The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-04-12 00:00:00

APRIL 12, 1853.

MELBOURNE.

AUSTRALIA.-POLITICAL AND SOCIAL.

We extract the following particulars from a letter, which
has just been received by the Great Britain. It has been
forwarded to us " for the benefit of those who have not
maturely considered the risk of encountering the hardships
which the gold digger must endure. As the letter was
not written for publication, the apparent flippancy of the
style may be excused, yet the genuine feeling and honesty
of expression, added to the importance of the subject, will,
to many persons, in some measure be interesting."

" November 29, 1852.
" My last was dated from Moonlight Creek, or, as I
persist in calling it, "Moonshine Gully." We have been
most signally unsuccessful there; our loss (not including
time, which here is worth at the lowest valuation 10s. per
diem) amounting to upwards of £l5O ; we are rapidly,
however, making up the loss, and, no doubt, will soon be
proportionately fortunate. Our post-office managers have
not, as yet, allowed me the happiness of receiving any
letters by the Great Britain, or any other vessels ; the
former arrived about three weeks ago, and her mails are
not yet assorted, without they have accomplished the
Herculean task to-day. You will understand from this
that 1 have not heard from you yet, and, to say the truth,
am beginning to be very anxious and very angry with all
post-office authorities.

" New diggings have broken out at Mount Korough
Krong, about 150 miles from Melbourne, and from here,
150 miles in the interior, whither I purpose transporting
myself as soon as the reports are confirmed. If Liverpool
papers deign to notice us little ones at the Antipodes, you
will most probably get a faint idea of the state of things
here ;—the government incapable, minus energy, the con-
fidence of the people must either change or vanish. The
other day they attempted to put on an extra 2s. 6d. per
ounce on gold ; the miners very coolly told his excellency
that if the said duty were levied, one man fully armed,
provisioned for fourteen days, out of each party, would
leave the diggings for Melbourne, for the express purpose
of knocking the said city about his ears. Of course, after
that, the bill stands ordered to he read again some six
months hence. The London Times may sneer at the
" vagabonds" of Mount Alexander, of which I happen to
be one ; but I tell the Times that England cannot plant a
physical force in Victoria sufficient to control us. A troop
of " lobsters," arrived about a month ago, have deserted for
the diggings, or, as the diggers eloquently term it, have
"sloped," and the " sloping" of the rest is momentarily
expected ; every soldier and sailor setting foot on this
colony becomes at once a digger ; now this will show a
rather queer state of things when taken into consideration
with the hourly murders, robberies, and libertinism.
" The infant colony is now grown up, and longs to act
like a man. God forgive the British government if,
through any of their supineness, bloodshed and ruin deso-
late our gold fields. Without a good stand is soon made
by an energetic government, holding the good will of the
people, " vagabonds" dire will be the result, and the
colony of Victoria will be lost to the British Crown. I
have watched well, and cannot foresee any other termina-
tion ; every miner appears to be a better soldier than ever
was manufactured in England ; inured to hardship and
toil, they would make a whole file of " lobsters" shudder.
What care they for the threats of the government ? Our
number is now somewhere about 350,000 able-bodied men,
nearly all with a strong energy and fixed purpose; they
laugh at hardships, they know the country, and despise
the London Times. You need not fear for my safety, for
though I shall never shrink from what I consider my duty,
yet I shall not take the trouble of interfering with what
does not concern me. I have long tried to hide this state
of thiags from myself, but feel I must tell you, lest it
should come to you through any other channel, and create
any uncalled-for uneasiness. They may fight as long as
they like before I have anything to do with it, unless they
attempt to rob us of a trifle like 2s. 6d. per diem, which,
I can positively assure you, they will not get from me
except by force. Eighteen pounds per annum is quite
enough to be taxed, without £2O or £3O more tacked
to it."

" 18th December.—l wrote the above intending to send
the letter by the Great Britain. but as I discovered it
would not sail until the Ist of next month, I deferred it
until now. The above words have turned out partially
prophetic, even so far; the government officers have been
successfully resisted at the Ovens, one of the gold fields,
about 200 miles from Melbourne, and, as might have been
expected, a demonstration was arranged to make them
remit the license for the current month ; happily no real
damage was done, barring, as Paddy says, a little ill usage.
I intend leaving this gully on Monday for Campbell's
Creek, this place being so uncomfortable. I have not
heard a word from any English person since I left, so you
may imagine the miserable state of suspense lam in. A
journey to Melbourne would be to me ruinous for six
months, so I must bear it stoically ; but it is almost too
much, not a single consolation in all this hardship,
banishment, and half savageism. * * W. M. W.

LETTER FROM A LIVERPOOL OPERATIVE

The following extracts are taken from a letter received
last week by the wife of a Liverpool artisan, who is now
settled in Melbourne :

" South Australia, Melbourne, Jan. 1, 1853.
"My dear Kate,—l am just writing these few lines in
a hurry, to send by the Great Britain, if possible. Thank
God I have arrived safe at my journey's end, after a very
pleasant passage•; and I am further thankful that you
and my dear children are at home, for this place is so
crowded with passengers, who are arriving daily, that
lodgings are not to be had at 'any price; the consequence
is, that all the new comers are obliged to live in tents,
which they bring with them, or make them out of their
sheets, and pitch on a piece of ground allotted for that
purpose by the government. There are 500 tents here at
present ; and I assure you it is a most miserable life ; for
when the hot winds blow they are smothered with dust.
All the women wish that they had remained at home, and
let their husbands come out by themselves. We arrived
in the bay on Wednesday, December 22, and landed on
Friday the 24th, and our Chrismas Eve was spent in the
bush. About thirteen of us slept together. Everything
here is very dear except meat, tea, coffee, and bread,
which is 3d. per lb. Cheese is 2s. per lb.; ham, 23. 6d. ;
butter, 2s. 6d. ; cabbage, 2s. for a sinele head : in fact,
money is no object here. They think no more of a pound
here than they do in England of a sixpence. As regards
my trade, I have had no chance as yet ; for there are a
great many here of all trades at present, as there are not
-so many going to the diggings at present, in consequence
of it being the dry season ; but in about a month or six
weeks the rainy season will commence, and there will be
a great many going. As it is, a good many have come
down to town to spend the Christmas, and the town being
so throng, it makes situations rather bad to be got at
present; but never mind your trade, you must turn your
hand to anything. I have got a situation in a soapery,
at a salary of £2 per week, with my board and lodgings,
which is equal to another £2, as I should have to pay
that in the town ; so my salary is £2OO a-year. I am
going to.day, and begin on Monday morning. So, my
dear girl, in a week or two I shall be able to forward you
a few pounds, together with a long description of the
country. I have an account of the voyage, which I will
also send you. Thank God, I have had the best of
health ; not an hour's sickness since I left you—not even
sea sickness."
To his mother he writes :

" I know not what change may have taken place since
I left you; but I trust in God that you are well; that
you are still in your situation ; and that my dear little
George is with you. Keep him, if possible, and see that
he is sent to a good school and regular to church. With
God's blessing, I will be able to send some money in a
week or two, which will enable my dear Kate to en-
joy a little more comfort than she has done lately, and
also to repay you in a short time for what you have
lately done for us. I have got as good a situation as I
could expect at the present time ; it is about three miles
out of Melbourne, in a country place. lam out of all
temptations of the town, and I shall not need to spend
sixpence a month. Pray for me ; learn George to do the
same ; and, please God, we shall not be long separated.
Remember me to J ; I hope he looks to my little
Willy, as he promised me : I shall not forget him. I
will send a full account of the state of things here in my
next letter. But one thing is sure, that all women can
do well here. Excuse my writing, for lam writing this
on my knee, sitting in Mr. 'Williams' tent, who occupied
the next berth to us in the ship."