AN OTAGAN AT THE PALMER.

Evening Star, Issue 3711, 14 January 1875, Page 3

AN OTAGAN AT THE PALMER.

Mr S. Palmer, late of A rrowtown, writes to bis brother an account of his experiences at the Palmer. These are published in the * Observer,’ and we make a few extracts : A great many are going to Oakey Creek, where the best gold has been got, and there are as many leaving disgusted. The gold is in little creeks, which are rooted over and over; but if a man could live for about a pound or thirty shillings a week he might make a little and stand a chance of something better by going out in the gullies to try. The sickness is frightful on the diggings. _ There is over one man a day on an average dies on Oakey Creek, and the population is small. lam not exactly satisfied with the Palmer diggings, and I don’t feel very uneasy if I should never see that part again. Half the men are ill, and those that are not the hot weather has brought so low that they are not l : ke healthy men. The blacks also are very troublesome, and a person is never safe unless his fire-arms are by his side. I left the diggings quickly, for if a man has not got money he can’t stop there, for it takes every shilling of an ounce a week to keep a man, as there is nothing for nothing here. Besides, one is almost sure to get the fever. I never heard men in any par!; who “ blow” like the Queenslanders. If a man gets 20 ounces, you will hear it is 100. There have been a good many rises of about LSOO made here, and it is very easily got when on the gold,”