THE LYELL.

Westport Times, Volume IV, Issue 692, 2 August 1870, Page 2

THE LYELL.

(from a coueespondent.) The limited extent of the alluvial ground being worked in the Lyell district, is owing to the absence of the usual facilities for their extension and not to an inability to obtain payable prospects in the adjacent country, it is the general opinion that, were i here better means of getting tucker further up the Lyell and other tributaries of the Buller, there would be many auriferous localities worked which are now lying idle. I have not, as yet visited any ground up the Buller beyond the Lyell, but there is one tact worth recording that past the junction of this stream, no coarse gold has as yet been found whereas it was about 1* miles below this that Scott's party were the lucky finders of the 90oz nugget, which, it will be remembered was raffled' in VVestport about eight months ago. There has been another large nugget of about 60ozs taken out of the Lyell, besides several smaller pieces "and specimens. One of the latter weighing some 30ozs, nearly half gold, was found about ten months ago, by Mr O'Brien, half way between this and the Inangahua junction—Christie's. In mentioning these particulars I have endeavored to give a correct idea of how the gold has been distributed, and from my description of the locality of the reefs I think tlie inference drawn by your readers, will be favorable, as to the probable richness of the slate-rock formations of the ranges, where the indications of goldbearing stone has been prospected with such good promise, requiring only the difficulties of getting the necessary machinery on the ground to be surmounted, for the same to be remunerativt ly worked. The ground where the prospectors discovered the reef cropping out on the surface, is nearly at the head of Irishman's creek, about 800 feet above the same, at its point of discharge into the Lyell. The range on which it was found rises about 1 in 1J on its face, and is approached by a track to the claims up a spur, which abuts on the junction of the Deep creek, from which I mentioned Davie and party obtaiued their sluice heads of water. Since Christmas last, by drives and cross-drives put into the hill, several leaders feeding the main reef have been exposed, fie whole of the stone from which, when tested, has proved highly auriferous. The main reef has been exposed in No. 1 South, the next ground to the 16-J- acres which the pioneer discoverers have applied for under lease. The lode is of a loose rubbly nature,

near the surface, but becomes more solid and better defined when gone down on, and is composed of brown quartz and a slaty stratification, which when washed and the mullock well puddled in the hands, shows a heavy per-centage of the precious metal. I washed a few handfuls takeu promiscuously from the reef in this claim, which is more than 16 feet in thickness, and obtained 4 or 5 grains of very fine gold, which, with care, would have yielded considerably more The metal though so fine is not at all scaly, and I think will be easily saved. 'Gold can be distinctly traced all through portions of the solid stone, with the naked eye, and the specimens which have been brought to town, and been tested at the Banks, seem to be a fair sample of what the whole reef will run. There are at present five claims pegged off north of the prospectors, and about the same number along the line of reef to the south. The reef runs about N. by B. and S. by W., and the claims are numbered successively from the same 1, 2, 3, &c, North and South. Passing along the lead the summit of the range iscrossedaboutNos.3and4 No., and will probably be shortly traced as far as where it crosses the Eight Mile Creek, I described as falling into the Lyell about 1\ miles above Irishman's '1 he amount of work done in some of che claims is considerable, but many of the parties, who have only recently taken up the ground, have only just set in, and have been engaged building huts, &c. Nos. 3 and 4 North are at a standstill, until the hearing of the application for a lease before the Warden, in which these claims are included, takes place.