The Eureka Stockade Part 23

Condemn The Wicked, And Bring His Way Upon His Head, Oh, Lord G.o.d Of Israel!

The first witness against me was such a rum sort of old colonial bird of the jacka.s.s tribe, and made such a fool of himself for Her Majesty's dear sake, about the monster meeting, where as it appeared, he had volunteered as reporter of the Camp; that now G.o.d has given him his reward. He is a gouty cripple, still on 'Her Majesty's fodder' at the Camp, Ballaarat.

Who will sharpen my quill and poison my inkstand, that I may put to confusion the horrible brood of red-tape that ruled on Ballaarat at the time. To administer justice in the sacred name of Her Most Gracious Majesty, they squandered the sweat of self-over-working diggers, on a set of devils, such that they actually competed with one another, in vomiting like sick dogs! Their mult.i.tude was taken as a test of their veracity, on the Mosaical ground, that 'out of the mouth of two witnesses shall the guilty be condemned;' and yet, with the exception of spy Goodenough, and spy Peters, none other to my knowledge ever did see my face before.

I a.s.sert and declare as an honest man and a Christian, that my eyes never did see the witnesses against me, before I was under arrest at the Camp.

My soul was drowned in an ocean of bitterness when of that brood of Satan, one did swear he had run from before my pike; another had fired at me, but his pistol 'snapped;' a third made me prisoner within the stockade; a fourth took me up chained to other prisoners who had surrendered, from the stockade to the Camp.

Such, then, is the perversity of the human heart! In vain did I point out to the sitting magistrate the absurdness of their evidence, and the fact that Sub-inspector Carter and Dr. Carr could prove the contradiction.

I was so embittered and broken-hearted at the wickedness of so many infuriated mercenary rascals, that had made up their mind to sell the blood of an honest man, in as much as I had repeatedly told each and all of them, when they came to 'recognize' in our prison, that they must mistake me for another as I was not within the stockade that Sunday morning; that I...but it is too humiliating to say any more.

Mr. Sturt, with an odious face, whose plumpness told me at once he was no friend to fasting, strutted to the magisterial chair, and committeed me and the n.i.g.g.e.r-rebel, to whom I was kindly hobbled, to take our trial for high treason!

Chapter LXIX.

Vox Populi, Vox Dei.

In the course of the day (December 7th), in spite of all the bayonets and blunderbusses, the report reached us that the Melbourne people had had a Monster Meeting of their own, equal to ours of November 29th, and that Mr. Foster, the 'Jesuit,' had been dismissed from office.

The tragical act on Ballaarat was over; the scenery changed; and the comedy now proceeded to end in the farce of the State Trials in Melbourne.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, all the 160 prisoners were liberated, with the necessary exception of thirteen, reserved to confirm the t.i.tle of this book.

I do not wish to omit one significant circ.u.mstance. On Tuesday night, December 5th, I was hobbled for the night to young Fergusson, an American, and shared with him his blankets. I felt very much for this young man, for he suffered from consumption; and as I do respect him, so I shall not disclose our private conversation. This, however, is to the purpose.

He was among us, and with us at four o'clock on Sat.u.r.day, at one and the same time when spy Peters was within the stockade.

No spy, no trap, no trooper appeared against young Fergusson. Doctor Kenworthy, his countryman, had the management of getting him off. I was glad at his obtaining his liberty, because he was a brave, kind-hearted, republican-minded young American, and I intend to keep his blue blankets he left to me in prison for my comfort, in his remembrance.

Chapter LXX.

Audi Alteram Partem.

'Fair Play'.

As I wish to be believed, so I transcribe the following from 'The Argus', Friday, December 15, 1854;

MAINTENANCE OF LAW AND ORDER.

The Lieutenant-Governor received a deputation from, with an address signed by, five hundred bankers, merchants, and other cla.s.ses resident in Melbourne, placing themselves, their services, and their influence unreservedly at His Excellency's disposal, for the maintenance or order and upholding of the paramount authority of existing (!) law.

His Excellency listened with marked attention to the address, to which he gave the following answer:--

"Gentlemen...

"...It is necessary to look its (the Colony's) difficulty full in the face.

"Here we have persons from all parts of the globe,--men who come to look for gold and gold alone; men of adventurous spirit, of resolution, and of firm purpose to carry out the principles which actuate them. If gold fails, or the season is unfavourable, we must expect such outbreaks and such dangers as have given rise to the most loyal and valuable address which you present to me. ['Pardon, Monsiegneur, apres lecture des versets 28, 29, du chap. I., et versets 17, 18, 19, du chap. III., de la Genese, favorisez s'il vous plait l'exploitation de l'activite de tous ces gaillards la, par la Charrue: l n'y a pas mal de terres ici, et bien pour tout le monde. Audaces fortuna juvat.']

"I desire to govern by the people, and through the people: and by the people I mean through the intelligence of the people. ['Elle est fameuse, Monseigneur l'intelligence de ceux, qui vous ont conseille l'affaire de Ballaarat! surtout in farce odieuse de haute-trahison!']

"In Ballaarat it was not a particular law, against which objection was raised, nor was there a particular complaint made. ['Oh, pardon, Monseigneur: ou l'on vous a toujours mal informe; ou l'on vous a souvent cache la verite: alheureus.e.m.e.nt, cela n'a pas beaucoup change meme aujourd'hui'.' Vide 'The Times', Ballaarat, Sat.u.r.day, September 29, 1855, and Sat.u.r.day, November 10th--Local Court.]

"...It was not exactly the licence fee, that caused the outbreak, though that was made the 'nom de guerre,' the 'cheval de bataille,' this was not the real cause. I consider that the ma.s.ses were urged on by designing men who had ulterior views, and who hoped to profit by anarchy and confusion.

['Comment se fait il Monseigneur que vous mettez le prix de 500 pounds sur la tete du chef de ces blagueurs du Star Hotel, a Ballaarat; et puis vous la.s.siez courir le malin a son aise! Avez-vous, oui ou non, Monseigneur, accorde votre pardon a M`Gill? et les autres Americains donc?']

"Then we have active, designing, intriguing foreigners, who also desire to bring about disorder and confusion." ['Cependant, moi, bon garcon apres tout, et d'une ancienne famille Romaine, j'ai ete VOLE sous arret au Camp de Ballaarat par VOS gens et avec impunite, Monseigneur. Vous me faites l'honneur d'avouer par votre lettre la chose, mais vous n'avez point fait de rest.i.tution. Ce n'est pas comme cela que j'entends le vieux mot Anglais, Fair-play.']"

Hence, I had better address myself to the five hundred gentlemen, who belong to the brave Melbourne people after all.

Gentlemen,

Five hundred copies of this work, which costs me an immense labour, for the sake of the cause of truth, will be left with

MESSRS. MUIR, BROTHERS AND CO., Merchants, Flinders-lane, Melbourne--

of the same firm much respected on Ballaarat, to whom I am personally known long ago, having been their neighbour on the Ma.s.sacre-hill, Eureka.

Ten shillings is my price for each copy: and, as Messrs. Muir render this service to me gratuitously, so I hereby authorise them to keep half-a-crown from each ten shillings, and in the spirit of St. Matthew, verses 1, 2, 3, 4, chap. vi.,share said halfcrowns in the following proportion: one shilling to the Benevolent Asylum; one shilling to the Melbourne Hospital, and sixpence to the Miners' Hospital, Ballaarat.

I hope thus to understand 'Fair-play' better than Toorak.

I have not yet done with His Excellency's answer.

"The part which the bankers, merchants, tradesmen and others in Melbourne and in Geelong ['pas a Ballaarat, Monseigneur'], have taken in coming forward to support me, I shall be careful to represent properly at home, where perhaps these occurrences may attract more attention than they deserve. ['Pour votre bonheur, Monseigneur, Sebastopol leur donne a.s.sez d'occupation pour le moment.']

"I shall declare my opinion that the ma.s.s of the community does not sympathise with these violators of the law." ['Est-ce donc un reve, Monseigneur, que votre gouvernment en voulait a ma tete, aussi, bien qu'a celle de douze autres prisonnier, d'etat, et que le peuple nous a acquitte glorieus.e.m.e.nt par'

SEVEN BRITISH JURIES!]

'Mon ardent desir, mon tourment presque, c'est d'avoir vite l'honneur de parler, encore une fois sur la terre, a SA MAJESTE LA REINE VICTORIA.'

'AINSI-SOIT-IL.'

Chapter LXXI.