ARRIVAL OF THE LORD ASHLEY.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1692, 10 December 1861, Page 5

ARRIVAL OF THE LORD ASHLEY.

NEWS FROM OTAGO TO 6th DEC The I.C.R.M. Company's s.s. Lord Ashley, Capt. Wheeler, from Otago and Lyttelton, arrived in port last night, bringing news from the former place to the 6th, and the latter to the 7th inst. The intelligence received from the Otago Gold Diggings is still of a satisfactory character, although the amount of gold brought in by the weekly escorts shows a falling off in quantity. Three escorts had arrived in Dunediu from the Gold Fields since the date of our last advices, The last escort we had intelligence of, arrived in Dunedin, on the 14th Nov., with 35,700 ozs., that was the last of the fortuightly escorts. On the 21st Nov. the weekly esqort brought down 21,090 ozs.; on the 28th Nov. 18,000 ozs., and on the sth inst., 14,535 ozs., the total received in the three weekly escorts being 53,624 ozs. of gold. These, with the previous escorts, make the amount received from the gold fields, exclusive of that brought down by private hands, 162,250 ounces. The Customs Revenue of Otago for the month of November amounted to £12,933 12s. 3,, and the revenue for the corresponding period in 1860 was £2,389 14s. 1 Id. The amount of export duty on gold, says the Daily Times, for the month of November is £9,272 Is, Bel, and the total amount reoeived from Ist August to 30th November, £14,655 7s. lOd. The Lord Ashley has brought 28 cabin and 51 second cabin passengers. She has also on board 13,500 ounces of gold, for Sydney, and (54 of Mr.- Rich's firstclass rams. The steamer Aldinga sailed from Otago for Melbourne on Saturday, the 23rd Nov. taking with her 40,103 ouuces of gold, 1 of this amount the Bank of New Souflf Wares- shippa(Us,Qoo ; the Union Bank, 25,000 ozs. ; and 100 "ozs; were taken by private hands. The following letter, from the correspondent of the Daily Times, (6th inst.) is the latest intelligence from the Gold Fields. " The escort will take from Tuapeka 10,197 ounces, five convicted prisoners and one lunatic. The miners at Wetherston's Gully did not bring in their gold ; I believe the impression is abroad that the price of gold will rise, and the miners sell only as little as suffice to satisfy their wants. From Wetherston's Gully a great deal of gold is being obtained. Four Cornishmen during the last four weeks got £ 1000 each out of their claim whioh is only 12 feet square and situated on gne of the spurs at Waitahuna Gully ; iinother party are getting £90 each per week. Fqpr Tarengower men with whom I am well acquainted have cleared £400 per man during the last 4 or 5 weeks. A great number of miners' are getting plenty of gold at Wetherston's Gully but they are keeping the matter secret exoept from their friends whom they lay on to a claim by giving information as to the run of lead, &c." The special correspondent of the Olago Witness, says : • f Tuapeka will soon be worked out " has hitherto been the cry of the timid ones in respect to the diggings, and the short sighted propheoy has been taken up by the two thousand and odd Viotorian unfortunates, who, from a too credulous belief in the statements of others, or from faint-heartedness, have returned whence they came, sadder, but not wiser men. The Tuapeka and Waitahuna diggings are not only of great extent and richness, but immeasurably surpass either the Victorian or Californiau diggings of the present day, whatever these might have been at their first commencement. Every man able and willing to work can, with steady application, earn £6 per week, per man, while hundreds, I might safely say thousands, are earning from. £9 to £90 per man per week. Largo as have lately been the escort returns, they bear no comparison to the aotual yield. This I am positively certain of, as I have during the past week visited all the principal diggings, and conversed with hundreds of miners, many of them ! comprising the flower of Victoria. I have [ also received valuable information from , the leading storekeepers, all tending to > confirm this, opinio.n. Besides the gold > sent down by the escort, there cannot be [ less in the hancjs of the diggers than

50,000 ounces; the diggers generally only selling sufficient to meet present requirements. Iv four or five different stores I saw paT ties come in aud take out their little chamois leather bags, containing from 10 to 50 ounces, and only sell from half-an-ounce to an ounce. This, I was informed by the storekeepers, was the general system adopted, the low pirice given by the banks (£3 11s 3d) not being considered sufficient to iuduce paVties lo sell the whole of their gold. Properly speaking, no well defined leads have been discovered, but what is far •belter, gold is found everywhere — in the flats, gullies, hills, or in the gorges and clefts of the ranges. Every day the diggings are extending, and .ground richer than ever being opened up. ■< The Tuapeka and Waitahuna diggings may be said to form one large gold field ; a chain of likely looking gullies, many of them already opened up, connect the two places, and all that is wanted is population to produce an amount of gold weekly that would astonish the world. Wetherstone's Gully. — To this gully a large rush has taken place during the past week— lsoo having arrived from Waitahuna alone, since last Saturday afternoon. Little has been said about this gully, but it is affirmed that during the past four weeks, : J«»bre gold has^beenfgot there than in -Gabriel's gully during ; jthe same time. Though known by the name of Wetherstone's gully the diggings extend over several gullies, and are merging into a large and. .likely looking flat. The limits of the high-dividing range are being sunk on, and will probably ere another month elapses, be worked or taken up to the very top of the range. Wood fit for propping purposes and the making of windlasses is found in a grove in one of the gorges, not more than half a mile distant. . The principal limb on whioh the nearest and most direct path to Gabiiel's gully goes over is sufficiently wide for three claims abreast; and out of all the holes sunk, and these are many, I did not hear of a single '.shicer.' Nearly the whole of the miners there are Victorians ; and some of them are earning 6 oz. per man per week — the sinking is from 18 to 40 feet. Further up the gully at the original workings, patches during the past week have been taken out weighing from 14 to 1650z5. Waitahuna has suffered severely from the Blue Mountain hoax, as well as from the bonajide Wetherston's rush. But it is morally certain that erFthe summer is far advanced, a great rush will set in once more to this spot. At present a considerable number of the claim-holders do not earn more than £6 per week. It is no wonder therefore that the superior attractions of Wetherston's gully should attract large numbers. The escort has only taken down 17,580 oz., but taking into consideration theiunsettled state of the miners during the past week, this amount maybe considered very fair. The Sam Perkin's Expedition has ended ignomiuously. Poor Sam's dreams have not been realised, and his dupeß have not carried their threats into execution, but contented themselves with cropping his hair with a pair of sheep shears, and giving him 24 lashes on his bare back. After taking his followers as far as the dray or drays oould follow, he, it is said, confessed his guilt, bared his breast and bade the incensed multitude shoot him. He is now in the hands of the police. A man of the name of Rogers, said to be the originator of the rush, also got his hair cropped, but was not, I am informed, otherwise ill-treated. Fully five hundred men have lost about a fortnight by this stupid hoax, and they are now returning to day, Thursday, but many of them will not arrive before Friday or Saturday. Most of them feel very much ashamed of their easy credulity. The Catholics have taken the lead in erecting a place of worship. A building belonging to that denomination, and capable of holding about 400, is being erected on Commissioner's Hill. Divine services were performed on Sunday last at Waitahuua and Tuapeka, to numerous and attentive listeners. There have been several aooidents lately from ground caving in. One man, yesterday, at the top of Gabriel's Gully, had two of his ribs broken. On Monday, it rained the whole day, and upwards of twenty individuals had severe falls from the slippery slate of the ground. One man slipped and rolled from a height of 25 feet into a hole, which, fortunately, was filled with water— further than a few cuts and bruises, he was not otherwise injured. Bread had fallen in price, and is now. sold at 3s. in Gabriel's Gully, and from 2s. to 2s. fid. per 4 lb loaf at Waitahuna. Potatoes, 6d. perlb; beef aud mutton, Is. to Is. 2d. Hundreds of miners have sent home to Victoria money by bills of exchange to their mates and wives. The rates of exchange are monstrously high : the Union Bank charges 10s. for £20, and the Bank of New South Wales 6s.