THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELDS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2181, 1 July 1886, Page 2

THE KIMBERLEY GOLDFIELDS.

Tiik Melbourne correspondent of the* Chnstohnrch Tress writes under date I.sth Jane : — The steamer Otway arrired at Co3saek ft om Derby on Saturday. A* correspondent of the Perth Inquirer atDerby reports that more men have comedown from the diggings, among them being Messrs Kellan and Edwards. They have about 200 ounce*. They left about 20 men on the fields, but a large number are on the way up. About 1200 ounces of gold have been brought down up to the present. Water is getting scarce at the field's, and no more men should go up before September. Hall has brought to Cossack a 28-ounce nugget he discovered some time ago. He estimates that it" contains fully 24 ounces of pure gold, and is a splendid specimen. Derby is described as a mass of tents, 100 passengers having arrived by one steamer. A laige <|<i»ntity of gold is reported to be on board the Otway, but it is impossible to say how much. The sum of 1*1. ">0 per ton is demanded for carting from Derby to the goldfields. Hearing that news about the goldfields had recently arrived in this city from an e\-Canterbmy man, a Press representative on Saturday interiewed the recipent, who is a well-known resident of Chnstchurch. This gentleman stated that the report was correct, his son had written to him from Derby a very favourable account of his prospects. When the rush bpgan he had been about 900 miles up-country from Sydney. He at once moved to Brisbane, and thence took a boat for Derby,, where he was now doing so well! that he recommended his father to sell' his business in Christchurch and join him. He was not digging, but working at carpentry, which was his trade. The edge of the coast he described aa humid and moist, batata little distance inland 1 the climate was very good, and he in tact 1 preferred it to that ot New Zealand. The nights weic piercingly cold, but the temperature rose the moment the sun got up. The glass was high for about fifty miles inland, then the country broke intorising teuaces, and the climate improved; greatly. After this the land was goodt tor diiving over for a distance of 300 miles, at the end of which it becomes rough. Things were dear at Derby, but to counterbalance this money was abundant, and " there seemed t>> be plenty of gold knocking about/ For further light on the question of climate, our representative asked how long the writer of the letter had been, away from Canterbury. It appeared that the time was sixteen or eighteen months, and his previous letter \va» dated about six months ago. In the present one he remarked that no doubt Us lather would be surprised to hear fiorn him in Derby, and that geutlenmn states that the anticipation was correct. As for himself, circumstances relieved him for the present of the necessity of making up his mind to go or stay, but he was. favorably impressed with the prospects o|r the new tield.