The New Zealander.

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 687, 13 November 1852, Page 2

The New Zealander.

Ho jtmt and fear not : Lot nil Itio ends them alm'st at, ho thy Country's, Thy tiou'Vf and Trutli's.

AUCKLAND, SATURDAY, NOV. 13, 1852.

THE AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD.

The discovery of gold as an actual natural deposit in the soil of New Ulster having now been established b.cyond the possibility of qucstion^-howevcr the quantities in which it can be procured may still remain to be determined by fuller exploration — and numbers either having proceeded or intending to pi'ocecd to the diggings, the Government have judged that Iho time has arrived for such an official notification of the fact, and for the promulgation of such preliminary arrangements, as may lend to the security of the various interests involved in the matter, and may prepare the way for such further regulations as will be promolive of the public advantage without injustice or injury to the Native owners of the soil in which the gold has been found. Accordingly the following Proclamation was issued in the Government Gazette of Wednesday. By His Excellency Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Henry Wynyard, Companion of the most Honourable Order of the Bath, LieutenantQovernor of the Province of New Ulster, &c.,&c, &c. Whereas information hat been received by the Government that Gold in its natural place of deposit has been discovered in the district of Auckland, in the Province of New Ulster, on land in the possession of Her Majesty's Native Subjects: And whereas it is expedient that the said Gold Field should be madft available to all classes of Her Majesty's subjects, and to that end, as well as to the peaceable and productive working of the same, that the management of the said Gold I^ield — saving the inleresls theiein of the owners of the soil — should be undertaken by Her Majesty's Colonial Government:—Now, i, the Lieutenant-Governor of the Province of New Ulster, do hereby proclaim and declare that measures are now being taken with a view to that object, and that, as soon as the necessary arrangements shall be completed, Licenses to work the said Gold Field will be granted by the Government on payment of a leasouable Fee. And whereas Her Majesty has been graciously pleased to place at the disposal of the Colonial Legislature trie profits of any Gold Field which may be discovered in New Zealand,— Now, for the protection of the interests of the Public therein, 1 hereby fur' ther proclaim and declare that all Goldmetal or Ore containing Gold, procured without such License as 1 afoiesaid, will be liable to be seized, in whose possession soever it may be found; and that all persons who shall take from any land within the Province any

such Gold-mt'tal, or Ore containing Gold, without being duly licensed in that behalf, will be prosecuted according lo law. And 1 I hereby call upon the Inhabitants of the Province to be aiding and assisting herein. Given under my hand, and issued under the Public Seal of the Province of New Ulster, this tenth day of November, in the Year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty-two. It. 11. Wynyaiu), Lieutenant-Governor. By His Excellency's command, Andrfw Sinclair, Colonial Secretary. God Save tub Queen ! This Proclamation was followed in the Gazelle by the following Notice :— His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor directs it to be notified that permission to dig and search for Gold, until Licenses shall be duly issued in that behalf, will be granted to persons who may apply for the same at this Office. By His Excellency's command, Andrew Sinclair, Colonial Secretary. Thus, pending the establishment of the necessary arrangements with the natives, and pending also the fuller investigation of the gold-Held, parlies desiring to dig can do so legally and with the sanction of the Government, by merely applying at the Colonial Secretary's ollicc for a " permission" which will be given tviihovt charge. It is granted in the following form :—: — Colonial Secretary's Office, Auckland, The Bearer, of is hereby authorized to dig and search for Gold in the district of Coromandel, on land, public or private, with the permission of the- owner of the soil, until Licenses bo duly issued in that behalf. By the authority of His Excellency the Licutonant-Governor, Colonial Secretary. Thus the two-fold object may be attained of {permitting such an exploration of the county lo go forward as will afford ample facilities for developing its mineral resources, and at the same time maintaining a check which may be employed to prevent such indiscriminate explorations as might, under present circumstances, involve the possibility of serious differences with the Natives. We understand that Hfs Excellency the Licut.-Governor purposes gojng on Monday next to Coromandel, with a view of meeting the Native Chiefs, and, if possible, completing such arrangements as it may be desirable lo negotiate with them. The Bishop of New Zealand and Chief Justice Martin will accompany, or immediately follow His Excellency, — both having, we are informed, been urgently requested by the Native Chiefs to visit ihem on this occasion. The Surveyor-. General has for more than a week past been in the Gold district. We have received the following letter from Mr. lleaphy, of the Survey Department. The hints which it gives are worthy the attention of intending diggers :—: — Coromancjol Diggings, sth Nov., 1052. Mn. Editor, — The want of proper equipment lias caused many industrious parties to leave this gold field without having met with such succefs iw they were prepared to find, or to make such a report as would induce other hard-workirg persons to follow them. The result of what Messrs. Ring and Coolahan have done, has however induced a reflux of diggers, but they came almost as poorly equipped as the first pai'ties. The principal implement for straining the carth — the Long Tom — seom9 unknown to them, and they bring cradles which arc unnecessarily expensive and require an additional hand to work them. Large rocks have to be moved out of the bed of the stream, but no jone ever thinks of bringing a crow-bar or rope. • I would recommend every party to be provided with a "Long Tom," or "with the materials for making one. ' It is jnot so expensive as a cradle, and may be carried an parts, and nailed together when the " bar" is selected. It economises the labour of one man in a party of four, and sifts the earth throughly. Long crow-bars, or iron-shod handspikes, are indispensable, as also a prospecting dish with bulging rim outside, and buckets or pumps for clearing out', the water. Tents are unnecessary ; a hut can be built in an hour — shovels, spades, and picks, of course every one will bring. Tho short mining pick is tho best. With an equipment such as this, and a determination to work well, any four men may do what Mr. Coohihan's party has done — wash | oz. per day, and wait at that until they get down to the nuggets. — Yours &c, Charles Heaphv. We commchd to attention also the following recommendations which proceed from a Very competent observer at the diggings ; — Companies of not less than four, should provide thems'lves with a large long torn, crow-bar, picks, and shovels, also a double- block and tackle 'for lifting the largo boulders out Of their births. The best way would be to have a large company of twenty, with five long toms, as they couli then divert any part of tho stream.

The ideas which most immediately spring up in most minds in connection with the very mention of a Gold, Field are so brilliant, that we cannot be surprised at the attractiveness of the object, or at the fascination which it exerts upon the unreflecting multitude. Aad yet if we judge of the effect of such discoveries in the light which the experience of the last few years, as well as of remoter periods, has supplied, we must see that the good has been far from unminglcd, and that the advantages, supposing them to be all (hat has been alleged, have been purchased at a price of startling magnitude. It is not to be denied that many individuals have been rapidly enriched, and that some places, the names of which were previously scarcely known beyond their own neighbourhood, have, as if at the touch of an enchanter's wand, assumed importance and become objects of lively interest through almost the whole extent of the civilised world. But, on the other hand, the pursuit of gold has led to the disruption of family associations,— to the rejinquishment of the comforts of home and of safe and peaceful industry for the excitement of a lottery,— to deep and grinding disappointments, — to loss of reason, loss of health, and even loss of life — in instances known to be numerous, but the total number of which we cannot venture to estimate; and, not

least important, to much moral deterioration, — many of previously unsullied virtue having, under the new and powerful temptations to which they were exposed, become profane, dissipated, dishonest, and reckless, not regarding the preservation of their once sensitively prized character, and permitting their children to grow up uneducated, or with an education little fitted to qualify them for any other course of life than the wild and headlong pursuit of riches to which the parents have devoted their own bodies and souls. Happiness is the object of universal desire, — the goal towards which all men, however different the paths they pursue, intend to direct their steps and at which they hope ultimately to arrive. But he would be a bold man who should assert that the aggregate amount of happiness in the world has been increased by the gold discoveries. Let all the known results, personal, domestic, and social, — physical, mental and moral— be calmly weighed and compared, and we are satisfied the conclusion must be, that — however firmly we may believe that the momentous changes now in progress will be over-ruled for the development and accomplishment of wise and benerolent Providential purposes — yet, up to the present and on the whole, the amount of suffering in one shape or another which has resulted from the recent discoveries of gold, preponderates largely over any amount of happiness they can justly be said to have originated or secured. We repeatedly felt called upon to express such views as these two or three years since, when the Californian El Dorado was dazzling the eyes and blinding the judgment of many of our fellow-colonists ; and it is needless now to dwell upon the fact that, as the event has proved, some of them at least would have done better had they paid more regard to the voices which from various quarters warned them of the delusiveness of the glittering vision by which they were captivated. The still later discoveries of auriferous regions in Australia seemed likely indeed to afford all the advantages with a freedom from several of the disadvantages connected with Californian adventure ; the new Gold-fieldsbeing under British rule and protection, and (so far as New Zealand is concerned) nearer home, so as to demand a less absolute severance of family ties and arrangements, to be reached and returned from by a shorter voyage and at less cost, and to present a scene and associations with which many here were more or less acquainted. It would be rash to conjecture what the issue of the adventure will be in individual cases or even on the average of those who have left New Zealand for the Australian diggings, nor is it our design now to refer particularly to them as distinguished from the great mass of gold-diggers collected and still collecting in Australia. But, speaking of that mass of intent, earnest, anxious gold-seekers, there is only too complete evidence that, whatever may be the gains of some, the toils, privations, and sufferings of many are excessive. The state of affairs in Port Phillip, now the grand centre of attraction, has within a few days been brought before us with painful distinctness by the papers and other communications received by the Spencer and the Raven. Amidst the heaps of gold which the Escorts weekly convey to "Melbourne, that city exhibits a spectacle of destitution and suffering which is not less than appalling. Thousands are arriving there, full of buoyant ,hopes which are destined to be instantly vchilled in the very numerous instances ,'of those who land nearly or altogether /penniless, and who find themselves in the [Situation affectingly described by Captain •Ghisholni,in the letter which we published on Saturday,— unable to obtain even a night's shelter, — with the prices of provisions exorbitantly high. The efforts in progress to provide temporary accommodation for the houseless multitudes obviously fell far short of the necessities of the case, and it is distressing to think what must be the condition of the yet vaster multitudes whose arrival was to be looked for day after day. The social state of Melbourne also presented in many particulars an unhappy counterpart to that which we formerly noted of San Frani cisco. Gambling, robbery, and profligacy in every shape were rampant : it was unsafe to be out of doors after sunset: and the Police were wholly inefficient to protect the honest and peaceable, and to repress outrage. Matters in this respect have become worse, not better, since the date of the repulsive descriptions of the prevalence of crime which three or four weeks since we copied from the Argus; and in one of the last papers we find a Select Committee admitting, in a Report to the Legislative Council, that " having regard to the great increase to the population of the colony and the character of a large proportion of that increase, the existing Police Force is deficient in numerical strength, deficient in organization and arrangement, and utterly inadequate to meet the present requirements of the country." Nor is the case at all improved in its social aspects if we look at the condition of the immigrants after their removal to the gold-field itself— the grand magnet which has drawn them from one side of the world to the opposite. Without stopping to recapitulate the evidences of abounding crime at the diggings— some few instances (few, if pot absolutely, yet very few as compared with the number which we might havequoted) that we have recently extracted from the Australian journals — we find a comprehensive and conclusive proof of the demoralized condition of the Port Phillip diggings in the movement towards the organization of a system of Lynch Law at Mount Alexander, an article on which, copied from the Argus, appeared in our last number. From more circumstantial accounts given in other papers, we learn that the miners, at large meetings, had passed resolutions describing the prevalence of robberies and other crimes, and the impunity with which the offenders were suffered to escape ;— affirming the necessity of forming an Association" to be called "The Mutual Protection Association" for the purpose of dealing summarily with offenders; — and declaring that "if the fiovernment refused to give that power which they asked for," they would retain the license fees and appropriate the amount "for the

maintenance and support of a well-organized patrol to protect the property of the diggers, who will, on the refusal of the Commissioner or Governor to comply with their demands, take the law into their own hands." It was in no mitigated terms that we and other's condemned the principles and the practice of the Vigilance Com mi tecs in California ; and we certainly are not disposed to soften the matter down because the establishment of such a lawless Association is attempted under British sway. The movers vindicate their proceedings by charging the Government with incompetency or negligence in dealing with the exigency; this may have foundation in truth, although assailing the j Government is so common an ai tilice of agitators that we receive the accusation with caution, particularly as the diggers expressed no recognition of the difficulty in which the Government was placed through want of sufficient force; and, moreover that, when troops did arrive by the Vulcan, as it would seem from an article in the Sydney Herald of Oct. 50th which will be found in another column, the much needed augmentation of force met with a far less cordial welcome— (at least so far as the Argus expresses public opinion) than might have been anticipated. If the members of the "Mutual Protection Association" were loyally disposed, they might have offered their services to the Government — as special constables, or in some other way that would connect them with the duly constituted authorities of the colony — instead of adopting the tone little short of defiance which marks their resolutions. But it would only lead us away from our immediate purpose of showing the evils of the social condition at the diggings, were we to enter upon the question as between the Government and the diggers. Whether it be that, on the one hand, the Government have been so culpably remiss, as to be fairly responsible for a state of things which gives a plausible pretext for the setting up of an independent executive by the diggers for their own protection, or whether it be that the spirit of lawlessness which in the form of Lynch Law attained so hideous a development in California is also predominant at Mount Alexander, — in either case the existence of a disorganized, slate of society and of flagrant and widespread crime is sufficiently manifest to prove our present point. Who will venture to assert that the condition of the Port Phillip diggings does not strikingly strengthen the position that gold fields have hitherto presented much of evil and distress, intermingled with whatever good they may offer, and that, if they enrich some, they bring deep distress and ruin to others? These views of the subject may tend to mitigate the disappointment which many would feel if the Auckland Gold Field should eventually turn out loss product he, and therefore less attractive, than ihe sanguine anticipate. Should the result of the researches now in progress prove that New Ulster contains an auriferous district as richly prolific as California or Australia, surely it would be mere childishness to expect that our El Dorado will enjoy an exemption from the dangers and the evils which have followed such discoveries in those and other lands. So far from it, there arc peculiarities here from the difficulties that may at any moment arise out of relations between the Europeans and the Natives which invest our case wilh more than ordinary uncertainty. We refer to these considerations the more freely because we are well aware that the fascination of a productive Gold Field will be too strong to be checked by their foree — to any extent that would materially interfere wilh a rush to its treasures. No injury, but rather much benefit, will accrue from such a calm review of the subject in all its bearings as may prevent desponding regrets if the expectations of the enthusiastic should not be fully realized ; and may, if we do find our Province included amongst the abundantly gold-producing territories, lead us to that cordial co-operation with the Government and with each other on which, in this case, the peace, good order, and prosperity of the district must so largely depend.

By the arrival of the Overland Mail we were yesterday afternoon placed in possession of the' Wellington papers to the 16th uU. They contain very little of general interest. The news of our Auckland Gold Field had not yet reached our Southern contemporaries ; and their latest information respecting the New Zealand Constitution Bill came down only to the second reading, of which they had merely a summary received via Sydney. The Government Ga~etle contained the Go-vernor-in-Chicfs Proclamation bringing the Passengers' Act into operation. Captain Sharpe had been appointed Emigration Oflicer for the Port of Wellington, for the purpose of carrying out its provisions. The whole of the settlement was visited on the srd and 4th ult. with one of the most violent storms from the south-east experienced for several years. Many vessels were driven from their anchorage, but the amount of damage was not considerable. At a Public Meeting of persons interested in the Pakawau Coal discovery, a committee had been appointed to correspond with the Nelson Company on the matter. The Gwalior sailed for Sydney on the 1 Oth ult., with a large number of passengers. On the 12th the Munford sailed for Melbourne, also taking a considerable number. The prices in the Wellington market on the d 6th were, — Flour, 25/. per ton; bread, 6d. the 21bs. loaf; potatoes, Al. per ton. W. H. Valpy, Esq., of the Forbury, near Dunedin, Otago, died on the 25th of Sept., in his 60 th year. We have by this arrival the Tarana'.i Herald of the i 3th and 20th ult. The Joseph Fletcher arrived on the Blh, having made the passage in five days. We before noticed that the " Original Correspondence" department of the Herald was abundantly and spiritedly supplied. We now learn that the solicitor of the Rev. 11. H. Turton has written to the Proprietors threatening legal proceedings. The Proprietors reply that Mr. Turtons own letters were as strong as those he complains of, but declare their determinationto admit in future ! no communication affecting private character.

Prices at Now Plymouth on the 20lh nil. were, Wheat from ss. to 6s. per bushel : Flour, fine, 19/., seconds, 1 &. per ton : Bread 4 - d. per 21bs. loaf: Potatoes 01. per ton.

Northern Mission.— We understand fhal the Lord Bishop of New Zealand will preach in SI. Paul's Church at eleven o'clock service 10-nior-row, "when a collection will be made in aid of the Northern Mission. Auckland Land Association. — The Funds of this Association having accumulated so rapidly as to admit of an appropriation of "Prizes," a drawing, according to the plan laid down in the printed Rules, look place in the Hall of the Mechanics' Institute on Wednesday evening. Messrs. Timothy Dunn and Thomas Canty, each holding two shares, were the successful parlies on this occasion. The Funds will probably soon warrant another drawing, as several new subscribers have joined the Association, the affairs of which — now that it is full operation — show every token of prosperity.