The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-19 00:00:00

11.1INERAL WEALTH OF NETV
ZEALANII.

The New Zealand _Examiner says of the Otago
gold fields :
Brighter p aspects would appear to be in store
for Nev Zealand in general and Otago in particu iar.
We refer to the discovery cf gold fields in that
province.
The accounts just received have been
confirmed by subsequent researches. Other gullies
have been prospected, and are believed to be richer
than that in which the operations have been
hitherto principally carried en. The total quan-
tity received in Dunedin up to the 3d of August
appears to be about 5,000 ounces, and double that
quantity was believed to be in the hands of the
diggers, who declined to part with their hard-
earned gold at the rate offered, 70s. per ounce,
which they conceive to be far below its real value.
The result of the assay at Sydney, which the next
steamer was expected to bring, wag anxiously
looked for. The most sanguine expectations were
entertained as to the prospects of the province,
it being expected that very shortly the receipt of
gold would equal the whole quantity received from
the Nelson gold fields during the years 1859 and
1860, which amounted to some 12,000 ounces.
The exciting intelligence of the gold discovery,
as was to have been anticipated, had been the
means of bringing many- adventurers from the
neighbouring provinces, and great numbers were
expected to arrive. Of course some have returned
disappointed. Altogether from 1,600 to 1,800 per-
sons had visited the diggings. The weather having
been very cold and wet, and the state of the roads
bad, added to the probable high price of provisions
for some time, has had the effect, it was believed,
of preventing many from visiting the golden spot
until the weather became more congenial.

Advices from Melbourne state that three steamers
were loading for Otago, and would take a large
number of passengers.
The Nelson correspondent of the same paper
writes :

Every vessel arriving from the South brings us
news of large quantities of the precious metal being
found at the new field in Otago, and the result is
already visible. The " gold fever," in a malignant
form, has broken out, and labour, which has been
too plentiful for some little time past,bids fair now
to be as scarce. Every vessel that is available,
from the cutter of 10 tons up to full-rigged ships of
500, is laid on for Otago, and every one a full com-
plement of passengers. The wages of seamen on the
coast have risen to 16 and £lO per month, and the
hands from other vessels are deserting fast. Shovels,
picks, galvanized iron buckets, tents, and blankets
are at a premium ; at every store may be seen
intending diggers providing themselves with re-
quisites, and carrying them on board vessels at the
Wharoa. Two days ago there was an exodus
on a large scale. The Storm Bird, a steamer of
100 tons, was to start, and about 90 had taken their
passage in her. At the time of starting she looked
like an excurgionboat. Just at the last there was a
visitor on board in the shape of a sheriff's officer, I
and a few of the would-be diggers, who had
neglected to "square up" before leaving, were
brought ignominiously ashore. The steamer started
and made about 20 miles beyond the Head, when
she was met by a south-east gale, and yesterday
morning we found her snugly anchored in harbour
again, the impatient gold-seekers being put ashore
to wait for a change of wind. Should the reports
from the diggings continue favourable there is no
doubt that as the weather improves a much larger
number of men will leave, as there is just at present
very little offering here. Next I come to the chro-
mate of iron, in which several parties are now specu-
lating. It exists in enormous quantities on the hills
around our city, and, thanks to the perseverance of
the Dun Mountain Copper Mining Company, which
nothing daunted by their want of success in
gathering riches from copper lodes, .like unto those
at Lake Superior, yet persevered in constructing the
railways. This company will yet realise extrava-
gantly large dividends from these simple circum-
stances—that slate exists in large quantity upon
their land, and will be eagerly purchased, not only
here, but in all surrounding settlements, and thus
do away with with a great nuisance, wooden
shingles for roofing of houses. Again, their land is
heavily timbered; now firewood tetches here about
255. per cartload (and a small cartload it is), and as
this company can so readily convey it from the
forest into town by their railway, they could easily
sell it at say 175., and make about 7s. per load clear
profit ; then again, they can give us that much
needed article, stone, while they have also a species
of marble on their land ; there are also posts and
rails for fencing, and lastly, after having conveyed
their chrome into town, their slate, wood, &c., like-
wise,' they will most certainly become large carriers
of produce from the town to the port for shipment.
The coal discovered at the River Grey, on the
west coast of this province, having been sent to the
School of Mines in England for analysis, we have
received a report of Mr. Percy's tests, wl;ich showed
that the coal, out of lOU parts, contains 79 of carbon,
5 of hydrogen, 7 of oxygen, and 9 of nitrogen,
sulphur, ash, and hygroscopic water :—" In com-
position, this coal is nearly identical with coal
occurring in some of the coal measures of this coun-
try. The coal from New Zealand is a caking coal ;
that is, when powdered and heated in a close vessel,
it affords a coherent coke, the original bulk of the
coal being considerably increased during the opera-
tion. The gas which was disengaged appeared to
possess a highly illuminating power, as far as could
be ascertained from the small quantity of coal experi-
mented upon, the residual coke amounting to 64.32
per cent. The quantity of coke, however, obtained
on so small a scale must not be taken as an exact
indication of the yield by the ordinary process."