A LETTER FROM KIMBERLEY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2472, 9 December 1886, Page 2

A LETTER FROM KIMBERLEY.

(From the Standard.) Kimbbrlby, September 30. . I ara now on the lovely guldtields of Kmiberley, if they can be called bo. I haye been busy all the week shoeing horses and fixing up drays for people, and I think it would be the best game if there was enough of it. Our journey up to the field was a lout; and tedious one; our our drays had to be repaired about half a dozen times, The road for the first two hundred miles was. very heavy, the wheels sinking in sands up to the axle in places, and consequently it took us six weeks and four days to reach the field. But in apito of all this we reached ■ here before most of the Triumph passengers, and are now camped on the banks of the Elvira River, all wall. John Jadkeon turned back when within ninety-three miles of the field'on account of ilMie;ilth ( There is ple/uty of grass and water on : the way, some of the grans measuring twelvn feet high. That will give you an idea of what growth there is here in the wet season. We saw plenty 0 f orocodiles and alligators on our way, principally'oh 'the hanks of the Fitzroy River. Dead horses also were also numerous, moat of them killed by hard work, but some by a poisonous plant called Darling Pea. Kow, about the .fields. Well, I don't'think much of them. Our boys have been working up the Blvire, where soraVwenfcy are • working olairas, and they average about 2s 6d per man per day«~not very bright is it? Ovor to the right of us, about six miles, lies MoPhee's Gullv, where some three hundred were campod when we wine here, butonlyifty stopped and are getting a half a pennyweight.to' a. pennyweight a day, hardly enough to earn food. There are some very' old men here who look moro fit for the grave than oarryinp dirt to wash. There is a bu'toher here who kills three bullooks a woek, and you should see the sight when he takes out the off.il; the diggers out and tear it away like so many wild beasts. In five minutes there is no sign of the intestines. This of conrse is meat for the hungry diggers—poor fellows ivho can't buy bcof, although it is oniy Is per lb, and mutton lOd. The drays are sold fur next to nothing, from Cs (id to £1; first class horses from ten to twenty pounds. Nearly all tho Triumph passengers havo left or are leaving the fields. I don't think more than ten :qf them will see the wet season through, I don't know yet what our party will Bay about seeing the wet season through. .Of course if there is any chance of makinfr'anything we shall stay. We haveTan<itlief rnanth to look abuut, and theii we will decide. You can get the color anywhere, but not in payable quantities. The country about here is all hills and gullies, covered with quartz, slate and broken rocks, 1 hear, while writing this Utter, that (he diggers m

rushins the stores at Derby.' which is quite likely as most of them had jußt enough provisions whon tliey leftiiere to take them down.. 1 am, &c. t ■i-.--.r- -.HAMUm?,