BRIGHTON.

Westport Times, Volume 1, Issue 144, 16 January 1868, Page 3

BRIGHTON.

(ritOM OUR OWK CORRESPONDENT.) loth Jan. Here, as everywhere along the coast, the effect of the late rains is very evident in tracks washed away, races broken and ground given in, besides in many instances dams have been swept away, and nothing left to ma-k their ever having been erected. The tramway from here to St Kilda is destroyed by breaches made in it in three places. This is the third time since its completion ; the last time, Mr Courtney expended £SO in its repair, now it will take as much more before it can again be used for conveying goods to St Kilda. All the miners have gone ba?k to their work, and considering the limited number in comparision, the yield of gold is well kept up. At the Welshman's Terrace a great deal of damage has been done to claims by land slips. Mitchell and party's tunnel suffered severely, and £IOO will barely cover the expenses of putting it in working order. Hyde's and party, better known as the Whim Claim, who have an acre of ground, part of which is on the cement lead. They are driving on the main bottom, granite, and have found payable gold on it. Their general average has been £l2 to £ls per week per man. Richard Kennon and party have started on a very heavy undertaking, considering that the Terrace is nearly worked out. They have commenced a tunnel which, when finished, will he 400 or 500 feet. The granting of extended claims has done a good deal of good for this place, as it has induced many to go in for machinery, and the cement lead having turned out better even than the miners expected, stampers will be as much in vogue here as in Charleston, and no doubt prove as r; munerative. Crockit and party have an acre and a half of ground, and in driving their tunnel 170 feet, they have proved the cement payable 80 or 90 feet wido. They are erecting machinery. On each side of them two or three claims have been takenup and tunnelling commenced. Between Brighton and the Charleston track there are now 10 crushing machines in full working order. In

fact, a few months more and cement crushing will be the only, or nearly so, resource of the miner, as the black sand claims are nearly exhausted. On the Belfast Terrace, of course, the floods have done the same amount of damage; nor is it to be woudered at when water gets into ground with nine and ten feet props —in some cases longer. The general complaint until the last flood was the want of water in fchia terrace ; but no one has any cause to complain of its scarcity now, several of the claims being swamped out. Several claims I visited, such as Scott and party's, Davis and party's, and Morgan and party's, who have been averaging £35 to £4O a week per man, have suffered severely, and will be put to great expense and loss of time before they enter their ground, besides the damage done to their tramways, races, &c. At the back of this terrace a cement lead has been opened by a party from Charleston, and they give it as their opinion that the cement will yield good wages. Shallow sinking, and good thickness of washdirt. In regard to a cement lead opened up about two months since three miles south of this place, which caused some little excitement, the facts are these:— There are four or five parties at work, two of them putting up machinery. Fraser and party are erecting an overshot wheel to drive eight pairs of stampers. T:ey say the ground is payable, and two men's ground in their claim very good. Thomas and party, who have also obtained prospects that promise good wages, are going to erect a machine.

At the Razor Jack, one party are down 152 feet, and no bottom. Great hopes are entertained of a rush in this direction, with what foundation remains to be seen. A great number of the miners from this district have left for the Grey, the track to which has in some been rendered almost impassable through land slips, and in one case a perfect lagoon has been formed, and w h 're the track crosses it the water at present is four or five feet deep. The sea is daily making great encroachments on the be.uh, on ihs west side of Main-street, which, if it continues, bids fair to was'i aw.iy all the houses on that side of the street; as it is some of them are par.lv undermined. On Monday evening, at Wagstaff's Theatre Royal, Mrs C. F. Evereste gave her farewell lecture, and in spite of the rain, which poured down in torrents, there was a good attendance The subject was " Love," in all its phases. She was frequently and deservedly applauded throughout the lecture, and concluded with giving some comic sketches of eccentric characters she had met with during her travels in the colonies and America; an amusing finish to a highly interesting evening's amusement.