LATEST FROM THE GOLD FIELDS.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 September 1861, Page 5 (Supplement)

LATEST FROM THE GOLD FIELDS.

■ (Trom the Otago Witness Extra, Sept.. 4.) ,• The e9c °ri arrived at Dunedin yesterday evenmg at about 5 o clock, bringing'77sl) ounces of gold, having left Tuapeka at 6 a.m. The escort on the former occasion brought in 5056 ounces, and since then more than 1000 ounces have been brought in by private hands. l.he news received from the diggings continues satisfactory; all was peaceable and orderly. The weather had improved. Four thousand persons are now on the field, and many are scattered in different localities, but Gabriel’s Gully has still the largest population. Deep sinking on the ranges above has been tried with success. We have various statements regarding the rush to Beaumont River, but we refrain from giving them publicity until we receive more authentic information of the result. A rush to some new locality has been made by a considerable number of diggers, but the precise position of the new field we cannot learn. The quantity of gold exported during the month, was as follows; osn. dwts. August 3, Lord Ashley, for Sydney 1,259 13 August 10, Omeo, for Melbourne 780 August 31, Oscar, for Melbourne 5,827 _ 7,876 13 The official value of the above is £30,521 19s. lOd. Duty £984 11s Bd. Adding to the above the amount brought in by the escort yesterday evening shows a rough total of 15,635 ounces of gold produced, but this is exclusive of the gold remaining in the banks since the last exportation and that held in private hands. 1 We take the following extracts from the Otago papers:— ° _ Good reports continue to arrive from the diggings. One party got 5 lbs. of gold in one day. The purchases, and what has been taken to the Banks during the week in toun have amounted to about 900 ozs. of gold. The Oscar, from Melbourne, the Lyttelton, and two or three other small vessels from the provinces have brought altogether upwards of 300 diggers. Some by the Oscar are experienced hands from Ballarat, Bendigo, and other Australian gold kelds. On the whole the arrivals are spoken of very favorably, as being a respectable, intelligent, and apparently industrious body of men. We must expect a rapid increase in the number of arrivals, and probably in a few weeks, instead of counting the new comers by hundreds, we shall have to count them by thousands, for though the Melbourne papers are doing what they can to prevent their population from coming over here, the confirmed success of the Tuapeka diggings will, as these papers admit, have the effect of inducing many to leave the gold fields of Victoria. The roads from Dunedin continue bad, but with the advance of spring they will rapidly improve, and it is to be hoped that Government will bo able to do something towards making the roads passable in future, in Ihe mean time, goods for the diggings are being taken by lighters to the Wail iota Lake, and thus the worst part of the road is avoided, and the transportation of provisions is very much expedited. Some fears are entertained that there may be a scarcity of food on the gold field, but the greatest danger of such a mischance is now over, as several parties in town and others have established stores on the diggings, and are gradually getting their arrangements perfected for a regular and sufficient supply. The escort —rather a formidable party —started from town in good order and condition on Wednesday last, after being examined a id instructed b.t the newly-arrived Inspector of Police; they are expected back next Wednesday. A gentleman just in from the diggings reports that on Mouday last, flour was selling at Is. 2d. per lb.; sugar, Is. Cd.’per lb. ; salt, Is. 3d. per lb.; ship biscuits, Is. 9d. per lb. ; butchers’ meat, Is. to Is. 2d. per lb. Articles of clothing were scon lying along the road which overburdened diggers had thrown away to lighten their load. Numbers of persons were met with on their way to the gold fields, many of them without the necessary materials for work, and none or very few of the requirements were for sale on the diggings. The degree of success seems to be very varied, the average seems to be about £1 per day, some less, some more, a number are altogether unsuccessful.

At the present moment there are between three and four thousand persons on the field, 'iho whole of this number cannot obtain claims in Gabriel's gully—the gully first worked—and they have of necessity spread over a large space and into the adjoining gullies. Hitherto we have no complaint of want of success being at all general, but as the population increases, whether the gold fields are as extensive as they are rich will be speedily tested.