The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1852-10-25
THE DAILY DISPAT( III
LIFE AT THE VICTORIAN DIGGINGs
AUSTRALIA

Inc Hobart Town Courier publishes the
sfollowing extracts from a letter inst yeceivedl
sfrom one of the "Bosjesmen," term annI,edl
sto the members OF the Amateur Dramatic CIubs
Got that town:-"New diggings are springi1g
Cup and experiments trying in eyery direcf,on
give, among others, started 10 new spot. cal!
sed by some the Sailor GulIey,' by Others.
.'Specimen Gulley.' Ii is about II miles iron,
aour general encampment, which distance WI
3are compelled to cart earth fo- washing. The
Sway we have managed is,-three to stay at the
3 s'diggngs' in a miserable sort of tent about tbs
SsiZe OF Newfoundland dog kennel into which
athere is just room to crawl, and that is ali.-|
aOur beds just fill up the tent, so that We have
sno room to spare for visitors. | can tell you
Sthat highway robberles, with violence, are oil
sdaily, nay, OF hourly occurrence; and among
gsuch multitude of beings as there are here
Sspread, no police force can be Of any avai-|
aNear our country seat, as We call it, alias dog /
Skennel, ayagabond went into mans tent anil
sdemanded his gold. The rascal being told b,
& the man that he had none, drew pistol anu!
sfred at him. The ball knocked out his fronil
/ teeth, cut away part OF his tongue, and lodged
lin the back OF his neck. The diggers close
Sat hand Immediately captured the scoundre 1
sgave him a good drubbing, and let him CO.
] ssnce which his unfortunate victim has died.
They were not aware OF the extent of the in-l
5juries received by the deceased, or they would
have hanged the murderer upon the first tree.
"The next night, another poor fellow wasI
Sshot dead under similar circumstances. A few
4days after man was found lying dead on al
s sofa in public house at Bullock Creek, With
Ea confusion behind his ears. Suspicious wert
sentertalned that the deceased had met his DEATH
5uniairiy. A husband had found that he had al
Sfaithess wife; he cut her throat, allowed hei
aparamour to escape. and gave himself up te /
II naffp tod at dI00 RI, "A
a21 dead bodies had been found in the Black
Forest, where very many scenes OF blood moi
&yet, or ever by human being 10 be known, have[
aoccurred. There are six mounted highway-I
men on the road. Several cases of staDbing
! had occurred at the mines. Great number
have left lately, being eartu, of the winter SET
5 ting in-in fact, the air Is very keen morning
: land evening.
y "Water is still scarce, and is consequently,
) used with great care and economy. Washing isl
Ia luxury not to be enjoyed by gold diggers. ex
Scept upon very particular occasions. | havej
abeen exravagant to-day and washed, being the
sfrst time | have so committed myself for Isl
adays. | am almost inclined TO think have
amade myself uncomfortable by so doing. Uni
: dressing is another operation we dispense with,
Ill have not had my clothes offsix times since II
: Hast saw you. We must all give way ioI
sfashion. gold dgger's tent is all times a.
aplace of delightful confusion. If you wanll
/ anything in a hurry, you have but to movel
verythng in the place, and then perhaps you
Amay find it outside, or in q neighbor's tent.-S
How it got there nobody knows; but we havt !
thigh winds sometimes; perhaps that accounts
stor the migration.
"iou may form some little conception Of thel
amuddle and confusion of a tent when tell yout
athat the following articles are so intimately I
sjumbed that it is impossible to classify them
in any other manner ANTS, axes, antibiliousS
8DIls-bacon, boots, butter, bottles, buckets,
bran, biankets-candles, cyanne, cenlipede.,
cheese. cart grease, coffee, coats, currents-I
damper, dishes, dust, dippers-frearms, flour
FRYING pans, fa', hnger-stails, furks-grease,I J.
4gunpowder gimlets, gold-bags, Guernseys,]
guns-hats, harness, hams, haversacks, ham
mers-ink, insects, impleuen,s-jackets.j jars (
fjalaps, jams-kettles, knee caps, knives, KNAPP
sacks-lanternssaiu iucifers, lizards, lashings-
mustard. mutton, maggots, inattresses--news-
papers, nails, nuggets tnone) )--overals, onions
oh-skins--pickles,p pannicans, pistols, pincers,
pilates, potatoes, pOultices-ropes, raisins, rub
bish, rice, rugs-saoes, sugar, sOcks, soap
shirts, spoons, saddles, scorpions, saucepans
Rspiders-tape, tea, trousers, towels, taraDiuiat
.-veiis, vinega., victuals-water, waxends AND
whips. We occasionally hear word or two
= with reference to the gold discovery in Van
zDiemen's Land~ Were | TO consider my own
personal convenience | should be happy 10
hear Of the existence OF gold in Van Diemen 8
Land; but for the good and welfare of the cOle1
ny at large, sincerely trust it may not"