Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/146

 marched up to his camp, taking him prisoner, and subsequently released him, but kept possession of his horse.

"During the whole of that day strong parties of insurgents were parading the diggings in every direction, many of them, in sight of the camp, robbing stores, collecting arms, and forcing people to join their ranks. I did not consider it prudent to attack them, as they were not collected in any one spot, and the safety of the camp would have been risked had a larger portion of the force been withdrawn. I determined, however, to attack their camp at daylight the next morning; for this purpose the troops were ordered to assemble at half-past 2 At 3 o'clock I left, with the following force, mounted: escort of the 40th regiment, thirty men under Lieutenants Hall and Gardyne; mounted police under Sub-Inspectors Furnell, Langley, Chomley, and Lieutenant Cassack, and seventy men; 12th regiment, under Captain Quade and Lieutenant Paul, with sixty-five rank and file; 40th regiment, under Captain Wise, Lieutenants Bowdler and Richards, with eighty-seven rank and file, and twenty-four foot police under Sub-Inspector Carter. The total number of troops were, one hundred mounted men, and one hundred and seventy-six foot; the remainder of the troops and police I left to guard the camp, under the command of Captain Atkinson, of the 12th regiment; having with me, Mr. Commissioner Amos, Mr. Hackett, P. M., and Mr. G. Webster, Civil