THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

Evening Post, Issue 212, 12 October 1865, Page 2

THE WEST COAST GOLDFIELDS.

We have received a copy of the Nelson Examiner of Tuesday last, which contains the following: — "A special reporter of the Went Coast Times, writing from Bruce Bay, states that a township is being surveyed and that storekeepers have already established themselves there, and says :— The population I estimate at 140, many of whom are spending their time in washing, resetting their tents, picking cockles at low tide, which are here in great quantities, while others are fowling ; but, although maiiy reports can be heard, in no instance have I seen them return with game. They say that ducks and pigeons are much scarcer than they anticipated. The question now arises, what has justified this large rush of people ? I have been unable to visit the Ninety -mile Beach, as ii is called, but from what I can learn there are about 250 men, besides seventythree horses and eighty-two pedestrians that came overland. On the night of Sunday, the Ist inst, the heary tain which fell caused a great flood in the Hokitika. The Leonidas, \rhidi had been launched from the spit, and was at anchor in the river, was swept away by the flood and carried on to the islands at the mouth of the river, but she was subsequently got afloat a second time. Before the week had half expired the flood had cut for itself a straight channel to sea, and so good had this become by Friday that seventeen vessels were able to enter the river on that day, only one ef which suffered any disaster, the Maria— a threemasted schooner from Melbourne, whiclu being the last of the fleet, went on shore. The arrival of such a large number of vessels, many of them being from Melbourne and Sydney, must operate considerably on the market. The Omeo, which had been ten days off the port, with 450 tons of cargo, had only succeeded in landing twenty-for tons, as the Yarra, whose services to lighter her had ben calculated on, had been wrecked. The wreck of the tug steamer Samson has been sold for £224 ss. The flood spoken of above cut through the spit, directly under the bows of the wreck, slewed her head to sea, and finally washed her afloat, only, however, to be caßt aground again between the Mount

Alexander and John Bullock. When the cargo of this latter vessel came to be dischar-ge-1, it was found that it had sustained little or no damage. The schooner Dolphin has been placed on ways, and will be launched into the river.