Page:Old Westland (1939).pdf/113

Rh those days, and, as many of them were familiar with the West Coast, they were struck by the resemblance of the gold-bearing gravel or ‘wash,’ as it was called, to that which they had seen in their travels farther south. It is interesting to remark in passing that the Englishman, William Hammond Hargreaves, was likewise so much impressed by the similarity of the gold-bearing gravels in the ‘placer’ diggings in California to that which he had seen in New South Wales, that he made the journey back to Australia and discovered payable gold on the Turon in February, 1851.

“According to Waite’s account, he experienced very little encouragement from the people of Nelson to whom he mentioned his project. Indeed, he states that they laughed at the undertaking, and described him and his companion, Mr. Saunders Rogers, as ‘madmen from Victoria.’ However, he called a meeting of gold-diggers and laid his plan before them, and ultimately a party was formed who chartered the ketch Jane, and engaged Captain Jacobsen to take the party to the Buller. Apparently not more than seventeen persons embarked from Collingwood. The little vessel grounded at Farewell Spit, but was ultimately got off successfully, and the party entered the Buller safely two days later. Waite does not give us the exact date, but it was certainly in the month of June, 1860. Several of the party,