MINING.

Thames Guardian and Mining Record, Volume I, Issue 245, 22 July 1872, Page 3

MINING.

Caledonian. —We"are unable to funiisli tlie weekly return from tiiis mine as U-tual, as it seems that the dirt-dors «>f the company forwarded orders to the manager that no information was to be given to th ■ public before the legal manager in Auckiand was informed as to the return for the week’s crushing. This order we must consider as a most arbitrary one, and coming, as it does, for the first time, from the directors of a tuiuu which has for some time past given every opportunity of letting tlie public know the exact state of affairs, I oks very 1 fishy/’ In taking the action they have done, we consider that the directors have far exceed-d their functions, and h ive laid themselves open to public censure, for what other inference can lie made than that they wish to take advantage of tlie “market” bv keeping the return to themselves, more especially at tlie moment when a heavy or light return must have a great effect on theprio of shales. Our reporter visited the battery on Saturday evening, when tlie r.-torls were on the the, hut was (by order) refused all information regarding even the probable yield. The news from the mine is not of great importance, nothing further having been found that would lead to the expe tation of anything rich. The No. 2 block on the main reef, which has been lately the principal source of crushing dirt, is gradually disappearing, and there is far less stone to take out than Mr Richards imagined, the contractors

having come on to th- old workings soon t than was autioio. td. Regarding the r ports which wete circulated that good gold was in hand in the drive at toe two hundred and seventy feet level on the specimen leader towards the Otago h-ad -r, the manager states that nothing has been found of any importance whatsoever. Great anxiety was felt mi Saturday evening in the market, and business was, in consequence, flat. Kuuawui. —The usual fortnightly r;lurn is to hand, and is up to expectation, being two hundred ounces • one pennyweight of melted gold. The quantity of storm crus.ied is about the same as usual Gulden Cu'iW.w —No return is to hand on account of the company for the past fortnight, but the tribulers have been working with great success, having obtained one hundred and sixty ounces of melted gold for nine days’ crushing with ten head of stampers. CALIFORNIAN. — t’liis company have ha I twenty head of stampers during the past week, during Which time about one hundred and twenty tons of stone have been put through. The return from tin's amounts to forty-live ounces two pennyweights, for which one hundred an I twenty tons were crushed. The battery is again at work, and better results are confidently expected. Moanataiaiu. —The return for tlie past fortnight is even above wnat was expected. It amounts to one thousand three hundred and thirty ounces of gold, for which yield six hundred and fifty tons of stmie were reduced. The lode cut in tlm cross-cut from the beach tonne, has proved to he highly gold-bearing, and die reef is expect -d to be met wii.li m a few feet of driving, as tile vein now in mind is only supposed to he a branch of the No. ( J lode. From the excellent pios.icets obtained at this level we can confidently predict that a most valuable hh ck uf ground is about to he opened, this vein having proved very rich where formerly opened before the water compelled tlm manager to cease work on it.

BltlOirr 8111 m.—A clean up and retortni» took place at tlie Manukau Battery 011 ■Saturday’, utter about one Iminlreil and e.gnty tuns uf stone had gone through, i'ne yield is a very good one, amounting to four hundred and twenty-six ounces or gold, or considerably over two ounces to me ton. Crushing will be continued for some time. Regarding tiie worn in the mine, we tiud that they have driven fur a 11. -nance, or one hundred and live leet on the lode at the one hundred and fortys. veil feet level towards the sea, aL which point they met t lie surface counliy cum,ng in. i'liey then opened out on a small seam of clay, under lue impression mat it was a lode of some sort. Atter going a t. w feet it opeiierl out into a good-looking lode, showing gold. This they have now iollowed for a distance of fiity two feet •astw.ird, and it lias expanded into a reef .ally three feet thick. It strikes about E.N.E, and W.8.W., an . will pass the snati aOoiit fifty feet to the southward, going 011 through tne corner of flic C*ty of Loudon mine, and thesce into tiic ijueen of the May. Like all other lodes louud auuut tins district, it lias a very siigut dip, thus maUmg us discovery or moio importance to the company, from vvuei'e tlie lode was first toimd to tue nurili-east boundary of tbe claim is a disiauce of abuUL tuiee imnured and forty lccl, and it will give backs of over one ouiiuied feet, allowing lor LUe siralum ot .oluvial grou..U lying below Lie sunaue of Lie fiat, so tiiai uioie is an immense s. chon ot ground to wont out on tins lode. A large pioportioii, m fact, we may say tbe principal portion, of tne sto.ia crushed lor tlie present yielu came irom tuis io.le, which we will call lue No. 3 loiie ot me mine, and tlie amount of 6 0. d to baud proves us value, without any comment 011 our part. Vigorous operations are to Lie carried 011 on Lins vein, ami good returns ale confidently incited for. iNo.v Lull lue law-suit so lung pending lias been arranged, tbe public wul nave more cuitUdelice lit me mine, and we fuily expect to sec it much more prominently 111 tne market than it has been.

Quee 1 of Beauty.— The fortnightly return from this claim is again a good one, amounting to two Hundred and twelve ounces uf gold, tor winon auouL two hundred tons ot stone Were etusned at the two batteries Tins mine is certainly one of the steadiest goal - producers amongst us. Alton Tbibjte (Kelly’s). About sixty tons 01 sione have been crushed at tne Aluimliuu Bulimy for ibis tribute, and an excellent yield of one hundred and forty-one ounces six penny weights ui melted gold has Keen oUL.uneU. Una. —A great improvement has been perceptible lit tlie siuif coming tru.u tbe Ao. 2 level, as is evidenced by me show at the battery. The stone from me upper levels is also looking well, and a yield of | about au ounce to the ton is confidently expected lor tlie present fortnight scrushing. Nu ciiunge of importance lias yet Occurred 111 the low level, where they are still driving on tbe lode. Albuiinja.—A clean up and r.toiling tuok place on Saturday at this company s balt.-ry, alter lour weeks’ crushing. As we reported last week, tbe return is a very poor one, amounting only to eightynine ounces of gold, ihe stone lias been principally from the Star of the South

reef, the manager not having been able to get stone up from the lower levels in the old workings. Inverness. —Some nice specimens were obtained from the workings abo\c the Beach Tunnel, level on Friday and Fatur day, and the lode is looking very well indeed.

DjXon’s No. I.—The crushing for this company at the Ballarat and Clinics Battery is looking up very well, and continues with fifteen head. On Thursday some twenty pounds of nice specimens were taken out, and the reef, where now worked on to the east ward, is about eight fed thick, showing excellent stone. The tramway down to the battery works well, and the manager states that lie can supply sufficient stone to keep the stampeis moving.