41
"Will four thousand of you volunteer to march up to the Camp, and open the lock-up to liberate the man?"
"Yes! yes!" (the clamour was really deafening.)
"Are you ready to die?" shouted out our worthy chairman, stretching forth his right hand, clenched all the while; "Are you ready to die?"
"Yes, Yes! Hurrah!"
This general decided clamour put our Tim in such good spirits, that, in spite of the heat of the sun and the excitement of the day, he launched in the realm of crowned poets, and bawled as *smudged* if he wanted the head-butler at Toorak to take him a quick pot of small-beer—
"On to the field, our doom is sealed.
To conquer or be slaves;
The sun shall see our country free,
Or set upon our graves."
(Great works!)
No one who was not present at that monster meeting, or never saw any Chartist meeting in Copenhagen-fields, London, can possibly form an idea of the enthusiasm of the miners of Ballaarat on that 29th of November. A regular volley of revolvers and other pistols now took place, and a good blazing up of gold-licences. When the original resolutions had all been passed, Mr. Humffray moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Ireland, for his free advocacy of the state prisoners. The meeting then dissolved, many of them having previously burned their licences, and thus virtually pledging themselves to the resolution adopted, which might be said to have been the business of the day. Nothing could exceed the order and regularity with which the people, some fifteen thousand in number, retired.
XXXII.
ECCO TRONCATO IL CANTO
PER RITORNARE AL PIANTO.
My letter to Mr. Archer continued:—
"Thanks be to God, the day passed 'unstained,' a glorious day for Victoria when the SOUTHERN CROSS was first unfolded on Ballaarat; gathering round itself all the oppressed of the world.
"The whole purpose of the meeting was, that a Reform League be formed and fully organised to carry out the clearance of all our grievances, on the old style of the Corn Law League in Great Britain.
