The Express. — 1852-08-10 (London, England)

THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD FIELDS.  MELBOURNE, MARCH 31, 1862. The people here are independent to a degree ; they are independent of comfort, in a great meuure as a matter of nceewity, but pretend to be so from choice. There is very little sociability or hospitality in the townspeople, and the effect of gold-finding is visible more or leas in one and all. Gold is the cry—men, women, and children think of little else. Almost every body has been to " the diggings," and extraordinary have been the amounts brought sn—we look on gold here in pounds and hundredweights. " The digginp" arc of course the centre of attraction for all the thieves and scoundrels, of which Australia has always had the trues, for there is always the chance, if unlucky at digging, of "sticking up"—s. a., knocking down—some more fortunate individual. Thousands and thousands go to "the diggings," and there are hundreds dig their own graves, either falling by disease or being murdered or dying somehow—probably without a friend near them, and even utterly unknown There is no statistical account of the deaths at " the diggings," or the mortality return would indeed be (suite.  Those who have capital content themselves chiefly with buying gold, of which the price keeps up wonderfully, the nugget' and clean well-washed dust fetching here in Melbourne 60s. to 635. per ounce, in Adelaide 71s. On the road and at the stores at the diggings the miners, of coarse, are victimised, getting but about 471. per ounce, and by such dealings enormous sums are made. During this dry season (March 31st), the last four months, less has been done day by day. The scarcity of water has been dreadful. They have had to go miles to fetch it (or drinking, and it has been next to impunible to wu't the dust. They have, therefore, depended chiefly on finding nuggets. These come out more or less mixed with quarts (white or red), and with which it has evidently been fused some time or other. There are two torts, gold in quarts and quarts in gold. When we have the red quarts studded over and set in the gold, like rubies, it is very beautiful. Meat still remains moderate, 2d. per lb. ; potatoes, 103. per cwt. ; bread, la. 44.1. the 41b. loaf; butter, 2.1. 6d. per lb. ; milk, 10d. per quart; eggs 3s. per dozen ; wood, Me per load of ten hundred weight, which twelve months back would have been 10s.; in fact, all and every thing which involves labour is excessively dear. As a 'smote of extravagant prices, to-day I saw six common second hand mahogany chairs sold for 18 guineas. AU clothing is dear. Shoes are 20.. per pair and boots Ms. to 635. But land beats everything as regards extravagant price, the fact, I presume, being, that the lucky and steady diggers, and the tradesmen who are realising, have no other investment. I have seen land about a mile out of Melbourne, that is frontage, having behind a depth of 50 or 60 feet only, sell at 41. 10s. per foot; just outside the town I saw some sold at from 1,8001. to 2,000!. per acre, and even at that price it will form a good investment to sell again in small lots. In one thing I am disappointed, viz., in the healthiness of the climate. Dysentery, rheumatism, and consumption abound ; but a great allowance is to be made for the number of invalids shipped out, and the outrageous degree to which drinking and smoking are carried on.