OTAGO

Colonist, Volume IV, Issue 432, 13 December 1861, Page 2

OTAGO

The Lord Ashley, Captain W ( heeler, from Otago^ Lyttelton, and Wellington, arrived in port on Weduesday morning bringing news from thence to the 6th instant.

The intelligence received from the Otago Gold Diggings is still of a satisfactory character, ah though the amount of gold - brought in by the weekly escorts shows a falling off in quantity. Three escorts had arrived iv Dunedin from the Gold Fields since the date of our last advices. The last escort we had intelligence of, arrived in Dunedin, on the 14th Nov., with 35,700 ozs., that was the last of the fortnightly escorts. On the 21st Nov. the weekly escort brought down 21,090 ozs., on the 28th Nov. 18,000 ozs., and on the sth inst, 14,535 ozs., the total received in the three weekly escorts being 53,624 ozs., of gold. These, with the previous escorts, make the amount received from the goldfields, exclusive of that brought down by private hands, 162,250 ounoes. The Customs Revenue of Otago for the month of November amounted to £12,933 12s. 3d. and the revenue for the corresponding period in 1860 was £2,389 14s. lid. The amount of export duty on gold, says the Daily Times, for the mouth of November is J29J272 Is. Bd., and the total amount received from Ist,- August to 30th November, £14,655 7s. lOd. V • The Lord Ashley . has on board 13,500 ounoes of gold, for Sydney, and 64T of Mr. Rich's first-class rams.

The steamer Aldinga sailed from Otago for Melbourne on Saturday, the 23rd Nov. taking with her 40,103 ounces of gold, of this amount the Bank of New South Wales shipped 15,000 ; the Union Bauk, 25,000 ozs., and 103 ozs were taken by private hands. The following letter, (from the correspondent of the Daily Times,) (6th inst.) is the latest intelligence from the Gold-fields. The escort will take from Tuapeka 10,197 ounces, five convicted prisoners and one lunatic. The miners at Wetherston's Gully did not bring in their gold ; I believe the impression is abroad that the price of gold will rise, and the miners sell only as little as suffice to satisfy'their wants. From Wetherston's Gully a great deal of gold is being obtained. Four Cornishmen during the last four weeks got £1000 each out of their claim which is only 12 feet square and situated on one of the spurs at Waitahuna Gully; another party are getting .£9O each per week. Four Tarengower men with whom I am well aquainted have cleared £400 per man during the last 4or 5 weeks. A great number of miners' are getting plenty of gold at Wetherston's Gully but they are keeping the matter secret except from their friends whom they lay on to a claim by giving information as to the run of lead, &c.' The special correspondent of the Otago Witness.

' Tuapeka will soon be worked out, has hitherto been the cry of the timid ones in respect to the diggings, and the shortsighted prophecy lhaßbeen taken up by the two thousand and odd Victorian unfortunates, who, from a too credulous belief in the statements of others, or from faint-heartedness, have returned whence they came, sadder, but not wiser men. The Tuapeka and Waitahuna diggings are not only of great extent and richness, but immeasurably surpass either the Victorian or Californian diggings of the present day, whatever these might have been at their first commencement. Every man able and willing to work can, with steady application, earn £6 per week, per man, while hundreds, I rhight. safely say thou sands, are earning from £9 to £90 per man per week.

Large as have lately been the escort returns, they bear no comparison to the actual yield. rriiio.T.m«v..-pnoUS...»ljT..«o»td»»».-»<?, aa..lLJiavo duvinnf the past week visited all the principal diggings and conversed with hundreds of miners, many of them comprising the flower of Victoria. I have also received valuable information from the leading storekeepers, all tending to confirm this opinion. Besides the goll sent down by the escort, there cannot be less in the hands of the diggers than 50,000 ounces ; the diggers generally only selling sufficient to meet present requirements. In four or five different stores I saw parties come in and take out their little chamois leather bags, containing from 10 to 50 ounces, and only sell from half-an-ounce to an ounce. This, I was informed by the storekeepers, was tbe general system adopted, the low price given by the banks (£3 lis 3d) not being considered sufficient to induce parties to sell the whole of their gold. Properly speaking, no well defined leads have been discovered, but what is far better, gold is found everywhere—in the flats, gullies, hills or in the gorges and clefts of the ranges. Every day the diggings are extending, and ground richer than ever being opened up. The Tuapeka and Waitahuna diggings may be said to form one large gold field; a chain of likely looking gullies, many of them already opened up, connect the two places, and all that is wanted is population to produce an amount of gold weekly that would astonish the world.

Wetherston's Gully.—To this gully a large rush has taken place during the past week —1500 having arrived from Waitahuna alone since last Saturday afternoon. Little has been said about this gully, but it is affirmed that during the past four weeks, more gold has been got there than in Gabriel's gu'.ly during the same time. Though known by the name of Wetherstone's gully the diggings extend over several gullies, and are merging into a large and likely looking flat. The limits of the highdividing range are being sunk 00, and will probably, ere another mouth elaipstes, be worked or taken up to the very top of the range. Wood fit for propping purposes and the making of windlasses is found in a grove in one of the gorges, uot more tban half a mile distant. The principal limb on which the nearest and most direct path to Gabriel's gully goes over is sufficiently wide for three "olaims abreast; and out of all the holes sunk, and these are,many, I did not hear of a single ' shioer.' Nearly the whole of the miners there are Victorians; aud some of them are earning 6 oz. per mau per week—the sinking is from 18 to 40 feet. Further up the gully at the original workings, patches during the past week have been taken out weighing from 14 to 165 ozs. Waitahuna has suffered severely from the Blue Mountain hoax, as well as from the bona fide Wetherston's rush. But it U morally certain that ere tbo summer is far advanced, a great rush will set in once more to this spot. At present a considerable number of the claimholders do not earn more thau six pound per week. It is no wonder therefore tbat the superior attractions of Wetherston's gully should attract large numbers.

The escort has only taken down 17,580 oz., but taking into consideration the unsettled state of the miners during the past week, this amount may be considered very fair.

There have been several accidents lately from ground caving in. One man, yesterday, at the top of Gabriel's Gully, had two of his ribs broken. On Mouday, it rained the whole day, and upwards of twenty individuals had severe falls from the slippery 6tate of the ground, One man slipped and rolled from a height of 25 feet iuto a hole, which, fortwn^ly, was fi'M W'b

water—further tban a few cuts aud btuUcs, he was uot otherwise injured. Bread has fallen iv price, and is now sold at 3s.in Gabriel's Gully, and from 2s. to 2s. 6d. per 4 lb loaf at Waitahuna,. Potatoes, 6d. per lb; baef and mutton Is. to Is. 2d. Hundreds of minershave sent home to Victoria money by bills of exchange to their mates aud wives. The rates of exchange are mon strously high : the Union Bank charges 10s. for £20, and the Bank'bf New South Wales 6s.

(From the Daily Times.)