6 SEPTEMBER 1851, Page 11

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

THE AUSTRALIAN GOLD-BED.

PROSPERITY is said to have 'visited New South Wales with its crowning disaster, in the discovery of a gold-field vast in extent. There is still room, however, to think that this report may have been exaggerated, and that the amount of " native " gold may not be so great as materially to hazard the welfare of the colony. The total sum of the facts ascertained is, that a young gentleman brought into the town of Bathurst a piece of gold weighing eleven ounces ; an old man brought "several lumps," weighing about two pounds in all ; the manager of a bank and two gentlemen went forth, and each picked up a piece ; one of those tlemen brought back a few handfuls of loose earth, which 'aced gold to the

size of a small pea and Mr. Stutchbury, " e Government geolo- gist," extracted from a panful of earth Metal to the weight of twenty-one grains. Gold, therefore, unquestionably exists ; but the average 'proportion in the soil, and the extent of the field, are

questions wholly undetermined. The proportion is an especially undetermined question. The simple character of the geological structure of Australia, however, renders it probable that the whole extent of territory which bears the same aspect superficially has also the same character geologically ; and it is most likely, there- fore, that an extensive gold-field does exist in that part of Aus- tralia, if not also in other parts. Indeed it was already known that gold existed : more than a year ago, in April 1850, we pub- lished an extract from a letter by a good practical geologist in New South Wales, which may now be repeated-

" This colony is becoming a mining country, as well as Smith Anstralia. Copper, lead, and qokl are in considerable abundance in the schists and quartz- ites of the Cordillera (Blue Mountains, &c.) Vast numbers of the popula- tion are daily going to California ; but some day, I think, we shall have to recall them.';

California is the parallel which immediately occurs to us all, not

with much satisfaction. Common empirical observation has fol- lowed tolerably close on the heels of philosophy in contracting a dislike to gold-beds. They are beds upon which neither humanity nor society can find wholesome repose, if any repose at all. Cali- fornia has collected the riffraff of the world, the rapacious and the reckless, whose base and brutal passions are diluted not controlled by the old Spanish settlers and their conquerors, drawn to the spot before the gold was known. The universal lawlessness has broken through the ordinary law as hornets through cobweb ; the stronger power of Lynch law rose, as Prince Louis Napoleon would say, "to save society " ; and the latest account from the Golden State repre- sent it as being under the control of a "Vigilance Committee," which was behaving in a most tyrannical manner. It had coolly "resolved, that we, the Vigilance Committee, do claim to ourselves the right to enter any person or persons' premises where we have good rea- son to believe we'shall find evidence to substantiate and carry out the object of this body "; the Committee having just recorded the presumption that " nogood citizen" would interfere with it. The Com- mittee held its sittings in secret, issued decrees with no other sig- nature than that of "No. 67, Secretary," executed them with no other preface than the toll of a fire-bell, and proceeded summarily even to hang. Perhaps a still more flagrant instance of its arbitrary conduct was its assuming the right to stop proceedings at law by forbidding plaintiffs to go on. Such is the state of society in Cali- fornia,—the direct consequence of constructing society, or over- whelming it, With a gold-seeking population. None of us would wish to see a California within British dominions.

It is observed, howeVer, that the discovery of a gold-bed at Bathurst does not necessarily involve the existence of a California. Gold-diggings or gold-washings exist elsewhere—in Russia, in Northern Africa, and even in Wales—without any such conse- quences. Bathurst is not on the coast, but some two hundred miles inland; it is already peopled, and under the control of Bri- tish law. These consolatory assurances are so far true, but they do not include the main considerations. The prineipal distinc- tions which they indicate are, that geographically: Bathurst is not quite so much exposed to incursion as California ; and that the ruling government is that of Great Britain. The truly cogent considerations, however, are, the proportion of gold in the soil, and the facility of extracting it—the two terms for expressing the force of the bait in attracting the rapacious, the idle, and the law- less. If the bait be strong, the repulsive power must be strong ; for the two hundred miles of Australian country would be no bar- rier to Californian hordes.

Such hordes exist only too near : the Indian Archipelago, Dutch, Black, Malay-, or Spanish, teems with piratical hands and outlaw races; so do almost all the ports and islands of the Southern Seas. Australia was peopled by convicts ; convicts superabound in Van Diemen's Land, Government still continues the supply to Western Australia ; nor is the race of Bushmen extinct on the confines of Australian civilization. The island continent has been peopled with the materials for constructing the wickedest community of modern times. Imagine Norfolk Isl tad let loose upon a gold-field, with contingents of runaway sailors, Yankee loafers, Malay pirates, and the refuse of the mongrel races from the Chinese and Malay Wands.

Undoubtedly, the controlling Government is British ; but how

much has that Government done to break down its own moral power, to alienate the most orderly and influential classes of the colonists, and to repel from it the volunteer reinforcements which it might have found in the main body of Colonial society P It has

cast off those aids and supports ; and if any necessity for main- taining order, for controlling a California, should arise, Govern- ment will have to make good the force which it has alienated in the colony, with an equivalent force, naval or military, from Eng- land. In such a case, the Australian California might prove to the Imperial Government rather a costly acquisition.

The true reassurances are to be found in the country, itself, in the nature of its people and its climate. So happy has the climate proved, that although a part of the population has been drawn too largely through the contaminated channels of our prisons, it has developed a singularly fine and favourable specimen of the English race,—comely in aspect, vigorous in constitution, active in mind, and above all most hearty in disposition. The newer settlers are mostly men of enterprise encouraged by prosperous circumstances. It would be difficult to match the Australians in any part of the globe for the high average of intelligence among them. We say this not only on the reports of travellers, but on their own conduct in public affairs and the evidence of the journals current among them. But above all other counteractives, we should rely upon that heartiness of disposition, which must incline them to more substantial and relishing objects of existence than mere gold-grubbing. Sound bodily health, active life warm affections, stout appetite for good things, are traits of a life, which is seldom drawn away, to a tiresome, ugly, vagabond life, whose only motive is gain. The Australians are a thriving people, and brisk in business; but it is evident that they relish the enterprise and action not less but rather more than the gain : they are greedy for prosperity rather than lucre, and, we suspect, would hardly do with- out a good allowance of enjoyment and applause. The nature of their country, the fineness of the atmosphere, the comparative ease of life, and the truly fine field for productive enterprise, have helped to create the nobler Characteristics of the Australians, and will continue to secure scope for their exercise. It is these considerations, rather than slight geographical barriers or official organization, which strengthen us against the fear that the colo- nists will ever permit Australia to degenerate into a California.* * In the daily press this week, some question has been raised respecting the right of " royalty" over the mines. As we mentioned in the paper of April 1860 to which we have referred above, that question had already been mooted in regard to New South Wales, and the Colonial Office had been urged to cede the invidious and obstructive right. It was understood that Minis:era would cause it to be ceded. In South Australia, to the original founders of which the right was expressly ceded, it has been puldicly mooted as a question affecting subsequent settlers ; and the colonists obstinately claimed exemption. The Governor formally recorded a demand for the "royalty," in the shape of a percentage on the product of mines • but he deliberately abstained foom enforcing the demand. In South Australia, therefore, it is practically waived ; and it is to be presumed that New South Wales will not be less liberally treated.