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50                                         GOLD IN CEYLON.
The result of the exploration of the 21st was 6 spangles of gold as large as a small canary seed, three of them being a little larger, so that probably the whole find of Bradley and his fellows, from 6th of the month to the present time, has not amounted to 15 shillings.
Heavy rains with violent thunder had commenced, and the next accounts will bring intelligence of the sweeping away of the dam if it has not already gone. The Police we hear had killed a small crocodile, in their hut which showed fight, never once attempting to run from the blows inflicted. We hear that the whole are sadly disgusted and wc may expect a week hence to hear that "Bradley's diggings" have resolved into their primeval solitude, tenanted only by the alligator of the river and the wood-pecker of the forests of this miserable and deadly hole. We speak feelingly, for we are compelled to curtail our remarks in to-day's issue from an attack of fever, the result of too much exposure whilst prospecting for gold in a midday sun in the delectable locality. So far as we hear, the best thing is to order all the I'olice there to forsake the place at once; the farce of keeping 30 or 40 men with officers, to look after a challie's worth of gold is too palpable an absurdity to be per­sisted in for a day longer.
We repeat that there is not gold enough to be found to pay for the sustenance of a mosquito, and the curtain should be allowed to descend on the whole farce at once.
Latest from the Gold Explorers.
We are told that Mr. Power, Dr. Ellery and the Seaman Bradley, who went to the Maha Oya Diggings, and left that place on the 19th instant in prosecution' of further search to the north-cast of the river, have made further discoveries of auriferous earth in the bed of one of the tributaries of that river, called the " Hingool Oya," giving a name to that valley, through which was to have run a portion of the Railway to Kandy, which, under the auspices of Lord Torrington would ere this time have been in full work giving a most ample return for outlay. This river runs to the south­west under a wooden erection at the foot of the ascent of the Kadugannawa Pass, called Gordon's Bridge across the Kandy road between the 58th and 59th mile-stones.
-Tracing the Maha Oya upwards at the village of Attapitiya, at about 40 miles above the original station, they again found auriferous earth; the specks very small, but existing in every pan of earth washed. The above report is of so early a date as Tuesday last, but the delay in its receipt, was owing to its having been sent to Kandy en route to Colombo.
Wc have had no further report from Nuwara Kliya, but from indirect" sources we hear that the search has been unproductive of Gold.
Altogether we much fear the outgoing Mail of to-morrow will take but a "Flemish account" of the far-famed Gold discoveries in Ceylon.
(From the Colombo Observer, March 25th, 1854.)
Postscript.
Mr. MacCartney reports in a letter of yesterday's date that the rains had put a stop to the digging operations, but that Bradley and his party still re­tained their good opinion of Ceylon as a Gold country. Bradley has returned to Ambepussa from his "prospecting" tour with Mr. Power, suffering from fever. Temporary assistance had been asked from Government, but no reward is- looked for until profitable Gold diggings are discovered.