A VISIT TO THE WESTERN GOLDFIELDS.
BY OUR SPECIAL REPORTER
No. 29.
When I wrote last we separated at Richardson's Point, and now we meet again on the
ranges to the southward of that place. When passing over numerous gullies, all falling
through deep ravines into the basin of the Meroo, we observe many indications of the
presence of gold in the numerous watercourses, none of which have been worked or even
prospected. The diggers are generally aware that gold is to be found on these heights, but
the uncertainty of the supply of water causes them to prefer the banks of the main stream.
From our elevation we observe a multitude of Chinese, who crowd the margin of the river,
and occupy flats that some weeks since were deserted, and now proceeding onward we at
last reach the summit of the plateau, over which a journey of about eight miles brings us
to the Louisa, where we remark that the tents are much more numerous than at our last
visit. We arrived just too late to witness a meeting held outside the courthouse, supposed
to be a meeting of miners, with reference to the petition to his Excellency the Governor
General for the establishment of a local court. I was informed that the assistant-commissioner
presided, and that those present were chiefly officials, storekeepers, and
publicans, with their respective hangers-on. The few miners who did attend appeared to
take little interest in the proceedings, and the speakers were all either officials or
members of the trading population, who viewed this unlooked-for movement of the
diggers with unmitigated disgust. The publicans were the most decided opponents, but
how they are interested in the matter it is difficult to discover, unless it be that they
suspect that the diggers are somewhat disposed to take measures to reduce the number of
spirit licenses, which there is a growing opinion are much too numerous on some of the
gold-fields for the welfare of the community. Some few of these licenses are in the hands
of men who are of the highest respectability, and who would do credit to any description
of trade that they might choose to engage in but there are some also held by men who
offer no accommodation to the traveller, and whose houses, if their slab and bark
erections, pervious to every blast, may be so called, are dens of vice and fountains of
misery. These men, risen from the lowest class to the possession of a hut, a license, and a
cask of rum, with perhaps some half dozen gin bottles, are apt to overrate their own
importance, and to form their estimate of the diggers generally from their experience of
the few crawling sycophants that hang about their premises, and whose absence from the
gold-fields would be a positive benefit; these degraded beings look upon the lord of the
rum cask as the man par excellence: they almost bow down and worship him. He is, no
doubt, their mouthpiece, but he neither is nor ever was the representative of the
respectable hard-working digger, who is always ready to take care of his own interests.
Leaving the Louisa, we descend the broken ranges by the track that leads to Maitland Bar,
and again reach the banks of the Meroo; here, I found that a trooper, in full fig, had just
left the following document at G. Weale's store, for signature: — "We, the
undersigned miners and others on Louisa Creek, having heard that there is a petition in
course of signature for the establishment of local courts in these districts, beg most
respectfully to lay before your Excellency our decided objection to the formation of such
courts for the following reasons, viz.: That the population on these gold-fields being
greatly scattered, it would be impossible to find men willing to sacrifice sufficient of their
time, and attention for the purpose of carrying out such arrangements, and making such
rules as would be necessary for the proper working thereof. We also consider that such
courts are still further unnecessary, in consequence of the high degree of confidence
evinced throughout this locality in our present Commissioner, Captain Brown, who, in all
cases that have been brought before him for adjudication, has given entire satisfaction by
the impartiality of his decisions as to leave no desire on our part for any change. To his
Excellency the Governor-General," &c.
As the storekeeper is popular and a
publican, I have no doubt that he will obtain a few signatures. I have been informed that
duplicate copies have been forwarded to Tambaroora, and Richardson's Point, with the
same object.
Leaving Maitland Bar, we now commenced the, descent of the Lower Meroo, when
following the, stream for about a mile you arrive at Jefferies Point, opposite to which a
party of experienced miners have taken up their winter's quarters, and are busy working
on a point that promises to turn out well if the drought continues for a few weeks longer.
This point has long been known to contain gold, but water has hitherto defeated every
attempt to reach it. Two hundred yards lower down a strong party of Chinese are at work
draining a large waterhole, from which, they have great expectations. Their work will
facilitate the operations higher up the stream. As you advance you find a few scattered
parties of the same people washing the drift, by which they realise but a meagre return for
their labour, although the low state of the river, which is now little better than a string of
water holes, is all in their favour. The stream now becomes tortuous, the banks steep and
rocky, and the mountains in confused masses, sparsely wooded, close in on either bank.
For three miles the track leads over a succession of rugged ridges, composed of the
coarser schists, in which little or no quartz is to be found. In all this distance the river
offers no inducement to the miner; the Chinese, however, have been busy with the drift,
and piles of tailings here and there mark the site of their labours; you now arrive at a wide
undulating flat on the south bank richly grassed and diversified with groups of forest trees,
whose bright foliage is in strong contrast with the sterile wilds through which we have
just passed. The Louisa Creek here flowing between grassy banks divides the plain, and
disembogues into the Meroo; this portion of the creek presenting but few auriferous
indications has never been disturbed; below the junction the channel of the Meroo
expends, and forms an extensive shingly bar which has been rooted up, first by
Europeans, and subsequently by Chinese, as you progress you find that the lower
extremity of the flat has been worked over an extended area, and that at one period it was
the scene of a large encampment, at pre- sent but a few Celestials occupy the ground --
who are scarcely earning a subsistence. The mountains now increasing in rugged
grandeur, again close in upon the river, which becomes if possible more tortuous in its
windings between the dark masses of lock which impede its progress; occasional alluvial
flats of limited extent heavily timbered with that most unsightly of all trees, the stringy
bark, may be seen between the base of the precipitous ascents of the ranges and the river,
sometimes on one bank, and sometimes on the other; most of these flats have been
apparently exhausted of what little gold they ever contained, and are now occupied by
small detached parties of Chinese, who keep perpetually shifting up and down the stream,
indicating a dissatisfaction with the yield, which is not surprising when the general
formation and almost total absence of quartz is taken into account. You now pass Clarke's
Point, and lower down, Deadman's Point, when the banks of the river being no longer
practicable, the track leads over broken ridges for two miles, when it descends upon
Commissioners' Flat also heavily timbered -- opposite which mountains piled on
mountains rise precipitously to the plateau; the river here again expands, and its bars are
crowded with Chinese, who have a straggling encampment on the flat, with a butchering
establishment and stores; judging from, the number of bullock heads and hides lying
about, they must derive a considerable trade with the scattered parties up and down the
stream. A portion of this flat, entirely of alluvial formation, is very deep, and has
evidently once formed the main channel. On this spot the celestials have sank several
shafts, which they are working with great skill, and all of which, as far as I could learn,
are productive; a coarse chlorite schist is still the prevailing rock, and as quartz is scarce
it is probable that the gold procured here, which is fine and scaly, must have been brought
down from the upper part of the river with the drift. Still following the path which cuts-off
a large bend of the stream you arrive at Sheep Station Point, an elevated sloping
declivity at the base of a range; here a number of holes on the slope, about 300 yards
above the water level, mark the course of an old channel which has been exhausted; but it,
like all the works in this locality, never did more than pay for the labour expended upon it.
As you advance you come upon another party of Chinese working in the banks. A broad
swamp to the south- ward now forms Turtle Point, where two whites and a few Chinese
are occupied washing the drift, and making but little by their labour. The ranges on the
southern bank now become less precipitous, and send down long spurs which sink into
the stream. On one of these a crowd of Chinamen have discovered payable ground on a
bench about 400 feet above the stream. It appears to be more productive than usual, as
they are working it with great care. This also is an ancient channel, the direction of which
can be traced by the shafts and excavations. As you proceed the aspect of the country
becomes more wild and gloomy, the schist is broken by bonds of dolorite, and porphyritic
rocks exposed by denudation on the crests of the lower ridges, and advancing over rough,
broken spurs flanked by, precipitous ranges you find these rocks give place to syenite,
amongst which detached blocks of coarse schists in every variety of contortion and
dislocation may be seen, but still no quartz. The river here flows between banks from 30
to 50 feet deep, formed of the debris of the ranges on either hand, and the summit of these
banks form marginal flats a few yards in width, along which many shafts have been sunk
with indifferent success. The flats are broken by rounded ridges of igneous rocks,
forming points round which the stream has forced a passage. On the northern bank
mountains rise from the water's edge, in which the schists predominate, and the river
seems to have worn its channel between the schistose and igneous formations. The miner
has never been remunerated for his labour here, although a few wandering Chinese are
still to be found passing the drift through their cradles.
Passing over a ridge of syenite, you now cross another, on which the transmuted schists
again appear, in which two quartz reefs occur, and immediately descend upon a large
declining flat, at the extremity of which is Golden Point. The hills on the northern bank
are still steep and rugged, but to the southward they recede for some distance, and, with a
semicircular sweep, enclose the flat. One long spur here falling from the range offers the
only means of ascending to the plateau, to be found for several miles, and is known as the
Gap, the two quartz reefs previously noticed emerging from the transmuted rocks, and,
passing through the schists, intersect the spurs at the head of the flat, and have supplied
the gold, which, has been found a few feet under the surface on the north-eastern side.
The shingly drift to be found in the straight reaches with the banks of the river have both
yielded a considerable quantity of gold from time to time and continue to be productive.
This locality is at present occupied by Chinese, in great force, who have here established
their head-quarters, and have amongst them a capacious butchering establishment, and
several stores, and taverns or eating-houses, to all of which smoking divans are attached,
where John can regale himself with a pipe of opium at pleasure. It is somewhat singular
that these people should adopt so few of our customs or habits in their encampments, and
adhere so steadfastly to their own imported ideas. Chinese butchers, storekeepers, and
tavern-keepers understand their respective trades quite as well as the same class of
Europeans on the gold-fields, and are, as a community, much better educated. They can
all read, write, and keep correct accounts, while it is no uncommon thing to find a
licensed publican or a storekeeper amongst the Europeans who can neither write nor read,
and many more could be found who can simply scrawl their names, without being able to
specify the letters which compose them. No statistical account has ever yet been
published which fairly represents the frightful ignorance of the rural population to the
westward. If it could be tested, not twenty-five per cent, of the population exceeding ten
years of age would be found able to write half a page from dictation, or read a chapter
from the Bible fluently.