The Kimberley Goldfields.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 165, 14 August 1886, Page 6

The Kimberley Gold fields.

Psrtii, August 3rd. The Government Resident at Derby gives the following report on the new diggings :— " Derby, July 26. — Sergeant Troy reached Derby, from the goldfields, on the 12th instant. Be found all well. His report is favourable. All the diggers are getting gold. He took statements in writing from 18 of them, and the following are some brief extracts from a few : — No. 1 . Hare been a digger for 30 years, and believe there is an extensive field here; have found gold in various localities. No. 2, with his party, got about 70oz. No. 7, got about half an ounce a day »t Brockman and Hall's Creek : was doing well in Macphus Gully ; believes the gold-bearing country to be of large extent. The water supply is pretty good. No. 10 had made a second vi*it : all who had worked in Hall's Gully had done well ; he thinks they are only on the beginning or tail-end of the field. No. 17 was getting about a quarter of an ounce daily, but does not include odd nuggets found ; he thinks gold will be found on the hills as well as in gullies. On his second visit he found payable gold at the Margaret River j and in the Macphus Gully ; he went out one afternoon and got 26dwfc ; he is averaging a little over loz daily ; he thinks that in future the reefs will prove a prolific source of gold ; he considers the supply of water good. Sergeant Troy himself does not consider the. fields badly watered. There are good streams in all the rivers, and also permanent water in several of the gullies besides. There are also excellent epringa. He found the road very good from Derby to the fields, but states that as the season advances water will not be so plentiful. On the return trip he met Bateson, 95 mi'e3 from Macphus Gully, with a waggonette and a number of pack-horses ; 10 miles behind Bateeon he began to meet drays, and scon foucd that he bad a wellbeaten track to follow home. In all, he met 21 horse-drays, seven bullock-drays and waggons, 100 pack - horses, three waggonettes, three spring • carts, nine hand - carts, and 16 wheelbarrows ; and he states that they were all getting along very well. Sergeant Troy states in liis report that he has confined himself strictly to trustworthy information, and he is of opinion that ib is a valuable and thoroughly reliable statement of what is going on at the goldfields." Derby, July 28.— News has reached here that teams from Derby arrived safely on the fields. A very considerable amount of gold is in the hands of the diggers. The steamship Triumph, from New Zealand, with 250 passengers and 144 horses, arrived on the 23rd. The water supply at Derby for stock and drinking purposes is inexhaustible. Camels for transport to the fields have arrived, and they start on tho first trip in a few days.