UP-RIVER DIGGINGS,

Grey River Argus, Volume VIII, Issue 528, 5 June 1869, Page 2

UP-RIVER DIGGINGS.

(FROM OTJR OWN QORRJESBCINDBNT.) Ahaura, May 31. . I have aga;n to address you concerning the important diggings in the Napoleon* ! district after a comparative silence — a, | silence not caused by any decrease in magnitude of the workings, but rather from, •an opposite, cause. I have had nothing | specially to report about the diggings; mentioned in previous reports, and as. several new rushes had broken out in the, : interim I have thought it advisable to. give, time sufficient to judge as to their future. [ development before passing an- opinion; upon them ; although in. each instance a. large number of men appeared upon the ground, a few weeks have tested them ta an extent to enable me to characterise each of them as small rushes, capable of supporting twenty to thirty men. To commence with the first mentioned, that tat Mosquito Gully, at first supposed almost to rival that of Napoleon Terrace, it has subsided into a diggings employing about forty men, chiefly working by means of tunnels driven in the terrace at the. head of the creek. The whole of these are making fair wages, but no more,, the most successful^ I believe, being Houston, and party, Trepean and party, and a few others. The ground has beeji pretty fairly tested,, and I do not think it likely to increase in importance or number of miners. Of course, I give this merely as, a passing opinion, a# several men are stil\ busy prospecting, and I hope that some of them may cause me to ajter my ideas,, Next comes the rush to the ranges between. Rowdy and Half-ounce Gullies, to which several hundred men were also at first attracted, but which has settled down to. eight or nine bonajide claims, employing about thirty men. The diggings here are very similar to those of Orwell Creek and Topsy Gully, being mainly situated high up the range. I first visited the claim of the prospectors, Wilson and party, who, have driven a tunnel about 70. feet inioi the hill. For about 12 feet at the commencement they obtained payable gold, averaging about 4grs. to the dish through about 2 feet of washdirt. A layer of duffer stuff then intervened for about 30 feet, when they again struck good, wash, which seems to. continue, to the boundary of their claim right into the centre of the hill. Walsh and party have struck the same lead, and others where names I could not ascertain. Burns and party, ! who are also re- working the bed of Rowdy Creek, have taken up the last claim at present worked on the lead, and have every hope of being similarly successful. They have a tunnel in about 100 feet. This party is fortunate enough to possess a race commanding the ground, its aid being the only means at present available to enable the other parties to wash the dirt with, and as I have not the slightest doubt of the ultimate success of the workings, the race promises to become a highly remunerative speculation for them. I may mention that I saw a couple of miners formerly employed at Orwell Creek try the first dish from a small hole in the very surface of the range, from which they obtained about 4grs. of gold thickly interspersed with black specks, which, althoiuh undoubtedly the real thing, looked like anything but the precious metal. To show that the permanency of the diggings is not badly thought of in the neighborhood, Mr William Lonargan has his store from Canadian Creek to a point immediately underneath the new diggings, which are almost directly opposite the race and claim of Graham and party. This party are also actively employed, one division of them using the race near to Mr Lonargan's store, and another lower down . in the neighborhood of Murray and party's race. Several fresh parties have set in at Half-ounce Creek, in the direction of Canadian Gully. At the last-named place but two or three parties are now at "work, and it presents a rather deserted appearance. A rush also took place to Barnacle's Gully, off Noble's Creek, which, may be briefly described as sufficient to employ half-a-dozen men. Another rush occurred at the head of the first right-hand branch of Noble's, near to where one took place a couple of months ago, which did not turn out much. Many claims are pegged out, but I shall reserve any opinion about it at present ; suffice to say, that, taking previous experience into consideration, I advise miners to leave it alone until fairly tried. Several fresh parties are working lower down the creek, in the bed of -which Brannigan and party are busily engaged seeking for a second time its auriferous deposits. At Duffer's Gully matters remain much about the same. Buckley and party, Baybutt and party, Nicol and party, and about twenty more appearing to find payable employment at his head ; and Corcoran and party, M'Mahon and party, and Doolan and party being engaged lower down, sluicing with their respective waterraces. That of M'Mahon and mates, who are engaged in re-working the bed of the creek, I am informed will be a long and profitable speculation. I had forgotten to mention, in connection with Half-ounce and Canadian Creeks, that Mr Wm. Lonargan had, at his own expense, formed a really first-rate track up

the bed of the creek, a convenience much needed, and in conjunction with Mr A. Lardi's track, as at present repaired, forming a really good road from Totara Flat to Napoleon Terrace. 1 saw a party from Teviot Gully who informs me that there is no alteration to notice ; Ryan and party sluicing with their raco, and about a dozen others working on the terrace. At Noble's old townahip the sluicing operations of the races lately opened have changed the bed of the creek, sending the main force of the current directly towards tho stores. Unless something is done to avert the evil, I fear that the next large flood that may occur, will cause serious destruction to the buildings of this township. Going towards Napoleon from this place, I noticed Kennedy and party, and Martin and party bu3ily washing away the terraces, and higher up Manuel and party are engaged prep«iring to erect a flaming to cross the main creek, to enable them to use their race, formerly belonging to the Canadian party, on the opposite terraces. This will be an expensive undertaking, and will require a fl inning of at least 300 feet long, and possibly 100 feet high. Many other parties are engaged between this place and Wellington Terrace, but their mode of working calls for no especial notice. The track between the two places have been much affected by the late heavy rains, and I am pleased to be able to record that Mr M'Loughlin, the proprietor, has taken prompt measures to put it again in good order. I consider it a scandal to the business people of the lower part of this district that, instead of aiding as much as possible anyone like Mr M'Loughlin, who has enterprise enough to form horse tracks through an almost unexplored district, they have compelled him in self-defence to erect a toll-bar to prevent the constant evasion of payment of toll. At Wellington Lead nothing fresh is to be said, the claims being fully at work in every direction, and with results which appear to satisfy the holders. Mr Geo. Walsh still deals out the necessaries of life here, but Mr Fallan has. removed his butchery to the new Camp Township. Along the main Napoleon Lead, matters look prosperous, beyond my last expectations. It is needless to particularise the various claims, but I am truly glad to be able to give a criterion of the value of the lead, by informing you that several shares have changed hands at prices varying from £100 to £150. The Hill township presents a very animated appearance at present, but I fear that much of its glory will be shorn when the new, and I may gay unexpected, Camp Township is finished. I will give you a description of this new place in a future letter, but may state that it is placed in a much more suitable position than the other, and was the place selected by Mr Lowe on which to erect the camp. New buildings are now going up on all sides and anent these, and tho granting of lioenses for the sale of liquor to them, I desire to address a few words to the authorities, and earnestly implore them in the name of justice to the hard-working miner, to show some slight adherence to the provisions of the law concerning them. Why vice of the worst Bort — vice that would be speedily suppressed in any other portion of the British dominions, should be allowed to reign unchecked in what are known as digging town3hips, I could never thoroughly understand, but surely lax, as our officials may be in such matters, they ought to recognise some extreme limit, and take measures accordingly. The Licensing Act expressly stipulates that the holders of licenses should be persons of good character, also that they shall keep houses capable of supplying a certain amount of accommodation for travellers, and not merely for the sale of intoxicating liquors. How this law is observed on these diggings, which certainly excel in immorality any others I have seen up the river, 1 will inform you. With the exception of two or three licensed houses which possess sleeping accommodation, generally fully occupied by regular customers, the whole of the licensed houses of this diggings (and their name is legion) can offer nothing to comfort the weary traveller but the liquid poison they retail. As a camp is to be stationed here I trust that this crying evil will be looked into, as also that something approaching common decency will be enforced in places well known to those in charge of the district, where scenes may commonly be witnessed that would shame the worst brothel of a large town. In mentioning the new camp, I desire to protest against the petty, miserly policy of the Nelson Government in placing only one man, and that man Sergeant Walsh, against whom the same complaint was made at Nelson Creek, in charge ( f over 1000 souls. As a natural consequence of this inadequacy of protection, scenes of violence and disorder are common ; and if any argument is used by the Separationists this neglect of polioe supervision is sure to be the strongest one. My letter is getting rather long, so I shall revert to this subject on another occasion. As regards the rest of the townships, I may say that a lawsuit is likely to arise out of the last survey of two of the leading claims by Government officials. I had intended to say a few words about the New Ahaura, but it will be sufficient at present to say that it is the finest township up the Grey, and the new tramway formed by Mr H. B. Burton will give it, to use a Yankee phrase, a "go-a-head" appearance. I cannot conclude without noticing, firstly, the meetings that have been held up this river in connection with the Separation movement, as also a pleasing ceremony which took place in honor of one of its opponents. The mission of "The Maori I have previously noticed, and ragret to have .to acknowledge that though tie intentions of his employers were well known by the miners of this district to be opposed to their own personal interests, in an ignorant, "devil-may-care" style they signed his paper. Secondly, came Mr J. Payne, to show what sugar plumbs you Greymouth gentlemen would give us if we were good boys. Messrs Steele and Langdon came next, and though possibly not such eloquent orators as their predecessors, their cause was sufficient to carry our voices with them. The ceremony 1 allude to was the presentation of an address — in connection with a more substantial testimonial of a purse of LIOO to our late worthy and highly respected Warden G. W. W. Lightband, Esq. The presentation took place at Camptown, Mr G. Muir in the chair, when Mr John Dick read the address, which was beautifully framed and illuminated, and will be a handsome memento of the regret felt throughout this district for the loss of Mr Lightband's services.

Mr Dick, after reading the address made a few pertinent remarks as to the interest invariably evinced by Mr Lightband in anymatter conducing to the welfare of the district, and to the appreciation of his laboi's by the whole of the miners, of which the large assemblage present were merely representatives, and he tiiisted that as the district was gradually being proved to be superior to other more favored ones, ' as regarded magisterial supervision, that we might yet have the pleasure of welcoming Mr Lightband back to his old scene of labor, which he had done so much to devolope, and from which in fairness he never should have been removed. These remarks were ably seconded by Mr John Watkins ; and after a vote of thanks to the Chairman, the meeting separated.