MULLIGAN'S FIFTH EXPEDITION 459 



Having given the Coleman a fair trial, and satisfied himself 

 that it was not the alluvial goldfield which he had dreamed of for 

 years, Mulligan steered W. 35 N., on 2nd September, for some hills 

 seen in the distance. In 5 miles he got among the hills, and camped 

 2 miles further on. CAMP 70. He " had an opportunity of seeing 

 a great number of QUARTZ REEFS of enormous size, abundance of 

 ironstone and iron in the quartz, which really looks auriferous, 

 and would be so did any eruptive belt travel this micaceous slate 

 (slate has now set in)." Prospecting was rewarded, however, only 

 by " colours " of GOLD. 



On ^rd September, " a large branch of the Coleman, quite as 

 big as the Coleman itself, was passed in a mile and a half from 

 Camp 70 on a course of W. 35 N. It did not look promising, and 

 gave " no colours " on prospecting. [This was DISMAL CREEK, 

 up which I travelled (Camps 5 to 6) on nth December, 1879. 

 R. L. J.] After 5^ miles on the same course and 3 to N. 20 W., 

 through good pastoral country, CAMP 71 was pitched, on " a pretty 

 slate, but too light ; REEFS of unusually good appearance for 

 gold in all directions, and THERE OUGHT TO BE GOLD in this vicinity." 

 The party " tried hard " for some hours next morning ; as the 

 result is not stated, it was presumably negative or insufficient. 



On \ih September, on a N. 35 W. course, CAMP 72 was pitched 



on a river 150 to 300 yards wide, which Mulligan named the KING, 



after the Honourable H. E. King, Minister for Works and Mines. 



Mulligan had crossed the same river, between Camps 63 and 64, on 



26th August. I crossed the river (Camp 6 to 7, second trip) on 



j 1 2th December, 1879, 5 mu * es higher up, and had previously crossed 



it (Camps 43 to 44, first trip), 25 miles higher up on 2oth September, 



1879. HANN ran it down from its head (Camps 27 to 28) on 



i30th August, 1872, and crossed it 5 miles above my crossing of 



; 2Oth September, 1879. 



Of this day's journey, Mulligan says : " I never saw so many 

 : good-looking REEFS without gold in the gullies," and he resolved 

 j to prospect the neighbourhood. This was done next day, both to 

 | south-west and north-east of the camp. " Both parties got colours 

 | of GOLD ; this is auriferous country." In the river itself, the wash 

 I was too deep for efficient prospecting. 



From a hill south-east of the camp, Mulligan observed " a 

 ! notable landmark," bearing 43, which he took to be HANN'S 

 MOUNT NEWBERY. If the conjecture was correct, which it pro- 

 bably was, Mount Newbery must be the elevation now named 

 MOUNT RYAN on the 4-mile map. 



On 6th September, the party went north for 8 miles, and camped 

 (CAMP 73) on the divide between the KING AND HOLROYD RIVERS. 

 |The country looked promising for gold, but the prospectors " got no 

 Ishow." The camp was just inside the boundary-line of the HAMIL- 

 JTON GOLDFIELD of to-day. 



