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AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD.

The sale of gold announced in our last look place on Saturday, and from the novelty and interest of the occasion, attracted a very numerous assemblage. In another column ■will bo found' Messrs. Connell and Ridings own reporjt of the sale, forming our first " Auckland Gold Circular." Mr. Uea'phy, the Commissioner of the Gold Field, arrived in Auckland yesterday, and brought with him some parcels of gold, —chiefly sent by diggers at the Waiaii and Kapunga, to be delivered to their families and friends in this town. The quantities (which we have ourselves seen) were nearly as follows : —of nuggets of quartz intermingled with gold, 17 ounces; gold dust and five nuggets 8 ounces; and gold dust, 2 ounces. A considerable portion was obtained by Messrs. Croighlon and Cook, in the first five days of last week, on a hill-side at the Kapunga, the next pit to Mr. Coolahan's. Mr. Kerr, of the Bank, intrusted to Mr. Heaphy some pieces obtained by Mr. Coolahan's party; which lie had purchased

to besontto Sydney, and also some dust as well cleaned as the diggers can do it on the spot. The nuggets, and in fact all the gold, from Messrs. Coolahan's and Creighton and Cook's diggings, are so sharp in their angles, and the gold Hakes project so strongly, as to warrant the Commissioner in supposing that the \ein of auriferous rock cannot be far — ! perhaps not more than two hundred yards distant from the place of present deposit. The locality of the Kapunga diggings is on the side of a wooded hill, abo\e the stream, and about three hundred yards inland. A slip of earth appears to have filled up the course of a narrow rivulet, and the gold is found in this bed amongst rotten stumps, quartz blocks, and decayed vegetation. Mr. Heaphy supposes that, by carefully following up the slip, the autiferous rock partly denuded by it will eventually be found. Amongst the parcels was some fed coloured gold brought from the Waiau. On that stream the floods of last week had filled the pits of many of the diggers with drift sand. The Commissioner had found a place where a dry water course, running for some distance nearly parallel with the Kapunga stream, at one spot approached within three yards of the main stream, the bed of which was four feet higher. At this locality, under his advice, the Messrs. Ring had, by one day's excavation, turned the water so as to lay dry for working upwards of a quarter of a mile of the main stream. In this dry river bed they commenced working on Saturday, with good expectations of success during the summer. We are gratified to learn lhatMr.Heaphy's report confirms all we had previously heard of the quiet and friendly conduct of the natives. He had effected an extension of the Government boundary line to the northward, whereby the rich deposit, in which Mr. Coolahan works, has been added to the district already ceded to the Government. Such is the substance of the information kindly supplied to us. On the whole, from all we can ascertain, we may infer that the majority of the diggers are earning fairly remunerative wages,— some, more than this; .while, on the other hand, theroarc some who, through want of tools, or of skill, or of energy and perseverance, or owing to the floods, or again through want of what the miners call "luck" in choosing their spots of labour, arc earning barely a maintenance — if even so much. Still all obtain more or less gold ; and when the field is better worked larger results may be hoped for. We should add that Mr. Heaphy has brought up a number of specimens of quartz— in which specks of gold are very visible, — found by himself in various localities in which the diggers had not commenced operations, and thus holding out encouraging promises of the wide extent of the auriferous tract.

By the Government brig Victoria, wlrich arrived in our harbour on Sunday, we have intelligence from the Southern Settlements considerably later than that received by the Eclair of which we published a digest on Saturday. The dates are, Wellington, Nov. 27 .-—Nelson, Nov. 20 :— and Lyttelton, Nov. 43. The Auckland gold field, as might be supposed, engaged much attention at Wellington. A despatch from Lieu tenant-Governor Wynyard, dated October 30, and written on His Excellency's return from his first visit to Coromandel, had been published in the Government Ga ette. Although it contains | scarcely anything beyond what our readers already know, yet as it is short, and has the stamp of official authority, we subjoin it.— "Auckland, Oclober 50th, 4852. '* Sir,-— Having visited Coromandel Harbour agreeable to Hie arrangements communicated in i the concluding part of my despatch of (he 25th instant, No. 121, respecting the discovery of Gold in that neighbourhood, 1 have now the honour to acquaint your Excellency that I sailed from hence in the Border Maid on the 27th, accompanied by the following gentlemen:— Major Nugent, native Secretary ; Mr. Johnson, Interpreter ; Mr. Wood, Deputy Surveyor General; Mr. Heaphy, Draftsman and Assistant; Lieutenant Wynyard, A.D.C. ; Mr; Forsaith, j on the part of the Provincial Council — in order i to meet any emergency that might possibly arise, should the discovery prove an available j field, or the natives in any way excited "Having anchored the same evening at my destination, 1 proceeded the following morning to the creek where the Gold exists, and having j remained for some hours on the spot, I can report from personal observation, that, as yet, the ore can only be obtained in very small particles, although in every place some was assuredly found — quite sufficient indication, however, to warrant a conclusion that ere long (as in New [ South Wales) larger quantities may reward the digger, and hasten to advance the prosperity of the Province. ; " Before leaving Coromandel I visited the native settlement, and ascertained that no opposition whatever would be offered to the Europeans while searching about the ravines ; but as soon as Gold is found in any quantity they would then appeal to the Government; which I conceive is an agreeable assurance that nothing at present arising from the discovery is likely to disturb the good understanding that exists between the races. "From all I have seen and heard, I have rea-. son to feel perfectly satisfied with the result of my enquiries. " I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant (Signed) " R. 11. Wynyard, ' 'Lieut-Governor, " P.S. — Enclosed I transmit a plan of Coromandel harbour and neighbourhood, on which is marked the names of the native owners, and the boundaries of their lands as ascertained by me on the spot. (Signed) "R. H. Wynyard." The Independent states that specimens of the Coromandel Gold were enclosed in this despatch, including "some nuggets about ! the size of a pea," and that Sir George Grey had forwarded these to England via Sydney, by the William and Alfred. The Gold Reward Committee, the appointment of which was mentioned in our last, had agreed to offer a Reward of 500/. for the discovery, within six months, (from the 42th of November to Ihe42lh of May, 1853), of an available gold field within the following boundaries, viz., from Cape Turnagain on the East, to Rangitikei on the West Coast, including all the country in the Northern

Island south of these boundaries. An amendmeut that the district of the Kai Korasbhould be included in the circuit was negatived, but it was agreed that the boundary should be extended to Wanganni, provided the inhabitants of that district should be willing to contribute to the Fund. Whether it was that some stimulus to a more vigorous development of New Munster resources was imparted by our gold discovery, or from some other cause, there was a great increase of activity manifested by the Wellingtoniaus in the matter of the Nelson Coal Field. Amongst other movements, a deputation -waited on the (jovernor-in-Chicf, who promised every aid the Government could afford to the project, and undertook to provide 50/. towards the cost of surveying the Field. The Committee were busy making various arrangements, one of which was to engage Mr. Wrey as Surveyor, when information arrived from Nelson according to which Mr. Stodart was selected for that office, and, moreover, the Nelson shareholders had dropped the "provisional" character of their'proceedings, agreed upon the constitution of a Joint Slock Company, and appointed Directors and other officers for the ensuing year. That all this should have been done without consulting them, appears to have given great offence to some of the shareholders at Wellington, and the Independent issued long and strong articles on the subject. It was charitably hoped, however, that the seeming slight arose from the want of more frequent communication between the settlements, and o fear lest, through delay, so "realty a good thing" as the Pakawau mine " should fall into the hands of strangers;" and that, ultimately, a Company would be formed "on terms of perfect equality both of contribution and management." If so, all would yet be well ; and it appears evident that the aid of Wellington would be valuable if not indispensable to a working of the field on a large scale. But if not, — then, says the Independent, "we must and will have coal ; * * and if it is not forthcoming without any loss of time at Pakawau or elsewhere, we must and will have it, if we are compelled to ransack every hole and gully in Cook's Strait until we find it." This sounds magnificently ; and as any man may call spirits from the vasty deep, so our Cook Straits friends may say we must and will have coal of our own. But the spirits do not always come when they are called for, and the Cook Straits coal may be equally disobedient, particularly as it is required to make its appearance in time for the first of the steamers from Panama to Sydney, which the Independent — with a complacency which (whether it be affectation or not) is very amusing — takes for granted will " inevitably"make Wellington theirstation in New Zealand. "We are determined," exclaims our contemporary in another article, " to have coal, in such abundance, and at such a price, as to render it inevitable that this port shall become the head-quarters of steam navigation between Panama and Sydney." A chief part of yet another article is wasted in an attempt to maintain that, in this, Auckland will not " have any reasonable chance of competition" "with Wellington* We are not very anxious on the point;— not from any disregard of the great advantages of being the port at which the steamers will call, but because we do not think' so meanly of the knowledge and judgment of those who may be entrusted with the management of such an undertaking as to imagine that they will go out of their way so far a$ to Wellington, when every day or hour that can be saved will be an object of importance ; — to say nothingof the worse weather their vessels would risk, the higher insurance they would have to pay, and other considerations against which any inducement that the yetunworked Pakawan Coal Field can offer cannot for a moment be weighed: If thai field should prove (as we sincerely wish it may) all that is anticipated, — still the steam communication between the settlements .which is likely to be immediately established,— (judging from the spirit with which the matter had been taken up by the Messrs. Willis and others in England) —will enable us to get its product, here in sufficient quantity, sufficiently soon, and at a sufficiently moderate freight, to remove every inducement to send the Panama steamers themselves to fetch it to the North from Wellington. That is, — unless we can do what will be best of all, discover an available Coal Field in our own district, through almost every part of which encouraging indications of the existence of the mineral abound. The anxiety displayed in the South to obtain a supply at this juncture may be beneficial in reviving attention to the subject here. A liberal gentleman (who, in other instances besides this has manifested by practical proofs the interest he feels in the prosperity of the Northern district) has for some time offered a Reward of 100/. for the discovery; but this sum, though large as coming from an individual, is inadequate as an inducement to the necessary research. When the proposition to appropriate to this purpose a portion of the amount contributed by- the subscribers- to the Gold .Reward was overruled, it seemed the general understanding that a special fund would be made up for the specific object. Surely the experiment is, to say the least, deserving of a fair and generous trial. The Government Gazette notified the following appointments:— H. C. Herlslelt, W. Johnston, and J. Fulton, Esqs., of Olago, and C. B. Robinson, Esq., of Akaroa, to be Magistrates for the Southern Province; — W. G. Britlan, Esq., to be Registrar of Deeds for the Canterbury District; — John Parsons, Esq., to be Emigration Officer at Lyllellon for carrying out' the provisions of the Passengers Act ; — and Mr. G. F. Swainson to be Draughtsman in the Survey Department at Wellington.. '....A return from the Olago settlement for the quarter ending September 50, showed the number of immigrants during the quarter as iB, of emigrants 44, excess of emigration, 26. A similar return from Akaroa reported 9 immigrants, 4 emigrant, excess of immigration 8.... Tw0 Crown Grants of Land for Religious and Educational purposes had been issued ; one of upwards of 73 acres to the Rev. James

Watkin, and one of 6f perches to Mr. G. Hart and others. Electioneering under the new Constitution Act was in lively progress at Canterbury. Mr. Godley had been requested to offer himself for the Superintendoncy, but had declined on the ground of his determination to return immediately to England. But Mr. James Edward Fitzgerald conies forward in a long address as a candidate for the office, \\hieh he evidently aspires to hold in connection with a seat in the General Assembly. At a meeting of the Chrislchurch Colonists Society the following gentlemen had been fixed on as " most entitled to confidence in public affairs," and therefore most suitable to be put in nomination as candidates for the Representative Chamber, — Messrs. Deans, Fitzgerald, Russell, Sioddart, Tancred, Wakefield, and >Vortley. Mr. Wakefield, being at the meeting, acceded at once to the request ; subsequently most of the other gentlemen addressed the electors. What is to become of the Provincial Council does not at present appear, as all these gentlemen aim at the higher position. A Public Meeting had been held at Lytfelton, Mr. Godley in the chair, at which Resolutions were carried, amidst lively demonstrations of applause, expressing gratitude to Sir John Pakinglon and the friends of the colony in England for the measure of Local Self-Government which has been granted to New Zealand. TJie Lyttelton Times "cannot refrain, even at so early a period, from expressing a hope that the colonists will banish from their minds any intention of exercising in the first instance, those powers which the law conferp of amending the Constitution itself. Let us rather apply ourselves soberly and seriously, not to amend our Constitution, but to work it." The NeUon Examiner leans to the other side of this question. "We do not," says that journal, " look upon the Act as a perfect measure, for it contains at least two or three serious defects; but we accept it nevertheless as a great boon, more particu- j larly as we shall possess the power to amend it, so as to render its working harmonious with the feeling of the colony." i The topic of most local interest at Nelson was the organization of the Coal Company, of which a detailed account will be found in another column.

The pressure of other demands on our space has obliged us to postpone some notes we had made of the news from the neighbouring colonies brought by the Moa and Marmora, (in addition to the Shipping and Commercial Intelligence which we have already published). We are now enabled to expand and supplement them by further gleanings from the Hobart Town journals received by the Berwick Castle. New' diggings had been discovered at " The Ovens," — in the colony of Victoria, but on the borders of T\ T e\v South Wales— the richness of which was highly vaunted, and was attracting hundreds of diggers from Mount Alexandei and Bendigo. Though this Field was exciting more attention than perhaps any other in Australia, no large returns of gold had hitherto heoM received from it, the diggers waiting, as was supposed, to forward their gettings to Sydney in charge of the Escort just formed in that city for the conveyance of gold from the mines of Victoria. The Legislative Council of Victoria, in committee on the Gold Export Bill, had reaffirmed the principle of it by a majority of *2 to 9 The Financial Message had been sent down to the Council by which the sum of 300,000 L from the Gold Revenue was placed at the disposal of the Council The Roxburgh Castle had taken the largest quantity of gold ever carried by one vessel from Melbourne, viz., over 170,000 ounces. The imports of Flour into Melbourne on the 1 7th nit., were 2131 bags colonial, and 4000 barrels from England. The price was variously quoted within a few days;— at auction, as low as to ±52 and at the mills as high as AIL; but the tendency was evidently downwards. Other articles were high ; New Zealand limber was in great demand. The outrages recorded in the Melbourne papers were as numerous as ever. At the last dates another formidable gang of bushrangers were plundering on the road to the diggings. A Mr. Snodgrass had been robbed of 100/. by these depi'edalors. At the Supreme Court (according to a statement in one of the papers) some of the criminals, convicted on various charges, had been sentenced to hard labour on the roads for thirty years, and other charges were still pending for which they would be tried. The diggers at Mount Alexander suffered greatly from the oppressive heat of the weather. The Reporter of the Argus says, "How the newly arrived immigrant diggers will be able to bear the heat of a noon day sun for the next two or three months, it is difficult to say All work this hot weather, and but little or no gold lately obtained, had added a rather melancholy tinge to the countenances of many of the digging population." A voluminous correspondence was going forward in the Sydney papers between the Bishop of Newcastle, and Sir Charles Nicholson, on " the absence of all religious teaching" in the New University, of which Sir Charles is Vice Provost. The Bishop demands, as the condition of his reposing confidence in the University, that there shall be the same provision for teaching Divinity and the same encouragement for studying it as are granted to Literature and Science, and that every student, before he can obtain any honour or degree, must produce a certificate of his having received the religious instruction of religious teachers of his own denominrtion. Sir Charles defends the plan as it exists, and draws a parallel between the Sydney University and the University of London, —the exact accuracy of which, however, the Bishop controverts. The contention was not likely to be more than suspended until the return of the Bishop of Sydney (expected in September next) who, the Bishop of Newcastle is certain, will warmly concur in his views. The Legislative Council of New South ' . Wales had re-assembled on the 23rd ult. <

The Revised Estimates — rendered necessary by the important financial change effected by the transfer of the Gold Revenue to the control of the Colonial Legislature— had been brought forward. The Gold Revenue would add i 11 ,000 Z. to the Ways and Means ; and an Increase from Customs to the amount of 41,718/. was calculated on. But largo as was this expected augmentation to the Revenue, the estimated charges upon it showed augmentations still more considerable ; leaving on the whole, but the bare margin of receipt over expenditure of iO,ABoL " This," says Ihe Herald, "is shaving extremely close;" and so it undoubtedly is, considering that the amount of the Income thus calculated on and appropriated, is little less than half a million sterling.

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Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18521215.2.7

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 696, 15 December 1852, Page 2

Word count
Tapeke kupu
3,428

AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD. New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 696, 15 December 1852, Page 2

AUCKLAND GOLD FIELD. New Zealander, Volume 8, Issue 696, 15 December 1852, Page 2

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