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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 110, 9 May 1874, Page 2

The Ballarat correspondent of the Argus writes to that journal: — "Mr Morgan, who has just come over from New Zealand, whither he has been ia search of coal country, has kindly given me the particulars of the position of the land he has taken up, and shipping facilities available. The coal seams are within one mile and a quarter of tho coast line, at the head of Golden — late Massacre — Bay; the intervening country being almost a dead level. Mr Akersteo, of Nelson, reports that for an outlay of £10,000 a wharf could be run out that would allow ships of 2000 tons burden to lie at it and coal. The coal, which is a very recent discovery, is of good quality, and can be laid aboard at from 10s to 12s per ton

cheaper than the New South Welsh coal. Tbe harbor is about fifteen miles in length and eleven miles wide, and is one of the most capacious and safe in i he South Seas, with a fine holding bottom of clay and sand. This new conl discovery will be of enormous advantage to the Netv Zealand steamers." It is satisfactory to know that attention is thus being directed to our resource?. The results of the Palmer River rush are very suggestively, if briefly, described, by a miner at Cooktown, who thus writes to a friend at Queenstown : — " Since I have arrived, I have seen over a hundred men come down here from the diggings. Men, did I say ? Shadows of men, rather I Many can never recover, others are dead, and many sick. It is not so unhealthy, but the heat is terriffic. But tbe worst is, tho hunger and other hardships men on the Palmer and on the roads have suf- i fered — having been forced to eat grass, while it was a patch to get a bit of horse-flesh. The blacks, also, keep making raids and spearing men. Provisions are scarce and high, and not to be had without a person packs them on horses. A man cannot pack in this climate, bb several have fallen down dead while packing. lamin a bad fix myself ; but will imitate the rich man in hell, by saying, •Do not come into this place of torment.'" The diamond fields of Africa are calculated, by a writer in the London Times, to have yielded during the latt three years precious stones of the value of £5,000,000. The latest news from them is that the discovery of a goldGeld is causing excitement. The writer alluded to says :— « Thirteen pounds and a quarter of gold were found in one hour in a single claim, the largest nugget weighing 41bs. This gold was brought down to Kimberley diamond fields on Christmas Day, and has excited much admiration. I know, as facts, of tbe following finds : — ln one week a party du g out looz., next week 340z. ; another party lOOoz. in four weeks; and so on. The present number of diggers is about 500, but fully 800 are also on their way from Kimberley." The Colesberg Kopje Diamond mine, he says, ; s one of the wonders of the world, aod contains the largest number of workers on a small space that has been seen in any modern work. ■' The actual present value of the mine is estimated at £1,000,000, three months ago it was valued at £2,000,000, but claims have fallen sixty per cent. It is proposed to spend £60,000 immediately in rendering the mine safe by removing the outside dangerous reef. Some of the claims are 130 feet deep, and the whole mine, resembling a vast basin, is being emptied by means of the wire rope tramway system, which has cost an enormous sum in erecting. This can easily be imagined when it is known that every pound weight of wire, every pound weight of deal wood and timber, has cost from 4d to 6d for transport alone. Great numbers of the original claimholders have made small fortunes. I know of at least ten among my own personal friends who will average £8,000 each— all made, it may Le said, in two years, out of nothing."

Mr. Bradlaugfa, in a letter to the National Reformer, says : — "No judgment can be formed on the marvellous force of American recuperative energy

without seeing Chicago. To think that ft visitor might have stood on Madison Bridge only a few months ago, and seen seven miles, of charred debris, and to see today the almost too magnificent buildings which greet the eye, seems like re-opening a page from * Aladdin and his Wonderful Lamp.' The Grand Pacific Hotel, where I stayed, beats anything of the kind I have yet seea in the world."