NORTH OF THE GREY.

West Coast Times, Issue 80, 7 December 1865, Page 2

NORTH OF THE GREY.

(PROM OUR SPECIAL REPORTER.)

The numerous reports in circulation at Grey Town, concerning some very important discoveries of gold on the beach, north of the Signal Station, itjdrtoed me, on the day aftor my return from tho Grey, to pay a visit of inspection to the locality in question. I, moreover, desired to visit tho town of Cobden and judge for myself whether our Nelson neighbours were really as energetic and pushing as fame represented them to be. Accordingly, I took boat at the ferry and was landed at tho foot of the main street of that town, which is not only formed but metalled to tho water's edge It has a considerable gradient to the town itself, which is built about eighty yards from the river. The site chosen is a good one, being a spur from tho range, far above tho reach of tho highest floods^ and the street has been cleared through tho bush from the rivor to the sea, a distance of nearly a milo, ita lower end debouching on to the beach, a few hundred yards north of the flag staff. The houses forming the town are few in number, and if not very imposing in appearance, are well and substantially built, comprising a few hotels and stores, a branch office of the Union Bank and the Camp. The latter is a long low building, and is used indiscriminately as a Police and Warden's Court, and for baser purposes besides, and is placed, through the abundance of mud in front of it, in nearly an inaccessible position. Some very fine buildings, to judge by their framoworks, are in the courso of erection, those situated on the lower side of the street presenting a queer appearance, their fronts resting on blocks just long enough to keep them olear of tho wetgrouml, whilst their backs have to be sustained by piles in some instances eight or nine feet long. Theso are necessitated through tho spur pitohing so sharply to the sea. A wharf is in the course of construction on the river side, a small portion of it only being completed, ana I felt no small surprise that this work, which would give Nelson such an advantage over Canterbury, is not more vigorously prosecuted. It ia true the expense of such an undertaking is no light one, and would have to be defrayed almost entirely by the province, tho Cobdon community being neihjr on txtensivo nor wealthy one. Tho benofits, however, to be derived from it are so palpable that I really think Nelson would be justified in not only incurring the expense— which it seems she has determined on doing — but to hasten the work, which, when completed, will secure hor a large" share of that commerce, a monopoly of which hai hitherto been enjoyed by her neighbor. I made my way to tho beach along the cleared lino of street above mentioned, a considerable portion of which runs through a swamp and is very much lower than tho extremities ; there is, however, abundance of space available for building purposes without interfering with this, and a long time will elapse ore the necessity of making use of that part of it (save for traffic) is likely to arise. About two hundred yards from the end of the street (boachwards) the ground commences to rise from the swamp, its formation also ohang* ing to good hard shingle, forming an excellent site for a township. Indeed since the discovery of the beach diggings in Nelson, Mr Blaokett, the indefatigable warden, has surveyed sections for building purposes, on which several small stores and shanties have been erected. The beaoh diggings north of the Grey may be said to commence at the flagstaff, gold having been found there, but in very small quantities Only. Thoy extended at tho lime of my visit as far north as tho Bluff, a distance of about four miles, the workings being of exactly the surae description as those to the south of the Grey that I have already described in former let ters . The formation of 1 he country is also very similar, a low terrace running parallel to the beaoh, between which nnd thocoastrangeis a swamp that wet weather converts into a lagoon. A difference however, does exist, the beach between high water m.vrk and the so r ub being much more extensive, whilst tho strip of ground (in whioh the best gold is found) between the edge of the beaoh and the low terrace, is considerably wider than that to the south ; the difference of width decreasing northwards, through the coast range gradually drawing nearer to the sea, which it finally butts on to at the Bluff; thus running both tho flat and gold out at the same time. The point of the Bluff is very abrupt, at a distance looking as if it were isolated from the main land. A nearer approach however, reveals a low saddle, connecting the' two, composed 0! heaped up masses of rocks and debris. The shore here is lashed by a heavy sea, that breaks wiih terrific violonce upon the point, to tho height of thirty and forty feet, during heavy weather washing completely over it. This increase of Sea to tho north is one of the peculiarities of Westland, f«r which there is no accounting, the formation of its coast being the same throughout, excepting that tho beach is moro shingly north than south, the soundings along the coast boing much the same. The first gold discovered on the beaoh was struok about a milo, north of thq 'Grey, close under the low terrace,; 6iTmth"pyron,Jkhe sido of it. The pros'pTdtsyere exceedingly good, two and three dwts the dish notbeing uncommon, The depth of stripping is from five to so yen feet, with a stoup of wash dirt from six to fifteen inches in thickness, consisting of a layer of black, grey, and brown sand, overlaid by a coarso wash. Tho bottom is of the same description as that peculiar to the southern beaches, a firm sand.varied by a shingly drift, tho eand however predominating. Besides tbo prospectors' there are three claims paying very well indeed, I watohed one party taking up their wash dirt and could sco gold plentifully distributed through it 5 ono of them handed me a atone, picked promiscously gut of the side of the paddook, the lower part of which was thickly covered with fine gold. The result of nn afternoon's cradling from one of these claims was no less than 28 ops. of amalgam, whioh, when retorted and melted, would yield from 18 ozs. to 20 ozs. of gold. Between this duster of claims and tho flagstaff, a great deal of ground" is in full work, but tho roturns from it are considerably bolow the above quotations. Some of tho miners confessed to wage's;' othors that their olaima wore poor and patchy ; all however declared thoy had not been able to give them a fair trial, through the soarcity of copper plates, Tho groat width of ground here betweon the torraoe and beaoh Scorns' to have scattered the gold, whioh is found at different depths, sevoral of the olaJms being very shallow, not more than a foot of sand having to bo romovod to rcaoh the wash-dirt, and although I beliove a great deal of gold will bo takon out of this part of the beach, I don't think the claims taken colleotivoly can bo considered very rioh, Proceeding northwards from tho prospectors the ground deepons, gets poorer and wet, and although I was told thero woro many olaims at work in tho sorub doing woll, in tho hopes of finding which induced mo to soramblo through tho dense bush for half a milo or so, I was unsuccessful in my search of them. I found many at work, it is true, but proapccUng only, all declaring] tho ground was

either no good or too wet to bottom. It has not, howeveV, bjen half tried, nnd I am sanguine that the gold will yet bo traced, either in % continuous lead along tho terrace or in patches up the flat. About a mile further on and the last new rush is arrived at; and as the gold heie ia much more confined through the range approaching tho sea, it has formed itself into a lead that bas already been traced nearly half a mile. • This leaa was opened about ten days ago by M'Nicholl and party, who obtained 3* ozs. of gold out of a paddock six feet by three feet. The wash-dirt is about eighteen inches" thick, and is certainly the best ooking layer I have yet seen on any of the beaches -besides black sand, consisting of washed gravel full o f reef boulders, by old miners considered an excellent indication. Paddocking is tho method adopted to lay it bare, there being about twelve feet of sand and fine drift to remove. All the claims are moro or less wet, necessitating the u«e of pumps to drain them, but not excessively so, certainly not sufficient to wan-ant the opinions I heard expressed in Grey Town that thoy Word, nearly unworkable in consequence. In my opinion the ground^ not only workable but easily wrought, the report of the exceß3 of water being a mero bugbear to frighten the credulous. Dougherty and party hold tlio claim south of the prospectors, and have struck good gold, theit prospect being 4J dwts from fOUr dishes of washdirt. The Boatswain's Party, next to them, have not bottomed; they can, however, get small prospects out of the top layer of gravel, and are sanguine of success, tho party next below them having washed 1 dwt to the dish. The next claim, of the prospeoWrs, is also payable, 1, 2, and 3 dwts to the dish being the, results of prospects tried, which is equalled by the yield from their neighbor's claim above them, out of which a large heap of washdirt has been taken, and now lies ready for cradling as soon as the necessary copper isforthcoraing. Above this, for a quarter of a mile; every inch of available ground on tho lead is fully occupied and tested, the results being most satisfactory, had the day before my visit a rush took place on the hill side quite 150 feet above sea level, two coloured men having opened ground that gaye a prospect ■of seven dwts the dish. Many holes wore bot* tomed round them, but without success, and I am much afraid this is only a patch, although it may bo safely inferred that where such an one exists more are certain to be found in the vicinity. I had conversations with several miners who have travelled the beaoh from the Buller to Bruce Bay, and they were urtanjraous in their opinion that the coast to the north would prove , equally as rich as that already opened to the' south ; ono asserting he had discovered gold on a beach, hot very far away, that he was sufe would give good wages. I was also told that gold had been found on the next beaoh round the pointy Between the Grey and Buller there is about eighty five miles of beach, not an unbroken stretch of sand, but intersected in many places by rocky points, which it was impossible to pass excepting at low watdr, and by heajia of huge boulders and rocks, that had at some distant period become dethbhed and rolled down from the range. Out of eight five miles of beach it is caloulated there is thirty of i\ either rookbound, or so covered with debris aa to be useless to the gold— miner, the remaining fifty however, being pronounced as * • likely looking," much 6f that formation existing so peculiar to tho riohest beaches of the south. Several parties had ' already started to thoroughly test it, and I feel confident the ensuing summer will witness most important discoveries in that direction. The Nelson province may congratulate itself in pos' dessing such an enormous area of auriferous country within its boundaries, the southern portion of which is likely to first receive a thorough development by the miners rapidly assembling there. Already have they given good earnest of their* intentions for the future, should such encouragement be given them as they have a right to expect from a wise, thoughtful, and enterprising Government, and will not hesitate to penetrate into the more inaccessible portions of the district if measures are only adopted through which they will be enabled to supply themselves with even tho coarsest fare. To this end the formation of a lateral road from the sea beach should be at once commenced, at a point th(> most favorablo for crossing the coast range, for the purpose of intersecting that extent of virgin country between the sea and the proposed line of road from Nelson ' to the Grey. A good main track, about half a chain wide,' WouUl be sufficient to commence with, and diggers thus encouraged . would nob hesitate, having this for a starting point, to cut their way through tho bush, and give the country both north and south of it, a thorough ransaoking ; supposing of course that the road party matte no discoveries whilst cutting tho track, of which I have Very strong doubts. Should thoy be fortunate in striking auriferous ground, the question would be virtually Bottled, and the country opened up in detail by private enterprise, to be improved and rendered habit* able by a grateful and discriminating government, prepared to regard a mining community, whioh contains in itself the elements of so much good, as something better than a mere, assemblage of lepers. The Grey community are most favorably inclined towards Nelson, and will doubly appro* ciate any efforts made by her in their favor, for they are well aware how slender are the resources of that province ; resources, however, that would be augmented to a wonderful oxtent should such efforts be attended by success.