NEW RUSHES.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 685, 9 June 1870, Page 2

NEW RUSHES.

Ahaura, June 8. The election is over, and has resulted in a walk-over for Mr Wilkie. That gentleman addressed the electors at Pinkerton's Hotel on Thursday evening last, and again at Napoleon on the following evening. On both occasions the electors mustered in large numbers, and the candidate was well received, and resolutions in his favor were carried almost unanimously. It was said that a reaction had set in at Napoleon in favor, of. Mr Franklyn, in consequence of some offensive expressions alleged to have been used by one of Mr Wilkie's supporters, reflecting on the nationality of an important section of the constituency. I have taken some trouble to trace this matter to its source, and I find that if the words complained of were used at all, they were uttered by a strong supporter of Mr Franklyn, who, on being charged with the fact, said that he attributed the language objected to, to Mr Wilkie's supporter, on the principle that every stratagem is fair in love, war, and at election times. It is to be hoped that this matter will be allowed to drop ; it has caused a considerable amount of irritation already. The rumor of a rush up the Ahaura river has been set afloat again. Some of the members of Messrs Taylor and Hammill's party have visited town, and it was reported that they intended to apply for a prospecting claim. There is no foundation for this statement. Taylor's party have been prospecting up the river for nine months, and during last summer they found gold in soveral places, but not in sufficient quantities to pay. At one place, where the prospects "were rather better than the average, they tried a second time. Although the ground would scarcely pay wages, they thought

it be&t to set into it for the winter, and then renew their prospecting operations in the spring. I mention this in justice to Taylor's party. They might be blamed for caujjijiig a rush, but they have never made a'statement, as far as I have heard, which could in any manner be construed into an intention of doing so. A party of six men have applied at the Ahaura Camp for protection for a prospecting area for a quartz reef at Murray's Creek, a tributary of the Inangahua. They have not found payable stone yet ; but the indications are so good, that they i intend erecting a waterwheel and machinery for the purpose of giving it a fair trial. They applied at the same time for registration? of a water right, to enable 1 them to procure water to drive the wheel. There has been so many reports of the discovery of auriferous reefs in this locality for some time, none of them resulting in anything, that I do not pay much attention to them now. A good reef must exist somewhere in the locality in question, because in Murray's, Soldier's, Nathan's, and other creeks running into the Inangahua— that is the right-hand branch of the river— quartz boulders have repeatedly been picked up containing very rich gold. More than four years ago I, myself, saw a specimen the size of a man's head, which was found at Murray's Creek, and on being broken up, it yielded I4oz of gold. The rush near the Cemetery at Napoleon is not turning out according to expectation, but it is almost too soon to give a decided opinion on it yet ; it will be a month or two before it will be fully proved. : Another claim has struck gold at Half" ounce; the prospects are good. The fact of this claim has found payable washdirt gives the place an appearance of stability, for it proves the lead to be continuous. Londahl and party's race at the creek now contains a sufficient quantity of water to supply the requirements of every claim on the lead. Nelson Creek still supports a fair population. The deep lead, is beginning to attract attention again. I have been informed that Clanghessy and party have driven into the lead at nearly 1500 feet from the face. All the claims above - Hayward's are now on gold. The Prince Alfred Water-race Company at Upper Creek have had a remarkably good washing up ; an average of over LlO per man a week for the time they were sluicing. A most important mining case, from the Deep Lead, will be decided by the Warden and assessors at Camptown on next Court day. It ia the first ease tried by a special jury up. the river, and the decision will involve a large amount of mining property. The several waterraces which are being brought to the lower level at Try-again are getting on well. Letcher's race and Palmer and party's race will be among the first to be finished. The large water-race is getting on as well as can be expected, but the late bad weather has retarded their operations. A rush has taken place this week to a terrace at Big Bill's Gully at No Town. Big Bill's Creek runs into the main creek, just above Paddy's, but on the opposite side. The terrace that has been rushed is situated immediately over the Waterwheel Co.'s old claim, in which such an immense amount of work had been done two years ago. The ground is reported payable, . and three claims are on gold. The road to No Town and especially that to Paddy's Gully has disappeared from the face of the earth, as far as the possibility of recognising theiexistence at any previous time of a track is concerned. Three awfully sudden deaths have occurred through drowning on this track lately. One was a valuable horse owned by Mr Walker, and the other two, a nice little bob-tailed cob and a mare, the property of Mrßidgood.