of the neighbouring
valleys, and when he was absolutely certain that the hopes he had so
warmly indulged would not prove empty, he set out for Sydney, taking
care, however, to breathe no word of what he thought or of what he had
proved. On the 3rd of April he wrote a letter to the Colonial Secretary,
in which he stated that, if the Government were willing to give him
L500, he would point out localities in New South Wales where gold was
abundantly to be found. In reply, the Colonial Secretary announced that
no preliminary reward could be given; but that, if he chose first of all
to point out the localities, he would afterwards be recompensed in
proportion to the results. He accepted these conditions; and Mr.
Stutchbury, the Colonial Geologist, was sent to accompany him to the
Summerhill Creek. On the 8th of May they set to work, and soon obtained
several ounces of grain gold; on the 13th, they discovered a single
piece worth L30, and next day Mr. Stutchbury reported to the Government
that he had seen enough to convince him that the district was rich in
the precious metal. Five days afterwards, the little valley of the
Summerhill contained four hundred persons, all stooping over the creek
in a row about a mile long, each with a dish in his hand, scarcely ever
raising his head, but busily engaged in washing the sand for gold. Lumps
were frequently found of value varying from L5 to L200. A week later,
there were a thousand persons at work on the creek near the formerly
lonely gully.

#4. Rush to the Goldfield.#--The excitement throughout the colony now
became intense: workmen quitted their employment, shepherds deserted
their flocks, shopkeepers closed their stores, and a great tide of
fortune-seekers pressed onward, day by day, to the west. Most of these
had sold everything they possessed, in order to make up a little bundle
of necessary articles. Yet there were very many but ill-provided for a
lengthened stay; they hurried along the road with the fallacious idea
that gold was simply to be shovelled into bags and carted to Sydney. But
when they came upon the scene, and saw that in the case of most of them
it would only be after weeks and months of severe and constant toil that
they could be rich, they grew faint-hearted, lounged for a week or two
on the diggings, and then started for home again; so that, for some
time, there was a counter-current of grumbling and discontented men
passing back to Sydney by the road. These