THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD DIGGINGS

Lyttelton Times, Volume II, Issue 68, 24 April 1852, Page 3

THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD DIGGINGS

The Times, of November 27th, contains the prospectus of The British Australian Gold Mining Company (established in Sydney), capital, £200,000 'in 200,000 shares of £\ each, to be paid in full, without any further liability. The following names are announced as forming the local Committee of Management: Edward Hammond Hargraves, Sydney, the first discoverer of gold in Australia; Richard Fawcett, Esq., George-street, Sydney; John Orr, Esq., of the firm of Jamieson, Orr and Co., Sydney and Melbourne. [From the " Wellington Independent."] The " William Alfred" arrived on Tuesday evening from Sydney, after a good passage of 14 days. Several of our Wellington gold seekers, who went up in the " William Alfred," have returned in her, among whom are Messrs. Simpson, Wilton, and Cooper. The Turon diggings were becoming quite deserted. The decline of the Turon, appears to be partaken of by the whole of the gold fields, both in New South Wales and Port Phillip. At Mount Alexander, disease of the eyes had become very general, and great discontent and misery, unenlivened by any extraordinary instances of success, were prevalent throughout the gold districts. The price of flour at Sydney had remained for a long time stationary ; it being £13 per ton for fine, and £\1 for seconds. Mr. Joseph, of the firm of Samuel and Joseph, of this town, arrived here from London vid Sydney in the " William Alfred."

The following extract of a letter received per " William Alfred," is from a young man named Benton, a Carpenter, who left Wellington for the Australian Gold Field a few months back. As the party is well known in this place, his statements will be read with interest, and we recommend them to the careful perusal of all those (if there be any such) who contemplate breaking up their comfortable homes in New Zealand, previous to starting on such hazardous enterprise. He writes thus :

" In the first three months I walked about 400 miles, visited three different Gold Fields, viz., Braidwood, Sholehaven, the Abercrombie, and am now on the Turon. At the three firstnamed places, I saw but very little chance for myself, or for those that were with me. Two of our party had been at the Turon before, and therefore knew all about the locality. Our party broke up soon after leaving the Sholehaven, Reardon and a young man from Port Cooper going reaping, and Hood, Phil, and myself proceeding to the Turon, a distance of about 200 miles across the country, between Goulbourne and Bathurst. I would now earnestly recommend all those who think of coming to the diggings to stay where they are. 'The privations that I have suffered, end the miseries and discomfort I have gone through, you would scarcely believe, and many a time I have thought of Wellington, and heartily wished I was back again."

Benton was also unsuccessful at the Turon, and bad in consequence proceeded to Sydney. On his arrival there, he had the mortification to find, that the parties with whom he had left his tool chest and clothes, had sold them and decamped to Port Philip, leaving him, after five months of the most incessant toil, privation, and anxiety, without a penny in his pocket, and just what clothes he stood upright in.

[The following extracts from a letter written by a correspondent of the Melbourne Argus, and published in that journal, may be relied on as a faithful picture of the awful state of things at the above diggings.]

Forest Ckeek.—The dreadful state of anxiety in which most of the diggers are placed

from the hordes of scoundrels infesting Fryer's and Forest Creeks induces me to beg assistance of your able pen to waken the Government from their lethargy, and endeavour to drive, if not induce them, to do something for our protection. As this is a matter which occupies the attention of most persons on the ground at present, and which will eventually end in a general crusade against the robbers, causing bloodshed and murder, I am anxious to make such statements as can be proved and nothing more. On Fryer's Creek no man's life is safe, if he happens to offend these fellows or possess gold. They may be seen coining out of sly grog shops in a beastly state of intoxication, carrying a bottle of grog in one hand and a pistol in the other, in open day. They have been seen to knock a man down and rob him, by more than one, close to a cluster of tents, but such is the dread these gentlemen have caused, that the beholders have merely shaken their heads, and walked away to tell their neighbours of the circumstance, without daring even to expostulate against such viliany. A poor dog chained to a hut, happened to growl as one of these gentry was passing when he deliberately drew a pistol and shot him dead ; this was on Wednesday morning about six o'clock ; the inmates were sleeping with their heads within three feet of where the dog lay, and had the fellow missed his aim, the chances are that the ball would have penetrated the head of a human being. They make no secret of what they will do, for they tell parties it is useless watching, when they feel inclined to " make a lift" they will do it. On Tuesday an unlucky digger was coining over this creek with 16 oz. of gold for the purpose of proceeding to Melbourne. He fell in with one of the gangs, who robbed him of all. Another, while looking for his horse, lost his way, and at night fell in with a gang, who, taking him for a spy, stripped him of everything, and were preparing him some punishment, when he managed to slip off and reach here next morning. A new game has commenced. They watch during the day, leavn the owner is sleeping or watching in his tent, the gangs visit the holes, pick out the best earth, and at daylight they may be seen with bags full of earth on their shoulders, returning to their tents, and in some cases they are adjoining the tent of the party robbed. Now sir, what is to be done ? Are forty thousand men to plod on, toiling and sweating during the day, to fill the pockets of some five hundred scoundrels through the night? Are they to stand quietly by and see their neighbours assaulted and robbed, or must they take the law into their own hands ? If they do, you must not be surprised at many acts that will cause a person in his cooler moments to shudder at. They are bearing it a long time, but depend upon it, they will not bear it much longer. In the present state of things is it not shameful of the Government to stand quietly by, and see all ? * * * A bit of Lynch Law has been put in force. A fellow was caught, and was made to visit the bottom of a deep muddy water hole, head doivnwards, and when he came up again he was told that his next visit to that hole would be the last, if taken for the same offence. Another was lashed to a tree, got a couple of dozen, and allowed to escape. This is certainly better than shooting on their entering a tent, but a pistol being a handy weapon, is more likely to be brought into use than a rope or a whip. The road from Melbourne is still thronged with fresh arrivals ; I counted 593 between the diggings and Kyncton, and I should judge the same number for every 16 miles along the road. I fear that before long it will be my unpleasant duty to report cases of violence from the locality of the Black Forest. No police, no guard, no patrol, through a forest of twelve miles, thick enough to hide an army, and where thousands of pounds are passing daily, is another great oversight of the Government; but of late, like robberies at the Mount, they have become so frequent, that we pass them by as we would a bad debt.