The Sun.
London, England, 1853-01-14 00:00:00

THE COLONY OF VICTORIA,

(Front the Melbourne Argus of Sept. 27, 1852.)
On the 7th of the present month, the day prior
to the departure of the Chusan steamer, we pub-
lished an elaborate article, embodying the results
of a most careful investigation into the actual con-
dition, commercial, social, and political, of the
Colony of Victoria, and designed for transmission
to Europe by the overland mail, in order that the
British public might be furnished in a condensed
form with the latest and most authentic informa-
tion respecting a colony so strangely circumstanced,
and at the present moment exciting such profound
and general interest throughout the civilised world.
As the Australian steamer is on the point of de-
parting for England by the direct ocean route, we
design to add such supplementary particulars as
will bring down our summary of events to the
present moment. And, as before, we shall com-
mence with the grand primary topic of

THE GOLD.
The total amount of the precious metal brought
into Melbourne by the several escorts, and by pri-
vate hand, up to the end of August, we showed to
be 1,771,974 ounces. Since then the quantities
brought in have been as under:—

GOVERNMENT ESCORT. Ounce 9.
Sept. 3. From Ballarat 4,627
„ 7. „ Mount Alexander 37,956
„ 10. „ Ballard 4,897
~ 17. „ Do. 4,661
„ „ „ Mount Alexander 47,061
25. " Do.
~ „ „ Ballarat, unknown.

128,830

PRIVATE ESCORT.
Sept. 3. From Mount Alexander .
»
„ 14.
47,050
„ 20.
40,922
)1
„ 26.

197,959

TOTALS.
By Government Escort ................. 128,830
By Private Escort 197,959
Amount conveyed to Adelaide by South
Australian Escort on 16th inst.

Total quantity brought down by Escorts ...366,193
We have here tolerably correct data to determine
the average weekly yield of the Victoria Diggings.
In an address to her Majesty, drawn up by the
Legislative Council some days ago, it is stated that
" the present weekly yield of gold, taking the last
three months as a criterion,
may be estimated at
80,000 ounces, which, at 70s an ounce, gives a
gross annual sum of 14,560,000 sterling." This
estimate is fully substantiated by the figures given
in our previous article, and more than confirmed
by the statistics given above. For we find that in
the first four weeks of the present month close
upon three hundred and seventy thousand ounces
have been conveyed from the Diggings by escorts,
in addition to the unknown quantity brought away
by private persons, and still remaining in the hands
of the diggers. Perhaps an average yield of one
hundred and twenty thousand ounces weekly would
not be an exaggerated estimate. At all events, it
is perfectly certain that the weekly yield is con-
stantly increasing. But on the other hand it must
be stated that the present is the most favourable
period of the year for gold digging, and that the
number of diggers is constantly increasing.
In our previous summary, we estimated the
total yield of our gold fields from their commence-
ment to the end of August, at 2,532,422 ounces
to which, adding the amount since brought in, we
have a present total of 2,898,615 ounces, which, at
31. lOs per ounce, is equal to 10,145,1521. sterling.
But this amount, we may again state, we • believe
to be much below the actual value of the gold pro-
duced in Victoria to the present date.
We have said that the number of diggers is in-
creasing. Our previous estimate gave the number
at 70,000 • and it is likely that upwards of 80,000
are at this moment on the ground. Taking the
average weekly yield given by the Legislative
Council, we find that the average yield per man
per week is exactly an ounce. This result is at
least confirmed by the general statements of the
diggers themselves, it being universally admitted
that any persevering digger can easily secure an
ounce a week—a striking contrast with the wages
of the Lanark handloom weaver, and the pittance
doled out grudgingly to the Dorsetshire labourer,
or the famished Irish peasant
That the quantity of gold produced rises or falls
in proportion to the number of diggers is now a
demonstrated fact ; and two important inferences
are deducible from it. First, that the capabilities
of our gold fields are almost without limit, since
the more they are worked the richer they appear ;
and second, that they offer remunerative employ-
ment to any number of men who choose to labour
in them with energy and perseverance. These are
the plain and practical facts upon which English
workmen can found a safe judgment as to the wis-
dom of trying their fortune at the diggings. We
lay no stress on the chances of the exciting game
of gold seeking ; we say nothing of the marvellous
prizes won by some favourites of fortune, because
that would be to run the risk of misleading and
deluding the honest worker. If the certain gain
offer by the diggings is not sufficient to induce a
man to given them a trial, he is very foolish if he
allows himself to be lured to thaw by the com-
paratively few chance instances of extraordinary
success.

But it is only fair to state, that there are such
instances, and many have come to light within the
last few weeks. The most remarkable is the find-
ing of a splendid mass of pure solid gold, weighing
twenty-eight pounds four ounces. This superb
mass has been purchased by the Executive for
1,6501., for presentation to her Majesty, and is for-
warded by the Australian steamer. These are
solitary instances, however, and offer no standard
of general success.
The experience of the past month has not alone
tended to confirm the fact that our gold fields are
not yet beginning to exhibit the slightest symptoms
of exhaustion, but have even fresh evidence of
their indefinite extent. In two instances it has
been found that spots which had been tried and
abandoned as comparatively unproductive, have
proved upon more minute investigation to be richly
remunerative. Other localities, hitherto untried, are
spoken of confidently as abounding in
gold. It is
not necessary, however, to supplement the sub-
stantial proofs of the enormous richness of the pro-
vince by mere reports of additiOnal gold fields.
But by way of showing the extent and present
aspect of the various gold fields, we may quote the
latest reports from several different localities dis-
tant very many miles from each other. An
the 17th instant, says—.
expe-
rienced man, writing from Mount Alexander on

" Some of the gold finds around this creek have been
, nTuesday last, one man picked
about nine pounds of pure gold,
neetity. of smaller nuggets around it—
onb
ueustmi
daeersouas
noble andso
greatl
idg up
in all worth 800/. or 1,000/.---at one swoop. Another
party on coming down to the pipeclay, found between
between nine and ten pounds of gold resting on the rock
at an angle of about 45°, and lying beautifully in a sort
of vein on the pipeclay ..... Many men with their
families have evidently come up here now to settle per-
manently, for to exhaust the gold at the Mount will take
many years yet-1880 won't see it out."

_ _ ---
Another, dating his letter from Eureka, near the
first. Ballarat gold field, writes :.---
" During last week a party at Little Bendigo obtained,
rtunate, were in a day, two hundred and eight ounces, which every
p a failure, to
day since has increased as the party gets further into the
dip of the rock. This party certainly deserved success,
party was sink-
for
g,
de-
termined
atheysunkndhian nh
having been
thebeve
eehnno
tl
some
oof mewherethat
months
nhtohls
oeuilroving other
bid farewell to the diggings. A great many instances ofqvuear
comingght toeraspect. It may
my knowledge.
be safely asserted that Eureka, if not now,
will soon be-
come the 'EI Dorado' of Victoria."
Eelylything good
now luck are
wearing daily
acoming

A gentleman at Daisy-hill, at the Pyrenees
;hirty or forty miles further west, says

Hill Diggings have advanced in public
"On the 10th September, since my last, communica-
tion, the Daisy
favour, and on good grounds, as with an increased num-
ber of diggers, the average finds have, I believe, been
larger than previously was the case. The diggers have
almost entirely confined their operations to surface wash-
ing, having been prevented from sinking by the wet.
The surface soil is universally auriferous, and in spots
extremely rich, a party having in one afternoon procured
42 ounces of gold : this, of course, is an instance of un-
usual good fortune ; but I believe that I am correct in
stating the average return from the surface washing at
one ounce per day per man. A nugget weighing 13
ounces was picked up on the surfaee on Saturday last."
And a letter dated at Reid's Creek, at the Oven's
River, quite in another direction, being 180 mires
north-east of Melbourne, contains the following

passage :
"A person on the ground reports that a party of four
got 17 and a half ounces of gold in one day, and that he
and his companion were making an average of 8 oz.
daily between them. The worst success ascertained was
2 oz. and upwards per man per day. This individual
observes that he never saw at either the Mount Alexan-
der or the Turon diggings the gold run so regular, and
that where the diggers are now at work, there is room
for 4,000 or 5,000 people. The nuggets they have been
picking up weigh in many instances from a quarter to
half an ounce. There are now about 100 people on the
ground. The distance of these diggings from Melbourne
is 180 miles on the Sydney road, and 15 miles from the
township of Wangaratta."
The most cautious reader will now be able to
judge for himself, from the evidence we have laid
before him, as to the actual value of the gold fields

now being worked, and their possible capabilities.
But we think that it is no unwarrantable assump-
tion to claim for the colony of Victoria the honour
of being the richest gold field in the world.
OUR SOCIAL CONDITION.

The social condition of the colony, and especially
of the city of Melbourne, becomes every day more
complicated and unmanagable. The population is
swelled by the arrival of thousands of emigrants
weekly from England and the neighbouring colo-
nies, while there is no corresponding increase of
house accommodation. Indeed, the prosecution of
the trades required in the erection of buildings is
all but impossible, from the scarcity of materials
and the high price of labour. Both these causes
result from our Contiguity to the gold fields ; for it
is not to be supposed that artisans and labourers
will accept the ordinary rates of wages when they
can with certainty earn an ounce of gold a week at
the diggings, besides being their own masters, and
standing the chance of much greater things. The
want of dwellings of any description, and the total
neglect of all sanatory regulations, are becoming
intolerable evils, and will be painfully felt by thou-
sands of immigrants on their first 'arrival. Already
much hardship of this kind is suffered, nor is it pos-
sible to provide an adequate remedy. The atten-
tion of the Local Government, and of the' citizens
generally, is at this moment earnestly directed to
the subject, and efforts are being made to devise
temporary expedients to mitigate the evils ; but it
is absolutely impossible to make full provision for
the coming multitudes, and a great amount of
hardship will evidently be endured by such as have
families. It is some compensation, however, to
know that in the brilliant summer weather now
approaching, men can live almost wholly in the
open air, without great inconvenience or danger.
The healthiness of the diggings is a proof of this.
The causes leading to this state of things are be-
yond human control. No foresight could have an-
ticipated them, and no energy could fully remedy
them. It is not the lack of private benevolence or
public spirit amongst us that leaves thousands
houseless ; it is the physical necessity of the case.
Doubtless, the reaction will come at length. But,
meantime, it is imperative on all new corners that
they evince a hardy spirit of self-reliance and self-
helpfulness. Privations they must suffer, and it
will be vain, as well as unjust, to blame other
people for them.
A large proportion of the males arriving, how-
ever, merely make a temporary stay in Melbourne
ere they depart for the diggings. The number of
t
persons, including returning diggers, who have left
city within the last three weeks cannot be cor-
rectly ascertained, but may fairly be estimated at
ten thousand, while few, or none, are returning
frOm the diggings to remain in the city. This
latter fact strongly corroborates our statement as
to the remunerative nature of the employment.
Meantime, the value of house property in the
city is enormously increasing. In some instances
building allotments dave been sold for slims which
plots of equal size in the very centre or London or
New York would not have fetched. Fortunes have
been realised in this way by persons who never
could have dreamed that their property would rise
to one-fourth the value they now receive for it.
One gentleman, for example, received 5,000 guineas
for a piece of ground in a main street, which would
not have feiched one-eighth of the sum three years
ago. Ground fronting principal streets has been
sold at 2501. a foot frontage ; and houses are, in
some cases, let for a yearly rental, larger than the
whole amount expended in building them two years
since.
Added to all this, there are fears, and well-
grounded fears, of a coming scarcity of provisions.
Already the necessaries of life are exorbitantly dear,
and are daily getting dearer. The crops cannot
receive the attention bestowed on them in ordinary
times, much less ihat increased atiention rendered
necessary by the daily increasing influx of popula-
tion. Our stocks of bread stuffs are 3hreatening to
run low, nor is it easy to see whence they are to be
replenished. The consequences are almost too
painful to be calmly contemplated.
All these facts demand the deepest attention from
English merchants, and exporters in all parts of the
world. There is a market here for almost every
commodity. Our price current will show the high
prices to be realised by importers. There does not
seem much fear of a glut, at least in the necessaries
of life, in a market continually growing larger and
more pressing in its demands. We believe, there-
fore, that English and other capitalists have here a
noble field for gathering wealth. We should like
to see commercial projects entered into for the pur-
pose of supplying the necessities of this people m a
liberal and expansive spirit. The enterprise will be
a noble one in itself ; and will at once confer vast
benefits upon a large and most interesting popula-
tion, and enrich those who undertake it in a worthy
style. Without disparagement to the mercantile
community here, we may safely' assert that its trans-
actions are scarcely adequate to the commercial re-
quirements of the colony. It is wise to send us out
ships laden with the physical power necessary to
develope our resources ; but it will not be wise to
continue that system, if the emigrant fleets are not
supplemented by others bearing the necessaries and
luxuries of civilised life, and returning gold-laden
to the shores of Britain.
Morally, our condition is not much improving.
The dark picture presented in our previous ar-
ticle is not modified in any of its details. Crime
is still rife • and life and property are still in-
secure. Judges, paid to administer the laws, in-
deed, assure us that these laws are decently ad-
ministered ; and Attorneys-General, whose duty it
is to check outrage, endeavour to persuade us
that there is little or no crime. But, unhappily,
these gentlemen enjoy a monopoly of such opinions ;
and the people at large know, bitterly to their cost,
that neither their houses, their purses, nor their
lives are oven moderately safe. The English Go-
vernment, with a most culpable and fatal blindness
to its duty and its true interest, still sends out
shiploads of English felonry to the neighbouring
island, and thousands of convicts find their way to
our shores ; it is even said publicly that the Local
Government of Van Diemen's Land connives at
their escape. Our Legislature has framed an Act
—not yet come into operation—to put a stop to
this evil. But even if it should fully succeed in its
design, the mischief already done to the community
is immense, intolerable, and quite sufficient to
exasperate loyal colonists beyond all reconciliation
to British rule. Nor does it tend to soothe our
insulted feelings when we find that the question of
transportation to Van Diemen's Land is shamefully
" burked" by the Imperial Legislature, which
seems so fatally bent on playing its petty game of
political parties that it has no attention to bestow
on a question affecting the very possession of the
richest colony in the world. Whose fault will it
be if they lose it for ever ?
The life of the gold digger is not favourable to
his moral and religious progress. On the contrary,
it seems powerfully to break those bonds by which
human society is held together. If this tendency
result
the
but bias as
general to crime
demoralisa-
tion constantly aggravated by contact with lawless-
intessass aspects—what can fotrm b e
con-
tinually stimulated by familiarity with vice in all
? The ordinary moral and religious influences
cannot reach the digger, and therefore it is neces-
sary to permit the absorption of his attention upon
his fascinating pursuit. But if we let loose thou-
sands of felons to corrupt and degrade the digging
population, and to set the example of
outrage
and plunder, indulged in with impunity, what
can be expected but universal depravity ? No
wonder that crime is so prevalent here ; that
property is not respected, nor life held sacred ;
that gaols are crowded, and criminals too nume-
rous to allow justice a temporary respite from
her, solemn duties. The wonder is that the
strong good sense and British feeling of the com-
munity have so long kept it from the final resort to
Lynch law. The miserable condition of affairs is
brought within one degree of that hateful alterna-
tive, by the inertness of the Local Government. A.
well-organised police force alone is necessary to pre-
serve peace, vindicate law, and repress crime ; and
this, its first and paramount duty, an imbecile
Executive evades, although it has ample funds at
command for the purpose.
In a debate upon the transportation question in
the House of Lords, news of which has arrived here
since our last article appeared, we are told that it
was said by one of her Majesty's advisers--the Earl
of Desart—that

" While guarding himself against casting any imputa-
tion upon the respectability of the signatures attached to
the petition, he trusted that the house would permit him
to read a short statement, showing the manner in which
the colonists endeavoured to evade this evil of which
they so loudly complained. He should, however, first
state that transportation to Van Diemen's Land had
very considerably diminished. The noble lord then read
a letter which he had received from the religious instruc-
tor on board the Rodney, and which was dated Hobart
Town, 20th of January, 1852. The letter stated that
ther ewere 870 applications for only 200 convicts, and that
there were 1,150 applications registered for men upon the
arrival of the next ship."

This statement was received with loud cries of
" Hear, hear," and the transportation policy of the
British Government was looked upon as triumph-
antly successful. And thus, became a score or two
of mercenary men, who would hire demons from
hell if they could use their services in saving them
a few pounds, run to the side of a convict ship and
struggle for a supply of the white slaves, with
which the British Government has been accustomed
to supply them ; and, became a wretched hireling
knows that he cannot better please his master than
by furnishing him with such a paltry quibble as
this to use in a debate, the colonists are to be put
down as insincere in their opposition. to this crying

evil ; the unanimous resolutions of all their Legi-
slative Assemblies are to be set at nought ; the so-
lemn and repeated protests of every public meeting
in every city in the colonies are to be disregarded ;
and the infamous folly of rewarding crime by trans-
portation to a gold field is to be continued
Where is this likely to end ? Where must it
end, if we are not in reality tinged to the core with
the convict taint; the soulless slaves that they
would fain believe us ? Where ought it to end, if
still one drop of British blood circulates in our
veins, or one ray of true British sentiment illumi-
nates our minds ? There is but one answer to all
this, and we leave these statesmen to guess it for
themselves.