THE NEW RUSH TO THE WEST TAIERI.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume I, Issue 50, 21 October 1863, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE NEW RUSH TO THE WEST TAIERI.

THREATENED LYNCHING OF THE PROSPECTORS.

Owing to the non-arrival of the mail on Friday evening, we were precluded from publishing the account, in our last issue, of this rush, which has been the most extensive since the opening of the Dunstan last year. We are not sorry at this occurrence, as we endeavor to avoid misleading the miners by publishing accounts of sham rushes—so frequent a practice in colonial journals—and the sequel proves that this, like many others, has turned out a a duffer." The following is an epitome of what caused perhaps the greatest exodus from Dunedin since the tremendous success of Hartley and Reilly:—

" The following are the names of the prospectors :—William Nichol, James M'Laren, William Whitnall, John Buchanan, George M'Kessor, James Williamson, James Fletcher, John Russell, John Hunter, and William Ritchie. " The rush is situated on Boyd's run, hetween three and four miles from Fraser's, on the west bank of the Taieri River, and on the plains on a branch of the creek running north, and between 'Fortifications' and river. li The prospectors tried between seventy and eighty holes, sinking from one to two feet, with washdirt from nine inches to a foot, and obtained a prospect of 1 dwt. to |oz. to the dish, and found gold in every hole for three miles up the gully. " The gold is rough, heavy, and solid—no fine gold. " In another gully several miles in length they had not bottomed.

" The country is something like Waitahuna, and full of made hills, as at Wetherstone's.

" There is plenty of timber about two miles off—scrub and heavy timber 2 feet in diameter. " In another gully, a mile and a half further on, the prospectors got good payable gold, but it was late, and they had to leave. Next day they came to Nicol's Gully." The sequel to this announcement is thus related by the Special Reporter of the Daily Times:—

There were some five hundred persons on the ground when we arrived, and others were momentarily coming in, whild many appeared to he packing up and preparing to leave for Dunedin. No work was being done, which rather surprised us,as from the flattering report published by the prospectors, we expected to find the miners, even thus early, actively employed in working their golden claims. Upon approaching the groups of diggers collected around the prospect claim, we soon ascertained that they considered themselves duped by the prospectors. Finding no payable gold either above or below the prospect claim, the first arrivals took possession of the claim itself, but met with no better success there. The washdirt was reached in most cases by the removal of one spit of black loam, and as there was an abundance of water, the testing of the ground was not a very difficult matter. I saw numerous dishes tried, and the prospect obtained was from a faint color or a few " floaters" to a grain and a half. In one instance only was the prospect anything like payable. In the lower end of the prospect claim a dish gave a good half-pennyweight. I must mention, however, that two or three remarkably good patches were obtained—at least so it was stated. The gully where the best prospects were found, is only some six or eight feet wide, and a sod being removed, left a slate shingle intermixed with quartz, and only a few inches in depth. The wash-dirt itself was composed of this shingle, restiug on slate, and only about four inches in thickness. There was no drift, or rather rounded stones, indicating a rush of waters. I must say that the impression on first view of the ground was unfavorable. The country we travelled over, between the Lee stream and the rush—a distance ef 20 miles—is undoubtedly auriferous. It is all with the exception of a belt of trappean origin, some nine miles this side of the rush—a quartziferous slate, lying horizontally. In places where this rock is exposed, as in the " Fortifications." it is found to consist of alternate layers of slate and quartz, the latter forming probably one third of the whole. The debris at the new rush in which gold is found is the result of the disirteyration of this rock, and in it the gold undoubtedly had its origin. The district of country to which I refer has been very little prospected ; but I believe that throughout it, and for miles beyond it the color may be obtained in any of the gullies. In many of those gullies there are undoubtedly very rich deposits, but time will be required for their complete exploration. In Frazer's gully, five miles beyond the new rush, some really good claims have been worked during the last winter,

and there is no reason whatever to doubt that equally good diggings may yet be discovered in the region referred to. I should mention that within the last day or two several gullies in the neighbourhood of Nicol's have been tried, but no remarkable finds have been reported. In reference to the assertion of the prospectors that the country is " full of made hills," I must state that they are entirely mistaken. There are no made hills whatever in the neighbourhood. There is not the slightest doubt but if there were made hills, the diggings would be very rich. The greatest fault 1 find with the country is that natural agencies have not been exerted to a sufficient extent to effect a more complete disintegration of the metamorphic slate, and thus separate the gold from the recks with which it is associated. lam inclined to believe that the prospectors are men of very little experience as miners, and they probably had not sufficient intelligence to foresee the consequences of their report as to the nature of their discovery. I will not believe the rumor which is prevalent on the Rush, that their object in making so flattering a statement was to draw custom to a boat in which thev are said to be interested on the Taieri. I remained three hours on the Kush during which time I was employed in making inquiries and seeing prospects washed in various parts of the gully. I can readily believe that the prospectors struck good gold, tut I am confident that it is very patchy, and I know that the entire gully might be worked out in a few weeks, by twenty men. Certainly there may be very rich deposits in the neighbourhood, but they have yet to be discovered. During the forenoon a crowd surrounded the six prospectors, and it was feared that violent measuies would be resorted to. Threats of violence were made, and as the coach was leaving, it was reported that four of the six had slunk away and made off. The three who had gone to Dunedin to secure a prospect claim, had not returned. It was said that one of them was seen at the Ferry. On the way down we passed many spring carts and drays laden vi ith provisions and tools; and it was said that at least two thousand people were on the Silver Stream route. The distance by this route is about 25 miles.