GOLD IN UPPER WANGANUI DISTRICT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 153, 9 February 1872, Page 3

GOLD IN UPPER WANGANUI DISTRICT.

: Colonel M'Donnel has just returned ' from a visit to the Upper Wanganui 'river, and theprospect of at goldfield has. come, under his notice. The .Wan-', ganui ' Herald' publishes the following extract from the Colonel's : diary

r I T rode from Taumarunui to Matahania; about seven miles further up the river, and from tne latter place to an : old, . settlement named Pungapunga . Topine, who had'accompanied me from Marae.fcowhai, left me here, while he canoed up the Ongarua a branch of . the Wanganui river, returning the fol- ; lowing day. The c ountry about here ; open and available..; Topine left an influential young fellow with me — " .Kgatae—to show me about this part of the country. He procured, horses, and we rode farther up the river to the mouth of two or three creeks that empty themselves into the maiu streain; . these creeks take their,rise from a large range named Tauerwa. Here 1 picked .up some pieces of quartz, in which gold has since been found by Mr. : ; of Wanganui. These creeks are full ... oft quartz. . rj . .Uri arriving at Taumarun ni with Topine some of the, natives had. a slight .objection to my going prospecting in , the ranges until they had, toinmunicated vvith th.e King, but Topine said; " I was thi means of. bringing you ;up , here ; Ngatae will show you my land." However, as I ?ould see, he said this only because he had brought me up. I told him I would not go any further than 1 had been, lest it might cause disputes among themselves, at which j he , appeared and. replied , " After you return to AVanganui, Tukimata will go to Te Kuiti and take some pieces of quartz (they, had shown me) ~ .with him, and arrange wth Mana about having this part of the country prospected, because though he (the King) 4 had decreed that there was to be no ... prospecting for gold, or land for selling, leasing* or road making, yet he has .been and is now receiving rents for . .land leased to the pakeha. lie has been the first to break through his : own law, and has a pu ty of Piniana (Fenians) residing with him, who are going, with his permission, to prospect for gold at the Punir, a place near to the Kuiti. I explained to the natives the bene-

fit they would derive if gold was fouud , in payable quantifies on their land, and assured them, on their putting the question, that the Government Would * never authorise anyone to dig without their permission;, and that in any case, if they allowed diggers to prospect, tftey. need not be afraid of land being , taken from them, and 1 illustrated the Thames Goldfield as a sample. They seemed pleased with this, and expressed a hope that gold ihight be found .on . their land.

After 'leaving Wanganui to go up . ; the river, and when I had veached Te

• "Whakahorohoro, Tojiitie despatched a canoe from Marae Kowhai with Ngatae , anH - soiyle nu*n to fetch me up to his t kainga. He then told me that he had sent the canoe to Wanganui to bring me up to show' me the country, having r ; known me before, when I accompanied . " Mete.Kingi to Aikurangi, the house at Taumarunui, as 1 had at that time told : him-1 thought gold existed in that part of the country. They made me promise to visitthemagain, Top'ine following , me* tqthe canoe and saying, u The next t , .time lisend for you I hope to be able ~ to show you all over the country. In - the meantime, Ngatae and others will ' prospect about and take down to you i ! any stone or other specimens they 'jV may find." Three natives then manned . i the canoe and brought' me down the river to : Wanganui: There are 1 two - very fine, seams of coal in the country !; I rode. over.