OTAGO.

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 424, 15 November 1861, Page 2

OTAGO.

[from our own cobrkspondekt.j Gabriels Gully, Tuapeka, . October 22ud, 1861. I have only been on the diggings ten weeks. In regard to the state of the diggings at the present time, I can only say that they are on the decrease, more especially in Gabriel's GuHy,<as it is almost all worked and taken up. rl he best of the gully has been worked} and some parties have returned home withsome good large bags of gold, and others that have not done so well have made their way into some of the adjoining gullies, where some are doing very well, and others scarcely cleaiing their expenses. Last Saturday there was a new rush into one of the adjoining gullies, about three miles from Gabriel's Gully; I believe as '■■- many as 400 persons disappeared from this gully during the day. The gold is much larger and more nuggety than in Gabriel's Gully. The sinking varies from three to ten feet. I believe a great number are driving into the hills, where they occasionally drop across a vein of nuggety gold, but of no great extent. I did hear of some parties taking out as much;as 12 and* 14 ounces -intone day,, but! ftcanriot saythe ; depth that.was dug to procure this amount; ? it was, I believe, not more than 10 feet. In a gully called Monro's Guliy, a great number have been driving ever since the diggings started, and one party of four made ai much as £700 each man. I saw some very fine gold from there the other day, about three pounds weight; some of ' the pieces wduld weigh as much as three or four pennyweights, arid occasionally much larger gold is found. Parties are very particular as to what they say in regard to how they are doing. The answer to such questions is generally * making tucker.' ■ The gold lays so very patchy, that it is impossible to tell where to dig. It is quite a chance in sinking a hole whether you get anything or not, as our party sunk a large hole 15 feet deep, and it turned out next to . a 'duffer.' The adjoining hole, not more .■■■. than a foot from this, proved a very successful one, and we took out as much as 30 ounces. This appears a great deal to take out of a hole, but such a hole as this would take a party of five men at least a week to procure the gold, as it has to undergo a number of processes. Many persons are . led to believe that there is but little trouble in procuring the gold and getting it into a saleable state. r I believe some Canterbury men made out of one claim, as much as £200 each man in a fortnighH-their party consisted of eight men. The disappearance of tents is very perceptible every day; at least onehalf of the tents have disappeared since I arrived. Not so many people are arriving here as there were. A gieat number stay at a place called Waitahuna, a large plain. There are a great number working there— as many as three orrfoun thousand1; some are doing well, and others, are rot making their food. There is a sub-commissioner appointed for that district, and also a new one for this district, as our commissioner has accepted another situation. I believe the scarcity of water is getting a great drawback to the lower part of this gully. Toms and cradles are very much used lately, and sluices are being done away with, as they require much more water. The diggers in general are very orderly there is nothing more than a few words occasionally about the races of water und P eggmg °ff claims. At night time we are quite alive amid the several salutes of guns &c, and men cal ling out hot pies, tripe and trotters. Our bakers are very regular night and morning. Thefe are several licensed tents, and a great business is done in the shape of retailing spirits; but very great precaution is taken in case of intoxication, and most of the imbibers are ve;y quiet. There were no less than 13 cases on at the magistrate's office last Saturday for selling liquor without a license. There has been a great many licenses issued* but hot more than are requisite, according to the inhabitants. There are boxing tents, and musical; assemblies erected here now. I have heard ) that some professionals are Waiting to come up here from Dunedin. ' There is also a coach running between the diggings and Dunedin. • The distance is travelled in -. about 10 hours, and the passage down is £2 each. The weather has been extremely fine for j the last two months, save the last week, which has been rather foggy and damp; r>ut the weather has again taken up, and I believe we shall have a continuation of fine ■ weather.- ;'•' :-if.yj. .---■■■■■■: vy ... - - ■-, The average rate of living on the diggings is from 30s. to 355. a week per man. Sawn timber is very dear—from 2s. 6d. to 3.9. per foot, superficial measurement. There is very little bush about this country, and there is a great demand for boards for?' toms, &c. I believe many parties have to carry the boards as far as Waitahuna from this gully and Monro's, where they are not always procurable, a distance of 12 miles. Many influential men have been trying to get the roads repaired between Dunedin and the diggings, in order to dray goods. There are a great number of stores here already, and some Melbourne people are about to erect more. The country, as far I have travelled, bears the appearance of a prosperous goldfield for many miles round. Gold has betn found in many diffeiem parts of Oiago. There are as many as seven or eight different gullies wiihin ten: mills' oi Gabriel's, where numbers are working. Mr. Gabriel Read has been out on a prospecting expedition for the last six weeks, and has not yet returned; it is to be hoped he will return with good news, and many are of opinion that he will. The diggers hacj a holiday yester<j|av A in.

drd§r to present Mr.! Strode, the present commissioner, with a purse, as a token of respect for his late services and for his excellent dispatch of business in his responsible occupation. I have not heard the result of the meeting. i Yesterday there was a report in this gully of some 15 men having been stuck up by 13 bushrangers who had concealed themselves in a lot of manuka scrub, on the West Taieri road, about half-way from Dunedin to the diggings. I have heard that it is supposed to be some Melbourne men on their way to ihe diggings- I believe that £400 was taken from two of the men. There is but very little bush about the country, so that a few mounted police would secure any person's safety on the road. I believe the parties that committed the assault have come on to the diggings. Many persons a.c doing well on Anderson's Flat, a gully three miles from this one. The sinking is from four to five feet on the flat, but much deeper on the hill side. A great number have commerced driving, and most of them are doing well. It appears to me that the hills contain gold in great quantities, for nuggets of half-an-ounce and an ounce weight are fiequently found. It is the impression oi many that the diggings will continue for a considerable time, as the hills are being commenced. A party told me yesterday evening that he had seen some nuggets out of Monro's Gully weighing over an ounce. There is a great deal of driving in the hill sides there also. The country for some 30 or 40 miles round has been prospected,, holes sunk, and gold found, but not in paying quantities. I have heard to day that the Lindis diggings are progiessing again, and there are several stores on the ground. The gold found there is superior to the gold found here. It is a safe criterion that parties are doing well when diggers go in great numbers to a place and scarcely any return. Labor is hired at £1 per day and food ; and 255. per day without food. Provisions are still very high. Bread, Is. per lb.; mutton, Is. 2d.; beef, Is. Id.; flour, 10d.; cheese, 35.; butter, 35.; potatoes, 6d ; sugar, Is. 4d. to Is. 6d.; tea, 65.; coffee, 3s. 6d.; and other things in proportion. Gold is only £3 11s. as yet, but I believe £3 12s. 6d. per ounce is given at the bank in Dunedin. The mutton is so high on account of one station-holder having the whole trade in his own hands. I believe he refuses to lower the meat, and has risen it this last week one penny per lb. October 23. This evening I heard a more correct account of the robbery by bushrangers. I am told they were thirteen in number, and had a horse each man. The vagabonds went to a shepherd's hut, and demanded £5, which they got, and ordered two sheep to be slaughtered, which the shepherd did ; they then made the man lash the sheep on j their horses and then they lode away. 1 j believe the wretches are scattered about i the hills, as there is no bush for them to hide in. Fifteen were* the number that were victims. The distance is only 45 miles from the diggings to Dunedin. I should imagine that Government will speedily take some steps to insure life, as a few mounted police would answer the purpose. The diggers are rather concerned about the affair.