Page:The three colonies of Australia.djvu/409

 To-day I was at the Victoria Gold Escort Company's office,—an establishment admirably conducted. Those holding escort receipts may obtain their gold or money in a few hours after the escort arrives, whereas at the government office there are the most unnecessary and provoking delays. The name of the depositor is not written in the receipts given by the company, but is transcribed into a book kept for that purpose, together with the amount said to be deposited. The receipt merely states that so many ounces or pounds are said to be in the bag, neither money nor gold being counted or weighed. The bag is tied and sealed, and received thus by the depositor, the company not holding themselves in any way responsible for the amount. Omitting the depositor's name in the receipt is obviously an excellent plan, and prevents a great deal of fraud.

I have been employed the greater part of the day in looking out for a vessel. So many people are hurrying home just now that it is a matter of some difficulty, notwithstanding the number of vessels laid on for Sydney, to obtain a passage for that port. I have at length obtained one in the Wild Irish Girl, the passage-money being £9, which is an advance of £3 on what the cabin passages were formerly.

With these extracts, which afford so perfect an idea of the life and the land of the diggers, we conclude our attempt to describe the Australian Gold Regions. New creeks, rivers, and mountains are daily announced as the sites of inexhaustible treasures, the last being generally for a time considered the richest. The Ovens, near the River Murray, is now exciting a good deal of attention in New South Wales, and has caused the desertion of localities previously in great repute, while the discovery of two enormous nuggets at Ballarat has caused a vast re-emigration to the first discovered Victorian gold-field.

The South Australians have not yet been successful in discovering a gold-field worth working. At Echunga 1,208 licences were in the first instance issued, but of these only 166 were renewed once, only 64 twice, and 7 three times. At the last accounts 180 persons were at work.

The following is a list of the outfit required for four gold diggers. The cradles sold in England are for the most part toys, not strong enough to bear rough work. English carts, forges, and pumps, unless made from colonial directions, are not worth their freight for real use:—