The Portland daily press., 1867-03-19
DAILY A PRESS.
PORTLAND
Tuesday Morning. March 70. 1897
British Colonial nu.,,c-,-

Tuesday Morning. March 70, las7
| British Colonial Matters.
THE GOLD MINES.
A correspondent of the Toronto Globe, who
has visited the gold mines at Madoc, gives
| three column article as the result of his OBJ
servations. His account is not very fattering
He found plenty of snow but very little ore. or
the Richardson mine, which is kept carefully
covered up and screened from observation, he
says but little, but of the next best thing he
speaks equivocally, saying he saw plenty Of
a thick, cream-colored substance, intermin-
| gied with crystalized quartz, in which were
traces of iron pyrites and mica bright and yell
| low enough to deceive the uninitiated.
| lie also says, speaking of the same mine:
Inc impression given me by the proceedings
ae .ilis mime was, that either the whole thing
| was fzzle, or that it was very odd that owners
| with gold on the brain, did not break the
| crown OF some OF the other hills hard by. This
impression grew doubly strong when after n
driye-Of eight miles we reached the Richardson
diggings and found no signs of anything goinp
on near it but the erection of frame tavern b4
our friend Moon. Old John Richardson him.
self was at the time holding forth to small
circle of tourists, and the scene reminded one OF
an old sexton at home, explaining the myste-
ries OF some abbey crypt to ignorant excursion
lists from some neighboring town. Every piece
OF stone had gold in it, and all that glistened
was, In his honest eyes, the metal. 1t was the
faith in which he lived, taken with little
whiskey, and to tell him it was only iron
pyrltes would have been an outrage as pur-
poseless as cruel. That he should have got into
fix, the result of which is that his farm has
became subject of litigation between two
American parties, with neither of which he is
himself interested, is a very natural result
from what may be called "the nature of the
| beast" PeTdente lite, the mine is filled with
logs and rubbish, and there is nothing to see
when you get inside the frame house that the
Chicago people have built over the hole Elev-
en- hundred and fifty acres Immediately around
this mine are leased to company of five indi-
vlduals, OF whom my guide was one, and who
obtained the privilege on these terms: The
exclusive right to mine for Il years, half the
net proceeds to go to the farmer, and the work
OF development to be commenced within
year; for which money cons deratiOn of FIVE
shlllings was given on the spot, "to kinder bind
the writings as my guide said. The only
other symptom of mining that we saw during
our visit was shaft sunk at the edge of
stream In black mould; but nobody was work
ing there as we passed. On the road home the
guide assured us that he knew places where
the quantities of iron beat the Wallbridge ter
rltory and the best of Marmora hollow. His
own prosody, and my overnight experiences
OF Madoc, nevertheless, led me to doubt wheth-
er the false quantities about me could be very
easily beaten; but L made no observation to
that effect
This correspondent lifts the veil SO that out
siders may have partial glimpse of the land
operations now going on in the gold region, of
the discomforts to be endured by gold seekers,
and of the parties most likely to get the cream
OF the whole operation. On these matters he
says: .r7 4.g ....-. ...,t
The land is sold at Toronto and the pur-
chaser and sqaatter must fight it out OH the
premises. just now, Sheriff's officers may be
able to execute writ of hdb. fac. pos but they
VIII very soon be powerless, for though all the
townships are, in my opinion, equally likely to
yield gold, the rush will be to Madoc, as long
as human beings prefer roof over their he ads
to the open air, and as long as there Ia no ac-
commodation' elsewhere. People and st ages
must so to some certain destination, and how
ever much they may radiate from Madoc after
wards, it is there that supplies and intelligence
must be obtained at first, Hol then for a cor
ner lot in the Golden City, with lumber, nails,
liquors, and merchandise, and ifyou have a lit
tie suttler's experience. picked upin the "war."
so much the less time it will take you to make
fortune. heard of cabinet-maker there
making over $40 a-day, knocking up beds for
the new taverns that are being erected, and all
sorts of labour will, doubtless, command i'm
Gambling in lands is like the game of "old
mald"-yery amusing as long as you can pass
on your cards-but somebody has to be the last
holder, and as the last figure is the highest, the
sufferer will have more than bagatelle to
mourn over.
= D. ... t- CONFEDERATION,
8 This new political movement in which the
Provinces are engaged, continues to engross
great deal of attention, and inspire angry con-
troversies in the press of the country. The
GLOBE at Toronto charges the Tory politicians
now in power, with being opposed to local
governments and in favor ofa single centrali-
zed government, and says of their leader:
1t is notorious Chat the leader Of the party'
Mr.. John A. Macdonald, is at heart opposed to
the concession OF local self-gOvernment to the
people of the various Provinces, and that he
only accepted Confederation because he could
not get Legislative Union. hoa "
The Quebec Chronicle, while reproving the
politicians of Canada West for their hasty
disposition to mark cut the future course of
action for the new Confederated government.
commends them for early action in relation to
the elections, and deplores the indifference aud
inaction almost everywhere observable in
Canada East. ~. gr,..,
Inc St. JOnn GtO0e says: rtrs t.,. d.
Even the Confederate papers themselves can
not vet agree what Confederation is, or will be
or do. They all cry out, however, to the Anti
Confederates to give up sectional feelings and
interests for the general good and vet each in
his own section, tries to show, as seems to serve
! his interest, that that section gives or loses
more than the other sections. The Confeder-
ates of New Brunswick try to make people be-
lieve that Confederation is a good thing for
New Brunswick because it is unjust to Cana
da. The Confederates of Canada try to show
that it is good thing for Canada because it is
unjust to New Brunswick.
The only indication of feeling in Nova
Scotia that we find in our Provincial files, is
in the following from the paper last quoted:
Private letters received from different parts
OF Nova Scotia-as well as reliable pubic journ-
als-agree in describing the feeling Of hostility
70 Union with Canada as almost universal,
and OF the most intense and bitter character
The people of the adjoining Maritime Province
are highly intelligent and spirited people 1t
is but stating the simple truth to say that in
everything relating to politics and to the due
administration of public affairs, New Bruins
wick is still far behind her elder sister. And it
was not to be expected that such people would !
quietly submit to have their dearest and most
cherished rights trampled upon, even under
forms of law, by the faction which now, both at
home and in England, totally misrepresents the
public opinion of their country. Some of our
correspondents apprehend serious trouble if
the lcheme of Confederation now before the
Brfdsh Parliament should be forced upon Nova
Scotia without an appeal to the constituencies
for their sanction, and with fragrant disre-
gard of their well known wishes.
\ MAINE LAW IN CANADA.
The Quebec Mercury is furious against Mr.
Dougall of the Montreal Witness, because in
series ofSuhday meetings the latteris laboring
for Temperance, and to pave the way for
prohibitory law. The Mercury admits Mr..
Dougalrs sincerity and piety, but insists that
The rule of small religious community rep
resenting very small numerical minority Of
the people of Canada, and more especially of
Lower Canada, is highly dIscreditable to Cana
da in general and Montreal in particular
To show how an Englishman regards any
attempt to interfere with his Refreshments"
and how silly he can make himself appear in
print, wegive another extract from the Quebec
editor: .ff -s.a...t -.. ..f If t..t....-.
Our religion, our laws, customs and traditions
as Englishmen and our just freedom as Cana
dians, are trampled on and tyrannised over by
the Montreal Witness and Connecticut-b blue
laws narty Now let IL ha diroctlxy ,,,.l,-