Page:Banking Under Difficulties- Or Life On The Goldfields Of Victoria, New South Wales And New Zealand (1888).pdf/135

126 The following extract is from the Westport Times:—

“1st February, 1869.—The Banks of New Zealand and New South Wales have lately closed their agencies in Brighton, and the agents were bringing to Charlestown, on pack-horses, the books and papers of the two offices, and their gold and cash. After their arrival in Charlestown it became known that between that place and Brighton some travellers had been picking up brand new sovereigns or half-sovereigns in situations where current coin of the realm is not usually to be found. It is nothing unusual in that particular district to find gold amongst shingle and sand, but it was a phenomenon even to old diggers, to find it bearing Her Majesty’s image, and the mark of the mint. Suspicions were excited, and the bank agents wisely counted their cash. The Bank of New Zealand agent found his correct. The agent of the Bank of New South Wales did not, and it is said that a deficiency of about £150 was discovered, and it was further discovered that what had happened at Hokitika had happened here. A nail in the pack-saddle had penetrated one of the saddle-bags containing gold coin, and, by the jolting of the horse, the money had been shaken out along the road by which the party had come. An immediate and diligent search was of course made on behalf of the bank, but we believe it resulted in the recovery of only some £3 10s. The officials and the police had been anticipated by some persons who had got upon the trail some time sooner, and it is probable that some of the money remains yet to be found, concealed as it has probably been by traffic along the sands. Future travellers by the beach road may yet benefit themselves, or, if they are honest, the bank, by making it a part of the object of their journey to search for some of the undiscovered coin. It is not recorded that as yet anyone has discovered more than a few half-sovereigns, or has thought of delivering the same to the bank. It is insinuated, however, that there was for one night a considerable amount of spare cash among some people at Charlestown, and that there was more liberality in the matter of ‘shouting’ than is usual at the present dry season and dull times. Some are said to have recognised the occurrence as a ‘special Providence,’ happening as it has done when money is rather scarce, and when, for want of water, the metal in its pure state is not procurable. Mr. Walmsley is said to have been the agent in whose charge the money nominally was at the time of the loss, and, if that is the case, Mr. Walmsley has certainly very bad luck, for it is not the first or the second occasion on which he has been associated with similarly purely accidental but unfortunate circumstances.”

This being the third loss made by Walmsley, the bank authorities, naturally enough, came to the conclusion that he must be a very careless man, and so wrote to me. Knowing him to be anything but that—in fact a most careful, steady man—I