THE KIMBERLY GOLDFIELD.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 7171, 15 September 1886, Page 2

THE KIMBERLY GOLDFIELD.

NEWS FROM THE DIGGINGS. The N.Z. Herald correspondent wriLin? from Derby says :—" After the ■ anchor was down ono hour I went with tho captain oa board of the s.p. Tagliaferro, which arrived here from Melbourne on the •26th, with 230 passengers. I was speaking to two mt>n oi board that earns down from tho diggings. Their statement is that they have done nothing themselves, and they were returning back to Melbourne hard up, but so^e of! their shipmates were making 3oz ot goH per day, and others were doin? very well. They say there that nearly all that start from Derby to the field take fever and ague. They believe the cause is bad water. They came from the field to here in twelve days, and they speak very highly of tha road : an.l that a team oE horses and dray can go the road without any difficulty. Flour is selling on the field at 2s 61 per lb, and is scarce at that. There ara water holes and camping grounds all tho way at fro'Ji 7 to, 10 miles apart. They state they have seen quartz reefs, but no gold, as they had not an opportunity of trying it. They say should payable reefs be found that all the timber for mining must be carted up. There is no timber big enough for a prop in height or thickness. Tho country, as seen by me from the vessel as we came along the coast, bears out their version. It looks very barren. The scrub or trees look to be from 20 to 50 feet "apart, 'about 10 feet high, and six inches thick, with green tops something like mangrove. On tho road down niy informants passed oa the roadside several articles of clothing, picks, shovels, revolvers, tente, and other chattels, thrown away- by persons tired out. They state that any' party may do very well if they are provided with a dray and team of "horses, and a good supply of Ucker. Some can dig or fossick (aa the sinkiu? is only from six inches to one foot deep) while the others go with the dray for ii (ank of water to wash the stuff. They are bringing their flour and provisions up in a tunk, and afterwords using it for ttiat purpose. They say it is very little use goinjx rp before November. That is when tlie rainy season will set in, and there will be plenty of water to wash stuff with. They expect to be back by that time. A number of passengers that came in the steamer from Melbourne are going back in her, as they think the reports are not good enough for them to risk their lives. A THAMES MINER RETURNED.

Robert Clements, who has been mining for a number of years in Otago and at Waiorougomai, returned by the Waihora yesterday. He states : I left Auckland by the Mariposi about three months ago for Sydney. When I got there I found that the Kirnberloy goldfield was exciting a great deal of attention. I only remained a fow days in Sydney, and left for dinbridge Gulf in the steamer Tagliaferro. We were three weeks in reaching tho Cniribridge Oulf, as we had to go to Newcastle for coal, and had to return to that place on account of: bad weather. When we got to the Cambridge Gulf we found that the reports from the diggingß, were far from favourable. Wo found men who had come from Victoria, Queensland, and New Zealand. They all said there was little cr to gold. There were neither warden nor policemen on the field. The country around Wjndham in the Cambridge Gulf ia very poor ; sand and rocks were the only things jou could see. One man who had been on the field for some time had about a pennyweight of gold, which, ho had obtained by washing with a tin dish. In Ihe township of Wyndham you could take up a section for £2, on the understanding that when the stile came off you would get tho value of the buildings if another purchased it. There is just one street in the town, the water being in front of a hill at the back. If I had heard good news I would have gone oa the field. I had left to go thcro, I had money enough, but all the reliable information I could obtain was unfavourable. Of course, it is hard to say what will turn up when there has been a great deal of prospecting, aa it is a big country, but, at present there is nothing encouraging. _ . ,

Wanting a ciossing over the water table from Devon-street into the lane between Mr. Cudd and Mr. Sole's establishments, the expressmen of the town recently " went a shilling in," and have had one erected for themselveß at a cost of 235. We are in receipt of the new issue o£ the Sydney Bulletin, and ia its new dress it is a very great improvement on anything that Ins preceded it." The Bulletin, evidently strives to exclude from its artistically-condensed columns^all matter which is not of general human interest. The proprietors have recently gone to very great expense in- importing new printing micliines, improved appliances and processes for wood and photo-engraving, and superior printing-ink and paper, in order to keep tho paper a long way ahead of anything else produced in Australia. Mr. Phil. Miy, who recent'y came out from England (where ho xvas employed on such p ipers as St. Stephen's Review and Society) under special engagement to The Balkan, shares with the well-known Mr. Livingstone Hopkins the work of supplying illustrations ; and tho literary staff recently added to by the engagement of new English and Australian writer*, now includes tUo foremost liiteratuers o£ the old world and the new. The papenis Uioioughly Australian, and oonsisr'ently Democratic in its treatment of all the killing questions of the day ; is strongly opposed to the immigration of! the Cliine'se; and advocates an unsectarian progressive policy for Australia. With its present literary, artistic, and mechanical staff, it will largely add to the previous success which it has deservedly attained, The Phonetic Journal of Juue 5, says : — "On the Bth May. and again on the 21nd May, the Times, owing to tho largo number of advertisements, consisted of: three full sheets, or 2i pages. Tho three previous occasions wcro oa tho 21st June, and the 29ih June, 1861, and the Uth of Juue, 188-i." This large-sized paper seems to surprise our phonetic contemporary, and perhaps he will he startled todearnithat with tho Sydney Morning Herald a 24 page paper is a thing of almost weekly occurrence. During the year 1885, out of the 52 Saturday issues there were 26 of 2-i j.a^es — a size that ihe Times does not seem ever to havo reached— and the remainder were 22 pages. Besides these, the We'duesuay's issues were generally 18 or 20 page papers, and very seldom during tho week were there less than 12 pa^es. It bhoulil ha remembered that in tho case oi the Times these largo papers were " owiug to tlic large number of advertisements." ° The medical man who looks after the health of tho Uobart people, says tho Bulletin, is a gentleimn ot a somewhat vigoious turn of mind. A new arrival by one of tho Homo steamers relates that when the ship reached Uobart the health officer came alongside in a boat, and inquired after tho hoalth of the passengeri 'AH well,' replied the captain; <we had only one case of smallpox on board and the palient is now fully recovered.' 'If that's tho way with you, 1 roared the medical, "get up steam at once, and to with you out of this.' ' And did tho captain objy the order?" He diJ,' replied tno new chum, sadly ; "ho took uy right on to New Zealand."