Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/144

 After another hour, another party came up about dusk, comprising a detachment of the 40th regiment and some mounted troopers. They, coming by another route, were attacked on the bridge, but, forming into close order, with their mounted force as guards, they soon cleared the bridge and gained their camp without any serious injury (though several shots were fired) beyond a few slight wounds, and many of the horses wounded.

On that evening dispatches were sent off with full particulars—Captain Thomas, who commanded the force there, deeming it expedient to hasten the march of the troops supposed to be en route for Ballaarat. On the morning of the 30th, intelligence reached the camp that the whole of the 12th regiment, stationed at Melbourne, the remainder of the 40th regiment, a detachment of seamen from H. M. ships Fantome and Electra, with several field-pieces, under the immediate command of Major-General Sir R. Nickle, Commander of the Forces in Australia, had left that morning for the scene of action; and on the morning of the 2nd he received private information that a chosen band of three hundred of the insurgents had gone off to intercept them; also, that the diggers were strongly entrenching themselves, and making every preparation, as before stated, for a serious conflict. As, however, this is minutely described in Captain Thomas' dispatches to the General commanding, we will relate it in his own words:—