A Trip to the Bathurst Diggings.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume 3, Issue 70, 28 August 1851, Page 3

A Trip to the Bathurst Diggings.

[From the "New Zealander," August 20.] The following extract from a Letter received in this town from a tradesman who some time since left Auckland for Sydney, is worth |icistinl a? a genuine narrative of an adventure to the Gold Digging?, which, although given here only as the experience of two or three individuals, no douhl may he regarded as n (air representation of the experience of numbers who have relinquished certain and remunerative employment for tlte clinnrcs und the disappointment of goldhunting. " Immediately on my arrival in Sydney, I was tngajied on piece work, and the first week I earned £3 125., out of which after a jolly row, I obtained 17s. (id.,— the firm Mns insolvent; so, on the Monday following, I applied at tho , »nd was (lung'd at £2 2s, per week, when tlie sta'itliug and aw-fitl in'ellipence of the gold discovery came to town, and I, with hundreds of other's, rudied pell-mell to the scene of action. Myself and nil old friend hought a lio.it and cart, and off we went to the gold lountrv, provisioned lor three months ourselves,—ditto difo our families; wlimn we removed to the country. We started from Sydney on Moudav, Juno I, a lovoly day, and in high spirits ; the rond was almost blocked up with vehicles ; any thins that would go upon wheels was enjrerly brought up find s. t in motion —carts, cabs, coaches and omnibuses, p-.-ck horses, bullock < and even dr.gs. Such a scene ! We jonLjed on quietly enough, until the rain set in then! alas I "a change came o'er the spirit of the dream." Wo wen; then in the mountains, and the roads, with the immense traffic, almost impassable ; the horse, too, began to knock up, we therefore deemed it ndvisible to sell two sacks of Hour, &l\, Ac, at less than the nrlymtl cost, to lighten the load—suffice it to sav'we arrived at the diijgiug-i sixteen d.iys after wc left Sydney—it lining mined the (•renter part "f 'he lime. \\'u now fmiuil, to our -reat constemation, that instead of making fortunes, there wcie huntlr><ls nay thousands, not earning their rations,—selling ther stores, even blankets, to pay th'.'ir way btek. All agreed that there was plenty of trolil under the wtilei—lhc creek having lisun so much as to render italmost impossible to woik tondvantage. Some, the greater pan, so mtn-li dispirited us not even t>> trv. However, we. I and my chum, pitched our tent and went to work, h'irst iljv, nil.; second day, ditto; third day "no'okce-v.o«k ;" when »>e w* re politely asked if we had a license; on replying in the negative we were lold we nurse pay £3 on the morrow. We worked aw«yi>g'in, and again the license was demanded. We said we had no luck, we therefore were allowed two more days, with a gi-nllc hint that unless it was paid he, the commissioner, iwti'd kick us into the creek, cradle and aM. We now held a consultation, and found the finances in a by no means nourishing condition. Cash in hand, £i Ids. 3d. To amount of license due, £3 (tor current month); ditto ior July (in about seven days), JES,—a'uWuletl case of involvency —so, at "the end of the fifth day, having the fear of the commissioner before our eves, we about-ship, and steered homeward —selling our g-ld at bathttrst for 12s. (i , with which we purchased one bushel of corn lor the horse, and two balls for self and chum.' Wc arrive.l safe in Sydney jusl six weeks after starting, ■ capsizing theVatt twice, sticking in o creek I

once, in the mud about twenty limes. anJ losinq the horse once, and far ever (.82 miles from Thorn*, obliged to hire another to lake the cart to Paramatta. Such was our luck, and such ns been the luck of hundreds ; It has 'been the means of breaking up mßiiy a comfortable home, and will, continue to do so to the end ol the chapter. In consequence ol the accounts from ihe Turon, the lever is again rasing— hundreds arc on the road, but better provisioned, and with better chance of success. I have* no doubt but that in the spring Sydney will be nearly deseiled. lain so convinced that it will then pay, that I shall tfy again, for I like the life-, I was never in better health, though I was constantly wet, and slept under the carl llio whole time."