has not a direct reference either to the supply of the indispensable wants of the people congregated there, or their protection in the maintenance of good order." Sly-grog selling having spread at Ballarat, several of the offenders were convicted and fined by the Police Magistrate, whereupon an instruction was forwarded not to re-license any persons found directly or indirectly engaged in the sale or distribution of liquor, or in whose tent any scene of riot had occurred. THE FINDING OF THE SEVERAL FIELDS.
T o this day there is occasional controversy as to the particular period when thefirstgreat goldfields of Victoria were made known to the public, and it will consequently be not uninteresting to transcribe the following officially authorized statement of such remarkable facts :—
Locality.
Clunes Buninyong ... Ballarat Mount Alexander and its vicinity... Anderson's Creek ... Broken River and its vicinity
Date of Discovery.
Distance from Melbourne.
July 8, 1851 August 9, 1851 September 8, 1851... September 10, 1851 August 11, 1851 ... September 29, 1851
DOUBLING
100 75 75 80 16 94
miles miles miles miles miles miles
Date when first occupied under the sanction of the Government.
September 20, 1851 September 20, 1851 September 20, 1851 October 8, 1851 September 1, 1851 October 15, 1851*
T H E LICENSE FEE.
Hardly had the month of December put in its appearance, when an Executive bombshell fell amongst the digging communities with an explosion that scattered astonishment and indignation throughout the length and breadth of the auriferous regions. It assumed the form of an intimation that the month's license-fee for gold-digging would be doubled, i.e., increased from £^1 10s. to £3. The reasons which prompted the Government to take this rash step, will be gathered from the subjoined circular transmitted to the several Goldfields Commissioners:— Colonial Secretary's Office, Melbourne, 2nd December, 1851. S I R , — I have the honour, by direction of His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor, to draw your attention to the notice which will appear in the Government Gazette of this date, raising the fees upon licenses to dig and search for gold to three pounds, and I a m to instruct you that this Regulation is to be strictly carried out from the first of next month ; and it will be proper that sufficient notice be given of this charge within your district, in order that persons m a y be prepared to pay it on renewing their licenses. His Excellency has deemed it expedient to direct this increase mainly upon two considerations: First, from the conviction that the existing fee is by no means consonant with justice to the revenue, w h e n the large amount of gold collected by those actually engaged in the pursuit is considered ; and, secondly, that it is desirable for the welfare of the colony generally to prevent, as far as practicable, the congregation of people at the goldfields who are not fully employed there. His Excellency would again impress upon you the necessity of ensuring the assistance of as many licensed persons of character in the district as possible, in the event of a breach of the peace at any time, by swearing in a considerable number of special constables. Y o u will also, from time to time, report to m e whether you consider it necessary to make any alteration in the Police Force placed under your orders.—I have, etc, W. LONSDALE.
In the Gazette referred to, the "New Regulations" (of date the 1st) were promulgated in the following terms :— 1. The licence-fee for one month, or the greater portion of a month, will be three pounds.
conclusions i ^ n X ' s a l p ^ i n t s ^ v e d a t ^ : C o f e S f of thf I ^ S b S " ? ' T " W " " ? * ^ ^ -the f T 8 ° i ¥ ^ " * *° r u> uic committee ot the Legislative Council appointed m 1853 to investigate the subject.—ED.
