223 



" Tho Hon. W. Campbell discovered gold in March, 1850, 

 at Clunes ; concealed the fact at the time from the apprehen- 

 sion that its announcement might prove injurious to the 

 squatter on whose run the discovery was made, but mentioned 

 it in a letter to a friend on the 10th June, and afterwards on 

 the 5th July, 1851, which friend, at Mr. Campbell's request, 

 reported the matter to the Gold Discovery Committee on the 

 -5th July. Mr. L. J. Mitchell and six others discovered gold 

 in the Yarra Banges at Anderson's Creek, which they com- 

 municated to tho Gold Discovery Committee on the 5th 

 July. Mr. James Esmond, a California digger, and three 

 others obtained gold in the quartz rocks of the Pyrenees, and 

 made the discovery public on the 5th July. Dr. George 

 Bruhn, a German physician, found indications of gold in 

 quartz, ' two miles from Parker's station, in April, 1851, and 

 forwarded specimens to the Gold Committee on the 30th 

 June.' Mr. Thomas Hiscock found gold at Buninyong on the 

 8th August, and communicated the fact to the editor of the 

 Geelong Advertiser on the 10th of the same month. This dis- 

 covery led to that of the Ballarat gold-fields. Mr. C. T. Peters, 

 a hutkeoper at Barker's Creek, and three others found gold 

 at Specimen Gully on tho 20th July ; worked secretly to the 

 first September ; then published the account. This led 

 to the discovery of the numerous gold-fields about Mount 

 Alexander " 



In ISTew Zealand gold was discovered in 1842, less than 

 three years from the foundation of the colony ; but it was not 

 practically worked until 1852, i.e. after Hargreaves' discovery 

 in New South Wales. Mining for gold was first commenced. 

 at Coromandel, in the district of Cape Colville Peninsula, 

 which, at the present time, forms the chief seat of true 

 mining operations in ISTew Zealand 3 -, and where reefs have 

 been proved to a depth of over 600 feet below sea level. 



In Queensland the opening of tho gold-fields only occured 

 about the year 1859, or about the time when it was severed 

 as an independent colony from New South Wales. 



In Tasmania, the first payable gold was found in 1852, 

 about the Nook, nearPingal, and about the same time it was 

 discovered in minute particles along the Tower Hill Creek 

 and in the vicinity of Nine Mile Springs. 1 " The first quartz 

 mine commenced operations at Fingal in the year 1 859. In 

 the same year gold was found in the River Forth by Mr. 

 James Smith, and also good prospects at the Calder, a 

 tributary of the Inglis, by Mr. Peter Lette. At Lefroy (Nine 

 Mile Springs) reef gold was discovered by S. Richards in the 



a. See New Zealand Hand Boot, by James Hector, M.D., C.M.G., F.R.S., 1879, p. 

 b Mr. Riva, of Launceston, is stated to have traced gold in slate rocks in the 

 vicinity of Nine Mile .Springs about the year 1849. 



