The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-07 00:00:00

7HE GOLD _REGIONS OP BRITISH
COLUMBIA.

(From the Correspondent of the Times.)
VICTORIA, VANCOUVER ISLAND, Nov, 29.

A fact, of a practical character, which came to my notice
in the early part of the autumn, went far to satisfy me of
the extraordinary riches of the Cariboo district; but I did not
relate it, or other equally satisfactory evidence in my former
letters, because I was not certain but that these might
have been solitary and individual eases. A labourer here
was offered 125 dols. a-month and his board (which, toge-
ther, would be equal in sterling money to £62 10s. 6d.,) to
go and work in Cariboo for a miner who was short-handed.
To encourage the man to go he Was informed that his
quondam fellow-labourer in California had bought one-
fourth interest in a claim for 2,200 dols. which he had
earned, and that his return was 63 dols. a-day from the
yield of the claim. A pretty good investment, giving
nearly 3 per tent. • a-day, and nearly 1,000 per cent. per
annum.

The excitement produced by this sudden realisation of
wealth had the effect of unhinging the minds and of para-
lysing the action of many of the miners whose nerves were
not well strung. In August a miner writes, "The gold
you receive in Victoria is the produce of about 200 miners
only. The rest are running about the country prospect-
ing " Besides the glad tidings of " big strikes" " im-
mense hauls," "shovel-full" and "pans-full of gold,"
were mingled with complaints of the weather. "Queer
climate. Last week it hailed and snowed ; ice
half-an-inch thick, and it storms almost every day." The
ground was so saturated that the mud came up to the knees,
and men had to crawl on all fours in ascending hill sides.
Rheumatism appeared, and no wonder. On the whole,
however, I never heard of less sickness among an equal
number of men, even in far more favourable circumstances
The country is eminently healthy. I 'never suffered a mo-
ment from roughing it in British Columbia.
It was estimated that one-third of the miners were Bri •
tish. I think this an over-estimate. Whoever they were,
their conduct was exemplary. Peace and order prevailed
to a degree unusual in so mercurial a community; all dis-
putes as to miners' rights, contested boundaries of claims,
&c., "were settled by the magistrate," Mr. Nind, who is
also gold commissioner, "with the assistance of a jury of
miners selected on the spot--a plan which gives universal
satisfaction." The majesty of the law was represented by
the magistrate, who camped in a tent, and by two consta-
bles, until the judge arrived on circuit. He was accompa-
nied ex officio by his registrar only. An Indian half-bred
had charge of the robes, the wig, and the black cap. The
equipage is very simple, for his lordship cultivates sleep
under a tree. There were only two serious cases of crime
ict the mines during the whole season--one the killing of
a notorious bully who had made himself obnoxious to the
whole mining
community, and was shot by one of his vic-
tims, and who fled justice on the judge's approach; the
other a robbery, for which the robber was tried, found
guilty, and sentenced to 10 years in the chain gang. There
was another case of shooting and wounding, in revenge, on
the road to Cariboo, but the guilty party escaped, and is not
like to trouble the colony any more. The judge had several
civil cases to decide, however, for frequent disputes arise
about mining claims.

Nelson's 'creek was discovered by and named after a for-
mer servant of the Governor, who went to the mines in
to the hand in August, and by last accounts the yield had
spring. The claims were yielding 20, 30, and 50 dols a-day
increased. Nelson remains for the winter in the neighbour-
hood. He has 1,500 dols., after paying expenses, and con-
siders himself unlucky. Next season he expects to make
up for his bad luck.
The account of September's work is but an exaggerated
repetition of that of the two previous months. Prodigious
quantities of gold were found in limited spaces, such as
650 z. from a crevice, 220 z. washed out of one panful of
dirt—all nuggets. This is confirmed by a clergyman on
the spot, who remarked, " the best feature however is that
there are so many claims doing well, and giving good,
regular wages, over a large tract." Shares had been sold in
some of the richer claims for 8,000 dols. and 10,000 dols.
each. The older miners, who had travelled over a great
space of the country, gave it as their opinion that Cariboo
would support 25,000 miners, while others affirmed that
would not even "prospect" it, that is, would not discover or
make known the resources of the district. As the extent of
the goldfield became better known this fact produced a
greater excitement among the miners than the big
strikes" did,—because the fact gave "promise of good
things to come," I suppose.
One-fourth share in the best claim in Lowheo Creek was
sold for 4,000 do's after the owner (the seller) had realized
17,0n0 dole. A share in another and poorer claim was
" snapped up" at 1,800 dols., and shares in a newly dis-
covered creek, not even tested, were held at 1,000 dole. a
share.

Money was also made by other industrial pursuits besides
raining. Packers made large sums, and so did traders, of
which we have ample proof in Victoria, for these parties
brought their money here, and I know two cattle dealers
who made £lO,OOO profit in the season.
A young gentleman named Stamp, a son of Captain
Stamp, now settled here, and well known in London in the
mercantile community, past last season in Cariboo. This
is his statement :
" Three weeks ago I saw 292 ounces of gold taken out by
three men from one claim. It was Steele's claim. This
was their day's work. I saw the men at work getting out
the gold ; and I saw it weighed. It was large, in 'nug-
gets.' Several men were getting out as much as I.ooodols.
a day latterly. Out of 1,500 miners 250 are in possession
of these rich claims. The others who are at work do much
less—from 100 dots (L2O) a day each man and upwards.
The claims are spotted ; some rich and some poor. No
miner of late would work a claim which would yield only
20dols. a day per hand, and I have seen 50 dols claims ra-
The extent of the auri-
ferousof the minors were running about the country prospecting,
gi
jecte d as
country
not
ricishleanrgoue,gohnityo
bPeagyintino be known. Many
and not earning anything. I return to Cariboo in the be-
ginning of February.".
A builder in Victoria, whom I have known for three
years went to Cariboo in summer and returned a few weeks
ago. This is his account :
" The general character of the country as you enter it
from below is barren, rocky, and swampy, heavily timbered
with extensive forests of dead, charred, and burned trees.
The fallen trees impede one's progress terribly. Mineral
indications abound everywhere. To the northward the
c -luntry is covered with a dense brush most difficult to pene-
trate. On the way up from Lillooett the country is mognifi-
cent—mountains, ravines, rivers, and gorges, no end of
them. But the most marked feature in the landscape is
the lakes. Far away up in the interior there are lakes that
would float a 74. At I.eithley's there is supposed to be a
streak of pay-dirt, a rich gravel, three miles wide, and of
unknown length, running up perhaps into the Rocky Moun-
tains 70 to 100 miles off. Wherever he went he heard this
theory of the gravelly auriferous streak' entertained.
Twenty-fivei
a. H c
e hundreddoesn'tgettingmine miners
in
starved in search of 6a big
nothing but
bountewhasaltfinmgatkhienfr
time
g 1,200 dole a day to the hand.
fortunes,Metdoon s a Saw
one
ot
fhd nea
yyo
men
.t
fhoeHr n
thalfseartaking
workmen
wages
resokun
m after
on
mm
en
mining.
0
mean to leave. Saw Nelson, the
ico e ti ng and
Goveraor's servant. Expect his claim was good.
Was making 120 dols a day; but had a long way to
backprovisions, and wages high-10 dots a day. Met the
were dole
a makingday in He
5 strike.'
v t prospecting
1
Were lucky—took out 35
three men he went to see. They