THE WEST COAST GOLD FIELDS.

Evening Post, Issue 218, 23 November 1865, Page 3

THE WEST COAST GOLD FIELDS.

The Nelson Examiner of Tuesday last contains the following :— The arrival of the steamer Kennedy from Hokitika, on Saturday, with only 1,250 ounces of gold, would lead to the supposition, unless some explanation were given, that there was a Hiulden and great falling off in the supply of gold obtained at these diggings. There is no reason, however, for such a belief. On the contrary, private letters as well as the public journals speak of the general thriving character ot the West Coast goldfield, which, as we shall presently show, is rapidly extending itself. The immediate cause of so little gold being shipped, was the wretched character of the weather, which for a succession of six days prevented the Kennedy from landing her cargo, and afterwards from Itaving the river through the heavy flood which swept out of it. In a country destitute of roads, and with numerous unbridged rivers,intercourse between places a few miles apart is more dependent on the weather than is generally imagined. The heavy rains which have lately fallen on the West Coast, added to the snow they have brought off the ranges) have given deep bars to all the West Coast rivers, and as will be seen by our correspondent's letter, and by extracts from the "West Coast papers, at Hokitika as well as at the Grey, the number of vessels in port ¦was considerable. When the Kennedy left, on Friday morning last, there were nearly fifty craft oi one kind or another in Hokitika river. Our correspondent spehks of the highly important discovery, -a few miles to the southward of Bruce Bay, of a safe harbour. This may be too remote from Hokitika to be of material benefit to the diggers in its neighbourhood ; but it may become of immense value as a port from which diggers may be supplied who are working in its town neighbourhood, or still further South, and miM give great additional value to the adjoining country. Captain Hepburn, of the William Miskin, reported, a few weeks ago, when landing passengers at Bruce Bay, and driven to the southward during the night, that he saw what looked like a well sheltered harbour, at the spot where such harbour is now found to exist. There is no direct news from the Grey, the Wallaby not having returned, but it is hourly expected. By way of Hokitika there are excellent accounts of the gold prospects of that district, and a rumour of a considerable rush to the Buller, for which it is said several hundred miners have already started. Before Thursday we shall no doubt be in receipt of fuller information. Should the Buller become the centre of a large digging population, Westport would be accessible to a class of vessels which can never look at Hokitika or the Grey. The depth of water is greater on the bar, the entrance to the river undergoes little change, and is sheltered from the prevailing south-west winds and swell. Captain Whitwell has more than once entered and left the Buller in the Wallaby in the middle of ft dark night, sounding as he •went — what no man would undertake to do at the other harbours named. But the opinion we have often expressed, that these diggings would extend this summer far into the Nelson province, is further likely to be verified. A party of men who formerly worked in the Karaniea, a river about twenty miles below Rock's Point, have determined to return there to prospect, and hare arranged to be landed in the Karamea, by the Kennedy, which leaves for hokitika to-morrow morning. We may reasonbly suppose that these men, having gathered fuTther experience of the West Coast, by returning to prospect the Karamea, consider it has attractions that will recompense them for their trouble. We shall be happy to hear of thir success.