The Hawaiian gazette., 1871-01-25

up. Everything tS done on grand scale there
no haltmeasnres. Its public buildiugs-such as
the Pos,-ofice generally admitted to be the
finest in the worldly Parliament Houses, the
Treasury Government Printing Houses, and
Public Libnry-are models Of architecture aud
stability Its streets are wide and regular il
has its public gardens and domains and Indeed.
possesses every luxury and convenience that even
denizen Of New York or London could wish
for.
Next to Melbourne. in Importance. comes
Baarat, the City Of the Mines" 1t has a pop
ulation Of from 10000 to 10000. the majority Of
whom are dependent, more or less upon its min
ing resources. On this field a, the present time.
all mining operations are carried on by public
companies. this being rendered necessary by the
great depth to which shafts are sunk, aud the
expense attendant thereon. These companies
90 TO work on grand scale. and a short descrip-
tien of the modEs operuadi may not prove unin-
teresting A number Of spectators apply TO
Government for lease Of certain lands on which
to carry on mining operations; having obtained
it. they then proceed TO issue a prospectus and
form company. This done. they commence
erecting machinery and sinking main shaft
through basaliic rock. until they arrive at the
desired pipe-elay bottom" on which the gold
rests. This generally lies at depth Of two or
three hundred feet from the surface, and conse-
quently, owing to the difficult nature Of the
sinking, it is often work Of one or two years
before it is reached. They may happen luckily,
to strike golden - lead on bottomng; if so,
they have nothing to do but follow it-leads
being generally pretty well defined. II, however.
as is more often the case, they do not strike the
lead, they have to drive, (tunnel) underground
in all directions to find it being guided in their
search by small leaders, which feed the main one.
On finding it. should it prove remuneraiive, tram
ways are laid down in the drives leading to the
main shaft. along which the wash-dirt is conveyed
and brought to the surface, where il is put
through the machine, and the gold extracted
Many thousands Of pounds are expended before
gold can be expected 20 be found and in many
instances it is not found at all-at least in paya-
bic quantities. This, in addition TO the risk Of
being flooded out might be thought sufficient TO
deter parties from specuating; but seeing that
the failure of one company is generally counter
balanced by the success Of another, the spirit Of
speculation is, and always viii remain sife at
Ballarat- The richest claim on the feld-and
perhaps the richest ever opened-is the Baud
Of Hope which for the last ten years has been
paying enormens dividends to its lucky share
holders.
Castlemaine, known in the early days Of the
god-6elds as Forest Creek, is the central gold
mining town. and was. when 6rst opened. the
richest field in the Colony Here, many lucky
diggers earned a competency one week and spent
it the next; the sinking was shallow. averaging
about thirteen feet and seldom exceeding forty
feet Hehce it is that the mining interest there
is now on the waae-the old alluyia workings
being left to the Chinese and few struggling
Europeans. But the quartz reefs in the locality
still continue remunerstive, and it viii be many
years before they are exhausted. Castlemaine,
however, is not dependent on its mines 10 any
great extent; it has something more stable to
depend upOn-its agrculturisis and wine-growers.
1t is celebrated for the abundance Of its crops
the quality Of its aIes. and its choice light wines
1t has its foundries. tanneries breweries. -four
mills, etc, and altogether, may be pronounced
one Of the most prosperous inland towns Of Vic
tona. he Castemane district has population
Of between 1000 and 5000.
Sandhurst-the Bendsgo Of the early days--is
about twenty-five miles from Castlemaine. and
nearly all that has been said about the latter is
applicable to the former God-miDing. however
is carried on with more energy in Sandhurst. and
next TO Balarat. yields more gold than any other
field. The population Of the place is about
$4,000
10 addition to those already mentioned, there
are the following important goId-mining towns in
I Victoria Amherst, Avoca, Ararat. Archiale,
Benaa. Beechworth. Chewton, Creswck, -Cunes.
Daylesford, Dunolly. Fryertown. GuIIdford, In
giewOOd- Kingower. marlborough MaIdon. Ma
jorca. Ovens, Rochdale. smythes, and TarnaguI-
Ia Some idea Of the present yield Of these
fields may be CLEANED from the fact that for the
first six months Of 1870. the returns received in
MeIbourne-and all the gold does not find its
way there-more tkan eqnalled in value the total
returns Of the Thames, in Auckland, which had
been in operation for more than two years, and
the richness Of which field had been 50 extoIIed
So great was the impetus given TO agriculture
aud horticulture BY protection and the liberal
land policy Of late years adopted By Victoria,
thst the cOloDy IS now seIf-suppOrtiDg in matters
OF breadstuifs. fruits, wines, etc BY the Land
Act persons Of small capital we're enabled to
take up tracts Of land for agricultural purposes,
for which the3 paid an annual rental, and at the
end Of a given time. this rental was accepted by
Government as a payment in fall for the land
Under this arrangement, the Iandholder had to
make q certain amount Of Improvements yearly,
or IN default. forfeit all claim 10 bis land and SC
well has this system worked. that the colony now
abcunds Hith happy and fourishing homesteads.
The principal agricultural districts are Geeiong.
wsrrnambool, smeatoh Newstead, KiImofe,
| K5peton. Gisborns. Woodend, carisrhus. Ham
iiton. Taradaie, MaImnbary and Moorambool.
Most Of these districts and also the gold-6eIds'
towns. are connected BY rail with MeIbourue, 90
that all tie productions Of the interior nd quick
and cheap transit 70 the fuetfouolis. Il NAV