Letter from Australia - Cumberland and Westmorland Newspaper Transcriptions

Letter from Australia

"Alma Diggings, Australia                         May 23d, 1855.

My dear Friend, - As work this afternoon is suspended through wet, I sit down with pleasure to fulfil my promise to you. You will no doubt think me too long in sending you a letter, which is so far true. I have many excuses, but shall refrain from mentioning them; however, "better late than never." As this is not the country to expect news from, my only plan to fill up a letter is to give a description of the country generally. People at home suppose this country to be a most agreeable, healthful, and salubrious climate, and the soil producing the necessaries of life in abundance. A person full of these notions landing about two or three months ago, and travelling into the country, would find wheat and green crops - such as turnips, potatoes, &c., only growing near the sea shore or some wet locality, such as near a large mountain or lake. Corn grown in the bush never reaches full ear, and is cut for hay, which always sells well. This is owing to the drought setting in and blighting it.

Gardens in the bush require the constant application of the watering-can; but agriculture is as yet scarcely commenced compared to what one would expect, and no farmer or agriculturist will ever make anything of it unless by securing the winter rains in an artificial lake, to irrigate his land during the summer months, as rivers and running streams are out of the question.

Again, upon travelling, he would not see as much as a tuft of grass, everything being burnt up, and vegetation entirely stopped. He would see mountains here and there on fire, all of which are covered with trees; the country is then completely a burning desert. You would wonder how sheep and cattle live. It is principally on shrubbery, tree leaves, &c., and about now I can only compare them to greyhounds and racehorses; but in this month (and this is the first rain this season) rain begins to fall, and gradually restores languishing nature. It is by no means uncommon to see a carter felling a tree to feed his horses. Sheep and cattle have died in the thousands this summer through reasons stated.

Any person travelling in the summer generally suffers from thirst, and on coming to what is called a river, or creek, will find here and there a mud hole in the bed. At first a new arrival cannot drink of it, as it is full of toads, frogs, leeches, snakes, drowned bullocks, dogs, &c. We are obliged to wear veils, as the flies are so numerous, otherwise they will be down our throats, up our noses, or in our eyes.

There are most places of entertainment on the wayside, but they won't supply any other drink than rum or brandy. Then you may beg a little water. It is very pretty to see the whirlwinds here. Often you will see one, then two or three close upon it; they lift the dust, tree leaves, and light objects, carrying them in long spires along the road a great way - much like Dixon's tall chimney in your town, often far higher.

This country on the main is covered with timber, but of a useless sort; it sinks in water, and when dry it cracks, so that it is of no use to the carpenter whatever; and I conclude nature has adapted it solely for fuel, as for that purpose, it is really good. There is a sort of cedar in the Sydney side, an exception to this rule, - the trees often of monstrous growth, having measured one 39 feet round the trunk.

Regarding the birds of this country, I believe there are about sixty varities, large and small. I have seen the most of them. There are a great many varieties of the parrot, the most of them exceedingly pretty; but our magpie, for song and speech, exceeds all others I ever heard. I shall try to bring home a pair or two of these. This is the country for wild ducks, many a one have I shot, and can purchase them for 1s. each from the natives, who are very expert with the gun, when any of them have one.

The natives go about in groups, and when you once give them anything you will be sure to have them soon again, but they are very harmless, though well armed with their native weapons. For a shilling or so, they will throw their spears and "boomerang". The latter is the most curious thing when thrown I ever saw. Whatever way they throw it they always make it come back again to their hand after various evolutions in the air. With the spear they kill kangaroos and large birds, and, if their game be scarce, do not hesitate if hungry, to kill a bullock by the same means. They are very fond of spirits and tobacco; whatever money they get, goes for these.

This is an awful country for drink. If I recollect the returns of the customs rightly, they showed an average of 8-1/2 gallons of ardent spirits for every man, woman, and child in the colony, independent of light drinks, such as ales, bears, wines, &c.

You will ask, are there no teetotallers here ? There is a society in Melbourne, and a pretty strong one too, but on the gold-fields or in the bush, generally, it is quite impossible to be so, as it is an awful place for the prevalence of dysentery, and a glass of spirits often cures at once, and, as before said, when travelling, you can get nothing else. I am temperate, so far as circumstances admit of, and would never once taste if I could get anything else. I have a doubt whether water or spirits are most plentiful here. At least during summer I purchase water like any other commodity, daily; it costs 6d. per bucket; but spirits are everywhere, legally and illegally, nearly in every tent on the diggings.

No police force in the world can supress it. The penalty is £50, or four months' imprisonment with hard labour, and the police are well rewarded on detection, yet in many cases they are bribed by the sellers. I have often been requested to sell it, and have also been requested to join partnership with a party of illicit distillers. Certainly I am fond of money, but not that fond.

We have had some rioting lately, and an encounter with the police and soldiers, on Ballarat. On each side there were about 20 killed, several wounded, and many of the diggers taken prisoners; they are on their trial just now in Melbourne charged with "high treason". Three are already acquitted, but I need not explain the cause, or any more of it at all, as you will no doubt see full accounts in the home newspapers.

To give you an idea of the diggings, they mostly commence in a flat where there is running water in winter, something like your valley by the Caldew up in Cummersdale. Each man has 12 square feet; mostly they are in parties of two or four, and enlarge their claim proportionately. They then sink their hole, either round or square as they fancy, but not larger than they can conveniently work in, and if gold is found at the bottom (which is about 1 in 50 on an average) they then drive out the remainder of their claim in little tunnels at the bottom. Often, when not propped, the hole tumbles in, and instantly smothers the party working; many a corpse I have seen dragged, or rather dug out. When any one tunnels too far and encroaches on his neighbour's claim, the commissioner is brought, who administers the law off-hand, by fining or imprisonment, as he may think most proper. The penalty is from £1 to £200, or from 7 days' to 6 months' imprisonment, with or without hard labour.

If any one is found in another party's hole after work hours, then the offence is a felony, and hard work on the roads in chains for several years. A serious instance of this occurred not long ago, which was as follows: --

A party of Chilians (neighbours of my own) struck a good hole, and, being anxious concerning its safety, resolved to watch it by night. The first night one of the party went, he found a man at the mouth of the hole, on the top, and another in it. He instantly drew his revolver and shot them both (which is justifiable by law); he also found out other two that had carried away some of his "golden soil", had them arrested, and, being proved, each got five years on the public works of the colony.

There was later still, a man in the act of robbing a tent in the close behind mine; it belonged to a man who lived by himself, and who, lying awake one night, saw the figure of a man cautiously cutting up the canvass of his tent, and as soon as he attempted to crawl in, was shot through the head; the man went for the commissioner, who came with the police early next morning; the police instantly recognized him to be a robber; the commissioner then justified the man, telling him he wished he had shot fifty, as we would just be the sooner rid of them.

Many such tales could I tell you, but these are enough to show you that there are all classes on the diggings. For instance, on Sunday, close by an open air preaching, is a prize fight, and not far off again, a dog fight. Still, I think that respectable people are the better for seeing all that, as it makes them cautious in their choice of company.

I saw yesterday a man named WILLIAM IRVING, a cooper, who was in CARR's employment, and left about the time I did.

Next I must give a list of prices at this place.

Flour, 1s per lb.;   4 lb. loaf, 3s 6d;   potatoes, 9d per lb.;   onions, 1s;   apples, 2s 6d;   raisins, 1s 6d;   currants, 2s;    beef and mutton, 9d to 10d per lb.;   butter 3s 6d to 4s per lb.;   tea, 2s 6d per lb;   CARR and Co's fancy biscuits, 3s 6d to 4s per lb.; other kinds I have not priced lately.

These are considered cheap at the present time, but each rain or rainy day raises them so much, until the winter rains are less frequent, when they begin to fall again.

Carriage rules the price of everything at the diggings, and the more rain, the more difficult it is to ford a flooded creek or keep from sticking in softened ground; and to contend against these continually, besides watching his horses by night in case of being stolen, a carrier has the most miserable life in existence - you could not conceive what he has daily to contend against unless you saw.

I have not finished this letter at one time; it is two or three days since I commenced it, and this is the second time an opportunity presents itself, and I will finish this, and commence another for home.

You need not write me, as I don't intend staying much longer here in the land of cut-throats. I may here mention murder and robbery are so much on the increase that there was last evening a meeting of the storekeepers, publicans, diggers, &c., to devise some means of safety etc.   Lynch Law is decided on, despite of the government, and commences tomorrow.

The rule is this - "Any suspicious-looking character, who cannot show proof or evidence of living by honest means, shall have ten hours' notice to be ten miles off the diggings, or, in default, to be hung by the neck till dead on the nearest tree." The same with those found in the act.

Now, I must draw my long yarn of nonsense to a close - nonsense it is, as there is nothing interesting; the war is the topic of the day with us, and we get that second hand from your papers in England.

Please give my best respects to all my acquaintances in CARR and Co's, and accept the same yourself, and farewell till I see you.

I remain, your well wisher,

JAMES HAY.

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