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Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 2, 9 October 1871, Page 3

Grove’s Bank. —This is the name of a lease held by Mr Grove of a piece of ground on Block 27, township of Shortlana, towards the foot of the ranges near the Standard Company’s ground. The manner of -working iB quite different to anything else on this field. The place of operations is the old bed of the Noke-noke Creek, and the surface being stripped off to a~ depth of from two to four and five feet, a seam of crushing stuff is laid bare varying from two to four feet. It consists of broken rubbly quartz and wash-dirt which yields gold in good payable quantities The facility with which the stuff is taken out makes a very small return remunerative. Mr Grove's battery is kept constantly employed, aud the gold is of a very superior quality, being worth L2 18s 9d per ounce. A new paddock which is being opened some distance below the main working, is taming out much better stuff than the former workings, so that if the deposits in Grove’s Bank continue as they are at present it ought to be a good thing. The Golden Sruß. —This company’s ground consists of the Golden Spur, Rover, and Jupiter claims amalgamated, and they are now working on the Golden Spur reef, from which the old shareholders have had such good returns, former crushings never having gone less than an ounce, and having run as high as four and a-half ounces to the ton. The manager is continuing the upper drive along the course of the reef, and intends to commence rising and out almost immediately towards the surface, which will give them as much as 150 feet of a back. The winze sunk from this drive is down GO feet, and the reef has been driven on at either side and good payable stone sent from this part of the mine, but on account of the expense attached to raising all the sione up the winze they are not at present working here. The low level tunnel from the Hapo Creek, which is in 125 feet, has cut the reef at a depth of 127 feet below the above workings, and driving on it has been commenced. Should the reef con tinue as it has done this company have a good future before them, as the reef runs the whole length of tlio claim, over 800 feet. Una. —The usual fortuightly cleaning up for this claim took place on Friday and yielded 2020z5. of retorted gold, which, upon being melted, was reduced to 1970z5. ISdwts. The whole of the battery was at work for the fortnight. Multum in Pauvo. —The reef still continues to show good gold both in the drive and also in the stopes, and averages from two to three feet in thickness. There are about 100 tons of stone to grass, which is expected to yield 4ozs. to the ton, or very nearly that. Crushing will be commenced at Weston’s machine this morning. Golden Crown. —About 70 tons of stone were crushed for the company at their own battery for a yield of 55ozs. lldwts. 12grs. melted gold. Of this quantity about 50 tons were from No. 2 reef, and the remaining 20 from the Golden Crown or No. 1 reef. The operations at present being carried on consist of driving on the Golden Crown reef, at the bottom level, and stoping out. Stoping is also going on on No. 2 reef, and the manager is entering a cross-cut from the bottom level to intersect No. 2 reef. The ground is very hard below, which makes progress rather slow. The company’s tributers are cruhing at the battery, but no cleaning up took place on Saturday. At the Manakau battery a crashing of 40 tons for Kelly’s tribute was completed, but retorting had not taken place on Saturday —the result will be payable. The retorting for the Manakau Company yielded 13Gozs. 17dwts. of melted gold. The crushing has not been very regular, so the exact quantity of stone crushed for this amount is not known. Lowe’s tribute party (Tookey’s Company,) are crushing some 30 or 40 tons, which will be completed about Tuesday. The Flagship claim, Hape Creek, commences crushing to-day, when about 35 tons will bo put through. Kuranui Battery. —The fortnightly cleaning up for the company took place on Saturday .and the result was 2230z5. 15dwts. melted gold. 30 head were employed during the fortnight reducing stone. A crushing of 1C tons for the Inverness Company took place at the old battery, and yielded 31ozs. lOdwts. retorted gold—3ozs. to the ton, which must be considered very good indeed. The cleaning up for the All Nations after four weeks run with 10 head, also took place, and the result, together witli that of the 8001bs. of specimens, was 870ozs. lGdwts. of retorted gold, which was lodged in the Bank of New Zealand, and will be supplemented on Monday by the result of four weeks crushing with ten head at Partington’s battery, when the whole will be molted, and will make the month’s yield splendid, reminding one of former days. At the Herald Battery a partial cleaning up took place for the Junction Company, which is employing the whole force. Owing to several stoppages having taken place during the week, there was not as large a qumtity crushed as usual. No retorting will not take place yet.

At the Prince Alfred battery the Caledonian employ 13 head on a continuous crushing. Ten head were started yesterday on a Darcel of stuff for Dixon’s No. 1, which is of the same quality as that usually sent down. The result of the crushing for the Don Pedro tribute was lOozs. lOdwts. from lOi tons, or an ounce

to the ton, besides which specimens from this lot yielded 27ozs. of gold, making a total of ‘ j.; The Tramway Battery is employed for the Moanatairi Company, but there will be no cleaning up until the end of the week.

At Souter’s Machine the crushing for the Bright Smile continues to look splendid. After 48 hours run there was 1760z5. of bard squeezed amalgam-taken- offi-the plates, and a further quantity was lifted late on Saturday night. Crushing will be continued for some little time te come. Owing to an accident to the stamper box, the crushing for Tookey’s tributers had to be suspended. The result will not be very rich.

A crushing of 12 ton 6 for the Moanatairi Union at the Waiotahi, gave a result of 50 ozs. of retorted gold from 12 tons of stone or over 4ozs. to the ton. The American Eagle crushing was also completed at this battery, but the yield was not as good as was expected, being 24ozs. 2dwts. 12grs., or about an ounce to the ton. The Twenty third of June commence crashing to-day, and a good return is looked forward to. Nonpareil. —Work is being principally carried on towards the Central Italy ground, and the reef looks very well indeed. Towards the Waitemata end of the claim it is very much broken up and mullocky. The manager is sinking another winze opposite to the cross cut, in order to be enabled to raise a larger quantity of stone. Crushing is still going on at the Criterion Battery with 20 head, and is looking very healthy. Evening Star. —8 tons and a small quantity of specimens crushed at Spencer and Hall’s, yielded 23ozs. 2dwts. melted gold for the tributers of this company. They have about 80 tons of stuff on hand, which they intend to crush at the Criterion Battery as soon as the Golden Age have finished, and it will no doubt yield well, notwithstandingjthe quantity of specimen stuff already taken out of it. A crashing of 2cwt. stone forth* Green Isle (late Grand Trunk) took place at Spencer and Hall’s test battery, and yielded 3ozs. 9dwts. melted gold. Crown Prince. —The contractors have driven now aborit 60 feet out of their contract for 100 feet. At 30 feet they cut a reef about 1 foot wide, in which gold was visible. Where cut it seems rather pinched by the hard, rock, but no doubt when driven on it, may increase in size. A crushing of about 50 tons will be commenced at Partington’s Battery to-day. The stone to be reduced comes from the old Mariner’s Reef, which runs through the Beach claim, now part of the company’s property. GOLD RETURNS. The following returns are to hand, Melted Gold. Moanataiari Union Tribute, 33ozs. 12dwts.; Kuranui Company, 2230z5. 15 dwts.; Golden Crown, 55ozs. lldwts. 12 grs.; Una Company, 1970z5. 18dwts,; Manukau Company, 13G©z. 17dwts; American Eagle, 24ozs. 2dwts. 12gis.; Long Drive, 35ozs. sdwts. 12grs.; Evening Star Tribute, 23ozs. 2dwts. Retorted Gold. Queen of Beauiy, 23ozs. 19dwts; All Nations, 870ozs. lGdwts.; Inverness 31 ozs. lOdwis.; Moanataiari Union, 500z5.; Caledonian, 1,3870z5. * FROM OUR CELESTIAL CORRESPONDENT, MARS. If yoo have ever been kaut in a man-trap you no very well what kind of a thing it is to be in a fix. Now, I’m in a fix up here in Mars, and unless I believed in my own well-known, never-failing, and underflogisiicated good luck (secured .by letters patent), I should frankly say : “Shortland, with all thy faults, I love thee still, But never more be tabernacle of mine.” The fact is, my locomotive can’t carry on, and has filed its petition ; in other words, my balloon lias busted up, and I’m without the means of transit to your orb again. When I left my native sile on this mission of exploration to Mars, I felt quite ashoored that if I cud only get there, I cud also get back. It never struck me that my balloon would cave in, before the return journey big Ann. The fritefu'lly hot wether we have had in Mars, and which you must have had a good share of in yoor part of the universe, (quite a delusion this, as our readers are well aware—Ed.) has scorched up my balloon alter the similitude of charred paper, the gas has all leaked out, and the ole concern aint worth a red scent The inhabitants of Mars can’t make me a new one, ballooning being an unknown science to them, intelligent and acute as they are, and I feel more than ever, I’m in a fix.

Yearnings for home kum on me, and the r c is no way that Ic of getting off from here, so that I sit (figuratively) like a tom cat upon the tiles beewha’ing my hard lot, and solillerkising like the celebrated Gimlet, Prince of Denmark “ 2 B or not 2 B, that is the kwestion,” &c. (vide Gimlet, Act 3, seen i, Shakespear’s edition, without which none is genooin. But to resoom. I serLinly hanker after my fainerly friends, and but for this short interval of 37 million miles I should at once call on them.

I must strike out some immejate original plan for returning to the bussom of my famerly and the bills of my creditors, or abandon all hope of ever seeing them agen. As the poit says, so say I, Allsopp abandon ye who gingerbeer.” [Ho is evidently quoting by accident the line, « All hope abandon, ye who enter here.”— Ed.] If I don’t by Bum hook’or crook suxceed in levanling, I shall be expected to marry one of tbe dorters of the aborigines, and fall in with tbe way of life in Mars as though to the manner born. Excuse the serusness of this epistle, as I have dislocated my funnybono. The General Post Office people here are still undertaking to forward iny letters to you, but they have interinated they shall discontinue the sei/icc as soon as the peeryud for my becoming a naturalised Snugdum subjick arrives. In the meantime, Mr Editor, gud afternoon. More in tbe course of the weke.