MINING MEMORANDA.

Tuapeka Times, Volume IV, Issue 220, 18 April 1872, Page 8

MINING MEMORANDA.

The following news from the diamond fields at the Cape of Good Hope, is published in the " Eastern Provinces Herald," of date Ist December: — "A miner, Mr. Edward Welsh, has been fortunate enough to unearth a diamond weighing fifty carats. A small diamond has been found in one of the reaches of the Orange River in Namaqualand. A public sale . was announced by an auctioneer of Grahamstown of diamonds to the value of £25,000. They included " gems of the first water." The Dutch boers were said to be bagging handsome fortunes at the diamond fields, from £3000 to £6000 having beep the results of their claims, which were not worked out. Two Natalians had returned to Maritzburg with 130 diamonds weighing 336 £ carats, the result of six months' work, A young man named Jones from Maritzburg had also returned, bringing a gem which weighed 113 carats, for wb,ich he asked a very large price,

The goldfields atTambaroora, N.S. W., continue to furnish an almost daily excitement, and new companies are constantly coming out, It is the old claims, however, that yield the returns, all the speculative companies that have taken up new adjacent ground being still in the stage of calls and expenditure. The dividend looms in the haze,

A public meeting was held at Macrae's recently, to consider the advisability of forming a company to bring in a water race to work the auriferous ground at that goldfield. The desirability of the construction of the proposed race was affirmed, and it was resolved, preparatory to issuing a prospectus of a company, to ask the Provincial Government for the services of a competent engineer or surveyor to survey a tunnel and other works in connection with the projected race.

The " Cromwell Argus " of the 9th inst., gives the following intelligence from the Carrick Ranges : — During the week, there have been two crushing? ; one from Green's Reef, /> dam's Gully, and the other from the Elizabeth Reef. The former was finished on Tuesday last at the Royal Standard battery. Nine tons were put through, and the quantity of gold obtained was nine ounces. The shareholders are extremely well satisfied with this result, but, owing to the great expense of carting the stone to the battery, they have resolved not to crush any more at present. They intend to protect their claim during the winter, in order that they may see whether the Coal Creek water will be brought in, in which case they will erect machinery, and proceed to work the reef vigorously. The latter crushing was put through at the Elizabeth Company's own battery, and the amount of stone operated upon was 93 tons, — on which the battery was engaged for eleven days. 49 ozs. was the quantity of gold obtained. The manager reports that half of the stone crushed was of such a poor quality that he was undecided whether to throw it out or not ; but as it contain ed some little gold, and it was a question of " now or never " with regard to the crushing of it, he decided to send it to the mill. Taking this fact into consideration, therefore, the result of this crushing may be regarded as highly satisfactory.

"J. G.,"in the " Cromwell Argus." says : — It is asked, — How do reefs as a rule run in parallel lines % I decline to admit the fact so far as Otago is concerned, having proved a very considerable exception to it by taking the bearings of several reefs on the Rough Ridge, extending over a space of about one mile in width. I found the different lines to have such an appreciable difference that at a given distance they would intersect,- or converge to about the same point. But I may state here that I do not think the true lodes have yet been discovered in the Province ; when found their bearings will probably be N". by S. in place of E. by W., as is mostly the case with the present reefs, which I conclude to be only leaders. I have seen three lines of reef intersecting the present workings of Bendigo in a N. by S. course. In one only, however, have I seen gold ; and that is the one prospected by the Rise and Shine Company, Upper Bendigo. The great North Cross Reef at Pleasant Creek is a notable proof of the intersection of quartz lodes.

The " Grey River Argus" says there are 3000 men at the Inangahua Reefs waiting for something to turn up.