THE QUEENSLAND GOLDFIELDS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 83, 11 September 1869, Page 5

THE QUEENSLAND GOLDFIELDS.

(From the " Gympie Times," July 25th.) An unusually, important and rather interesting case of jumping took place on Wednesday last, when Messrs. J. E. Bonney and H. Franklin applied for, and took, possession, according to the customary routine, of the following very valuable quartz mining interests held by the Australian Joint Stock Bank, and alleged to be illegally held, yi z# :— One-eighth of the claim No. 1 South, Californian reef; one-third of Dods' prospectors' claim ; ; one-sixth of the claim No. 4 West, Inglewood; one-eight of the prospectors' claim, New Monckland •, and one-sixteenth of the claims Nos. 2 and 3. North Amalgamated) , New Monckland. The probable .present market value of the shares enumerated would be about £1500, but this calculation is not a true criterion as to either t ne .i r actual or ultimate' value. It is beyond any .one's capacity to form even a fair approximate estimate of the value of our quartz mines, until the, claims are worked more systematically, and put ±o the test by r the help of machinery.. Messrs. Bonney and Franklin have not acted precipitately or rash|y in the , matter. The opportunity of jumping j the bank's mining shares was discovered by the former, casually, several weeks since; and during the interval high legal opinions have been obtained, which coincide in confirming the view of the subject which suggested itself to him. It appears that the charter under which the oank is incorporated disallows the tenure of mining interests.

It is well to explain that the shares jumped are a few of several held by t.ie Joint Stock Bank in its own name as securities for advances to the former owners, and the latter, it may he presu ned, will have their remedy against th' 3 bank, in the event, which appears probable, of the law sustaining the proceedings of, Messrs. Bonney and IVinklin. We say this much to set at res!;, as far as practicable, the anxiety of mind prevalent in some quarters with regard to the action taken, and might say more were we not afraid of being misconstrued into prejudicing the matter, and restrained by a fear of in any way doing so. The prospectors of the Hope Eeef have come upon a large body of good stone. A large lot of quartz haa been carted -to the Enterprise mill, for crushing, from the New Zealand prospectors' claim. It was obtained from the 80 feet, or water level, upwards, and is expected to yield a heavy return. No quartz has yet been raised in this claim from below that level, where it can be seen to be extremely rich in the -precious metal.,, . Erom vnemovanda kept by the owners, Messrs. Black, Muir, Drew, and Black, we have certified to the correctness of the following statement, relative to previous crushings of stone from the claim alluded to, which has now been worked for a period extending over only about .eighteen, months : — Tons. Yield. First crushing - 230 - 1600 ozs. Second „ - 196 - 260 „ Third „ - 461 - 2078 „ % ■ 887 - ■ 4938 giving an average of 5 ozs. 4 dwts., and nearly 13 grs. to the ton. Erom the Oro Eeef, we learn that Luea Mueller and party, in the claim No. 2 south, are getting up large quantities of good stone.. The new shaft in No. 1 north is down forty-five feet, and the shareholders expect to strike the reef very shortly. The claim No. 3 south, lately occupied by the original holders, is now being worked by a party of three, with fair prospects. The latest crushings reported to us are as follows :—: — Victoria. — 100 tons of top stone and rubble, from the claim No. 5 j North, New Monckland Eeef, Messrs. Little and party, yielded 86 ozs. 10 dwts. The amalgam from 160 tons from the prospectors' claim will be washed up to-day, when stone from No. 2 South, New Monckland, will be put through the mill. Enterprise. — 129 tons frdin the claim No. 2 South, New Monekland Eeef, yielded 25- ozs. . Stone from the prospectors' claim, New Zealand Eeef, is under the_stampers, and the amalgam is looking very rich. This parcel will be finished, about Wednesday next. _ THrelkeTd's machine' is undergoing repair, and we have received no report from either'the United or the Central mill. Since the above -was written, the secretary of the United machine has informed vs^hat 200 tons from No. 3 '" South, JUdy Mary,/yielded 53 ozs,