LATEST INTELLIGENCE FROM OTAGO.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVI, Issue 1696, 24 December 1861, Page 5

LATEST INTELLIGENCE FROM OTAGO.

By the s.s. Storm Bird, .^Capt. Mundle, which arrived here yesterday morning, we have received news from Otago up to the 19th inst. The weekly Escort arrived at Dunedin on the 12th inst., with 16,141 ounces; and again on the 19th with 14,000 ounces. •The ss. Aldinga, from Melbourne, arrived at Port Chalmers on the 10th inst., after a quick passage of four days 22 hours. She did not convey the European Mail to Otago, as Captain Hooper informed us; it. not having arrived at Melbourne,.previbus"to her sailing on the 4lh December. Another rush had commenced at Melbourne for Otago, in consequence of the receipt of 'intelligence of the arrival of 41,000 ounces of gold by the Aldinga. Owing to this, (says tbe Lyttelton Times,) there is no prospect of the English Mail j ooming via Otago, as all the steamers are |

fully engaged both with passengers and cargo. Tbe Lyttelton Times of the 21st iust., says — •' A special messenger who came overland from Inveroargill in 22 hours brought news ofthe loss of s.s. Oscar on her way to Melbourne at the New River. She -had crossed the bar when she struck on some rocks on her starboad side. No further particulars were known except that passengers, gold and. luggage wore saved. She is reported to have broken her back. The Omeo and Guiding Star were to start for the wreck immediately, so that the former will not come on to Lyttelton. Captain Scott has arrived to get off the Victory; it is expected she will be afloat in a few weeks. The following is from the ' Otago Daily Times': — SUPPOSED NEW GOLD FIELD NEAR DUNEDIN, GREAT EXCITEMENT. PROBABLE ESCORT. Great excitement was' caused atTupeka by the arrival there on Tuesday morning of a man named O'Hara and his mates, with the report of a disooyery of a new gold field. They had with them 34 ounces of gold, which tbey sold to the Union Bank: It was of a coarse nuggety description, interspersed with quartz and conglomerate. A prospecting claim was granted them. It was found on one of the tributaries of the Waipori, on the West Taeiri Road about eight miles -north of the Waipori Ferry. It was obtained by turning the bed of the river. The excitement at Tuapeka was immense. Nearly 2000 r men were proposing to start yesterday morning, but the rain prevented them. Major Croker ig going, to visit the spot himself. Wit is about 27 miles from Tuapeka, and the same distance from Dunedin. The Escort this week from Tuapeka is 9693 ozs. 10 dwts. The Waitahuna contribution will probably bring it up to about 14,000 ozs. The s.s. Aldinga sailed from Otago for Melbourne on the llth inst, with 23,675 ozs. 13 dwts;" of gold. . The brig Sarah, from Auckland had arrived at Otago, with 80,000 feet of sawn timber. The Aldingaon her last trip to Otago brought down the largest mail that ever came from Melbourne, there^being nearly 5,000 letters, and a large number of newspapers. - The Chili from London, arrived at Port Chalmers on the 10th inst., after a passage of 101 days. The Oscar had brought au addition of four troopers to the Otago Mounted Police Force, Arrival' ol the Escort with 16,141 Ounces. — The weekly escort arrived at Dunedin on the 12th inst with 16,141 ozs. of gold, of which 10,953 ounces were from Gabriel's Gully, and 5.187 ounces from Waitahuna ; and six prisoners. "• gold in the north. Mr, Reyman who has been prospecting for Mr. J. Jones in the north, has' just returned with his report which we subjoin; there can be no doubt tbat a five field exists in the direction he has been, but possibly it may take some time to develops. Some regulations should be made encouraging prospecting, and doubtless, many experienced miners would disperse themselves over the country, and new fields would be found. Mr. Reyman has brought down half an ounce of fine gold, which he obtained during his tour. He returns at once, with proper equipments, to the gully running into Dunstan creek, where he found the best prospect, The deep holes he could not bottom, owing to the foul air and want of rope. Tn Dunstan gully he and his mates sunk fifty feel>without fiuding a bottom, He will however, direct his attention to the shallow sinking or surfacing. The gully is about two miles long, by a quarter of a mile wide, and he could, wash gold under the soil all over it. Dunstan gully is situated thirty miles from the Lindis, on Mr. Black's ruu. The following is Mr. Reyman's report : — " Duuedin, 12th December, 1861. " Sir, — I am pleased to inform you. that I bave discovered gold to the north of this province, in the Manuherikia valley, but not in paying; quantities at present. I found gold over a large extent of country, and I firmly believe before long I shall discover a good lead, as the country has every appearance of a gold field. I shoald not recommend any one to go there uutil I return. On Monday next I intend to.retuvn north with tools and provisions, and in three or four weeks I will send you the gold, and let you know what a man can eafn per day. I left Dunedin on the 30th Sept., and prospected for six or seven miles round Wailcouaiti, but found ho ; gold. I then pushed on to the Dunstan mountains. In a large gully running to the Dunstan creek, I sunk one hole \i feet, and got a half pennyweight off the bottom. .holes further down gave the same result. I then went a mile and a half further down, sinking, two feet, and on a false bottom fouud two feet of wash dirt, yielding about the same result of gold. Under that is hard cemented gravel. We sunk 50 feet and found no bottom ; it was dry. We then tried the false bottom in 'tweuty. places ; all gave the same results. I should say they would go 1£ dwts. the load. I have scut you half an. ounce for a sample ; it is fine gold, waterwom ; there is pleuty of water, no wood, only firewood, and plenty of coal. We could not get provisions there ; we were three days without food; we made to a Mr. Black's station, hut that gentleman's servants had received orders not to let us have anything to eat, so we remained without food for two more days, although we had had nothing but grass ropts for three days previously, aod -offered to pay for what they would give us. He did not vvaut gold diggers, there. You will see prospecting is no joke in New Zealand. I remain, your obedient servant, A. G. Reyman. J. Jones, Esq." " On tlie prinoiple of better late than never, vie ought to be highly gratified that tho Bank of New South Wales has,

at last, consented to give a return of -the amount of Gold remaining on deposit, on aocount of the Government Esoort. It appears tbat the balance on hand from the Waitahuna Gohjl Field, on the 12th December, is 12,325*0z5. 10 dwts., and at the same date from the Tuapeka Gold Field, 34,620 ozs. 18 dwts., making a total the two plaoes of 46,946 ozs. 8 dwts. The amount of gold that has come down by Escort, is 177,624 ozs. so that more than 25 per cent, of the total produce yet remains on, deposit, besides the immense quantity still resting in the hands of the : miners. These figures effectually prove . that {he miners are not working for mere subsistence wages. Here we have an amount of something like. £160,000 accumlated in a few months into the hands of an entirely fresh body of capitalists. This is better thah Viotoria, where the miners have to sell their few pennyweights weekly to purchase the oost of subsistence. The s.s. " Oscar," which sailed yesterday, for Melbourne, took ,9,984 oss." of gold ; the Hydra, also for Melbourne,. takes 250 ozs. 7 dwis.' , - ." The Customs' Duties, received at this port, yesterday, amounted, Jo £732 9s. lid. The-ainount received airing the week ending Deo. 14th exceeds that of the similar period in 1860 By £1,933 2s. The Customs' Duties received at the Port of Dunedin. during the past week ' i are as follows : —

The amount received for the corresponding period in 1860, was £412 15s. Id, We observe that; the hard-labor prisoners are now engaged in widening the line of street round; the beach to the Court-house, and with the material thus obtained, are reclaiming a small portion of the harbor near the. same place. Something like a disturbance took plaoe on Saturday at. Waitahuna. The aooounts that have reached us are conflicting; some speak highly of the conduct of the police, others attribute unnecessary violence to them. It arose out of an attempt to arrest a drunken man, and. whose resistance was more or less abetted by a large crowd. Sergeant-major Bracken, on horseback, .charged the crowd with a drawn sword. ;.We will shortly be in possession of further particulars. We would caution returning diggers against taken gold on which tbe duty has not been paid, tbe consequences of detection are forfeiture of the gold, and a liability to a heavy fine in addition. We. believe that the police have instructions to take the neoessary steps to prevent thesmuggling of gold in Ibis manner; and we must confess that, takiug into consideration the fact that the property of miners is brought down at a great cost, by escort, and kept at the bfcnk free oV charge, we can have no sympathy wi.h those who attempt to evade the payment of export duty. The Southampton took from Melbourne to London 37,078 ounces of gold from New Zealand. This will be a conclusive proof to our English friends, " that the New Zealand bubble has not burst," as the Age ventured to insert in its last extraordinary to England. 1 . 4 Commercial. — The gold exported from this port, from the Ist to -the llth December, amounts to 38,452 ozs; 12 dwts., of which a very considerable portion hasl)een shipped by private hands— principally diggers, more or less successful, who are returning to Victoria to fetch their families, or to spend the Christmas amongst their friends and relations. The general tone of our market is healthy, and there is every reason to anticipate a good beginning of the new year. Business is at present not affected by speculative transactions ; and as the shippers in Melbourne and else- . where must now have to learn properly to : appreciate the commercial wants of this . colony .. and to mako judicious shipments, we may promise for them and for ourselves, a. profitable commerce between the two colonies. We have no alteration of any moment to note as to prices—tobacco, tea, and* breadstuff's exhibit the greatest depreciation. Liquors, in bulk and case, are in brisk demand. We . have • had considerable arrivals of sawn timber, from the northern ports. and from Tasmania. Potatoes are 6carce, but the new crops will soon be ready for delivery from the jiottt ; and Hobart • Town. . : ... .. „, ••' Mention has been made in the Melbourne papers . that great numbers of men have been compelled to work on the roads at gs. per day. . . We, may state that there is... not in the .employ of tho . Government, in. or, .out of town,' .200 men, and these are getting six shillings per diem. The following tables of arrivals and departures > will be interesting :— , ...... Abbivals at the Pout oi?. Dcnepin,. from Ist Jan.. to llth Dec. 1861.

Whence ... •■; Males Females Children Me1b0urne...'....... 12,195 ... 279,...' 184 • Geelong -..^ 141" ... 2 ... 4 Newcastle, N.S.W .. 138 ... 1 ... ,0. . HobartTown...'-*,.... 68 i ... .40 ... 16 Launcesfon '390 ..." 5 ... , ...6,.Sydney 765... 15 ..."15 Leith 89 ... 47 ... ,'4O London 101 ;.. 64 ...• 8L Glasgow 500 ... 330 ... 308 Ports in New Zealand 2,857 .. 318 .. 88 Total A 17,797 IQOI .1 ■ 742 . Departures prom the 4 Port op DuNEbiN, • < from Ist Jan. to 12th Dec. 1861. Destination 1 Males Females Children*-. Melbourne • 3,110 52 22 ' Newcastle ••••■• -•• 88 ' 1 "• •; 0 l ■ ■ Hobart Town 856 • ■: 2 • : • O i •Launceston < 105 ; 0 - 0 -Sydney , ilO I x-^-'-t'-y.'- •;. ,-l?:--London ■ . 24- 11 H Ports in New Zealand 1060 75 57 Total,.. .4,803" IS T*9l

Monday, Dec. 9ch £544 2 2 Tuesday, « lOtb 567 15 4 Wednesday, « 11th... .".. 177 3 5 \ Thursday, " 12tb 50 12 10 Friday, " 13th 543 17 5 . Saturday, « 14th...... 462 6 0 T0ta1.,....; £2,345 17 2