OUR GOLD FIELDS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1611, 23 August 1861, Page 5

OUR GOLD FIELDS.

The news from the Tuapeka Diggings continues to be much of the same character as that heretofore received: some parties are making considerable finds, some doing little, and the general body doing well. The weather has been severe, and a few diggers have given up the pursuit of gold until a more advanced season, and have returned to town. There are several rumorus afloat as to new prospects, but those who have been successful on these occasions are keep- j ing the matter quiet, and are working in seoret. There also appears to be a greater unwillingness than existed at first by those who are successful to tell of their profits. Small paroels of gold still come to town by private hands, but little is sold — the impression amongst the diggers being that it is worth more than buyers are offering for it ; and it will I not be until after the assays sent for to Sydney return that any freedom will exist in the buying and selling of gold. The escort has not been to the field for a fortnight, but started on Monday last, aud its return is immediately expected. For various reasons the diggers have not sent much gold by the escort, and that body is rather ridiouled from its want of proper equipment and its style of getting up. This is rather unreasonable, seeing that the difficulty of getting men and material is just as great with the Government as it is with the publio ; but the foroe, notwithstanding it is wanting in that soldierly appearance which inspires respect, would be quite equal to repel any force which can be brought against it. The Government have sent to Melbourne for both men and equip* ments, and in due time the escort will be placed on a satisfactory footing. His Honor the Superintendent left town on Monday, with the intention of personally inspecting the approaches to the field, so las to be in a position to devise arrange-

ments for facilitating the supply of necesaries (o the diggers; but the state of the weather is suoh as to give little hope of the Government being abletodomuoh in the way of road-making until the ground becomes drier. The principal point to which his IJonor's attention will be drawn is the practicability of navigating the Clutha to its junction with' the Pomahawka; and, should it be practica- -.. ble, a great saving will' be effected in oarrying goods by water to within twelve miles of the diggings. Already goods have been conveyed by the Clutha for£3s per ton, whilst the price by land from Dunedin was £90 per ton. The Com- .; missioner and Receiver left town on Monday to take their stations on the diggings — the delay in their proceedure thither having arisen from the difficulty of conveying the necessary houses and material to the field. The Government have given up the attempt to prevent the, sale of spirits on the diggings, and will license houses of accommodation. As ; was to be expected, the refusal to grant such licenses only tended to encourage illegal sales, and did much more harm than good. We have repeatedly warned those intending to go to the diggings not to attempt to reach them by the. shorter route by the West Taieri in the present unsettled state of the weather. We have been requested by Mr. James Fulton to again call attention to (he difficulties of that way. He informs us that 30 men, who had gone by his station, were compelled to return, and brought two men with them, whom they had picked up perfeotly exhausted and paralysed, hay- -. ing been put five days without food, exoepting a small pig which they had caught and eaten raw. One man — a carpenter from Canterbury — is missing; and four more are suposed to be lost. On Monday night a coo-eey was heard by the ; men in the stable, but was not answered (certainly very little to their credit), and on the following day a saddle and bridle were found not far off, [but no trace of any person could be seen. It is quite absurd, for the sake of saving twenty or thirty miles' distance, to run any such " risks as those above referred to; In the meantime as people will go that way. the Government have made arrangements to build an accommodation house on the Waipori Flat, which, when completed, will make the road more safe ; but we repeat that, for the present it is far better to go by the longer road to the Tokomairiro. Dunedin has presented a much more lively appearance during the week, especially on Tuesday and Wednesday, when uumbers of diggers fully equipped arrived from the neighbouring Provinces, and the string of drays departing on the latter day revived the appearanoe ot the first start to the diggings. Considerable quantities of goods have been arriving, and the jetty again presents an animated appearance. In less than six months the appliances of that venerable fabric will be totally inadequate to servo the public wants, but how in these times to mend matters to make timely provision it is difficult to suggest; however, we must push through in the best way we o»n.

Another Discovert. — We have before us the fiuest sample of steel dust, or iron-sand as it is called, that we have yet seen, which was washed by Mr. Jeffeo&t from a quantity of sand taken from the sea-shore at the Green Island Beaob, a few miles from town. Mr. J effooat states that steel dust may be obtained their in any quantity, and what he cleaned yielded 33} per oent. We have no doubt at a future day, with coal in abundance in the immediate neighbourhood, a highly profitable manufacture of steel may be established when the gold diggings have attracted a large population to the Province.

Defalcations. — The teller of the Union Bank, Mr. J. Brutton, has left the Province by the Omeo under very suspious ciroumstanoes. Several instances of / money paid in by customers of the Bank i bad been found not to have been placed to their credit, and considerable anxiety had been manifested by those having dealings with the Bank. The extent of the defalcations are not known, but they are presumed to be considerable. Lamentable Ocourence. : — A coro-. ner's inquest was held on the Ist instant, at the Provincial Hotel, before H. Ho.-. worth, Esq., ooroner, on view of thevbody of John M'Kenzie, a lad of about 14 years of age, which had been discovered on the previous Tuesday, on Flagstaff-hill. It appeared from the evidence that deceased, iv company with two other boys, left * Dunedin on Sunday, in search of a dog; lost by one of them, and. which was sup-/ posed to be at a house on Flagstaff-hill. ; They recovered the dog, and started on /. their return homewards, accompanied by a lad named Godfrey. When at the foot! of the hill night overtook them, and a snow-, storm came on. Godfrey left them, to I seek assistance but did not return. De- ) ceased had complained of being tired and; hungry, and wanted to lie down on the, road, and Godfrey had carried him for about a quarter of a mile. At length all " three lay down togsleep, but on awaking/ at daylight, two of them discovered that , deceased had left them. They shortly afterwards heard a cooey, which proved to proceed from Godfrey's brbthelr, who brought some bread with him. They sought the deoaaed for a considerable time, but without success. The body was not discovered until Tuesday, when the attention of the brother of deoeased and a person named Mitchell, who were searching for him,, was attracted by their dog,, and the body of the poor lad was found, fa«e downwards, the ground being covered .