THE LITTLE GREY DISTRICT,

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 845, 12 April 1871, Page 2

THE LITTLE GREY DISTRICT,

[from a correspondent.] Ahaura, April 10. Having just concluded a tour, made at intervals, throughout the farms and diggings of the Little Grey District, 1 am able to lay before your readers some account of the doings in that remote region. To commence with the township at the junction of the Mawheraiti and Grey rivers I may state that its appearance to-day, compared* with only a short two years ago, would convince the most sceptical as to the natural resources and onward progress of the Grey Valley District. At that time consisting of a few calico buildings erected in the most primiive style, side by side along the bank of the river, and closely environed by a dense flax bush, the visitor of to-day can see a number of substantially -built timber hotels and stores, of which the Ahaura township need not be ashamed, and better still, each surrounded by land in splendid cultivation, amounting in the aggregate to hundreds of acres. Notably amongst these are the hotels of Messrs Bannon and Campbell, M'lnroe, and O'Malley Bros. The latest named firm have not only erected a hotel equal in appearance to any up the river, but have cleared and planted nearly one hundred acres of land, and are now, I believe, erecting a corn-mill to supply the eventual wants of the result of . their own arid neighbors' enterprise. Mr Reid, whose energy arid speculation in aught connected with the development of the dormant resources of the Upper Grey is well known and appreciated, has a station on the Hickaraatoua Plains, about two miles from the township, and has now about eighty acres of land under crop. Mr James Ferguson has also a really pretty place, the nucleus of a large homestead, about a mile nearer to the river's edge. This gentleman, in conjunction with his partner, Mr Alexander M'Hardy, has now possession of the station and run formerly known as Wood's, and it is only due to them to state the, difference in appearance the place presents as compared with its management under the old regime. . Instead of the well-remembered old homestead, not unlike a Maori whare, a new and handsome house has been built, surrounded by large and commodious out-buildings, barns, and stables, and the greater part of the extensive flat adjacent to the house, formerly untouched, neglected, uncared for, is now in cultivation. T had the pleasure of witnessing the harvest home of cart after cart of grain in fine condition. A large mob of cattle and sheep are being fat-., tened on the run, and this as other Jj^a^es in the district warrant ths-^ftelief that they but briefly ap&icipate the period when the majority^of the population will lay down the dsingerous and precarious profession of jaining for gold to follow surer antLtfiore peaceful gold fields behind thßjjkffigh. x-^^n reference to gold digging up the Little Grey, owing to the unprecedented snell of duy wea.tliec which prevailed during *.\ie earlier part of my visit, affairs were almost at a standstill. 1 remember being baileu up a t Moonlight Creek some two years ago, during a heavy flood which lasted over a week: Meeting a wellknown votary of Bacchus outa\ ,j e ono o f the shanties, I enquired how hb -^as getting on, he pathetically, and 1 belie «•«» unknowingly, used a line from the " Ancient Mariner" in answer — Water ! water ! everywhere ! but not a drop to drink. , -•■ . . Unfortunately, throughout this district, an opposite state of affairs is absolutely necessary to secure the -wherewithal to supply alcoholic stimulants, and the consequence has been, not only a dearth of excitement about the townships during the recent holiday time, but also a proportionate decrease in the. numb'er'of pleasure-seeking visitors from this part to the races at the Ahaura and Greymouth. The change in the weather during the last two or thrte weeks has altered matters a little for the better, and from the stacks of washdirt I observed in nearly every creek, I have no doubt a sensible alteration for the better will be shown in the gold receipts from this locality. The first workings approached from the junction are situate in Mossy Creek, a tributary of the Snowy.River. "This creek, formerly employing a fair population, is now its neighbors, the Snowy, only occupied by some three or four parties. The stripping is shallow, rarely exceeding three or four feet, and although the ground is generally reckoned poor, I yet believe that we shall see a return to something like the old population. A road from the Snowy, joined by one recently cut from Ferguson and M 'Hardy's station, is used to convey provisions from the junction to the Blackwater diggings, and those in the lower part of the Big river. This passes by the flat in which Sydney Dave's store formerly stood, within a mile of which are the two branches of old . Red Jack's, now occupied by about 16 men. A few diggers, principally hatters, i are also working in the small creeks running behind the old store. Up the Blackwater Creek about 40 men are engaged, about half that number being newcomers, attracted here by the report of a rush to the terrace behind the site on which the township stood in the creek's palmier days. This was caused by the rumor that Cumberland Jack and party had struck gold in a tunnel above M'Corinick's claim, which had been known to yield payable gold for some time. On the day I left, M'Cormick : was reported to have found gold on the same lead, and other parties at once pegged out claims, and were commencing to start their tunnels. It would be premature to offer any opinion at present concerning the prospects of this small rush ; but should the later tunnels strike the lead, I should not be surprised to see it traced right over to the Snowy River, a regular, unbroken table land extending between these two points. A few parties find remunerative employment some, six mile*, higher up the creek, above tLe forks of the right and left branches, as also at Red Jack's No. 2, lower down. A track across the range from this creek leads to Cariboo, Greek's, and Old Moonlight, each occupying a party or two, engaged in sluicing the terraces. On the opposite side of the Big River is . Smith's and Murphy's Gullies. The latter employed five or six parties, engaged in the bed of the creek, until the last week or two. Two of the,se rgmain, the re^t having been induced^ by the accounts frona the Blackwater, to try their luck there.