LATENT NEWS FROM PORT DARWIN.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1676, 17 December 1873, Page 2

LATENT NEWS FROM PORT DARWIN.

[MELBOURNE ARGUS, DEC. 5.]

Mr H. D. Melville, late chief warden and magistrate at Port Darwin, who is now in Victoria en route to Adelaide, has been kind enough to furnish a member of our staff with some information relative to the [Northern Territory, South Australia. He left Balmerston on the 11th ultimo, in the Gothenburg, and has Been ten months on the reefs in the territory. With regard to mining matters, Mr Melville states that everything is in such a rude and unfinished condition, there having been no crushings, that nothing very definite can be said. He asserts, however, that the surface indications fully warrant the belief that Port Darwin will turn out to be one of the richest and largest reefing districts in the colonies. Three or four companies, including the Telegraph Company, Pine Greek, and the Palmerston Company, at the Howley, have their machinery in a sufficiently forward state to be able to commence crushing as soon as the ensuing wet season sets in, and several others will probably be able to begin such operation before that, season ends. . Mr Melville is positive that no alluvial ground haa yet been found in the district. Statements that such ground has been i discovered there have been'

made, but what has been called alluvial gold has been simply the drift off the quartz reefs, which has been found by gully-rakers, and never at a depth of more than four feet. But he fully, expects that good alluvial ground will yet be discovered in the Howley district. Reefs have been discovered in the three districts named Howley, Yam Creek, and Pine Creek. The first is about 70 miles from Soufchport, the second 90 mile 3, and the third 120 miles. 4 It is generally expected that, the Howley will prove the richest field ; at present it has the largest population. Mr Melville has brought down several fine specimens from reefs at each of the three places named ; .and they may be seen at Messrs Kilpatrick and Co.'s, jewellers, 39 Collins' street west. ' ! To all these specimens, Mr Melville's handwriting is annexed, and he guarantees that they are actually from the reefs whence their labels state them to have been derived. He is able to give such guarantee, because he saw each specimen taken from its reef. The three diggings are on the telegraph line, a fact which has led many to think that all the prospecting has been along that line. Such, however, is not the. case. The real explanation is, that the .telegraph posts follow the edge of the table land, aud it is just at the edge of this table, land where the granite and quartz meet and the reefs lie. Of course, the three diggings are on the, same road, and in wet weather that roadis impassable. After rains the banks of the numerous watercourses in this part of the continent become so soft that they cannot be crossed even by horsemen. It has been mentioned that the Government purpose spending a large sum in the district, and this road will doubtless receive a fair share of the expenditure. It starts from Southport, which is distant from Palmerston, of which it is a formidable rival, 28 miles by water and 40 by land. The Adelaide River runs within 40 miles of the gold fields, and is navigable to that point ; but the country between that point and the gold fields is of such a character that a route in that direction ia impracticable. Travellers along the road to Southport, or indeed in any part of the terrritory, ought to be careful to take firearms and to maintain a watch over their camp at night, as the natives are malevolent and treacherous. Mr Melville thinks that the climate of Port Darwin ia as healthy as that of any other tropical country. The months of December to March, or January to April inclusive, comprise the wet season, and for a month or two after it is ended in-

termittent fever is rather active. The reefing country is higher and m uch healthier than the coast ; in fact Mr Melville says it would be difficult to find a better climate at or near the same latitude elsewhere than that of the open table, land. But he thinks that foreign labor, Chinese, Malay, or Polynesian, must be introduced, as the heat is such that Europeans cannot do hard manual work there. Horned cattle thrive well, btit the place is not so suitable to horses and sheep. The total white population of the territory is about 1500. Fish abound in the rivers, and the country is rich in game. But all kinds of flies and mosquitoes are likewise abundant. Vegetables and fresh meat are very scarce. Mr Melville strongly recommends no one to go to Port Darwin until further news as to the reefs is received thence j and he particularly advises nobody to go there now who has not been accustomed to roughing it in the bush. The territory is still a terra incognita, so much so, in fact, that no one knows wnere the Catherine River, a large watercourse, empties itself into the sea, though a great deal depends on the settlement of that question.