Gold Without A Licence example essay topic

The Eureka Stockade The Eureka Stockade was the beginning of a dramatic change in Australian history. Some people say that it changed nothing, but most people believe that it influenced cultural, economic and most recognized, the political outcomes. R. M Hartwell claims 'there was no spectacular change of direction, either in politics or economy, with the discovery of gold. ' However, after the Eureka Stockade, Australia has never been the same. It was a pivotal point in the development of Australia's identity. In early August 1851, Thomas His cock recorded the first discovery of gold in the Ballarat goldfields in Victoria, while he was searching for a lost cow!

By later that year gold was found in creeks and gullies surrounding Ballarat. By the time the word had spread as far as England about the findings, a massive boom in the population had begun. By 1861 the population had grown from 77,345 in 1951 to 540,322 in only a decade! Because of the large population increase, the gold fields were crowded and conditions were tough. 'On 18 August 1851 the government proclaimed legislation granting Crown rights to all gold found on Crown lands, while at the same time ruling that it was illegal to be found searching for gold without a licence.

' These licences cost 30 shillings a month and were compulsory for male adults on the gold fields, whether they were mining or not. This was introduced on the 1st of September. The miners believed that the licence fees would give the administration enough funds to supply them with protection and services. But the irony was that the people without licences would be the ones to provide the 'services'. Miners caught without a licence would be taken and chained together (to the others who were caught) to the Commissioners Camp and 'chained to logs or trees' because the lock-ups were supposedly full. This was done until a magistrate could be found.

From there, they were sent off to level the roads to the diggings for a whole week. The police (also known as 'traps') were probably the most hated people on the gold fields. The miners became angered just at the thought of the despised 'licence hunt'. But the miners had a plan that whenever a licence hunt was spotted, someone would cry, "Joe! Joe! Joe!" Which, in turn, would send the diggers running.

The 'traps' carried out raids in precise and well-planned ways. Diseases were common and food and water was scarce, so in response to this, of course the prices had to go up. Miners paid dearly for equipment, food and clothing. 'For some the hardship produced great wealth.

Most miners, however, had to endure enormous hazards and financial burdens, often for little reward. ' By 1854 in Ballarat, the easy surface gold was exhausted, and a population of some twenty five thousand, including immigrants from the United Kingdom, Ireland, North America, Europe and China, were scouring the land high and low for any glimpse of gold. As the miners looked harder, they digged further into the ground, and for doing this, they needed timber to support the shafts. The hills and plains slowly had less and less trees, while more tents appeared, one after another.

The landscape changed greatly because of the immense mining increase, W. B Withers noted... 'the green banks of the Yarrow ee were lined with tubs and cradles, its clear waters were changed to liquid yellow... and its banks grew to be long shoals of tailings... in a few weeks the green slopes where the prospectors found the gold... changed... to the appearance of a fresh and rudely made burial ground. In September 1854, with the government under budgetary pressure, and the low level of miners abiding by the 'licence rule', the governor at the time, Sir Charles Hotham, declared that there would be more licence raids. The licence raids were increased to twice weekly. For a short time, a violent response seemed to looming, but it never came. A number of events occurred after this, including an unjust arrest during a licence hunt, and another, quite possibly the best known out of the Eureka Stockade was the Bentley's Hotel incident. This had happened because James Bentley was charged with the death of a miner, James Sc obie.

After an angry mob burnt the Bentley's Hotel to the ground, Commissioner Rede sent reinforcements to 'teach the diggers a lesson'. The miners held a mass meeting at bakery hill on the 29th of November, in which was the first time the Southern Cross flew. 'With the patience of the miners running out, and the mood of moderation beginning to darken, the meeting voted in favour of burning licences and general resistance to the arrest of unlicensed miners. ' Commissioner Rede's response to this was a licence hunt on the next day, the 30th, where eight diggers were arrested for not having their licences. After this raid, yet another meeting was called.

Peter Lalor, the commander of the rebellion was holding his rifle in his left hand and told the crowd, "I order all persons who do not intend to take the oath, to leave the meeting at once. Let all divisions under arms 'fall in' in their order round the flagstaff". The movement was made and the rebellion knelt down before Lalor and, with their right hand held high, spoke, "We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other, and fight to defend our rights and liberties". 'A universal well-rounded AMEN, was the determined reply; some five hundred right hands stretched towards our flag. ' On the 2nd December 1854 Peter Lalor and a band of diggers marched to the Eureka gold lead. Here they erected a roughly built slab stockade.

The goldfields Commissioner Robert Rede believed the police camp to be in danger and sent for reinforcements. Tensions mounted throughout the day and the stockade was fortified with over 1000 men. By midnight only about 120 diggers remained at the barricade. At around 3.30 am on Sunday 3rd December at least 290 well armed troops attacked the stockade.

Shots were fired and a bloody battle ensued; ... coarse cries and oaths came from the police, soldiers and rebels alike- cries of fear, of pain; shouts of rage, threats and... screams of horses, the crackling roar of weapon fire. Men fell, bleeding... J.W. Thomas, the Commanding Officer of the government forces in his official report of the rebellion noted; We... advanced quietly towards the intrenchments where the revolutionary flag was flying... we were received by a rather sharp and well directed fire from the rebels... [and]. for about ten minutes a heavy fire was kept up by the troops advancing... the intrenchment was then carried and I ordered the firing to cease. All persons found within the intrenchment were taken prisoner... After the Eureka's rebellion, a 'shocked silence settled over Ballarat as bodies were identified and buried, martial law was declared and reward notices were posted for familiar rebel leaders' names'. Thirteen diggers were tried at the 1855 State Treason Trials - 'in arms against Her Majesty's Forces' and were found not guilty.

Quite a few important social changes and political improvements arose out of the events at Eureka. The elimination of the oppressive licence fee resulted in greater freedom and social equality for the diggers. The right to vote for political government was introduced and Australia's political system was strongly influenced by the demands of the Ballarat Reform League. The daily events, the role of the diggers and the uprising have all become a part of our popular culture, representing a uniquely Australian story. The overall conflict of the 'Eureka Stockade' was the fact that the miners were unhappy about the way the government was treating them and were trying to rebel against them and fight for their rights. The resolution, although not really a good way to go about doing so, was the arrest and dispatch ment of the rebellion.

'Conflict and Resolution' normally ends up sorting itself out and being better than before, even if it does have a few bumps along the way. Bibliography Primary Sources Transcript of incidents at Eureka derived from evidence at Eureka trials, February - March 1855 in B. O'Brein, Massacre at Eureka, Melbourne, 1992 Secondary Sources Bate, Weston. Victorian Gold Rushes, Penguin Books, 1988 Hocking, Geoff. To the Diggings! , Lothian Books, 2000 Keesing, Nancy, Gold Fever, Eden Paperbacks, North Ryde, 1989 W.B. Withers, History of Ballarat, facsimile edition, 1980 J. Harvey, Eureka Rediscovered, Ballarat, 1994 Reid, Iain.

March 1999, , web Blueprint Web Publishing, web 2001

Bibliography

Bate, Weston. Victorian Gold Rushes, Penguin Books, 1988 p.
59 Hocking, Geoff. To the Diggings! , Lothian Books, 2000 p.
47 Reid, Iain. March 1999, , web W.
B. Withers, History of Ballarat, facsimile edition, 1980, p.
36 Blueprint Web Publishing, web 2001 Keesing, Nancy, Gold Fever, Eden Paperbacks, North Ryde, 1989, p.
220-221 Transcript of incidents at Eureka derived from evidence at Eureka trials, February - March 1855 in B.
O'Brein, Massacre at Eureka, Melbourne, 1992, p.
89 J. Harvey, Eureka Rediscovered, Ballarat, 1994, p.