Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/145

 "Camp, Ballaarat, December 3, 1854. ",—I have the honour to report, for the information of the Major-General, the following details relative to a collision that took place this morning between the troops under my command, and the Ballaarat rebels. The Major-General has already been made aware of the fact, that a large number of ill-disposed persons have, for some days, been openly organizing, drilling, and equipping themselves, with the undisguised object of attacking her Majesty's troops, and, if possible, subverting the Government. During the night of the 1st instant frequent signals were observed passing from tent to tent around the camp, and several shots were fired over the heads of the sentries. I, therefore, considered it necessary, on the following day, to issue a public notice, that no light would be allowed in the neighbourhood after 8 o'clock; that no discharge of firearms would be permitted under any pretence; and that persons disobeying these orders would be fired at. This notice produced the desired effect. Early on the 2nd instant information reached me, that the rebels were forming an entrenched camp at the Eureka diggings, about a mile and a half from our camp, with the absurd intention of intercepting the forces under the Major-General's command en route from Melbourne.

"In the course of the afternoon Mr. Commissioner Amos, in charge of the Eureka station, arrived here, and reported that an armed party of the rebels had