15 February 1857

PALIAMENTARY PAPER. AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAWS RE- LATING TO THE GOLD FIELDS. [Assented to March, 1857.]

… The verb “mine” shall bo understood to include any mode or method of working whatsoever whereby the soil or earth or any rock or stone may be disturbed removed carted carried washed sifted smelted refined crushed or otherwise dealt with for the purpose of obtaining gold whether the same moy have been previously dis- turbed or not as well as the appropri- ation of such gold by the finder thereof to his own use.

The word “gold” shall signify as well any gold as any earth clay quartz stone mineral or other substance con- taining gold or having gold wiped therein or set apart for the purpose of extracting gold therefrom.

The words “gold mines” and “gold fields” shall mean those purts of the waste lands of the Crown in New South Wales on which any persons are or may bo actually engaged In mining for gold.

The word “ claim “ shall mean the portion of land which each person or company shall be entitled to occupy or to occupy and mine In under uny miner’s right llccnso or lease Issued under the provisions of this Act.

The word “business” shall mean and include any profession trade calling or occupation epcept mining and any vending or disposing of any goods wares merchandise or chattels whether by hawking or in any other manner except the hawking of milk butter vegetables or other farm or garden, produce.

The words “authorised persons’’ shall, mean and include all holders of any ‘ license or lease tot pastoral purposoB all ministers of religion and school-1 masters and any commissioner foe the gold fields or justice of the peace and any clerk trooper constable or other person employed exclusively in the Government service and the servants of such persons respectively there re- siding with and in the actual employ- ment of any of them and all females and ull children under fourteen years who shall only reside and not mine for gold upon any gold field or any person to whom the resident commis- sioner sholl think fit to grant a tem- porary exemption on account of sick- ness or other accident.

3. It shall be lawful for the Governor with the adviae of the Executive Council subject to the provisions of this Act and the rules and regulations to be made as hereinafter provided to causo documents to be issued each of which shall bo called “ The Miner’s Right” and shall be granted to any person applying for the same upon payment of a fee of ten shillings.

4. The Miner’s Right” shall be In force for tbe period of twelve months from the date thereof and sholl during the said period authorise the holder to mine for gold upon any of the waste lands of the Crown and to occupy (except es against Her Majesty) for the purpose of residence in connexion with the object of mining so much of the said lands as may be prescribed under the rules and regulations to be made as hereinafter mentioned and every such holder shall dur- ing the continuance of such Miner’s Right be deemed in law to be the owner (except as against Her Majesty only) of the claim whloh shall be occupied by virtue of such Miner’s Right end during such continuance as aforesaid all gold then being in and upon the said claim shall (except as against Her Majesty) bo deemed in law to be the absolute porsonal property of such owner.

. It shall be lawful for the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council subject to the provisions of this Act and to such rules and regulations as aforesaid to cause licenses to be issued which shall be in force for the period of twelve months from the dates thereof respectively authorising the holder to occupy woste lands for the pnrpose of carrying on business upon any gold field and the fee to be paid for every such license shall be as follows that is to say four pounds.

Itshall be lawful for the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council subject to and in accordance with the laws in loree for the time being respecting waste lands of the colony and the provisions of this Act and the rules and regulations to be made as hereinafter mentioned to grant leases for mining purposes of portions of auriferous lands and to fix tho amount to be paid by wny of rent whether IIB a royalty or otherwise.

7. All such fees as aforesaid and all other fees heroin mentioned ahull be payable in advance and shall be paid to her Majesty her heirs and successors to be appropriated as a part of the consolidated revenue fund of the colony.

8. Any person not being tho holder of the miner’s right or of a lease under this Act who shall mine for gold upon any proclaimed gold field and any person who shall employ any such unauthorised person so to raine and any person not being the holder of a “ miner’s right” license or lease duly empowering him in that behalf and not being on authorised person within the meaning of this Act who sholl occupy any waste lands in or become resident upon or at any proclaimed ^gold field shall be liable on conviction before any justice of the peace to the penalties follow- ing that is to say for tho first offence a sum not exceeding five pounds for the second or any subsequent offence a «um not exceeding ten pounds nor less than five pounds.

9. Any person who shall mine or employ any person to mine for gold in any land be- longing to a private individual without the consent of the owner thereof or his duly authorised agent shall upon conviction be- fore any justice of the peace be subject to the like penalties as are mentioned in the last preceding clause.

10. When any gold mine or gold field shall have been discovered upon any Crown lands then under lease or license for pastoral pur- poses it Bhalt be lawful for the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council to sus- pend the said lease or license so far only as may be necessary for the accommodation of the horses cattle and sheep required for the subsistence and convenience of the persona holding the miner’s right and for the supply of water for the said gold field and otherwise for effectually working the said gold mine or gold field and thereupon to return or remit as the case may require such portion of the rout of the lessee of the said lands as may be thought reasonable and just and also to pay to him out of the revenue derived from the gold mines or gold fields of the colony full compensation for loas if,nny sustained by him by reason of auch suspension such compen- sation to be ascertained by valuers or an umpire appointed in the manner mentioned in section three of chapter two of her Majesty’s Order in Council of the ninth day of March ono thousand eight hundred and forty-seven.

11. It shall bo lawful for the Governor with the advico of the Executive Connell to appoint officers who shall have power and authority subject to the provisions of this act and the rules and regulations to be made os hereinafter mentioned to determine the extent and position of the claim to which each person or company is entitled under any “ miner’s right” license or lease issued under the provisions of this act and to mark such extent.

12. It shall bo lawful for the Governor with the udvlce of the Executive Council from time to time to make such rules and regulations not being contrary to the provi- sions of this Act na shall appear necessary for regulating tho form of “ miner’s rights” licenses and leases to be Issued under this Act the mode tlmea dates and places of the issues thereof the conditions on which tbo same Blinll be issued the mode of transferring und assigning the same and of prohibiting any such transfer or assignment and gene- rally for tho purpose of carrying tho provi- sions of this Act Into execution and all the rules and regulations heretofore made by the Governor and Executive Council respecting the issue of licenses for mining purposes or respecting any of the purposes aforesaid not inconsistent herewith shall have the force and effect of law until repealed altered or amended by any rules or regulations to be made as herein mentioned.

13. It shall be lawful for any justice of the peace upon the complaint of any person holding the “ miner’s righi” or any license or lease under the provisions of this Act that any other person has encroached upon the claim of the complainant to proceed forth- with to the spot for the purpose of investi- gating the matter of such complaint and to ¡squire into the case and on his own view or upon the oath of any witness to determine the same in a summary way and if it ahull appear to such justice that the person com- plained against lins so encroached by occu- pying mining or undermining such claim or In any other woy whatsoever or that the person complaining has so encroached upon the claim of the person complained against itshall be lawful for such justice to cause the person so found to have encroached as afore- said his servants implements goods and chattels io be removed from the claim so encroached upon.

14. It shall be lawful for any such com- plainant or person complained of or for suoh justice previous to the hearing of any such complaint to require that two persons hold- ing the «‘miner’s right1’ or a lease under this Act shall usBist such justice as assessors and thereupon such justice shall select two i persons duly qualified from amongst those, who are present and ready to nttend and be sworn ns such assessors or shall summon any number not exceeding four persons duly qualified OB aforesaid and shall se- lect two from amongst those who may nttend at the time appointed and shall administer to auch persona as may attend and be selected whether aummoned ¡ W »ot u»oa.ih tp the effect thal mob persons ‘ I severally will well and truly Inquire into the i matter of the complaint then submitted and a true finding and decision give according to the evidence and such persons »o sworn shall be and act as assessors and such justice and assessors shall hear and determine every such complaint of encroachment and shall also find whether any and what gold has been unlawfully or improperly removed from such claim and whether any and what damage has been sustained by such encroachment and the decision of a majority consisting of such justice and one assessor shall be bind- ing.

15. It shall be lawful for any such justice end assessors upon the hearing of any com- plaint as aforesaid or for any two justices of the peace upon proof of any gold having been removed as aforesaid (of which any such finding as aforesaid shall be sufficient evi- dence) to cause any gold wlileh may hove been taken or removed from such claim to be summarily seized and delivered to the person encroached upon und also to cause the whole or any part of the damages ascer- tained aB aforesuid to an amount not exceed- ing one hundred pounds to be paid by tho person so having encroached or trespassed as to such justice und assessors or to such justices shall seem juBt t’o be recovered by distress and sale of goods and chattels of such person in manner prescribed by law for the recovery of any sum adjudged by justices of the peace ne a pecuniary penalty or compen- sation-Provided that no person shall be imprisoned for delault in payment of such damages for a longer period than tbreo months.

16. In the ovent of the non-attendance of the requisite number of assessors at the appointed time the justice present shall if required by either party adjourn the hearing of the comploint; and if at the lime to which the sarao shall have been adjourned there shall not be a sufficient .number of assessors in attendance after due summons snob justice may proceed to herir and decide with one such assessor if one shall be in attend- ance or without any assessor if none be present; nnd the outs and decision of the said justice and such assessor as shall be in attendance or of such justice alone if no assessor be in attendance shall be as valid and effectual as if the regular number had boon in attendance and had acted with such justice : Provided that during such adjourn- ment as aforesaid the justice may order the working of the claim alleged to have been encroached upon to be suspended.

17. Previously to the entertaining of any complaint as aforesaid such justice shall and may demand and receive from the complain- ant the fee of one pound and until such fee shall have been paid such justice may refuse to attend to any such complaint Provided that if the decision shall bo against the per- son complained of such person may be or- dered to repay such fee to tbe complainnnt and the determination by whom the fee is to be paid ahull in every case form part of the decision of such justice or such justice and assessors as tbe case may be and such fee may be recovered as herein directed in regard to any compensation awarded to any complainant.

18. If any person holding the “ miner’s right “ or a lease issued under the provisions of th¡9 net having been duly summoned shall disobey suob summons and fail to at- tend at such time and place as may be named therein or to be sworn as aforesaid it shall beliiwful for such justice upon proof that such person was duly summoned or having been summoned that he refused to be sworn unless some reasonable cause for non-at- tendance or refusal of such person be made to appear to such justice to inflict a fine not exceeding fivo pounds which fiuemay be levied and appropriated in like manner as other fines inflicted by virtue of this act and every such person who shall attend in obedi- ence to any such summons and be sworn to uot as assessor shall be entitled todemand and receive the sum of ten shillings for the hear- ing of such complaint and such justice and assessors Bhall determine and order by whom such sum or any part thereof shall be poid.

19. If any person shall assault or resist any such officer or justice of the peace or nny of the said assessors or any person duly author- ized by him or them whilst in the execution of the duties provided to be performed under this actor if uny person after the bearing and determining of any such complaint and having had the boundaries of his claim pointed out by any such officer or justice of the peace shall again encroach or trespass as aforesaid every such person so assaulting re- sisting or again encroaching shall upon con- viction before uny two justices of the peace forfeit and pay a penalty not exceeding twenty-five pounds or at the discretion of the adjudicating justices be imprisoned with huid lubor for any period not exceeding three mouths.

20. Upon petition of not less than one hundred persons holding miners’ rights or leases, under this act, at uny gold field, and having held such rights or leases for not less than three calendar months preceding it shall be lawful for the Governor with the udvlce of the Executive Council by proclamation from time lo time to declare such gold field to be a district for the purpose of forming a local court with the powers and authority herein- after described nnd to declaro tho name of such district und defino the limits and ap- point the chairman of such local court and from time to time to vary and alter such limits and revoko suob. appointment and make another or others and nftor the publi- cation of any such proclamation the locality so described shall be and become a district for the purposes of this act.

21. Every such court shall consist of a chairman to be nominated as hereinbefore directed end nine persons holding the “miner’s right” or a lease under this Act lo be elected IIB hereinafter directed and every such court may appoint a clerk and shall huve power to frame rules and regulations touching the sitting« and proceedings of the sold court the extent and position of any claim the.conditions on which it shall be worked and the application and use of ma- chinery and such local rules nnd regulations relating to mining and applicable to the dis- trict for which the members may be elected as they shall deem most beneficial and no such rule shall be in fprce until it shall huve received the osBont of the Qovernor with the advice of the ßxecuiive Council and been published in tbe Government Gazette.

22. Such chairman when appointed shall name a place and time by public notifica- tion in such manner ns «my seem to such chairman most desirable (the place to be soma convenient locality within the limits of the gold field district for which he shall bo chairman und the time not less than seven days nor more than fourteen days from the date of the first publication of Buch notice) when and where a public meeting will be held of persons residing within such district and holding the “ miner’s right” or a lease under this act for the purpose of electing nine persons holding such “ miner’s right” or a lease under this act OB and to be mem- bers of the local court and at the time and place mentioned the said chairman shall attend and preside at euch meeting and upon the name of any person qualified as aforesaid being proposed and seconded by persons also qualified as aforesaid as a member of such local court such name shall be submitted to the meeting and if the meeting shall signify its approval of Buch name such person shall be declared by the chairman to be duly elected a member of such court and if such meeting shall signify its disapproval of such name such person shall be declared as re- jected and so on until nine persons quali- fied as aforesaid shall have been duly elected and ir any dispute or doubt shall arise as to the decision of snob meeting in any particular case the said chairman shall proceed by the best mean’s available to him either by dividing th euieeting into two parts-those for the proposition arid thoso against it-or otherwise to ascertain which side bus the majority and the decision of such. objairiUnD shall, be final Pro. vlded that In case of ‘ any doubt or dis’ pute aa oforosald it shall be compe- tent for such chairman or any person qualified as aforeanid to demand the pro- duction of the document termed the “ miner s right” or leuse under thia act of any person voting or speaking at such meeting and if such person cannot produce either of such bofore mentionod documents his vote or voice shall not bo considered at such meeting.

23. The nine persons BO elected us aforesaid shall continue members of such court for the period of twelve months from thedate of such election unless they shall soonerretireor cease to bo members us hereinafter provided and five of such members with the choirmnn shall form a quorum ond the acts of such quorum shall be deemed to be the acts of the whole court und in all proceedings the decision of the majority shall be the decision of such court and in enso of an equality oí votos the chairman shall have an additional or casting vote. 2

4. If nny member of such court shall ab- sent himself from the meetings of such court for four weeks consecutively or shall send in biB resignation in writing addressed to the chairman or shall in any way become inca- pacitated from attending such court such person shall cease to be o member of auch court and the chairman shall call a public meeting of persone qualified as aforesaid for the purpose of electing some person to fill tbo vacancy thus caused and at such meeting the Bame proceedings as nearly us may be shall be had and taken as is herein directed to be had and taken at the first election of mem- bers of such court provided that so long as there is a quorum nny vacancy or deficiency in thonumberof membersof such court shall not affect the proceedings thereof.

25. Fourteen days before the termination of the twelve months for which the members of such court shall have been elected the chairman shall publicly notify a time when and place where a public meeting shall be held for the purpose of electing nine persons being qualified as aforesaid to serve for the ensuing twelve months as members of the local court in place of the members whose period of service shall bave expired and at such meeting such chairman shall preside and the same proceedings shall be had and taken and the same rules apply and be ap- plicable as is hereinbefore set forth in regard to the first election of members of such court and the members so elected shall be mem- bers for the twelve months ensuing the date upon which the first elected members shall retire and so on every succeeding twelve months provided that any member re- tiring as aforesaid at the expiration of any twelve months shall if otherwise qualified be eligible to be re-elected Provided also that the omission to con- vene or bold any such meeting at the particular time hereinbefore directed ahull not prevent such chairman from convening such meeting ut a luter period or such later meeting from proceeding to such election. 20. Every such local court established as aforesaid shall and may take cognizance of any breach whether of omission or commis- sion of any of the rules or regulations framed by the said court as aforesaid and punish every such breach by the infliction of a fine or penalty not exceeding ten pounds for the first offence and twenty pounds for any second or subsequent offence.

27. It shall bo lawful for the chairman of any such court upon complaint made by the holder of any “ miner’s right” lease or li- cense under this Act that he is or has been whilst such holder engaged in a mining partnership with any other person and that a balance is due to him on account thereof or upon the application of any such holder so engaged in such partnership that the same may bo dissolved and that tha sums respectively due to the several members thereof may be ascertained and paid to issue process to procure or compel the appearance before such court of such members of the said partnership as shall appear necessary and upou such appearance or in default lliereol after such process to procure and compel the same as aforesaid or in the ab- sence of such members as shall not appear to be necessary parties to such case it shall be lawful for such court to inquire into and hear such complaint or application and order that such partnership shall be dissolved and ascertain and determine the amount to be paid by any one member to any other mem- ber or members thereof and to order that such amount so determined together with reasonable costs shall be paid or to make auch other order as to such court shall seem meet provided that the amount payable to any one partner does not exceed one hundred pounds.

28. Theobnirinan of every such local court sholl have power to summon witnesses and to administer an oath to any such witness and also to commit for any period not exceeding fourteen days any person refu- sing to be sworn or committing any other contempt in such court and also to issue a warrant to compel the attendance of any necessary witnesses and no proceedings in such court shall be quashed for want of form or be removed ¡mo the Supreme court by ceriiorari or otherwise and such court shall have power to award reasonable costs to either party in any matter brought before such court and the orders or awards of such court shall and may be carried out or enlorced by the chair- man of such court in the manner in which justices of peace are now by law authorised to enforce any order or award made in any court of petty sessions.

29. If any person shall forge any “miner’s right” license or lease KBUCJ or purporting to be issued under the authority of this Act or shall fraudulently use utter or exhibit any such forged “ miner’s right” license or lease knowing the same to be forged or if any person shall fraudulently personate the holder of any such “miner’s right” license or lease or shall falsely and fraudulently represent that any servant or other person is an authorised person within the meaning of this Act or shall fraudulently use or exhibit as his owq any “ miner’s right” license or lease belonging or granted to any other person or shall use or exhibit as a vulld “ miner’s right” license or lease any “ miner’s right” license or lease which shall have expired he shn|l be guilty of a misdemeanour and shall on conviction before any court of competent jurisdiction be subject to fine or imprisonment with or without hard labour or to both at the discretion of such coun.

30. If tho bolder of nny “ miner’s right” license or lease issued under the provisions or this Act shall by any fraudulent device or contrivance defraud or attempt tq defraud her Majesty qr any person authorised to receive tl)o saine of any money or gold payable or reserved by such “minor’s right” license or lease or ahull conceal or uqake a false statement na to the amount of any gold procured by h/un or falsify any accounts with a fraudulent in- tent such person shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour and shall on conviction thereof before any court of competent ju- risdiction bo subject to fine and imprison- ment with or without hard labour at the dis- cretion of such court And ull officers and servants of suoh holder ond other persons whosoever who shall knowingly be concerned in any suoh fraud or attempted fraud whe- ther with or without the knowledge or con- currence of such holder shall in like manner be deemed guilty of a misdemeanour and shnll on conviction as aforesaid be liable to a like punishment.

31. Nothing lu this Act contained shall be deemed to abridge or control the prerogative righta and powers of her Majesty the Queen her heirs and successors in respect of the gold mines and gold fields of the colony.

32. All proceedings for any infringement of any of the provisions of this Act or of any of the rules established by the Governor with the advice of the Executive Council as afore- said and the hearing and determining of I which ¡s not herein otherwise specially pro i yided for shall be had and taken by or before any two justices of the peace in a summary way and’no such proceedings ahnll be remo- ved by cjrtiorctri into the tupíeme «oqii, ‘

33. Every rule or regulation made under the authority of this Act shall be laid before the Legislative Council and Legislative As- sembly within fourteen days from the making thereof or of the Governor’s assent thereto if the Parliament sholl he then in session and if not then within fourteen days after the commencement of the next session.

34. Any person ordered or adjudged to for- feit or pay any fine penalty domuges com- pensation or forfeiture amounting to ten pounds and upwards who sholl feel himself aggrieved by tbe judgment of the local court or any justice or justices with or without oasessors adjudicating or before whom he was convicted way appeal from any such judg- ment or conviction to the next court of gene- ral or quarter sessions of the peace which shall bo hold nearest to the place where such judgment or conviction shall have been given or mu du and such appeal shall be conducted beard and determined in like manner as by law is or shall be provided with reference to appeals from the judgment or conviction of jubticesin petty sessions._^^

20 January 1857

COLONIAL GOLD COMPANY

THE half-yearly general meeting of the shareholders was held yesterday for the purpose of adopting the half-yearly report,’ and to consider the advisability of dissolving the Company.

The sectretary read the following – In submitting thn closing accounts of tho affairs of the Com- pany, the directors havo appended txplnnntory remarks to many of the items which Icavo littlo to bo said for thc further informa- tion of tho ehivreholders-the last reportof tho directors, a copy, of which is horowith, giving tho reasons of tho board for tho dissolu- tion of the cumpany. . . ( , “ ‘.

Tho arrangement of the board with tho Colonial Gold Company, was mado with tho view of obtaining experience without cost, »nd at tho same timo on safo gronudB, that no loss of profit would havo been sustained in event of success.-

Tho experiment hos not suc- ceeded, nnd therefore thc surrender of tho claims.bccamc an act ol necessity, it being imperativo to do so in accordance with the gold regulations, or continue operations with at least eighty men, 01 machinery equal thereto, or forfeit licenses for that nuinbci monthly; : .

Tho directors nnd all tho shareholders whom they haye con. suited, rogreo that to have continued operations, Would have endet ns mnny other companies havo done, that ls, not only in tho ex- pendí ure of tW;:- inllio uupiud, but of’additional calls on tin ‘shareholders’ besides; whereas, by the course; pursued by tin directors, more than three-fourths .of .the amount of pald-u] shares have beeri returned in the wliblo either ns returns of capita or as dividend-although- tho original’ ngrecrnent limited th ‘shares to’but two-thirds of their value, thc reinniuing.tbird bcini appropriated for the purchncc of thc claims.

Although thc .’number of men employed nt the claims since thol abandonment by thc cn’mpnnyV have been ns much as 2000,’ ther ivre but fow there nt present ; but to havocmploycd-one-fourtu< that humber, .nt current rates , of wages. would have .entailed much Inrger expenditure than tho yield would have covered ; To though many have been successful thc built hin-ontrt esrhod wsge oven ns workers on their own account, which confirms thc boar in their recommendation to dissolve.

The bnlnnce of capital in hand, after meeting all liabilities, -wi allow a payment of rather mere than 5 per cent, on tho shares, hi per.ding advices from the London agents as to thc disposal of tb dohenturcs In’ their hnnds, the Immediate payment cannot be’re commcûdcd ; this delay, however, ¡snot likely to bo of long dura- tion, ns instructions, haye already been forwarded to’closc all tho company’s transactions. «. ‘?< ‘ ‘ . ‘ < f.’ >..:!.’. .( .?’ y Tnqs. S. MonT; Chairman.

The Cu AIRMAN . said, he might mention that .tho ‘ie-’ port of the lost meeting was appended to this report,, and went fully into all theiréasons which had induced the directors to recommend’ the dissolution of the comT pany. It had already appeared in the daily papers ; ho, therefore thought it was unnecessary to re-staté the’ reasons that had been’urged at the last meeting. He now begged to move that tho report be adopted. , v ‘ .

Mr; SAUL SAMUEL seconded the” motion, which was put andi carried. : : ; ¡ , i, – .. ‘ ? An extraordinary meeting of the’shareholders! was thenjheld.” .. 1 ? ^ ? – ? ? ‘ – – ; : ‘ ‘.The CHAIRMAN. Baid, after the ‘ statémént they had heard, the dissolution Of the company’wits a mer’e’mat ter of form,’ because thc company had ceased working, and had, consequently, given up the claims. . All they now wanted was the consent of tho proprietors’ to the absolute dissolutionof the company; ,’

He Wöüld;men tibn that the’amount to be returned as soon’ as they re- ceived the money for the debentures that were to be sold in England, would amount to something like ls. 2d; perchare. , .. ., . ,,, r ,f ‘,

After some “conversation, in’which Mr. Saul Samuel; Mr. Metcalfe, and Mr. Holt took part, , . Mr. SAUL SAMUEL moved, That the. company’be now dissolved, as recommended/by the directors.” ?’»’. – ; Mr. SOULE seconded the motion, which was put and carried.. .’ ,v .,’.’. ‘ The meeting then terminated. . ‘ ‘ ,; . ?’ ‘”

14 January 1857

AUSTRALIAN GOLD. Ma. THOMSON HANKEY, the banker, of Mincine-lane, has addressed the following observation«, in the form of a letter, to the Times of 6th November

: Will you allow me to make a few remarks on the subject of whether the discoveries of gold in Australia have been, productive of nny material benefit to this country ?

It, is commonly supposed that our national prosperity has j been thereby greatly increased, that the wealth of the I country bus been thereby greatly augmented … and in short, it is frequently asked, “ Where would thiB country now have been without Australian gold ?”

I believe that such impressions are founded on an entirely erroneous idea of the way in which these gold discoveries have affected this country. I do not wish to deny that the discovery of any article of great and common use throughout all the world can be unimpor- tant; the question, immediately at issue is, how far such discoveries have contributed up to the present time to augment the weulth of Great Britain. With- out entering into any discussion respecting the mean-’ ing of the world “ wealth,”

I would simply «tate that I mean what is generally understood to be the avail- able capital of the country, and I would exemplify my menning by supposing an accurate account of such capital to have been taken in the year 1850 and con- tinued euch year to the present time, and then nscer-’ tuin whether the result would show any decided in- crease which could bo faily traced to the gold dis- coveries in Australia. ,

Should such be really the case-I mean that Aus- tralia has greatly increased the wealth of this I country-it would easily be seen by comparing the value of the imports and exports between this country and Australia.

I apprehend that when allusion is made to the increase of wealth from the gold dis- coveries the wealth of Australia is not meant, but the wealth of G’cat Britain. I cannot doubt but that if such an increase of wealth had occurred it would have appeared that in repayment for all our exports we had received returns to such extent as to have left a con- siderable available surplus : but I know not what evi- dence can be brought forward to prove such to have oeen the case.

In one way I can see how this addi- tional field for enterprise may have been productive of beneficial results, by the inducements offered to those attracted by the love of speculation and the hope of obtaining one of the great prizes, to leave a country’ where they were unproductively consuming capital, and becoming industrious (in order to gain a liveli- hood), turning their industry to a profitable account.

Men spending £100 or £200 a-ycar unproductively here by going to Australia may have been induced to work, and may have remitted the result of their labour to this country, thereby stimulating tha manufacturer at home ; but this, as a source of real augmentation of wealth, must be of comparatively small moment.

It is, of course, impossible to argue on a hypothetical supposition of what might have been the result had the discoveries in Australia been of iron, lead, copper, and any other article of constant and almost necessary uso, in this country, instead of gold ; but 1 have a very strong impression, not only that such discoveries would have been more beneficial to the colony itself, but that they would have been productive of a very lar^e, instead of a very small, increase of capital to this country.

Some great confusion of ideas must surely prevail on this subject, if it is generally believed that the gold discoveries in Australia have enabled us to prosecute the late war w ith any peculiar advantage. The sinews of war oro the capital of the country, and, unless this has been positively increased, I do not Bee how such a result can have been obtained. 1 admit the advan tiges of a ready supply of gold for military chests (though in the late war I think this was of far less im poi tance than during many previous wars, when gold at least was no. to be had with equal facility).

( Gunpowder is a necessity, gold is a convenience ; neither can be procured without capital. I imagine that the gold discoveries have given no additional faci- lities for the manufacture or supply of articles of first necessity in the lute campaigns, with the exception of the purchase of provisions in the neighbourhood of the Black Sea ; und if the question ccTu’d be very accu- rately examined I very much doubt whether our large wants for horses, carts, provision«, &c;, were supplied on any better terms by our unusual facilities for paying in gold.

If, however, such were the case, the import- ance in a financial point of view cannot have been very great. Without Australia we should have bought an equal amount of all stores, &c;, required for military purposes in the East, and we should have found as ready means of obtaining gold (if that was required to pay for them) as we found facilities for obtaining an excessive supply of gunpowder or leather, cr wool or cotton for clothing-a}l of which Were consumed in an unusual degree during the war-but which we found no difficulty in obtaining to as great an extent as the demand required.

A certain rise in value of all such articles was produced by the excess in demand ; so would it have been with gold for n supply of military chests ; and, though we might have had to give for it a larger amount of some exchangeable commodity which our supply of capital would have enabled us to part with, without such power of parting with capital already accumulated as the result of previous excess of in- come abbve expenditure, we could never have carried on the war at all. I do not believe that it has been brought to a conclusión a day sooner or that the ex- penditure has been in the smallest degree diminished by the gold discoveries in Australia. i ‘ I am tar from questioning, however, the very im- portant results to the world, and especially to this country, from the lato gold discoveries.

Hitherto a supply of some 5,000,000 or 6,000,000 sterling before the discovery of the Russian mines, and 8,000,000 or 9,000,000 since, has been sufficient to keep up the stock of gold in the world, and, probably, rather allow of an increase. The late discoveries In California and Australia having been the means of augmenting, during the last six or seven years, the supply of gold by above 100,000,000 sterling, and probably quad- rupling the former annual supply, can be otherwise than that which would be produced by such an excess of production of any other article in the world -viz., that of diminishing its price as compared to the price of other articles r Hitherto this unusual supply has been accompanied with ‘ an unusual demand. France having a double standard, whereby an option was afforded of selecting gold or silver for payment of debts, has been obliged to coin gold in exchange for silver, to an extent of at least one-half of this unusual production.

In the United States of America gold com has also largely token-’ the place of BÜver in its general metallic circulation ; gold coin’ has also driven silver coin greatly out of eirculatiota in many of our colonies, and also in some parts of Europe -where Fiench and English gold coin is, to a certain degree, in use. Let the gold coinage, however, be carried to its fullest required extent in Europe, and what will then be the result ?

Can any body doubt that, if there is a continuous production of 25,000,000 or 30,000,000 sterling of gold,’and nn ordinary demand for only 8,000,000 or 9,000,000, the price will diminish until the fall in price has caused an increased .demand, and restored an equi- librium between the supply and demand ? It may be difficult exactly to foresee whence this increased de- mand may arise when the question of the value of gold purely results from it-s value for commercial pur-, poses ; but I think it probable that such will ensue, and, in the meantime, prices of all articles and pro- perty measured in gold will continue to rise. It the present stock of gold in the world, lately supposed to be about £1,000,000,000 sterling, were doubled within any moderate number of years, I_ can- not doubt that after the-unusual demand for coinage were satisfied and its wear and tear also provided for, gold would,fall in value, and very rapidly,-to’an extent which will produce enormous changes in the value of all property of this country measured by a fold standard.

I will not enter further on this point, merely alluded to it to show that I am not insensible to the importance, especially to this country, of the late gold discoveries, although I question the correct- ness of the ordinary opinion that the results have, in any material degree at least, increased the capital of this country, and I totally deny that there is any ground for tho belief that i we have been enabled to corry on the late war with any less amount of expen- diture, or with less impoverishment, than had gold never been discovered in Australia.

3 February 1857

TAMBAROORA.-DISCOVERY OF NEW DIGGINGS.—

The Bathurst Free Press of Saturday says :—As remarked by our correspondent, who assumes the style of “ Bald Hills,” we have of late published very little intelli- gence from Tambaroora, for the simple reason that there has been nothing to publish.

Owing to the discovery of rich diggings at Stoney Creek, the place became almost a desert, and unless the ‘reissle’ which lately disturbed its solitudes had taken place, the shepherd and his fleecy charge would ere long have regained possession of the lands whose breast up- heaved some two years ago with the busy industry of thousands of prosperous miners.

From the two letters which we subjoin we learn that new diggings have been discovered and opened up, within a quarter of a mile of the old Bald Hills diggings, and “rang- ing,” as one of our correspondents expresses himself, between the Bald Hills add the Golden Gully. In almost every instance the diggers were succeesful, their gettings per tub varying from one dwt. to 2 ozs.

Twenty shafts, it appears, with only two excep- tions, had all promised highly remunerative re- suits. Intelligence of this discovery having been bruited abroad, a rush had taken place, and the population had increased in a fortnight from 20 to 300 persons, with the probability of a still further and more sudden increase so soon as our present issue has been circulated.

The inexhaustibility of our gold fields, with such a limited digging population as are now scattered over their surface, begins to assume the appearance of a fact. Time after time, when mining operations have flagged, and the miner’s prospects have lowered sufficiently gloomy almost to induce a feeling of despair, has some new discovery announced itself to the world, and lit up with brilliant colours the horizon of his future.

In the immense tract of virgin soil which is known to be auriferous, hundreds of rich spots lay concealed beneath an upper crust which has never yet been disturbed by the digger’s pick or spade, and which will, as necessity arises, reveal their hidden treasures to the world.

Indeed, the day is very far distant when gold-seeking will cease to be one of the principal industrial pursuits of these districts. We believe we can vouch for the respectability and truth- fulness of our correspondents, whose statements fol- low, and are fully borne out by private letters received in town:

“A digger” says, writing on 25th January:—May I trespass upon your valuable tim by getting you to insert some facts in reference to a new “Gold-field” which has been found about a quarter of a mile from the old gold-fields, Bald Hills. It ranges from the Bald Hills to the Golden Gully, and is situated between the Quartz Ridge and Ennis’ Flat. Although there were only 20 diggers at the Bald Hills about a fortnight ago, there are now upwards of 300 persons, and others ar- riving from Stoney Creek, Louisa, Turon, and Mac- quarie River.

The field is a flat of about two miles long, the diggings are rich and the gold is of a bright shotty nature, and yields from 2 dwts. to 1 to 2 ozs. to the tub, and nearly every digger states it as common to get 2 to 3 dwts. to the dish. In fact, from my own observation, I saw about twenty shafts sunk (and with only two exceptions) in a circumference of 50 yards all realized a first-rate paying prospect.

It is the opinion of competent judges that there is room for 1000 diggers to work comfortably and to get handsomely remune- rated for their labour. Another correspondent, writing under the cognomer “Bald Hill,” observes:—As no news has appeared in your valuable paper for a considerable time respecting these diggings, which have been almosttotally deserted, nearly all the diggers having left here for the Stoney Creek—I write this for insertion in your extensively read journal.

A new era is dawning upon the Bald Hills, which will prove a lasting benefit to this district, as well as Bathurst, and I am ready to assert that in a month from this, we shall have from 500 to 1000 diggers here, and that the long promised good time has come at last, as the gullies about the main creek prove to be equally rich with the creek itself.

A gully which was opened about a week ago, running to the Bald Hills, and which is about a mile and a half long, has turned out exceedingly rich, every hole, and there are about 100 sunk at present, has turned out from 1 dwt. to 2 ozs. to the four buckets of earth, and the average is cer- tainly from ¼ to ½ oz. per tub; the sinking is from 5 to 6 feet, with a slate rock at the bottom.

In another gully in the immediate vicinity, a prospect of 12 grs. to the dish has been obtained, and I have no doubt it will turn out as prolific as this. Of course our dig- gings have assumed once more a business—like appear- ance, which will increase day by day for a while, and I trust, prove permanent for the future.

The diggers in general are anything but satisfied with the new Gold-Fields Management Bill, and everbody makes known his discontent with the very impolitic taxation on the gold, and we certainly expected that our repre- sentative, Mr. Cox, would have opposed this clause more strenuously.

A BURRANDONG NUGGET.—We have been favoured by the Manager of the Union Bank of this town with an inspection of a splendid nugget, weighing 26½ ounces, forming part of a parcel of nuggets purchased from a person named John Jeffries, by whom they were dug up at Burrandong about three weeks ago. The nugget in question is beautifully bright, and almost free of impurities of any kind. Some of the other pieces weighed several ounces each, and were also very fine specimens of the precious metal.

In all, the party with whom Jeffries was connected, turned ont 100 ozs. in a very short space of time, and it is shrewdly suspected by the said John Jeffries that there is a rather extensive companionship of nuggets about the same neighbourhood awaiting the digger’s pick and spade. We commend this opinion to the con- sideration of those whose mode of life enables them to judge of such matters, and whose knowledge of the locality will assist them in arriving at a conclusion.— Bathurst Free Press.

16 March 1857

GOLD NEWS. (FROM A CORRESPONENT) TAMBAROORA,

Since I sent you a few lines from this gold field, after the discovery of new diggings, at and near to the base of Hawkins’s Bald Hill, a steady influx of miners from various parts has added considerably to our population, and three or four new stores have been added to those which were before established, and all around to be driving a good trade.

But whence come the cash to buy unless there is a sufflcient quantity of gold-dust recovered from the earth to turn into cash. But this does not appear as the case— at least by these established returns of gold sent down from hence to the metropolis.

But that gold is procured, and that in comparatively large quanti- ties, upon these only half-explored diggings, there is no use dis- puting otherwise, how could 15 public-houses, and nine stores, be supported, and two or three forges kept constantly at work?

Then there are, besides the ordinary diggers, in full vvork, no less than 10 pug mills, which are reported to be paying handsomely. If such be the case where goes the gold?

First I answer, that many diggers of the present day are very close as to the extent of their prospiciity, selling, as a blind to a certain extent, onlv so much of the produce of their labour, as will procure them the necessaries of life; and secondly, there are those who would “ slay the goose for the golden egg,” i.e., they buy large quantities of our gold and convey it away pri- vately; consequently many hundreds of ounces which ought to be sent through escort never appear in the published return for Tam- baroora.

It is surprising that certain of the storekeepers can be so blind to their own interests, and insist upon the continuance of a course, in reference to the conveyance of gold, which one of these fine days will, I have no doubt, prove a serious loss to then, not only of their gold, but, perhaps of their blood. You have heard of the “Merriwa Creek rush, so I need not say much but what I now put to paper I mean by way of caution. Discredit anything you hear in i reference to new diggings, unless the reports bear the stamp of common sense, which I am soiry to say vvas not the character of those put forth in reference to Meniwa.

A storekeeper and publican are inte- rested, and such persons, living in the vicinity of a new field, will of course grasp at straws. The Commissioners have already granted a publican’s licence to an applicant for his “gum tree,” situated at Cox’s corner, Baley Common! I cannot get any further than that this time, so let me simply say that you should be very cautious of what y ou hear from Mudgee about “miners and miners’ interests “

SOFALA.—The Bathurst Free Press of Wednesday publishes the following communication from its own correspondent:—”Who have had another rush, the Merrundi, and a few of the scattered hands that had not been bitten heretofore with the desire of roving, have gone there. Since the gold diggings commenced the Turon population has not been so reduce in numbers as at pre- sent.

Perhaps we have 400 miners less in the district than we had this time last year. Everything is verv dull and nothing stirring except stagnation. Business is very flat with our storekeepers, and grog-selling anything but rosy game. We have more than thirty public houses to a population of 2000 persons.

It is not therefore a very busy employment to supply the wants of those that have a desire to imbibe. If business is flat with the publicans,

There are some stirring spirits among them who know there are lots of gold in the locality, and when it falls they in- tend to bestir themselves to find it elsewhere. Mr Davis has bought a race, and has some men engaged at tomming. Mr. Willet is sinking on Maitland Point, through a rotten rock to find a second bottom, where he expects to get gold in tho same way as it is found at Ballarat.

Mr Rogers, who is a carpenter and publican and very energetic besides, has cut a road on the tide of the mountain beyond the river opposite the town— trucks and slides, and purposes bringing the surfice stuff 300 or 40O yards from beyond the river down to the water to ‘tom’ it. There are others who are not publicans, such as Mr. Valenti, an Italian, and Mr. Harmer, who have truck and tramways on Sheep Station, and who hope ulso to do a great stroke from surfacing. Should they succeed, we shall have lots to follow suit.

One of the gentleman who buys gold has sent to the Mint at Sydney about £230 worth, the ex- penses including the duty amounted to £10 , therefore the cost is about £4 percent. This looks a heavy tax on labour. Yesterday evening was very wet, nothing daunted, however, Mr. Rogers brought to the river two or three small trucks of the surface and cradled it. The return was so good that he is in high spirits. If it be not intrusive, I shall in my next inform you how he and some others on the Turon succeed.

30 March 1857

. NEW GOLD-FIELD. The new diggings discovered in the Wellington district afford an additional assurance that we only require an increased mining population to place this oolony in a far superior position than that she now occupies as a gold-producing country.

They are situated at Merrendi, on the station of Mr. Cox, M.P., about twenty miles” from Mudgee. From accoun s that have reached us, it appears thero are about 1000 diggers on the ground ; and that, notwithstanding theFix this text unfavourable state of the weather, a large amount of gold has been produced. 701 oz. arrived on Friday last from the Merrendi diggings, including two very rich and beautiful nuggets-one weighing 24 oz., and the other 31 oz. 5 dwts.-which had been exhibited in the window of Messrs. BrushandMacDonnell, jewellers, of George-street.

They are of fine quality. The ?maller is much waterworn, but the larger is a very fine specimen : both are slightly impregnated with pipeclay and quartz.

The letter in reference to the new diggings at Merrendi, written by Mr. H. W. Oliver, manager of the Bank of New South Wales at Mudgee, which appeared in Thursday’s issue of this journal, will be read with interest by those who are concerned for the development of the’gold-fields of New South Wales. .. . .

.’ ;To the. Editor of the Sydney Morning Herald. . SIB,-Feeling naturally a deep interest in the pros- perity of this town and its neighbourhood, I shouid be | much jobliged by a notice of the large quantity of gold I have this day forwarded by escort, the produce of the diggings at Morrell li, about twenty miles from Mudgee, on the station of George H. Cox, onr county member.

Ihe total ounces I have sent, and which will be de- livered’at the Treasury ia Sydney on Saturday, , ‘28th instant, are 836 ozs. 4 dwts. 23 grs. ; 701 ozs, 13 dwts. 7 grs. of this quantity are from the Merrendi ‘ diggings, my purchases of three weoks, it comprises two nuggets of respec- i tively24oes’, and 31 ozi. S dwts, and there are , rumours of two or thres more having been found this week, as large, and one over 130 ozs , but shall know ! i imore of this in a few days.

It is difficult to arrive at jthe exact population, as the most experienced are known at times to err considerably in assessing nura- ¡ bers when spread even a wide surface, but counting itents on my visit there a few days ago, at a rough cal- j culation, say three to a tent, I should say I am under the mark at naming 1000, and I hear there jhave been large arrivals since, and few departures.

iThe rains of the early part of this week have impeded operations for a few days on the fiat, but the holes sunk close to the water’« edge of the river (Meroo) .are, I hear, turning out very well, there is also good i surface stuff all over the ground.

There are a few prospecting parties running in the direction towards Bruce’s Creek, itself a good hut imperfectly vi orked ifield, wt-o are very confident that the precious metal is widely spread over this neighbourhood, if we had but the labour to work it well; in fact, the wholo country about Mudgee is auriferous.

¡We had a meeting last, week, respecting the jro-establishment of the gold’escort, as Merrendi, can ;only be approached bv road from Mudgee, which was suddenly stopped in August 1855, but for what re ison nobody here ever was aquainted with.

By returns taken from the gold account books of the last nine months it ran, it appears that 4461 ounces of gold £11,592 in cash were sent, which, reckoning the former at 75s. per oz. would : show a remittance of nearly £40,000 par annum ; and, calculating the gold at 8d. per oz. and cash at 1 per cent., shows a revenue of about £350 a-year against an ex- penditure of £50, viz.£25 for the gold receiver’s salary, and a similar amount of expenses^ as it was only a branch from Avisford l8 miles off, -which place the troopers left in the morning;, got their gold here, and returned the same evening, once a fortnight.

A” numerously signed memorial w is forwarded by our respected member, Mr. Cox, to the Colonial Secretary, on Thursday last, accompanied by a letter advocating* our claims, and drawing his attention to, a rate of £2500 for “ Gold Escott Contingencies “ passed this session, which we think quite meets our case. I beg to assure you, you may rely upon thesejitate menis being substantially correct ; the figures ure beyond doubt. i I remain, Sir, yours truly. H. w: OLIVER, Manager. jBank of N. S. Wales, Mudgee, 21st March. 10 April 1857

28 April 1857

OUR GOLD-FIELDS. . WESTERN DIGGINGS.

Stoney Creek at the present time is almost deserted, as numbers have gone to Merrindi, and a pretty good number located there speak well of the appearance of the ground, but the principal drawback is the scarcity of water, and rain is anxiously looked for.

There is no doubt it will turn out a good winter , diggings, as numerous paying claims are opened, but they have no water to work with ; the population is increasing daily, and gold fetching £3 13s. 6d. per ounce.

We arc at present without any school or any place of worship, two very essential requirements ; there are two new^public-houses in the course of erec- tion, several puddling machines, and some good sub- stantial huts for family men, all proving that they have good confidence in the locality,

We are indebted to our contemporary, the Bathurst Free Press of Saturday, for the following items of in- telligence as to the Western diggings :

“ We were shown at the Bank of New South Wales, on Thursday last, a very fine nugget which had been brought into town a day or two previously by Mr. Isaacs from Ophir. In appearanoe, it more nearly re- sembles the fin of a fish than anything else we can compare it to. It measures in length between 8 and 9 inches, in breadth about 3 inches at the widest and li at the narrowest part ; it weighs between 70 and 80 ounces.

The fortunate discoverers are William Mul- doon and R. M. Vawzey, who have been digging for some time at Ophir.

The hole from which it was taken was only about six’feet deep, and is situated in the road-way near the old Commissioner’s Quarters.

The population at present at Ophir is said not to ex- ceed 40 persons, A gentleman who arrived in town a few days since from Stoney Creek Diggings informs us that although the original diggings at that place, and those known as the Wellington Road Diggings, are almost entirely deserted, the population has only shifted to a spot situated at about three miles distance, and known as the Iron Bark Ranges.

The sinking there is spoken of as being comparatively shallow and highly remune- rative. One party whom our informant mentioned, from a hole of twenty-six feetin depth, there considered deep, obtained from one load of stuff twenty ounces of gold. Another party who were working in the next claim got 3 ounces 8 pennyweights from the bottom. At the present time there are great com- plaints of want of water. This, however, will be re- medied as soon as the winter sets in, From the fact that the surface is considered extremely rich there, there are already two puddling machines in actual operation, and six or eight in course of erection. Ho, also informs us that in consequence of the almost de- sertion of Stoney Creek proper, the stores and public houses have for the most part followed their cus- tomers to the Iron Bark.

Numbers are also returning from the Merrendi, after proving the old proverb, “ that they might go farther and fare worse.” Though there are numerous quartz reefs in the neighbourhood, none are as yet worked. Our informant further states that there are a few persons still digging at Burran- dong Gully, and at the Germans Gully, Mookerwa, all with more or less success.

The Sofala correspondent of the Free Press says : – There is a rush at present to a flat on Spring Creek, near Sheep Station. It is not sufficiently tried to report positively on it.

The manner of prospecting for gold is fast undergoing changes, as capital as well as labour will be required in cutting races on the river edge, and “ tomming” in place of cradling.

Surfacing is becoming general, and the horse and cart must supersede the wheelbarrow. To pay from four to six shillings for bringing a load of stuff to be washed, takes “the gilding off the gingerbread.” According as persons become better informed more trucks will be got to bring the surface of the mountain at the rich points to be washed.

That there is much gold on the high ground is beyond question. The surfacing on the highest part of the mountain between the Oakeys has generally paid for washing. It is likely before another year that the steam engine with pumps and dredging buckets will be applied to the river. It ia not forgotten that a very small engine which had not sufficient power to drive three pumps if pumps they could be called-mastered the water in a hole in the bed of the r«rer, and that out of not more than fourteen feet square and sixteen feet deep, last year £1400 worth of gold was got.

The report of the retirement of Mr. Lee from the representation of Roxburgh will not cause the miners any particular regret. That he was honest no one doubts, -that he was as useful to the gold-diggers as either Mr. Suttor or the member for Bathurst is believed.

But all of these acquiesced on the 2s. Gd. duty on gold for no other reason than it was the law of Victoria. If Go- I vernment had contented themselves with a tax of a compulsory pound a year, as “ miners’ right,” it would not be complained of, nor could it be said that the gold-digger was the only labonrer the colony directly taxed.

It must be remembered that when gold was first discovered in the colony, labour was ata stand-still, and that agricultural, trade, and squatting interests were almost bankrupt. Immediately after its discovery an unexampled prosperity was the result, notwithstanding that the authorities appeared to do all in their power to oppose gold-seeking.

They followed the same course that the Bntish Legislature did, to destroy woollen manufactures in Ireland ; they taxed it. They first inflicted a 30s. license upon all persons found on the gold-fields, and drove the Californians to Melbourne. When the miners had gone they reduced the licenses.

They still stick to the pound of flesh, and inflict a 2s.-6d. duty per ounce. By comparison it is easy to shew the oppressive tendency of the tax. Two shillings and sixpence is about the one-thirtieth of the price of an ounce of gold, a gold-digger cannot get more generally that 10s: to 20s. per day.

A carpenter or blacksmith can earn as much more, and yet they are exempt from a tax of one-thirtieth of their earnings. The farmer is not called on to give one-thirtieth of the produce of his form. The shopkeeper is not obliged to give a property tax of a similar amount of ‘his profits, nor has the squatter to hand over one-thirtieth of his sheep and cattle for the benefit of the revenue.

This species of taxation will be the ruin of New South Wales. There are not more persons now on the whole of the Western Gold-Fields than were at one time on the Turon before the licenses were levied.

It is there- fore plain that the gold-seeking interest has been in- jured by taxation, and that depression is beginning to be felt all over the colony, on account of the small quantity of gold forwarded.

The interest of Bathurst is so closely allied with the interests of Sofala, that when business is slack in the latter it is dull in the former. Pardon me for saying that it is your duty, as the leader of the public voice in Bathurst, to stir up the Bathurst folks and allow them not to bear passively a tax, which is so opposed to their interest as well as to the interests of the Turonites and the digging popu- lation generally. .

30 June 1857

OUR GOLD FIELDS. THE ADELONG DIGGINGS. By yesterday’s mail important news reached town from the above diggings.

The following letters have been handed to us for publication. The first, addressed to Mr. S. Emanuel, from his son, dated Tumut, June 11, is as follows : “My dear Father,-As I have a most important dis- covery to communicate to you, I have written my letter a day beforehand, as I have not time on post days to write at length.

There has been a very rich, quartz reef found in the Adelong, 11 miles from Tumut, one mile on the Tumut side of the Adelong Creek. Tnere is a great rush to it, and about twenty claims are now opened (within the last three days). I expect the diggers from all the creeks will be there in another week, and before a month is over, it is my opi- nion there will be thousands there.

Tumut people are in a state of wild excitement about it. They are about as mad as the first rush to Ophir. I went out to the reef with a number of people this morning, and I must say it surpasses all I expected to see.

The party who first discovered it had a few tons of quartz quarried. You could not pick up a piece out of the heap but what was sparkling with the precious metal.

I forward you by this, just a few specimens which I broke off pieces weighing as much as a hundred weight, and not only the quartz, but the soil about the reef is very rich ; in fact, the diggers are contented with what they obtain from it, and are leaving the quartz until they can get some process by which to obtain the gold from it.

I saw a bucket of dirt taken from be- tween the quartz rocks, at the depth of four feet, and washed ; the produce was fully un ounce. A party with whom I am aquainted, told me they were getting half-an-ounce a man a day, by carrying the soil adjoin- ing the reef, in bags, a distance of half a mile to wash it.

Several nuggets varying from 1 dwt. to 1 oz. 8 dwts., have been broken out of the quartz. The reef has been traced three miles, and is supposed to run more than ten. The deepest hole sunk is only five feet, and the quartz gets much richer every foot they go down.

I expect to report in my next, of some large nuggets being found. You can scarcely credit the furor it has created in Tumut, and there is nothing else talked of but the quartz reef.

Already all sorts of mad speculations in consequence are made. Wheat produce, and everything is going to rise to ex- traordinary prices.

Bendigo is nothing to what the Adelong quartz reef will be ; but speaking reasonably, there is no doubt there will be a rich gold-field, and the appearances warrant its being a lasting one.

If there is as great a rush as I expect, I will have no goods to sell in a month.” The second is addressed to Mr. N. Mandelson, from his son, Mr. L. Mandelson, dated also Tumut, 11th June : “ I have glorious news to tell you – the discovery of a new diggings within nine miles of Tumut ; a quartz ridge, which, in everybody’s opinion, will be one of the richest over discovered.

I send you by this mail a sample of what you can get in hundreds of tons. I was out there to-day, and picked them up myself. In fact, half of Tumut was out there to-day ; and I believe, if it had been fine weather, the whole of Tumut would have been out.

You never saw such a sensation as it is causing. “ One party I saw sieving the surface dirt to-day told me that since they have set in they have got half an-ounce per day each man ; and then they have a long way to carry it to wash it.

‘ All the quartz they have in the stone they throw aside, having no conve- nience to crush it. Another party I saw washing a bucket of earth told me that every bucket they have washed yielded them an ounce, and some over, ever since they have set in there.

If good publicity is given to the facts that are to be seen by only taking a look, I believe we will have a great rush before long : then will be our harvest. Since I saw that it was right, I am for a stores on the diggings.

I have no hesita- tion in saying that we will have more population in this district in three or four months than ever we have had yet. You never saw such fighting as there was there to-day, about the right of claims. Commissioner Lockhart was there all day settling disputes.”

[Some of the specimens of quartz alluded to in the letter can be seen at this office.] Deep-siîikino.-The party employed by Messrs. Strachan, Serjeant, Price, and other Bathurst gentle- men who take an interest in the ¡ development of our auriferous resources, are now at work upon a piece of deep-sinking within about a mile of Mr. Collier’s inn. Up to Saturday evening last they had sunk 118 feet, and had come upon a species of decomposed slate, which, when washed, produced a small quantity of very fine gold. The party, who _ are old Victorian diggers, are sensible, intelligent fellows,*and are sanguine as to the result a fact in some degree indicated by their remaining satisfied until they reach the yellow metal in paying quantities, with 10s. per week and their rations.

The experiment, if successful, will exercise a powerful in- fluence upon the future of our district.-Bathurst Free Press.

. OUR GOLD FIELDS. THE ADELONG. THE following extract is taken from a letter, dated Tumut, June 26th, received .by Mr. Mandelson from, his son yesterday : As for tho goodness of tho ridge there is no mlstakelnit; every- body has a good opinion of it, and tho old saying-What every body says must b3 true.

Our Commissioner only gives 10 feet claims; they sav that is not enough.

Still everybody pitohes tho same yara, that tho ridge is very rich. I will send you some Bpc oimens next limo ; but in making them flt to go in tho mail bags, wo spoil tho specimen. I wish I knew of a team going to Sydney, I would send you I cwt. of a nugget, and then you could manu- facturo specimens yourself; they aro useless up hero, os Micro is no means of crushing them. You can send us some quicksilver by Manning when ho comes up. Tho soil round tho rocks is very rich ; in fact, thnt is whero they aro now getting tho gold. I was told yesterday, on good authority, in many of the claims the soil yields from 15dwts. to l oz. per bucket; but then.they have ta carry it full % miles to wash lt.

‘ , .’ .Another letter, received yesterday from adliger; complains of the injustico of the Commission in’giving, preference to new parties to select the claims which were occupied by prospecting parties who held the miners’ right. Á similar létter, taken from the Goul- burn Chronicle, appeared in the Herald on Wednesday last.

The last paragraph, which is of an encouraging kind, reads Tho qur.rtz reef is nt present known to extend a dlitanco of about three miles, and is situated near the falls on the Lower Adelong Creek, tweuty miles from Gundagai, or twelve from tho Tumuj. If one may judge by tho appearance of the quartz and washed dirt, it will yield gold to satis.y our most sanguino expec- tations.

For instance, Ave loads of washing, belonging to the evie.cd pa.’ty, yielded fourteen ounces of the precious metal ; and a lump of quartz, given by one of thc diggers to a woman in the neighbourhood, yielded four pennyweights. Tho appearance of tho oou.itry in tho neighbourhood of the quartz reef has overy indication of being highiy auriferous. TBS BKAHJWOOD GOLD-FIELDS.-We have received from an occa

1 JULY 1857

THE GOLD FIELDS OF NSW: MUDGEE

THE good folks of-Mudgee are greatly irate at having no branch escort from their township to Sydney, They have, no doubt, some cause for being Annoyed at their being deprived of this advantage, seeing that a great deal of. gold finds its Tray into the hands of buyers there. I had no means to ascertain” the precise amount, bot some idea of tho quantity nwy bo gathered from the fact that the branch of tho Bank of New South Wales established here had, during; tho fourteen weeks prior to my arrival, purchased no less than 3074 ounces, being an average per week of 202 ounces.

These fourteen’–weeks aro taken, as being about tho .period’whoa- the first gold from’ Murrendi carno into Mudgee. The’differonco is very perceptible, for, when thc escort rm before,’ there were sent down .during thc last nine months.of its working 4460 ounces of. gold,’ and £11,592 in cash; being an average of only 114 oncees per week.

Besides this, much of the gold that before found its way to Mudgee, in consequence of the escort thence, is now forwarded by a different ‘ channel, in order to secure safety of transport. And yet the gold weekly obtained by. one establishment now moro than doubles that* formerly sent down by the whole of thebuyera ini Mudgee. I was told that, be-’ aides the Bank of New South Wales, there oro some four ov five other Arms into whoio hands the gold chiefly comes, end thus thc gross quantity purchased herc must ho very considerable. Greet inconvenience consequently follows, as the gold has to be forwarded to Avisford, a distance1 of 25 miles, over a heavy moun- tain road, in-order to catch the escort, or has to ac- cumulate in Mudgee until some safe means of forward- ing it:to Sydney may offer themselves.

On thc ceca-’ sion of my visiting the Bank, thc mantfger showed mo aomo 1600 ozs. of gold that ho had on ‘ hand, waiting for a chance to transmit it safely by either one routs or the other to Sydney ; whilst other persons in tho town ¡ are placed in precisely the Bame awkward position^ i . The escort from Mudgee- was put a stop to, towards 1 thc end of August’last year, and the inconvenience was never so greatly felt as it has been latterly, since the opening of the Murrendi diggings; and in conic-’ quence a very numerously signed petition for the ro 1 establishment of thc escort has been forwarded to the Government, with a most sanguine hope on tho pjirt of thc petitioners that their request will be complied with.. I have mentioned these facts, certainly with the view’of making thc injustice of thc case apparent, hut more with the object of showing how far tho yield of gold from the new diggings at Murrendi’ hos af- fected the woekly amount o£ gold purchased in Mudgee, the point nearest to this gold-field.

MUDGEE no MURRINDI. Leaving Mudgee at thc’ôppwite point, theN.W., to-which I had entered it, I started on my way.to Murrendi. The road for a distance of about five miles traverses the valley of tho Cudgegong, and then cuts across some steep hills, called tho Stony Ranges, down Into Bruce’s Creek.

As there had been some diggings at the Gratti Crook; I- turned off to the left from this road, but was not .reworded for my detour, aa I-found nothing but a:deserted diggings to inspect Holes half sunk here and lhere, and others that had been bottomed nearly full of water, were all that met my sight ; .not a solitary. fossicker ‘ was left behind to give Qtethehlstory of the rise and fall of the Grotti dig- gings. – No .ven* great amount of .work had been done, and I should think not more than a dozen or twenty men had ever been employed here.’

They had appa- rently been deserted for some time, thc diggers having gone off« matu to samc.new ruih.’:They presented a , most melancholy appearance,’ arid I.turned away from – them with sometmng Uko impatience, -as! thoughtof thc . labour thus wasted that might novo been fiiirly remu- nerated by only some few days additional work. But auch is the gold miner-let him but hear of a’ new rush, of some gr«at find, and ho is off, though he bc within twofect.of bottoming ? what’ might perchance turn ¿lit a rich hole. – I- now cot across . tho broken stony ranges, .that bordered Gratti Greek’, and came down upon Bruce’s Creek,-and consequently upon thc mainMurrendi road. .

This creek’.is .one of the tribu > taries of tho Meroo,-and hos ‘been, or ÍB now being, j worked through a great portion of itelangth. It run; , brabed-of elato, tho reefs of .which .jut up hera aru I. there, as though – they would ? disputa ‘.with tho wnteri . tho right of passage through their ‘’domain, and’ ii hemmed in on.-either’ side by -vost: precipitous anc’ . rugged hills that tower tip majestically to: a height ‘ ol . 2000 or 3000 feet. Between fifty and sixty men are’ al work, herein the Tsrioui.bends .of the- creek, when -deltas of-alluvial soil jhavc been deposited. < T

hr. . sinking is light, through .a -reddish kind of earth,rani afterwards through, a.-stratúm.of.water-worn boulders . downi to-the fine grit! or gravel in which the gold ü found,. The. m’en here; were particularly chary about ¿. giving mo! any information, and regarded me palpably – -with an air ?of suspicion flhowever luckily fcll’nerosi a party* of Swiss, from whom :I. learnt that all thc parj – ties with which’ they .were-acquainted, were making food wages on.the creek,’ but nothing more, the golc eing very fino and pure,- and not in – large .quantities ‘ and that .thero1 had been no instonco .of ‘a heavy find

Thc road passes,down this creek, sometimes’in thi bed of the creek itself, at others on the ranges by il Bide, to its junction with the Meroo ; it then runs tba river down for « couple of miles,, and’fas ‘tho travelle: fancies he is shut in irretrievably amongst hills iron which there1 is no exit,

It turns off over a heavy range and then, by a gentle” descent on the othiar side,’ fill : upon sorae.finc broad flata that border the- tiver oi “both sides, cad brings one in sight of Murrehdil ‘ – r ; ? McHBHNDr..’ .- The Murrendi diggings are situated on the banka c the Meroo, about four miles’ above its junction with th Cudgegong Uiver. The Meroo, here’makes n larg . sweeping bend from about N. to S.W.,: and then bael fSgaintôN.E. It la on an extensive .’flat of abou three-quarters of a mile > in ? width, called th .

Cricketer’s Flat, running-, from , th«; .deep . bed o the, river up to the base of-tho lofty range that shut in . thc atream,-;that that tho main digging are situated. These are-on the .northern side of th ‘riverton land held by G.-H.,Cox, Esq.; M.L.A.; undo ;thc preemptive right, whilst the’land on the opposit .’aidé ia that’gentleman’s purchased, property.;

Th ‘diggings on the Cricketed i Flat extended over an are of about half a mile} in .width’by same three* miles i: length; the lead-orrtm of.paying holes- however ho not extended over ninch marc than abont three.rod ‘in .width along that length. This spot had not bea worked “for much more thereabout fifteen’or sixteci weeks, and yet tba. whoio surface seemed cutup with hardly a spot left in. which a shaft-could bo pu ‘ .-OD the margin of the river, and towards the baso o the mountains, out of. the immediate nm of the sink ings, the tents wore clustered very thickly,whil8l.her and. there a tent standing, ia the,very-midst of thi Shafts showed-that some lucky dhrger hid found a-apo that! he ^considered “worth.,.looking .after. ‘

The tota absence of huts, of slab orbárk waa the first thing ;tha struck-me. on coming on to’the ground. AU; even to th storekeepen,.were giving undex^ canvas,- although th wea’th’cç “ was; now ‘bitterly,’ cold,’ -and”the., breezes o erenulg ..aridatha, frosts/, bf .morning’ would’-hav rendered ‘some moro ‘-.substantial. Residence; mud mo« enticing..

‘This’., .wag;,, acoounted for, oi my mentioning the ‘,fàçt ,to , some of. tho’ olde settlers,, by, the very .recent, opening ,qf thia’i field, th diggers being mostly new.hana’s.on.tbe ground, and a yfet uncertain wb^tt’.thé’fieU; would be.likely to tor puta-pcrmsnen’tworking^laceoVnot. … Besides the Cricketer’s Flat, there. :is another pom or flat on the opposite*bank of -the. river(just: above th boundsry.of.JIr,,Cox^s purchased land,,where some fi or 60 men .aro .at work,.;and where ^,a .great deal c Sound has been tamed up.^Toe whole population;© urrendi reaches-somewhere .abouti;!200,-,of. whicl about 80Ö are diggers,- the.baWceboing. made np.-b; women, children, and porspns in trade.,

There did nd se^tom>tohe,tbat,air. of steady work-about th place that I expected to-findonsonew’adiggings. Oi the, contrary, a «eat number of. men = seemed to b lounging about lazily with-thoir hands in their pockets or’standmg in groups at-.tho back of tents’, aunnini themselves, cursing..the gold-fields generally,’and thi field ia particular. To teiV.-the-truth,.

ImBt more regu lar.crawlerB here than I encountered’ throughout th whole of thojjther gold-fields put together, and conse qnentiyl heard a .larger >amounfor grumbling^ Th find of gold, bowovcr, has been exceedingly putiaVo: this field, and whilit some . have’-made. good,haul! others, haye :barely got.waget/ and, as – ai matter: o course, tho^e. who expected tho. gold to.come’to ther withouts hard work- arl théir part, have got v.bu very 4ittlc.- It , has .: been..-’ owing : te thi inequality-’pf distribution: of .the auriferous’ depoti that-thc population of these diggings has fluctuated greatly.

Shortly after the’first rushy the number < diggers-touched .very ‘oloeeLy-upon: 2600.. Many i these got disheartened by drgtees, and left ¡for newi rushes ormore favourite-Jocalitie«; .though for-’aon weeks,the anira la nearlycounterbalanced the’ depsi turee. :. Gradually,. however; !lhe ¿arrívals Blackant and-tho. departures .increased, r until-tho- numbi dwin31ed.down:to. that”at^whichI at present estimai lt.

Even now, numbers aro leavings-daily, ?- though, was assuied that there were more diggers ‘arrived tba departed..’.;. – -, u ; ,: . T . > , Noticing ah thii, I took som* considera’blö pains to g« ot the’amotmt of gold produced, trat w”as baulked in so j doing at the yery outset. – None of the storekeepers were then, buying gold regularly, ‘although, they took.

I email quihtities’in payment for-gooda,from their cus- ! tomen, One gentleman, whe at ono time purchased I for the Bank of New South Wales, told” me that in | twelTO weekB ho bought on tho field 3300 ounces,” and at 1 that time thero wore two or three other buyers ; besides’ which an agent of the Oriental Bank used to visit Murrendi weekly for’the purpose of buying gold. It was imagined- by gentlemen who had been on the ground dutine the whole time, that fot the first twelve ‘ weeks after this field was opened, the average weekly’ yield had exceeded 10D0 buncos. Neither was it at all moro easy to get at individual cnBes of success.

I found the men all- ready enough to ‘communicate anything . that did not relate to themselvesi; and. tho answers to tho question bf “How are you doing?” were always either “ Middling,” or “ Jost rubbing on,” or “ Hardly making wages.” They told’me also that it was abso- lutely impossible to say whit any one party was doing,. because though they might see them pan oui but very, little gold from the washing-stuff, yet they might have paiJ themselves well by tim nuggets got in sinking,, as these nuggets are distributed through the whole stuff, sometimes within a few inches of tho surface, and sometimes lowci’down, there being nothing whatever to guido thc digger in looking for them.

The sinking ranges from ten feet to seventy feet ; the larger proportion of tho holes being from thirty-five feet to forty fact in’dcpth, the difference in düpth hoing made up principally by the greater or less quantity of alluvial deposit to bo gone through. After getting through the nlluvium, a stratum ? of coarse gravel’ occurs, under which lies a deep bcd of red clay ; to thia succeeds a white-coloured pipeclay, in which are bedded large boulders of slate, quartz, porphyritic rocks, &c.;

Thc gold is found in a light drift, lying under this mass, and is rather coarso in its character. It is highly-coloured,.and is considered generally not to be quite so puro in qiinlity as the finer drift ‘geld of the Meroo.- Some very fine large nuggets have been found herc. -One of 24 ozs. was shown to me in Mudgee, whilst I heard accounts of several of from 3 oz ii to 12 ozs., and saw some three or four. –

There ore. only two public-houses on tho diggings, one on cither side of’ the river,’ but the dearth of licensed drinking pincas is fully made up fur by the quantity of unlicensed places of thc kind, ai thc latter abound hcTc to an extent such as I never witnessed upon-any gold-field, oven ia thc early and non-licens- ing days of thc digging?. There aro some dosen- of, known grog-tonta, whilst refreshment ‘ and boarding . establishments abound, at all’ of which spirituous re- freshment is os easily obtainable os any other. ?’

There have been numerous convictions by the Avisford Bench, this-gold-field being in the Avisford district, for sly-grûg selling; but the distance from hcAl-qunr teri, it being.fiome 20 or moro miles, renders tho Com- missioner’s visits somewhat infrequent, andnoconBtnblc of any kind being stationed there, thc community havo an opportunity to do pretty well what – they like.

Many of tho better disposed of. thc diggers complained very bitterly to mo of the manner in which they were thus lt-ft entirely unprotected to shift for themselves, and urged-perhaps with some, show of reason that they ought not to be asked to pay thc rainera” right of 10s., until something had been done for them. “ rho Government seemed to think,” said they, “ that wc can get on without police or commissioner, so os wc must try to do so, we may as well savo our 10s.” ‘ .

AH thc work hitherto done has been by sinking, no trial of surface stuff .having yet been made; neither has thc bcd of the creek been worked to any extent, further than to tum up the rough .boulders in the search for nuggets.

Thc operations hara also been confined to the. two spots I have montioned, forming altogether an arcs of Direly thrac square miles, much of which hos not been worked. îio machinery has been used, no.ingenuity of any kind-hits been shown herc, to aid tho manual labour of the digger, all has been done by’ rude main strength, as m tho very earliest digging days ;. and the construction of a vory rough kind of dam across’the stream, in order to fix a sluice, was such a rarityythatit WOB pointed out to me as a work .of art. ‘When thia community shall have sottled down, and the stragglers have departed, I shall look to see this gold-field worked upon more system, and, consequently, upon more paying principles.

3 July 1857

THE GOLD FIELDS OF NSW: MERRENDI TO BURRENDONG

Leaving Murrendi rather later than utual, on a fine clear frosty morning, I started with the expectation of doing the eighteen miles that were said to separate tho two places, by dinner time. But the old proverb of L’homme propose, &c;, was well verified in my case. I was told that there was a good road all the way, and , that all I had to do to reach Burrendong was to koop ‘ the right hand track ? in every instance.

With this clear direction, I thought it impossible to go astray. The track took mo first down the river to within a short distance of the junction of the Cudgegong and < the Meroo, along rich alluvial flats similar to thoBc now being worked at Murrendi, but the purchased property of Air. Cox, and passed that gentleman’s cattle station.

I may mention here that there has been some little skirmishing between Mr. Cos and the diggers, though it has not boen attended with any serious result. The ground now being worked is, as I have said, a portion of the “ land leased by that gentleman under the pre-emptive right, and at first, as I hnve been informed, the lessee mado a claim on the diggers’ for a monthly payment, for liberty to work.

This was refused on i the one > side, and insisted upon on the other, and was only given up on the interference of the Crown Linds Commissioner. Air. Cos, however, was sufficiently remunerated by the monopoly of tho supply of meat to these diggings. This monopoly led, in a short time, to neglect on the part of Mr. Cox’s overseer, and the meat supplied wns of very inferior qunlity. “Upon this, a person brought a flock of sheep, for slaughter upon the diggings-Mr. Cox’s leased land-and the conse- quence was that they were seized for the purpose of being impounded.

This result wns avoided by the owner of the sheep forcibly re-obtaining possession of them from the person making the seizure. There tho matter ended, the finale of all this never having been made public. It is believed, however, that the affair was settled, and Air. Cox retains the monopoly of tho beef and mutton trade, reading his overseer a lecture, I presume, upon tho necessity of furnishing good meat, as since that time therohavo beenno grounds of complaint.

This is an episode that I have considered worth men- tioning, as shewing the variety of questions that arc continually arising out of tho occupation of Crown Lands as gold-fields. Now, to return to my rood. Beforo reaching the junction, of the two rivers, the track bears away to thö left,’over some short stoney ranges, and then descends into the valley of tho Cudgegong below its confluonco with the ‘Meroo. Here, on the borders of a deep creek, and near the point where it empties itself into the river, I carno across a sheep station, and, to make assurance doubly sure, I again inquired my route, ns I had a very strong impression that a man with a tongue in his mouth ought never to bo lost for want of asking his way.

I received the same answer ns before, to keep all the right hand tracks. “ But,” said my informant, “ there is only the one road. There is a lefthand track, but that will take you to the same place, only it goes round to avoid the hill.” Here, thon, all wns perfectly clear and straightforward-only the ono road, so I could not go wrong.

I followed the track along the river, now over the flats on its margin, then, as the ranges carno down too bluffly upon the course of the stream to allow a passage for a man or horse, crossing steep ranges, ascending on the one side merely to come down on the other.

After about six miles of this kind of work, tho road crossed the river and wound through some very broken stoney country, the mountains on the other side rearing themselves up to an enormous height perpendicularly from tho bed of the’stream, showing nothing but a sheer unbroken face of rock, upon which even n chamois would not havo found a footing. Twice again the road crossed the river, as the country on either side became im- passable to vehicles.

After crossing the third time, I had travelled I should think about a milo along the road, when I observed tho tracks diverge. I had my doubts about the Tight hand road, because it seemed to me to go too much up into the mountains ; how- ever, as I recollected what the man had said about Avoiding the hill, and aä I saw just as many wheel tracks on the ono as on tho other, I took that to the right. Over mountains and rocks where the unini- tiated traveller would never believe it possible that a dray could go, did I follow those wheel marks for some six or seven miles, until I began to look out for Bur- rendong, having then certainly travelled close upon the presoribed distance ; but judge | of my annoyanco as I found the tracks leaving mc one by one, until at last only one solitary wheel rut was left me, and that an old one that was all but obliterated, whilst the road, origi- nally so broad and well defined, had dwindled down into a most unmistakable cattle track.

Determined, however, to see the end of it, I pushed along, nud in about half a mile further my road brought mo into the midstof a verylarge cattle camp, and there left me ¡ and though I searched in every direction I was not able to pick up the whoel tracks on the other side of the camp. Hore was a pretty pickle ! In place of being at Bur- rendong, as I ought then to have been, I was lodged in a cattle camp, in the heart of the mountains ; whilst as it was getting late in the day, it would leave me still a long distance to go, if I retraced my tracks over those terrible hills, the thought of which at once made me put my veto upon that course.

However, I knew that by going down the hills I must come to the river; and that either on one side or the other the true road mnst run, for it could never traverse the gigantic mountains that bounded the valley of the stream on both sides.

Being certain of this, I hung my horse’s bridle on my arm, and descended the mountain to the river. I found a crossing place, after some trouble, and sure enough on the other side I came upon a road, but not the one I wanted, for, following it for a mile, it led me to a deserted sheep station and there ceased. This time I did not want to pauso and consider.

The road was to my left somewhere, and to the left I must go. There were some heavy ranges here coining close down into the river bed, and possibly the track might he on the other side of them, BO leading my horse, I made for the gap in the nilla that was nearest to me, and by some con- siderable agility on the part of myself and my equine companion, succeeded in crossing ; when, what was my astonishment ot again seeing the river running down at my feet, so that from where I stood, I could by putting out my strength a little have thrown a stone into it on either side.

I was puzzled a little at -this, but imagined directly that I had been unlucky enongh to cross just at one of the deep tortuous bends that these rivers so often taken. I descended the hill with much more trouble than I had ascended it on the other side, as in some places my poor horse required considerable coaxing before he could be induced to slide down some of the rocks we had to pass. On reaching the stream, however, it appeared to me to be a much larger body of water, with a heavier current than the one I had just crossed. I discovered afterwards that it was a different river ; that I had crossed the Cudgegong a little above its confluence with the Macquarie, which latter was the stream I had afterwards como upon.

I had to descend the river a good mile before I could find a crossing place, but once over only a few minutes put me upon the road. Pursuing this for about two miles over a good levelcountry, I reached a small station just at dusk, and discovered from the inhabitants that I was still five miles from Burrendong. Luckily for me, the road to this distance was a very good one, with no hills to surmount, or no gullies to cross ; for, as it had to be got over in the dark, if it had been otherwise I should have been kept out in the frosty night much longer than would have been pleasant. To tell you the truth, the frosts in these high mountain regions are no joke, particularly to one who, like myself, has for the last few years led a town life. The barking of the dogs that guarded the diggers’ tents first announced my ap proach to human habitations, and soon I could per- ceive the glimmer of the camp fires, dotted about here and there, burning out clearly in the frosty air.

It was with flattering congratulations to myself that a few minutes afterwards I entered the only inn on the place, though its appearance did not give promise of the best accommodation.

Bunn-NDONa. The Burrendong diggings are situated amongst a series of low ranges that break off from the high, mountains bordering the Macquarie River on its western bank, and about six miles in a straight line , from its junction with the Cudgegong.

There were -barely 100 men at work here, though the number of diggers in the palmy days of these diggings rçached as high as 600. A great deal of work has been done in some places, the earth being turned over and rooted up ao as scarcely to leave a passage. This is particularly the case on a spot known as the Potato Ground, so called, I believo, from the large quantity of nuggets obtained there. The Potato Ground was worked over some twelve months back, but latterly there has been a rush to the spot again, owing to a lucky find of a nest of nuggets weighing together about 35 ounces ; and here the principal part of the diggers are now at work.

Others again are scattered amongst the ranges, some here, some there as fancy leads them. No great t stroke is however doing, owing to the want of water, ai, from the back creeks being all dry, the stuff has I to be carted down to the river to wash ¡ and this is attended with an expcnce that few of the men are prepared to bear.

The digging here is very shallow ; the sinkings, ranging from two feet to six feet, are made on the face of the ranges and even on their very summits, through a debris of broken schist and slate mixed with reddish earth. Through this the larger nuggets are found distributed, whilst the washing stuff consists sometimes of a stiff red clay, and some- times of a clear white pipeclay.

In the former the gold is found much coarser and more nuggetty than in the latter, though all the gold procured here is large and principally water-worn on one faco only. On re- moving the washing-stuff, the sharp edges of the dif- ferent layers of slate aro broken off, as in the intervals between them the richest finds have been made. Three puddling machines have been, erected hore, but the want of water has ns yet kept them from working.

With the first rain it is intended to pass through thorn nil the stuff left upon the old workings, in which since their desertion several large nuggets have at times been found. One great find that was recorded in the uewspapers at the time, consisted of a 26i oz. nugget, two of 7 ozs., two of 5 ozs., and several smaller nuggets ; altogether! between GO ozs. and 70 ozs , all found in the one hole and close together. There aro some fine alluvial flats extending for some distance along the river; from its banks to the biso of the ranges and at an average width of about half a mile.

These haye boen prospected, but never regularly worked. I was astonished at finding this, as they looked exceedingly premising j and with gold in the ranges above them, it would seem almost certain that it should be found also in the flats below, The sinking, however, is thought to be very deep, as these flats stand .at least seventy or eighty feet above the river level, and this has de- terred many ; whilst in one or two holes dug the water carno in so fast that thoy had to bo deserted. Air. Lake, the innkeeper hero, informed me that if the weather continued dry, he should put down n hole on the flat noar-his house, if only to decide the question.

“What with the drought, and what with the want of energy or capital on the part of the diggers to open now ground, the yield lins fallen off very considerably.. There are no regular gold buyers, so that I could get no very correct return ; persons in business, however, take gold from their customers, and tho innkeeper thought that more came into his hands than into those of any other party.

For the previous week, he said he had not received more than about 12 ozs, ¡ and during the two weeks preceding that ho had purchased 40 ozs. One the whole, it was considered that not more than -10 ozs. per week were produced just then. Dams have been made on some of the back creckB to retain tho water, should wet weather sot in ; and, with a heavy fall of rain, the diggers hoped to bo able to pay themselves for their past ill success.

As it is, however, very many cannot afford to wait for the change of weather, and the number of working hands was, consequently, lessening daily, one or another dropping away as he could hold out no longer. Burrandong, however, has in its time turned out a very largo quantity of gold, and there is no doubt that there arc many places in the vicinity of the old workings equally as rich as the spots already ‘ sunk upon.

About fifty diggers had gone over to n mountain, called Hill Jingerrie, which overhangs the Cudgegong a little above its junction with the Alacqunrie. The surfacing on this mountain was expected to turn out very good, though from the ground being at a con- siderable distance from tho river, it can only be worked in wet weather.

The men alluded to had gone to make preparations, by the construction of dams for sluicing, for the rnin that, it was hoped, would shortly spread from the coast in this direction ; and they all had high expectations of a very large yield from this locality, as first-race prospects had been obtained in almost every spot tried.

3 July 1851

THE GOLD FIELDS OF NSW: BURRENDONG TO MUCKRARWA TO IRONBARKS

Burrandong to Muckrawa the. road, waa not easily to bo missed, since’ I had merely to follow up a creek to its source, in the mountains, then to cross a gap at the head of the gully down into a correspond- ing gully on the other aide; By running this down I came into the Muckrawa Creek.

In the distance-10 miles -that’ separated the two places I encountered rio adventure, neither did I perceive any particular fea ! ture of interest in the country.-.,- The first part; of the. I way, for some five milps, is over a fine level .country, rising gradually to the hills, at the feet of which it be- comes somewhat broken, thc track presenting in some placea a nasty Bidling road that must be exceedingly dangerous for teamB.

All along are signs of prospect- ing, and it is somewhat remarkable that no good pay ing ground has been found in this locality, although several holes towards tho head of the gully have been sunk right down to the rock. – The moment the ridge’ is crossed, however, wo ? come into a gold country, and on this Bide thc whole of the gully, called the Burrandong Gully, has been extensively worked, almost up to the gap and right down to its junction with the Muckrawa.

MUCKRAWA. It would bo next to an impossibility to describe. the appearance of these diggings, so much has tho ground on each side the creek been turned over and rooted up, or to say even where the bed of the creek originally ran. No doubt it must have been a picturesque spot when first opened as a diggings, but now every charm has been deatroyed’by the ruthless hand of the miner,’ and the matter-of-fact pick and shovel has left not one single peg on which poetry could hang an idea.

It appears to be a deep hole br hollow in the hills, which towor away to the north and east in steep and. heavy masses, being moi’e broken however and less abrupt towards the south and west. ‘ A small collection of huts and tents, some twenty in number, .marked, the most central spot, whilst the cleared appearance of the ground, every tree for hundreds of yards around having been felled and burnt, Bhowed that a large population had formerly fixed’ themselves’ oh the spot.

I learned that some eighteen months ago there had been : as many’ as’ 1500 men at work here, whilst now the number has dwindled down to some- thing over one hundred. . An amount of w°rk has. been done here that is perfectly astounding, and I think that of all the diggings I have visited ? in New South Wales, that of the Muckrawa has been the moat completely ransacked.

The whole of the Burrendong gully, and a gully that runs into it, a length of about two miles, have been worked right across to the base of the enclosing ranges ; whilst on tho Muckrawa itself, tho whole width of the creek and many of the 1 short hills or slopes that border it, for a length of nearly three miles”, have been sunk upon and driven, the creek itself having been turned .over and re- worked four or five times at least.

Several parties of Chinese are even now working over the-creek bed once more, and are making wages out of it. The main body of the white diggers, however, are employed in the ;Burrendong and adjoining gullies. The sinking has been shallow, to a depth of from ten feet to twenty feet, the usual runs being twelve feet to fourteen feet ; and the gold is found, as >t Burrendong, in the crevices fof the.’ schist dr slate, and’ also’ in a gritty drift that’-lies on the top of the pipeclay which usually covers the bed rock.’

The gold is now.getting very scarce here, and the diggers for soné time past have-been one by one dropping away to other rushes. There are no regular gold buyers, bot the inn and store keeper« purchase small quantities from their customers in exchange for sup- plies.

The average amount that comes into their hands now does not exceed 25 ounces a week. There are two inns and two stores, with but very little trasi J ness doing in either. The gold obtained ts coarse and nuggetty, though not io much so as the Burrandong gold, to which it bears, however, a very strong resem- blance. , An enormous quantity of gold has been taken out of the Muckrawa ground, and I was told of finds that made me open my eyes with astonishment, such as parties washing out 50 ounces, 60 ounces, and even 70 ounces a day for a month together.

But these are tales of days gone by, and of course lose nothing by keeping. ; That it has been a richfield ? any-one, loafer ing at tho very careful and complete manner in which the place has been worked, would at once say ; be- cause no digger would, ¡have ever taken so much trouble over a ground that did n»t pay him well. , ,So far as the individual, miner is concerned,, the Muck- rawa is worked out ; though even now it:, is imagined that the often worked ground would pay for. sluicing, and I was informed that,with the . first fall of rain there were ‘parties prepared to puddle over :the whole ‘ of the stuff.

TBB IRONBARK. . , . £ . . The distance from the Muckrawa to the commence- ment of the Tronbark diggings is only six miles; over a good mountain road, but through a broken hilly coun- try, with some stiff pinches for teams.. To the horse- man, however, tho way is pleasant enough, the conn try being open forest up ‘ to within a mile or 80 pf .tho diggings, when the timber becomes thicker, until, at last he gets into the ironbark scrub, from which these diggings take their name.

The rush to the Ironbark is one of the most recent that has taken place in the Western Gold Field«, and has been rather an extensive one¿ ¡ .It owes .its’origin to the S’oney Greek rush some, months ago, when hundreds came from all parts, even from Victoria, at the hews of the heavy finds in that locality ; _ but came only to be disappointed. Many of these parties spread themselves over the surrounding country, and some of them hit upon the Ironbark Which gave, first rate prospects on more than onetrial.

Several holes were put down with “ a return of from two to three ounces of gold to the , tub . of washing-stuff, besides a pretty, good, account of nuggets in the crevices of the rock.. The news soon got abroad, and a rush wa* the consequence. . There : are now some 1200 or 1400 souls collected on the spot, ‘ of which at least 1000 are diggers. This number has been assembled here within the last six . weeks.

The f;encrtl features of the Ironbark romind me very brcibly of the Bendigo country ; the similarity being .o great as to strike me at once. The. country is very gently undulating, being so nearly level as to leave one in doubt which way the creek,. along the banks. of which the majority of the: diggers have pitched their tents, runs in its course. I use : the word/ banks, as being’ that in general use, although.the ground shelves down so easily on both sides that there,is hardly., such a thing as a bank anywhere.

This large flat is backed up by short easy ridges, bf schistose rock, run- ning away on the one side to Stoney Creek, where they become somewhat heavier and are upreared at sharper angles ; on the other they trend away down to the Wellington Road, and form the,boundaries, of a deep creek on the) banks of which, the camp of Mr. Com- missioner M’Lcan-known as .the Middle Station, is situated.

Tho ground is covered with a thick forest of iron and stringy bark and spotted’grim, though the. timber is only of small size, and not of any very luxu- riant appearance. There is also a rather thick under- growth of scrub, giving, with the dark’bark’of’ the timber, a sombre and dreary air to the /locality. ‘A/. great deal of this has been cleared away, even in the ‘short time since the rnsh has taken place, to make room for the tents’, or to furnish firewood, ánd already the sunlight has been let iii .upon spots where .it ‘ had never before penetrated.

Everything: about tho place has an air of newness. The two inns ‘have evidently been but jusV erected, the slabs looking clean ‘and green’;’whilst the props¡of’ tho tents have still green leaves adhering to them as though they had been but freshly cut. . Carts with the a wags still unloaded were standing about, whilst men wandering here and’there with blanket and bundle hanging over their shoulders , were to be met with in every, direotion. ,The holes,, ‘too, were not, with very few exceptions, yet bottomed, ¡although the long line of . workings might ho traced by the fresh earth so recently thrown ont, now lying on. the surface.:

From,the spot where-1;^st struck, the /.diggings’ in coming from-the Muckrawa; ‘the ‘ sinkings[ extend down ; to the Wellington , Road, a distance:, of’ rather more than a mile.

Along this line tents áre’véry. thickly clustered, ranged in Borne places : in J rows, and’ assuming . almost’, the:.character .of1 a ‘ canvas ,street.’ Stores, butchers’and bakers shops, a medical hall with drugs at Bathurst prices, and of course public-houses,’ have all risen as if by magic ; and now, where only a few weeks back all was’ dark, .wild, and drear,-are found only bustle, confusion,’ and business. ; .’? , ‘

The all but total absence of water on this. spotihat; as yet, prevented anything like an estimate;of the yield, being arrived at ; :but from the fact that so large a number of persons have assembled, and that all are content to work for a time without . a return, storing their washing stuff, in preparation for j- the ‘next’ wet weather, it may .reasonably be’ imagined .that prètty .sanguine hopes, if not the certainty of sncceas are enter- tained. Some very extensive and permanently, ‘con- structed :dams’have been made at every ‘spot where a body of water can be retained ; and from tho energy and activity displayed, the population here’have at’ all events shown that, they deserve a richretnrn.

The gold, so far as it has .yet been found, is very flue and pure, and is very generally dispersed, lying principally under a light friable pipeclay, and in the interstices bf thd jagged edges of the schist. ? The sinking is ‘ good, through a sound reddish-coloured earth, to a depth öl from five feet, to thirty feet ; the ; general run being about sixteen feet. The average yield, so far as it could be ascertained.’ whilst the water lasted, was very good, paying about, an . ounce < per ., week pei min. Had the water been plentiful a .larger return would have been made, as.the stuff could have been, run through quicker. Several parties are-now .engaged in sinking through the schist, in an endeayoui to get another bottom. None of these had been suc- cessful during the time of my .stay, the idea being then . but a comparatively recent one.

I learnt, too, from Mr. Commissioner M’Lean, that the population now on the Ironbark was composed mainly of old Victoria! -miners, very many of whom had but recently arrived and myself noticed, what that gentleman remarked tc mc, that they shewed a spirit and enterprise in setting to work that was beyond all praise, and that they musí secure the gold, if gold .were to be had.

The traffic between this part of the country and Victoria is verj great, that is, as regards the diggers.’ These men think nothing of shouldering their swags, and starting from the Ovens to visit Stoney Creek, or the Welling- ton Road diggings. There have been instances knowr bf a .party of men arriving at noon, and . on lookinf round them, and not liking the general appearance o things, again taking up their worldly effects – anc making tracks back again over the 40.0 .miles that thej had sa very recently travelled.

i There are several gullies lying a little biok from tho main diggings that are being more or less workec by such men, as cannot afford to wait the fall of rain t< i give* them aretum for their labour, and who requin j money at onoe to enable them to carry on . O

ne of thèse called.the Poor ; Man’s Gully, has been very extén sively worked. The sinking is very shallow, veri much resembling that at Burrandong, not. averaging more than three or four feet. The gold, being larg and coarse, and found in the interstices of the slate can be obtained in nuggets without washing.

,Th washing stuff is set apart for the good time of rai: that the. Western diggers consider – to be sb long ii coming. These gullies keep a large population nea the spot, ready at once to take advantage of the we weather when it does set in, and have proved ‘ a grei blessing to the more needy of the diggers.

The rah however, had held. off. sq long, and the expense attached.tb the miner’s life are so great, that airead a great number who had been on the ground had’bee compelled1 to give in and seek for/spots ; tht would give a quicker return in gold for the labour ej pended on them. ‘

4 July 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: THE WELLINGTON ROAD.

THE Ironbark Diggings extend, as I have said, down to the Wellington Road, where digging has been going on for a considerable time past. The main road from Bathurst to Wellington runs for some distance along the banks of a creek, generally known as the Welling- ton Creek, and it is in this creek that the holes have been principally sunk.

They have been good paying diggings, but have never been rendered celebrated by any very extraordinary finds. Here, as elsewhere, water was getting very scarce, and some strict arrangements were rendered necessary in order to preserve a supply for domestic purposes. Several puddling machines,I counted half a dozen, have been erected here, but, with one exception, they were all idle for want of rain.

I should think that about 100 men were employed in this locality at digging or otherwise, but I have included these in my estimate of the population of the Ironbark. About the centre of these diggings, some five and twenty houses of slab and bark,public houses, stores, shops, &c.;, were assembled ; and, being built with some regularity, they gave an air of settlement to the place that was quite refreshing to look upon.

At the western extremity of the worked ground, and at some distance from it, the Commissioner’s Camp is situated. The buidings had been but newly erected, and were con- structed, in true bush style, of slab and bark.

They had the neat, cleanly, and orderly appearance that forms so strong a feature in the Government buildings on the diggings, as to enable a stranger, at once to tell the Government camp on passing it, the contrast with the disorder, and too often uncleanliness of the digger in his camp, being so great as not to escape the eye even of the least observant.

STONEY CREEK. The diggings bearing this name are barely two miles from the Wellington Road. I found them all but deserted, there being scarcely twenty men left at work upon them, The sinking here, as at Wellington Road, has never done anything more than pay, if I except only one patch of ground, of about half an acre in area, that turned out remarkably well. It was upon this patch that the enormous finds, chro- nicled in the journals of the day, took place ; the great yield being obtained in the surface stuff.

The richness of the surfacing got abroad, and of course a rush was the consequence. Thousands were assem bled on the ground in an incredibly short space of time, but with all the working, washing, and cradling, beyond the magic area. I have mentioned, not even wages could be obtained from surfacing. Sinking was then resorted to, and the ground certainly obtained a fair trial, but nothing beyond good wages was realised, and with this, the adventurers assembled on the place, mostl y Victorians, were not to be satisfied. S

ome spread themselves over the country in search of another such a spot, and to some of these the opening of the Ironbark is due, others packed up and returned to the several places they had left or visited other rushes, until now scarcely twenty men are left at work, where thousands had been so recently collected. These still potter about the old holes and sinkings where large finds have been had, in the expectation of falling upon some stray nuggets that, in the excitement of the moment, the lucky digger that had gone before them might by possibility have overlooked.

In this they are often successful, whilst the majority of the stuff pays good steady wages, with a supply of water. This wonder- ful half-acre patch, the richness of which caused so much excitement at the time, is situated rather high up the creek, and near to Cobden’s Inn, and the chief part of the working has been in that locality.

I was informed that it had been computed. that 5000 persons had come upon the oreek within two months after the great discovery there. Four fifths of this number have since left. “ There are two inns, and some four or five huts clustered together at the entrance into the creek of the Ironbark Road, but there was no business stirring in any of them, and the whole place had an exceedingly melancholy and deserted appearance.

This creek gives its name to the Commissioner’s district undor the charge of Mr. M’Lean. It consists of an area of about forty miles in length by thirty miles in width, and is considered to give employment to 1250 diggers. These are distributed as follows: Burrandong, 100 ; Muckrawa, 100 ; Ironbark, Stoney Creek, and Wellington Road, 1000; and Ophir, 50

The total population of all classes, miners, traders, women, children, &c;, may be about 1700. Ophir lies at the extreme boundary of this district, being very nearly 40 miles from the Wellington Road, and as so few men were employed here,it being all but deserted except by a few miserable fossickers, and as I should have had to travel back the same dis- tance to put myself once more in the line of diggings, I did not think it worth my while to go so far out of my way for so little, the more particularly since these diggings, being the first opened have been so often visited and so frequently described.

I have, however, the authority of several persons, practical mineral and scientific gentlemen, for saying that this ground has not been anything like worked out, the first diggers, here as elsewhere, having done their work in anything but the complete manner in which it is performed now-a-days, at least where the diggers take a fancy to the spot.

At all events it is quite certain that the whole of the old ground would pay well for sluicing on a large scale. The other portions of the diggings, with the exception of Burrendong and Muckrawa, are of comparatively recent date as gold- fields : and hitherto the gold has been found pretty generally and evenly diffused, every man at work on the ground being sure to get something, whether more or less.

In the two spots excepted, the gold being coarse and nuggetty, has not of course been so generally spread, and therefore whilst the prices have been larger, the blanks have also been more fre- quent. Taking the five months of the present year, there has been sent down by escort from thi ,district an average amount Of 400 ozs. per month, the quan tity in April being 421 ozs., and in May 74 ozs. It must, however, be borne in mind that this is not the whole quantity produced here, as very few of the dig- gers sell more gold than is requisite to obtain the means of purchasing necessaries. Besides this, the disap- pointment at Stoney Creek, the subsequent prospect- ing, and the opening of the Ironbark, have all tended to diminish the yield from this quarter to a very con- siderable extent.

To keep in order this large number of persons, the extensive staff of five constables, is maintained; and yet with every temptation to crime and disorder to crime from the nature of the dwellings, nine-tenths of which are tents, and to disorder, from the almost total absence of police, the weekly average of cases disposed of by the Police Bench is very small ; the cases of all kinds, drunkenness, &c;, included, reaching to about ten per week; whilst the committals for trial hardly average two per month.

In fact, here, as at most of the country benches, cases of minor theft are summarily dealt with, not only for the saving to the country, but for the purpose of securing punishment for, offences, as in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred, a digger would not consent to prosecute if he imagined that he would have to take a journey to Bathurst in consequence. In this district, ; there are sixteen licensed public-houses, some of them being as good and as well conducted as any I have seen on the diggings.

At Stoney Creek, which waa originally looked upon as the grand centre of these diggings, there are Episcopalian and Roman Catholic places of worship. No school has yet been established here, though I was glad to find from some of the more settled residents on the Wellington Road that they were about to take immediate steps towards the establishment of a National school in their vicinity.

BACK TO BURRENDONG The distance from the Ironbark to the Louisa Creek, by the direct road, is about 40 miles. As my old horse began to show signs of weariness, I was not at all inclined to put him to so long a day’s stage, on an unknown road, that offered no accommodation to the traveller. By no ac- commodation, I mean no public accommodation in inns, though even to reach a Squatting station it would be necessary for the traveller to turn off his road; a thing that I never like to do when journeying.

To prevent, then, all possibility of inconvenience, for a night in the bush in the sharp frosts that prevailed here would have been anything but pleasant, to say nothing of the absence of supper after a hard day’s ride, I made up my mind to return to Burrendong, and thence make a start the next morning for Louisa. It was already late in the day when I left the Welling- ton Road, and I jogged steadily along, intending to dine at Muckrawa.

It was Sunday morning, and the Ironbark was as still and orderly as the streets of Sydney on the same day. The inn at Muckrawa, at which I had pre- viously put up in passing, was being re-roofed at the time, and the landlord, with a proper eye to business, had the bark first placed over his bar, the saddle sheets were, however, wanting, and the result was that, as a small drizzling rain was falling, during the time I stopped there, his compter and, his emmisaries standing at it, might as well have been out of doors, for all the shelter they got.

For my own part, I was shown into a room covered only on the side with bark, and as this side happenel to be to leeward, the rain made a clean breach nearly through the apartment, and it was only by getting into the extreme corner that I managed to obtain shelter.

In this way, I took a rather un comfortable meal, hardly venturing to put out my arms to help myself against the stern veto of the rain drops that peppered me during the carving process. I, however, argued’ that the home mast be now com- pleted, and, as I had been well and civilly served, 1 had better return to where my face was known ; and so I resolved to dine again at a place that was evidently doomed to work me discomfort. On arriving at Muckrawa I passed the first inn, which is rather more than half a mile nearer the Ironbark than the second one. resisting with stoic fortitude the attack upon my olfactories made by a glorious roast, that some evil-minded cook was certainly burn- ing, for the scent reached me and caused my mouth to water as I passed, and eagerly, on dining thoughts in- tent, made my way f,o the second hostelry. B

ut, even before reaching the house, my confidence failed me, for I heard a confused series of interjectionable objurgations arising from it then a skirmish, and then I saw three men come tumbling in most extraordinary confusion out of the back door. Nearing the spot I found that two of these men were friends of the third, whom they were endeavouring to get home. He had evidently taken far more nobblers than ho could conveniently carry, though he was most pertinncbus in assuring his companions that that he was not drunk, not he-on the contrary he was quite Bober and capable of knocking off the head of the landlord, and, as I passed him at the moment, of any horse-riling wretch.

This of course was sea- soned with the ordinary quantity of expletives, em- ployed by ignorant men in their cups ; and as a matter of course was not noticed by your humble servant, any further than to make him tremble-not at the threat, but for his dinner. On dismounting at the inn, a v illey of the most blasphemous oaths, and a tirade of the most filthily obscene language I had ever heard greeted my ears.

I knew at once the voice of the landlord, and from the sound he was evi- dently exceedingly intoxicated. A poor little girl of about eight or nine years of a;e opened the door as I got off my horse, and looked out with a frightened air, as though she had expected a visit from the police patrol that perambulates the diggings, and more partieular’y on Sunday.

The little creature gave a sigh of relief when her eye fell upon my melancholy visage, for I must have looked sorrowful, as all hope of dinner had now entirely departed. She told me that nobody was at home but father, and that he was lying down. She could not well deny his being at home, as his voice and his oaths could be heard without knocking at the door. With a heavy heart, I turned away from the door, heavy for the loss of my dinner ; but heavier, oh, far heavier, for tho lot of that poor little child, doomed to sit on the Lord’s Day, and listen to the frightful language of her own father. I took nothing in the house, for I could not, though it had been to save my life, have tasted the liquor that I saw work- ing such dreadful effects ; but I lumped on my horse and hastened him on the road to Burrendong, in order to get out of hearing of that disgusting voice.

I arrived at Burrendong early in the afternoon, but my adventures for the rliy were not yet over. I had luckily secured my dinner by eating it, therefore ex- pect no more complaints on that score.

There were, however, some eight or ten persons drinking in the bar, and some of these got to ekylarking. Now the skylarking of a lot of sturdy diggers is very much the kind of recreation that you would imagine a lot of bears to take ; consisting of heavy dabs with the open hand _ on the face or head, bonnetting, that is, dragging a hat over one’s eyes, or knocking off one’s head, and in giving a leg, or in other words putting your leg behind a man and throw- ing bim over heavily.

All this is done with such a light playfulness as you would expect to see in the I graceful quadruped before mentioned. This went on for some time, until at last an elderly man, rejoicing in the cognomen of Bomford, who had managed to drink himself into a very advanced stage of loqua- ciousness, forced himself into notice, and soon became the butt of the company. One stout active young man, who had been conspicuous in the skylarking, offered to treat him to a nobbler, if he could slap him on the face. The sparring began, and I must say was carried on good humourediy enough, the young man pretending every now and then to be hit heavily, and falling to the ground.

The matter, however, ended ultimately more seriously, for the youngster held out his leg for the old man to try, by a sharp blow with his foot, to knock him over. Romford made the attempt, but failed. He then put out his leg for the other to have the same chance ; and instantly, by a sharp kick, the old man lay sprawling. On endeavouring to raise him, however, it was found that he could not stand ; and soon it was discovered that his leg was broken by the blow, just a little above the ankle. The young man ‘ did all in his power to remedy the evil he had committed, by mounting a horse,-it was then jost dark,-and ¡riding off to the Ironbark for the only doctor in reaoh. For my own part, I was uncomfortable enough that night. Independently of the disagree&bleness; of wi.uessing such scenes, parti- cularly on the Sabbath, the accident upset all the do- mestic arrangements of the inn, and I had to sleep on a sofa in the parlour, and of course was kept out of bed till everybody else had retired.

Then, just as I had Sot into a sound sleep, the doctor arrived, and-no, he id not visit his patient, but – had a couple of glasses of hot brandy, ‘ and went to bed on the table within arm’s reach of myself. Diggers are not treated by professional men in the same ceremonious manner as patient« in town, for it was after nine ‘ o’clock before I left the next j day, in consequence of the late hours of the previous night having retarded the breakfast of the following ‘morning, and’ even then I left the worthy disciple of Esculapiu« engaged in very leisurely making a pair of splint« for the wounded leg out of the lid oi a gin ease, he having stuffed a couple of long calico bags with, rape seed out of the same convenient surgical reposi- tory. “How” much longer he would be before he re- duced the fracture, I am of course unable to «ay. I have been rather prolix upon’these occurrences, but I’Fix this text do not conceive that you will think your «pac« thrown away’«ince they bear a moral, and a severe ob«, that any one1 with sense may understand.

7 July 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: FROM BURRENDONG- TO LOUISA CREEK

Leaving Burrendong by what almost appeared a con- tinuation of tho road by which I had como from Murrondi, I passed along the valley of the Macquarie for about a mile and a half, then crossing a stony ridge, ?where the road is jammed down almost to the edge of a deep creek by a paddock fence, I reached an old cattle station of Mr, Suttor’s. Here thero were numer- ous signs of prospecting, and at one spot it appeared as though several parties had set in regularly to work.

Gold had, as I learnt, been obtain’ed here, but not in any very great quantities, and the prospect was ‘ never sufficient to induce the miners to set in perma- nently, or to cause a rush. From this, the roid fol- lows up the Oakey Creek, travelling along flats or . crossing ridges, as the country through which the creek flowed was broken or lovel.

About a mile from “ Suttor’s, and at the foot of a quartz ridge, I found two men sinking an experimental hole upon some new ground. One, evidently the leading min, was an in- telligent Scot, who had formerly been a seaman ; the other was rather a remarkable figure for a digger, being an elderly man with a wooden leg. They had sunk to a depth of some five-and-thirty feet, but had not then bottomed.

I had previously vhad some , conversation with the Scotchman, who had invited me to visit the hole, and give my opinion on the proba- bility of Buccess ; so, when I arrived he came up to ‘the surface, as he was working below whilst his com Îanión manned the windlass.

After some conversation suggested that he had the hardest of the work, being compelled to do tho sinking “ Not at all,” said he, “ my mate takes his turn. He’s down now.” Hooked round, and sure enough old wooden-leg was invisible, ?whilst the sound of his pick could be heard rising from the depths below. The mode of descent into these holes is by footholes cut in the side of the shaft at convenient intervals, the rope never being made use of for descent at such “ small depths. I asked how his mate got down with his wooden leg. “ Oh,” wa3 tho answer, “ he can manage with that better than with his good leg, for he can shove the stick in anywhere* and hold on.” I could not help taking a look at old timber-toe’ as he pegged away down below, though he was scarcely visible at that depth, whilst I smiled at the novel ad- vantage of a wooden leg thus pointed out to me.

The ridges all the way up the Oakey Creek aro intersected by numerous quartz veins, many of which have been slightly opened, but only at the surface. Here and there, too, on the flats bordering tho creek are marks of prospecting, but no holes appear to have been sunk to any depth.

After following the creek up for about ‘ sevenmiles,theroadmounts somoshortstiffstonyridges, and at last cornea upon what nt Burrendong is called r the Big Hill j and at Louisa, the Burrendong Hill. ‘ Dismounting, I led my horse up it, and never did I , get such a drilling as in mounting that hill.

It con- sists of a series of sharp acclivities, some seven or eight in number, with lesser ascents dividing them ; and as each is approached, the wearied traveller fancies that f must be the last, for from the steep riseB nothing above the crest of the acclivity can bo seen. I had to’ ‘’ halt and take wind three or four times bofore I reachedl the summit, and thought, as>ascent succeeded ascent, that there was no top at all to it. It is calculated that the road from the top to the bottom of the hill is a milu and a quarter in length.

I passed a bullock team toiling up the first riso, with half a load, the other half having been previously taken up aud deposited at tho summit. This unfor- tunate team had had a capsize on the previous day in the Oakey Creek, at a place where tho bank is some . thirty feet deep. In descending where the road crosses the creek they had gone too near the edge of the track, and the earth giving way, dray and roadrolled overinto the creek, dragging with them the eight bullocksyoked to them. None of the bullocks were killed, but two or three horns were lost and some bruises inflicted ; whilst of course the patience of the teamsters was . tried, and her Majesty’s English suffered accordingly.

I heard of this accident from having remarked track of blood all along the road, for which, however, the hornless and still bleeding animals fully accounted, though it led me to enquire into the primary cause of “ the mischief. The path of the poor animals was marked with blood, whilst their bones must have been still aching from the rude fall of the day before ; but there they were, toiling up that stupendous mountain, gaining some ten or twelve yards every five minutes, goaded on to exertion only by the lash or the stick of their drivers.

After reaching the crest of the hill, the road runs for a mile or more along the top of the range, from which at various points a baautiful view is gained of the valley of the Macquarie. Long lines of mountains Btretch away on cither hand until they become blue and indistinct in the distance, or are joined by other ranges of hills running to the right tot left till lost behind some ridge more lofty than its follows.

The only variety, however, is that of hill and valley, for everywhere far as the eye can reach, nothing but bush is perceptible. No hut, ‘ no tent can be discerned, though in the far distance, a rising smoke at the base of a line of hills in the back- ground gave evidence of a digger’s camp, the only sign of life there visible. Crossing a few broken ridges, the road descends by some narrow gullies, all , more or less worked, though now deserted, some of – them only very recently, into a beautiful green creek.

The flats on the banks of this stream were covered with handsome wattles, then in flower, and emitting _ delightful scent. Along this the track passes until it reaches a sheep station of Dr. Kerr’s, called Black willow.

From this it proceeds with little variation along narrow grassy gullies, bounded by low ranges of iron and stringy bark, all more or less covered with broken quartz, until it comes suddenly upon a well worked creek, on which some twenty or , thirty Chinamen were then .employed on the old Btuff; and rising a long sweeping hill, brings the tra- veller on to the Louisa, after a journey of about 28 miles from Burrendong.

LOUISA CREEK. This creek has been in its time, perhaps, as favourite a diggings as any in the Western District. Certain it i is that it has turned out a very largo amount of gold.

It is situated on a high table land, that has a fall down to the waters of the Macquarie, the Meroo, and the Turon, and embracing an irregular area of some twenty miles square. The creek itself runs .through a series of gentle slopes or hills, that are – backed up on either side by stiff though not very lofty ranges,

Up to the baso of these rangcB nearly the .whole of the ground has been worked most thoroughly, whilst no vestige of the timber that once covered it remains to tell the tale that formerly this spot was a thick forest.

Every sign of verdure has “also been buried under the red gravelly earth thrown out from the holes, which are so thickly sunk that in many ‘ places barely a sufficient dray road is left. Even the narrow track that remains is burrowed under and tun- nelled, in the search that was made in the palmy days ‘ of Louisa for the gold that was then so plentiful. About the centre of the worked part of the creek, the Government camp, under the charge of Mr. Sub-Com- missioner Cloete, is situated, and a little farther “ on, is a collection of houses, some built of stone, and in two regular lines, so ns to form a very neat street.

This is called the township. At the entrance of this street the crack inn of the place is erected, and at the ‘ back of it is a very fine and substantial dam, that had been constructed across the creek by the Great Nugget Vein Company, to form a reservoir for the Bupply of water to their works.

It now serves to retain the ?water necessary for the domestic purposes of the popu- lation of the township. On the southern Bide of the i creek an Episcopalian place of worship is erected, and at a short distance from it the dwellirjg of the resident minister is placed.

At the western extremity of the diggings there is also a Roman Catholic church, and on the northern side of the creek a Presbyterian place of worship. Attached to the latter, there is aUo a resident clergyman. _ Here, however, as at Stoney Creek, there is neither school-house nor teacher, although the children arc numerous. Throughout the whole of the creek I saw but very few tents, the majo- rity of the houses being very neatly and substantially erected of Blabs, covered with bark, in many caseB > having small enclosed vegetable gardens attached to them.

Notwithstanding this appearance of settlement there was an air of desertion given to the spot, in consequence of very many of the huts being un “ tenanted,-the unhung doois, the broken window “ shutters, and the roofs often unbarked gave token that the best days of the creek had passed away. Near the centre of the diggings, and almost opposite the town ‘ ship, ¡8 a largo three-storied stone building, formerly the engine-house, &c;, of the Great Nugget Vein Com- pany.

It is close adjoining to the Great Quartz Vein, whence tho celebrated hundredweight of gold found by the blackfellow was taken by Dr. Kerr. This building is very substantially . erected, and near it also are largo stone kilns for burn- ing the quartz prior to crushing it.

An immense heap ‘ of refuse from the crushing machine shows that some considerable quantity of quartz has passed through tho mill ; but this with the large and empty building and extensive works all deserted, gives an impression of desolation much stronger even than tho untenanted – huts of the lieecrs that are here and there scattered about. To thn. Company Louisa Creek owes the . greater part of tho moro substantial buildings erected upon it.

The stone houses on the township, several of Ahe slab huts, and even tho comfortable wostherboard residence of Mr, Commissioner Cloete, were all pnt np at the cost of the Company. I examined the immense quartz vein upon which they had been working, and the first idea that struck me was that it was most extraordinary that in a quartz reef where so large a quantity of gold had been founl in one mnsn, no other nuggets of any size should have been fallon upon.

I mentioned this afterwards to some of the older residents here, and the answer was “ Why you don’t suppose that the men employed were such fools as to talk about it when they came across a nug- get ?” This opened my eyes at once to the system that had gone on. Further I wis told that most of the Company’s men could afford to spend in a night as much money as they earned by wages in a-week ¡ “ besides” said my informant, “ what was the reason that one or other of the men always had to go back at night to where he had been working, to fetcrT a pick or a handkerchief, or something else ho had left there ?

You may depend, sir, that if the overseers had looked into the rubbish thrown aside, they would have found more nuggets than ever went into the washing pin.” This was from a man who had been upon the ground whilst the Company worked there, and who had even taken e-n ployment under thena, but left when he saw what was going on, for fear, as ho said, of getting mixod_ up in what might get him into trouble.

The fact is, that the Company were robbed right and left i those in charge of the works not being wide enough awake for the sharp gentry they had employed under them. I may here remark that no company working either ground or quartz veins ever will answer.

They never have done so, because the chances aro too much against them. Even in slave countries, v»here the closest supervision can be exercised, it is notorious that the labourers do at times deceive their employers. It must then be much moro tho case, when the men employed are free and Englishmen, and when any portion of the precautions used in other pnrts would, if attempted here, create a popular outcry that would he sufficient to annihilate a company however powerful or wealthy. Experience on all the gold mines, here and in California, has shown that no labour could bo remuneratively em- ployed that could not be most acourat-dy and most cer- tainly supervised.

Thus, in California and in Victoria, the operations of companies on tho gold-fields are con- fined to what may be considered as their moro legiti- mate channel,-not interfering with the l.ibour of the individual miner, but, on the contrary, aiding it. There, the company erects the quartz-crushing ma- chine, leaving it to the digger, or rather miner, to sup- ply the article for which “their machinery is to be set in motion.

The quartz is crushed for the miner at a regular charge of so much per ton ¡ the owner of the quartz being in attendance during all the necessary processes, to watch that justice be done him. Whatever gold is procured Is his property, the proprietors of the works being sufficiently and surely remunerated by the charge they make. Each in this way assists the other, whilst there is no in^ ducement to peculation, whore it is most easily ef- fected-in working tho vein-since every large nugget comes into the hands of the miner ; and on the other hand, the gold thus procured being mostly exceed- ingly fine, and onlv to be taken up by amalgamation with quicksilver, dishonesty on the part of tho ser- vants of the company is also to a very great extent prevented.

This is the only system of working the quartz veins of this country that ever will pay ; and in going beyond this, all the gold raining companies that have been formed, have laid from the very first the foundation for tho failure that they have expe- rienced. I have given this opinion somewhat more authoritatively than perhapq, as an individual, I may be considered entitled to do, but I give it after long experience of the subject, and after watching from the very first opening of the gold-fields this particular phase of the question. Company after company have I seen rise and fall, elsewhere as well as hore, owing their failuro solely to the fact, that they attempted too much.

As this became obvious, the course now fol- lowed became gradually to be adopted, tho companies restricting their opérations to doing that which could be done only by a company, whilst to the miner was left the risk or profit of doing that which, though it might enrich the individual, had invariably proved the source of loss to the comnnnv. The Great Nugget Vein Company commenced to work their vein on a most extensive scale. They sank down to the face of the reef to a depth of 80 or 90 feet, cutting away the earth at ono end of the trench, in a long though steep gradient, up which trucks running on a tramway and laden with the quartz procured below were drawn by tho steam engines at work in the odioining buildings.

The deep abyss thus opened for a length of some fifty or sixty yards still remains, though pools of water hnve gathered in somo places, whilst here and there the shores that uphold many of the overhanging masses of rock or earth have slipped or given way, precipitating rocks, stones, and gravel into the depths below, and so choking the trench as to make it diffi- cult and dangerous to work, should any be so inclined. The appearance of the whole is so precarious and un- stable, that I, not generally very nervous, could not induce myself to trust my precious person below, al- though I had a great desire to inspect the various strata of rocks.

You will doubtless imagine that I am dealing too mnch with times gone bye, but tales of these are nearly all that is left to tell, so far as Louisa Creek is concerned. There may be a population of about 350 on the creek, retained, no doubt, by the comfortable dwellings that have been erected, as the greater part of the miners are married men, who have some considera- tion for their wives and children, and feel disinclined to lodge them in tents during the piercing cold of tho pre- sent season.

Of this number about 150 arc diggers, 100 being employed upon the creek itself, and the others in the gullies of the adjoining ranges. The yield of gold is not very great, having fallen off palp- ably within the last few w¿eks : and from all I could gather from conversation with very many persons, the average weekly amount raised barely re’aches half-nn ounco per man.

The discontent was rising to its height whilst I was hero, and there was some fear ex- pressed that the creek would bo deserted. Several meetings were held on the subject, and it was pro- posed to send out prospecting parties, supported by subscriptions, to open new ground. There eeemed to be a great difference of opinion amongst the population on this subject ; but, ultimately, it was re- solved to offer a reward of £30 for the discovery of a gold-field on the table land, anywhere within a distance of ten miles of the Louisa.

The sinking here has all been shallow, never to a greater depth than twenty-fivo feet, whilst the usual run of holes ranged at about fourteen feet. Many men are at work washing over the old stuff m the worked ground, making wages, and sometimes some- thing more when they come upon spots where their predecessors had only half gone down, when they left it for some new rush of those days.

The great rush to the Louisa occurroi when the Great Nugget Vein Company threw up their right to the section of ground that they had secured under the old mining regula- tions. Within a week after their claim had been given up, about 2000 persons had assembled, and the nnmber was nearly doubled within the following month. As the ground got worked over, pirty after party left for newer and more promising spots, whilst many, who would have remained, were compelled to quit by the high price of provisions ; the very difficult nature of the roads on every side up to the high table land of the Louisa makes a difference of 5s. per cwt. in carriage, and consequently by this as well as by the additional time consumed on the road, renders provisions so much the moro costly.

9 July 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: AVISFORD.

This spot was fixed upon by the then Chief Commis- sioner of the gold-fields, Mr. Hardy, for the Govern- ment camp, as it was originally looked upon as the centre of the gold country in that particular locality.

It is situated on the head waters of the Meroo, and about six miles from the Louisa. The road from the Louisa falls nearly the whole way, now. descending heavy hills by steep precipitous tracks, anon winding through the jagged rocks on the crest of a ridge, then travelling along dangerous sidings or mounting short ranges that stand in the way.

As a diggings, it can scarcely be said to be famous, not more than thirty or forty men being employed in this locality, but it is worthy of notice from its giving its name to this particular district. Good steady wages are being earned by the men at work here ; and there have been some cases of good luck, though not to any very great extent.

The sinking has been confined to the banks of the creek and the flats adjoining, and never runs to a greater depth than 25 feet. One party were engaged in putting down a deep hole, and had already attained a depth of 120 feet. They were stopped by want of means, and during my visit a subscription was being made to enable them to continue their work.

They left off in a stratum of blueish friable clay, resembling either decomposed or incipient slate-which of the two, however, I was not geologist enough to judge. Some of this clay was marked by a bright greenish tint, that gave rise to the supposition that the miners were on the trace of cop- per.

A sample of the clay was handed to a chemist, but as he had not the means of testing it, I did not ascertain the result. Avisford is placed, as I have said, on the banks of the Meroo, tho southern ranges of which rise up in massive tiers to form the table land of the Louisa. Between the foot of these and the river are a series of low green undulating hills, sinking gradually into rich alluvial flats, that stretch away for some distanue, and offer some beautiful land to the skill of the cultivator.

On the northern side the level land extends for about half a mile, and then rises in low stony hills to the base of the vast mountains that shut in the stream. The camp is conveniently arranged, with buildings of slab for all the necessary purposes.

Mr. Commissioner Miller, who has charge of this district, is stationed here. The district comprises an area enclosed within about sixty miles of length and forty of breadth, and the police force consists of a sergeant, a corporal, and ten men, though this complement is seldom maintained It includes the whole length of the Meroo River, taking in Murrendi, Married Man’s Creek, Campbell’s Creek, and Long Creek-all tributaries of the Meroo, across from Long Creek to some distance down thc Pyramul Creek, and the Louisa Creek, with the whole of the table land around.

The population of this dis- trict I reckon to be in round numbers 2170, of which 1350 are diggers. They are divided- as follows : Murrendi 1200 population, with 800 diggers ; the Meroo and its tributaries 500 population, and 300 diggers ; the Upper Pyramul 120 population, with 100 diggers ; and the Louisa 350 population, with 150 diggers. The Louisa has a larger population in proportion to the number of diggers, than elsewhere, and I attribute this to the fact of its being a great centre of the trade of the district, and consequently giving support to a larger number of publicans, store- keepers, tradesmen, &c.; ; besides this, as I have before observed, most of the men there are married and have families.

The orderly character of a population is to be learned much more readily from its police records, than from anything else that can be said or written respecting it ; and in this view the’residents of this locality certainly show out remarkably well.

In the first month of the great rush to the Louisa, when, as I have before said, some two or three thousand persons invaded the ground, given up by the Great Nugget Vein Company, only 39 cases of every kind came be- fore the Police Court. This was in October, 1856. In the following month, when this promiscuous assemblage had somewhat

shaken down into their proper places, the cases only numbered 18. In the first of these two months the cases were mostly out of quarrels between the new. arrivals, with some few cases of petty stealing, dealt with summarily, and there were no committals for trial; whilst in the second month 2 cases were sent to a jury. In April, 1857, the cases disposed of numbered 12, of which 2 were committed for trial ; and in May last, the number disposed of only reached 7, with no committal for trial.

I may remark, however, as I think I have done in a previous letter, that on all the gold-fields the Bench endeavours to dispose of as many cases as it possibly can summarily, to save the expense to the Government, and the expense and inconvenience to the prosecutor that al- ways attend a committal. Twenty-five public-houses have been licensed for this district, and are pretty evenly distributed through it, in the chief centres of population.

This number, however, does not include one of the two inns at Murrendi, the license for which was granted hy the Mudgee Bench -rather improperly it is urged, because these districts being under the charge and supervision of the Gold Commissioners only, they alone ought to have the right of deciding upon the character and fitness of applicants for pub- licans’ licenses.

The amount of gold sent down by escort from this district has been gradually falling off for some months past, until now it barely ave- rages 200 ounces. This, however, is accounted for by the numerous rushes that have lately been made, particularly. to Murrendi and the Ironbark; nnd although the former is in this district yet it is at a distance of 28 or 30 miles, and the gold from there, is well as from some distance thence up the Meroo, finds its way to Mudgee.

THE MEROO. This river is being, or has been worked more or less throughout the whole of its length, a distance, reokon ing the numerous bends and winds it makes in its course, of between 50 and 60 miles. The spots usually selected on auriferous rivers for sinking upon are the flats, or as they are termed by the diggers “ points,” that have been formed by the alluvial deposit from the waters, when some fortuitous interruption to their course, has turned their stream and given it those deep bends that are so frequent. The waters, in floods of former days, have brought down the gold along with the debris from the neighbouring hills and gullies.

It has been caught upon these points in the eddies that would naturally form there, owing to the curve in thc channel, and has, of course, by its own weight, sunk to the bottom of the ooze or mud that might be deposited with it. On looking at a well worked point, and on being shown those holes that have paid best, a keen observer may, by marking the bend of the stream, satisfy himself as to tho correctness of this theory in very many instances.

At the same time, that which pays the digger best is to fall, if he can, upon an old bed of the stream, one that has been divertei by the accidental choking or obstructing of its channel. In that case a line of holes across the flat from the upper to the lower point of the present stream, will be those that have turned out the richest, whilst beyond that line on either side will scarcely have paid working.

In the formercase, where the gold has been deposited by eddies, the line of paying holes will lie almost in a circle, sometimes in a spiral, in fact in all manner of forms, accordiug to tho current that has caused the deposit. Tho descent from the Louisa to the Meroo is a very heavy one, similar in its leading features to that down to Avisford. The distance, however, is not more than three or four miles ; the last and heaviest descent down a spur of the main range bringing the traveller at once on to the banks of tho river.

A bridle track now runs along the river side, crossing the stream every here and there, now making a way through the thick tufty sedgy grass that covers the lower banks of the stream, anon twisting amongst the holes and heaps of refuse upon some well worked flat, or crossing the spur of some short range, with shafts gaping on either side, or what is still more dangerous, their mouths overgrown with grass,, burrs, and underwood, forming concealed pit-falls for tho wayfarer.

In travelling along in this way, upon turning almost every point, I came upon men at work, sometimes in threes or fours, at others, though rarer, in larger nun-, bers ; whilst every gently sloping hill had its hut of slab or bark, with an’ enclosure of garden ground. These mostly stood alone, though occasionally a tent might be erected near them, or perhaps a second hut seldom a third.

These huts, with the children playing at the doors, a female form moving about, the green garden ground in their rear, closed up by the giant hills, with perhaps a group of diggers in the fore- ground, often made pictures that an artist would have rejoiced in. At all the points along the creek, the workings are nearly about the same, with the same kind of red “gravelly soil to go through.

The yield, however, has varied very considerably, some having proved very much richer than others. Californian Point has turned out a very large amount of gold, and at one time gave occupation to some 300 or 400 diggers. Now, it is considered to be worked out, and a .party of Americans have taken possession of the spot, intending to ground sluice the whole of the old workings. To this end they have cut a sluice some three miles in length, to bring the water from the’upper part of the river to the place upon which they are, at work ; and have also erected some very compact machinery, worked by two horsea to assist them. There are also some twelve or fifteen pug mills or puddling machines, at work upon different parts of the tiver, mostly upon the old ground. All of these pay well.

Raggety Point now gives employment to somo 30 Chinese, those indomitable diggers, who make wages out of ground that has been worked over and over again by the white mau, until it is thought that not even a spec of gold remains. It has been worked over very completely ; yet, there are the Chinese squatting on their haunches, and cradling away as perseveringly as though ounces instead of pennyweights were about to reward their toil. These men work most assiduously in the face of all difficulties, and I have seen half a dozen of them standing in a hole, nearly up to their middle in water, bailing it out with buckets.

Richardson’s Point, however, was in its time, the greatest place of attraction on the Meroo, as two years ago no less than between three and four thousand diggers were at work upon it. Ii is a long point or reach that runs out from the ranges on the northern side of the stream, just at the spot where they break off into a series of short ridges, to admit, the entrance of the Long Creek into the Meroo. The yield was very great here at that time, and nearly everyman made good wages.

A kind of small township esta- blished itself here in the flourishing times, consisting of some thirty houses, inns, stores, shops, &c;, and having become a kind of centre for the traffic on the river, still remains, though as may be readily imagined, business has considerably fallen off.

Some of the old ground on this point is still being worked, though not more than some twenty persons are engaged at it, A little below Richardson’s Point, the Long Creek runs into the Meroo, after joining itself to Campbell’s Creek. The Married Man’s Creek falls into the Meroo lower down, and this junction may be said to be the end of the more extensive workings on the river, as below that the parties are much scattered and the rude rocky nature of the banks offer but little hope of suo cegs to the digger. Following up the Long Creek to its source, we come upon a short table land, and thence to the Pyramul and the fall of water to the Turon.

The whole length of the Long Creek has been worked here and there, where any likelihood of a deposit existed. The most noted spot on the creek, being Pure Point, whence very heavy yields have been obtained of gold of a very fine and rich character-whence its name. A small settlement was formed here in the palmy days of the Point, but it has now dwindled down to an inn, one of the most neat, quiet, and comfortable that I have seen on the diggings, a blacksmith’s shop, and a branch of the Oriental Bank.

Two rather famous gullies run into the Long Creek,-Nuggetty Gulley and Devil’s Hole Gulley. The day of both, however, lies now passed away, though about half-a-dozen persons still remain working in the one, and about twenty in the other. In the latter place, it an old digger who has tended and worked on it for the last three years. At the junction of Campbell’s Greek and Long Creek, about twenty Chinese have taken up their quarters, working over the old ground and making, as they told me, very good wages. Campbell’s Creek resembles all the other auriferous streams in this locality. in working and in appearance.

The hills which border them are ex- tremely high’ and steep being, in fact, mountains rather than hills, with low points running out here and there, and forming bends in the stream, and broad al- luvial flats in other places, getting less and less exten- sive as the head of the water is approached. Here, also, a very fair yield has bean obtained, but there is no spot particularly noted for having given a larger return than ordinary.

Taking thc whole of this part of the Meroo, I may safely say, that nothing is now being done except amongst the old ground, and that very little, if any, new ground is being opened. Puddling machines and sluices seem to be most in vogue with those resident here, some of them being private ventures of persons in business here, who pay wages to those engaged upon the work.

The gold obtained throughout the Meroo maintains a very high character for quality. It is rather large, but thin and scaly, much waterworn, and of a bright red colour. That from Long Creek and Campbell’s Creek is much smaller and finer,’ though still thin and scaly, and is said to be purer in quality. From Nuggetty Gulley and the Devil’s Hole on the contrary, the gold is large and. coarse, and waterworn on one face only. From all I could gather I do not believe that the diggers here are making more on the average than about 5s. a day per man, or at the outside half-an-ounce per week.

Not one of those I spoke to seemed to indulge in anything of a hopeful tone with regard to their prospects; and even from persons in business there was nothing to be obtained but accounts of what had been done on this point, or that fiat, or in such a gulley.

I was rather astonished at finding that a very large proportion of the business with this part of the Meroo was done by Maitland merchants, their traffic passing through Mudgee, by Cooral and Cassilis, from Mait- lands The road between Bathurst and the Meroo cer- tainly is anything but a tempting one, consisting of heavy hills and rocky ranges ; but there ought to be but little difference between a journey from Sydney and one from Maitland-consequently it struck me that though the merchants. of Bathurst might have been somewhat dozey over thc matter, still those of Sydney must have been completely blind, thus to per- mit their fellows of Maitland to step in and shoulder them out of what ought, to have been their ownMa ground

15 July 1857

THE GOLD FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: From Louisa to Tambaroora.

The distance from Louisa to Tambaroora is about eighteen miles. The road leaves the former place at the eastern end of a creek, passing along a fine gully that has been prospected in many places, but evidently has not given hopes of success, for it has not been worked. All along this gully for some con- siderable distance, there are occasional flats of good rich alluvial land, but unfortunately they are of no very great extent; consisting of only some few acres here and there, with stony ridges inter- vening between them.

At a distance of three or four miles from Louisa, however, I passed through some low easy slopíng ranges of rich brown earth that would make splendid cultivation land. The road next traverses a gently undulating country of stringy bark and box on to a series of broken stony ridges, until it comes upon a steep descending hill.

On reaching the foot of this hill a bridle track leaves the dray road, which here takes a wide turn to find a pas- sage amongst the enormous ranges that everywhere surround it.

The track winds round the side of a gigantic hill, upon which the broken quartz lay in places so thickly as to resemble snow, turning and twist- ing amidst vast masses of rock, or cutting boldly across the slippery face of an upheaved quartz vein.

A flock of sheep were feeding on the summit of the hill, but so high up that at first they appeared to me to be scattered stones. As stones, however, do not usually move from, place to place, particularly up hill, this illusion was soon dispelled.

At the base of the mountain, the track again comes into the road, fol- lowing the course of a stony creek, perfectly white with quartz. Signs of prospecting were everywhere apparent, whilst in places the quartz had been tried; as was evident from the broken heaps occasionally met with. There is a sheep station on the banks of this creek, but there was nobody at home when I passed,

The place was left to take care of itself, or rather I should say was left in the charge of an exceedingly ‘bouncible banshaw’ of a cook, who, as I rode past, drew himself up to his full height, and saluted me with a “ Took ! took took!” aa much as to say “ Come, off you go, you’ve no right here!” After quitting this place, I followed the road for about a mile, when I again noticed the bridle track turn off from it: although I could perceive nothing to justify this, for I was then travelling on a good level road, through a thick forest that did not permit me to see very far ahead, I yet imagined that there was some object to be gained, or distance to be saved, and followed it.

The cause soon became apparent. The track led into a long grassy gully, which gradually became exceedingly broken and tacky, and after about a mile brought me to the foot of an enormous rocky hill. As I looked up, I almost wished I had followed the road, so steep, so long, so rocky, and so uninviting was the ascent. But I was there, with the hill before me, and surmount it I must; so jumping off my horse, for the poor beast would have enough to do to take himself up, I hung the bridle on my arm, and reached the top after only one spell to breathe. From the summit of the hill, through a parched stony country for about a mile and a half, and I came upon the Dirt Hole, whence to Tambaroora, nearly two miles, is one unbroken line of diggings.

TAMBAROORA. The gold district known by this name comprises the Lower Pyramul, the Lower Turon to its junction with the Macquarie, the Macquarie, down from the mouth of the Turon, the Dirt Hole, Tambaroora, the Great. and Little Bald Hills, and Opossum Creek on the high table land.

The population of the district may amount in round, numbers to about 2000, of which about 1250 are diggers. It is distributed as follows: on the Lower Pyramul 300, of whom 200 are diggers; on the Lower Turon 550 of whom 350 are diggers; on the Dirt Hole, Tambaroora, and the Bald Hills 750, of whom 350 are diggers; on the Macquarie 160, of whom 100 are diggers; on the Opossum Creek about 100, of whom 80 are diggers; whilst the remainder are scattered about in various nooks and comers, that are indescri- bable.

There are on the Tambaroora Creek places of worship erected for the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, and Catholics; but I learnt that the visits of the ministers of these denominations are “very few and very far between” to use the language of my infor- mant. There is neither school-house nor school- master in the whole district, a thing the more to be regretted, since this part of the country seems to be exceedingly pro- lific in children.

This is more particularly the case in Tambaroora, through one portion of which, the township, par excellence,—a horseman must go at a walk, or he is sure to run over a child or a pig, these two, being apparently the staple commodities of the place. Until very recently Tambaroora has been nearly deserted by rushes to one place and another. But latterly the diggers have gradually returned to their homes, and to their wives and children, the major part of those here being married men. Nearly the whole of the huts are very comfortably built, of slab and bark, many of them being quite as neat as such homes usually are in some of the older townships. In fact, they seem to have been made homes by the diggers, who, though they may start off for some new rush, are yet sure to return to the spot, where they have surrounded themselves with comforts and convenience.

For some considerable time past this district has been dependant for the transaction of business in the Police Court, upon such peripatetic magistrates as might fancy a rids of twenty or thirty miles over a rough mountain road before breakfast. T

he incon- venience suffered was very great until Mr. Commis- sioner Forster was put in the Commission of the Peace. The cases heard at the Police Court are very few, from the cause I have stated, and ere not worthy of being quoted, since they really form no guide to the character of the people. From the same cause there has been no committal for trial, for a very long time, from this district.

The total number of public-house licenses issued for this district, which contains an area of some 30 by 25 miles, is 16; six of which are on Tambaroora, two at the Dirt Hole, and two at the Bald Hill. The very great amount of business appears to be doing either in those houses, or in the stores.

Tambaroora Creek is situated on a table-land of even greater elevation than the Louisa, being on the sum- mit of the ranges lying between the Turon and the Macquarie Rivers. The appearance of the country gives every token of its having been long and populously settled upon as a gold-field. The timber has been cleared away on every side, but during the temporary desertion of the locality a thick growth af saplings has succeeded.

These being shoots from the old stumps, have a nondescript kind of look, totally different from anything to be met with in other parts of the bush. Short sharp hills rise upon every side, seemingly without any regular sequence of ranges, as in the lower country. All appears broken and confused, and it is made still more so by the very extensive workings that have been carried on along the creek and its numerous tributary gullies. The worked grounds consists of the bed of the creek, the bank on each side, and occasional flats, whilst many of the gullies and hill sides have also turned out very well.

A lead of gold was very recently discovered running through the race-course, and now the equine arena has been to a very great extent torn up, and has given the miners more gold below the surface than jockeys have made above it. The Dirt Hole, Tambaroora, and the Bald Hills form one continuous line of diggings for a distance of about seven miles. The habitations are principally in groups or clusters, some of these groups being of a very respectable size, placed at dis- tances of about a mile from each other.

The largest of these, is one on the Tambaroora Cierk, opposite the Commissioners’ Camp, containing some 40 or 50 dwel- lings, all well and substantially built, the majority being neatly whitewashed in front, and having well kept gardens at the back, in which not only vege- tables, but flowers and trees are being cultivated.

A very large number of Chinese are at work on this gold field, the population of the Dirt Hole consisting principally of these industrious people Mr. Com- missioner Forster gives them a very high character for order, sobriety, steadiness, and perseverance. They keep to themselves, are content to work on the old ground that the white digger has given up, and never trouble the Commissioner or the Police Court, One extraor- dinary circumstance connected with them, however, is that all their disputes amongst themselves are settled by an official of their own people, who is called, as understood it.

Key-ing. This person rides about on horseback, richly dressed, visiting the Chinese camps in this and other gold districts, and giving judgment upon whatever cases of dispute may be brought before him. His word is law with these people, and no appeal is made from his decisions. I received this account in Tambaroora from the best authority, but must say that I did not obtain elsewhere, any hint of the existence or labours of such a person.

In connection with the Chinese, another question has arisen. The licensed publicans complain that whilst they pay a license for selling liquors to the dig- gers, a very large proportion of these diggers—the Chinese—go and obtain their exhilaration or excite- ment in houses that pay no license, There are known to be some twenty opium tents on these diggings, the owners of which pay nothing to the State, whilst they rob the regular trader of his custom.

I suggested that an opium smoking room should be attached to each public house, and then the publican would have an equal chance with the contraband dealer of being some fine-day convicted of manslaughter should an enthu- siastic smoker take a whiff or two too much. But seriously speaking, does not this quarrel over the right to poison human beings say more than could be urged were a volume written on the subject of intemperance.

There was, throughout these diggings, evidence of. great life and activity amongst the miners. The racecourse and several new flats were being worked; besides which, very extensive preparations had been made in the expectation of a fall of rain. Dams had been erected on every side for sluicing, and for sup- plying puddling machines. Of these last; there are no less than 25 in this district, the majority of them being on theTambaroora and Bald Hills. The country, however, has been without rain for many months, and the only, supply of water, even for domestic purposes, has to be taken from the old deserted-holes; where it has fortunately been stored. This is perfectly thick with the red earth of the diggings, and is only fit for use after being cleared by alum.

The consequent is that the water is hard and of a very disagreeable flavour, and in my humble judgment cannot be very conducive to health. The yield of gold latterly has not been very great. The want of water has prevented very much stuff that would; pay for sluicing, from being washed; whilst the preparations for “the winter campaign, by the erection of dams and pug mills, has tended for the present to keep down the average.

There have been some good finds latterly, but not very extraordinary ones. I heard of a party of four sharing £17 between them for a week’s work; and of two men on the racecourse who took out 12½ ounces in the same time. I was assured, however, by very many that the general average was from 6s. to 7s. a day. Several told me that they would not stop a day longer when they could not make the latter wages; whilst others equally as seriously asserted that they did not believe there was a man on the place making more than 6s. a day.

The people of Tambaroora have recently had a meet- ing on the subject of the lately passed Gold-fields Management Act. Of course they objected to every- thing therein contained, and amongst other things to the charge for a business license I was speaking to one of the great guns at that meeting on the subject of this charge, of course arguing in its favour. He frankly admitted the force of all I said, and confessed that he had all along taken my view of the case. I then asked him how it was that he had been a party to that meeting. “ Oh !” he replied, “we must do some- thing to keep the people awake; besides if we did not have a meeting now and again, and make a noise, Tambaroora would be forgotten.” I then wished to know how it happened that a man like Mr. Dailey, with whom the diggers must be so little acquainted, had been selected to present and support their peti- tion. “There it is again,” my friend answered, “we sent it to him because we thought he knew less about the matter than our own member, and would, corsequently, make more noise over it.”

There was wisdom in this, and I at once discovered that the Tambaroora folks were men of the world. Thc sinking is very much the same throughout this district, being through a sound red gravelly earth, to a depth of from 12 feet to 20 feet, the greater run of holes being about 15 feet deep. The gold is found in a gravelly drift lying on the face of the rock and in the interstices of the layers of schist or slate.

The diggings on the Pyramul Creek are mostly on Mr Suttor’s purchased land, and in the vicinity of his head station. A great deal of work has been already done here, and the yield has hitherto been pretty regular, paying about 8s. a day. Owing to the gold being so much distributed there have been no instances of any large find; though some of the older diggers are under the impression that they are on the tail end of the run of gold, and that by following it up some rich hauls will be made.

Preparations were making for constructing dams and erecting puddling machines, by the use of which the yield will be much increased. Here, as elsewhere throughout the Western District, the want of water is a considerable drawback to the digger, preventing him from washing up much stuff that with plenty of water would pay for Sluicing, and rendering him consequently unsettled and less anxious to stick to his work.

Opossum Creek lies away to the N. W. of the Tam- baroora, on the table land of the vast ranges that overhang the Macquarie, and at even a higher eleva- tion than the central diggings or this district. It is an exceedingly rough and broken country, and has not been for any great length or time worked as a gold field.

The deposits of gold here are exceedingly patchy and irregular, the gold itself being coarse and nuggetty. No nuggets of any extraordinary size, how- ever, have been found. Some parties have been very successful, but the success has not been general, and the number of miners has latterly somewhat fallen off. Here also the scarcity of water is a great draw back to the lull development of what is likely to prove a rich spot.

20 July 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: FROM TAMBAROORA TO SOFALA.

ON first leaving Tambaroora, the road, for a distance of some eight miles, crosses innumerable dry stony ridges, of no very great height, but disagreeable to travel, from the rocky nature of the ground, the schist cropping up in every direction along the truck.

The whole of this country is peculiarly arid and unpromis- ing, producing nothing but stunted grey, and spotted gums, with a scattered undergrowth of rough scrub.

Hardly a blade of grass is to be seen on the ranges, and in the gullies it is of a coarse wiry character that gives but small promise of containing nutritious matter.

The.road how comes upon the crest of the main ridge,’ winding along it for some mile or more, until it reaches the Big Monkey Hill, down a long spur of which it descends. On reaching the foot of the first descent, the traveller comes upon a rather broad plateau of level; ground, nearly denuded of timber, and covered with a beautiful sward of thick close grass, a perfect little emerald fern upon which the eye rests with delight after the parched monotony of the last ten miles.

To the right or N.W., a deep valley may be traced for many miles, the huge mountains towering up on either side to an enormous height, whilst here and there one more vast than its fellows juts prominently forward, and throws out long branches or spurs, which, falling by degrees, gradually sink into the valley.

A couple of hundred yards fur- ther on and I came upon the edge of the real descent, which falls to the south-east, and then a view of un- paralleled beauty and grandeur met my sight.

The course of the Turon could be traced upwards for many miles, whilst in the back-ground, the heavy ranges of the Crown Ridge, from whence it takes its source, were marked out strongly upon the horizon, though blue with the distance. In every direction the winds and turns of the numerous ridges could be followed with ease, the great height. at which I stood above; causing them to be displayed before me as though upon a map, from their first starting from the river; bed until, rising gradually, they joined themselves with the towering mountains of the main range. This, again, could be followed into the far distance, until, the eye, wearied with the extended view, lost it in tho; Confusion of mountains that blackened the hori- zon. In the foreground, appearing almost at my feet, the waters of the Turon flowed swiftly by, glistening, in the sunlight, showing out brighter from the dark- ness that, from where I stood, appeared to hang over the deep valley through which it coursed.

To the right, the valley of the Lower Turon was discernible for some distance down, ran occasional ray of light, flashing up from the depths, marking the presence of the stream, until the view was broken by an abrupt turn of the river. Here the hills, thickly timbered, came down in long graceful sweeps, their sides dotted with neat whitwashed cot- tages, and green plots of garden ground, and occa sionally, though seldom with tents. T

o the left, a small picturesque group of houses were, perched up on the edge of an ex- ceedingly high and steep portion of the river bank, their white fronts looking still whiter by contrast with the dark red soil of the river bank immediately below.

Almost in the centre, the Little Wallaby Rock formed; the most prominent feature of the scene, the eye rest- ing instinctively upon that at the very first glance. It is an enormous perpendicular rock, towering up from the bed of the river to a height of some 200 feet, and appearing, from where I stood, to be surmounted by a conical crest, though in passing along the road after- ward; I perceived that this cone belonged to a hill to the rear of the rock. Far away in the distance, to the right centre of the river, the edge of Bathurst Plains were first perceptible, round the point of a heavy range, the untimbered land showing out like a bright spot amongst the dark foliage of the tree-clad hills.

The long winding roads on either side the river, now tra- versing a hill side, now lost as the crest,of the hill in- tervened, then rising again in sight some miles be- yond on the face of an acclivity, also tended materially to break the sameness of the view and to give an addi- tional feature of interest to the picture. Like a good many others, however, I, looking so far before me had neglected to inspect that which was right under my nose, and consequently after having gloated to.my heart’s content over the extended pano- ramic prospect spread out before me, I came down fröhvpoetic rhapsody to thc plain prose of life,;and’ .casting my eyes down tho track I began to wonder how it was possible to descend it. I had left the dray track which winded away down by an easier road, and followed the bridle path, and certainly if the ascent to Tambaroora had been a tough one, the descent to the Turon beat it hollow. I should be afraid to say what angle the face of the hill made with its base for íear I should not be credited, but some idea of it may be gauged from the fact that I had doubts whether I could maintain my footing without assuming thc un- manly course of progression -on all fours.

As it hap- pened my poor old horse had a most complete disin- clination to risk his neck, and came down so very un- willingly that I had to drag heavily on his bridle to induce him to move, and this very materially assisted me. In addition to the steepness of the track, the hill side was also covered with stones, mostly in large boulders, and in places I had to step from one to the other of these. M

y horse being not so light of foot as myself would often dislodge one of these, and send it rolling.and clattering down the hill, sometimes in such dangerous proximity to my legs as to be avoided only by the most undignified activity. However, I only fell down twice, once through a little misunder- standing with my old grey, who, jumping away from me as I struck at him with my whip to hasten his steps, pulled me over with the bridle that hung on my arm; and once by a stone upon which I stepped rolling away from under me, and depositing me rather rudely upon mother earth.

I was fully compensated for the perils of the descent by the delightful little nook . on the river banks into whioh the track had led me. Two snug little cottages, with a patch of garden ground to each, lay snugly en- sconced in a deep bend of the river, a spur of the hill above running down bluffly to the stream,. backed them up and seemed almost to overhang them. By the heavy; hills around, the spot was thrown into deep shádes and every thing around seemed green and lux- uriant.

The stream ran by rippling noisily over a dam of stones that had been constructed across it, the continuous and monotonous sound being the only one that broke the stillness. A rude foot bridge crossed the stream a little below the huts, and around this were grouped some dozen head of cattle, some standing up to their knees in water, others rubbing their hides upon the projecting points of the saplings from which it was made, or drowsily, with half-closed eyes, chew- ing the cud.

Crossing the river here, I followed a road on the opposite bank, leaving to my right the groups of houses that I had seen from the hill above; and traversing some heavy hills. I again passed the river at the spot where the cluster of huts stood on the high bank of the river. The road now passed over some heavy hills crossing and recrossing the river times out of number, and sometime running along the bed of the stream. I had however loitered about, looking at views, admiring prospects, and otherwise tumbling over my road, until now, I found myself four miles from Sofala, and dark- ness already beginning to set in upon me. To add to the pleasant nature of my position, persons whom I passed on the road particularly recommended me to take care of this hill or that gulley, as it was very much cut up with holes!

In another spot also, where I was very carefully picking my way through the rid- dled ground, a hard-hearted and most inconsiderate digger had taken it into his head to fall a tree right across the track, just, two minutes before I reached him. I heard the strokes of the axe, and the thunder- ing crash of the fallen tree, but never dreamt of the predicament in which that fall was going to place me. The timber gentleman pitied my plight, however, and piloted me through the dangers of the locality. The night now proved dark as Erebus, and rather inclined to be foggy, so that progression was naturally slow under such circumstances. Still I did get along, and it was with no small pleasure that on rising the sum- mit of what appeared a good sized hill, I saw a cluster of lights gleaming through the mist, and heard the strains of a German band, executing a choice morceau, from the Borgia. I was soon safe in Sofala.

21 July 1857

THE GOLDFIELDS OF NSW: SOFALA

IN the centre of the gold district of the Turon At a rough estimate, for tho population ia io scatteret that without enumeration it would he impossible ti – give anything like a close approximation to it number* ; the district contains somewhere about 25CK sonia, of which about 1400 arc mia era.

Thc grca – bulk of these arc employed upon the Turon and it! numerous creeks and gullies, all of which ore more o: leu auriferous. The population of Sofala is set dowr in the censos popers of March lut year, at 628, but or lookiug ow the place I estimated It roughly at aboui 700 ; and I think that my number will now bo found nearer the trnth than that given in the official return,

It is a kind of hybrid township, haring been partlj surveyed nnd sold, and partly occupied under th« mining regulations ; hut as nearly thc whole of th« .present dwellings have been built upon the unsold and nnaurveyed land, a fruitful cause of difficulty has thus been thoroughly established.

Tho houses arc rory closoly packed together in two long streets, and may number somewhere about ISO. They are neither neal nor willi constructed, though there aro two or three well-built inns in the place. Tho streets, particularly . ia the o»ening, perfectly swarm with children, from the stout boys of ten or twelve indulging in the rough play of that age, down to thc infant toddler whose sole idea af haman happiness appears to be sitting in thc middle of the road making dirt pies.

How these small fry manage to keep out of tho river, and from under horses’ feet and dray wheels, will always remain s mystery. It is situated on a fine and extensivo picco of level land on thc eastern bank of thc river, the nearest hills also come down io it with a long graceful sweep, thus offering much additional ground, for suburban pur- poses.

It is backed up, however, by enormous ranges that shot it in on every side, save where the valley ol the river openVfor tho stream a passage through these giant hills. Viewed from thc summit of the ridge, on the road to BJ thurat, the town, thus bedded cozily in what appears a hollow in the ranges, hw a most romantic appearance. Its close and regular rows of houses of every variety of structure, their roefa glitter- ing with tin or zinc, with well used hark, dull or showing bright with canvass ; its church spires, its busy population, and ita sparkling river, bearing all along its banks far as the eye can reach, thc red evi- dences of the diggers’ handiwork, fenn together one of the most extraordinary pictures that an artist’s pencil could sketch. To all this, may further be addod the picturer^Qc character of the digger’s costume, as seen from the distance-clad in shiru of every description, red, blue and green, or, like the three horses that every little boy’s father is supposed to have, “ black, white, and grey,” with boots of every character and sometimes no boots at all, the figures of the diggers form delightful grouping« and exquisite contrasts ; whilst, on thc opposi e bank of the river, tho Govern- ment camp is just perceptible, with an occasional trooper or moustached official to give an air of lifo to the locality.

Viewed nearer, however, all the charm < is dispelled : the houses arc many of them mere diggers’ makeshifts; the roofs look anything hut – weatherproof, and che artistically grouped shill» as if they would bc the better tor washing. Tho church es will nevertheless stand the test of closer inspection.

They aro neat edifices of wood, surrounded by well kept reserves. There are three {»laces of public worship-an Episcopalian, a Wcs eyan, and a Koman Catholic-each having a resident minister attached to it. The reserve mund thc Epis- copalian Church has been converted into a burial ground, and already some fifty or sixty graves have been sank on it.

Soma objection hos been urged against having the place of interment so nearly in the centre of the town, and I was informed that a reserve for a general cemetery was to be made. There are two schools under the Denominational Board-aa Episcopalian and o Koman Catholic ; tho former has an average attendance of about 80 scholars, and the latter of about 40. An attempt was also about to be made to get a National School established on the Spring Creek, where it is computed there ore at least lä*0 children of an age fit to receive scholastic instruc For the whole of the Upper Turon district, 93 pub- lic-house licenses have been issued, thc greater part of which are for inns on the Turon itself.

Theso houses, throughout the gold-fields, provide the only recreation or relaxation for the digger. Billiards, bagatelle, bowling alleys, skittle grounds, balls, con- certs, and sometimes more questionable inducements, aro held out as temptations to the miner, who, utterly deprived of every rational amusement, ii driven to tho use, and too often to the abuso, of such as chance or the enterprise of the publican presents to him.

Considering tho amount of population, thc police records tell well for tho orderly character and good ? conduct of tho people ; a remark that applies very strongly to tho whole of the diggings. Tho average number of cosos disposed of by tho Police Bench ls about fifteen per month, particulor causes, however, acting to produce a larger number of casos at parücu -lar times.

Thus, in January last, the oases disposed ! of were 16 ; in February, 7 ; whilst in March they took a sudden start up to 23. In April thoy wero 19 ; and In May, 9. A new mah but too often causes dis- putes, quarrels,- and ultimately assaults, and the occu I, patton of now ground has always broughton unusual number of cases before the Police Court. The number i of committals for trial this year to the end of May lost wu only 8 ; in January, S -, in February, 0 ; In March, I 3 ; in April, 1 ; and in May, 1.

A very great deal of ground has been worked upon the Turon, though as yet the work has been mainly confined to tho banks of tho river itsolf, or tho flats and points’at Ita numerous turna and beads. The tan of gold has been very remarkable ; in some instances going off from a point aereas the bed of the stream, and .thea taking its course .at eome’distance up the face of what now to all appearance ia a precipitous hill, but which at tonio former period taust have been the bod of a torrent. All the flats and points that herc been worked hayo . beon gone over very carefully, being tunnelled : and caved in every part most completely, right down to tho rock. Some of. tho creeks ana gull!” navo also been sunk upon, though very many of these yet remain, to he tried. SpiLng Creek Ison instance of how long a valu- able spot may remain untouched.

A carol CM, or per- haps an unfortunate prospect, in the first ins Unce, may «lose a locality to the digger, for whenever it is aftor wards moailaaed, tho- reply is that Tom or Dick had prospected it, and got nothing. Then it is only when BO mo ptrty, mor» energetic and persevering than their fellows, can make up their minds to go down upon lt, that the ml’riches -of the place become apparent,-and the minors wonder that they hâve «o long left. lt in- tact. Spring Creek wa«‘ openod about’ .the middlo of May last, by the enterprise of Mr. Kearney, a publican on the Turon, who very nobly determine!, at his-own coat, to give, what hs deemed a promising spot, a fair trial. The result hu exceeded bia expectations. His own party hare averaged ¿10 a week per man during the time they have been at work ; and thou parties who have managed to fall npon the gutter, or IUD of gold, have ratted from £10 to £25 par man per week There were about 120 men at work nate on my visit ; all of whom were doing well, none making leu than £5 a week.

The sinking averaged about twenty feet, through a good aonnd, soil of reddish gravel, the gold being distributed rather evemly through a sandy drift, lying on tho bed rock. In honor of the first opener of the ground, the spot now being workod has been named Kearney’s Flat It Is situated hardly a mile above the junction of the creek with the Turon. In addition to the flats, points, and gullies, all of which hare paid good wages, something has been done towards working the bed of the river. Races hare been cnt, danu constructed, and water-wheels erected in seven or eight places.

None of the parties thus engaged had obtained any resulta from their labour at the time I visited this place ; the idea bfing a compa- ratively new ono to thia locality. Tho river, however, wu very low, so much so that all the wheels at work were obliged to he undershot wheels, from the impos- sibility of obtaining sufficient height of fall for over- shot wheel*, and thus the miners considered it to be a good time for working bed claims.

Several applica- tions for extensive river claims hsd been made to tho resident Commissioner by associated parties of diggers ; and one party of Americans proposed to go into thia work on a most extensive seale, if they could obtain the necessary permission from the authorities for occu- pying thc large tract of river bed that they required. Some of the parties haro evinced great energy and perseverance ; one party in particular have cut a raco bolwcen three and four miles long, in order to bring down a supply of water at a sufficient height to enable them to ground sluico a large plot of worked ground ; at the samo time thc river is everywhere ob- structed by dams rudely constructed of atones, though often only with considerable labour, in order to give such a fall to the water u would enable them to “tom” out rapidly.

About 100 men were at work on Monday Point, that juts out into the river about a mile and-a-holf abovo Sofala. Tho apot had been pretty well riddled, though it still turned out gold in paying quantities. One party of four, Dan Jones’, took, os I was told, 28 ounces out of tho first hole they bottomed, and had made about £1 a day per man since then on this point. The river aronnd this point wu also being marked out for bed claim?. Several parties wer o working tho shallow sinkings of 7 feet or S feet on tho banks of the river, and were all making good wages. Walt’s party was mentioned to me u having made about £1 per week per man.

Tho Big and Little Oakey Creeks were also bein» extensively worked, giving employment to somo 300 miners. The Big Odkey Creek comes down into the Turon on its eastern bank by a long, tortuous course, through the hills, from ono af tho highest of thc huge mountains that border it. Crossing the crest of tho range, whence it rises, a corresponding gully on the other side, also called by tho same name,-the Oakey Creek,-is likowiso cut up on every side by holes.

Lower down, again, it is called the Solitary Creek, and ¡none spot,-the Wattle Flat,-hu been worked most oomplctoly, right to the foot of the mountains. Here a snug li ttl o settlement of good slab and bark huts, with three or four inns, had been established. It is some- where about si.-! miles from Sofala, on the line of tho Bathurst road, the tract often turning and twisting in exceedingly sharp curves, to avoid the tholes with which tho placo is pierced on every aide. In fact the ground ia more or Icu worked almost to the crest of tho Wyagden ranges. in my inquiries as to the yield of gold, I must own that I heard very few accounts of individual success that Ls success to an extraordinary amount.

At the same time there were very fewcomplaints of ill success. Nearly all joined in assuring me that good wages could always be made by steady, persevering^ men. Tho average production of gold may bo considered to be half an ounce a man por week for such parties.

29 July 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES: SOFALA. TO BATHURST.

LEAVING Sofala by the N.E , thr road to Bathurst mounts the heavy thinlv timbered Tange« that b ;und the Turon river at thit side, striking the Oakey Cn ek about three miles from the river. Up this it proceeds, winding amongst the holes and heaps of refuse stuff across the brow of the ridge, and thon through “”the’Wattle Flat and Solitary Creek, its line bordorot! by numerous rude though neat huts, having sm ill patches of gardon ground attached to them, nnd .^sometimes even paddocks fenced in «round thurn.

Digging was being carried ou hore with groat spirit, the whola of the ground paying well and regularly that is, giving gool wages to all employed.

After ,, passing the last of the shafts, the track leads through thick scrub along the crest ofhoavv stony ra.igps, and then skirts thoir sides in a gradual descent, until it comes upon the Wyagden Hill, down which it goes . with a heavy fall, over a road completely whitened with abrated quartz, into a beautiful valloy, that ex- tends for about a mile across in fine alluvial flits, from the deep hills that bordar it on either side. For about a mile-and-a-half the road traverses the valley, until it reaches an inn kept by one James Shor

It had been nearly one o’clock before I left Sofala, and my horse being leg wo»ry with his long jnurney ings, travelled but slowly, and the result was that it was pitchy dark, besides being exceedingly cold, be- fore I_ made the inn.

I had my misgivings on dis- mounting, for I found the parlour-the only place in which-a man could sit down-was crowded with travellers, some of whom were already fur advanced towards inebriation.

However, my horse was dead . beat, it was dark, and furtht-r, the next inn was eight miles off, so I had no alternative but to mako the best , of a bad position. Without at all nntic.puting the scenes that followed, I had a dislike at being forced to be a witness of wild scenes of revelry, particularly on a Sunday night.

I found out that the next day was . the openin ; of the Bathurst Quarter Sessions, and that . consequently the house was full of persons travelling thither, either as witnesses, ^prosecutois, defendants, _ or jurors. I pass over all the inconvenience I experi; . «need.

The one only room for meals-compelling m4 io wait till all had finished supper, before I could b?gin, »seing that I had no particular fancy for supping with men the half of whom were roaring drunk by that time -and the only room for sitting in, driving me out to a promenade in the verandah, to csoape the riot nnd t confusion within.

I pass over this ; but the frightful orgies’ that followed I cannot but mention. I hope, “too, that this letter may attract the notice of some of i the magistracy of that locality, that some inquiry into Mr. Shurt’s mode of conducting his house may be made by them.

Some three or four of the persons present were very much the worse for liquor, and shortly after supper brandy, &c;, began to be consumed at a great rate ¡ the moment the calls for drink at all flagged, the landlord stirred up his customers, first of all bv getting them to “ have a step,” that is, to dance ; and at last when all seemed dull, he challenged one of them, a tall Irishman, to spar with him for nobblers round.

The Irishman was exceedingly drunk, and had been very noisy, but was gradually subsiding into sleepy quietude ,when this challenge was given. He was very unwill- ing for the trial of skill, but was ultimately forced into1 it by the landlord and the others ; and soon at it they went.

This work continued for some time, until by ~dint of ill-usage, not only from the landlord but from ‘those around, the Irishman got enraged, and seizing a candlestick, struck at Mr. Short in a manner that would have made the matter still ‘more serious had the blow taken, effect. Some of those present, however, immediately interfered.

The man was thrown down and disarmed, after some fear- ful oaths and blasphemies on all sides. This skirmish got some of the noisisst drunkards off the scene, and, with very little hope of getting to sleep, I myself went to bed.

Sure enough these orgies were continued until after midnight, singing being now substituted .for dancing and fighting, some of the “songs selected being of any but a decent character. I need hardly .tell you that I spent a miserable night, or that it WAS with the greatest delight I quitted this disorderly es- tablishment with the first light of the following day.

Across some short stony rangos down to a fine cultivated plain, which formed a regular little town-, ship, I travelled, the mist of early morning gradually thickening into a regular fog, whioh stuck to me all the way to Bathurst, being so heavy on the Plains that nothing beyond five or six yards distant was percep- tible. Through this my horse, who had not apparently fared much better than myself on the preceding night, ‘ shambled wearily and heavily down to the Macquarie River, across the bridge, and very much to his and my satisfaction brought me into Bathurst, the poor animal making a most deterrain°d attempt to get towards every stable I passed on my way to the Royal.

BATHURST. Bathurst is, without exception, the finest of our inland towns. It is built on the banks of the Macquarie River, almost in the centre of an extensive plain, and at the foot of a series of gentle undulations or downs, over some of which an extension of the town has been carried.

Its streets are broad, and laid out in straight lines, from East to West, and from North to South, intersecting each other at right angles. Tue houses are regularly built, are all neat and well kept, and many of them, shops and public buildings, would not disgrace a leading thoroughfare of the metropolis. In the centre of the town is a large square, or rather a vacant spot of ground, for I believe it is a reserve for public build- ings-ono side of which is formed by the gaol, in front of which stands the Court House, both of which are built upon the ordinary New South Wales model.

And here I may remark, that it appears to my unprofessional eye, as if the one plan and the one specification had sufficed for all the court- houses and all the gaols in the colony ; there being so little variation, except only in the materials used, and the dimensions of the edifice, that the traveller who has seen these buildings at any one place, would never be at a loss as to their use when he baw the counterparts of these edifices elsewhere.

The court-house is, how- ever, a sufficiently handsome building, though, this, with the adjacent gaol placed in the most prominent position in the town, certainly detracts very much from the prestige of the place ; reminding one, as it doe«, of days that all who have passed through them would willingly have forgotten. In one part of this square or reserve, the Episcopalian church is situated ; it is an unpretending edifice, though not without architec- tural grace ; at all events it is characteristic of the purpose it has to serve, though barely large enough for the congregatiou that frequents it.

The Presbyterian church also forms a prominent mark for the eye of the new comer ; its lofty proportions and tall steeple made still more remarkable by the naked red brick of which it is constructed, catch the attention at once. It is a plain edifice, but noble looking from its very sim plicity. The Catholic church stands at the rear of the gaol, and is a rambling kind of edifice, that appeared to me, most likely from the extent^ of area that it -occupied with its numerous buildings-almost too low fur good effect.

A fine piece of land, however, at the other end of the church reserve, and facing into another street, was being dug out for the foundations of a new church-some £4000 that had been sub- scribed being already in hand for the purpose. The Wesleyan chapel it al«o close by, and is as usual a very plain edifice, too small at present for its nume- rous congregation.

The earth had been dug out, and the stone had been prepirerl for the founda- tions of a new building, the first stone of whioh was to be la’d ar few davs after my de- parture. The gaol is an exceedingly strong and well constructed building, the excellent management of its governor, Mr. Chippendale, having rendered it one of the most complete establishments of the kind that I have seen in the colony. In addition to the main building, in which the prisoners are kept, Mr. Chippendale has caused to be constructed from the prison l’bour, a row of very neat brick buildings, within the walls, as residence for himself and also for the turnkeys employed. The vacant ground inside has been laid out partly as exorcise ground for the prisoners, made secure in every respect, and partly as a garden ; the necessary drainage for the spot lies low and shelving, is managed in a most admirable manner, not leaving the slightest chance of the drains being made available as a means of escape. It is hardly necessary, from what I have already said of the good management that prevails, to remark upon the very cleanly anpearance of the whole building, wards, &e;” as well as of the men confined.

The average number of persons of all kinds, under sentence, awaiting trial, &c;, is about 70. The court-house is a rather pretentious building, serving for Circuit Court, Quarter Session*, and Petty Sessions. It is well arranged in its interior, rooms being provided for all the necessary purposes. On ordinary occasions, a resident stipendiarv magistrate, Mr. Palmer, presides over the Police Court, in which an averago of about six cases a diy are disposed of i the committals for trial during the present year, up to the middle of June, were twenty-one, making an average of about four a month.

The police for the district consists of a chief constable, three district, and four- teen ordinary constables ; of these the chief constable, one district constable, and six men are engaged on duty in the town itself, the rest being stationed at dif feront points in the district, With so email a forco | great complaints are made, as the duty of escorting prisoners falls very heavily upon the men. /rhe number of public-houses, as compared -with th.3 population, is much greater in Bathurst than in any other town of the colony, there hairing b en no liss thin 52 general licenses issuei last vear by the B ithurst Bench, for tho towns of Ba hurst nnd K’lso; tho number for the district being 15.

The reason alleged for granting so imny licenses, is that during the sitting of the Circuit G >urt there is s > large an influx of p-rsons, thtt accom. uoduion to the ex- tent named is absolutely required. It is reckoned that during the sitting of this Court, nn addition of at least one thousand persons is made to the population of Bathurst. Tho Small -Debts Court sits every sit weeks, the cases numbering from 30 to 40 eich Hitting. Such, of tho unpaid ningi;» rates as re- side out of town attend to their duties only when sum- moned to attend special or gencr ii meetings of the Petty Sessions ; for tho ordinary conduct of business, therefore, rc’ianco is only to bo placed on the presence of those resident in town. There aro three schools established under tho Denominational Board, but as yet no Nitional school has boen formed here.

A handsome schoolhouse is being erected in tho immediate vicinity of the Emseo p°Iian church, to which it is attached. Besides public, there arc are also several very excellent pri- vat» scholastic establishments. The hospital is a low one-s’oried building to the east of the town, forming with its narrow verandah a true typo of the old colonial style of architec «re, being all blunk wall, pierced with holes for doors and windows.

It has been for soma years handed over by the Government to the management of the inhabitants themselves, and is now supported very liberally, us I was given to understand, by voluntary subscription of course with a gr mt in aid from the Government. It is cleanly, evidently under good man lgcment. It affords relief, ordinarily, to an overage of about 25 patients, though as many ns 40 could be accommodated on a pinch. I noticed several Chinese patients there on the occasion of my visir.

The population of Bathurst has not perceptibly in- creased by immigration since the census was taken, though T was told on all sides that the increase in the na’ural way, hy births, muât ba something very great, -Bithuret, liko oil the -western country, being gre« in children and pigs. Buildings were being run up in every direction, more particularly on the skirts of the town, where numerous town lots hive recently boen sold. The value of business premisos here may be guessed from the fact that only a short time prior to my visit, two corner lots, of a quarter-acre each, of course with good build- ings on them, sold at £1000 each.

The lots were in a good position for trade, being situated at one corner, the north-west, of the squire or res°rve I have before mentioned, and on one stood an hotel and theatre. House rent generally ranges high for busi- ness premises, in commanding localities, though not so heavy proportionately as in Sydney, In addition to the bridge over the Macquarie River, several smaller bridges have boen erected in some of the bye streets of the town, where the heavy wash of the torrents of water that pour down in tho wet soison has worn deep and dangerous gullies that rendered the streets impassable until these bridges spanned the chasm. There are yet several dangerous spots re- quiring similar convenience. Kelso, on the eastern bank of tha Macquarie, is an exceedingly neat and pretty township, with, some beautiful residences surrounding it. It stands at the foot of a bald range, its neat white-fronted houses, church spire, and verdant gnrdens forming a delightful picture upon the wide extended plitn.

3 August 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES. BATHURST.

A VERY fair amount of the business of the ‘Western district is transacted in this town, though it must be owned that as far as the Western Gold-fields are con- cerned the greatest part of the supplies are drawn from Sydney direct, from Maitland, or from Mudgee.

This may perhaps be accounted for by the very heavynature of tho roads between Bathurst and the Western Gold- fields, as compared with that between Mudgee and the same places. Nearly the whole trade with the Meroo and the Macquarie is monopolised by the latter places ; whilst that with the Turon and the Upper Macquarie more particularly belongs to Bathurst.

There is, in the whole aspect of the town, an air of business that cannot but strike the visitor, whilst its massive build- ings, its extensive stores, and handsome well stocked shops give an appearance of solidity such as but few country towns present. In fact, none could fail of at once recognising the chief town of the district, the great artery through which so extensive a tract of country is fed. I have before said that the population of Bathurst lins not been increased to any great extent by new arrivals settling there, since the last census was taken.

At that time the number of inhabitants was 3249 ; whilst in the Police District of Bathurst the number was 12,005. A very large portion of the population of the dis- trict is engaged in agricultural pursuits, there being no less than 10,724 acres of land in cultivation at the close of 1856. The fine undulating plains of Bathurst itself, as well ss the rich alluvial lands lying between the long sweeping ranges, that are the peculiar fea- tures of this port of the country, present such great advantages to the agriculturist, when coupled with the proximity to so near and ready a market as Bathurst, that they have been eagerly seized upon.

It may be some guide to the products of this district to state, that of the total number of acres under cultivation 6725, or very nearly two-thirds were under wheat crop, whilst the greater part of the remainder was sown with barley or oats for hay, a small quantity being planted with potatoes. Looking at the popula- tion ot the district, and the great distance at which Bathurst is placed from Sydney-made still greater by the heavy road that traffic must traverse, it struck me at the time very forcibly that certainly the people of the Bathurst district had done their quota towards feeding the people of New South Wales, and improving the country, as nearly an acre per head of the popula- tion had been put under crop, and as much produced as would in all conscience feed the mouths that were there to consume it.

Further than this, unless in cases of extreme high prices, they cannot be expected to go, as the high raies of carriage, when joined to the great cost of production, shut the agriculturists of the interior out of the Sydney market, un- less, _ as I before observed, in extreme cases. It is gratifying, also, to be able to say that the number of acres cultivated last year in this district was fully 15 per cent, more than those returned for the preceding year. In the rapid strides this district has latterly made, it is encouraging to see that something more than mere present profit has been looked to by the tillers of the soil, and that whilst the production of wheat and hay-the most readily convertible crops has been increased, the cultivation of the vino-des- tined hereafter, in my humble judgment, to be one of themain sources of Australian wealth-has not been neglected.

Last year there were 38 acres of vineyard in the Bathurst district, of which 33 acres were in the county of Roxburgh, and 5 only in Bathurst ; the latter consisting mainly of the vineyards of Messrs. Rankin, Suttor, and Richards. These last produced no wine last year, at least no quantity worth speaking of, owing to the fruit having been destroyed by the heavy storms of rain and hail that prevailed during the close of the season. From the 33 acres in the county of Roxburgh, 3950 gallons of wine were made, a fair earnest, when the unfaouralo nature of tho past season be remembered, of what this branch of cultivation may do for Australia.

The average of 120 gallons per acre would give, at 7s. per gallon, about the price, I believe, at which colonial wine is sold on the vineyards of the Hunter, a gross return of £42 per acre, the cost of tilling and tending being compara- tively small when once the vineyard is established. Bathurst itself has many and great advantages.

First, from the length of time it has been established having given it the commercial standing that the metropolis of a large district ought to occupy, by en- abling it to concentrate towards itself the traffic of the extensive country that lies beyond it. Next, from i’s local position,’ as being the centre of a large and productive agricultural district, as being the nearest point when on an emergency supplies for the numerous squatting stations of the West may be drawn, as being a good central starting place for the cattle traffic between Victoria and the West, as being in immediate proximity to steady paying gold-fields, and as being surrounded by a boundless traotof auriferous country, at any point of which a new dig- gings may any day be opened by some lucky chance.

Lastly, it has the advantage of a local Press, now firmly established and woriliily conducted, complete in every branch1, and second only to the daily Press of Sydney, through which to make known to the world its résout ces, its wishes, and its wants. Bathurst then is destined to tike no mean plaee in the rank of Australian towns, if the energy and enterprise of its people do but keep np the Impetus that its position and natural advantages will always give it.

BATHURST TO TUENA. Leaving Bathurst in a direction almost due south, the road passes along the Plain for some four or five miles, then sk’rts the lightly timbered rangés that border it, and passing up the Kaloolah Creek for some three or four miles further, on the regular Fish Riy. r track. At the end of that distance it turns off up a wide valley that debouches into the plain/and is known by the name of the Spring Creek. After travelling up this for some three miles the track takes across some stony ranges to avoid a d-ep bend ia the creek, again coming down close upon it at intervals as the windings bend in towards its course.

About 16 miles from Bathurst, there in an inn built on the crest of a fine hill ¿bat sweeps up gracefully from the creek. On coming up to this place I found my road barred by three little children, of perhaps about four, six, and eight years of age. The eldest and youngest were girls, the other a boy.

They had drawn themselves up across the traok as they saw me ap- proach, the boy putting himself manfully forward as the spokesman. “ Have you seen my mammy ?” was the eager enquiry of the little fellow. ‘. Who is your mammy, my man ?” said I “ Mrs, –” he an- swered-I forge^the name, “ and Joe is with her,” < From »this I was justas muoh enlightened as ever and though desirous of pouring a drop of comfort into “their’little hearts, I couldn’t, like a celebrated poli« tician “ see my way clear” towards doing it.

I re- membered however passing a bullock dray, on which two women were seated, driven by a man who per- haps might have been,the celebrated “ Joe.” “ Was she with a bullock dray, my boy ?” I asked. “No,” he replied, “ she was on horseback.” “ Well, my little fellow,”. I said, for I hadn’t the heart to pay I had not met his mother, so enger was the poor child’s manner, “ I have come along very quick.” I had not, for I had been nearly fle hours doing IG miles, “ and so perhaps your mother Í9 just close behind me.” I’could’ see the faces of the children fall as I spoke, and the eldest girl almost sobbed at my answer.

They’ then, stood on one side, and as I was passing them I looked up to the house, all the doors and windows of which were shut up close. The boy saw the direction of my glance. “ There ain’t no _ grog at home,” he Said. I cared not a pin about that,, for though the sun had gone down and it was already getting dark, I would not have stopped ia that house to have witnessed the misery of those poor little children thus left alone, and untended, even though there had not been another house within fifty miles.

So I wished the little hero goodnight, and pushed on for the friendly shelter of Coolooloo, that had been very kindly offered me by Mi. Jones, of Bathurst. , ‘ On this creek, and within half a mile of Mr. Jones’» station, there have been some rather extensive dig- gings, ns many as 500 men having been at one time air work at then». They were then deserted, and I was told that not a dozen men were left upon it. The gold was very irregularly distributed, and was obtained with very little work from the bed and banks of the creek, very little sinking having been carried on. I learnt that some very good hauls had been made here.

Within a mile or two of this place a deep shaft had been sunk by a Mr. Clarke, with the hope, as I was -informed, of discovering a silver mine. After going to. a depth of about 120 feet the thing WOB abandoned.. What grounds this person had for his hope I “could! not learn, further than that some quartz had been procured, with some whitish, glittering substance at- tached that was supposed to be, or to contain, silver» and it was in the expectation of striking a vein of this that a shaft was sunk, haphnztrd, as it appeared front the information given mc, in some adjoining land.

From Coolooloo the track takes across some broken iron and stringy bark ranges, occasionally com- ing upon fine, rich, alluvial flais, all under cultiva- tion. In fact, all the way from the plains to Mool gonia, a fine station of Mr. Smith’s, the rich lands on the banks of the Spring Creek and the Coolooloo Creek are under cultivation, principally by small set- tlers who rent the land. A

t one spot in particular, about midway between the inn I have mentioned and Moolgonia, these settlers are congregated so thickly as almost to form a village. Here a National School, well attended by scholars, has been for sometime es- tablished. Relative to a former teacher at this insti- tution, a rather amusing anecdote was tolJ me. It ap- pears that the dominie’s heart not being entirely fixed upon Mavor and Lindley Murray, had been encroached upon by the tender passion. A young native girl-I don’t mean a black-wild as the kangaroo on her country’s hills, graceful as the emu of the plain, and untutored usher colourdd countrymen, had, stolen away the affections of the poor pedagogue. The course of true’love, however, ran smooth enough for him.

He told his love, told it not in vain, and at last the happy day was fixed that was to give a mistress to the bark-roofed ‘ school, and a companion to tha hitherto lohely’doifiiñie. The poor fellow, however, seemed to be overcome by his success. Prior to his falling into Cupid’s snare he had been remarkably prim and neat, whereas now he gradually sank into the sloven-his hair unkempt, ungartcred hose, and slippered shoeB taking the place of his former neatness.

The bridal day-came round, “ the guests were bid, and the feast was spread ;” but the pedagogue, like ano- ther Petruchio, seemed inclined for a “ mad wedding.” His chin instead of %eing newly reaped, was blackened by a thick stubbly beard, his hair hung down in elfin locks, a dirty shirt and greasy trousers^ made him in no fit trim to meet the bride, blooming out as she was, through the spotless white of her attire. There was, however, something in the eye of the teacher thatr the bride did not like, and when summoned to the altar by the priest, on the very fiist question put by the rev. gentleman, if they wished to be married? she an- swered, “ He may, but 1 den’t-for I’m blowed if I ain’t jeerin of him !”

This reply came like a thunder- clap upon all assembled. The style of rejection was so original also, that it was some time before- the minister of religion could be made to understandithat the fair damsel wished to convey an impression that she was frightened at the manner of her would-be spouse.

However, there was no marriage, and in a few weeks after the dominie resigned the ferrule, to take up the sheep-crook and the pipe, having engaged in the Arcadian employment of shepherding in some very out-of-the-way part of the bush. I am spinning you a very long yarn about nothing, and you have no doubt the impression that I was very jolly ali along this road. Let me then undeceive you by saying at once that I heard this lute, whilst riding through a heavy snow-storm, the snow beginning to fall about half-an-hour after I quitted Mr. Jones’, and continuing in showers all day long, until towards evening, when it changed to a regular,and continuous heavy rain.

After passing Moolgonia, the track Jokes up the side of a range, and traverses its summit for some five or six miles, until it falls into a deep stony creek, on the borders of which I was well enough pleased to find a sheep station ; as even the poor accommodation I Bhould find there was sure to prove more acceptable than a night in the bush in such weather as I had that day travelled in. ‘

5 August 1857

THE GOLD FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES.BATHURST TO TUENA.

I FORGOT to mention in my last, that the road to the Trunkie Creek diggings branches off to the right at the back of the Moolgonia fences. It is distant about five miles from Moolgonia, and on one of the northern tri butaries of the Abercrombie, and is situated in the heart of the very wildest of the wild country that borders this river.

It contains a population of rather over 100 souls, of which about 70 are miners. This number was gradually increasing owing to favourable accounts that had got abroad of the success of some parties who had opened a new piece of ground.

It was said that 30 ounces had rewarded a party of four for a week’s work, but I do not mention this as a fact, having learnt it in the most casual way from a party of diggers travelling to the ground.

It boasts of only two stores, but has no inn; the latter circum stance forming a very good reason for my not visiting it. I was given to understand, however, that an ap plication for a license for this place had been lodged with the Commissioner at Tuena, and a house for the purpose was then in course of erection.

To return now to the sheep station, to which slip pery roads and heavy rains had consigned me for the night. I was hospitably received on my promise of a “ consideration,” the same weighty word also inducing extra personal comforts in every way, and evidently beyond the ordinary run of feeding witnessed in the hut, as the half-dozen children therein congregated opened their eyes with astonishment at the unex ampled display made upon the board. By the way, it is astonishing the difference that the gold-fields have made to the traveller in the bush.

At every hut, farm, or station that he comes to, he is examined through a chink of the door, or from behind a stack ; and the shortest possible answers are given to all in terrogatories, lest by inducing conversation he may be led to ask for that shelter, or refreshment, which some years ago was not only offered, but prepared as a matter of course.

In fact, now he is looked upon as though, like Washington Irvine’s schoolmaster, he were the spirit of famine descending upon the land to eat up the very fatness thereof.

Even the magic word “ payment” is often inefficacious ; and I have heard of instances of persons letting loose savage dogs when ever they saw strangers approaching. The family on the station in the present instance consisted of a man and his wife, two sons of 22 and 20 years respectively, a grown-up daughter, and some half-dozen youngsters gradually ranging down from 13 to 2 years old.

The two eldest each tended a flock of sheep, whilst the employments of such of the others as were capable of the work, consisted of plaiting cabbage-tree for the manufacture of hats.

This last branch of industry I was told turned in a very good income ; the prices at which they were sold ranging from 10s. for the most common, to 30s. for hats of the finest quality. Plait ing and making one of the latter kind would give one person full occupation for three weeks. Whilst here I witnessed one of the phases of a shep herd’s life, and one perhaps of the most disagreeable.

The youngest of the two sons lost the largest half of his sheep. The night was dark as pitch, the rain poured down in torrents, whilst the wind howled and groaned through the giant forest, making altogether as fine a Der Frieschutz kind of scene as the wildest of weird dreamers could wish for. How they were to find the sheep, for the two brothers issued out into the bush for the purpose, through all this “precious pother,’ I was at a loss to conceive ; but find them they did, some four miles away, though in such a situation that they could not be brought home till morning.

They had therefore to camp out with them through the whole of that stormy night, in a broken mountain country perfectly alive with native dogs, whose howl ings as they hovered round the tempting mutton pre vented even the faintest idea of sleep.

Numerous and good fires, with a constant look out by men and dogs, preserved the erratic flock, and I had the satisfaction of seeing them reach the station before I left. On starting the next morning I found my poor old horse none the better for his night’s exposure to the tempest ; he walked off as heavily and unwillingly as if he had been at the close instead of the beginning of a day’s journey. The track led over heavy rocky ranges for about three miles, and then descended a deep hill down to the Abercrombie River. By this time the rain had again set in, cold and sleety, threatening to make another day of it. However, it gradually changed to heavy showers, which wore off by degrees, and before I reached Tuena, the weather was once more fine. I crossed the Abercrombie, with about three feet of turbid muddy water on the ford, showing me that I was but just in time to escape being shut up by a flood. The same night, I believe, it came down high enough to prevent all crossing, except by swimming.

On the farther or southern side of the river I passed an old station, formed on a deep bend or point of the river, on which there had evidently been at some time a considerable amount of cultivation. The track now took up a stony creek, on which there had been a good deal of digging done, both the creek itself and the adjoining flats having been extensively worked. Not a soul was left, when I passed, to tell the tale of good or ill success, though something must have been got there to have induced men to do so much work.

The road now entirely deserted me, and I had only a number of tracks, diverging in every direction, from which to choose. About ten minutes’ examination of these led me to select one that appeared less like a cattle track than the rest, and by good luck it happened to be the right one. Doubtful of my road, and following this devious track through the very heart of the massive ranges that overhang the Aber crombie, the way seemed interminable, and when at last I was pulled up by two enormous kangaroo dogs that seemed half inclined to spring upon me and pull me off my horse, I was perfectly rejoiced for I was sure the brutes’ master was not far off.

Sure enough up came the dogs’ owner at full gallop, his air of ex citement changing at once to a scowl of regret as, in place of the kangaroo he anticipated, he met only an ordinary traveller. From him I learnt that I was on the right trail, and better still, that I was then no more than two miles from Tuena.

This distance was soon got over, and without further accident or adven ture I reached “ mine inn,’” in which I took “ mine ease,” with a feeling of luxury and comfort from the privations of two days that any one, looking at the miserable style of diggings’ public-houses, would have thought it impossible to experience.

18 August 1857

THE GOLD-FIELDS OF NEW SOUTH WALES.TUENA TO GOULBURN.

AFTER leaving Tuena, the road to Goulburn lies over heavy mountain ranges, now ascending a gully, then piercing a scrub on the stony summit of a ridge, then again descending by a winding pathway along the sides of almost perpendicular hills, or dipping boldly down the face of some prominent spur of the hill that offers a more than usual opportunity of descent.

I have, however, so frequently described mountain roads, that now, coming towards the close of my jour neyings, I begin to find that descriptive adjectives are wanting, and to fear that the reader, not having before his actual eye the scenes I have so very lamely de- scribed, may be led to fancy that there is a complete and general sameness. To the unpractised bushman, one gully may seem exactly tho same as another, the difference being imperceptible to him, whilst to the old denizen of the forest every minute object speaks aloud ; a dead limb, a prominent tree, a variation in the species of timber or in the undergrowth, or in the feed, a leaning of the boughs to this side or to that, the appearance of the bark of the trees, and a thousand other pecu liarities too minute for description in so general a sketch as mine has been, are all noted in a cliv d’oiel, by the old bushman, and make up the most important feature of his description.

These distinguishing marks are they that make the difference between the hills and valleys of the north, and those of the south. To read my description you would no doubt take them to be the same-the same generic features certainly are there : the abrupt hills, the heavy timber, the deep gullies, and rude chasms, worn hythe rush of water -all these are found in both places ; but yet there is a distinct and palpable difference, though made up of so many minute circumstances, that, unless all the points in which the change becomes perceptible had been noticed in the first instance, they could not be ap preciated in the last.

Nor, do I think the pen could adequately convey all that which only the eye of the experienced traveller can mark, since, as I have before remarked, I have over and over again heard persons declare that this and that gully were exactly alike : when I could at once perceive tho difference, though I could not convey the same impression to my compa nion, who had failed in the first instance to mark certain featurcs m the scene, and consequently could not value the alteration when his attention was drawn to it.

However, be this as it may, to go with one jump to Binda, a distance of 25 miles, the road throughout lies over a hilly country, until it comes down upon the swampy flat upon which Binda and its numerous neat and well-cultivated farms are situated.

From Binda, the track takes up the Crookwell River, which it crosses and recrosses several times, until at Mr. A. Long’s very pretty farming establish ment it takes up some low stony ranges of schist and quartz, the highest point here of the great dividing Range, since the Crookwell runs to the west, into the Abercrombie, whilst the waters on the other side run eastward and fall into the Wollondilly, which, joining Cox’s River, runs into the Nepean, and finds its way into the sea by emptying itself into the Hawkesbury.

The greater part of tho way from Binda to Flecknell’s Inn, a distance of 30 miles, was over what appeared to me to be a flat table land, exceedingly swampy, in fact so much so, that the road ran at times a full half- mile through water, which however never more than reached my horse’s knees. Occa sionally low rotten ranges, covered with dwarf timber, intervened between these morasses, and at times also low stony ranges, covered with mountain oak and ash, and dwarf and gnarled spotted gums afforded a relief that could not be fully understood and appreciated, except by one who had journeyed through, I can’t say over, such a watery way as this.

From Flecknell’s the evidences of heavy rain became stronger and stronger as I proceeded to wards Goulburn. Tho distance thence is only sixteen miles. The road runs over some beautiful low and well grassed ranges into a long gulley, along which it proceeds for eight or nine miles ; now on one side, now on the other, then crossing a low range, or skirt ing the side of a ridge, or dipping into a scrub, as the boggy nature of the ground or the protruding of the rocks rendered a detour necessary.

By degrees the gulley opens out into a fine broad creek, with richly grassed plains on either side, the timber becoming more and more scant, until it fails altogether over large areas, in which the eye wearies itself in tracing the windings of the road that appears jet black, or red or wite, according as the soil through which it cuts is varied.

Reaching these plains, I know at once that Goulburn is near, and soon the houses appearing in the distance tell me that I am not mistaken. The road thereupon becomes lighter, the ground is got over more readily, though certainly as regarded my nag, with some persuasion, rather stronger than mere words, and I reach Goulburn, almost fancying myself, from the appearances of civilisation around me, once more at home.

GOULBURN. Goulburn like Bathurst, has been laid out on an extensive tract of plain country. These plains stretch away to a long distance to the southward, and to a less distance towards the east and west, whilst to the North, heavy ranges of iron bark rise up from the level almost immediately on quitting the township.

The population of this town by the last Census, was 1770 souls, and since then there has been no addition by settlement, but if anything rather the reverse. It is however a very fine healthy spot, and the popula tion increases steadily every year, in the natural way.

Tho usual accompaniment to children-pigs-was wanting here, or at all events was not so prominently forced upon the attention of the traveller. Consider ing its size, there is an air of business and progress about the place that is most gratifying. As tho centre of a very large and extensive agricultural district, it has for many years past engrossed the whole business of supplying the small farmers, or cockatoo settlers as they used to be termed, that are planted round it ; whilst the diggings in its vicinity have naturally given it some considerable impetus and standing.

It engrosses the whole or nearly so, of the traffic with Tuena, and shares with Sydney in the supply of the Braidwood diggings. The town is very handsomely laid out, on fine gently undulating ground ; the streets, intersecting at right angles, have good broad roadways, such as Sydney would be much the better for possessing -though here again, the gaol, planted in the middle of the town, and fronted by a lock-up, and backed by tho Court House, forms a sad drawback to the prestige of the place, carrying back one’s mind to the days of old, when gaols and court-houses were the chief features of every country settlement, and when, to establish a township all that were requisite were a court-house, lock-up, and-scourger : with sometimes a public-house thrown in to bring business to the other establishments.

Those days have passed away, and with them, I would also wish to see these unsightly buildings, that are always telling us of what we, as a community, have been-not done away with – but kept out of sight instead of being needlessly protruded upon observation, as though their presence were neces sary to keep us in restraint.

There are some good buildings in the town, but none calling for particular remark, though, and it is worthy of observation, that the hotels here are without exception the finest houses in the town. There are branches here of the Union and New South Wales Banks, both doing a very fair amount of business, so far as I could learn. There is not much new building going on, though bricklayers and stonemasons command high wages. The ordinary daily pay of a skilled labourer (carpenter, &c.;) is 15s. ; bricklayers and stonemasons getting from 1s. to 2s. a day more than this. There are places of worship erected for Episcopa lians, Presbyterians, Roman Catholics, and Wesleyans, all being very neat brick edifices, and each well at tended. There is also a Baptist meeting house, but I was given to understand that it was not now used as a place of worship.

The schools under the Denomi national Board are four in number, and are attached to the four leading Denominations. Tho private schools however are very numerous, and some of them are of a much higher order than ordinary. The number of public-house licenses issued last licensing day, were for the town l8, and for the dis trict 20. Except during the sessions and assizes, the inns do not transact a very large nmount of business. Looking at the police records, rather a favour able opinion may he formed of the inhabitants of this district. The average number of cases of all kinds, from drunkenness upwards, disposed of daily by the Police Bench is about two.

The committals for trial from 1st January to the end of June were only 11, or not two per month ; whilst there had been but one committal since April. The heavier cases arise mainly from the unfortunate predilections of the deni zens of this part of the country-drink and fat cattle murderous assaults whilst intoxicated, and cattle steal ing being the more serious offences committed against the law. I was informed that the attendance of the unpaid magistracy was very punctual, except only in cases of flood or accident. The adoption of a roster on the Sydney principle has aided materially to effect this.

The population of the police district is 1329, ex clusive of the town, whilst during the last year 7804 acres of land were under cultivation. The produce is wheat, oats, barley, and potatoes, the proportion of each being in the order in which I have mentioned them. A large quantity of hay is also grown here. The climate is remarkably favourable for the growth of oats and other English products, gooseberries and currants grow very freely, and form rather a novel sight to the Sydney-born traveller who sees them in his native land for the first time. The yield of pro duce last harvest was estimated to have been fully 20 per cent, over that of the preceding year.

I was confidently informed that nearly the whole of, if not all the gold forwarded by escort from Goulburn, might be said to come from Tuena, whence there is no escort ; if such be the case it becomes interesting to enquire into the amount sent down hence. In March, of the present year, none was sent down, owing to the bulk of gold having been forwarded the preceding month to save the export duty. In April, 705 ozs. were sent down ; in May, 358 ozs. ; and in June, up to the 15th, 170 ozs. Taking the number of diggers estimated by me in my last letter as being at Tuena, this would give a very first-rate yield per head. I am, however, inclined to think that this quantity is swelled hy amounts sent down by parties at Tumut to their principals in Goulburn ; and the increased quantity latterly forwarded from Goulburn bears me out, to some extent, in this view.