THE PALMER.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIV, Issue 1802, 15 May 1874, Page 3

THE PALMER.

The following is an extract from a private letter written by Mr H. Lucas, who is well known as late traffic-manager of the Brtinner Mine, to Mr Gr. Gillingham, of Cobden :—

"Palmer River, Northern Queensland, " March sth, 1874.

" Dear George— You will doubtless have seen telegrams respecting the massacres by the blacks in these parts. A number of men have been speared by the aborigines on the road between the port and this, and some were murdered in their tents. Sometimes they attack parties at night, at others by day. There is no doubt but that the coast tribes of natives in these parts are a bold fierce lot of fellows. About three weeks ago a party of miners was attacked twenty-five miles higher up the river than this camp; there were eight in the party out prospecting, and they were attacked just after dinner. They came on one poor fellow who was a little ahead of his mates in a gully, and drove their spears into him ; the first entered his back, and as he put his hand to pull out his revolver, another spear was driven through his arm, pinioning it to his body. His mates rushed to the rescue or they would have killed him on the spot ; as it was he lived a few days and died. The party put him on a horse and came down to the police camp with him. He is buried about a mile and a half from our camp. They say but for the determined stand one of his mates made with his revolver the whole party would have been killed, the attack being so sudden some of the party got frightened. . . . The majority of the men here are armed with guns and revolvers, but there is no dauger where there is a large camp of men together. . . This is a large tract of country over which the feet of white men have never trodden until within the last few months. The gold diggings will extend over a large tract of country. At present, owing to the scarcity of provisions and the flooded ■tate of the creeks and river, parties cannot get about much. We have had one high flood and a number of lesser ones, but I trust this month will end the worst of the wet season. The gold here is of a lino quality. Some no doubt have done well, and got gold easily in the river bed before tho wet came on, but it will be some time before the bed of the river is workable. A great many no doubt are making wages on the beaches and gullies, but they expect better things in the winter. There has been roughing here for a great many, and great privations owing to the scarcity of tucker ; then there was a sort of beef famine for a few weeks, but that fortunately is remedied by the arrival of a mob of cattle last week. Provisions are very scarce and dear, men swimming the river in order to got to the township, where flour is 2s per lb, sugar 2a, rice 2s, peas 2s 6d. You can get 31bs of sugar if you take \Vo of tea., if not, none ; sardines, 4a thp box. All these things scarce, and no dried apples., raisins, preserved meats, or potatoes; they have to parry them 25 to 35 miles sometimes, and to make bark canoes, rafts, &c, to get across the river, so that makes tucker very precious, and many men who came without a supply of. gtgres will remember the Palmer."

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Iston,