A Lady's Visit to the Gold Diggings of Australia in 1852-53

l resemblance one to another. This one differed from others only in being much longer and wider; the sides, as is usu

description, sometimes very gravelly with slate bottom, sometimes gravelly with pi

hs before we visited it. During the period of our stay at Bendigo there were not more than a t

unds a week was thought nothing wonderful. Four men found one day seventy-five pounds weight; another party took from the foot of a tree gold to the value of 2000 pounds. A friend of mine once met a man whom he knew returning to Melbourne, walking in dusty rags and dirt behind a dray, yet carrying with him 1,500 pounds worth of gold. In Peg Leg Gully, fifty and even eighty pounds weight had been taken from holes only three or four feet deep. At Forest Creek a hole produced sixty pounds weight in one day, and forty more the day after. From one of the golden gullies a party took up the incredible quantity of one hundred and ninety-eight pounds weight in six weeks. These are but two or three instances out of the many that occurred to prove the ric

, the more they want;" and although the many pounds weight of the precious metal that our party had "taken up" gave, when divided, a good round sum a-piece, the avaricious creatures bore the want of success that followed more unphilosop

ned as a "worthless place," and a change decided on. The w

paid my last visit to Harriette, "I say, mates, nice pickings a man got last

ue?" said Octa

e pack up our traps, and honour this s

nk; "it's foolish to change good

ether you find anything for your digging is another matter. Slight grounds, indeed! twenty pounds weight in one day! Yes, we ought t

er," said Octavius

he impatient William and his more business-

the part of auctioneer, which he did in a manner most satisfactory to himself, and amusing to his audience; but the things sold very badly, so man

colonial strength been shining upon us. This was very fortunately not the case, for we more than once mistook our way, and made a long w

ir amount of gold-dust may be obtained in either by the new comer by tin-dish fossicking in deserted holes. These deserted gullies, as they are called, contained in each no trifling population, an

uction of something resembling a tent gave them plenty to do; the tomahawks, which they carried in their belts, were put into immediate requisition, and some branches of the trees were soon formed into rough tent-poles. The tent, however, though perhaps as good as could be expected, was nothing very wonderful after all, being made only of some of the blankets which our party had bro

story of the "twenty-pound weight" story. As Frank and Octavius had at once surmised, it originated in a party who were desirous to sell their claims and baggage before starting for Melbourne. I believe they succeeded-there are always plenty of "new chums" to be caught and taken in-and the report had

siesta; he alone seems determined on a walk. I offer myself and am acce

splash of water, and the rocking of the cradle made the diggings seem themselves again. There were several women about, who appeared to take as active an interest in the work as their "better halves." They may oft

onian happles, and them as disli

t have been very numerous, for his cus

ly went on, for it was not a particularly pleasant sight, and at some distance perceived a quiet little nook rather out of the road, in which was one solitary tent. We hastened our steps, and advanced nearer, when we perceived that the tent was made of a large blanket suspended over a rope, which was tied from one tree to another. The blanket was fastened into the ground by large wooden pegs. Near to the opening of the tent, upon a piece of

a volume of sorrow and of sufferi

her countenance. She sprang from her seat

'll get at the store. Summer dust's coming, Sir. You'll want one, won't you? I havn't sold one this

he answered in a kindly tone

Sir, if you'd p

tion seemed not quite to satisfy her; either she did not comprehe

p'raps you'd like some cand

ittle hands that were still holding the veil for his accepta

countenance and voice. "I makes the candles and the veils, and the diggers they

ther live?" I asked. "In there

head, adding

s killed hisself digging for the gold, and he nev

away from wife or kindred, with no loved ones near to soothe his departing moments-no better burial-place than the very hole, perchance, in which his last e

-how once it had caught fire and burnt her severely, and there was the scar still showing on her brown little arm-then how she poured the hot fat into, the tin mould, first fastening in the wicks, then

followed him to the grave. Having no other friend or relative in the colonies, the child had been left with her aged grandfather, who appeared as infatuated with the gold-fields as a more hale and younger ma

work, weeping, cold, and hunger) except when she spoke of her sick grandfather, and then they disclosed a world of tenderness; her hair hung matted round her head; her cheek was wan and sallow; her dress was ill-made and threadbare; yet even thus, few that had once looked at her but would wish to look again. There was

e in the tent

lower, almost a deprecating tone, "he do

ing some money into her hand, and promising to call again for the c

y brother and Octavius were for going somewhere to work, not idle about as they were doing now; William wanted to go for a "pleasure trip" to Forest Creek, and then return to Melbourne f

e. From these accounts, gold is very plentiful at this spot, and I for one think we may as well try our fortune in this new place, as anywhere else. The route is partly along the Sydney road, which is good, but it is altogether a journey of two hundred miles. I would therefore propose (turning to my brother), that we proceed first to Melbourne, where you c

an was

utes to ascertain all this, and then he gently let down the blanket, and hastened to the butcher's shop I have already mentioned. He learnt all that there was to know: that she had no friends, no relatives, and that nothing but her own labour, and the kindness of others, had kept them from starvation through the winter. Frank left a small sum in the butcher's hands, to have the old man buried, as best could be, in so wild and unnatural a place, and then returned to the mourning child. When he looked in, she was lying silent and senseless beside the corpse. A gentle breathing-a slight heaving of the chest, was all that distinguished the living from

er. She seemed like

elessness-some neglect," pursued Frank, l

ctually r

m asleep. I made my fire. I crept softly about to make his gruel for breakfast, a

t her grief found its natural vent, her mind became calmer,

There was a pleasant breeze, and we did not feel over fatigued when, after having walked about eight miles, we sat down beneath a most magnificent gum tree, more than a hundred feet high. Frank very wisely made Jessie bestir herself, and assist in

isappeared, and we were marching onwards. An

e little child beside hi

st Cr

us for

ary a-

the uninitiated, I must explain that, in digger's s

dined, and about two hours after sighted the Commi

. If the master seed yer, I'd

him and