Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-03-02
The Gold Mania.

We have met nowhere so striking, we nigh,
say revolving. pictures as are presented ia the
annexed extracts Of the awful scenes exhib tod
at the gold diggings by the furious strife Of
men for the precious ore. The poet had wit.
messed nothing like this when he spoke of the
auri sacra flames. The extracts are from lctters
pu'. lished in the Inverness Courier, which that
paper states were from respectable people who
had emlgrated from that part of Scotland to
Australia The Journal vouches for the au
thcnticty Of the documents. The following
is from a letter dated Melbourne September 6:
"Things will not last forever in this way
There will be an outbreak here before many
years. Nothing but separation from England
is talked Of Thousands of Yankees and Cali.
fornians are swarming in every week and thou.
sands of the riff raft of all the world The
| country is in a fearful state for want of pro.
tectiou. and robberies and murder are commit
ted with IMMUNITY. sleep every night with
paikpf pistols under my pillow, my fathers
big sword hung up by the bed head, also an
American bowie-knife under my pillow. Our
house, to be sure is in a lonely and romantic
situation. and is thus liable to attack at any
time of night but We 10 not like leaving 1t to
come and live in this vile Melbourne"
| In another letter, the same writer speaks a.
follows
at would be utterly impossible to give you
any idea Of the state of things in Melbourne
| NOW. 1t is such the world never saw and-
perhaps never will again. With thousands
arriving every day from England. California
and America DC, We have still the same num-
Der of houses in Melbourne that we had when
the population was only about 1900, before
the gold discovery. You may think what i.
must be now. A complete wilderness of tents
has sprung up all around the city, in which
all the most hardened villains in the COLONY
have their haunts, and through which it is not
safe to walk in broad daylight. The whole
interior of the country is completely overrun
with bands of bush rangers, mounted, armed
and thoroughly organised. The. nurdercrs and
cruelties they practice on their victims nrs
fearful. They perform their exploits quite in
the same style as the old bandi,ti; however.
they sometimes get caught A party of them
viii e prowling about the main overland rad
from Mount Alexandria to Adelaide, in South
Australia, stopped to rest and refresh them
selves at shepherds hut, and there openly
stated that they were lying in wait for party
OF diggers who were returning with large
quantity of gold. Nothing more was seen Of
them for two days, when two Of them returned
one so fearfuly burnt that he died in a few
hours: the othe. one also died from the effect
OF gun-shot wound. The other three of tho
gang were missing. n few days after tho
burnt remains Of several men We're found a
short distance on the road, aud it ultimately
termed out that the party they intended to have
robbed had overpowered them, and taken =
fearful revenge by burningihem to DEATH The
men were ali old convicts Is not this a prac
teal Illustration of the evils inflicted on. these
colonies BY the continuance of the transporta-
ton system? But there is q good time coming.
and if it is to be continued. why, the sooner
the colonies are independent the better. They
are already ripe for it. Ihave no hesitation in
sayingthat the gold diggings havehastenedthe
approach OF that event by fifty years. 1t is
not to be supposed that a country which can,
/ export twenty millions sterling per annu,a in
gold dust will long submit to be the stink hole
OF England However,. it is no use taking
more about that subject. Lam writing this in
my office which is splendidly situated, being
avery high room, and having view Of about
twenty miles down Ike Port Phillip Bay, so
that can see every ship and steamer tina.
comes in ,aEd have a full view of the telegraph
station, can tell a, a glance what part of tho
world they are hom. Whilst am writing.
there are three large vessels coming in from.
London, two from Liverpool. one from Bristol,
one from New York, two frsm San Francisco.
and whole fleet of traders between here and
the ne'ghboring colonies---all crowded with
passengers for the gold diggings.. This will
give you some idea Of the rate at which our
population is daily increasing, and this it,
only the commencement of it. This is not on.
~ my opinion OF the state Of things; it is that
of every sober. rejecting man in the colony
from the Governor downwards. Every day
flour is rising by jumps E5 per ton at time
1t IS now E33 ton i; to morrow in all probable
ity. it will be f4O Our only hope is in Amer.
lea, from our friends, the Yankees ANY one.
shipping -four here now would make an i'm,
mense fortune. OF our own growth there VILE
be little or none this year. In addition to this
our social condition is fearful; only fancy DO.
dies OF armed men rushing into the shops.
and gold offices in broad daylight, shooting at
the owner, and making clear off with the spoil!
AS for stirring out after dark, it is madness
Detroit Free Press
| From the Republic