Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), Friday 2 June 1882, page 6


THE EARLY DISCOVERIES OF GOLD

IN VICTORIA

TO THE EDITOR OF THE ARGUS

Sir -Mrs Brentani merits the thanks of the community for her historical letter of the

20th inst. The unvarnished statement bears truth on the face of it, and it may be re-gretted that she did not extend her narrative a little further and relate an incident almost as interesting at the present time as the his tory of the first discovery of gold, viz that Mr La Trobes Government sent a body of police to Daisy hill to disperse the gold seekers and prevent them removing gold.

I was travelling in the neighbourhood of Daisy hill about the date mentioned by Mrs Brentani as the time when her husband was there and saw a string of spring carts and other such vehicles with men in them passing along the bush road - a most unexpected sight at that time in that part of the country. Upon inquiry, the men said they were returning to Melbourne, having been ordered by the police to discontinue searching for gold, and to leave Daisy hill, the gold being the property of the Crown.

The South Australian Government man-aged differently. About 1846, when gold was found at Echunga, the Government allowed the miners to bring it into Adelaide, and then seized it as being the property of the Crown. As also did the New South Wales Government a few years later when the 1061b of gold was brought into Sydney from the Turon , but as an aboriginal had sold the gold for what was considered an equivalent,

the claim of the Crown was barred -I am,

&c.

W. E. S.

Daylesford, May 30.