THE NELSON GOLD FIELDS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume VII, Issue 474, 20 May 1857, Page 5

THE NELSON GOLD FIELDS.

■r,7 ,-j■•.!■::: -mo m-vT)ii> Jj;i!! v*i;r,i;;: (;>■ -.: H<j)-f* ; •.t •-, . (F?oiji the ' Examiner, April 11.) jj, | t AV^ de^jgn jtp^d^ in^ad; pf Q.uf, ordinary || ) 4i.dajß > iic,.pi;pßing^ uponr dreary .polices, to en^dea- ,, vpur, t to jielp;jvonr •h^n^^rsia.ying.readers ,to ( . a ..c^ear^j;,cpncepiipny ; .ifi|ipssi,b^e, pl" ; what.is to jje [^.(ASijpu^pprpachj.the .entrance of the j Aprere, [, on r thej«prth-T.w.e.slJ*En, Jfhoaje^ - s of • Massacre ■ 3?ayj !. jon your.. way' jbp. thivt jcenjbrg ,pf:, .attraction, ; be^ir6 l^.ypu 'Jjjes p» theleft;ja,.fpng „cliff,,, or, p/ecipitous j bank; the s.e^firar^.'^c:e < >ojf;a ! kind;of ; t»b^e-^nd| abruptly,end,S;^n.a.,sjn'ajl t l ixeck or sp^ just -^ibp.ve^the^w^er's e^g^.L. this;kpit y|o,u see .'', a, •, |malJivclii^tei:, ,$P vwhat. appear,., to be -house's j ,tand iipmf.iafdisjtaiice,;gleaming in, th.c, ..morning ,smigbt,be ; ;3tal}:jen;fpi; a, flourjighing,; yillage; f4-iti th,e,,-Bx^r^Tne,.,j(pii|t f ;of.tlte, fpit^ ( is a ; .B^iall Maori pah.. | ; (^lijf ] ;j i Yii)age>.jand. pajitai^ brightly ■;ipainte4,;asit ,^v<ere,againsta>graad,., datjk back- , grpjtod, of, t ?np.u^jsiins*-r-a, ljummpcky . range of bolder,jandrnpre,.irregalar.putline than ,' is, .usual in ; iKe^v, (.Zealandthe,&ides, pjF;\vhich, in ' i.many plafe^,.consisttpfjperpendicular, pi-jecipic.es, ,',covered, .every'squai-e^^ot ipfrititiemi.with, a car--petingpf; forest,.withppt^flsin.gfe break, or gap ; anywherfe, ,ev,en [.q® th,^,iSaosli)/prepipi;feous•: sum- /• 14 jtsi :,' :i You• 1 fpllpw,, the , narrow <_ channel, which rsi'uns■.undei'rithe; abcjye mentioned, icli^'and'is : ma^'ked by.-triapgftlaribe^coHS; Qn.;Mgh ; ;posts, i a'oundi.the afpresap.spit,(into wb,at is called the Aorqi-e harbour-Hrt-a. ; w;id.e spiace, ,at low of •: snagr-covered mudiflats, and '■ ,water-courses',;with ! :.a little jbu)*hy. island sand strip.of; dry fern, land • 'iu-,<ftie;pavjt..:,:-: ..Ms.-.<•••• :.'■■■■.■'; ■!-•".-. ■•■;.-:.; 11: iThe:large;river ; Aprere comes down from, the :northeim.sidejj sound,. ; tho southern,,Bide.,pf,this .medley ,pf In.v.d and water ru.ns.xa channel fit.for :boats even! at lowrtide-up toisometine terraces which bound the upper Jl en.d ,-,pf, the hai^jourj:and .rwhlclj,/with, an .oval h ollpw :qr <,valley .between [-jthenij^are!., to. Jtor ; m,:W,9; iih% ,sit : e;'of .:tii'ei ne!sv/,k)wn;:off(( l C!pJilingwppdi,,''.,npw rbeihg • i; laid oatiLby^: the^.Pvernmeni} surveyor.,:Dpwn j'.the< hollow,; ;o)r;{ ya-Uey.o just -mentipnied, .wliiich - : opens on the.chantwl .leadinigi fjtoni the,- harbour . i^nferance^irun?,'fewo. little=sti*e^mlets ;of; ..waterfiiii ; i the : , Slijiest.!j ae,aspns.v _. Here < then is 'th c naturajl „ r.Jandiijg-plaoe iifoi- goods ■ s tP., be brought to r , the . thejtownnfrom-tKeispifc. jusi; witliiq,-wljifih M Yes!- - sels:, are; ■ brought11to : anchor,, ; / : ■ ,to 1,; ih \p ■ rjght l as,!you':look,»p;ih&, harbpmv He fthe. >'iq])er usursftyedi lands pf^tlie.Aprevp,-. valley, -wiholiy .;CQveced<watli':m3grtJ,ficent;,»timbeii;.ii . < tthat,')on.ltihe- Ayhql<j,- ( v ban7pg the j shajlownes,* 0f,, : itliei havbour entva"nee)j Jt: i's s difficult to. cpnceivp \ /'aiiaore.fev!O»rftble,-&itte'fori!a to^yijVl .:i!if li-.iii-j' i ] « -MeftntiTO^y.QU lawlony tfee Aowj;awampy u fipit | (i first ;me.ntion,ed»iiNwherej;ifi a^viessel has...fii3b«.rf -j :.riv^iiypu!:iwili>i l ftp,d i

busjly;,getting W*, and boxes, and barrels, f and ' ashore'and;inWsjielter^pf ;'ijhe ;! peara-»'ce Jwhp ,'firpt* seejj. J4roni;ih'^ei^' Into ■spmWha^.p^erweeujng inscnptii&n/^f'.jAorere •■'^<|^i,j'ja'jfrfwe..of j scantling covered wi|h;cfrttonj..'_" jAt one end 'is a' v<! bar," *with' an tious 'ar rcjy yftfi 4£ ■!&"s'.", ,PJ?i^ %9Mos> ; 'SP^ts» .ginger r be ! er., fc^.and, sugar; -bag?,, jp»its $?»»$*- &g } .; .s)> theftr^ vi ne|;essaries ,ot l$M"«jl sfijnpiig $elsp,n, a^le* "and . MqrL-baVd loaves jn,plenty. , ol sy<>.. decent r " .GojpT is .bought,,, j^d t ;vjj.ripusj provision?; sold f'tfrere...;l)™y^^ v qmf{xyikiiipri', <w.j%.^%sjp9nd\%ry thj^O^ks . $.', wpqd i i .for j loading o^isij^e. 'jvitH „p)j?re?^tepis, 7 QTs<mfmg $f, |Me , ,vspfie^f^y.si'long af^]t^ f la)i)di^: pJap'e'Vne|irer .gouigr'or ' returning, < you. will .opbei^'n^d qiixet But np^j,o^,star^p^m,, Jfyff.wwn. ..e;^e, ajbpye gome, ,fpues, pjpu i mom% %sss,? HM%W^cJi, LthougH'iisell ( a fow'.fcablfr Jand, At, a,c'oQsiiae^t)le Leie ( vat«>p; above ti|e {( s^a, -jand^ tf|?reior^ y easily 594 appa^-ejijiy thoi^gh pnly. covered vrjkth 'aQ^grfi^EUst'e^V^yoar.le)^ s ;g^eji,|ii]ji3 :^,,(>i?H the.,ngP, Isepeath ;^je' plajin;is yjip .^e l sa^,±^|)e,i|er t^art.pf 'tjti^^'rjerp.y^iey.^ Cj i^sj|ae riv^r^idjj^ i^Jwopda, and beyQpdythese . f) .^lla^ed|^p ? .^v^ra^^Kj^h'flat^ ; py<;eri:apes rip tli »j)oye'tue genial llejcel,of the valley,jfliejujpppr ■j^Jfi^d^luty.^r^ , '„ ik ;. ,-.a)^a m:ol|en, -^ere^, an^ihe^e,^, J^^rposjpg j gtadef, 9$ bvjgji.ter, gr^e'n, ■ Perhii^sryoii. pvertafee ..^ Jarfcy. goingtp ; %|, ;^ggmg4,!wiibhI ,ti^ir / 'packs ,a^d/Jw^es, an^.bJ^ , -s^-yfpL ; or pernaps-you jiieet a pa^;r'e|ui-ning in beards ancl,: dinginess, contrasting'^^oijgly yritb the first, and: distinguishable by their gene- ., ra^,4usVieT tinge, e,y^n at a distance, '-.^^.l^st -/aiftpx rfoui" ;or fiv;e ,milest of tbiis occasion^ ,ma\kxng, you turn to: the left over some Iqw iin- . duiating hills, and, from their crest'.ca.tcji'ihe ,ni"9t glimpse of,,the,"diggings".y.pu;-h'ave : ')ie.ard ."gp, muchi.tajflj: sf ; (perhaps peen #. ??^?^bpred -. , .but ,prpbably^ Jxape, %en; able to,, gatter ;,only a yery jndistinat nptidtt of. „: ]'"'" r "' „, f Nbwif you have, jjbpen expecting '4py e^ra- , ,ofdinary, geplogicajl . any strijcing r.or,.unas^lfor ; ma<jpn4 p| ,ap|?e,araiices, ,yo^ „be^ .mightily, disappointed.., B ; e^ore''y^u^,TJe§, a ;:^ide ,nio.untain,;regipPT—a great, '.mass p£;'wie .inany-fplded Ifew.^alanci! ;hi^ "mpuntaiiis, ,doye-taiiing, and interlacing, tp all outward Appearance of,the n)ps^..pv/iinary kind, have seen wherever ypjjL.nayeibeqnjin the colony precisely, the same.,ispeipjery a.,thousand tinaes over. Hill upon hill, , mopnta,^, > upon njpuritajhT— „s tretching far,avvay. on. either hand,'and'rising in tjie cqntre to a,..da,stan.t peak Qyerhiing by a -summer cloud,, tlie { \v.holfi,cppglomeratedmass of ihat' da^-kj gre,en; sombj-e tint you, ajje so well .used to, only, relieved; by the, deep.bl^cit'of l>s'.--,,lowing..forests,qt ;Vluer black, patches w])ere tins tor thejOtihermpuntain is deeply.bmifid,in sluvndo«v.,;i'ar,,:Up. the^valleV; the mpuntiims run dmvn into, long -gradual slopes, still green and (.dotted jwi.th, i tbickets, l of . Well, is tliere o a,bspiutelyfnot^ung peculiar in,the''features of ; the sceuery ; F .^Looking more .navrowlyyoujier-iu-tf^o or^tfiree places,perhaps; far apari^ a !bfvr.e ; gravelly ( paich, on thp brows pf one or two .', of,.the green, lulls. , oojnmpo enough .this—but l.t^e ...only:i-ather .unusual! circuipstanpe is : that i these, patches.- lopk rather white;—and indeed are jfQUnd onine^r approach to consist of smalt frag',ments.pf broken quartz, That,is the only tiling-, we believe,; nptie«able. qr, .peculiar in the wide .scene-r-ta thing, which. .Avou)d prolwbly not i. attract the least. ?ittei}ti,on >v,ere not one looking out; for any; civPftPA^"^,:>.tli,e ,slightest, that ,; may be jindicative ,of ,p}}^va«ter of the region. . But. .now*, a mile or t>vo distant, at the entrance of a thickly wooded gujly. ou a small ob^re fls& .behveen.^ its opening jaws., is a small vcpjlectipn,.pf .tejuts (ii .4'pzen or so), looking ve.ry j.spajll j\n<l y white:', against the black-« Teen moun- , t/iui ( s^eiiery' r] p')l a,bove and behind them. Just as „t!}gjfr^u"|sjin,a jcornueppia are represented over- ; .its nionth, tlie's^ few.'tents seeiii spilt'as ijit.w^e'pvitjpf.^he.^ura^trslm^

black wooded gorge. You can partially tiface this gorge far up to the right and left aipdqg "the mbuiiUdns. Dense forests 'sniotn'er it tip. liie whole way. There they stand, lbiikitte black, sltent, solitary, and inaccessible: to* &U; appearanoe a perfedt ftistance of the " foresti<s l shady scene,1' as describe^ in 'MShilde IJavbld .\'\ ' " Where Jhinijg,that own not man's (laminiondwell, ' " AidmbitaV'fooif'tikt'h ne'er or rfcrely;been!"'• '' '. " So blackI,'1,' 'ttoinyifcj^g, deaJi-ftil^nt, and impeiretrdbie tiie/lpok. [ Brit"wlio would belieye tiiat undprtija.t utiifijrni, unbroken, black e^abse'6f steaily Immovable tjree'-topSj'.th'ere Was' rer^ehtiriig a' inais of hunian tife-^oHni in tfte Kidden d^chyifies," a''"jfoji:<ft4tldn!'of biisiljr working ; for/this Jis A^poo's GfuUyj 'so; wi&rt ktiß^ia. iri Sfelso^. a 4 that whence ■ :t'^i^^tte':*;WcM bias iJebu1 brotiglit, aiid wlietl^ ihey 'sayi tndugh* we do nbt Jkiio\v: with.'-^nati' comfciness', ttiat inen:are co'ii;Tbe;-; .bn^j to^ig';"bfetrlaym^ 'tfie (pFeseice; of any of' 'ihem" to the' specta'for b'eHig:perhaps:a°thin'streakycolbinn' pf sjixxoke, which .at sou>e,parji of the .day niay be bbseyvM t& hVve'piSreefii im =oa^tne,fbrieOT.i»p.- :: !l' { Btf^1. (jrossin^'«iW^aMalatiiig/Hills we are taking'the Teraraey:6'f^:and wbich1 lie aa it weVe acrbsis tlie nioutK of :tble gully so as to iurh tbe fet?eain WlucH; co:ffle^ d6wn it otf atri^ angtes to be^k the ■&ain i\yklley of M.6rere iii inqilibr direction; fob $4?& th^e foot of a*hilt where i\ie quartz juts oiit in'VrbUen'^b's'and'ftat^?r frag-. me'nts, w^icb^fffife 'the( ineipeilien:cfedr •observer "as / tndre' jjk>cuHaT',-thbtigli we' believe th% ai%e' not better mtii^tions of a /region tfianifie le^retoarkißlei^ravelLy; patcneß?TOfore, alludfed ' to. 'tifeti yha'-'mmk^wa.^We timtk,:)wti.k:ie\ touch?''thie' sanie" scjeiVe nisgoing.on as,1 at the, laiidiii^pi^e, at Aorefe "liariionfe ■'.) Oaly .liei'e are!; niore' diggers bdrirfliig'''iii^d 'goitig; "rartiiß'ar facet ineei e^es, bat" More hVe^re, h^rs'utej : and bYdtiiea'than' j^ou hKve; been '^cjMstonted'to ' see t;alk is:ga|v ; whethif! tney>t|ieak 'of goti&lutit:Ur all / and you,hear Of ,'botii:; Ai>erbiap's tti*y 'oriy woo^ett' tuciTer inatch-bbices ; and get\a;li|;tV 'wtfgiiyd^but 'th^ire;.is not iiiuch of "uhis generals'tivbfe'^eehl'' r'.'■''' ,'-; AnS'now let us 6roi*s tlie Hills, to fli^'rigM bf this gully,'. wKefe.tfcy are iree. iibra wood, to anbftieV %j ; the" ri^me of HgKtband's "'gully^ "The Hiiis'';\re''stil!V,oi n Wif»;\v*n>le,green; with low.-'fertat u^on.tlieni,' ori'ruslnjs, dr'marinka sfjrubi.:'/ .The patches of gravelly ijuartz fra^- ' ttipnts freqttentiy occuri'aiid'bnce at least Orf a neighbouring hill you ' see' Wbatseenls Wteiit ? but is in faci^, a Er^e blobk ;of wHife :qaflrtz, Attd ,fto% :armdb^' at' the top of the gulh:, you ' s6e\tfte'actaai;'di^*irtg at \astc T^he; giilly ia entirely free fi-p'in - wood,'except'juat where it ejiiters the Xorete valley." All along ii» wtr'row1 ■finding cbursyl^. bottdmtiis disji)>ii¥edby heaps of atones an^ rubbish/ .The?t?trearh 'thsit liihi down it bas been lifted as it m're qmt^ out of its old channel. .At every dozen !v^v.lsbv so it is datntned'upitiioyellyw pools, then canieii on ' the lower part ttt'the TiillsiSe'-to' the- right- or leftai6h|f' small'trenches'into wooden gutters, wMbh; lead its hmd&y wafers into great wooden troughs with iron strainers at one end, winch everybody, in Nelson at least,"by this-'time knows undei* the name of Ui Lpng-Tdnipj' with their; long-handled.'shovels,, arid tossihg-imt the big stones and rocks frorii time to time, takiiig cai-e, however, that they are well washed titst, as particles of gold, are often found sticking in ' the wet clay that adheres to their sides, Then . the stream runs into another damnied up hollow full of soft'niud, and Wiehee1 tfirbugir another trenclrto' the next diggers and their "Long Tom." \ Nbueof the silvery pellucid brightness of the little brook that puce gurgled peaceably in Its deep narrow channel -under- the -shade of terns' and grasses; the blight original simple beauty' is tatiied into a yellow ■ wrinkled liarridan.' Meanwhjle'its original channel is entirely "dug up—the enrth and rocks fonhing it are %viasKca, then stacked and piled up on one side. Sonieof^the holes sire s-x {*»o.f <le«p ; their sides 'on?y yh<iw orflinkry clay, with'perhaps a substratum of gravelly quartz, or the old brown ciavey roiik so common everywhere. They seem to firid all parts of the -bottom< of the ' gufiy, i a various proportions. ' r /.' .And now, O intelligßnf: reader, you will dbubtlesrt desire to see'- with your own eyes, as in duty bound, .what some of the diggers' actiiidly got. Hi you ask (as did we) onu oV'them-.to wash out . lub goid. Eor w« should have told you before ■that.the practice is to go on tha who!e day throwing the earth into the trougbi; washing it,

I ana allowing the thick muddy water \p floW i 'through the holes in the jion tnat 'fills up the end, of the, trough, iuta a,s.m f vU ,tray two pr three feet square, with a Mge at the upper end and another across the middle ot it, to avre*t the gold particles as the water passes, over it. This tray is not disburbediill the work is left off, and it, of course, gets full of mud. This mud is then taken out of the tray and put into n com • 1 raon colander, over a tin dish. It is then well turned about with the hands in the colandei, th'rough'which $ie water ia i continually ppmed, tad which fow's into the tin dish. This strains off the sparser mud and gravel, and lastly the fi^errdejKmt.io the il\*h is again continually flpoded with.water, which is shaken over the side with more and more of the mud, till at last the wsidaura- of, specfe, neferseen tilliiw, are Lfouwligatbend in the bottomx>f the dish. W«ll, ; the digger we applied t<> had>be»n washing.; perh»ps -SflVeni hoars; oatfof: his daily;ten: There i were three in the party, and the gold he-pro- - dueed' amounted,: by; hi*; reckoning, which! we! saw. no'reagoiV to- doubt the correctness of, to; ■ taree^asiterS1 of an qun*e-. Now we should say; ;'thik .w^'Oheyoff'tlie'^i^gers'i^pJited most stic-: ;ces^Pttl;j arid that;K6t^l^ f^'Ms mate at; 'mos> albput two and''a-hdlf'ounces'fii^oiiei.da^l-^; on &a average of Iwas^i^g^id^^'ab^ut^p^.e/pip^ce; and a-half>:and .inciu^iMg. -d^ys. emplpye^n t re-; naoving top-soilor -other unprQdu<;tive worls^ an awragg.ipf; one,ounce per, day> Oa the.whole,] that in eight weeks they had made £100oufcof ■ith«ir ■ f^ciaimi'' This was 'told ourselves, 'and "'fcfce^anCsee'Etied' honest iandopen; that is alb we' 'ea« iay. But we heard ofotliers who ha^d tned| em jße^6ralplabes' Bit weeks and1 not made a"pen-; ;iiy#eiglft x>f. t^old: :; So vthaV It'is quite-possible; 'thri^successf^l'Sre Jqu^;^s,nu:meirbus as;tiiei suubess'ful diggers. '■'' "" "' '' ' ' ''" Th^^liy,-jwe haye been : a^i^mgting to de-i scribe is1" io" harrow thatj only'in' o#e place, we' believe, is tHerfe r room for two of tue " claims" by t sidy, Bcft being -30^^ Wtdie: So vthat : f(k purpbsei the land; iMy: be co^nshliered a^enurely^^^^selessf^^d'it'is gr^tifytiig to stfe'lso: Valuable a crdp^^ raised of s<) sinalfaM'unavaila.ble a piece of larid. When the diggers himfdestu-ttitl It^a- fe\V years of 'winter tdi^rents; -will.soon wash away their-traces, and the' little stream will irhi; along thrbugii a new greenfringed channel, "and supply/WalSr fof any stock U-Ue~hill9 Tinay:ke«p''as i '^elilas:b'f!for^; ;r ; Tlie diggers in ;this;gully"liVe irf M(» or tents percKeii on the steep side-of an adjointhg 'gully among big'tre&v SorneSf thehrtts^fe rof ma-: • nuka,^^ and dtie ;a teg^alai' AtneWcan log-hut. They are fitted np witH;lmnk& on each side, have good ;fire-plabes aftactfed, arid look^ considering all t ftirigs, very^ comfortable. ! ; AnclwpW lfet «s return to Ap'pdo's Gully • ,in doing which look at that sblemri procession-(so it seetiis) on thfe sloping dutlih'e of one of the ' -hills.' Tlie long trough- carried on two- Jneh's shoulders might be taken lot* the coffiii of sdme stiii-ved Patagobian giaht^-so long and nairow ;. is it'—while three or 'four 'others' walk gravely behind with their packs' arid shovels. Itis a party crossing^bveV'to a ne"wjgully which thfey luive found to be worth digging in. And 6Vef ■in the plains, mark'that sblitaryl bullocfe-d'ray, a I ■"spec.W*i*v the wide expanse,^ creeping and strug-i :gfmg--aiottgi front the port to tnedijErginq-s:1 'Up A ppoo's Griilly the1 same scene is obsei*Ved as that described:in Lightband^s, \ritb the addition of dense forest to make the work.-harder and t!i<^ gitlly dahippr ahd-gloomier. Jiig'h up tue mountains close in' Upon it in beetling precipices of quartz and other rocks: .It is up hefe| as our readers "are laware/the darkei* coloured huggety gold is obtained.;. ■ : ,;.; At tiie mouth of the gullev,l across -which: the mass or undulating hills' mentioned above have beea thrown, so as to'tuiri %he stream off^at neairly right angles, thfere is 'a small flat \>f d^ep clay. This deposit seems mightily affected by ■ the Australian diggers, who have- sunk; some deep holes into it,^btii apparently Without much success. The claims -when ( abandobed iby stfne party are taken up>by new Comers; and one* of them-iutends to bore right aorosii the plain at a ' conMdferable deptli, fconftdeht-that gold must be there*' it' any where, in TemtoieVati Ye quamities. 'As there seenia nothing very' peculiar either of tlie -gullius we' have' been describing, and its thtfy-both run up towards the centre of ■ the:giftat rnasß of mountains' first mentioned, which fills all the space between the Aorere and Takaka valleys, there-seems nothing nnveason- | able in supposing that'thenuraerous valleys and | gulliea intersecting the whole range may also

contain ? old in a^| M^fM^ry quantitT^the farst two in which it was discovered. Whether they. ?rf% ; so; JSO qv not,, *ea*iil»& fcp toi-ovd ■&.'?• *ft7?-W. ■&?.s& to#e,.future prosp^U of th? gpld-diggii^ -.;■;• ; : f:;;;;■ -.y- ; *"■