Further Discouraging Reports. Port Darwin, August 7.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 170, 18 September 1886, Page 4

Further Discouraging Reports. Port Darwin, August 7.

The Government Resident has received & letter from Mr VV. J. G'Donnell, in which he requests that the following telegram may be forwarded to the Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne papers, with reference to the report lately circulated by MrStockdale that one cf hie party bad been phown £1,000 worth of gold by a man whom he had met near Forest ftiver : —"I have made careful inquiries, and believe there isno foundation of truth for that statement. lam to-day proceeding by Government cutter to that locality to investigate the matter, and will wire the result on my return. I paw all the leading drays at l&r JB'irretfc. Hundreds of people are returning 1 disappointed. Some of the parties with means are remaining till the wet season to give it a trial. There is great distress among the poorer class, and many aro begging their w&y back. Two hundred men are leaving here to-day by the bteamer Menmuir for Palmerston. Horses are selling at from £5, and drays and pack saddle** are being given away. — W. J. O'DONNELIu" Mr Thoma° Ruaeell, of Trial Bay, and Mr Walter Guise, of Point Piper Road, have written to the *• Sydney Daily Telegraph " respecting their experiences at Kimberley. Their letter is dated Cambridge Gulf, let August, 'and is as follows: — '* We were two of> a party of' eight men that left Sydney on boai*d of the pteamer Gambier on the '22hd day of May. This was the first ship, and we arrived at Cambridge Gulf on the 26th July. We do not wish to take \ip too much of your valuable paper in describing the 300 miles of I,'ough and wild r barren country that iwe travelled through in getting there, but Will proceed to Igive a description of the , field. When we arrived on the supposed ' goldfield there xv'ere about 200 men on 1 the ; ground j 'rind to our great "surprise we could riot-see"any'gbldfield 'at all." We" oame"to Hall's Gully and found it^brked out. 'We and about* 100 'men 'that Wifive'd there with us triod gully after'gully for a few days; but could'only get Ihecplour to' a; dish. We als;o;e%:aUQB»e200;% i ag^ ot n dirjb washed, ro be' aarriedabouttwo miles to getitp&nnod. With regard to the quartz reefs, they are without number, but in all our prospecting

we found them to be barren and without any ■ign of sold whatever. After aatisfying onrietoes that the j&eld was a rank duffer, we started back with about 150 digger* for Cambridge Gulf. On our return tto witnessed many a pitiful .sight both as regards men and horses. There were upwards of sixty horses lying dead at different stages. There were aIBO four men found dead on the. track. One poor fellow shot himself dead with a gun to get himself out of his misery. Many mure were starving for the want of food. We heard from some men that went the Derby route that most of the men suffered from fever and scurvy. Wo are sorry to say, that vessels are still coming here crowded with more victims. We don't wish, to oast any reflections upon anyone* but surely sameone ie, to blame for causing suoh a disastrous rush as this has turned out to be, and it is to warn others that wo ask you to publish this account of affairs."