Wanganui Gold Prospectors in the King Country.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1489, 24 October 1885, Page 2

Wanganui Gold Prospectors m the King Country.

iMr Archibald McDonnell, the leader! of: the Wanganui gold prospectihcr m the KmgGottntry, returned to town ' on Thursday, after an absence of about 'seven* weeks. • -He speaks . xer& favourably of some of the country the party explored, saying that it had alll the ap^ pearahces pi igpod reeling 'cV&iifey/ .thpugh no gold was visible m any of the stone they sawi ' He arrived at Alexandra from Auckland on the 4th September, where he ? saw ( ,Mr Wilkinson, the Government aeentj who translated into j .Maori the letter'of recommendation from ; the Hon; Mr Ballance, with which ;iiiif McDonnell , had been ' supplied : before starting. On'the following day he. went bajsk to Kihikihi, ; and saw the two Reading native chiefs who had agreed to act as (guides, but they delayed matters for a few days l through getting" their .horses 5 and waiting for a chief named Hauraki; who was to ! pilot them : through. When ■ the chief m question arrived he .found aletter awaiting, Jbim from Mr Wilkinson,, asking him to delay starting .wfth. tiftr guides until the' Thames patfy had time, to arrive: "All these delafs proved veia- : tioiia and annoying; as 7 they kept" 'thY party idlinguitheir time m ths township* along; with the natives.' / However,* they ' gps away at last pa.thg 15th f with guides,? pack-horses, and provisions for a month or jtwo,_and .made for theßangitotp^district. ; ' On^ihe" i9tti'tb.ey arrived "at the' 'country they were, geeking, and. found that it had'alPtTie-^ppeafatceof "good reefing country— ln fact," v Mr McDonnell isajrs that it was thijmps't iikelyl looking that he has seen during his rewntexploVation. They: '■ f oiind - iio " : gold, but kej>t pushing on with the search, until their guides cried .&, halt, being afraid that they^weMT; trespassing on -landiat Rangitoto, 1 under the sway bf V" chief named Paehoao. . After" soine , delay, a consultation wa"s'iield'between f the -dative guides and ithe chief m questiod,. and^i^ was 'final^4^fd^|fetween Hauralciian^ :Paehoao to 'refer the matter to Wahanui and the King. But' they expressed themselves asy very desirous 'that Mr McDonnell and his party should quietly await the result;^Mr^McPohnell, : h6w.; ever, felt that; he 1 must 'decline; as ! he J had already lost too much time* and could not longer brook the' possible in-! terminable delays that might occur ' diir'.irigi th? process i of Maori ; negotiations. 'So 'he ;rode. rbaok ( .to Kihikjhi, arriyihg there. .on; the iollowing day, *he 26th,' September. :\ He then made up his min'd'i to return "homeward to Wangafeui -> on foot, following the track of the Central' Kailway line, a journey which it took him three weeks and—three days to acconjplish. Onthe first' day he- did a tranip,,of\?;6 <v miles, with a; swag on his % back; halting ' at* Waipa, a 'piace, ! where there is a railway stati6n v and ! \a< store. Staying there for a couple of days, he then pushed on to Te: Kuiti; Here he was; greats taken with; tne- splendid' "wrharepiini of the place,, the largest he ha'sjseen m New Zealand, and which &x-, hibsts most unique and beautiful specie uierts of Maori carvings. McDonnell stayed for a while with O'Brien's road party on the Tunnel contract; and then pusped on with a party of packers who weregpin* m the same direotian, till he. reached Taumaranui, where he . mads anoiher stoppage with Roqhfort's party, who are engaged • in 1 putting, up a \store 'for jsupplies. For about a week he prospected the country from Taumaranui to Pungapunga, /but found -no indications' of gold. He then smarted away with a road party for Waim.arinQ,throa<fh the bush, and two days 'later followed up a ; blazed track m the biish, which, after a couple of days of hard travelling, them out at Eereoi, A pirtv of Maoris they met m the bush, engaged m clearing it fay the purpose of a bridle -tracki 'be^haved, very kindly and hospitably to them. After stayinga night at Eereoi McDonnell took l}prs&.for. Field's track and ftome, but found to' his cos| that the , toughest part of fiisjouraeyVaslto come. He bad to lead his -horse the greater- part of tb^e wajy^the track; being much worse' than he expected tqljfind"|it. ; Ho\s'ever, he Succeeded on reaching his home at Kauaugaroa ; *on, Wednesday v evening last,- preity' well tired opt,, but on the whole none the worse for nis r trip v McDonnell, aaj i^ej> 'have blf§re}s'aid, speaks highly" of the appearance * 'bf "the -Ran^itoto country, wnich, ,he „belie,yeß--will Vet;be proved to be a good field for "goldjmining. ; but he has no faith inthe prospect, of immediate results, owing to the 'wearisome delays and prohibitions which: the Maoris 1 can at their will effect. Apar-t f rdmi the delays, the Maoris tyere very; kind, and- treated him with all the more consideration because of the letter he held from Mr Ballance, of whom they | appeared to have a high opinion.; The [brothers. Peter and Patrick ,;Doddy are still' in the distriot, Mz> McDonnell. ..having left them at, Rangitoto to await; tl\e i*eply froDft Wahanui and the King, -Unfortunately . the telegram s which; haVe heehirecently received from the Doddya do, r^ot seem to indicate that any satisfactory arrangement has^ jet ,been pome to for prospecting the Ranejitbto. ' .