Public Opinion Divided
Foreigners
Documents
The documents listed below highlight some of the other tensions
that existed within the new Colony of Victoria in the time leading
up to and including the Eureka Stockade. Four of the documents Hotham
included as enclosures to his lengthy despatch no. 162, are reports
to England on the stockade and its immediate aftermath, expressing
support for the Governor's policy and measures. These are balanced
by a variety of communications from people on the goldfields, and
interestingly, in Melbourne, condemning
the attack.
Particular anxiety was expressed about whether the uprising was
caused by 'foreigners'. It is never specified how or why these foreigners
would act to stir up unrest, but it is practically a tenet of belief
that they are up to no good. Even Lieutenant Governor Hotham, in
his response to J.W. Lindsay's letter, is happy to subscribe to
this idea. Deflecting blame is always a useful strategy when under
pressure, which may explain why Hotham made great effort to point
out the number of Irish and other 'foreign' nationals in his despatches.
Of course, balanced against these accusations is the simple fact
that the goldfields attracted workers from a wide range of countries.
The Victorian authorities seemed to have had little trouble with
the idea of foreigners digging up minerals from Crown land, as long
as they obeyed the laws of the colony and agreed to pay its taxes.
The US Consul's correspondence with Hotham on the subject of American
nationals involved with the stockade is among the records listed
below. The Belgian Consul also wrote to Hotham in early December
offering support.
This laissez-faire approach to the licensing system was eventually
discontinued. Hotham's despatch no. 47
of 1855 discusses the findings of the Commssion into the administration
of the goldfields, and the recommendation it made to replace the
mining licence with an export tax. Following a discusson of the
likely revenue impact of these rearrangements, Hotham introduced
a tax of up to ten pounds on single Chinese men arriving in the
colony, ostensibly to discourage Chinese men arriving without family.
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| VPRS
1085/P Unit 8, Duplicate 162 Enclosure no. 14 |
Hotham calls for all loyal
British subjects to enrol for servcie |
| VPRS
1085/P Unit 8, Duplicate 162 Enclosure no. 16 |
Support for the Governor
from the Legislative Assembly in maintaining law and order |
| VPRS
1085/P Unit 8, Duplicate 162 Enclosure no. 17 |
Support for the Governor
from the City of Melbourne and councillors |
| VPRS
1085/P Unit 8, Duplicate 162 Enclosure no. 19 |
Support for the Governor
from the bankers, merchants and landholders, tradesmen |
| VPRS
1095/P Unit 4, Bundle 1 no. 21 (January 1855) |
Remonstrances from certain
inhabitants of Bendigo |
| VPRS
1189/P Unit 92, J54/14459 |
Rede reports on a dinner
held for the American Consul and states his mistrust of the
Americans |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 17 |
Letter from US Consul;
he believes no Americans are involved |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 28 |
J.M. Grant about the proposed
resolutions of the public meeting held in Melbourne |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 29 |
Letter from William Robinson
critical of his handling of the affair and the general administration |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 45 |
Squatters pledge their
support to the government |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 50 |
Resolutions from the public
meeting forwarded |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 53 |
J.W. Lindsay forwards
some suggestions to the Governor |
| VPRS
4066/P Unit 1, December 1854 no. 55 |
A letter from a young
Englishman living in Ballarat supporting the diggers' movement
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Forward to The State Trials
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