VICTORIA. EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE FROM THE BUCKLAND.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XIV, Issue 1059, 21 August 1857, Page 3

VICTORIA. EXPULSION OF THE CHINESE FROM THE BUCKLAND.

The following is from the 'Ovens and Murray Adveitiser* :— The Buckland diggings are situated on the upper end of the river, commencing about ten miles above us junction with the Ovens. Ihe Buckland River is a mountain stream of great rapidity and force. Immediately above the first ground now being worked, it winds its sinuous course through high and rocky banks, gradually narrowing until it reaches a distance of two miles above the Camp, where it divides into two branches, known as the "Upper and the Lower branch. The European population are scattered all along the Creek; the Camp, and the lower flat, about four miles further down, being the chief seats of the storekeeping population. On Saturday morning — after a meeting held for the purpose of publicly expressing the opinions of the diggers on the riv«r, and at which it was resolved at once to expel the Chinese— about forty or fifty men proceeded to clear the encampment, and the various claims about the Junction. They g»re the Chinese time to pack their swags, then burnt their tents, and drove the terror-stricken mob of long-tailed cowards down the creek. Each small encampment in it» turn was served

in the same way, and its former denfeens were added to the fleeing body. At the operation of ericting them proceeded, the numbers of the agenti in thia measure increased. This addition «rat totally unnecessary, as we hear of only a single instance in which one of the Celestials endeavoured in vain to encourage hit coun» trymen to show fight, and who forgot hw own eloqueat precept* when the dan»»r of awanlt became imminent. But while increasing the number of assailants, i. » kled nl->o another and the wont feature to the proceeding! Acts of personal violence wera committed. Chinamen were knocked down and robbed their »wai»* taken from them and cast into the river ; Chinese stores broitui open and robb°d. and such of their contents as were not easily moved, or of general vaiue, devoted to the flimes. As the eviction process was extended down the creek, so also did these acts of brutal violenre and base robbery increase When it reached the Chmsse encampment above the Lower Flat, the fury of the mob appears to have reached its height. From eye-wit-nesses we learn that ruffianly behavior, unmanly violence, and unbounded rapacity were manifested on every side. One gentleman assures us that he saw Chinamen knocked down and trampled on. another declares that he could have walked dryshod across the river, on the piles of bedding with which its surface was covered, and its current interrupted just below the Lower Flat. Another avows having helped several Chinese out of holes into which they had jumped to protect themselves. One instance occurred of an unfortunate wretch remaining in his cold and wretched hiding place until Monday morning. We ourselves saw a European woman, the wife of a Chinaman, who had been dreadfully cut about the head ; and a Chinaman whose fingers hdd been cut, because he refused to gi\ cup a gold ring which he wore. One Chinaman wa« robbed of £60 in money. Another was robbed ot a large quantity ot gold. Many others were forced to yield what small quantities they had about them. The , stores in this ema'tipment were ruthlessly pillaged, and the whole contents either stolen, burned, or destroyed. Some of the respectable people interfered, and succeeded in protecting human hte and property. Many noble mc idents of such a nature reully occurred, and we can only regret our inability to record the names of the parties. European diggers in all parts of the creek were prompt m rendering assistance to such of the frightened as tumbled into or were drawn into the river. Not one of the latter we believe was di owned, though all sorts of reports are afloat on the subject. Until dead bodies are recovered, we must regard these reports as unfounded. The ra^e and violence of the mob were not confined to Chinamen ; it was risited on the Europeans wlio tried to protect them. Mr. Scott, of the Lower Flat, was attacked while performing this noble and meritorious act, and was threatened that if he kept any Chinamen in his house, that it should suffer the same fate as the Chinese encampment. When the last camp had been thus violently cleared, the wildest actors in this unexampled outbreak escorted the fleeing Chinaman to the ford across the Buckland river, about four miles below the Lower Flat. Hid it not been for the interference of several white diggers, loss of life must have ensued ; but by iorce of arms and example, they kept a passage open for the fugitives, and prevented them irom hastening to their own destruction by crowding on the log which spans the stream. That the terror of these subjects of the Son of the Sun and First-cousin of the Moon, was boundless, is evinced by the distance some of them travelled before they came to a halt. Not a Chinaman had left the Buckland River at eleven o'clock on Saturday, but early on Sunday afternoon some hundreds arrived at the upper Quartz Reef, which is folly tive-and-thirty miles from their former homes. It was at this place that we fir»t fell in with them on our journey to the Bucktand. We found at least three hundred within the boundary of the few houses, stores, and huts created there. Many of them were without blankets, and had sought the inefficient protection of a bark verandah during the night ; others lay huddled together in the most abject state of misery and distress. Some of them on learning from the Chinese interpreter, who accompanied the detachment of police, of whose prolfci ot we availed ourselves, that they would be allowed to return, and that they would be protected, courageously resolved to do so, but the majority appeared perfectly cowed. Proceeding on our journey, we passed twenty or thirty different hordes of fugitives, camping for the night under the shelter of half-burnt blankets, mia-mias, and sheets of bark. At the crossing place, a mob of at least two hundred were congregated, who had consumed everything in the shape of bread and sugar which Host Hooper had been able to provide. Other small and large mobs were encountered up at Buckland crossing, after passing which the only Chinamen we met with were such as were hurrying from the encampments, whither they had returned in search of their property. In place of men, the remnants of their tools, clothing, and dwellings everywhere met our eyes. Broken shovels, cradles, picks, torn garments, ripped-up bedding, half burnt clothing, battered pots, and roofless and blackened frames of tents and buildings, whole quarters of beef and mutton trodden into the mire, the earth bestrewed with rice, empty sugar bags, and broken tea boxes, with hungry dogs prowling about in search of provender, were the chief features of the late home of the Celestials. In their chief encampment, some few tents remained untouched, but the valuable portions of their contents have been abstracted or destroyed. The charred frame of the Joss house with the emblematical flag at the door, now torn and defaced, are the only vestiges of the temple wh>eh was opened with so much pomp and ceremony but a few days since. It is hardly possible to form a correct estimate - of the a nount of damage done to property. One Chinese storekeeper with whom we conversed fived his loss at £900 another at £750, a third at £500 ; while a fourth declared that he knew of £20,000, and that when everything came to be summed up the total would exceed £50,000. We hold this to be an exaggeration, computing the loss at something between £8000 and £9000. When we left the Buckland River, late on Monday night, no death directly resulting; fiom violence was known to have occurred. The death of three Chinamen had, however, been reported at the police camp. Two of these deaths are stated to have been the result of exposure to cold and wet, and perhaps also to fright, while suffering under disease: the third is alleged to have ensued from accidental immersion in the rireV. An inquest will be held on all three bodies without delay. Dr. Hutchinson, the coroner, left for the Buckland yesterday afternoon, and the evidence taken by him will place us in a better position to judge of the cause of death According to report some twenty Chinamen at least are mis&hig, aud it is suimised that their bodies are cither at the bottom of some of the holes in the banks or in the bed of the river, or that the missing men have not sufficiently recovered from the fright to venture from the hiding places into which they rushed for concealment. These are the whole of the incidents connected with the expulsion of the Chinese which appear to claim immedVe attention. Comment on them is at present impossible. We require time for reflection, in order that we may not be led by our sympathy with the Chinese into the expression of opinions which we might regret; aud to disconrect the conduct of those who commenced the expulsion of the Chinese, and of those who followed it up by acts of violence and robbery. Coming fresh from the scene we have endeavoured to sketch what we saw and to narrate wh.if we heaid. Captain Price, the Resident Warden, arrived on the Buckland, shortly after twelve o'clock on Monday afternoon ; the detachment of police under Mr. Superintendene Bourke did not reach its destination till neaily.'six o'clock, having marched nearly the whole of the distance from Beechworth, rather more than fifty miles, in twenty-four hours. It was reported that some kind of resistance would be offered to the authorities, but without truth. They entered the camp in peace, and will be allowed to seek in similar peace for the ring leaders, who have already made themselves scarce. By ring leaders, we mean those who set the movement going, not those who were prominent in the acts of savagery which degraded it. Some of the latter are known, and evidence will not be wanting to convict them. But one opinion exists among the respectable residents on the Buckland. It is one of unlimited disgust at the acts of violence and pillage, but we must say, had those who are now so loud in uttering this condemnation been bold enough to combine to protect the persons and the property of the Celestials from injury, they would only have acted the part of humane and sensible men. This should have been overtly and practically pronounced on Saturday last, and not reserved until 20 policemen and a couple of magistrates had reached the locality. Captain Price having resolved to call on the Chinese to return, many in the course of Monday afternoon nlowly toiled up the river, and from what we saw on our homeward route, we calculate that about a thousand are obeying the call ; seven or eight hundred are on the road to this part of the district, while the remainder are encamped in the bush, undecided what they shall do. Several hundreds reached Three-miles last night. Captain Price inf ends to remain at the Buckland until relieved by \lr. Gaunt, of the Woolshed, who started from here last night for tiie purpose.

Amalgamated Gold.— We on Fiiday inspected dr« of the most magnificent cakes of amalgamated go d * c have ever seen on this gold-field. It measures 24 mchia in circumference and about 6 inches in depth. It resembles a tolerably sized cheese, with about a third -of the inside cut out, leaving the rind standing. It wi ighs 542 oz. 12 dwts., and was purchased by Mrr'Andrew Bannerman from Messrs. Hincks, Heldebrant, and Koch, of New Chum, tor upwards of £2 000. lne« quartz from which it *as obtained was crushed at the 1 Great Western Steam Works, under the supmiitendence of Mr. Doody. We are told that it is only about three weeks since Messrs. Hincks and Co sold a cake from the same claim*' weighing over 300 w.e. — Bqmditfq Advertiser*