The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-25 00:00:00

A GOLD DIGGER'S WARY.

We Manchester Exaneiner) have been favoured with
the perusal of some letters addressed to a relative in
Manchester, by a former resident in this city, located at
Nameless Creek, near Wombat Flat, Jem Crow Ranger,
Victoria, from which we have selected a few interesting
passages. The letters are dated between April and Octo-
ber of last year :
Having travelled over a large tract of this colony, both
in the inhabited and cultivated districts, and in those
which, like the one we are at present living in, are as
primitive in their wildness and luxuriance as it is possi-
ble for a lover of nature unadorned to desire, I am forced
to the conclusion that, in so tar as soil is concerned, that
of this colony is second to none on the face of the earth ;
but like that loveliest and most fruitful of European
kingdo:ns, Spain, it is cursed by a weak and embecile
Government, and clogged by the rust which chokes up
the wheels of the political machine in Downing•street.
In the course cf our travels we have traversed im-
mense plains producing the finest of Pasturage, and only
wanting the appEcation of the simplest elements of agri-
culture to make them as fruitful and productive of th'e
necessaries of lite as it is possible to desire; we have gone
through immense forests of the finest timber. To give you
au idea of their biz?, I may key that the one in which we
have pitched our tent extends in one direction about 20
miles, and filled with the most magnificent gum and
other trees, some of them upwards of 28 ft. in circumfe-
rence, and rising majestically for above 100 It , without a
single limb. One of these forests in England would be
of immense value ; but here they are almost., useless, ex-
cept as firewood ; and I dare say that Will and I burn
daily as much timber as would be worth in England,
about 15/. or 201.; and all it costs us is the trouble of
choosing, and then cutting it down. I may say ca pas
sent that we are become, from necessity, rather expert
woodmen.
The most surprising feature which, in this extraordi-
nary colony, has struck us, is the scarcity of water. In
traversing a distance of above 100 miles, we only crossed
two running streams, honoured here by the name of
rivers ; in England we should tail them small ditches,
for neither of them were of the importance of the
Blue: Brook which goes through Greeneeys. Tne
only means there are of obtaining water are a very few
springs, and water holes in the creeks, whine, are gene-
rely dry during the summer, except in a hew places
where the dep. h or size otherwise is greater than com-
mon, and then the water is bad and filled with innu-
merable insects and offensive creatures ; hoeeever, when
b oiled up, they do not materially affect the flavour of the
tea. I think I have touched upon the principal inanimate
features which I have thoUght deserving of notice. I must
now go to the animete—b•gisiniog with that noblest of
animals, the "cooking animal." I have seen very few
natives, not more than a score ; they are very low in the
scale of human intelligence ; and, whilst they arc not
very susceptible of improvement by education, are, I be-
lieve, very inoffensive. The men are not, in their per-
sonal appearance, ilelooking ; bnt alas for the tender
sex. They are very ugly and disagreeable to look at.
With these few observations, exit "Natives."
Descending in the animal classification to a consider-
able extent, I must place in the fiat rank, as being ex-
traordinary, the vast number of ants with which the
colony is overrun ; and I am obliged to ad pt the con-
clusion arrived at by a great American travelie', when
he wrote that South Australia was one great "ant
hill." In whatever direction.you go you meet with these
assiduous, but, lam compelled by experience to add,
most annoying of insects. Their number is not more
remarkable than their size, which in some species ex-
ceeds an inch in length ; and woe to the unhappy in-
dividual who, by carelessly sitting on the ground, or in
ignorance pitching his tent near their bills, exposes him-
self to their attacks, for they bite most severely.
The common fly, and a very uncommon fly, called
here the March fly, are very numerous. The latter are
very distressing.; they bite as bad as the ants, and it is
almost impossible to defend oneself from the swarms
which, during the heat of March, infest the country.
Spiders are here found of an enormous size ; one night
we were alarmed by seeing one in our tent the size of a
young crab. They are said to inflict a very severe sting,
and 1 suspect it was one of these gentry, or a centipede,
that stung my foot. Of aniin ils we have seen very few,
the largest being a quadruped called a wombat, about
the size of a pig ; .indeed it may be called the Aus-
traliau pig, from some resemblance it bears to that use-
ful animal. Where we are, opossums, kangaroo-rats, and
flying-squirrels, are the largest and mast numerous of the
four-footed ; and of the feathered species, besides the
parrots and parroquets, which are very numerous and
noisy, there are many varieties of most beautiful birds,
though they are small. To me, perhaps, the most inte-
resting little creature is the lizard. Next to the ants,
flies, and spiders, they are the most numerous and per-
fectly harmiess ; indeed they are cherished for the war
they wage upon flies
Fatigued by the hard work of the day, I always lay
myself down with a thankful heart upon our hard bed
of bark and fern. While lam writing it is raining in
the true Australian style, but we are perfectly sheltered
"from it, and to-night, by the side of our log fire, we
have been singing hymns and hymn tunes, which are dear
to us both, on account of their own beauty and of their

associations. We sang Jubilate " twice. The treble
was well-sustained by Mr. Edward, ably assisted by Mr.
John in the tenor, and ftdr. William in the bass. lam
not aware that our audience was a very appteciating
one. Our only neighbour would have been more at
home had we sung "Nix my dolly," and I am not suf-
ficiently able to discern by the Peculiarity of tone of a
neighbour'y opossum whetter he desired t, approve or
censure.
Edward and Will are, like myself, in the enjoyment
of pod health. The former this week made his debut
as a digger ; he has been hitherto taking initiatory les-
sons in the various duties of a life "in the bush." lam
sorry his first week's efforts at digging have not been very
encouraging. He ha• sunk two holes, both of them
shivers, i.e., good for ❑othing. He is digging a third,
which may be the saute. This is a result fer which every

digger is prepared. As digging for gold, blanks are the
rule, prizes the exception ; and the unfortunate are
thought lucky in being able to make bare wages.
Since Edward has been living with us we have found

it necessary to enlaro our esiablishment, which was
heretofore rather small for two. Our old tint wai fixed
in a low place, and during theleavy rains which some
two months ago Rer, ail the rivers and creeks runnin.4 a
small tributary stream took izs rise behind our tent, and
after fin wiug though it fell into the ?reek some distance