THE DUNSTAN DIGGINGS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 222, 5 September 1862, Page 5

THE DUNSTAN DIGGINGS.

By the courtesy of the Commissioner of Police we are enabled to publish the following official report received yesterday from the officer in charge of the new diggings :— Police Department, O'lutha Gold Field. August 30th, 1862. _ Siu,—l have tl»c honor to inform you that I visited the whole of the ground on this eastern bank of the Molyneux, at present occupied hy the miners, from Leaning Rock .Hill to the junction of the river with the Ktuvurau. The whole of tho space is occupied at short intervals by miners. The exact number, or in fact any anproxima to estimate would be difficult to arrive at, but I consider that, tiierc are now aboutthroe thousand on the field. Great numbcjs have Jeff since Thursday, some with the stated intention of returning with the necessary tools and provisions, and others to their old claims on other iiolu% but greater, numbers are'daily arriving.' ' I did not observe so much discontent as on my first visit, the greater part having settled down to their claims a!i<) commen ed working1. The great drawhsuk to .suecc-s.slui operations is the scarcity of food, nothing but meat being procurable, anil but lew have tasted anything else for the* last three days. The horse* teams arrived this day with flour, which was'disposed of within a few hours after tlwir c-.uniutj, but this was iasuflieient to supply more than one eighth part of the population. More drays are on the road, and an; expected to arrive to-morrow afternoon, I have also the honor to report that £ have not, until now, Ik en able to ilmie on any spot as suitable for the camp, the miners bwrijf scattered on each bank, fourteen miles up the river, whii-h can only be crossed at one spot, near " lamiuv Jioek Hill." 1 propose establishing the eainji' at t'tis point,, ami intend to occupy it cm Monday next when visit h*;- tin: field. Yesterday I i:auipe I for the night about seven miles up the' river, and would prefer this site ti.r penn;uu-nt cwrup.itioa if j the river eoul 1 be crossed at that point, arid ako if the track on the eastern bank could'iw made practicable for the carri..<;e of stores, such as tin- ' site, fee. At present nothing' but such as could i be carried on pack lior.«cs could bo taken up the i j river beyond Leaning Kock Hill. ! [ 1 ha v...'further the hom>r to report (bat the} I miners at piv^nt at work appear to lie contented '< with the piTis:K-cts obtained, whicli" rau-e on thy • average from two s'uins to half a weiiiiywei-htt.j I the tin ili«li (and in su;:. c in<lividual easi-s" to a ' larger amount). s-mic- expecting to be able u> oh- > tain gold to the value ot L-J and L.H pi . r mm per ! diem, and .-(.me more than. this. Tlu; grcaicr ! number of tho claims now taken up arc asWt unvorked to any extent, their owners ■ preparing j cradles, &c, for this jjurpo.-k-, but very fewhuvimj i provided themselves with anything Ix-vuud I shovels «»d tin dishes. When these are br«»u«ht I on the jjroun-i, and provisions arc ukmti/ul. the i ground will have a fair trial ; but as vet I am of t opinion that since the auriferous deposits are ! cop fined to the river workings.-unl-so further! ground is opened, and other discoveries sn: j made, it will not take any great tine to work: i them out with the present population. Two or three holes have been sunk on the tiv.i ' on the eastern bank spoken of by Mr. Ifanlcv, ; but a* yet without success. In one case the shaVe ' fell in after being snnk' about eiglKeen f.-cf ; Another party tried " pa.hlockin;,' and nhelvin'-."' i but this aiterntion I noticed that the sides were icoming in on them. The soil on this Hat consign I of a shingly gravel, inlerptrsed .with large ! boulders, ami could not be successfully worked * without slabbing. " j When the limber from the forests higher up the' j river can be floated do*n. the work will be pro-i H'.'cutod. The "color 1* wa» obtained in thu shaft • above mentioned, and from this fact the mine/s ; augur that e--uU they reach the bed rock, large! : deposits of gold might be discovered. : | Thy '• pros;>fcting" claim, i.e., tliat worked by ! the 'discoverers is about twelve miteu up the r ver ; from the mouth of the gorge, arid is uatumliy the i spot to which new comers make. This ground; has been the scene of frequent disputes, the first j I occupiers having taken up a large portion front- i I ing the river as " river or creek claims." (>n my i I arrival there, I explained to these men the con- j ditions on which these workings could be prose- ( cnted, mid. pointed out Hulc fi, sec. !. by which it | |is enacted, that fourteen days notice must bo | I given before leave could l>e obtained to occupy j such claims, and then supposing no v lid objec- i tion bo 10-l^e-l, the ap.lication might be granted j by the Government, but that sn--h |K'rmis<ii<m i was only given, where streams were intended to \ be diverted, nnd their beds mined forgoM On mv j explanation these partic* withdrew their upplf- I cation and took up "ordinary claims," vi/., no x t 30, shuw of them putting "in applications f.>r j amalgamation. .*' I have ai«o the honor to report, for yotir information, thnt I have had several applications from holders of claims fur protection for one or two, out of parties of four or more, during their absence to procure provisions and iicce'ssarv tools; | under-the circumstances I have granted these J and in doing s;, I trust I have properly exercised ! the discretion entrusted to me. " j I have tin; honor to be Sir, 't Your most obedient servant, | Jackson Kr.nnvj.t., Sub Inspector of Constabulary, in charge, of the Clutha Gold Field. St. John IJranL'au, Kso,.. J.P., Commissioner of J'olice, Dunedin. In addition to the above report we have I learnt pome particulars of an interestin" i character respecting the rnsh. Ft appears'that j the behavior of the diggers on the road to! and from the rush, has, an a rule,! been most orderly, notwithstanding that in many cases they have suffered | severely from want of provisions. ! In a letter which-we have seen, written hy a person who went within twelve miles Of the diggings, the writer says " he found all quiet and crilerlv under the circumstances of the hardship and hunger that the diggers had to endure on the rortd going to And from the Clutha diggings," he n.iver witnessed "a more orderly lot of mm, or a greater display of moral courage," At Hamilton and Wayne'*' Lowe's, jMcMnsferV, lUunVon's, and McPhersonV, some linndrcds of miners were calling daily, yet no complaints of any ennsequ* nee were made of the conduct of the miners. Some of the men returning were in n very bad state, having been living for four days on nothing but mutton ; they spoke in the highest terms of the treatment they had received at the Messrs. Murison's, who had given the diggers all the flour and potatoes they had, and left themcelvestwo days .without"'flour until their dra\s arrivd, on the 29th, with provisions. Some of the diggers who returned bard up were supplied with provisions by these gentlemen, without charge. The same letter also speaks very highly of the way in which Mr. M'Masters attended to the wants of travellerg. The police appear to have acted admirably. Sergeant Ryan took charge of two drays of provisions and escorted them to Shennan's, where the flour was served out by his suggestion, at the rate of 3 lbs. per man for 2s. 6d. a pound. The writer says, that Sergeant Ityan had managed in this delicate affair, to gite the greatest satisfaction to both diggers and carters. Mr. Sherman we learn, was selling mutton at Is. 3d. per lb., flour at 2r Od., potatoes at 6d., boards .£1 per foot. A gin case fetched £2,