THE LYELL.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 690, 28 July 1870, Page 2

THE LYELL.

(FROJI A CORRESPONDENT.) July 20. I arrived here yesterday, and having fixing my quarters in a whare kindly placed at my disposal by the owners, who are working the creek here, I intend making my detour in the direction of the reefs to-morrow, where I expect to find much matter to report upon in this now famed locality. In the meantime I think I may briefly give you an account of what came under my notice upon my journey up from Westport. My trip occupied about two days and a half, and the beautiful variety of the mountain scenery, attended " by most exceptionally fine weather, quite repaid me for the trouble attending the long tramp. _ As far as the Nine Mile the road is in very good order, but after entering the gorge it becomes rather muddy ; and I was not sorry to be greeted with very comfortable quartei-s for the night upon my arrival at French's, about 14 miles up the river. Here the Buller is joined by the Ohika, over which I was ferried next morning, and had a pretty considerable hill to climb to commence with. There are several parties engaged digging and prospecting between this ancfthe Blackwater, which runs into the Buller about five miles further on, and I believe many are doing very well. Norman and party who have been at work pretty constantly since Christmas, sluicing the black sand by means of a false bottom, are now having a boat built by Mr French for prospecting purposes. The workings seem to be on both banks of the river, but beyond seeing some parties in a boat and a few diggers' camps, I was unable to gain any information as to their prospects, but I believe there are pretty rich patches to be met with all the way to Christie's, where, after a 20 mile tramp I was not sorry to get rest for the night. Here there were several men down from Coal Creek for stores with a packhorse, Mr Christie having gone to considerable expense in cutting a good track to these diggings, a distance of aboutnine miles. From all accounts, however, I think the results of opening the country in this enterprising manner will meet with good returns. The sinking is shallow and gold rough, paying about £1 a day. There are several Bmall diggings in I

the neighborhood, but the mining eommuuity is very much scattered, principally working in the numerous tributaries which feed the Inangabua. The Upper Buller District is certainly very fine and well adapted for agricultural purposes, opening out from the close confines of the gorge of the river, which has a most romantic appearance throughout, iuto a picturesque extent of flat country, not too abundantly supplied with fine patches of timber. Mine host, not insensible of its merits in the above respect, has leased a block of 200 acres round his homestead from the Grovernment,and is carrying on extensive improvements about his place. Crossing the Inangahua in a canoe next morning, which like all the streams I had to traverse, was very low, owing to the late succession of fiue frosty days, I had only nine miles to travel to the ferry at the Lyell, with a heavy climb at the end of my journey over a bluff that rises very precipitously from the river. The stream here is very formidable, and is crossed just above a fall, which gives it a still more unfavorable appearance, but being very narrow, a few strong pulls on the part of the man who keeps the ferry, pulls you over before you are aw are of it. The township is situated above the river, and overlooks the waters of both the Buller and Lyell, which join just below, and contains a good number of buildings, three stores, a butcher's shop, a bootmaker's, &c. Sloan's hotel and boarding house a long building—situated on the top of the steep approach from the river, presents a very inviting appearance, and 1 enjoyed a good dinner in the same immediately upon my arrival. In my next, I have to notice the alluvial claims still being worked in Lyell Creek, after which I shall devote myself to the quartz reefs.