THE KIMBERLEY DIGGINGS.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1265, 28 May 1886, Page 3

THE KIMBERLEY DIGGINGS.

LATEST MIXINO NEWS. The correspondent of the “ Porlh Inquirer at Roohourne, telegraphing on Slay Ist, repoits that the latest news from Derby states that a nugget of gold weighing 241h has been found by a man named Morgan. Several other smaller nuggets have also been obtained, The goldfields are pronounced to he a success, A Perth telegram in the “ Argus ” of May 4th says :— * The large, nugget mentioned by the Roebourne correspondent of the “ Perth Inquirer" was found within 106 miles of Derby, and was discovered by Morgan ami Angus while scratching the surface. The gold in the possession of the two men is valued at L 250. A large number of passengers left in the steamer Perth for the diggings on Saturday, together with several tradesmen and stores of every description. Immense excitement is pre« vailing throughout the colony in consequence of the reports from the goldfield. A number of city properties have been with* held from sale pending further Kimberley news, which is expected by the steamer Albany this week.” Mr O. E. Deeley, of the firm of Adcock Brotheis and Co., merchants, Palmerston and Derby, who is stationed at the latter place, gives the following interesting particulars relative to the Kimberley goldfields. and al oto the town of Derby itself. Writing on March 30th, Mr Deeley says : “About eight men have made their way in from the supposed goldfields ; they report about 40 men up there. They have come in to buy rations. It is going to he the biggest field in Australia in our opinion. All the men who are in have gold with them, but they are keeping it dark, and have only brought in enough for their wants. I bought £4>z from two men yesterday, 220z. from another, I loss from another, and 7«z. from another. We hear of another party close here who have 2400z with them, one piece weighing lOoz. It is a beautiful sample of gold, quite as good as the Palmer. What wo have runs from soz to loz pieces, all waterworn except one parcel, whioli was evidently got on the surface from a rough leader. All I am afraid of is a big rush, with a lot of men with no money. This is the nearest port, and the best road is from here, but the field is 300 miles inland at least, an 1 poor men cannot get there. It never will he a poor man’s diggings. They must have horses. 1 send you by this post a piece of grass which is a fair sample of the grass round Derby. It is just as thick as a wellsown field of corn, and one can hardly walk through it.” In another letter to his wife Mr Deeley remarks that in Derby the mosquito aut and all sorts of insects are very troublesome. Tte laboring white man demands 15* a day for ordinary work, and it is very difficult to obtain the services of the blacks. Chinese labour is also scarce at present, hut this difficulty will he ovo come shortly. There are very many blacks in the neighborhood of Derby, but they are not dangerous to associate with. On this side of the Sound the native women all wear bones through their noses. Mr Deeley says that the gabs that are sometimes experienced theie are terrific. They ci me on very suddenly, and are accompanied by loud thunder and rain, and it is almost impossible to hear any sound about jou while they last. The native vats are a serious trouble. They are very large, and have a tuft of hair on the tip of the tail. The The common name applied to than is the “ bottle brush rat ” Everything they can get near enough to they destroy. A lew miles from Derby Mr Deeley saw a number of alligators in the river, and snakes also were frequently seen, some of them I cing very Inn.'. He says that 150 miles of the 300 which divides Derby and the <lLpings is over a boggy track. The, pearling industry is also an important 0110. The sheliers are now commencing work.” Only four boats had arrived, hut 70 others were expected shortly. Speaking of the goldfields again, he adds There is going lo bean awful rush. I do hope the papers will wain the poor men—l mean the impecunious men. There will ho heaps of gold found, but there will also he a lot of misery. Recently in Derby as much as 15* was paid for 50gal of water." The crass forwarded by Mr Deeley grows from 7ft to 14ft hj gh, hut the “ample leceived was only some 4ft in height.

A FEW FACTS ABOUT TIIR COUNTRY. | ' In view of tlio large amount of interest ( at present centered in the Colony of Wes tern Australia, and the new rush at Kim- ! berley in particular, a representative of this paper waited upon the Rev. R. M. Kim. curate in char-re of St. .Martin’s ' Parish, North Kaat Valley, and obtained ' from him the following information concerning that colony:—Mr King was real* ; dent in Western Australia for a little under five years, and left that Colony for Tasmania in May, 18S3. During the greater part of that time he was stationed at Creenough (Champion Bay), but as he visited the more northern settlements ho has a very fair idea of the climate, &e_, on the Kimberley. Whilst staying at Roe- 1 bournes about 700 miles north of Perth, a place that will be familiar to newspaper i readers as the township where the manager and cleik of the local bank were both murdered, our informant took a number of temperature observations, and ns Kimberley is still nearer the equator than Roeboiirue it can reasonably be presumed that the climate is hotter, more trying, and unhealthy. On Christmas Day, IBS2, at 7 30 a.in., the thermometer (in the shade) registered 91 deg., at 8 90 leg., at 10 100 leg., and half jin hour after noon 105. On the 27th of the same month-at 10 a.ra., the thermometer stood at 93 leg., and at the same hour on the following day 94leg. On the Ist January, 1882, at 10 p.m., the reading was 89deg., and at 4 o'clock the next evening, 99deg. The average temperature at noon throughout the mouth of February, 1881, was 102'lcg. smin., and in February, 1882, 94deg smin. At 4 p.m , for the same month in 1881 it was 103-leg. Imin., and in 1082 9,)d CK . Bmin. At 10 p.m., 1881, it was 89deg. S-niu., and in 1882 82-leg. 7min. It will be seen, therefore, that the heat is tremendous, and during the night it is veiy tittle less than in rhe day. During the coldest month? of the year, say June and July, the heat is veiy great. From the beginning of January to about the middle of February there is always what is known as the “ hurricane season,” and the meaning of that phase can be well judged from the following anecdote A now stone church had been erected at lloehonrne, and on its comp'etion an old seJtlcr left the district for a few months. He returned homo after the hurricane sea°on, and bis first words were—“ You havn’t had a blow, for the church is still standing.” In and around lloehonrne. aud from there northwards to the Indian Ocean there is no agricultural land, because it is too hot for anything to grow, Mr King could not inform ns definitely what the prices of provisions would be at Kimberley. Judging from his Roebnnrne experiences they would be very high, and cartage or packing very expensive. The water throughout the territory is brackish, and it is more than possible that the gold digger en route for Kimberly will bo without water for 60 miles at a time. Around Roebouroo the blacks are quiet, ' bat aear Kimberley they are both numerous

and treacherous, and unless very sharp watch was kept life would he none too safe. In all prohabl ity King’s Sound, 18' leg. S., Cambridge Gulf, in lot; 13 leg. S , will ho the nearest poit to Kimberly, and except during the hurricane season steamers go at intervals from-Melbourne, Adelaide, ami Perth round the roast, There is telegra phio communication between Roebourneand New Zealand and the Dumpier Archipelago settlement, of which Roebource is the principal, would probably ho the handiest tor postal and telegraphic communication. It may be said the climate of Kimberley is one of the worst in the continent of Australia, and men when they arrive on the diggings will have to fight with heat, feyer, thirst, and all the time be on their guard against the natives. Mr King states that in his opinion, as an old resident of the Northern part of Western Australia, it would he utter madness for a man to attempt to reach the Kimberley unless be had 150 in his pocket when he lands in Western Australia. Another thing worth recording is that all the diggers, especially new arrivals, will have to guard against .drinking, as no man can live in that climate who indulges in much alcoholic liquor. Speaking of the colony of Western Australia ns'a whole, Ms King has a very different story to tell. The climate is healthy, and to persons affected with diseases of the chest there could not, in bis opinion, be found a better climate. Although in summer the day« may be hot, the nights are deliciously cool, Wook is, comparatively speaking, plentiful ; and although the rates of wages near Perth are not quite so high as in New Z aland, in the on: lying di-tricts they are higher, and the work is steadier, speaking of the Champion Bay settlement, he says it is a splendid wheat country, anil when lie left a good 200 acre farm, wi hj stone buildings, etc, on it, could he bought for about L4on or LSOO. At Greenough flour is about L 22 per ton, mutton 4d per lb, potatoes scaice, groceries and clothing slightly in excess of Dunedin prices. A good spider trap could he bought for from L3O to L4O. Hacks average L 3 to 1.12, the higher priced being yeally firstclass horses ; and draught horses run from LOO to LSD. Wines and spirits are dearer, and tobacco cheaper than in this colony. Labouring men earn about Cs to Ss a day, hut iie-er will be engaged for one day only. Arlisans’ wages run from 10s to 10s, whilst blacksmiths make Sa to 12a. There are some splendid openings for medical men, whilst almost any single and steady men. should soon obtain work and do well. Domestic servants are in a fairdemand, but their wages are not as high as in New Zealand. The communication with the outside world is very good, as in addition to the P and 0. and other ocean (dormers a line of Adelaide boats trade regularly to Albany and up the coast. There will shortly be 2300 milts of telegraph lines open in the colony, and the charges are the same as in this colony. Therai ways are being rapidly extended both north and south of Perth, and there are other public works in progress. Travelling in Western Australia is fairly cheap, and good hotel accomodation is to be found iu every town at moderate price. The vine grows well nearly all over the colony, as also d es the fig and orange in particular spots. In referring to the whole of the colony that means the whole o f that part of the colony where anything at all giows. As has been before mentioned, in the northern part nothing at all will grow, but in the extreme north again Mr King believes all tropical vegetation is abundant and sugar, &c., will in time he cultivated with success.

,Mv J. 0. Borman, of the Flat has a per"sonal knowledge of Western Australia, having been there when he was about 15 years of age. lie spent three or four years in the Kimbeiley district, and nine months of that in enforced residence with a cannibal tribe of natives. He describes the aboriginals as vet y fierce away hack from the coastal line of settlement. He left the Kimberley district some years ago but recently had information by letter to the ifFe-.-t that the place had made very little adv.-nee. Eoebourne, in his time, was a t-mall place, chiefly inhabited by Malays, Chinaman and natives encaged in pearl fish ing. Mr Barman describes the Kimberley connti y generally as barren, hilly, and valueless apart from minerals. Of these th re always wore ample indications, but tho conditions are ranch against their being successfully worked. There is neither coal nor timber ; there are vety few horses, hut, with or without them travelling is very difficult ; and piovi.-ions are excessively dear. Moreover water is very scarce for ihe greater part of tho year, the rains bring tropical in their character, however when they do commence. On one occasion he paid a LI for a harrelfttl of water at a place only two miles out of Roebourno. and it was water at, that. Plenty of indications of gold was found when he was there, but for the reasons stated it was comparatively unworkable. Mr Barman is no admirer of the Kimberley country, and qnes ions that the goldfield will turn out tho El Dorado thatis anticipated. Dunedin ‘ Evening Herald.’