The Tauranga Record.

Tauranga Record and Bay of Plenty Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 4, 27 July 1867, Page 2

The Tauranga Record.

* " ■ , ith hearts rc-.iolve'l, and hands prcpareq, The bfessings we enjoy to' guanl, '

SATUHDAY, J ULY 27, 1867. It was Timon of Atliens in Iils iTusauthropic rctircuicnt who clug gold out of tlie soil aud fking it carelessh to some wandering thieves w tio discovered hK retreat. It is not nayrated "whether Diogenes in his tui) liold the precious mctal in as great contempt as the did he comforts arid digiiiries of lif'e. Even if lie did, it is not prohable tliat there have been maiiy instances of siich real 0' assnmed indifierence to fhat whicli mankiiid at tlie present day' co highly prize. The fabulous story of Tom Tiddler's ground, vvlierc tlie gold lay seattered upon the snrface was no fable in the cases of California, Victoria, and elsewhere. On tiie f'rst discovery in the two former places, tlie vvildest dreftms of

persons hastening to be neh seemed to be realised. The plunder of Pizarro aud liis band of adveutnrers in Perii spread scarcely more* intense excitement ainougst the civilized world. iliere was a charm in the prospect of a" sudden acqnisitioii ofweaJfh with out exercising tlie patienee and thrib of years, and while the fever raged, tew eseaped its eontagicm; Yet there were some wiu.se mtion or ineredulity restrained thera from plunging into the vortex. friu\ they oould not boast exemption from an eager desiro to possess what Yvould eomrnand every materi. 1 enjoyment tliat earth coukl fuviiisb. They reasoned — perhaps erroneously-— tliat gold might become too abundaut and too cheap, and cease to be a medium of currency or a standard of value. A few were nearer tlie niark when they argued tliat all were not equally successtnl in tlie scrambie. For oue tliat. gained there were fifty who lost. It was in iiuth aj lottery witli many more ! blanks tlian prizes. iJere \ was a bank on wliich any 1 courageous adventurer might i draw, and the errors or mis- j fortunes of a lif'e time be | suddenly repaired. It was not in hunia n nature to resist such a temptation. Nor I were the tales wliicli came j from disfant miners of a i kind to cairn the minds of men. Authentic cases were related of small parties toiling haid and faring worse, suddenly breaking in upop a 4 pocketf or striking a 4 lead,' anct within a few hours becoming possessors

[ , ' : | of achial 0:.T ( • i •' • sprniig up as if bvu ncbantmenc wliere only hamletswere , before. Descrt. shor.es were overrun bv floc-ks of stren- | gers from all prrts of tlie world. And it was not found tliat the fortunate miner was disposed to lioard liis sudden acquisitions. All tlie industries i n the eommunity participated in liis good fortune. Every pursuit tlirove for a while in tliose golden hinds. We iiave seen enough, and know enough to make us believe tliat vvhat lias hap- ; pened before may liappen again. '1 hcre is uo rea'son for concluding sliat similar mineral ricbes to tliose developed in tlie otlier island, may not be repeated here. Notwitlistanding tlie f'requein y of recent discoveries, ouractual knowledge of tlie formation or onginal deposit of gold is as far oif as ever. Wlietber itlias been exploded in a volume of molten particles from the crater of a volcano, and showered upon tlie earth, wfiether it is tlie produet of chemical action forages in ccrtain rocks, and

washed down rivers and into the soil by the rains and and flooils ( of centuries. | whether quurtz is really a iuatiix in wliiah it is fornicd. or whether, being a crystal- , iine rock, the quartz is not an after formation, or an | incrnstation, is notvet deter ; mined ; at least it is kno n -tliat ihe precious metal is found in every ]:art of the world. The burnins: sun, • O ' of Alfica, India and Australia a.' e not tlie only influences uiider wliicli it exists. It lies under tlie siun s of Siberia, and in' ihe regions of almost perjietLial • winter. Some geologisfes maintain I lliat voleanic di>(ricts are j iire-eniinently ils favorite ! localities Tliat tlie trap and ■ liasnltic rocks are its conipanions. ilut it is found in ailuvial soils lar from trap or ! basalt, or volcanic niouii- ! tains. We confess to a | modest opinion We do not | look to scientific theories for I its discovery, but to the ! observatioii and experience i of tlie practical digger. j These rema.iks are made as a | sort of ajipendix to the dis-. | C"veries reported to have been reeently made in the vicinit , if not actualiy ^ itlii n I our distsict- We have no positively autheuticated fact's to suhniit, but wliat we have heard is sufficient to make'the observations excusable It is not reasonable to expect tliat tlie labors oi a single prosjieeting party will or can evelcpe the whole riches of a laige and permanent field. Jt requires tlie distribution of many mining parties over a large surface to test a payable gold field. They say in the otlier eoloniesj

TrtrrTrl|t|rrfr)ir..T1|||.rT . r7tor v ti: at the value of a. field ■can n oi be known till it lias been * rnshecl ' by a. thousand or two people, because the chances of discovery are tlius , multiplied. ' Iiushes ' liave oiten taken place on the faith of insiiu:cieiit or exaggerated • i > ( i — ■ O •morinalr ii, and have brought disaster and ruin on the disappointed adveni turers. Ko one needs to be i reminded of the rnisery and famme wkicP attended the Port Curtis rusli, or the terrible sufieiings at the Sno'wy Mountains of AustraIra. Ko statement*is liere i made tliat can niislead. We j prefer to leave our readers f to forin their own conclusions from the actual reports tliat I reacli us -from time to time. i If great discoveries are at ' hand we shall not anticipate ■ i tliem by conjecture, nor, if commenciiig, magnify tliem 1 by exaggeration . The ery j of Gold in tlie Korth is j almost as stale as Wolf ! | Wolf ! Still gold is a good tliing, and a good gold field in Tauranga would settle the native difficulty for ever.