MEMORIES CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY Gold Discoveries IN VICTORIA

Southern Cross, Volume 2, Issue 24, 8 September 1894, Page 6

MEMORIES CONNECTED WITH THE EARLY Gold Discoveries IN VICTORIA

(By an Old Identity).

• ♦ (Written for the Southern Cross.) [ale rights reserved.]

CHAPTER IY.

A Notable Irishman.— Thoughts on Irish Grievances. Obnoxious Legislation. Oepicial Bungling and Arrogance. Digger Hunts'.—Checkmating the Enemy.

Before parting 1 in these memories with my shipmates a few remarks relative to one of them who has left prints on the sands of time may not he unworthy of notice. Perhaps in ao similar period of a man s lifetime ■ to that occupied in a long sea voyage in a passenger ship is so favourable an opportunity afforded of reading human nature. The failings and virtues of each individual voyager become apparent to the observer. In such circumstances men are usually complete strangers to each other until they meet aboard ship. From thence to their destination they become as one party or family, and by interchange of thought mutual benefit is acquired. That was the case at the time I write about. The sudden rush for passages had assumed such magnitude that vessels were hastily fitted out and special accommodation could only be obtained in a few cases, and then at a heavy cost. Consequently rank and affluence w T ere forgotten for the time, and shi|3 communities became, as it were, schools, at which each pupil, if wise, learned much that would be useful for afterlife, and help to fit him for the social equality and independence that characterised Australian society in the fifties. During several voyages on passengex 1 ships I have noticed that by some occult law of affinity people that had never met before were irresistibly drawn to each other, and formed friendships that it would be impossible to extend to others—although perhajrs as much deserving of confidence. Such was the experience of the writer. One man attracted 1113' attention, and excited m3’ curiosity more than the others. He ’ was a picture of robust manhood, and from his reticent 3-et restless demeanour I premised he was a thinker, and that something would be heard of him later on in life. After a time a friendly feeling became established between us. I discovered him to he a man of high intelligence and of strong individuality, and yet who would, from sheer impulsiveness, proceed to carry out onfy- a partiallj’ matured project. Still, he possessed the requisite qualifications for a successful career energj and perseverance without which even genius frequent!! 7 fails. I need not apologise ior mentioning his name in my memories. It belongs to the public of Australia. He has passed away to the great Unknown Land. But'for the services he rendered the working classes, especially the miners, . and the blow he struck at official despotism and corruption, notwithstanding minor short-comings, the name ox Pohr Lalor should be kept green in the hearts of dwellers in these Colonies. Although possessed of many attributes essential in a leader of men, fortunately he was wanting in others. As a trained military officer lie would probably have been a great success as a statesman be would have been a ailnre. As a demolisher of pernicious systems of Government his services could he relied upon as a builder of improved fabrics on tbeir ruins lie would have been found defective and unsuitable. And so it was to the advantage of Australia that the fight at Eureka Stockade went against him. Had he attained the object he risked his life for on that memor-

able Sabbath morning at Ballarat Australian independence would have been proclaimed ; hostilities would have ensiled with the M other ,-Country; and the bitter feeling that has existed against her for the past century hy people of the United States of America would have been extended to Australia. Apart from that, the material was not in the colony for forming a stable Republican Government, nor was there sufficient population to repel foreign invasion ; and the probability is that if the military had been defeated at Eureka the greater part of Australia would have been taken possession of hy hordes of Mongolians, and for a time at least would have passed away from the British race.

I speak of Mr Lalor as I interpreted his character, and but few had a better opportunity of knowing him. Descended from a family of high social status and political influence in Ireland, his leading characteristics were patriotic ardour and a warm attachraeut for the land of his birth. He never tired speaking of the wrongs of Ireland. I inferred from his conversation that either himself or some of his relatives had been associated with the leaders of the Irish rising in ’4B ; and disgust at the ignominious way in which that movement had ended was his principal reason, as well as that of many other eminent Irishmen, migrating to America and the Antipodes. The prospect of acquiring wealth on the goldfields did not seem to interest Lalor—indeed, he appeared to have made np his mind before he left to engage in politics in the land of his adoption. I gathered that much from him one afternoon in the course of a conversation on Irish affairs. He was a strong believer in physical force for redressing the wrongs of his native country. Venturing the remark that any effort in that direction against the immense wealth and power of England would be futile, and that the establishment of a peasant proprietary on the land was the true solution of the difficulty, his reply was remarkably prophetic. ‘ Well,’ he said, ‘we will see if a better state of things cannot be worked out in Australia. I intend to be in the Colonial Parliament before the expiry of two years. My father sat in the British Parliament for Queen’s County. The Lalors have alvvmys had a weakness for politics, and I will try to make myself useful in that way in these new lands we are bound to.’ At the time, and later on it appeared to me improbable that the event he thus foreshadowed in a country where he was unknown would prove correct. It did, though. The opportunity offered; he seized it, and his experience points out that when a man has any special ob ject in view in this life, if he ivill only exercise patience, concentrate his mind upon it, and keep it steadily in view, he ivill sometime or other achieve it.

It is strange that with ■ all the boasted sagacity apd foresight of British statesmen some simple and effectual legislation has not been devised to reconcile Ireland to its being an integral portion of the British Empire, and prevent so many able men like Lalor leaving it with an imperishably bitter feeling of hatred to English rale, and yet who aftewards become useful settlers in other countries. I doubt even if Home Rule will prove a remedy for Irish grievances. A deeper cause for dissatisfaction than- the want of a local parliament is at the root of Irish-discontent. The fact is the robbery of their landed heritage in semi-barbarous' times, when might was right, has —as with people of every race similarly situated —created a feeling of irritation that can never be appeased until restitution is effected. A short time since a newspaper paragraph came under my notice that suggested a solution of a subject that has caused British statesmen so much anxious thought for over a century. A customs officer at New York, when examining an. Irish emigrant’s luggage, enquired the contents of what

appeared to be a canister carefully folded in paper. “ Oh,” replied the man, “ there’s no duty on that; it’s only a. root of shamrock, and a bit of the ould sod from the place I was born in,” How indicative of a yearning love of country, and of the great possibilities for Ireland and for the further consolidation of the British Empire by giving every Irishman who can profitably use it a portion of mother earth that he can call his own! By breaking up the large estates in Ireland and making a free gift of a limited portion to each able-bodied man —giving him at the same time to understand that his tenure would only hold good so long as he obeyed the laws of the State —more solid advantage would accrue to Ireland and a stronger feeling of friendship be established between the two countries than by the proposed policy of Home Rule. Numerous landed proprietors would be created thereby, as in France and Germany, and every holder become a guardian of law and order. History of every age points out that when a people have been forcibly dispossessed of their lands, they become either degenerated, or are an everstanding menace to constituted authority. The human race have sprung from the earth, have existed by its products, and are conscious that they must return to it; and the Irish, even more than other nationalities,' have ever evinced a longing to claim ownership to a portion of it. For over a century the best of the race have sought homes in other countries, and there nursed x’evenge, and look forward to the time when it can be gratified. The course suggested would involve a large outlay for compensation to present owners, but so it did in the case of the slave-owners of the West Indies, and that was considered a meritorious expenditure. The cost of keeping from 20,000 to 30,000 armed men, and a host of highly-paid officials in Ireland, to govern its landdispossessed people, and protect the despoilers, has been ten times greater than would be incurred, by adopting the simple method propounded. But this is a digression. Having made reference to Mr Lalor’s remarkable statement when only half-way to Australia, ' that he

would sit in the Victorian Parliament before twm years expired, I will shortly refer to the events that led to the fulfilment of his prediction, as it may not be uninteresting to learn something regarding’ them from one who was an 63m-witness of most of the incidents in connection therewith, and

of the final collapse of the movement for the establishment of an Australian Republic. When gold was first discovered in Victoria the colony w r as anything but democractic. The officials were mostly members of wealthy JEng*lish families, and the government of the colony was principally in the hands of pastoral tenants and bankers. These naturally view r ed with alarm the irruption on their preserves of a mining’ population. The stations became almost deserted for the goldfields, and laws were enacted for harassing- the operations of the dig’gers. Unfortunately in such an emergency Victoria had a weak

I man as Governor. He possessed no I administrative capacity, and by the advice of his Executive he issued a

proclamation asserting’ the rig'ht of the Crown to all gold found on unalienated lands. He notified further

that no person would be allowed to dig- or search for it without a license, the cost of which would be 30s monthly. Erom the first strong objections were raised, but without effect, against this impost, and it -was that unpopular tax that led to all the after trouble between the miners and the civil authorities. The reason given for imposing this tax was that the civil service expenditure had increased so enormously, especially on the goldfields, that the impost 'was necessary. It was contended by those composing- the Government that as the diggers had caused the difficulty, the burden should be placed on their shoulders ; and it was decided a little later on that the tax should be raised to £3 a month. Although

many had been fortunate on the fields, even then the great majority of the gold-seekers were only making a bare living, and some not even that. The first indignation meeting against the license fee was held at Forest Creek, and so outspoken were the leaders, and so unanimous the miners on the other fields against the injustice of the tax, that it was withdrawn a fortnight 'after the issue of the proclamation for levying it. But the mischief had been done. A feeling of discontent had been created that only required additional obnoxious legislation to kindle into civil war. The climax was not long in coming. Unknown to Governor Latrobe and his Executive, in the lough garb of diggers were men who had hig’her aspirations than mere gold-seeking-. The few previous years in Europe had been eventful. Revolutions had broken out in Germany, Ireland, France and elsewhere, and numerous collisions had occurred between the populace and the military. Many who had taken the lead in these contests were intelligent and experienced persons, and had come to Victoria not alone to acquire wealth. Their main object was to assist in building up a nation that would be an improvement on misruled and soldier-ridden Europe, and in hastening on the good time when “ Man to man, the warld o’er. Shall blathers be an’ a’ that.” It was with many such men as these that Governors Latrobe and Hotham had to deal when obnoxious proclamations were issued regarding goldfields management. The one that exasperated the mining population most was the bi-weekly digger hunts. The police force at that time on the goldfields was. principally composed of the ne’er-do-wells of British families. The discoveries in Australia presented a favourable opportunity to get rid of them. A number of these black sheep arrived by almost every ship, bringing letters of recommendation from friends in high positions ; and in a short time nearly all the Government offices were occupied by persons of that class. Too lazy, or unused to hard work, and ashamed to beg, a billet on the goldfields or enrolment in the police force were the only alternatives left them on arrival. A trained police force would have understood the temper of the mining population, free as they then were from restraints, and leading so independent a life. Governor Latrobe had been superseded by Sir Charles Hotham, a British naval captain, and necessarily a strict disciplinarian. With quarterdeck absolutism, he decreed that license fees should be paid punctually, and that digger hunts were to take place twice a week. These orders were zealously carried out by the new chum policemen. A digger hunt was to them as exhilarating as a fox hunt would have been in England, and on each occasion dozens of respectable men, whose only crime was that they were unfortunate, had spent all they had brought with them, and were unable to pay the license fee, were manacled like felons, and in that state exposed to the public gaze. Such as could not be accommodated in the lock-ups were fastened to trees, and armed sentries placed over them until the sentence and punishment were meted out to each. Burglars or even murderers could not have been treated with more severity. As these exhibitions became more frequent the smouldering discontent that had prevailed since the imposition of the £3 fee grew more intense and widespread.

Dig’ger hunts were not, however, without, at times, amusing' features. I have a few in mind that may be worth relating’. The first occurred at a place near Creswicb Creek about the period of the Ballarat riots. There would be about 600 men on the ground at the time, none of whom, had licenses. One morning we received information from a horseman who had just arrived from Oastlemaine that a body of police were coming the following day to collect license fees. The ground being worked was a narrow flat between two steep ranges.

from 700 to 800 feet high. An impromptu meeting was held on receipt of the intelligence, and it was unanimously decided that no licenses should he taken out, and that each should supply himself with rations and take to the ranges when the police hove in sight. A scout was stationed in the top of a tree to give warning of their approach, and when the signal agreed upon was given no more amusing sight could be witnessed than the retreat of the miners up the precipitous side of the ranges, where in security they Joe’d and jeered the police to their heart’s content. The nick-name of “ Joe ” to the police, especially -when trumpeted from thousands of throats, invariably angered them. The term originated on the occasion of Governor Latrobe’s first visit to Ballarat. Almost every month during the previous year proclamations had heen issued on the different fields signed “ Walter Joseph Latrobe,” and when he first appeared in Ballarat with a tall hat and frock coat the diggers greeted him by the familiar cognomen of “ Joe.” Later on the term was applied to the commissioners and civil servants, and ultimately to the police force when they appeared on the workings. Even visitors to the field with long hats were never allowed peace until they substituted for them the orthodox “cabbage tree” or “billycock.” Of course it was out of the question for the troopers to make use of their horses in such precipitous ground as that referred to. Some of them dismounted, and succeeded in overtaking a few of the least active of the miners ; hut these were soon rescued, and their capturers rolled to the foot of the hill. The police remained in the vicinity of the ranges until darkness set in. Meanwhile hundreds of fires were lit on the shelves of the steep sides of the hills, and the diggers, pleased at having 'evaded the obnoxious license hunters, passed the time smoking, relating experiences, and singing the old familiar songs of their native lands. Erom one quarter - might be heard, in a clear pleasing voice—

“ Britannia needs no -bulwark, No towers along the steep ; Her march is o’er the mountain waves. Her home is on the deep ; With thunders from her native *oak She quells the flood below. As they roar on the shore When the stormy tempests blow.”

Following on this “The Wearin’ of the Green ” would come from where Irishmen were located; and anon “ Scotia, Land of Chief and Song,” from sons of Caledonia, while patriotic Frenchmen and Germans would join in with their favourites seillaise” and “Watch on the Rhine.” Owing to the proximity of the ranges to each side of the workings and the stillness of the night, every word of the melodies could be distinctly heard. It was a pleasant time to all, and one to be remembered. Ah, those days ! ISTo one in that particular locality except the lazy or the dissolute needed to be without fair compensation for his toil. Gold was widely and evenly distributed ; the seekers for it were mostly in the prime of life; and care was thrown to the winds. The occupation was healthy, and the season of the year genial. Ay, life was then bright and enjoyable. Every successive morning brought with it the hope of heavier returns than the previous day, and each felt nearer the realisation of what he was looking forward to —a long holiday and sufficient means to provide against future hard toil. To add to the attraction an early moon was rising above the lofty trees on the summit of the wall - sided hills, and threw a weird sheen over the novel surroundings of a place which, only a few months previously, was in a state of nature, and known, mayhap, only to a solitary stockman or a shepherd. Towards midnight it became evident to the police officer in charge that no license fee could be extracted from the diggerson that occasion, and as he had directions to visit another new rush at some distance and be back at headquarters on a certain day, the order was given to mount, and the troop departed with a ringiug cheer from the “ wall-flowers ” on the hill-

sides. To do the officer in charge justice, he enjoyed the retreat of the diggers and the “chaffing” his' men received quite as much as the miners themselves. If there had been more like him in the force the disastrous fight at Eureka would not have taken place. A few weeks later, however, they again appeared —this time unexpectedly—and all had to submit to the levy. In the following year at Adelaide Gully, Bendigo, I witnessed a digger hunt attended with similar ludicrous results. ' The workings were shallow, and the gully was tunnelled for fully two miles where the lead of gold had been uninterruptedly followed. There was also a network of side drives resembling a rabbit warren. With few exceptions, the workers were in possession of licenses ; but they decided to have some amusement at the expense of the police. As the day was known on which they would visit the place, it was arranged that the miners should take to the workings, and enjoy a game of hide and seek with "the police force. Accordingly, when the latter appeared the men retreated down the shaft. Orders were issued by the officer in charge to follow, and arrest as many as possible. But as it was as dark as Erebus in these drives the only result of their visit was to render their uniforms useless for further service through contact with wet pipe-clay and mullock. Hone of the miners could be approached in the narrow, tortuous drives. In the evening those of them who had licenses came to the surface, produced them when required, and went unconcernedly about their ordinary business, to the great disgust of the police force, while those who had not the necessary authority to dig remained below until the signal was given that the “ enemy ” had departed. (To be continued.)