NELSON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 582, 2 June 1858, Page 3

NELSON.

Our files from Nelson are up to the 19th, ulti A correspondent' in the 'Examiner 'of that date gives the following account of thei GoldFields:^ ' : '-""" I

In a lateyvisit to the Aorere. district, We made a- h'T.rried; inspection of most; -of; ■'•the]gullies how being worked for gold. Appoo'ai flat we found; almost deserted, - although '"we' were told that about a dozen men were working up the gulleyv- In. Lightbanq's gully,:.'.,yje saw but" one man .'prospecting/ Bedstead, gulley was nearly! P :fl?serte.d.^ vGplden, gully showedj considerable'! .signs of life andactivity, and, onj inquiry, the report of a rush to the upper end of the gully., (aPai't we did, not ; visit), caused; by the discovery of a " second bottom," wasj confirmed. The rush is,, however, no doubt less than.it would be, were it not for*a siffiulta-- . neous'■' rush: to theTDpper Forks, in.;search of: the heavy gold coming from there, lately shown in Nelson; and to both places the rush would; undoubtedly' be ' iriOrey general,. were; not the; majority of the diggers too well satisfied with' their, present claims. From Golden gulley we proceeded to Washbourne's flat,.where: the frequent arrivals of' papk-bullobks, andydrays, together >fith the numerous, skins of j sheep; ,and cattle spread out to dry at the ,slaughter-yard, and; the establishment pf. a baker, on. the flat, afforded good evidence, before seeirigthe diggefS at work, thatin the district of the Slate River, there was no lack of hungry gold-seekers. In the morning,. on , passing down to the ; Slate River, hear its junction with; the, Aorere, we reached the Man-rope.party (consisting of thirty nien), and were, with much politeness on jthe part of the manager of; the party, Captain Wood, conducted over the work, and received explanations from him; of the proceedings of the party, which appeared to be conducted with the utmost method and regularity. The heavy \ boulders removed (some by .'blasting),-to. divert the course of the riveiygive strong, evidence of the labours of the party riot'having been light. The party are \ now" beginning to work their claim at the end which they know-to! be not the richest portion/ and we understand that, taking into account^ the large sums expended in preliminary works, the returns are not yet remunerative. It is ,to be hoped, however, that their' confident. anticipations, respecting- the "richer part of their claim will be fully realized, and well their spirited exertions deserve it.;--.. ; On taking; leave of >the Man-rope: party, we crossed the river, rose the steep.hill, and wended our way to Brandy,. Point;, in descending the hill again to the. ; riyer, following some packbullocks, we^ere iiot > a little surprised at the eritfirpriseand, hardihood; of their owner, in- venturing.; to tiake ; bullocks with; •: their , bttrdens' down such a declivity.. After, viewing.the large party engaged in turning the river a little above Brandy Point, arid being again gratified at the activity displayed, and the earnestness with which they worked, we crossed the river, and mpunted " Jacob's ladder" (which is a high and precipitous: bank, to be ascended only by a safe grip of the roots of the trees), and passed •on to thelsland party, who, have occupied their claim for, we believe, nine or ten months', with the very considerable success which their labour and mechanical ingenuity deserve.; On leaving this party arid passing down the river again to Washbourne's flat, we stopped a short time with most of the "parties engaged in washing on the way, and in all cases found them actively employed, arid in nearly all satisfied with their present earnings, and cheerful respecting their future prospects.; :The Forks arid the Upper . Forks of the Sliate".River we had not time to visit, but the heavy gold ,we have lately seen frOiri the Upper Forks leaves little doubt in our mind of satisfaction in ; that quarter of the diggings. 70n, our :way to Washbourne's flat we had to ascend; " Gibraltar;" a thin spur of the mountain, some twelve or fifteen hundred feet high/most part; of the way up which we again had recourse to the'roots< of the, trees. '

'After sleeping;. £ night at the flat,, we started in the conduct of Mr. Washbourne,, to whose energy arid perseverance,; not only, the diggers, but.the inhabitants of the province generally, are so much indebted,) to see the line of newroad the Government have at last comriiehGed to make on the north side Of the Aorere river; a road proposed eventually to be made from,-the Port to Salisbury creek, a distance of 15 miles ; thereby epening tip nearly the whole of the present .known' diggmig ground in the valliey, and which when^completed ..''will' enable the digging population ; by; means of tracks to obtain their provisibns; at a comparatively cheap rate; in addition to which v such : a large quantity (about .30,000 acres we think Messrs. Mackay .and-.Washbourne estimated' it at) of agricultural; and; ;gpod titfiber land will be nia«& available by theleaking of this rdad-^-that'^n passing along ra portion of the intended line, and as we got^ori^^iffererit. poirits ' of' higher ground to seei distant of it, we could not but express our disgustiat the culpable supineness of our • inert ,^byernriierit, in haying so long delayed Opting ap ; so^aljaable a.district, when by employing theilabbrirthey could have got spme seven or eight: months back at five shillings a day they would have retained men from Australia and elsewhere iri the "province, who in default of some certain employment to fall back npon in the event: of unsuccessful digging, returned and prevented "perhaps thousands from coming to our diggings. .About a mile of the bush has now been cleared'for drays, and much more for bullocks ; the greater part of the distance will require little more than marking out the best line. We f found; Mr. Lewis, the surveyor, surveying twenty, and twenty-five acre blocks of really good laud. '*

A bullock tract is also about to be commenced to connect the Upper Anatoki wit Golden Gulley, which, when completed, we are informed by Mr., Washbourne, will enable a person, to be on Washbourne's flat in sixhours after leaving the Upper Anatoki. ro has announced himself as a canjdidate for the representation of the Waimea, •districts in the House of Representatives. ! A requisition,' has been forwarded to Mr. A. Sauridersto come forward for the same districts; it is thetefore likely to be a contested election.!