Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-18
FAMOUS GOLD CITY.
How BaIlarat, Australia. Has Been De-
veloped.

veloped.
One of the finest cities in the British
empire is Ballarat, the famous gold
city of Australia. 1t has the unique
record of being the only place in Au-
stralia where the people fought bat
tie with the armed forces of the Brit
ish crown. Its population consists of
English, Irish and Scotch in about
equal proportions. They live happily
free from the race prejudices that often
become manifest between the same
races in the United States. For the
first three years of its existence as
gold field the authorities harassed the
diggers in the most despotic fashion,
treated them more like dogs than hui
man beings, indulged periodically in
digger hunts" and collected, alike
from successful and unsuccessful, an
iniquitous monthly license fee at the
point of the bayonet. This brutal be-
havier led to open rebellion at the
beginning of December, 1854, the dig
gers running up a rude fort called the
Eureka stockade." At that time the
Twelfth and Fortieth regiments were
quartered in Melbourne, under the
command of Maj. Gen. Sir Robert
Nicltle, one of Wellingtons officers in
the peninsula. They were hurried up
to Ballarat and early on Sunday
morning they attacked the stockade
and carried it by storm. The diggers
were defeated in a military sense
there was lamentable loss of life on
both siae5-but the cause for which
they took up arms won a speedy trl-
umph. The hateful license fee was
abolished, and the mining population
was conceded Parliamentary represen-
tation which had previously been de-
MED them. The Ballarat diggers chose
by acclamation as their first member
the young Irshman who was their
leader in the insurrection, who had
lost an arm in defending the stockade,
and who was for weeks fugitive with
a heavy price on his head. AS Peter
Lalor, he was destined to play an i'm
portant part in the political life OF
Victoria. to hold high office as minis
ter of the crown, and to preside as
speaker over three Parliaments with
acknowledged distinction, and to de-
CLINE Ile nOIOr OIL hIllSnluOOu Oh IWU
occasions His heroic statue in
bronze, by Nelson Maclean, a London
sculptor, is one of the ornaments of
Ballarat's principal thoroughfares, and
the site of the Eureka stockade, the
great show post for visitors, has been
converted into handsome public re-
serve and an historic heritage.
Ballarat ranks next in importance
and population to Melbourne among
the cities of Victoria, and 1t is vastly
superior to the metropolis both in nat
ural beauty ana artistic establishment.
It's wealthy citizens have always been
periodically proud of the place, and
they have enriched Start street with a
succession of statues and gardens that
no other city in the empire can boast.
What was in the early days a dismal
swamp has been converted into the
beautiful Lake Wendouree at consid
cradle expense and labor. Ballarat is
a bishopric of both tho Catholic and
Anglican churches, and all of the lead
ing religious denominations are well
represented on the premier gold field.
In its pubhc buildings, private resi-
dences, business establishments and all
the adjuncts Of up-to-date civic pro-
gressiveness Ballarat ranks second to
none OF the cities of Great Britain.