QUEENSLAND.

Grey River Argus, Volume VII, Issue 518, 13 May 1869, Page 4

QUEENSLAND.

(From the Oympk Time*,) The continued inclement weather is much against the progress of mining operations, and ao many claims are registered and oat of work thai there is very little to be noted just now in the nhape of news. There is reason for believing that a considerable number of miners have, during the past month, made tracka in the direction of the Cape "River diggings, and some of them bound for the still more distant Gilbert Ranges. At this particular time of the yea*, such an exodus inthatdirection might have been expected, as reports have been coming to hand, through the press and by private letters, lend a favorable aspect to the prospeota of our northernmost gold fields ; added to this are the predictions of that eminent geologist, the Rev, W, B, Clarke, in relation to the auriferous ohararter of the Adjacent country known as the Valley of the Lagoons. It will be seen, from an extract in another column, that rich ground has been found on the Oloncurry, a western tributary of the Flinders, which falls into that river by several branches, between 19 and 30 degrees south. The alluvial workings, near the briokyards on the Maryborough road, alluded to in our last, are being pushed on with vigour. The claim in which the moat gold is at present being got is situated at the junction of Relief Gully, running into Chinaman's Gully, from the Lucknow. The party at work there have been obtaining an ounce and an ounce and ahalf of gold daily, and on Thursday found 1^ ounce in one piece. There are two feet of washdirt. Since gold was struck in No. 4 north, Russell's Reef, new shafts have been commenced on the new line, At the St, Kilda also, new shafts. have been commenced in a line with the run of gold. The prospectors of the New Zealand Reef — Mewus Drew and party — have 200 tons of splendid quartz paddocked. They are now working upwards from a 70ft. level, "and putting down a deep shaft. Without wishing to be misunderstood as drawing p invidious inferences or distinctions, we may say it would be well for these diggings if a tithe of the ground taken up heretofore were to be worked with equal skill and unanimity. Two crushiuga have already been obtained ; the quantity reduced has. been 4000 tons, and the yield of gold therefrom upward* 25000z, The stone from No. 1 north — Messrs Munro and party- has been sent to the mill ; the shaft is down 70 feet. In No. 2 north^-Mesßra Couldery and party— the reef is 2ft, 4in, at 70 feet; this claim has been registered for a week, on account of the wet weather. The party working No. 3 north — Messrs M'Male and party— are much troubled with water; the reef was struck, at 23ft., and they cut through it and sunk down to 52ft., but as it appears to be drifting very much to the westward they are about driving on the former level ; fine gold has been obtained in the casing. The other claims to the north are registered. In v No. 1 south-^Messrs O'Donnell, Baxter, party— loo tons of stone containing a quantity of valuable specimens are grassed, and good stone is being brought up ; the phaft is 85 feet deep. In No. 2 south— Messrs David. Poet and party — they are down 100 feet looking for the reef . No. 3 pouth and the other claims in that direction are registered. In No, 9 south, Lady Mary— Messrs Kidman, Gotham, and party — the new Hhait recently commenced, is turning out well } hall a bucket full of stuff taken out at a depth of 12 feet was washed out for a good show and lsoz. of fine gold. In No. 2 north, California, the ground next beyond that claim — Messrs Grice and party-^two.new shafts are going down ; in ope of these the California Reef and in . the othev the Lady Mary has been Btruck near the surface, and good prospects have been obtained from every dishful of casing washed. Gold is visible in the stone taken from the old shaft on the Calif ornian line flince the last crushing, and the shaft on the Alma, which also passes through the Rame ground, is down 17 feet. We learn that a share in this claim was sold in Bris- \ banp fouf months ago for £400. In No. J nprth-N-Mesars Spott, J»iper, Cole- " man. and party— they are driving northwards, following the leader which has proved so rich, and a new shaft is beings put down to catch it, some 30 feet from the old oae. The prospectors — Messrs Ottrey, Hirst, and party— have a good reef, 18 inches thick, at a depth of 14 feet, and are beginning tp get up stone. Washing* from the casing have yielded very fair prospects, In No, 1 south— Messrs Sparka and party-r^rich specimens were taken out from a shaft adjoining the prospectors' boundary, at a depth of only 4 feet. The leader is about 1 foot wide, pud the same as that alluded to in referring to the <slaim No. 1 north. The prospectora have not yet worked on this leader, . though it has been uncovered in several places in their ground. In No, 2 southMessrs Couldery and party *^- good gold has recently been obtained. The next claim is No, 1 north— Messrs M'Cormaok and party-^in this and the prospectors' ground on the latter reef good stone is being paddockpd, It was reported that the Louisa prospecters had come upon a rich find, on the northern boundary of the claim. As to the dther claims on this line there is not at p«went anything important to note. In No, 2 north they are sinking a shaft well to the-west, on the supposed line of another rpef . In No. 6 north gold is, visible on the face of the quartz in the shaft, but the reef is only 1 foot thick. In No. 5 north prospects ape said to be very fair, Good stone is being paddocked in No. 2 north. . Claim No. 1 east (Inglewood)— Messrs Goodworth and party .— is turning out welL Th§ party ars working on a reef known in ,tne locality as the Pendriff. There is a good body of stone, which is expected to prove payable, Seven m§ri have gone to work on the Gympie Central Company's ground on tribute. At Dodd's claim also tributors Are now employed. The shareholders in No, 5 north (Alma) are likely to have a much better crushing than th§y had last time, gold being visible through some of the stone lately grassed at the claim in question. OAPg RIVEB, The Gape River correspondent of the Port Denison Tvmes of the 20th ult. writes : Since my last nothing new has taken place in the alluvial poption of theße diggings, the diggers having hard work to make tucker, However, we are in hopes, pow the most trying season of the year is »11 but over, the diggers will be finding t&gir way to the jQape' to prospect the.

country, and thus open up new ground, of which there are miles of the most likelyloqking country where never a pick or shovel has been used. The rush to Homestead has turned out well so far, but being merely surfacing it will soon work out j the gold got has been of the best kind— ho small dust, all nuggets, averaging from 2to 5 dwts. each, \ saw one lucky digger with U lbs. weight of these, tfnd he inf orniß me that such was the generality of the gold got at those diggings. The reefs are still doing well, especially those at the Upper Cape. Every week some new leader ia being discovered of surpassing richness, but of course it cannot be expected to last long ; they lose the run of the gold, and perhaps are off it for some days, and then strike it again. The reefs at Specimen are likely to be more permanent, being more payable with less likely-looking atone. One reef sent two loads to the machine, were no gold could be seen by the naked eye pr with the glass, and yet it yielded 3oz. 9dwt. to the load, which may be considered payable. Other claims are sending stone for testing with the like results, As soon as the large crushing machine is at work we may expect some good yields. At the. Mount Davenport reef they are working hard, and as soon as the crushing machine arrives that district will doubtless turn out Al, but at the present time nothing can be said to be certain. There is a rumor that the energetic proprietors have themselves sent to Sydney for a machine, 'which, if true, will prove of the greatest use to that particular district.