Inverness Courier - Thursday 23 December 1869
THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD NEAR INVERNESS
It appears that Sutherland is not the only gold-bearing county in the north of Scotland. the early part of the j present year, when much excitement prevailed regarding the discovery at Kildonan, a great deal of prospecting took place in several parts of the country, and jewellers' shops were crowded with people who imagined, in more than one instance, that they had fallen upon an inexhaustible treasure. But disappointment was the invariable result ; glittering particles of mica were found in abundance, but no 1 trace of gold was ever obtained. Kildonan and the neighj bourhood appeared to enjoy a monopoly, and the search in other places was soon discontinued. It is rather singular that just when the Sutherland diggings are about to be closed, a second discovery has been made public. The ex- ' istence of gold in the couuty of Inverness was known to one ' : person a month or two ago. Having no permission to work, he simply examiued the stream, and satisfied himself of the preseuce of gold, but has recently received authority from one proprietor to carry on further operations, and j during the spring the value of the discovery will, j ' doubt, be fully tested. In this cold frosty weather it is im- possible to work to any great extent, and the digger has no inducement to undergo the hardships of exposure in a severe winter. The name of the discoverer is Alexander Simon Fraser; he is a young man in the employment of Mr Mackintosh of Raigmore, and has had considerable ex- 1 perience at Kildonan. We do not anticipate any recurrence ' of the excitement which prevailed when the Sutherland diggings were opened. Most people interested in the work have learned by this time that the occupation of a digger i one of the most tedious and laborious which it i3 possible to adopt, while the returns very frequently do not yield any fair remuneration for the labour expended. Besides this an indiscriminate search is to be strictly prohibited. If general permission to prospect and work were granted the destruction of property could not fail to be great, and the i wisest course is to prevent damage at the outset. Steps 1 will be taken by the propiietors to ascertain whether gold exists in sufficient quantities to pay the working.
As we moutioned last week, the discovery was made in the parish of Daviot, and the search has been confined hitherto to the property of our burgh member, Raigmore. But it seems pretty clear that the streams on the neigh- bouring estates are auriferous, and search will soon be in- | stituted. The writer formed one of exploring party which visited the district yesterday, under the guidance of Mr Ferguson, jeweller, Union Street. They had the good fortune to meet with the discoverer, Mr Fraser, without whose aid the search would have proved almost fruitless, j Driving from Inverness they reached Craggie in about hour. The glen is a quiet spot, sheltered an protected byhigh hills, and watered the river Nairn and a number of mountain torrents. There are several comfortable farmsteadings in tlie district and a few handsome mansionhouses. The party were provided with a large tin basin for washing the sand, and small spade for digging. Selecting a dry water-course for their first experiment, they filled a dish and proceeded to wash it carefully in the neighbouring stream. After clearing away the loose sand quite a large number of glittering particles, with a yellowish ! sparkle, appeared among the small pebbles. These j particles would readily mistaken for gold by the inexperienced ; they were really the deceptive mica, and the ! washing was continued till a sediment of black sand alone remained iu the dish. In this the gold dust should be j found, if found at all, but after a minute examination, not a j single scale or "colour," the digger called it, could detected. This was rather discouraging ; auother basinful ' was tried, and the result was precisely the same. Leaving tho spot an experiment was made ou a neighbouring stream j —still no gold, but abundance of black sand remained after washing, and this was regarded a hopeful sign. After several failures the party at last hit upon tho right spot; j with the sand few scales and minute particles of gold were mingled, and then basinful after basinful was examined. In almost every instance some gold dust was found, varying in amount, but never more than one or two grains in weight, The washing was a slow process, and the day was intensely cold ; still all hands were busily engaged, and the product of their labours was carefully preserved. At the close they j filled two bags with soil and brought them home to Inverness. When the soil was washed out, it was found that the total product of the day's work was more than 8s.
We have only to add a hope that no unauthorised person will be foolish enough to attempt an exploration of the parish at the present inclement season. Should he succeed in finding a few particles, the value would probably not suffice to pay expenses. Mr P. G. Wilson, jeweller, has received authority from Raigmore, The Mackintosh, Dunmaglass, and others, to issue licences properly qualified persons for the purpose of prospecting and testing tho discovery. There seems little doubt that gold exists in most of the upper portion of the valley, and so far as investigations have yet been made the appearance is fully as promising as at the commencement of the Kildouan diggings. Some of the Daviot gold and soil are to bo seen in the shops of Messrs Ferguson Brothers and Mr P. G. Wilson.