Grand River times. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1851-18??, 1853-07-06
AUSTRALIA AS SEEN BY A CALIFOR-
MAN.

The following letter was written under date
of Jan. 10. 1853 from the Eureka Diggings,"
Australia, by Mr.. w. II. Cooper, late City Sur
yeyor of Sonora to a friend in the latter place,
bv whom it was furnished to the Sonora Her.
aid. Being written by an intelligent and observ-
ing man, and withal practical miner, 1t is entl-
TIED to full consideration.
"This country is low and fiat and is great
deal worse watered than California. What wa
ter there is, is nearly all bracksh. Sometimes
it is tinctured with sulphur and iron, but most
w salt. The flies are an intolerable nuisance;
there is no end to them in the mines. Many
persons have almost lost their sight, on account
of their darling into their eyes. lpreserve my
eyes and face by continually wearing veil.
"The laws of this country are exec edingly OPP
bressive to the poor laborer, taxing him 10
death all the time, and leaving him no chance
to accumulate wealth, by any regular course of
industry. Hence his only hope is to strike
what is here termed dolop, or in our Ian
guage, pile in the diggings; and even then
his license money, and the per centage of get
ting it through to the settlements and convert
ing it into specie, eats up good deal of his god
send. To get this dolop,' in the first place,
he stands only one-ffth the chance that he
would do in California; so you may Judge that
1t is all lottery. And yet there are men who
have made themselves independent and comfort
able for life, by spending only few weeks in
these mines
81 am at present at the Victoria Diggings.-
The gold here lies in much heavier deposits
than in California; but these are fewer and fur
ther between. My diggings are fifty feet in
depth, while in the vicinity there are places
from seventy to eighty feet deep, and even more.
At the Ovens, two hundred and fifty or three
hundred miles northeast from here, there are
new diggings of shallow character. lam 60
ing to start for there in few days; and if |
do not make more than have been making |
shall leave and return to California.
81 will give you the key to the excitement at
present going on in regard to this country
Years ago MANY English policemen and gentle
men came to this colony and located all the
most desirable lands and water privileges, for
farms, stations, &c. Since then, they have been
growing wool, and rearing sheep, cattle, &c
They have, however, become crowded, and Ia
Dor was little too high for them They there
fore started great outcry about the richness
Of the Australian gold fields which as was
foreseen, has caused a rush Of immigration
from all parts of the world. They arrive, and
find the mines to be a complete lottery; and
not having the means to sustain either length
ened prospect, or to return home, they EN-
brace the alternative to accept farm work, for
little or no pay. The landed proprietors thus
secure slaves for a considerable time-perhaps
for life They are the class that is making the
most money, and far the most noise in the col.
ony. Furthermore, the country is filled up with
convicts-the offscourings of England are
mostly the most lawless and worst thieves and
vagabonds in the known world. California is
in comparison, perfect paradise might write
pages on this subject, and then, like the Queen
of Sheba, should not have told you the half.
"Take the advice of bosom friend, and do
not come here. Keep from under John Bulls
dominion as long as you can"