My passage from Sydney to Melbourne, was made in the steamer "Shamrock,"
and, after landing on the shore of Port Philip, I tried to believe
myself free from all that could attract my thoughts to other lands.
I endeavoured to fancy myself once more a youth--with everything to win,
and nothing to lose.
The scenes I encountered in the young colony, favoured my efforts; and
after a time, I began to take an interest in much that was transpiring
around me.
I could not very well do otherwise: since, to a great deal I saw in
Melbourne, my attention was called, in a most disagreeable manner.
Never had I been amongst so large a population, where society was in so
uncivilised a condition. The number of men and women encountered in the
streets in a state of beastly intoxication--the number of both sexes, to
be seen with black eyes, and other evidences, that told of many a mutual
"misunderstanding,"--the horridly profane language issuing out of the
public-houses, as you passed them--in short, everything that met either
the eye or ear of the stranger, proclaimed to him, in a sense not to be
mistaken, that Melbourne must be the abode of a depraved people. There,
for the first time in my life, I saw men allowed to take their seats at
the breakfast tables of an hotel, while in a state of staggering
intoxication!
With much that was disgusting to witness, there were some spectacles
that were rather amusing. A majority of the men seen walking the
streets--or encountered in the bar-rooms of public-houses--carried grand
riding whips; and a great many wore glittering spurs--who had never been
upon the back of horse!
The hotel keepers of Melbourne did not care for the custom of
respectable people, just landed in the colony; but preferred the
patronage of men from the mines--diggers who would deposit with them,
the proceeds of their labour, in bags of gold dust; and remain drunk,
until told there was but five pounds of the deposit left--just enough to
carry them back to the diggings!
I am not speaking of Melbourne at the present time; but the Melbourne of
ten years ago. It is now a fine city, where a part of all the world's
produce may be obtained for a reasonable price. Most of the inhabitants
of the Melbourne of 1853--owing to the facility of acquiring the means--
have long since killed themselves off by drink and dissipation; and a
population of more respectable citizens, from the mother country, now
supply their places.
I made but a short stay in this colonial Gomorrah. Disgusted with the
city, and everything in it, a few days after my arrival, I started off
for the McIvor diggings.
I travelled in company with several others, who were going to the same
place--to which we had "chartered" a horse and dray for carrying our
"swags."
One of my travelling companions was drunk, the night before leaving
Melbourne; and, in consequence, could eat no breakfast on the morning
when we were about to start. He had neglected to provide himself with
food for the journey; and depended on getting his meals at eating-houses
along the road.
Before the day was over, he had become very hungry; but would not accept
of any food offered him by the others.
"No thank'ee," he would say, when asked to have something. "I'll wait.
We shall stop at a coffee-house before night; and I'll make it a caution
to the man as keeps it. I'll eat all before me. My word! but I'll make
it a warning to him, whoever he be. He'll not want to keep a
coffee-house any longer."
This curious threat was repeated several times during the day; and we
all expected, when evening should arrive, to see something wonderful in
the way of consuming provisions.
We at length reached the coffee-house, where we intended to stay for the
night; and called for our dinners. When told to sit down, we did so;
and there was placed before us a shoulder of mutton, from which, as was
evident by the havoc made upon it, several hungry men had already dined.
A loaf, baked in the ashes--known in the colonies as a "damper"--some
tea, in which had been boiled a little sugar, some salt, and a pickle
bottle with some dirty vinegar in it, were the concomitants of the
shoulder, or "knuckle" of mutton. I had sate down to many such meals
before; and was therefore in no way disappointed. But the man who had
been all day without eating seemed to be very differently affected.
According to custom, he had to prepay his four shillings, before taking
his seat at the table; and on seeing what he was to get for his money,
he seemed rather chagrined.
"My word!" cried he; "I did say that I'd make it a warning to the
landlord; but my word!--he's made it a warning to me. I sate down
hungry, but I shall get up starving."
None of us could reasonably doubt the truth, thus naively enunciated by
our travelling companion.
After reaching the diggings at McIvor, I entered into partnership with
one of the men, who had travelled with me from Melbourne. We purchased
a tent and tools; and at once set to work to gather gold.
Judge Lynch was very much wanted on the diggings of McIvor--as well as
throughout all Victoria, during the first three years after gold had
been discovered there.
Those, who claimed to be the most respectable of the colonists, did not
want an English colony disgraced by "Lynch Law"--a wonderful bugbear to
the English ear--so they allowed it to be disgraced by ten times the
number of thefts and robberies than ever took place in California--which
they were pleased to style "the land of bloodshed and crime."
In California miners never required to take their tools home with them
at night. They could leave them on their claims; and be confident of
finding them there next morning. It was not so in Victoria, where the
greatest care could not always prevent the digger from having such
property stolen. I have seen--in a copy of the "Melbourne Argus," of
November 5th, 1852--two hundred and sixty-six advertisements offering
rewards for stolen property! Yet "The London Times," November 6th,
1852, speaks of these same colonies in the following terms:--"It is
gratifying to learn that English love of law and common sense there
predominate."
As most of the thefts there committed were of articles, too
insignificant to pay for advertising their loss, the reader may imagine
what was the state of society in Victoria at that time; and how far
"English love of law and common sense predominated!"
It was only one of the thousand falsehoods propagated by the truculent
scribblers of this unprincipled journal; and for which they may some day
be called to account.
But few of those, who committed crimes in the diggings, were ever
brought to trial; or in any way made answerable for their misdeeds.
Prisoners were sometimes sent down to Melbourne to be tried; but as no
one wished to be at an expense of thirty or forty pounds, travel a
hundred miles, and lose three or four weeks of valuable time to
prosecute them, the result was usually an acquittal; and crime was
committed with impunity.
While at McIvor, a thief entered my tent during my absence from it; and
stole therefrom a spyglass that had been given me by Captain Hyland--
with some other little articles that I had carried long and far, and
valued in proportion.
I afterwards got back the glass by the aid of the police; and very
likely might have had the thief convicted and punished--had I felt
inclined to forsake a good claim, take a long journey to Melbourne, and
spend about forty pounds in appearing against him!
As I did not wish to undertake all this trouble _pro bono publico_, the
criminal remained unpunished.
Becoming tired of McIvor, I went on to Fryer's Creek. I there met with
a fellow-passenger from California--named Edmund Lee--with whom I joined
partnership; but after toiling awhile without much success, we proceeded
to a large rush at Jones' Creek--a distance of thirty-five miles from
Fryer's.
We started in the afternoon; and stopped the first night at a place
called Castlemain.
That evening I saw more drunken men than I had met during a whole year
spent in the diggings of California--where the sale of intoxicating
liquor was unrestricted, while on the gold fields of Victoria it was
strictly prohibited by law! Indeed, about four hundred mounted troopers
and policemen were in Castlemain at the time, for the purpose of
maintaining "English law and order;" and those selling intoxicating
drinks were liable to a fine of fifty pounds or imprisonment, or both!
One vice, so prevalent in California, was not to be observed on the gold
fields of Victoria. In the latter there were no gambling-houses.
After leaving Castlemain, we walked about twenty-five miles; and stopped
all night at "Simpson's Station."
On this pasture I was told there were sixteen thousand head of sheep.
Before reaching Simpson's, we passed a station, on which the sheep were
infested with a disease, resembling the "shab." Carcasses of the dead
were everywhere to be seen; and those, that were still alive, were
hardly able to drag along the few locks of wool clinging to their
sky-coloured skins!
On Sunday, the 14th day of August, 1853, we reached the diggings on
Jones' Creek, where we found about ten thousand people, but no place
where we could procure a meal of victuals, or a night's lodging!
That the reader may have some idea of the hardships to which diggers
were then often exposed, I shall make known of the manner of our life,
while residing at Jones' Creek.
We first purchased some blankets; and with these, some poles and pieces
of string, we constructed a sort of tent. At none of the stores could
we find a utensil for cooking meat; and we were compelled to broil it
over the fire on the end of a stick. Sometimes we could buy bread that
had come from Bendigo, for which we had to pay six shillings the loaf of
three and a half pounds weight! When unable to get this, we had to
purchase flour at a proportionate price, knead it into dough, and roast
it in the ashes.
There was no place of amusement at Jones' Creek; and a strong police
force was stationed there, to suppress the sale of liquors; or, rather,
to arrest those who sold it; and also to hunt diggers for what was
called the "Gold Licence."
The precious metal at this place was found very unevenly distributed
through the gullies; and while some were making fortunes by collecting
it, others were getting next to nothing.
The gold was found in "nuggets"--lying in "pockets" of the slate rock;
and not a fragment could be obtained till these pockets had been
explored.
The day after our arrival, my partner and I marked off two claims.
Being unable to hold them both, we took our choice of the two; and gave
the other one away to some men, with whom we had become slightly
acquainted.
The top earth from both claims was removed--disclosing not a speck of
gold in that we had retained, while twenty-four pounds weight were
picked out--without washing--from the claim we had given away!
Lee and I remained at Jones' Creek three weeks, worked hard, made
nothing, and then started back for Fryer's, where our late partners were
still toiling.
On our way back we halted for dinner--where some men with a dray load of
stores,--on their way to one of the diggings, had also stopped for their
mid-day meal.
We had neglected to bring any sugar with us; and wished to buy some for
our coffee. The men with the dray did not wish to sell any; but we
insisted on having it at any price.
"We'll let you have a pannikin full of sugar," said one, "but shall
charge you ten shillings for it."
"All right," said my companion, Edmund Lee. "It's cheap enough--
considering."
The man gave us the sugar; and then refused to take the money! He was
not so avaricious, as we had supposed. He had thought, by asking ten
times the usual price, to send us away, without being obliged to part
with what he might himself soon stand in need of!
On the evening of the second day of our journey, about nine o'clock, we
reached the banks of Campbell's Creek--within four miles of the place we
were making for.
Rain had been falling all the day; and the stream was so swollen, that
we could not safely cross it in the darkness.
The rain continued falling, and we spread our wet blankets on the
ground. We prayed in vain for sleep, since we got none throughout that
long, dreary night.
Next morning we arose early--more weary than when we had lain down; and,
after fording the stream, we kept on to Fryer's Creek--which we reached
in a couple of hours.
We had been without food, since the noon of the day before; and from the
way we swallowed our breakfast, our former mates might have imagined we
had eaten nothing during the whole time of our absence!
Volume Two, Chapter XXI.