THE PALMER.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VIII, Issue 437, 24 February 1875, Page 3

THE PALMER.

From the "Cooktown Herald" of the 20th and 23rd January, we extract the following : —

" The Diggings (!)— We are informed, by recent arrivals from the Palmer, that a rush, whicliis likely to be^, of considerable magnitude, has set in to the head of the Palmer ; men are reported to be getting from half an ounce to an ounce per day. We presume this must be the same country mentioned in a recent issue as having been discovered by Mulligan and his party, and where they found payable gold. Sub-Inspector Douglas, who returned from the Normanby country a few days ago, informs us that, from what he saw on' the rush, most of the miners seem to be doing well, the only drawback being the want of water. Several men from the new rush have gone south by the Florence, and we understand most of them have done well. We had a chat with one of the oldest and most experienced miners on the Palmer ; he expressed, in very confident terms, hi 3 belief that payable gold would be found at the head of the Endeavour, and expressed his surprise that the Cooktown people had never taken the trouble to send a prospecting party out in that direction. The expense of sending a party out there would be very trifling, and if the country is auriferous, as our informant thinks, it would bring the diggings within 15 or 20. miles of Cooktown. Since the prospect of getting mgihinery on to the Palmer has become a certainty, reefing matters have become more lively, andj as a matter of course, are rising in value.

"In our last issue we published a vague 'report about' a new rush, somewhere about the head of the Palmer -River;- Since then, through the courtsey of a gentleman just arrived from Edward's Town, we are enabled to place our readers in possession of more definite information. The exact locality of the rush is on the ' Tate'a tributary of the Palmer, and about sixty miles from Edward's Town. On his arrival at the latter place he found the town completely deserted by everyone, except storekeepers, and others who could not get away. On his way down, when he came to Palmerville, he found the population had made tracks. On enquiry at both towns, he was informed every one had gone to the Tate. The excitement caused by the news from the rush was very considerable. Packers could not sell anything at either of the towns, and had to go onto the rush with their loads. Our informant only stayed in Edward's Town for a couple of days, and during that time no one had returned; he was informed by a storekeeper there that the new rush was " really good." On his way down he met great crowds on their way up, and none returning. Rations at Edward's Town were very cheap, and of course plentiful. Flour only worth Is per pound. The season up there has been excessively dry, and travelling is becoming very tedious on account of the water ac the usual camping places getting dried up. Since writing the above, we are informed on undoubted authority that two splendid jjfiew rushes have taken place in the vicinity of .tiie Kormanby diggings. The news was brought and communicated to our informant by men of undoubted veracity,