NOTES FROM NELSON.

Lyell Times and Central Buller Gazette, Volume VI, Issue 277, 12 June 1886, Page 3

NOTES FROM NELSON.

—» (FROM Otfß OWN CORRESPONDENT*.) The Kirnberley Rush. Rush oh ! It is marly years since a genuine stampede of diggers took place in the Colonies for any particular locality. Just now there seems to be every indication of a severe attack of gold fever among the denieens of the Australian Colonies : And little wonder 1 The struggle between capital and labour is a severe one, and labour in the Colonies is not so much sought after or so well paid as it was in the rosy days when alluvial gold was plentiful and the labourer could by a little foresight combined with luck become a capitalist himself in a small way. Now, when a wave of depression is surging over the Colonies, when politicians look in vain towards the horizon for a sign of a coming breeze of prosperity in the shape of a rise in produce or some other means of lifting the cloudy Now, when a good rush in this Colony would be about the only thing to revive trade and raise the drooping spirits of settled Colonists, eomes the news of rich finds of gold on the northwestern coast of Australia, and as a natural consequence, every roving spirit, who has the means to pay his passage over, and the pluck to face the unknown, will inevitably gather without counting the future consequences: The auri sacra fames would draw men to a warmer climate than Kimberley is known to be, more especially those who have had a previous experience of the free and easy life of a gold miner. It is a pleasant and independent life to lead is that of a digger, on his own hook, with no employer to find fault with his day's work; it is an alluring occupation, always providing a man is getting gold and plenty of it, and is enjoying his health with it; and I have no doubt, from the published reports, that there is gold there; and that many tvill go. The returning is quite another matter. To any man contemplating this journey I would recommend him to look at the map of Australia and see how far in the tropics lie will get before he reaches the land of promise; I would further advice him to consult some old digger who has had an experience of the rush to Roper, some 17 years ago, and then to gently scratch his head and ponder over the probabilities before him. On the hopeful side he will find the chance of striking a patch of nuggets: On the other the dead certainty of malaria, snakes, myriads of mosquitoes of abnormal size and insatiable appetites, bad water, niggers, who can make a bullseye at 40 yards with their murderous spears, and who are fond of having a white man for a target, and no defined ideas of the liberty of the subject te roam at large on their fatherland; fever and ague there is no escape from, everybody gets that on arrival, and no man travels in those latitudes without a stock of quinine. These are a few of the blessings intending* pioneers of Cambridge Gulf have before them. Men leaving the healthy and invigorating climate of New Zealand have been found to suffer far more than Australians, more especially Victorians; and I know that the few West Coasters who returned from the Roper to tell the tale of their sufferings were mere shadows of their former selves.

Durance Vile. It is pleasant to know from the report of the Inspector of Prisons, that that portion of our population who reside in free lodgings at the expense of the Colony, are all very comfortable and well taken care of. And our Lunitic Asylum also seems to be all that can be desired; the Nelson one particularly so, except in one particular, and that is the water supply. Dr Grabham seems to be of opinion that this was a put up job on the part of the city corporation. This is not flattering to our city fathers who in their dealings with the general government ought to be, like Caesar's wife, above suspicion. The council at their last meeting indignantly denied the accusation, but there was a sort of admission that certain preparations were made, so as to eletrify the Inspector with the grand hydraulic power possessed by the borough, with a view of getting at the general government for X'6oo odd, for extensions. However, this has nothing to do with the jails ; I wished to shew the dissimilarity between the prisons of today and those of twenty years ago. Old identities in Otago boast of the easy time prisoners had in the first Dunedin jail, and numerous yarns have been told of that free and easy establishment; but it wasn't a circumstance to a certain penitentiary I knew in the early days of the Coast. The Cobden jail was the most hospitably conducted lodging house ever kept in the Colony. At first the camp, as it was called, was the residence of the R.M., thai survey staff, the police and prisoners alike ; all fed at the same board, and slept under the same roof. After a while additions were made to the camp, and a full blown jailer appointed in the person of Sargeant M'Teague. He was a well developed specimen of humanity with a magnificent pair of legs, which he was particularly fond of; he used to encase them in Bedforl cord riding breeches, and calling the attention of his prisoners to their perfect shape. Mr M'Teague tuckered the prisoners by contract, and fed them well, and they were instructed, in addressing him, to call him " Sorr." He was not an avaricious man, and he used to allow his prisoners a pint of beer each for dinner, and as much more during the day as visitors would shout for them. The prisoners, as may naturally be supposed, were contented with their lot, more especially as Mr M'Teague was courting a girl on the Greymouth side at the time, and made frequent visits across the river, leaving a trustworthy prisoner in charge, with strict instructions to lock the noors at eleven if he did not return.

IJe used to send a detenu named Mick Molloy tor the dinner beer. Mick had been seht up on account of a difference of opinion between hitnself and Patsy Bttrke on Napoleon Hill, which resulted in a broken head for Patsy and three months for Mick» The latter, on one of his visits for the beer, caught sight of his old antagonist in the bar of the hotel and, setting the beer can down on the road, invited Patsy out to have satisfaction. This was just What the other fellow wanted as he had now got his skull into repair. So at it they went, when Mr Kynnersley, R.M. arrived on the scene from up river; he looked on for a moment, and rode back to the camp, called a policeman and had the two arrested. In the morning both of them were brought up and the magistrate recognised in one of the combatants the man he had sent up on a previous occasion. He enquired of him how he came to be at large, and Mick innocently replied that he had only been out for the dinner beer. Explanations followed with the jailer who was instructed that no matter how liberal he might act with respect to the food he supplied his lodgers with, that the line must be drawn somewhere, and he was requested for the future to draw it at beer. There were many peculiar features about this jail which were not reported in the Blue Books of the day; the above is a sample of dozens of similar episodes I could relate. Korari.

(Continuation of News, see 4th Page.)