GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS,

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1761, 27 March 1874, Page 2

GREY VALLEY GOLD-FIELDS,

[from our own correspondent.] ■ MINING. With the exception of thos«} at Moonlight, the miners in the different districts are again complaining of scarcity of water. This among other causes creates an vn r settled feeling which will result, should nothing take place to allay it, in a general stampede on the confirmation of the now almost incredible reports coming from Northern Queensland. Every second man you meet is getting ready to start when the proper time comes, and anxious inquiries are being made as to the climate and other particulars of the new land of promise. It is singular how eager the study of geography and the natural history of blackfellows become whenever a golcbn discovery is made in places of whiph the most of the people have only an impurfect knowledge, especially if there be a suspicion that the niggers are oannU bals. MOONLIGHT. This locality is recovering from the dulness which has prevailed for the last twelve months. The dry weather suits the place so well that work cau only be carried on profitably during its continuance, and the comparatively dry season just passed will account for the splendid returns from this place recently. There is a general rooting out of longforg»,tten blocks and pillars going on, with results which reminds one of the good old, almost pre-historic times, when striking a patch was not a matter to wonder at. There have been one or fiwo heavy finds recently, one especially of such magnitude that it is reported there was not sufficient money at Moonlight or Ahaura to purchase it. That is giveu for what it is worth, but the escort must have been large if the gold could not have been disposed of at Ahaura, for it is popularly ' understood that there are persons at Ahaura who "lpld it." The prqspeoting tunnel now

being driven in by Boyett and party at Qninlivan Terrace is progressing Blowly, in consequence of the hardness of the rock 'in which the party is working. The distance driven is about 400 ft, and a considerable length has yet to be bored before anything definite will be known as to the value of the claim. Should gold to pay be found, the existence of a permanent lead will be pretty clearly proved, and a good extent of new ground will be open to occupation, besides the workings in the bed of the creek, which are on the whole carried on. with profit at present, in consequence of the absence of floods. There is a good de>l of; tunnelling going oniin different parts of the district, and one or two parties are mentioned as getting extremely well paid. Some little prospecting for quartz reefs has been done recently, but the solitary explorer found so much stone and ao little gold that he got frightened at the extent of his discoveries in both directions and left, but he admits he carried a good impression of the country along with him, and expressed a belief that all the payable auriferous quartz existing at Moonlight has not yet been discovered. The population of the whole district has slightly increased, in consequence of fresh arrivals at Baxter's and Oallaghan's Creek, and also the arrival of about a dozen Chinamen, who are located at Garden Gully. noble's creek. Extended claims have been applied for recently in several parts of the Noble's district, from which it would seem that the extent of new ground being opened is increasing. Two previously uriworked creeks in the vicinity of Browne's Terrace have been opened by ■ " Old Neighbor," who applied for and obtained the grant of an extended area of ground on one r.f them. The same pioneer'had done a good deal of prospecting in this locality, and he is of opinion that a large area of good ground will be shortly discovered in the neighborhood. The following from a correspondent at Browne's Lead will show how matters stand there. "The several claims are looking well, and since I wrote you last a great improvement has taken place at the lower ond of the lead. The first washing from one of the claims gave the result of one ounce to the small set of timber which is considered a first-class-yield, and one almost good enough to prevent the "yieldists" from emigrating to the new El Dorado at the Palmer River. The last bona Jide working party at the lower end of the lead, Bruce and party, havestruck pay- ; able gold. Below Bruce claim the course * of the lead is held by differeut parties, making it a practice to get their claims protected from month to month until the gold is traced right into their ground. ; In the meantime, they go looking for gold elsewhere, and it would be a providential visitation if a party of real working men would step in, take up, and work in' a proper manner, claims which the nominal owners fail to occupy in a manner. Whether legal or otherwise, this interference would put a stop to the " little game " of the shepherds. ORWELL CREEK. The works at the Co-operative Company's claim, at Noonan's Flat, are at present at a standstill. The great quantity of water in the underground drifts is too tnach for the pumping machinery now erected, and there is a doubt whether the thorough prospecting of the ground is within the means of the present company. A proposal has beon made that a oompany should be formed under the Mining Companies Act to raise capital J,6 properly test the value of the claim, and the probability of a lead of gold being within it, by taking up a tail-race. This is the only plan now left to be tried, because the idea of contending with the quantity of water with pumps is not to be thought of any longer. The tail-race would be about one mile in length, and the cost of making it is, under the present circumstances of the company, beyond the reach of the holders of the claim. The work already done comprises a shaft 40ft deep, a drive 160 ft " to the northward, and the cost and erection of the machinery. The drift was struck in the drive at 14Qffc from the shaft, and experienced men say that it is the heaviest yet met with in the Qrey Goldf fields. Gold was found, with every indication that payable washdirt would shortly be struck, but workwas stopped suddenly by the influx of water; A proposition is to made to the company at the noxt meeting to throw the enterprise open to the public, and it is expected the proposal will meet with the oonsentof the majority of the shareholders. . THE ELECTION FOR THE PROVINCIAL COUNCIL. Judging from the reception the Beveral candidates in the present electioneering contest meet with wherever they hold forth, each one of them stands the best chance of being returned. Fit and proper votes have been passed with a readines3 and enthusiasm which must flatter the bump of " approbativeness" of the various aspirants for Provincial honor and glory. On dit: The following episode occurred at one meeting. The candidate had promised his address, and wa3 " rapturously applauded," when an elector moved, that Mr — — was a fit and proper person to represent the constituency. The motion was duly seconded, and the Chairman was about putting it to the meeting, when a free and independent elector, who, up to this time, had been laying at full length, aud apparently asleep on a billiard tible in the room where the meeting was held, raised himself on his elbow, and said he wished to move an amendment. He said that, according to the ancient custom and usage of M— l— g— -t Creek, every candidate who sought to do himself the honor of representing that important place, anywhere, or at anything, should qualify himself in» the orthodox manner. They were a very free and a mighty independent body of electors composing that constituency, and he would move as an amendment, that unless the candidate "parted for all hands," he was not a fit and proper person to represent that part of the electorate. In spite of the remonstrauces of the Chairman, the "free and independent" continued, and said that he had heard Mr — - eloquently discoursing about the best way of getting water for the last hour, but they had for several years been trying to get rid of water at M—l—g—t Creek. It was not water they wanted, it was Whisky, and the candidate who " irrigated" the electors best v thusly," was best entitled to their confidence. As for politics, that subject could be talked about socially and amicably afterwards. The candidate refused to f c shout" fearing the bribery and corruption clauses of the Eleotions Aot, and would consequently lose Ws ejection,