A Small Retreat.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1977, 6 May 1875, Page 2

A Small Retreat.

On Monday — that is, yesterday —a number of men left here for Mackaytown, the scene of their former camp, alleging

as their reasons that the approaching winter would be too'severe in such a locality as Tairua, and that prospecting would necessitate too much travelling, the ground having been taken up for such a considerable distance all round the prospectors. A rumour which has floated here of a new discovery at Rotokohu may have had something to do with the exodus.

Hogg's Store. Mr Hogg has erected a receiving store at Furiri, and a great convenience it;has been found. To this store come «11 the packers with their horses, a sort of station, and in this store repose the packers themselves; who are ay jolly and "miscellaneous a set of packers as one could wish to bo packed amongst. A man iremploycd at so much per week to stay- at--this store, and one of his duties is .to keep blazing like a .cheery beacon,' a tremendous fire, by which the packev» are wont to warm themselves, and a***l^*; which th ere are some awful stories^R*^ which in their evident and monstrous improbability, would unsettle the brain of a Yankee, liar of the first water., - s ,_ , -.- A Packer's Horse. . A horse belonging to Mr Warren came to an untimely tnd on Tuesday, and the manner of his going' was thus, in brief. The road was slippery and uncertain, the horse, poor beast, may have been tired ; and he fell—a victim to the road's outrageous condition—over a precipice. 300 •feet in depth. Mr Leydon-was in the rear witk two horses, and he immediately rendered all. the assistance in his power, and the pack wan recovered; but. the horse was as dead as fifty door-nails. Wednesday.A Visit to the Pros- iX pectprs.. y ; £■-:: I visited the Prospectors in order to be satisfied on one pr.two points, there havnig been much dissatisfied talk about iio gold being fortbcoming.' ,Mr .D^trei took about two pounds of sterna outjef ike shaft on the top level, and lomei/df tips I panned off, obtaining withomtaay trouble ldwt. of gold.: Alio got k prospect from No." 2. He informed me.~that < he got 6 ounces of gold from.a erevitiD in the ground, there having been onlyaijout,. a bag of stuff. Later in the day several lots tried averaged from 12 to 15dwts. to the dish.' A drive on a lower level is , being put in, but the ground is very hard, v j and powder has not much effect upon it;- ---! Which Road P ■ Mr Butler has offered to take ihe:p7Qß- ■> pectors quartz overland to Shortland for £8 per ton; but Mr Jackson has offered to convey it from Tairua and thence by sea to Shortland for the same amount.