ALBURNIA GOLDMINING COMPANY.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 85, 17 January 1872, Page 3

ALBURNIA GOLDMINING COMPANY.

To Urn Editor of the THAMES GUAiidiax. Sir, —Will you allow me to correct one or two errors into which you appear to have fallen, in your leader of this morning on the Alburnia Company’s affairs. First, you state that it is not long ago that the manager, Mr John Rowe, was going about with a lot of specimens in his pocket, telling people that the Alburnia was the most splendid tiling on the field, and second only to tho Caledonian. Now, sir, allow me to say that I have never brought specimens from the Alburnia in my pockets. 1 sent some from there twice with a man and horse, which specimens were for a time exhibited in the Bank of New Zealand, and then sent to Auckland, and crushedj 1091 b. of stone yielding lOloz. of gold. And as to the saying that the Alburnia was the most splendid thing on the field, and second only to the Caledonian, is not what I said. It was this : That I had not seen anything on the field so much resembling the Caledonian specimens as those from the Alburnia, and perhaps, sir, it is within your own knowledge that many persons—from the close resemblance of the two—could no be brought to believe but what the specimens in question were from the Caledonian. Another error is, that after the erection of the machinery, for some reason or other, they commenced crushing poorer stuff. At this time they had plenty of water. Now the reason that the poorer stuff was crushed first was, that the stuff was in the way ; the room occupied by it was wanted to enable us to complete our alterations in the battery, and we were compelled to crush it out of the way or throw it into the creek. But as to at that time having plenty of water is not. according to fact, for never for a day, with one exception, have we had a suflicient supply of water to work the whole force of the battery. Often, for tho first fortnight, had we to reduce the number of stampers to live and then could not work them for the 24 hours through. This can be proved, if proof is necessary, by reference to the table kept by the battery manager, which shows every hour, and the number of stampers working for that hour. A further proof can be had from the secretary of water supply. As for the first month of crushing the charge for the water was only a small trifle over one-third of the amount they would have been entitled to for a full supply. As your remarks, if passed by unnoticed by me, would, I consider, be damaging to my position, I hope you will publish this, and allow me to say that whatever my expressed opinion may have been respecting the prospects of the Alburnia mine, I this day reiterate them and may say that those opinions are supported by the supposed highest miningj

authority on the Thames. I may mention one without betraying confidence.—Mr Kernick having prospected the mine, on being asked by a very large shareholder for his opinion, said, “ I consider, excepting the Caledonian, you have a mine second to none on the field.” And I say that, for all practical purposes, the mine is this day worth 100 per cent, more than when prospected by Mr Kernick. Whatever may be the motives of the directors for making the call referred to I have no knowledge. But, till otherwise proved, I must believe them to be sincere, and have no doubt will be able to explain their conduct, when tho time arrives for so doing. —I am, &c., John Rowe, Mine Manager Alburnia. Grahamstown, January IG, 1872. ♦ [advertisement.] * To the Editor of Thames Advertiser, per favor of the Thames guardian. Sir, —In your issue of Saturday last, relative to Ehreiifried Bros. v. Butler, as defendant I beg to state that the case in question lias reference distinctly to the quality of beer, and I would not have gone to the trouble of contradicting it, wero it, not for what appeared in your issue of this morning, in order to mislead tho public. A. Butler.