The Eureka Stockade Part 6

To be serious; should a copy of this book be forgotten somewhere, and thereby be spared for the use of some southern Tacitus, let him bewail the perfidious mendacity of our times, whose characteristic is SLANDER, which proceeds from devil GROG; and the pair generate THE PROSPERITY OF THE WICKED.

Here is a sample:-

On Sat.u.r.day, September 29th, 1854, the members of the Local Court, Ballaarat, held a public meeting on the usual spot, Bakery-hill, for the purpose of taking the sense of their fellow miners, respecting the admittance or nonadmittance of the legal profession to advise or plead in said court.-- See report in The Star, a new local paper, No. V, Tuesday, October 2nd.

Messrs. Ryce and Wall having addressed the meeting in their usual honest, matter-of-fact way:-

"Great Works" was shouted and immediately appeared C. Raffaello, member of the Local Court. He hoped, that if there were any Goodenough present that they would see and not mislay their notes while he briefly brought three things before the meeting; the first concerned the meeting and himself, the second concerned himself, and the third concerned those present. The first was easily disposed of--have I, as I promised, done my duty as member of the Local Court to your satisfaction? (Yes, and cheers.) Very well, the second matter concerns myself--personally he was under no obligations to the lawyers--the services he received at the trial was done to him as a state prisoner, and not to Carboni Raffaello individually; when individually, he requested to be supplied with six pennyworth of snuff by Mr. Dunne, it was promised, but it never came to him. It would not have cost much to have supplied him, and it would have greatly obliged him, as habit had rendered snuff-taking necessary to him.

With the permission of those present he would take a pinch now. (He took a pinch amidst laughter and cheers.)

The admission of lawyers into the Local Court would give rise to endless feuds, where valuable interests were concerned, and so much time would be lost in useless litigation. As he had no wish through any personal obligation to see the lawyers in the Local Court, and as he considered that it was for the advantage of the miners that they should not be admitted, he opposed their entrance.

The third matter concerned those present. What did they come to Australia for? Why, to improve their prospects in reality, though on s.h.i.+pboard they might say it was to get rid of the 'governor,' or to get clear of an ugly wife, and now that you are here are you to allow the Ballaarat lawyers to fleece you of your hard earnings? Not being fond of yabber-yabber he would simply ask: are you fairly represented by us? (Yes, yes.) If so then support us, and if we do not represent you we will resign. Don't say yes if you don't mean it, for I do not like yabber-yabber.

I beg to a.s.sert, that the above report is correct, as far as it goes. Some five hundred diggers were present. Now for the perversion from the reporter of 'The Argus', Melbourne, Tuesday, October 2.

"Carboni Raffaello, a foreigner [a foreign anarchist, if you please, Mr. Editor], then spoke in his usual style [that is, sedition, revolution, and rebellion, that's it], the princ.i.p.al (sic) points of his remarks being, that while incarcerated in the Melbourne gaol [was it for common felony, or high treason?] he was not supplied with snuff, though he had entreated his learned counsel, Mr. J. H. Dunne, for sixpenny worth. He [Please, Raffaello or Dunne? fine pair together] did not consider himself under any obligation to the lawyers: he [but who? Dunne or Raffaello?] was not fond of yabber-yabber."

Thus an honest man is brayed at by a.s.ses in this colony! The fun is odious and ridiculous enough.

When such reporters of the British press prost.i.tute British ink, the only ink that dares to register black on white the name, word and deed of any tyrant through the whole face of the earth, and for the sake of a pair of Yankee boots, lower themselves to the level of a scribbler, thus affording to be audacious because anonymous, the British press in the southern hemisphere will be brought to shame, and Victoria cannot possibly derive any benefit from it.

Let the above observation stand good, I proceed with my work.

'The Age' was then just budding, and was considered, on the diggings the organ of the new chum Governor. 'The Age' soon mustered a Roman courage in the cause of the diggers, and jumped the claims both of The Herald and 'The Argus'; and though the 'own correspondent,' under the head of Ballaarat, be such a dry, soapy concern that will neither blubber nor blather, yet 'The Age' remained the diggers' paper.

The 'Ballaarat Times' was all the go, on the whole extent of the diggings.

Soon enough the reporter, aye, the editor himself, will both appear 'in propria persona'.

Chapter XVII.

Arcane, Impenetrabili, Profunde, Son Le Vie Di Chi Die L'Esser Al Niente.

When our southern sky is overloaded with huge, thick, dark ma.s.ses, and claps of thunder warn us of the pending storm, then a gale of wind is roaring in s.p.a.ce, doing battle with the bush, cowing down man and beast, sweeping away all manner of rottenness. This fury spares not, and desolation is the threat of the thunder.

A kind Providence must be blessed even in the whirlwind. Big, big drops of rain fight their way through the gale; soon the drops muster in legions, and the stronger the storm, the stronger those legions. At last they conquer; then it pours down--that is, the flood is made up of legions of torrents.

Is the end of the world now at hand? Look at the victorious rainbow!

it reminds man of the covenant of our G.o.d with Noah, not far from this southern land. The sun restores confidence that all is right again as before, and nature, refreshed and bolder, returns again to her work.

Hence, the storm is life.

Not so is the case with fire. Devouring everything, devouring itself, fire seems to leave off its frenzy, only to devour the sooner any mortal thing that comes in the way to r.e.t.a.r.d destruction. A few embers, then a handful of ashes, are the sole evidence of what was once kingly or beggarly.

Fire may destroy, consume, devour, but has no power to reduce to 'nothing.'

Hence the calamity of fire is death.

The handful of ashes lie lifeless until a storm forces them into the living order of nature, which, when refreshed, has the power to ingraft those ashes to, and make them prosper with, the grain of mustard seed.

Hence death is life.

Such is the order of Providence. Now, good reader, watch the handful of ashes of what was once Bentley's Eureka Hotel.

Chapter XVIII.

Pecunia Omnia Vincit.

In the dead of the night after the burning of the Eureka Hotel, three men had been taken into custody, charged with riot, and subsequently committed to take their trial in Melbourne.

I think the diggers at this time seriously contemplated to burn down the Camp, and thus get rid in a blaze of all their grievances.

A committee for the defence of these men, met at the Star Hotel, and sent round to all the tents on Ballaarat for subscriptions. I contributed my mite, and then learned that VERN, KENNEDY, and HUMFFRAY were the triumvirate of said committee.

The following placard was posted throughout the goldfields:-

500 POUNDS REWARD

for the discovery, apprehension and conviction of the murderer of James Scobie, found dead near the late Eureka Hotel, etc., etc.

At one and at the same time, also, the following placards were posted at each prominent gum-tree on the goldfield:-

500 POUNDS REWARD

increased by Government to

1,600 POUNDS!!

for the apprehension and conviction of the robbers of the Bank of Victoria.

A desperate deed was committed in broad mid-day; Monday, October 16th, in the Ballaarat towns.h.i.+p.