CITY IN UPROAR

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 82, 3 October 1929, Page 25

CITY IN UPROAR

'BATTLE OF MELBOTJENE:

DISTURBING FALSE ALARM

■ Melbourne has been ■ug^fl'arly.-frec from hoaxes or false alarms ?j;'a.rarge iicale, one notable exception pcfiurrted in 1854, when the city was needlessly,'thrown into the greatest consternation and confusion, states the "Age." At that time Russia was at war against Turkey, and Great Britain prevailed upon France and Sardinia to join' her in aiding the Turks to resist the Russian invasion. The war lasted for nearly two Shears, during which period the Russians .werei driven backward and Britain lost thousands'of her best men. After great •laughter on both sides Sebastopol was teiptgred by the allied armies on Bth September, 1855—74 years ago this month. (Shortly afterwards peace, was proclaimed. . The above facts are mentioned to show why Australian colonists during the progress of that war were kept in an anxious state; of suspense. .In those days mail steamers did not arrive so often and so v punctually: as they do now, and European iiews came necessarily in a straggling way;.; The 'good citizens of Melbourne had formed a local militia (so as to v be"prepared for emergencies; and they had scarcely commenced their early training when news arrived that a Russian flying squadron had 'sailed for a cruise in the South Pacific, probably to make a raid on Melbourne,or Sydney. The nerves of the population were on edge, but worse was to follow. TO ARMS! The steamship Great Britain, with several cases of smallpox on board, arrived from England on 18th August, 1854. She was immediately placed' in quarantine for three weeks, after which she at once steamed upHobson's Bay. Arriving off . Port Melbourne (then called Sandridge) about 9 o'clock at night, the captain of the vessel decided to express his thank- . .fulness for the happy release by firing guns and sending up sky rockets. A number of ships in the Bay, with due nautical courtesy, responded, and thus the firing became general. Little did the jovial sailors ; ; ttinnk of the consternation they were causiing an Melbourne. ." : :SThe- Governor (Sir Charles' Hothain) rWas attthe time away on a country visit, • :OTr& .grand, ball was being held and the ■festivities.'were 'almost, at their height •^mP^ ;- : guns sounded. Immediately :itMere : was a general uproar, which was .^Klfei-to. by enterprising newsboys calling votit,^ .'Extraordinary. Full account of the;battle of Melbourne." A number of irregular cavalry galloped along the SandridgeVrbjJd towards the Bay, and a large number <qf infantry— many aimed witli sticks;/umbrellas, pick handles, etc—followed in their wake, "bearing themselves steadily onward with undaunted mien!" Princes Bridge was thronged with an excited crowd, bugles sounded, drums beat, and the soldiers in the barracks were numedly got under arms and stood ready ■waiting orders to proceed to the scene of action. ■ "'*■• ■ ' ■ • WIDESPREAD ALARM. The alarm meanwhile had [spread to hi<*li quarters, and the Colonial Secretary—Sir Kobet Nickel—was called out. Ho and other distinguished public personages rushed hither and thither in a state bordering on frenzy. It was some, time, in tact, before it was realised that' a mistake had been made, though the relief which iollowed the discovery to a large extent pntweighed any inconvenience' that • had' been unwittingly caused. One newspaper referred to it afterwards as "the most glorious unintentional hoax that has ever been perpetrated in any part of the world Byron s description of the excitement in Brussels on the eve of the Battle of VVaterloo can alone give any idea of the state of Melbourne that night." To give an idea of the anxiety in .the city previous to the false alarm, the folYn?£IV S *%?? !E om a newspaper dated 10th May 1804-three months previously: — One of the largest and most influential' meetings ever held in Geelong was presided over by the Mayor of that town on Monday evening last. Its object was the formation of a rifle club for the purposes of defence against a Russian invasion. It was urged that as Russian fleets would be likely to extort subsidies under threat of bombardment, a troop of flying artillery and another of mounted riflemen should be established, as well ag the rifle club. One speaker wished to Know whether there was any man in the town who would submit to be butchered and robbed by the rascally cut-throat Kussians, or any other invading Power without standing up to defend himself' ■me same speaker admitted that he had not got a rifle himself yet, but if there was one in the market "he intended to have it by Saturday.". (!)