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Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1616, 10 September 1861, Page 5

had great difficulty, excepting at one place, in getting any firewood to boil the billy with : in fact, there is no heavy timber to be seen on tbe roads at all. There is very little timber on the diggings, only a small patch at the head of Gabriel's gully. Piovisions aro rather dear. Flour (from the Tokoiniriro mill:-*) ls. per Ib. ; beef and mutton from ls. to Is. 3d. per lb.; sugar Is. 6d. ; tea 6s. per lb. Boards are selling at ls. 6d. to 2*?. per ft. ; thigh boots £5 per pair; and watertights (slop made) 365. to 40s.

per pair. There is supposed to be about three thousand people on the diggings, the greatest portion of them are in Gabriel's Gully, which is ihe principal part of the diggings. The claims that are at all payable are all taken up, und uuless some other places are found out soon, where gold can be obtained in payable quantities, there will be a great many return. There are several walking about doing nothing, and a great many have gone over the hills prospecting. I saw a few parties to-day with their swags on their backs, and on enquiring of them, I found they were tired of prospecting and were returning to Dunedin to try and get work there. Yon can scarcely sink a hole any part of the gully,, without finding very fine specks of gold, but;the claims were the gold is principally obtained in quantities, are near the middle of two flats, about half way up the gully. The greater portion of the claims are only paying bare wages. * The holes vary in depth from abciut three feet to sixteen feet, before you reach the rock on the bottom where the gold is found. Some of the claims are very wet and the' parties working them are obliged, to keep in constant use the California n pumps, to enable them io work. Sluices and long toms ai;e generally used, and very few work with the cradles. The weather is very fine, considering the time of the year and the close proximity of the high ranges of mountains, covered with snow. The frost was very sharp for the last two or three mornings, and yesterday the snow was on the ground all the day. A gieat number of the passengers by the "Wonga Wonga" arrived on the diggings to-day. Levy and Buck, and party have sunk a hole about 16 ft. deep, und they are obliged to keep constantly bailing to enable them to work, anc! Levy tells ide the claim is not of much account. Our party have not got a good claim yet, we have sunk about eight holes, and none of them are woi-th working. We shall try another to morrow.

Extract of a private letter, received by Mr. J. H. Marriott, dated Dunedin, September 3 : —

"Things here are not so bright, as I nra sorry to find people imagine. There is not a place vacant. Many of those who went up to the diggings have returned, owing to the weather; but none of them say, positively that they will go back.

" I think if the merchants in Wellington, were to send sheep and cattle down here, they would do w.ell. Mult in is ls. 2d. per lb , and that of the most wretched description, the meat on the ribs being scarcely a quarter of an inch thick ; the general char, eter being considerably less.