Cornwall Chronicle (Launceston, Tas. : 1835 - 1880), Saturday 21 February 1852, page 114


P O R T L A N D.

The Guardian, thus joins in general lamenta-tion —"O the Diggings '.—Our little settlement could boast a short time ago of a crowd of inhab-itants, which are now either absolutely lost to us, or of whose return much uncertainty is felt. For in-stance, we had four bakers, now we have two, one

of whom is on the wing for the diggings ; about twelve shoemakers, now not a single cobbler to mend a shoe ; a stringybark forest full of sawyers and splitters, now not a soul to wield an axe or shake a saw in that locality; with one or two exceptions, all the carpenters, builders, and cabinetmakers have either left, or are finishing their work to migrate to the diggings ; three blacksmiths out of five have left for the diggings, the rest are to follow; only one wheelwright is left; the brickmakers have not left one of their trade ; out of three medical gents, one only is spared to us; of three public school masters two are on the road to the diggings ; tailors have sped their way to the diggings ; our tin-plate workers, are gone to the diggings ; printers are leaving for the diggings ; woolsorters have left for the diggings ; the brewer is off to the diggings :our birdstuffer has gone to the diggings ; musicians have danced to the diggings; two petty, out of seven, con-stables have not gone, but the five have sloped to the diggings. As to the number of servants, labou-rers, and persons not to be readily classified, who have left to make an easy and rapid fortune at the diggings, we should have to mention every family and every house iu the settlement to name those who have in this case taken themselves off to the dig-gings."