A LETTER FROM ZEEHAN.

Otago Witness, Issue 1959, 10 September 1891, Page 14

A LETTER FROM ZEEHAN.

The following letter speaks for itself :— Dnndas, Tasmania, August' 24. Mr Vincent Pyke. Dear Sir,— l promised I would write to you, and tell you all about this field as soon as I could gather any information of the field and what I could learn myself. Well, in the first place. lam well satisfied with is— that is, as a goldfield. As soon as I came here I went out to a gold rush seven miles from Dundas, called the King Biver. I was very luoky. The first day I got Joz ooarse gold. Of course that ■was for the party. There are four of us— all New Zealanders. We are making about £20 a week a man. There are a lot of New Zealand people on the river. The most of them are doing well. The river is flooded just now. It has been raining for a week without stopping. It is a frightful wet country. One is hardly ever dry-r-that is at outside work, for when it is fine the trees are dropping on you. Now for the silver field. As far as I can gather it will be a good field, for in the first place it is mostly Broken Hilts capital that ia here, and they ought to know something about it. There are over 2000 claims here, and a great number of them working. "Sou. would be surprised to see the " plant " some of them have ; and how they got it here with the bad roads I dont know. I think the railway won't be finished before New Year. The business people are doing well here, especially the hotels. There is a good business doing in New Zealand goods. Everything from New Zealand is dearer than any other country's produce. This place Is growing very fast. There ere about 10,000 people here-that is. all round the district. The road, or track rather, from Dundas to the King Elver Is the worst In the world. You have to walk half of the way on old logs and roots, besides going over the biggest peak in Tasmania— Mount Dundas. This place got a great kuook by the failure of the Bank of Van Diemen'* Land. Is will take It some time to recover. People think it will all come right again. There are some people speculating very heivily here in the'silver mines. I know one man from Broken Hill has£3o,ooo invested in the mines. This is a lively place, and a rough one— that is as far as drink Is concerned, bub the people are very nice and civil. My old friend, I have no more to tell you just now I am sending papers.— Yours, &0., Dkhwis Fogabty.