First Thrugh Tautuku forest. TO THE EDITOR.

Otago Witness, Issue 2556, 11 March 1903, Page 33

First Thrugh Tautuku forest. TO THE EDITOR.

Sir, — I see in your last week's Witness a letter headed "First Through Tautuku Forest," in which it is said no trace of Dr Schmidt, the lost explorer, was ever found. Well, I recollect reading in an Invercargill paper som« 18 or 20 years ago an. account of the finding of the skeleton of a man in Seaward Bush, and lying beside- it was the remains of a coat with some- rather peculiar brass buttons, also compasses and the remains of a telescope. No one in the locality seemed able to give a clue as to ■whom they belonged, until the lp.te Mr Vincent Pyke, after making inquiries, gave it as his opinion, in the "Witness at the time that it was the remains of a German doctor who had set out to explore the forest south of the Molyneux some 30 years previously, and was never again heajrd of. _X ow, as Mr Pyke An the early sucties had done some considerable exploring for the Provincial Government, no doubt he would have acquainted himself with all the facts, of a, predecessor's attempts in the field into which he himself was then about to embark; aud I think that that judicial-minded gentleman would be sure of his grounds before passing a verdict. I might here mention something I heard at the time, or shortly after, this explorer was lost. In 1857 1 was a passenger on a bmall schooner, the Mary Thomson, which traded on the coast. While on board I happened to overhear a conversation between Captain iluirhead, master of the vessel, and Captain Thomson, owner, who was also a passenger. Captain Muirheadi asked Captain Thomson if anything had been heard of the explorer who had been lost at the Toi Tois. Captain Thomson answered no and further on said that it was impossible that he cnuld yet be alive, as it was then 18 months since he had been lost. — I am, etc., J. A. Wbaytt. Garston, March 9.