The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-14 00:00:00

THE GOLDFIELDS 01 AUSTRALIA.

There has been a very general dulness on the goldfields
for some time past, and this is not the season at which to
look for much improvement. Water is becoming scarce in
many places, and there is always more prospecting during
the winter than the summer. The only new field discovered
of late is among the ranges at the head of the Nitta Mitts,
and the extent of the good ground suitable for sluicing is
said to be considerable. Water is abundant there, and the
country, though of course rough, and little explored, is not
very difficult of access. This new field is about 120 miles
from Beechworth, and not more than a day's journeY
from the, Omeo, about which district rather extravagoat
expectations were formed some years since, in conse-
quence of geologists having declared it to be the great
centre of all the gold formations in this and
the adjoining colonies. But although gold is very
widely distributed over that region, on both sides of the
ranges, no very heavy deposits have yet been found, if we
except those of limited extent opened at Kiandoa. Some of
the Alpine diggings in our territory pay well, but none of
those worked as yet are calculated to support more than a
limited number of men, scattered in detached parties over a
wide extent of ground, and those last found do not pro-
mise to prove any exception to the rule. On the older fields
the discoveries within the last few weeks have been few, and
none of these of special importance. The last of the leads
lately opened is near Dunolly, and in some of the shafts last
put down on this more than commonly rich washdirt has
been struck. From a tub of stuff taken out of one of these
26 ounces were obtained, and from several of the claims
near the yield was at the rate of three ounces to the load, a
good return where the sinking is not deep. On the old lead
at Dunolly, famous for its occasional nuggets, one of pure
gold, weighing 60 ounces, was found three weeks since.
More lately two nuggets, of 12 ounces and of 50 ounces,
were found near Maryborough, also, it is supposed, on a
part of the old ground there abandoned to the fossickers,
as those men are termed who prefer poking about in
old shafts or tunnels after the leavings of others, to work-
ing;claims in new ground for themselves; and it is surpris-
ing what a large proportion of the nuggets obtained aro
thus brought to light. The largest of our recently-disco-
vered nuggets, weighing 4040 z, 4dwt., was taken from a
claim at Kingower which had previously yielded several
lumps, as well as much small gold. Yandoit has quite lost
its character for the production of very large nuggets, but
several small ones have been found in the neighbourhood
within the last few days. Five of these weighed respec-
tively 130 z., 190 z., 240 z., 230z.7 and 350 z. Near Creswick,
two of 32 and 46 ounces were found, and at Mucklefcrd ono
of 330 z. With the exception of that from Kingower, these
are all small, and would scarcely be worthy of special men-
tion were it not for the want of more noteworthy intelli-
gence. Rushes en a large scale aro almost things
of the past, it being seldom now that we have any impor-
tant movement among the diggers to chronicle.

Nor is the state of affairs far different on the reefs. The
large yields have been few, and no reefs of much promise
have been opened lately. The great want in this branch of
mining is still more capital, and none are inclined so to in-
vest their money except those who have thus made it.
Claim after claim is worked down to the water level and
then registered, in the hope of the drainage of reefs being
provided for some day or other. In most cases steam power
is requisite for this purpose, and it is evident that one claim
cannot be thoroughly drained without benefit to those above
and below it, while those who incur the expense of erecting
pumps and working them cannot now compel their neigh-
bours to bear a fair proportion of the expense. This has
long been a standing grievance and difficulty in the way of
working reefs partitioned off among many holders, those
only who have large claims and sufficient funds being ablo
to erect pumping gear advantageously for their own use.
The miners in the Bendigo and other districts are address-
ing themselves to this subject once more, and when the Land
Bill and other questions of more pressing interest in the
eyes of our legislators are disposed of, something may bo
done to admit of a better system of managing the affairs of
the goldfields. In the meantime the want of some provision
for the drainage of the reefs deprives very many men of
profitable employment, and helps materially to reduce the
yield of gold. Among the returns lately obtained from the
Inglewood reefs, was one of 2020 z., from 17 tons of quartz,
out of a claim on the Columbian; andother of 119 oz. 17dwt.
from 5 tons, out of a claim on the Athens Reef, besides a
lot of specimens picked out at the same time, and sup-
posed to contain about 150 oz. of gold; and a third of
9460 z. 16dwt. from 37 tons out of Maxwell's Reef, which
is now the most productive in this district. The only
good yields in the Bendigo district have been from
small parcels of stone, and the same thing may be said
of the reefs generally, although averages of two and
three ounces to the ton have in a few cases been obtained
from larger lots. The Ajax Company, on the Bolivia Reef,
in the Castlemaine district, got 3870 z. from the last 190
tons crushed by them, but their supply of water is ex-
hausted, and they can crush no more until the rain comes.
From the Ballarat district we have the old reports of large
returns obtained by a few of the companies on the deep
leads. Thus, the Great Extended washed out 2,311 oz. of
gold during the past fortnight, 361 oz. of this in one day,
giving a dividend to each shareholder of £llO for the two
weeks. The Koh-i-noor Company, with half the number
of men, washed out 550 oz. last week, and about 400 oz. the
last week, and about 400 oz. the week before, so that their
dividends are nearly as high. Some of the other companies
of less note, and consisting of fewer men, occasionally have
as large dividends to each share, but the two named aro
now fairly in the rich gutters running through their claims,
and promise for some time to keep up the credit of the deep
leads of Ballarat, which, long as they have been worked,
are far from being exhausted yet.

COUNZRY MARILL

.s•
NOTTINGHAM—APRIL 12.

There was a middling show of wheat to-day, with a
better attendance. The trade ruled decidedly more brisk,
and former rates were exceeded by is for best samples.
—White, from 61s to 665; red, 42s to 635. Barley wee
in small show, with a firm trade, and prices rather higher
—malting, 34s to 39s ; grinding, 29s to 31s. Oats were
steady at 30s to 355, old ; 24s to 27s new. Beans were sold
at 38s to 50s per qr, Flour, 38s to 425.