Colonial Despatches

I have the honor of transmitting herewith for your Grace's information copy of a letter from Mr O'Reilly the Magistrate at Hope, with enclosure, being the first report received from the party of Gold Miners sent out from that that place as stated to your Grace in Paragraph 8 of my despatch of the 5th June marked "Separate."

2. This report though not conclusive as to the general character of the country, yet speaks very favourably of those parts examined.

3. The quality and value of the specimens of gold alluded to in the above report have been estimated by a practical assayer here here, as follows
No. 1‹‹Weight..........about 5 grains
Quality.........860 thousandth fine
Value...........9 pence
No. 2‹ Quality.........860 thousandth fine
Value...........22 pence
Weight..........about 12 grains. from which an inference may be drawn greatly in favour of the Shimilkomeen as a mining district.

4. A new Gold district is also said to have been discovered in the Southern part of British Columbia, at Rock Creek, a tributary falling into the Kettle-fall River near the 49 49th parallel, and 400 Miners, chiefly from Oregon, were reported to be engaged in working that field, and making wages from 15, 20, up to as high as 100 dollars a day. It is anticipated that there will be a great rush of miners to that part of the country and if so food will be required in large quantities, which will lead to a great increase of trade, and to the formation of of new settlements in that part of the Colony, by reason of this additional attraction.

5. The importance of directing the supply of provisions for this region by way of Hope is thus greatly increased, and an additional motive supplied for opening the road between Hope and the Shimilkameen, which is being at the present moment vigorously carried on, and thus preventing the trade from taking the course course of the Columbia River to Oregon.