MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 347, 18 December 1868, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS.

One of the largest nuggets that has been exhibited in Melbourne for some time was shown in the window of Messrs. W. 11. Cropper, and Co., of Collins-street west, on the 28th ult. The nugget was flat, weighed two hundred and eighty-six ounces, and is valued at LI 100. It was purchased by the agent of the bank of New South Wales, at the new rush at Berlin, Victoria, ten miles from Kingower, and was obtained in five feet sinking one morning before breakfast, by a man said to be a shepherd. The Berlin rush is turning out very well in the matter of nuggets. The Bank previously mentioned has purchased, besides the two hundred and eighty-six ounce lump one thousand five hundred ounces of gold, all more or less of a heavy descriptions.

The last overland escort from Gipps Land brought down eight thousand ounces of gold. Of that amount the Crooked River District furnished two thousand three hundred ounces, and two thousand ounces were sent from Stringer’s Creek. The goldfields lately discovered in South Australia do not promise to be either large or permanent, and the miners employed are suffering great inconvenience from want of water. A twe've-ounce nugget has been found at the Jupiter Diggings. A great number of those who were attracted to the goldfields by the favorable reports circulated have returned to their former occupations. The gold is reported to he of a low quality. The Tasmanian Government have notified that they will pay the following scale of rewards for the discovery of a profitable goldfield in Tasmania, namely: for a goldfield yielding one hundred ounces weekly, £2,000 for one yielding one hundred and fifty ounces weekly, L 3.000, for one yielding two hundre \ ounces weekly, L 4.000 for one yifdding three hundred ounces weekly, and L6,0C0 for one yielding four hundred ounces weekly

Mr. W. Rasche, civil engineer, of Richmond, has (says the “Argus”) constructed, upon his own patent, a compact and effective battery for quartz-crushing. To miners the principal charm of the machine will be its portability, simplicity of arrangement, and the small trouble necessary to obtain a foundation and put the stampers in motion. These peculiarities will render it invaluable for testing newly opened reefs, and its commendation will be completed when it is added that this battery is sai 1 to be capable of doing two or throe times as much work as one of the ordinary kind with the same number of stampers. The cost of this battery is so small that it wi.l enable men of limited means to crush their quartz themselves; and since the engine stands on the same foundation a great saving must be effected in the matter of setting up and fixing. All that is required is a firm standing place of four feet square for the engine and battery, and a setting for the boiler of seven and a half feet long by four feet in diameter. Those secured, and crushing may be begun at once, without waiting for buildings or sheds to be put up. A number of gentlemen interested in mining operations have seen Mr. Rasche’s battery at work, and expressed groat satisfaltion with its performances. There are no fewer than four cloth factories at full work in New South Wales, and a fifth one in course of erection. Over six thousand yards of cloth are turned out by these factories weekly.

By the Kate Grant, schooner, which arrived at Auckland, we learn that a discovery of gold has been made at Raya, one of the Society Is'ands. A number of Europeans are on the diggings, and, it issaid, are doing well. One person found a nugget of solid gold which weighed nearly one pound. It is also stated that coal has been found at the Society Group.