This new goldfield is situated some 150 miles from Sydney and covers an imme: stretch of country, but the parts most favour at present are the Back Creek gings, The field presents a far differen appearance to what it did when it was first opened; at that time there were only a few diggers fossicking up and down the creeks. Our party struck a reef at 42 feet level, where the very place is now surrounded all round by claims. The greater part of the population is gathered round the township Creek, where only a few months back but a few prospecters were camped. Back Creek would be known as a digging township if there were no signs of digging near it. The wooden buildings have been rashly thrown together, the streets badly Inid out and with no regard to levels, and everything presents the appearance of arrish. Ie was daylight when I arrived after riding some 30 miles during the night, and there were crowds of loungers about the bars and in front of the public house doors. Generally speaking, this would indicate prosperous times. Diggers unfortunately imbibe in proportion to the gold they get. But as I will have occasion to show, there are many miners so-called at Back Creek whi are too lazy to work, too lazy even to earn honestly the money they recklessly squander. In too many cases do they prefer to sell shares in leases they have only applied for, choosing rather to live in idleness than prospect their ground, These are the loafers, these are not the men who have made Back Creek what it is and will make it I think before the end of this summer the greatest gold-field in New South Wales. There are men about Back Creek pioneers of the good old largest amount of gold has been obtained stamp who have lived on wallabies and wallaroos, dollying and crushing enough gold to keep them alive while crushing machinery was being erected. These are the men to whom Back Creek is indebted for its present condition, My first night on the Creek gave me time to look around and make a few eniries. The nights are usually spent in Drinking and card playing are great amusements, and added to these there is a skittle alley. Let no one picture Back Creek as a large extent of canvas tents—most of the buildings are of wood, and considering its proximity to Sydney this is as it should be; and there are evidences of civilization that would not be met with on any of the remote goldtiells in Queensland.
After having had a geod look round the field and having inspected the principal claims, I have very little hesitation in saying that Back Creek has a brilliant future in store for it. Let no poor man go there, it is not a poor man's field. The ground on all sides is taken up and not worked; the mining regulations in this colony allow this, whereas in Queensland, in Victoria, not an inch of ground can be taken up without working it, This is the blight of faulty mining regulations, encouraged by the mining department of this colony. Many men have gone to Back Creek willing to work, men of experience, men of energy and men with means sufficiently ample to weather 1s a few months' bad luck, but the opportunity has been denied them.' The loafers of Back Creek, who either expect to sell shares to new comers, and expect the vold to be taken out for them, or hope to delude speculators, have fastened on the ground. Many of the leases that have. been applied for have never been surveyed, and many that have been surveyed have never b granted, Another drawback to Back is the deficient and defective crushing machinery, for I am certain that a great deal of gold is lost in the process of crushing. But worse than all, the crushing power falls for short of requirements. There are only three batteries with ten heads of stampers each, capable of crushing 100 tons of quartz each per week. That falls far short of what is wanted. Iam certain that at least 2,000 tons of stone are raised weekly. A finer field for the erect tion of crushing machinery has rarely presented itself—a good supply of wood and water.
The rate for crushing is ry bag of quartz bein; may be considered high waltz in many of the Victorian goldfields can be crushed for 10s. per ton. Looking at Back Creek generally, the goldfield presents a perfect network of reefs, several of which are payable but most of them have not had time as yet to be proved. The reefs are high in the ranges and they are thickly timbered, which affords great economy for the working of the shafts and the field generally. At present as high as lis. " ton is paid for carting the quartz to the batteries. It is estimated there are over 2000 miners on the fell, and should some of the new reefs turn out well, there is not the slightest doubt, but that the population will be doubled before long. Considering its proximity to Sydney good roads might easily be made, as the goldfield is only about 50 miles from the railway and most of the miners hare swayed it, and swaggers are to be met daily on the road. A few speculators have come to the field of late, but from hearsay they have not se the field in the same light as it has been represented. No doubt there has been and will be a lot of blow. I know of an instance where claims have been reported to be extremely rich, and when the quartz has been crushed it has been proved that they did not consider it payable.
Back Creek is divided into a right-hand branch and a left-hand branch. The latter has been most worked, and by far the from it. Here and there on the ranges abandoned shafts told their tale of failure. A time may soon come when 20s. a ton for crushing and 11s. a ton for carting will be relics of a bygone period. The first line of reefs is known as the Melbourne. The claim is held by three men, who are down with their shaft 60 feet. The last crushing gave them at the rate of 4 oz. to the ton, and in one piece of stone weighing 11 oz., 9 oz, of guld were got. The No. 1 Southwest have had two crushings of 128 and 129 tons respectively which averaged over 3 oz. to the ton; there are 13 men in the party. On the Mechanics' prospecting claim, there is also a shaft some 150 feet down with a lode 3 feet wide, which has yielded as follows:—93 tons of quartz 4 oz. to the ton, 74 tons 1} 0z. to the ton, The Hidden Treasure claim is one of the best at Back Creek. On the Tunnel the lode has averaged about 2 feet and the returns have been as follows:—112 tons, 286 ozs 35 tons, 106 ozs; 112 tons, 288 ozs. There are only five shareholders in the claim, but eighteen men all work night and day. In connection with the Hidden Treasure reef, there are about it greater indications of permanence than about most of the others, The walls are of nice slate with clay and soft slate between that and the reef; soft greasy slate is what a miner likes when he is after gold, and in this claim it is to be found in abundance, In the No. 1 North Hidden Treasure gold has been found in an open cutting. This claim has been sold for £350. The Mountain Maid Prospecting claim stands promi-nantly forward as the richest mine on the Barrington, Gold was struck almost on the surface and has been followed down to ninety-four feet. The first two crushings were as follows:—83 tons, 7,828 028.; and 153 tons, 2,295 ozs. The next crushing after that a greater width of stone was taken, and the result from 335 tons was 2,200 ozs., so that in round numbers about £24,000 worth of gold has been obtained from the reef in three crushings. There was scarcely a piezo of quartz Isaw that I did not see gold in the solid stone. The first two crushings were picked stone, the last crushing was not. Like nearly all the gold at Back Creek, that in the Mountain Maid claim contains about one tenth part of silver.
This will give you an idea of some of the best claims of this goldfield, Yours, Ist December, 1879.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.