VAN DIEMAN'S LAND.

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 67, 17 April 1852, Page 3

VAN DIEMAN'S LAND.

There are still many rumours of the discovery of gold in this colony, but as yet no bona fide " diggings" appear to have been discovered. The Colonial Times says:—lt is reported on good authority that gold has actually been discovered in the district of the Bay of Fires. Several parties have gone from Hobarton. A Mr. Douglass, an experienced hand, forfeited his passage to Victoria, and is now exploring the new field with sanguine prospects of success. The whole of the country from Fingal to the Bay of Fires is believed to be auriferous by geologists. Mr. Sprent, the government surveyor, stated to us that he entertained this opinion many months ago, and Strezleski, in his voluminous work, points out the same places as being productive of the precious metal.

The Legislative Council of Van Dieman's Land has completed its Session. The following Eesolutions introduced by Mr. Gregson were carried, shortly before its breaking up, all the Government officials voting on one side, and ejjsry one of the Representative members on flic other. Nothing can exhibit more powerfully the state of public feeling in the colony as to the Transportation question. 1. That, from to 1851 inclusive, this colony paid the sum of £259,350. 7s. 4d. for Judicial expences and for Police and Gaols, after deducting the repayments made by the English Government.

2. Ihat this Council has been called upon to vote the sum of £53,219. Jos. 3d. for Police and Gaols, and for Judicial expences for the present year, in addition to the sum of 16,0001. for Judicial expences, and the administration of justice by the Australian A;t of Parliament, making a total of 69,2192. 15s. 3d., of which* 25,000 Z. is. to be repaid by the English Government.

3. That, in the Legislative Council, protests were made year after year against the injustice of taxing this colony to provide for the Police and Gaols necessary for the control of British convicts ; but that the only result of these protests has been the repayment of 25,000 per annum, a sum quite inadequate to the expence thrown upon the colony by the transportation system.

4. That the population of the colony, as appears in the census taken on the Ist March, 1851, was 70,130, of whom 17,099 were then convicts sent into this country in opposition to the repeated remonstrances of the inhabitants. That, from official documents, it appears that of those who are tiied before the Criminal Courts of the colony, the number of transported offenders, as compared with the number of free persons, is in the proportion of thirteen to one ; but that the Sheriff is of opinion that not one in twenty of those who, upon their trials, represent themselves as free, arrived free in the colony.

5. That on the 31st of December, 1851, there \vet%> 20,069 Convicts in the Colony ; and that the "(lumber of Policemen now employed is 466, of whom no &sss than 332 are themselves Convicts.

6. Tls^t the, reform, or even the discipline of the mass of the criminals in this country is not to be hi-j^ed for: that the officers of the convict department themselves admit that 784' have absconded : that the moral and social interests of the colony would be most effectually promoted if all the convicts sent here could escape from the island as soon as they landed ; that their escape would be illegal, but that this opposition of the law to the just feeling of the colonists forms another proof, if more evidence were required, of the evils of transportation.

7. That this council has shown every disposition to avoid embarrassment to the Local Government, and is willing to augment tliepay of the Police for the present year, under the circumstances connected with the discovery of gold in Australia; but that after the present Session, if transportation shall be

continued to this colony, this Council will not vote more than one-thirteenth part of the Police and Gaols, nor more for any other expenditure connected with the control of management "of criminals that this country would be subjected to if it were a free colony.

VICTORIA

The Launceston Examiner of the 11th Feb., says:—We have papers by the City of Melbourne to Friday last.

The gold is still abundant, although instances of very great success do not seem to be so numerous as before. The two last escorts from the diggings brought together 27,941 ounces of gold. The papers differ in their statements of the amount of disorder and prevalence of " Lynch-law" at the mines. The Geelong Advertiser says, "It seems, now, that beyond doubt Lynch-law, or the usurpation of all authority by the populace, has established itself at our diggings." A correspondent of the Argus says " that the propriety of the establishment of the system of Lynch-law, failing other protection, is being generally canvassed. Several cases of " Lynching" have occurred at Bunningong. A trooper, belonging to the Mounted Police, of the name of Goldman, deliberately aimed his carbine at Corporal Harvey, and shot him through the breast. A robber was shot while entering a tent. It was not known where he was hit, but he was traced by the blood for a considerable distance. Another was caught in the act by a party, tied up to a tree, severely flogged, and allowed to try his luck elsewhere. At Mount Alexander rumours were afloat of no less than four murders having been committed in the vicinity of Friar's Creek, within the last few days. We have reason says the Geelong Advertiser, to believe that there is too much truth in the report, but we are not in possession of the particulars. The same paper says—" Information has reached town of an instance having occurred of the miners taking the law into their own hands in a most reprehensible manner. A robber taken in the act of stealing1, was bound hand and foot, thrown into a water-hole and drowned." The Melbourne Horning Herald states — "We have been informed by a gentleman recently arrived in town from Mount Alexander, that not a tithe of the outrages perpetrated there are publicly recorded. He states that within the last four or five weeks he has reason to believe that no less than nine persons have been shot there in either robberies or squabbles. Some days before he left, it became within his knowledge that an invalid was laying in a tent, when an armed ruffian entered stealthily, and presenting a loaded gun at the other threatened to blow his brains out. if he did not give him up all the gold in the tent. The other complied ; and as the robber was leaving, the invalid drew a pistol from beneath his pillow, and shot the rascal dead. Our informant also states that he and a party of six were returning through the Black Forest to Melbourne, having with 'them a considerable quantity of gold, when on a sudden nine or ten fellows on horseback hove in sight, meditating, as it was supposed, an attack upon the gold-bringers. Just at the nick of time, the escort also came in view from another quarter, which, calling off all hopes of plunder, the gang o f supposed marauders plunged into the bush as suddenly as they had previously appeared." The correspondent of the Herald thus describes the state of things at the diggings : a regular organised gang of about fifteen have located themselves" within a short distance of our tents, and after sleeping all day, amuse themselves by entering all and every tent they can. The cries of murder last night were dreadful, and no less than five times were we cheered through the long watches, with this heart stirring cry. What with the screams of the women, the shouts of the men, the barking of the dogs, and the report of firearms, I would defy any sentry to sleep on his watch. The beauty of all this is, that you must hear, and perhaps see, the scoundrels, without daring to render assistance. In one or two cases it has only been a feint to draw parties from their tents, and the moment they are vacant, in pops a robber, walks off with all he can get, and has it safe before the poor dupes know of their less." Other accounts give a much more favourable description, and declare such statements

as the foregoing to be greatly exaggerated, bat all are unanimous in complaining of the want of police protection.

Inflammation of the eyes is very prevalent at the diggings, at least one out of every ten is troubled with the complaint. Gold has risen on the ground within the last three weeks from £2 ss. to £2 17s. 6d. One store is wanting to purchase 2000 ozs. at that price. It is still plentiful, but none of those extraordinary yields are reported as formerly. Parties seems to be satisfied with ounces now, who used to grumble at half a pound per day. A great source of annoyance at the mines is the practice of throwing the offal of the slaughtered sheep and cattle about the ground, instead of burying it. News from Victoria had been subsequently received at Launceston up to the 17th. February. The Examiner says:—There has been a little rain at the diggings, and although the creek is not running, the holes have been replenished, and will give work for most of the washers for a short time. The authorities continue their crusade against slygrog shops, and twelve or fourteen have been burned clown during the last week. This is conferring a real benefit on the diggers, for they are, generally speaking, infested by a set of pickpockets and midnight robbers, who, sleeping all day, prowl about the tents at night to ease the hard-working digger of his gold. On Friars Creek there have been some serious robberies, and more than one has been brutally ill-treated by these scoundrels. A few days more will diminish their number, for the commissioners intend to take steps for finding them out, and punishing them as severely as they can. If their force is not strong enough, it will be assisted by every orderly man on the ground. It is the intention of the government, immediately, largely-to increase the police force at the diggings, and to appoint a much larger staff of gold commissioners. One ol the tolerably lucky diggers, a mason by trade, returned to town the other day, after a five weeks' ' spell" at Mount Alexander, with 468 ounces, as his share of the precious metal. A letter from the diggings cautions those who wish to sell gold on the ground, to beware of false weighing. It is becoming fashionable to give a high price for gold, and make the unfortunate digger suffer in the weight. They may depend upon it that nothing is to be gained by selling to some who offer one and two shillings over the general price.

It is proposed to remove the bar which obstructs the passage of large vessels to Geelong

A government official, who recently left the" Mount Alexander Diggings states, that fever had broken out there ; that in one day eight fresh cases, and on the next day twenty-two fresh cases were reported. Dysentery is also extremely prevalent, though in some parts the drinking water to be had is far superior to that used in Melbourne.

Eight prisoners were brought into Melbourne on the 12th instant from Mount Alexander. Of these five were sentenced to imprisonment for sly grog selling, and the rest under commitment on charges of felony. A rumour was current at the diggings of a man having been hung, by the mob, for murdering his mate, but it was believed to be without foundation.

Nice Importations.—-The ten vessels arrived in our port on the 20th of January, bring no less than 1034 cabin and steerage passengers. Nine of them were from Van Diemen's Land, and the tenth from Sydney. The number added to our population by the former amounts to no less than nine hundred and forty four, five hundred of whom the police estimate as prisoners, expires, and members of the lightfingered gentry, who, no doubt, will turn their profession to some advantage in the land ot "nuggets." It really is quite time that police protection of some efficient kind were provided for the safety of the city If. Herald.

New Diggings.—A large number of persons are now engaged digging in the immediate neighbourhood of the Coleban river, but we are not aware with what success. — Ibid.

The Herald s:\ys, —"A member of the legislative council of Victoria was seen a few days ago, retailing apples at the diggings. Another gentleman, well-known in South Australia as an old colonist, hospitable country gentleman, an M. L. C, is now wending his way, on foot, to the same centre of attraction, his outer-man clad m a blue shirt, and carrying a heavy " swag.'