THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, November 4, 1852.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume IV, Issue 101, 4 November 1852, Page 2

THE MAORI MESSENGER. Auckland, November 4, 1852.

It was our wish, as stated in our last number, to have drawn the attention of our native readers to the various sources of profit and improvement derivable from the breeding and feeding of Slieep ; but (lie discovery of gold, in the neighbourhood of Coromandel Harbour, having since occurred, we are under the necessity of postponing our observations upon Wool in order that wc may supply the current intelligence with respect to gold. Our readers arc, no doubt, perfectly aware of the many reported discoveries of gold which have been current during the last nine or ten months; and that considerable sums of money have, at different limes, been offered as a reward to any one who

should be able to afford information as to the existence of an available gold field. Until veiy recently, this was productive ol' no result; but Urn brig "Daniel Watson" having arrived in port with a number of gold miners who had been shipwrecked on llieir pas-age from San l'rain-ist-o lo Melbourne, and these men having expressed a strong opinion that gold was lo be found in the neighbourhood of Auckland, a large reWard was again offered and various parties set out on the search. On the I Gill of last month Mr. Charles Ring, who had been investigating the eotin- :\ aroundCoroniandel, arrived in Auckland Alb samples of rotten auriferous quail/, and iron sand ifroni soil washings) uilli gold dust intermingled. Having perfectly satisfied himself as lo the uiKpicsliouable existence of a gold field—having preferred his claim lo llie reward, and convinced the Committee of the accuracy of his opinions, —Mi-. Ring and a portion of the Committee wenl bark lo Coroniandel. Shortly nfler wards, Mr. Richard Thomson of High-street, Auckland, who had also been on the search, and in the same piirlof the country, returned to town also bringing gold. This nalurally whetted Iho public expcclalions, ami accordingly tin.' return of the Committee to town,—together with Major Nugent. Native! Secretarv, and Mr. Johnson. Chief Clerk, who had accompanied the Commiltie, was watched with llie utmost anxiety; The result of their investigations was to establish the fact of the exislence of gold, small in quantity, but still extracted from every portion of llie soil that was washed in their presence. The following is a copy of llie memorandum which was issued by the Committee for public information : The Committee, appointed by the. Subscribers towards llie Reward Fund deeming'it to be desirable that the PiUjlfo should Jinve correct iiifnrmaiiou relative ihn alleged discovery of COLD, earliest opportunity of staling that '\t\6 l)&iiitutioii appointed by them lb visit tl(e-.'locality' of the alleged discovery have ro'luliied, and that the report is satisfactory, jnV so far as the t-xisipurc of gold is conrern>{i.Jj;biit that llie question of its being suult'icnlfv alnindiUii to be profitably worked is yei in jtbeyauce. By order of the Committee, . TiiOMASrS. FbnSAiTii, Sccrelary. Auckland, Oct. 25, 1832.

On llic aTUvult. llts Exo<>.Ueyoy.il;<: Lieiu.Governor proceeded lo Coromnjiiiel to visit the natives of liiai district, "Little, further inlelligeiicc, however, was gained: Gold.in small quantities continued to be fouu,<i. (j ll is gratifying lo know that the' u'Uujpatj good feeling between the Kiirqpe'a;is , ( ' i aii(J| ihij natives prevailed. Tins is as it'should bij because, supposing lite field eventually i<) prove a rich one, it could not be forked beneficially to any parly without (lie most perfect concord and combination between the races. As there are oilier parlies on the search for gold in different direriions, and as there is every probability thai it will be found in oth-T localities as well as Coromandcl, and that those discoveries will lake place on the lands of native owners, we deem it especially incumbent, at tin? earliest moment — supposing the gold lo be found in any quantity — to suggest the expediency on ilifi part of'lhe natives, lo submit the arrangements necessary for Ihe maintenance of peace and gooil order, as well as for regulating the permissions lo be granted to diggers, to the hands of ihe Government. If the natives consider the subject calmly and prudently, we feel convinced they will perceive how much it must be lo their advantage lo do so. We hope and trust (hat as the natives may vcm assured that ihe Government will look with a watchful care after lb- respective rights of the owners of ihe soil, that the natives will, in turn, repose the utmost confidence in, and render every assistance to the Government in its anxious desire lo promole Ihe besl interests of all parlies; since by so doing they will adopt the only means of rendering the discovery of gold the happy instrument of the peace, progress, and pros-1 perity of New Zealand. We have written much, in this Journal, to show in what manner the discovery of Australian goid, by the increasing population it is allracling, may be rendered conducive lo the interests and advancement (if the agriculture of New Zealand. We have pointed lo the demand it will create for numberless oriicles of New Zealand produce. Hut, if a ' rich gold field should ultimately be worked j

in New Zealand itself, it must be obvious tliTiL an additional demand Tor her produce Will arise not only for exportation to Australi:\. hut for consumption oii our own .'bores. Here, then, would be a filmici* and fertile field for ihe development of native skill—an abundant market forilieeiiricliuieittofnative le.il. Food of all descriptions would be required at llm mines, and thereby supplying the miners, with pork, potatoes, Hour, lisb, and oilier sorts of food Hie natives would not only derive a noble share of the miners' gold, bill be so greatly and so readily enriched, as to be in an easy position ' lo convert Immense tracts of llieir waste lands into prolific, corn fields and meadows, and thereby lo open up ihe country, s<i that .sheep and "oxen might abound, ahd a far more durable source of wealth and national greatness —the conversion of a land of fern and lee-tree to a land of bounteous pastures and well stored grauariers —would thus become ihe desirable ami incalculable reward. If gold /.< made available, food and all the oilier necessaries ol life will be iirgenlly re(piired. The means of present supply, and of vast future production ai'e In the power of the natives J and we feel confident that they will not neglect the opportunity placed in their power of enriching themselves and advancing Ihe best and truest interests of their country-