COLONIAL NEWS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume I, Issue 43, 1 November 1851, Page 2

COLONIAL NEWS.

SYDNEY.

The Tukon. —In great haste I throw a few particulars together for your use, if you deem them of sufficient importance for publication. The Turon river is so much flooded that I fear little good in the digging line will be done for the next month, and one consequence of this state of things will be a large amount of suffering amongst those who have come here expecting every day to provide for itself, and of this class there happens to be a rather large j number. There are a few whose diggings are elevated above the bed of the river, whom the floods do not affect, or if at all, they affect them favourably, inasmuch as the water is brought nearer at hand. The large body, however, are making slow progress, and are spending an uncomfortable time in their wet gunyas, looking imploringly at the skies for fine weather. It is true that, as your correspondent observes, there are great numbers here doing nothing at all just now; but I think he takes rather too desponding a view of the state of our diggings, and does not lay sufficient stress upon what I conceive to be the principal cause of failure— the superabundance of water. lamby no means of opinion that tlie general ill-luck of the mass springs from the too great proportion of the population to the surface of country containing gold; for go in whatever direction you may, from the beds of the creeks to the .tops of the mountains, on the alluvial flats or along the slopes of the ridges, you find gold, and in numberless places in sufficient quantities to pay for working. But unfortunately, on the Turon we are likely to be troubled with either too much water or too little. The former causes a loss of time, inasmuch as a portion of the day has to be spent in baling the holes dry ; and the latter is a loss of labour, because the earth has to be carried so far, that in some cases, it will make a difference of one man's labour. But, in numberless instances, the water springs so fast upon the miners, as to render the hole, if I may so express myself, altogether unworkable. Another prime source of failure is the utter ignorance of everything connected with gold digging amongst a, very large portion of new arrivals. Even with the most experienced there is a large waste of the precious metal, and I can well understand Mr. Haigraves when he states j that it would pay a skilful miner to go over the I washed earth which has been thrown aside as refuse,and I will give you a reason for the faith which is in me. Not far from where I was at work, a party of Germans were employed, who had been doing extremely well, having taken out of their hole as much as lOoz. in a day on several occasions. After watching their proceedings for some time, I gave it as my opinion that they were losing a portion of their gold in tiie washing. In reply, they shook their head incredulously, and offered to give me all I could make out of their " tailings." I accordingly went to work with my tin dish only, and in a short time netted a quarter of an ounce of the precious metal, and with the help of the rest of the company cleared ljtfoz. in an afternoon. At tins these children of the Vaterland opened their eyes with astonishment, and broadly hinted that they would prefer our room to our company. A little boy made a quarter of an ounce in a clay at the same place with a tin dish. It would thus appear that it would pay many parties better to work their ground the second time than waste so much of their time prospecting. The most successful party besides the Halls with, whose progress I am acquainted, is the Wests. For a considerable time they made looz. to 20oz. a day, and up to the time I write, am told they have about 3,000/., and their ground appears to be as far from being exhausted as ever. You have most likely heard that the Halls got 100 Z. for the good will of their diggings. There is a party of Newcastle colliers at work not far from our diggings, who have sunk fourteen feet and found gold every foot. They are doing remarkably well, but I cannot furnish you with particulars. The ground in the vicinity of the Willaby Ilocks is now nearly deserted, a few stra»-<>lin«-parties only remaining. There is, I feel "con fi° dent, plenty of profitable land in that locality unoccupied ; but nothing takes except the Golden Point and the vicinity. When worked out many will be glad to return thither and remain satisfied with their quarter of an ounce, half an ounce, or ounce a man per day.— Bathurst Free Press.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Sept. 12, says, —" There can be no doubt that the intelligence of our gold discovery will arrive in England, at latest, this day, September 12th; and it is more than probable that letters would reach there as early as August 20th. We are led to these conclusions from the following circumstances : —The " Oriental," Captain Carr, chartered by Messrs. Donaldson & Co., to proceed to the Eastern Seas, left Sydney on the 31st of May, and took with her despatches from Sir Charles Fitz Roy, to the Colonial Office. Other despatches were sent by the " Speed," hence May 23rd, for Valparaiso, the mail by which vessel, via Panama, would possibly be delivered in London about the 20th of August. By the " Golden Spring," also hence, May 30th, letters were despatched from two mercantile houses, and she arrived in Singapore in time for the steamer to Ceylon,—the mail by which would arrive in England about August 24th. The Cl Fanny Fisher,' Captain Harrold, left Sydney on the 6th of June, and arrived at Sourabaya, on the 6th July, in time for the steamer, and as she had a parcel !of gold on board shipped by Mr. G. A. Lloyd, to go via Marseilles, by which route the mail was due yesterday, there is no doubt that if they have not seen any before, Australian Gold is this day being exhibited to the merchants of London. We quote the following account from the Straits Times of the reception of the news at Singapore :— Sydney.—Extraordinary Excitement.—The brig " Golden Spring," which arrived here on Tuesday last, has brought accounts from New South Wales, from -which we learn that Sydney, in fact, the entire colony, was thrown into a state of the utmost excitement, in consequence of the discovery of vast quantities of gold at Bathurst, not far distant from Sydney, and which promises to yield the precious metal in quality and quantity equal to the great el Dorado —California. The mania in the colony is indescribable; artificers, shepherds, labourers, tradesmen, and others, had quitted their wonted avocations for the diggings. One of the lumps of gold (purchased by the firm of Mort and Brown) weighed no less than forty-six ounces, and another about twenty; it is described as nearly pure gold, having but a very small portion of quartz attached. After quoting some extracts from the Sydney Morning Herald, the Editor says— We may expect that as soon as the news reaches Europe, a new and overwhelming tide of immigration will set in, and thus add a thousand fold to the present excitement.

The latest news from Europe, had reached Sydney via Panama—the vessels from England which left in December had not arrived, although out nearly 160 days! The gold excitement offers a good inducement for the immediate laying on of steamers between this port and Sydney, for doubtless, on the news reaching Europe there will be an overland current of emigrants eager to reach the new el Dorado. Let, then, the Peninsular and Oriental Company, and the Eastern Steam Navigation Company," stir their stumps," or the Americans will be the first in the field, and run steam vessels between Panama and Sydney. INDIA. [From the Singapore Free Press, June 27.] By the H. C. Steamer Hooqhly, and P. and 0. Company's steamer Pacha', we have Calcutta papers to the 12th instant. H. M. 18th Regt. have been informed that they were no,longer to consider themselves in readiness for foreign service, and their extra batta has accordingly ceased. The favourable news received from the Cape, and the intelligence of the despatch of troops for that quarter from England, have probably led to the intention of sending troops from India being abandoned. Lieutenant Sale, son of the late Sir Robert Sale, has been killed by his horse falling down a precipice. Lord Dalhousie met with a similar, thouo-h not so disastrous an adventure lately, while ruling down hill on a small pony at Kiinn-ra-the animal sbyed, and fell down a small p?ecipice, but his lordship fortunately escaped with a few bruises. The charge of the Peninsular and Oriental Company for freight of opium between Calcutta and China is 28 rupees per chest, so that the opium per Erin gave them about 30,000 rupees; if these rates are maintained, they will receive 3«,000Z. per annum /rom this source alone. The steamer Achillei is to be placed on this line, while the new steamers,

Singapore and Ganges, will run on the Bombay and China line. The Bombay Times asserts that the Court of Directors have determined that no more engineers shall be sent out for the service of the Indian Navy at present. This looks as if retrenchment were contemplated in this branch of the service, and we suppose is in anticipation of an abandonment of the mail contract between Bombay and Suez, The heat in Bengal is represented as something awful. The Editor of the Friend of India states that, on the 28th May, the thermometer in his office rose, at three o'clock, to 199% and the wind was positively scorching. The Calcutta papers of the 4th instant state that the Bombay papers contain a rumour that the ship Diana, from Singapore to Bombay, had been burnt off Aleppo; but we find no confirmation of this in any papers of subsequent dates.—lt seems that the Chittagong lascars have a peculiar mode of setting fire to ships, by which they can calculate the precise moment at which the flames will break out. Madras.—Madras has been visited by a gale although not so destructive as that of last year. It commenced on the 3rd May, and continued to the sth. A number of native vessels were wrecked, but very few lives were lost. The English vessels put out to sea, and returned on the 6th and 7th without having sustained any damage.