RUMOURED DISCOVERY OF A LARGE NUGGET.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVII, Issue 1823, 29 January 1863, Page 3

RUMOURED DISCOVERY OF A LARGE NUGGET.

THE INCOMING ESCORT. The following information from the Dunstan j News of January 20th, was published from . I this office yesterday in the form of au Extraordinary: — Discovery op a Nugget of 20lbs weight. — We are informed on reliable authority that a nugget of about the above weight has been found iv the vicinity- of the Dunstan. Our informant had the nugget in his hands, and described it as being perfectly pure, free from quartz or ironstone, and of a bright oolor He states that the lucky owner had not had it weighed, feat ful that by doing so he would be marked and watched. His mates* are at Fox's, ai.d he arrived at the Dunstan yesterday forthe purpose of proceeding thither to bring; them back. The exact locality ofthe discovery is at present unknown, but it is conjectured that the nugget was found near the sources of the Ma oor Burn. We trust to be in a position to give our readers tull particulars in our, next issue ; meantime we may add that the fact of the discovery of this large nugget is undoubted. The Esoobt. — The amount of gold deposited for transmission by escort to-morrow is 7,730 ozs. Tbe amount forwarded from the Lake Distriot M'Kellars, Popotuna, and the Molyneux Ferry to Dunedin, is expected to exceed 20,000 ozs. We are|«iveu to understand that a temporary -..Iteration of the escort service will take place di-iri_.<e the next fntnigbt. The escort from tho Diuisiaii will most probably proceed via Waikouaiti, while tbe escort from the Lake district will join that from Tuapeka, at Tokomairiro. This arrangement, it is believed, wiil continue until the road along the back of the Molyneux is rendered passable. Fall or the Rives.— We observe that the river is falling rapidly, and the numerous beaches and choice spots are beginning tp become visible lo the loogiug eyes ofthe miners. Although we cannot state authorativeiy that the fall has permanently set in, still the river is low enough now to admit of the higher beaches being worked, and those who have valuable claims would do well to be in the neighbourhood if they wish to secure them.— Dunstan Neivs. Qoabtz Gold. — We were yesterday favored with the view of a splendid sample of quartz gold, procured fromthe Moa Creek. It was obtained in eight feet sinking. In appearance it is a flat, oval stone, very much water worn, in fact, quite smooth, and tne gold runs through, it in veins. Its weight is four ounces.—Ztynstan News. The Daily Times of the 23rd, inst says: — Cobb and Co.'s coacb, which left the Dunstan at four o'clock yesterday morning, . arrived at twenty minutes after twelve last night. We did not receive a letter from our correspondent, but from Mr J. Mills who came down, vte obtained the following information:— -The rush to the head of the Lakes was not turning out very well but a new rush was confidently talked of on Wednesday night, as having taken place to a spot, four miles from Fox's, and nearer the • Molyneux. There were still fresh reports of many splendid finds ; and of course the account which we publish elsewhere of the nugget is confirmed. The dinner to His Honor the Superintendent took place on Wednesday evening, at Kilgour's Union Hotel. About 60 sat down, Mr G, Brodie presiding; and the affair passed off most successfully, Major Bichardson being exceedingly well received. The new gold fields in the lake country are very productive, the Times of the 21st inst* thus summarises the first despatch of their special cerrespondent there, written from tbe Arrow Township on the 18th inst. In another column we present our readers witb the first despatch from our special correspondent at tbe Lake District. Written on Sunday, tbe communication reached us last night, and we are thus enabled to anticipate tbe arrival of the escort by some days. The escort on the Arrow Township closed with . 12,000 onnces. The quantity from the town .at the foot of the Lake was not known. After the escort left the Arrow, a considerable qaantity was brought in, including one parcel of seventy one pounds weight. The success ' which must be attending the efforts of the miners on the Lake gold field is something extraordinary. In the early days of a new gold field but a small proportion of the produce is disposed of. Tbis must be especially the case with a field so widely dispersed and so difficult to traverse as that of the LakeDistrict. The news from our Dunstan correspondent confirms tbe richness of that part of the country, and as the river has now fallen, we may expect to find the temporarily eclipsed glories ofthe D,unstan shine out brighter than ever.