LATEST FROM THE WEST COAST.

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 20, 16 July 1864, Page 3

LATEST FROM THE WEST COAST.

DISCOVERY OF^EW GOLD COUNTRY. . '. . FRIGHTFUL STOE^RING; o'■*0 '■* .' MTRACULOTtS -/.ESCAPE ; PRQM DEATH: ; ' About* sixteen weeks ago." a party of t very enter-! , prising and intelligent iniiiersj'consistihg of Messrs J A. J. Barington,"- James ' Fanel/' aiicl Antoino ' Lembner— two of whom r are 'Frenchmen — "siiarted out on an exploring expedition in the directionof the- •' ~~T West? Oo'asfcsM No ' 'tidings been- received* frpm these men, it "was presumed -that they had ! 1 mailed for^the^Canterbury 'Province, -or had else fallen victims to their daring enterprise. 5 i Many of ' • i our readers may remember: <that_ about the period we;have named some excitement -pre varied? at the head ofntlie? Lake,: about ; an' discovery (of, T-; gold up; the* Rees .Riyerjfand;,the departure- of (.a?.v ; party "who had "come iii: :and^obtained some ..prof-,.:-:: {visions. It may also bq. remembered; that;;yagu©-.. i :nimours ( . were, current; and that wej)romiseE,at the time to .giverthe i earliest information^ w cpuld^j obtaiu. s-*Nearly four ynonths have, ehxpsed r >since f \ then, ; and : w,e";no\v; redeem' ourjprpmise; .It is-ajsacL; < cjfcale. ofrsuffering^andyet anobl© example, pf.energy, .. » endurance;; and self-reliance, r From the, few facts ; /*' placed in pur possession, we are not. able to dp,;more at present than give ..the, outlines of an expedition that, in. hardship and-. suffering, exceeds almost any other recorded account.:; The ifirsfc information of thereturn of the partyiTy-as made \ known through , the \ Police Department, and we are indebted; to. -Mr; Inspector,, J?ercy r for -his .... spromptitude in : enabling -us to allay the anxiety that has so: long: been felt concerning; .these men., .<■ The following is a : copy of the report addressed to ; , ■> that gentlemen by the: spolice'; officer stationed up .- the Lake : — • ... " Constable, Winter begs to report, for the information of his commanding, officer, that the .three prospectors, whose -names . appear on the margin,; arrived at this station, this evening, at;---6.20, after an absence of over three months. They are very much 'reduced in flesh ; hi fact, their appearance is that, of liyingskeletbns, covered with skin. They are entertained at this station at the expense of Mr. Reid, the overseer, and as soon as they are in a sufficient state of convalescence to talk, the constable wilLforward another report. " Head of the Lake Police Station, . ; - "Night of 11th June, 1864."' .. This report arrived in Q.iieenstown yesterday morning* and we immediately set , about ascertaining fuller particulars. We can only find one gentleman in Mr. Rees' employ,. Mr. Bell, who knows anything of them, and who has held any conversation with them. He says the men were so thoroughly exhausted that "they found it a great exertion to speak, and that the. communications they made were very brief. Mr. Bell remembers the time they started away on foot, carrying about fifty pounds, of flour" and a small supply of salt and sugar. They burdened them- • selves more with tools, implements, &c., than with provisions, depending upon then* dogs and guns for the support of life 1 . They state that they have explored, the whole ,of the tract of country marked on the maps "unknown," a portion of wlr.ch is in this Province, and a portion in that of Canterbury. They reached Jackson's Bay, and then set back on then* homeward journey. The country is generally well timbered, and the pine and rutu trees are often five-and-twenty feet in diameter. They found gold in payable quantities in several places — the furthest, about thirty miles -inland from Jackson's Bay ; . and at this spot they are confident a payable goldfield exists. They further declare that the belt of country between this place and that which they reached is auriferous nearly throughout. The country, soon after leaving Lake Wakatip, changes. It becomes less rocky, and the hills assume the appearance of made hills. Some of them are composed of cement, and the - terraces, which they believe to be auriferous, are of immense extent. They found innumerable quartz reefs, and gold in several of them. They have some specimens with them. La some of the creeks the gold could be plainly seen, and every trial proved the existence of gold in them. They were unable to thoroughly .prospect the country, as they desired, having to ■ hunt so - much after game, and being very weak. They also found various other minerals, and copper in several places. They are satisfied it is as fine a gold country as ever was. opened: The whiter sefc in unexpectedly, and they were snowed hi their tent for nearly three weeks, and gave up all hopes of reaching the Wakatip alive again. They christened this place "Linger and Die Lake." They now abandoned their tools, &c ; , . and made an effort to reach the head of Lake Wakatip, and they were six weeks in arriving at the place they were rescued from. It was during then* return that they suffered the unheard-of miseries they endured. Wild dogs followed their course day after day, but always kept out of the reach of their guns, except on one occasion. It seemed as if they were waiting for them to die, before they could muster courage to prey upon them. At one place, when nearly exhausted, they came suddenly upon six Kakapo and Kiwi that the wild dogs had killed a minute or to" before. This flat they called " Welcome Plat." During the homeward journey, Mr. Barrington had to abandon his maps and heavier charts ; and to save the weight of carrying blankets,' made them into cloaks with a hole through them for their head; Mr. Barrington, before, however, throwing away his maps reduced them on to a piece of paper, which he says is accurate throughout, and he has also succeeded in keeping his journal posted up. Such, in incomplete and broken sentences, is the short history Mr. Bell has been able- to extract from these sufferers, Their chief difficulty, as they say, was hunting the game; it took two much of their time. As soon as they are recovered, they are willing to lead the way again. In the meantime they intend to throw themselves upon the generosity of the Otago and " Canterbury Grovernments, confident that they have found a rich and new tract of habitable countiy of immense < extent, possessing hikes, rivers, gold, minerals, copper, timber, and hist,, but not least, agricultural , land. -. Mr. Bell, who is a friend of the party^ has seenithe . map, but he - is not at liberty to name the place further than, he has done, in whiah the richest gold has been discovered. . ■■•.-• *<* :- : ;/ • ■ HOW THEY WERE BESOTTED. ■ They had succeeded in making Pjgeoh Island, a small island about five miles up the Dart River Here they were discovered by Captain Elchbld,' of? Mr. Rees'. yacht Pearl, who immediately returned to the head of the Lake and gave information, upon which Mr. Bell proceeded in a boat to their assistance. They had given up all hope, being too weak to swin the larger branch of .the river. The first thing they asked Elchold was for a smoke, ' but it made them sick, as .did a little bread and butter they attempted to eat. EiESCEIPTIOSrOF THE.-MEK. Mr. Bell describes them as wrecks of humanity. No one, he says, would' believe the human frame could be so reduced. ■ Their "cheek i bones and > hoses, besides the elbows, hips, and' other bony . parts of the bodyj were protruding through ' the skin iii placesl' They are r aU -skin -and bone 3 :: and have no flesh upon them:: He^ believes they have ? endured far greater hardships than even Burke and Wills did. 'He ; says^they were the pick* of the men of the Lake when 'they left for their tour, v BaiTnigtoiij he saysj^who 'had the beA bootsy and--could sometimes : keep his' feet : dry^has suffered' the worst from'bemgfvost-bitten, and all the flesh; is eateii from- the 1 tops of his toes: The^others, whose feet were exposed to the elements, and I -continually in the snow,' have not suffered so :much. - A ; '• subscription was • immediately set on ; foot amongst the few residents at the head of the ; Lake, and £15 at once collected to relieve the ' necessities of these enterprising men;- ? '• ' ■ ■' "f

The three West Coast prospectors are Btill in the hospital, at Queoustown, but are rapidly re-" covering from the severe effects of their eventful journey. < A public meeting was to be held oosa s their behalf. — WaJcatip Mail.