TASMANIA.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 659, 9 April 1870, Page 4

TASMANIA.

[CORNWALL CHRONICLE.] THE DEN. . A party of gentlemen . visited the Den diggings, and report very favorably of the work done on the company's ground. The shaft is now down 57 feet, and Mr Stewart intends to go to a depth of 64 feet, when a drive will be put into the eastward, through which he hopes to reach the reef. On Mr Douglas' reef, which adjoins the prospector's; an alluvial deposit has been come upon, which has been tested and has given the color of gold in every dishful of stuff washed.: The depth of the wash is not yet known, but the ground will be thoroughly examined, • and •we shall no doubt hear more respecting it. ... piper's river. Several parties have returned from the Piper, and report very favorably upon the progress being made there. The puddling' machine of the Back Creek Alluvial Company is completed^ and was started at noon on Saturday in presence of a considerable number of visitors, including several ladies. The pumps were found "to work rather stiffly, and one or two other matters require attention before the machine will act perfectly ; but these will all be rectified and work fairly started by Monday morning.; : Mr Win. Ritchie was on the ground, and will remain possibly . until .to-morrow. He •Will, in v all likelihood, bring ; down tlie result of the -first washing. Mr t)owlin, who has returned from the Piper, informs •us- 'that- the stuff machined on Saturday looked very rich, and that gold was quite visible, in. the sludge at the bottom of the machine. • .' . ' ■. : ; The ' ( La Mer" Company is progressing favorably. Originally comprising six promoters, it has been deemed ; advisable to enlarge the capital by admitting- six others, and the additional shai'es have all ' been taken up: During the past week work has been discontinued at the shaft, owing tothe want ; of proper appliances, but the necessary mining • arid water buckets, rope, windlass, tools, &c, have been obtained, and are to be forwarded to the Piper, so that operations will now be pushed forward/... Mr.W.J. Nprwoodhaa been appointed manager pro tern., and it was resolved to test the ground thoroughly for a deep lead which it is believed will be fjbund running through it. • - : - • •• : -... TINGAL. ..'". .. ' j Mr Gqodall returned from Melbourne, j -after seeing the.balanceof the machinery .wquired for .the Tower Hill Quartz Crushing "Company safely shipped on board the brig Mercury. That vessel: arrived on Saturday, and no time will bo lost- in forwarding the machinery to Fingal. . ; ;. , : new discovery; " '• ••■'■■ : A new , discovery of an alluvial gold: field has been made by Mr O. H. Lamp- : son and- others. . The. locality is. a,bout.2o : miles from'Lannceston,' but we have -been, unable to ascertain particulars, beyond; . the. fact that several dishes of stuff have been washed, which yielded good prospects. ••■■-■ t^E ISLANDS. IN. THE STRAITS.- ; Public attention is being attracted by -the- prospects Qf rich mineral, deposits ;existing on the islands in the Straits, arid a company has, wie understand, ; beenj formed.for the purpose of sending out a well-equipped: exploring party : to make Bearch. Placards were 1 posted a few days : ago calling for men to: join' the party, ap{ - plication to be made at the; Court Hous^ Hotel ; but on several applying no one there knew anything about the matter; and a good deal of annoyance was occajsicjned.- ;It is, .-however^ a fiict s that snclk a party""will Be"wanted, : although severaj •c^mplications:;have arisen .between the injtendingprospeciors'and'tiie'lessees of the Jslands.;. but these w^llno doubt be amic}ably settled, and the enterprise will g6 on. One of the- lessees, has. already conceded, what the company df sire, 'on p, royalty of 30 pcr r ,centvand'the others wjll no doubt f olid vr suit. • • ■ ■ • -prospects arff represented as highly .favorable. Gold is believed to exist op iiejarly .all : the islands, and -pn Sister*^ Island, lying to the north of Flinders Island, two considerable quartz reefs aije. known to exist, which have not been eve a examined. "•: On 'Clarke's/ Island, *n,jclos c proximity i: tp_ ' Cape" Portland, '^yqjriov s minerals have been "found, Including ant - mpny, ; : "and a"; gentleman, galled on- \is a day or two back, arid showed us" S riiagn .- £cent Bpeciiriien broken out of granite found on. the san c islaM/ 'WereferrediriburlastHo a diicovery of asphaltum, and a large samp c of -this stuff was shown us by the sane, party. It was taken from a thin sean^ * which- crops:«nit< -of -ithe sea at-Hummpc k •Island, ; riearFimdfer*s Isiandi-This-is a sort of mineral resin, which is highly ii iflammable, and burns with much smol :e and a strong flame. The seam from whi< h the;Bample: allnded to was taken is n)t very thick, but "the presence of such a substance renders it probable that minei a] oil springs m&y be found in the n'e^ghbc r--hood. We.are told., tlie .same .subs.^an:e has been found in considerable blocks < m : Xipg-'a Island. •• The; brilliants found <>n 'Eliider's |s|and| Be|t^ri known as Fliader's Island diamohas^hav'e long be sc .held in high estimatiop, aiid,wQuld. alo le pay fPr looking ter.. • "-W.e 'saw. a splendid topaz, found at Cape Barren, and we understand that rubies have been found in the same locality. From what is known of the Islands, we believe they .are weir worth a searching examination, and we trust this will be carried out.