426 NORTHMOST AUSTRALIA 



1874, by Douglas's Track and diverged towards tributaries of the 

 KENNEDY (as he says, though it seems more likely that they were 

 LAURA waters) where he got GOLD, but not in payable quantities. 

 He then spent a few days on the " LEFT-HAND BRANCH," or NORTH 

 PALMER RIVER, camping at the highest point which he had reached 

 on the first trip. 



Leaving the NORTH PALMER on 2yd May, Mulligan camped on 

 the PALMER proper on the 25^. On the 27^, while he and his 

 party were prospecting down the river, they were ATTACKED BY 

 BLACKS. " After being three times repulsed," he writes, " they 

 made a furious rush at us as we were leaving the camp. I never 

 saw blacks so determined. The long grass, scrub and high ridges 

 were greatly in their favour. Three of us got marked by them. 

 They will, however, for the future, know the effect of the rifle in 

 that locality." The most seriously WOUNDED of the party was a 

 man named PETER ABELSON, and he was reported, eight days later, 

 to be nearly well again. 



At this time PALMERVILLE was the headquarters of the Gold 

 Commissioner (Howard St. George), 1 and EDWARDSTOWN, between 

 the Palmer and North Palmer, and north of the present township 

 of Maytown, was the " Commissioner's Upper Camp." MULLIGAN 

 visited both camps, and LEFT EDWARDSTOWN on a trip to the Mitchell 

 Valley on \th June. 



Crossing the PALMER where MAYTOWN now stands, the party 

 crossed Oaky Creek, a tributary of SANDY CREEK, and cut the 

 latter about 20 miles above its confluence with the Palmer, and 

 CAMPED on i$tb June at PINE CREEK, one of the heads of SANDY 

 CREEK. PAYABLE GOLD was got in both these localities. Inci- 

 dentally, Mulligan DEFINES " PAYABLE GOLD," i.e., gold which it 

 would pay the party, under then existing conditions, to stop and 

 work, as " not less than I oz. per man per day." He mentions 

 that " all the branches on SANDY CREEK are now occupied by people 

 too late for OAKY CREEK ; they are in most cases getting good gold. 

 ... I am told that men are now leaving the UPPER PALMER, 

 where some are making 2 to 3 oz. per week. . . . The lower part 

 of SANDY CREEK has been worked for months, and considered poor ; 

 the people are now making their way upwards." He also refers 

 to " numerous good-looking REEFS for gold right opposite OAKY 

 CREEK." 



Mulligan's CAMP ON OAKY CREEK was about 6 miles west of 

 the subsequently discovered CANNIBAL CREEK TIN LODES. 



The horses were suffering from the cold in the high land at the 

 PINE CREEK CAMP, and Mulligan gladly left it on yth July, and 

 crossing the divide to the south, dropped down on " MITCHELL 

 WATERS." It was not, however, the Mitchell itself which was first 



1 Mr. St. George was appointed Police Magistrate at Cooktown, and Mr. P. F. 

 Sellheim became Warden of the Palmer in July, 1874. 



