THE PALMER RIVER GOLD FIELD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3905, 22 August 1874, Page 3

THE PALMER RIVER GOLD FIELD.

TO THE EDITOR. Srn—l notice in your issue of Bth its', a telegram on the rush to the Palmer River, which concluded with this extract:—"This news is contained in theCooktown Herald, and is the report of the Hon. H. Yaldin (?) to that journal. It must therefore be cautiously received."'

■As that gentleman is not'likely to have an opportunity of defending himself from the insinuation through not obs?rvingit, J wish to do so for him. and state to the best of my belief he is not the kind of person to publish false reports, and draw diggers to a goldfield, without good cause. If he did originate the ii formation, it was written in good faith; and as he is :i cautious nnd honourable man, it may betaken as substantially correct as far as he knew.

I should have passed this by unnoticed, but observing an nrlicle in another newspaper on the same subject and from the same souice, I thought it advisable to say something in tlie matter, and while on the subject I may as well let the miners in Otago have tlie benefit of a six years' experience in the interior of Queensland, which may prevent a hasty departure there without grave consideration. In the first place, it is expensive to get there. The steamer or a sailing vessel has to be taken to Sydney, whence another goes to Brisbane or Rocidiiuiipton, and sometimes a third boat is entered before getting to the seaport of the diggings. On arrival, the weather will be commencing to get hot, and the fierce sun of the tropics would have to be endured for six months. Amongst the attendant difficulties of a newly settled country such as that part of Queenstown, fever and ague willpossibly attack many, especially new arrivals unused to the climate, while drought prevents prospecting, and often drives back diggers from good claims. Provisions and other necessaries are always dear at a new rush, especially where so remote; and probably the Wacks will enjoy a massacre or two. for the natives of Northern Queensland are not to be despised as they are further south. Howevei good the diggings may be, it is a serious matter to risk so much, especially as the character of a goldfiekl often changes so rapidly from an apparent sure fortune in a few weeks to less than "tucker" immediately after. 1 have also been a good deal on the goldfields here, and if I was a miner should prefer existence in New Zealand, with small savings, to the uncertain prospect of a fortune in tropical Queensland ; but, while expressing this opinion, I am fully aware that it will not have the slightest effect with certain diggers who live on excitement and rash madly anywhere. '

I have gone into these details, as it is better than following the system often adopted in the articles written for the newspapers of the sister Colonies to the one which happens to possess a new and good goldfield. This system everyone is aware consists in qualifying tlie information with some " damper" against the locality where the El Dorado lies, or, as in the present case, throwing some doubt on tlie statements by associating them with a tame, which act can do no good, and may lead to harm. The person who originated the insinuation respecting the truth of Mr "ialdwyn's statements evidently knows nothing of that gentleman, or possibly was prejudiced against him. Very likely the statement was made from hearsay, which aE the world knows cannot lie relied on.

In conclusion, I may remark that a newspaper cannot be too careful about what names it publishes in connection with information sucli as a rush, for, independent of the liability to prove their assertion, if it was found, after thousands had gone there, that it was only " a patch,' and no general goldfield, the unhappy author of what was probably true intelligence so far as it went, might meet with much unpleasantness, and the newspaper which published his name would be liable if he suffered in any way. ■ * W. B. Yaldwyn. Leith street, 18th Aug.

AMUSEMENTS.