lbs on a horse and took the horse within one mile of the ground, which is over one hill and down into a very narrow gully from three to ten feet wide at the bottom, there being little or no wash in some places and you can find the reef both in the bottom and sides of the creek. When I was there they had 132 yards of the creek worked out, and according to my information, which I believe to be correct, they got 7 ozs. some pennyweights, and not 70. If all the gullies about there would pay 7 ounces for the amount of work done in this instance it would be a splendid diggings. Since then they have given up the old gully and gone into a new one taking another mate of the name of Walsh with them, who has just re turned from Auckland, so they are now six strong and if the country does not get a good trial it won't be their fault, as in the district there are not six more persevering fellows ; they do not intend coming in for ten days yet.

Rimmer and party are going to give it a trial as they were in on Wednesday for stores &c. One of Gardener's mates came in on Saturday and he told me they had been trying a likely looking terrace but had been beaten by water, so they have set into a gully where they expect to do a little, he has a sluice-box 12 feet long with ripples, but be says the gold is so coarse and heavy that it is all caught before it goes six feet. To show how patcby the gold is, one day they made, for the party, one ounce fifteen pennyweights, and, in the next three days they only got four pennyweights, even at that rate how many on the coast might better themselves. People all complain about this place being dull but when I take into consideration that the population is only two or three hundred I think it the best place on the coast for its number of inhabitants ; one thing that speakc well for the pecuniary position of the miners ia they have made a loaguo not to drink anything if the publicans reduce nobblers to sixpence, as it is con-

sidered to indicate a fall when drinks come down. If small silver is a bad sign of a place then Brighton has no bad symptom in that way as it is very scarce, in fact, I have seen more £5 and £lO notes here in a week thau I have anywhere else on the coast in three weeks, possibly the diggers " flashed" them before me to show that little Brighton was not done yet, knowing I had been to some places that were a good deal talked of, but that never could compete with this place which, ere long, I expect to see regain its former far-famed glory—as the best rush on the coast.—l am, sir, &., Old BuiGiiTONiAtf.