EPITOME OF MINING NEWS.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Volume II, Issue 62, 2 December 1863, Page 6

EPITOME OF MINING NEWS.

DUNSTAN. The Molyneux has fallen very much during the last fortnight, but as the number at work on the beaches is very small, its rise or fall is of no particular moment, all the workings on the river at present being confined to the banks out of the reach of floods altogether. From appearances, considering that the present season is a very early one, as well as the absence of snow on most of the mountains, where, at this time last year, it lay thick, there is every probability of the river being down towards the end of the summer, when a good rush to the banks will be the result; most of the claimholders that I meet fully anticipate such an event. WEST TAIERI. Upon the south side of Sailor's Gully (which is separated by one small hill from the prospectors' gully), and about a quarter of a mile from its source, gold is now being traced up a smart slope, and on to a flat surface upon the top, which forms the spur between Sailor's upon the north, and Blackman's Gully upon the south. lam given to understand, that about this particular spot, the Mining Surveyor has ascertained from running the magnetic bearings of two quartz reefs that they intersect, but as yet, with the exception of large quantities of detached quartz, no indication of the presence of those reefs is perceptible in the bottoms of the various shafts which have been sunk. In the several smaller gullies running into Harris's Creek on either side, gold has been found, but not in greater quantities than what miners teim '• a living," the exceedingly patchy and widely dispersed nature of deposits rendering a considerable amount of stripping necessary throughout the entire hill diggings, and which circumstance seems to cause a good deal of dissatisfaction amongst the pile-seeking, or idly inclined, which I regret to say form a large proportion of the digging population at present in this locality. The most important of the auriferous gullies are Nicol's, Sailor's, Blackman's, Blacksmith's, Long, and Miller's, to the south-west of the township, while on the other side of the first named or Prospectors' Gully, Adelaide joins Fraser's south of its source, in the vicinity of an extensive landslip where timber is obtained. In the intervening creeks or gullies there are no diggings of any importance, until Gamecock is reached, opening into a regular stream running north of Mount Hyde and south of the southerly watershed of Fraser's Creek, falling into the river Taieri about one mile south of its junction with Fraser's. In Gamecock Gully about one hundred and fifty to two hundred men are working at alluvial sinking, and recently a main quartz reef- has been discovered running from here to the Lee Stream in a northwesterly direction. It seems to be a natural reflection for every person who undertakes this very disagreeable journey, that the sturdy miners who, laden like beasts of burden carry their heavy swags over the ranges, deserve all the gold they may be lucky enough to discover, no matter how rich their claims may be; that the publicans, storekeepers, and other residents are fully entitled to a large share of business to recompense them for the inconvenience, nay misery, of living on a new rush in dirt and wretcheduess ; that the draymen should be well paid for their arduous labours on such disagreeable roads; and that, in fine, every one deserves to succeed who, guided by motives of industry and honesty of purpose, embarks in mercantile or mining pursuits on a newly formed goldfield where rain is incessant, mud ankle deep, and the comforts of a home totally unknown. It would be unwise for miners doing well, or even making tucker elsewhere, to abandon their claims on the chance of hitting upon a patch here. On defined golden gullies there is no room for stragglers to set in. Every man who starts to dig at the Taieri must make up his mind to become a prospector, for such must of necessity be the occupation of every new comer to this extensive district.—Daily Times.