"once a digger always a digger."
Some of the party mentioned above worked with but moderate success in the almost Arctic region of Kiandra, then tried their fortunes at Lambing Flat, and at last found the fortunate claim on this field, and in a climate as much the opposite of Kiandra as India is to the North Pole. One claim on the south blocks -- the Cosmopolitan washed out for a day's work 287 ounces of gold. I may mention another instance of the success attending another party a few weeks since; they washed a paddock of dirt which yielded the extraordinary amount of two thousand six hundred (2600) ounces of gold. These large returns from a single claim will in a great measure explain the fluctuations in the quantity forwarded by escort weekly, and show the comparative few that are at present getting gold. If the various leads or supposed leads that are at present being worked and shepherded should succeed in striking gold that will in any way approach the yield of the first or main lead discovered, or to the extent of a sixth of its richness, this field will in another twelve month send an escort to Sydney greater than any field yet discovered in the Australias. One lead -- the Caledonian -- is believed by many to be equal to the main lead in richness; and the prices wanted for shares in claims that are only pegged out, with little or no work having been done, will give some idea of the confidence of the claimholders-ranging as they do from £50 to £400 per share. Our population still continues to increase considerably, and the town to extend daily. I feel certain our escort returns will be the means of attracting still greater numbers here. Above I have mentioned the yields out of single claims, and the comparative few that are at present getting gold. If the increase of population continue at the same rate for any length of time, and the leads are only developed at the same rate they have been up to this time, from the great numbers arriving, and the difficulty there will be to get into claims with any prospect of commencing working for months to come, as great an exodus from this field will be the result; for at present there are hundreds of men who are not earning a penny, and hundreds who are living by shepherding alone. One cause of the present great increase in the knowledge possessed by the majority of those making their way to this field that, if they fail in being enabled to get a claim here, in Lambing Flat they have always a field to fall back upon, which if it does not offer those, great prizes in the way of pig holes, secures to those disposed to work good wages, and I should not be surprised to see the Flat possessing a larger working population than ever. On Thursday, a digger named Thomas B. Lynch, who had been shepherding on the South Lead, was accidentally drowned in the river. During the fortnight I have been here, I am sorry to be obliged to notice the great dissatisfaction expressed by every class on this field, at the general management or rather mismanagement of affairs here. I have had frequent conversations with some of the most intelligent miners, both of Victoria and New South Wales, and in every instance they have made some complaints against the authorities here -- the almost universal question to me being, under what regulations are these fields worked or governed? And upon my answering the new Gold Fields Act, in which provision was more particularly made for this field, I am laughed at; one party telling me that on his mentioning a regulation in that Act, the worthy official appealed to laughed at the idea, and replied in a most grandiloquent way, tapping himself on the breast at the same time,"I am the law."
I am perfectly aware that on all gold-fields, whatever decision may be given, there is sure to be the disappointed party to complain that they had not received justice; but the almost universal complaints that are, made certainly lead me to believe that all cannot be in the wrong, and that, if the new regulations cannot be applied to this field, the sooner others that can be are made and administered the better, -- for without something is done in this way this discontent I have noticed will naturally affect the working and prosperity of this field. To those parties who wish to build stores, &c. (and there are a great many), the dispute between the assistant commissioner and the surveyor with respect to the width of the streets, &c, is particularly felt, and the same dissatisfaction expressed with regard to the authorities. I believe Mr. M'Lean, the chief commissioner, and Mr. Davidson, surveyor, are daily expected to settle this long pending dispute. Considering the interests at stake, and the absolute necessity of prompt action in the matter, I think it might have been settled before this, and the street rows between Government officials, not very creditable to either party concerned, avoided. The Government some time since, in consequence of statements made, thought proper to send Mr. Shepherd, a barrister, to the Northern Gold- fields, to inquire into them -- with what result, of course, I know not ; but from the statements that have been made personally to myself, and are publicly talked about, of the speculation in shares, land, &c., that are being made by some of the Government officials -- if true, are disgraceful, and if false, the sooner a Mr. Shepherd is appointed to enquire into I them and assure the mining and commercial community that the charges are unfounded, the better for all concerned, and the interest of this field. Next week will be a holiday week, for a Government notice appears stating that Monday being Easter Monday, and the next three days the race meeting, no claims can be jumped. Certainly the diggers cannot complain of the scarcity of Government notices proclaiming holidays during the past few months, exceeding, as they do, anything I ever knew on any gold- field. Yesterday (Good Friday) was pretty generally observed as a holiday, the town being quiet and orderly; one occurrence alone striking me as being disgraceful to the parties concerned, and the authorities for allowing it. I have been long enough on gold- fields to know that to enforce the strict letter of the law would be quite impossible and very unadvisable; but I cannot see the necessity of auctioneers holding public sales of horses on this day, or being allowed to do it. Surely the observance of two days in the year -- Good Friday and Christmas Day -- would not greatly interfere with their commercial interests. We cannot complain of any want of amusements; we have a Standard Theatre, under the management of Mr. Byers; the Buckley Minstrels; and though last, most important, the Shamrock Theatre, a Victorian company having engaged it; and including, as it does, the Messrs. Daniels, J. Stewart, I O'Brien, Miss Fanny Young, Mrs. O'Brien, and Miss Jenny Nye (an excellent actress and danseuse), forming with others a company far superior to any you have in Sydney at the present time. They are playing light comedy and farces to excellent houses, Messrs. Daniels and O'Brien being great favourites; but by far the greatest favourite is Miss Fanny Young, a first-class artiste and legitimate actress, being a commanding figure, and blessed with a charming countenance and good voice. Her appearance is a signal for rounds of applause. In some of the lighter pieces in which she plays she enjoys most deserved popularity by the excellence of her singing. The only complaint the public have is in the smallness of the theatre, and the company in the want of the necessary room and appurtenances belonging to a stage; although, with the limited accommodation they possess, the way the pieces are put on the stage, the and excellent scenery produced, reflect great credit on the management and parties concerned. A theatre is about to be erected in which these defects will be remedied, and give an opportunity of producing plays that the present stage will not allow of, and accommodating an audience of from 1200 to 1600.