Page:Victoria, with a description of its principal cities, Melbourne and Geelong.djvu/25

 boldly defied the emissaries of Government in the execution of their duty, and even ventured to oppose the decisions of the courts of justice. The vacillating course pursued by the Executive served only to fan the flame, and caused what at first was but a simple outbreak of popular indignation, to assume the formidable appearance of an insurrection, which terminated in a fearful sacrifice of human life.

Previous, however, to entering into the particulars of the disturbances, we must go back a little to give a glance at the political condition of the colony, and explain some of the reasons which influenced the Government, as well as induced the malcontents, to enter into a contest so unequal and outrageous. We must, therefore, digress a little in order to obtain a cursory glance at the relative positions of the Colonial with the Home Government, and however inapropos such may appear to the casual observer, it will be found to have had a great indirect influence on both parties.

During the last three years the Victoria Parliament, by sundry motions, endeavoured to check an evil affecting the social condition of the colony, and considerably endangering its future prosperity. We need scarcely allude to the admission of convicts from Van Diemen's Land as settlers, who were in possession of conditional pardons. For years this had been a question of the greatest interest in the political history of Australia, and strenuous efforts had been made in the first instance to prevent their