four tons of goods to what is now called Palmerville, at L120
per ton. This price enabled me to engage a Chinese cook, so that I could
devote all my attention to looking after the bullocks.

After delivering my L120 loading, I made all haste on my return and
succeeded in obtaining another load of four and a-half tons at L100 per
ton.

Cooktown at this time (towards the end of 1873), was composed wholly of
tents. Diggers, who had been more or less successful, were arriving on
their way to "the Bay" (Townsville), or farther south.

I think that the Palmer was the last real alluvial gold rush in
Australia, and the class of men who followed such rushes in the search
for gold is now extinct. Imagine to oneself the "lucky digger" in cord
pants, top boots, red shirt, and sash with fringes hanging down, the
whole topped by a wide-rimmed felt hat, and we have a man who may be
seen in present-day picture shows. There were some doubtful characters
among the diggers, but they were as a general rule a fine stamp of men,
slow to form friendship, but this once made, was loyally given and
maintained when fortune smiled, and not withheld when she frowned, on
one or other. The digger of the past was not often known to desert or
turn down the man or woman to whom he once gave his friendship. Some
were highly connected in other countries, some had been "'Varsity men."
I once assisted to bury the remains of one whose real name could never
be learnt. From the clothes found in his camp, it could be seen that
they originally had been marked, but the name had been cut out from each
article. I found two volumes from which the names had also been cut out;
these were "Sheridan's Works" and "Cicero's Works" in Latin. Many
passages in the books were well marked with marginal notes in pencil,
and both showed signs of being well studied.

Carriage was invariably paid in gold at the standard of L3/15/- per
ounce. On sending the gold to the Sydney mint through the banks it
realised L4/7/6 per ounce, which, at the time, was considered to be a
record price. The bank and shipping charges, and insurance, etc.,
amounted to 7/6 per ounce, so that we had a clear profit of 5/- per ounce
on the gold by sending the gold to Sydney instead of paying it into the
banks.

At Palmerville I met, for the first time, Dr. Jack Hamilton, afterwards
M.L.A. and whip for the National Party in the Parliament of 1888. Among
the Palmer diggers Hamilton was extremely popular