THE GOLD FIELDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 147, 6 May 1862, Page 5

THE GOLD FIELDS

TUAPEKA,

• . ' May 5, i 862. ' It is sonwsvhat astounding to witness the great amount of exoits.n^nt here,',.caused by the bri.'.i •iccount Hint appeared iv your columns as to the discovery of a new gold field. Groups of miners huddled roun.l their siMiifcy fixes, or lounging iv the bars o*' the hotels, eaj^riy di<sous» the p. oiwbiiity of the truth of the report, and. I- have no doubt when this 13 ascertained, thi>re will be a considerable exodus from tliN gol.i fl:ld. It. is am-isiugl to btisorvihow a little coioriag of the mysterious excites the most intense desire to have every detail connected with the uttUir. Who the discover can be 1 what i» his appearance? and the w!ieruab*nit3 of the new E! Dorado? nrj quotum's w'.iich djit;*p your correspondent, .who is supposed to have had an interview with the mysterious party, and to know somethingmore than has been m.uls public. I trust that the truth or error of the report wi/1 at onae be ascertained, for an infinite deal of damage i» done both to the mind's and trading community so- long as it remains unsettled. The first may, perhaps, have just worked out his claim, and thinks "he wout commence another, but will knock round a bit," until he is in possession of more information, when, if favorable, he i 3 off; the second is doubtful as to orderins: more goods, until he enn ascertain if he will have any population to supply. It is scarcely credible how easy it is. to unsettle the minds of the diggera", and how little will draw them from ground whr-re they are making wages, to some distant spot, where, of course, -they are certain to make their " pile." As an instance, —you admitted into your columns a paragraph, taken I think from the Illustrated Lotidon Nkivk, as t> so me good finds of gold iv British Columbia. Now, although this information must have been t>valvo inontin, an. 1 tlio country is within., a few days''sail of the gold fields of California, from which, had any j;ood discoveries ■ been ■'iaaae, there would have been a rush ; yet, notwithstanding these very evident objections, the paragraph was sufficient to deprive Otag") of SeVeral hundred miners. I ques-' tioned several of those who hiidditerminsd to go there as to whether they had any private information ! No. Did they know anyone who had ? No. llut they had seen it in \ih6 JTitnes, anl " they didn't mtud chancing it." To remonstrate with them under such circumstances is simply waste of breath, for your word? pass as unheeded an the "idle wind which no man re^ gnrdsth." " ' '.■; inuring the past week \ve v havehad a flying visit from Dr. Hector,the!Jovei'nmentgeologist. Thisgeutleinan, who was accompaMiod by Mr. Thonipsoii, the Chief Surveyor, visite.lthe beds of lignite how being worked, the proapectias shaft of the Deep Sinking1 Association, &c, and expressed liimself as well satisfied of the highly auriferous character of the conntry. 1 believe it is his intention to return to Tiiapeka, but in the meantime he has "fione on a tour of inspection of the country ia- the vicinity of the Molyneux. : A considerable' population is settling dowu, along the banks of the Tiiapeka-river, and many of those at work are doing well. I have nor doubt but that the flat into which Munroe's Gully opens, and through a, portion of which the Tuapeka runs, will eventually be systematically worked, and prove as rich as any jjround yet opened. At present the rush is following the course of the river, and both the flats and gpullies remain untried. The yield o gold for the week promises to be about the same as last, but there is evidently no increase. The Camp has been removed from its original "craws nest1' site to the Junction, where the Police Court is being held in the delapidated tent which I described in a.former letter. I believe however that a new Court House is on the ground ready for erection. Certainly, both for the comfort of the Magistrate, and the convenience of suitors, this cannot be done too soon. ■...-*

How it is that the Post Office should be allowed to remain in its present out of the way situation 1 am at :i loss to determine. It is not in the neighbourhood of any centre of population, while the building which has tj contain many valuable letters is neither vviud nor waterproof. By far the best arrangement \i ould be to establish one central Post Oliied in the surveyed township, and have branches at the mid'lle of Gabriel's and in Alonroe's. No extra expense need ♦hereby bs entailed on the Government, for there are jjleaty of stoi-ekeepcrs who will only bs too glad to undertake the duty for the sake of the business it would attract. Surely there can be no difficulty in having these very necessary arrarigments made at once.