MINING NEWS. (From the "Coromandel Mail.")

Te Aroha News, Volume I, Issue 37, 16 February 1884, Page 4

MINING NEWS. (From the "Coromandel Mail.")

We are glad to hear that Mr Aston, who has come out from England to inspect the New Zealand Kapanga mine, has been exceedingly well pleased with what -he has seen there. To use his own very expressive phrase, the "mine is only in its infancy." He says that judging from the amount of ground stoped out and the returns of gold obtained that there are many years profitable work before the Company. The ground is now well opened up, with very large block? available both on the old Kapanga reef and the Scotty'a Hill reef ; and then bearing in mind the enormous yield of the precious metal from several of the mines at the Thames between 400 and 500 feet below the sea level, with very good prospects of rich- ground still deeper, we say, bearing these Thames mines in view, the prospects of the Kapanga striking rich gold at 500 or 600 feet deep is quite as good as theirs ; and if Mr Aston can see his way to have the Kapanga thoroughly tested at the deeper level we have no doubt he will meet with abundant success While on this subject we may mention two or three other portions of the gold-field which have yielded abundance of gold in their tipper workings, but are languishing for want of sufficient capital to develop the ground even at a moderate depth. Probably the best instance of this kind is the Union Beach and adjacent claims. There we have a cluster of about half a dozen claims which have yielded their thousands of ounces of gold ; especially is this true ot the Beach, which paid between £30,000 and £40,000 in dividends, but did not reserve sufficient capital to develop deeper ground, and is now languishing for Avant of funds. Their deepest level is only ISO feet, and all the other mines are still shallower. If a good shaft were sunk near the Beach there is every facility for obtaining material cheaply, and levels driven through the hill at some depth could hardly fail ot being remunerative. The ground also between the Union Beach and the Kapanga is right in the direct line for goldbearing reefs, but has never been prospected for want of the necessary capital. Trig Hill, too, is another piece of gold-bearing country, full of reefs, but being private propei ty has never been properly tested, although good specimens have been got on the surface, and the ground is known to abound in reefs. Vizard's. — This claim is about to have a large parcel crushed at the Matawai battery, and there is a small parcel of rich picked stone to go through with it. Altogether a very handsome yield is anticipated. Matawai. — This claim is also about sending down a large parcel, and have already engaged one hopper at the battery for that purpose. The reef in the main face still looks well, is very large, and will yield an enormous quantity of crushing stuff. Black more's. — It is understood this mine will coivnience operations as soon as some little difficulty with some of the workmen is settled. The ground will be amalgamated with the Home Rule, and, with the battery, form a first-class mining property. They have a large quantity of crushing material, rather low grade, but with the facilities they have for working, a small percentage will pay ; and while taking out the poor stuff they may come upon some of a better quality. New Cobby. — Getting good stone from the stopes in the low level reef, highly mineralised. The reef in the face driving to•u ards the old shot of gold also looks well, and likely fci' gold any minute. Tokatea. — Have very hard country in the main level. Bars of flint cross the face, but is impossible to bore. The stopes are turn ig out poor stuff; very little gold shov i ig. Tributers McNeil and Knox are getting stone in the upper workings. Queen of tjie North are sinking a winze on an old leader some distance from the old shoot of gold, but a little gold is showing which looks well for the future. Matawai. — Getting out a large quantity of payable stone from the big face, and a few picked stone occasionally. The level is going in very slowly. Union Beach still rising in the Venus, a good reef showing all the way. There i8 also a fine reef in the face driving hillwards. The drive on the black reef is also looking: well. Just-in-Time. — Getting good payable stone from No. 1 reef. Have repaired air passage to No. 2, and will resume opera tions in the winze immediately. Albion.— Making first-rate driving towards the Just-in-Time boundary. A very short time should see the reef in hand. The country is very good. Success.— The reef has been somewhat broken of late, but shows signs of coming together. The manager confidently anticipates a haul of specimens. New Colonial.-- The manager is getting excellent loose prospects from the small leader. Unfortunately he cannot crush at present through the difficulty about private property over which the road passes.

A young English bicyclist, now in San Francisco, proposes to make a trip round the world on his bicycle, starting in the Spring. He will start from San Francisco eastward by way of Ogden, Omaha, and Chicago, and, crossing the Atlantic from New York, will ride from Liverpool to Dover. He will cross the English Channel to France, and ride through Europe into Asiatic Turkey, thence through Persia and Turkestan into the Chinese Empire, and make his way down the valley of the Yang-tse-Kiang to Shanghai, and thence by vessel to San Francisco, consuming a year in the travelling. Lately at New Plymouth an amusing example of esprit cle corps was given while a number of Volunteer recruits were engaged trying on theirnewuniforms. Anoldcavalry officer of the late Mounted Rifles was present, when he saw a late member of the Mounted Rifles step forward and don the new infantry uniform. With an exclamation of surprise, the former said ; "What You have left the civalry and joined the beetle-crushers. What bad taste." It need hardly be said that the officers of the infantry corps who were present felt their dignity touched, and a challenge to hot coffee and pistols was likely to have eventuated, but the cavalry officer hastened to explain that for the moment he had been carried away by the old feelings of jealousy ' cherished between the infantry and cavalry regiments of the line. Mr Michael Davitt is said to be writing a parody of " The Pilgrim's Progress." entitled "The Gaol Journey." Miss Jeffreys Lewis; an' American " leading lady," who is a sister of Catherine Lewis, of opera-bouffe celebrity, has been engaged for an Australian season in special dramas, " the rights of which have just been secured." Of Gilbert and Sullivan's new opera, which was to have been produced at the Savoy Theatre, on Jan. 5, the estimates for costumes alone are said to be £2,700, and it is claimed for the piece that it has higher musical aims than anything Sullivan has before attempted for the stage. When may a ship be said to be in lore ? ; When she's in want of a mate or attached, to a buoy.