Tota Domus Duo Sunt, Iidem Parentque Jubentque!
A confusion ensued which baffles description; marching, counter-marching,
orders given by everybody, attended to by nobody. This blustering concern,
when brought forward on the stage at the State Trials, appeared so much
to the heart's content of his Honour, of his and my learned friend Mr. Ireland,
that I must offer it here, 'nolens volens', for the confirmation of the
Cracker-of-high-treason-indictments' approbation.
Thomas Allen examined.--(See Report of the Nigger-Rebel State Trial,
in 'The Age', February 24th, 1855.)
"This witness was so very deaf that the Attorney-General
had actually to bawl out (oh! pity the lungs!) the
questions necessary to his examination. He stated,
he kept the Waterloo coffee-house and store at the
Eureka. He had just returned from Melbourne on the
Saturday, December 2nd. He heard inside the stockade
the word to 'fall in' for drill. Saw them go through
several military evolutions. They did not exactly go
through them in a military manner, but in the way in
which what call an 'awkward squad' might do.--
(I believe you, Old Waterloo; go a-head). He had been
at the battle of Waterloo, and knew what military
evolutions were. Saw one squad with pikes and another
with rifles. He heard one of them say, 'Shoulder poles,'
then he said, 'Order poles,' 'Ground arms,'
'Stand at ease,' 'Pick up poles,' 'Shoulder arms,'
'Right face,' 'Quick march,' 'Right counter march,'
and they were then marched for more than two hours.
After that he saw them 'fall in three deep,' and were
then told (by Captain Hanrahan) to prepare to
'receive cavalry,' and 'charge cavalry'--Poke your pike
into the guts of the horse, and draw it out from under
their tail.
" After that, in the evening, he saw the man who was in
command again form his men around him, and he seemed to
be reading a general order for the night. After it got
night, one of them came up to him and said, 'Now,
Old Waterloo, you must come and join us,' and he threw
down a pike which he told him to take. He said, 'No;
it is such a d----d ugly one, I'll have nothing to do
with it.' Another came, and witness asked what bounty
he gave, saying 50 pounds was little enough for an old
Waterloo man. Because he would not join them he was
taken into custody by them, and was guarded by three
men with pikes at his door. (Great works!) All this
was on Saturday. His tent was the second inside the
stockade. His tent and all his property was destroyed
by fire, it all amounted to 200 pounds. He believed it
was set fire to by the police." (And so it was, old
Waterloo-no-bolter, good-hearted old man as ever lived
in the world. If you wish call for a copy of this
book; do.)
NOTICE
GREAT WORKS!!
This day, Saturday, November 10th, 1855. A glorious day for Ballaarat:
Peter Lalor, our late Commander-in-Chief, being elected by unanimous
acclamation, Member of the Legislative Council for this 'El Dorado.'
I spoke at the Camp face to face with James M`Gill. We shook hands
with mutual respect and friendship.
M`Gill, at my request, looked full in my eyes, and assured me, that the order
old Waterloo speaks of, was to the effect of appointing officers for watch
at the stockade, for 'out-posts' to keep a sharp look-out, for march to
intercept reinforcements; in short, an order for military discipline,
very necessary under the prevailing excitement. Said order for the night
(Saturday, December 2nd) was drawn up by his command, and written black
on white by Alfred, the brother of George Black.
M`Gill further stated that the supposed 'Declaration of Independence,'
on the model of the American one, is a gratuitous falsehood, which must have
originated from some well-disposed for, or well-affected to, Toorak small-beer.
Hence,
James M`Gill hereby directs me to challenge the production of the document
in question, either the original or copy of it, of course with satisfactory
evidence of its being a genuine article.
I express the hope that H. R. Nicholls, ex-member of the Local Court,
Ballaarat, will take notice of the above.
Let us return to the Eureka stockade.