Colonial Times (Hobart, Tas. : 1828 - 1857), Friday 22 December 1854, page 2


TA S !W A W I A W.

HOBART TOWN. DECEMBER 22. 1854.

VICTORIA.

IN the Legislative Council Mr. O'shanassy has introduced n motion for enfranchising the diggers. He proposes to create new electoral districts embracing Castlemaine, Bendigo, Beechworth, and Ballaarat. j \

Sometime about half-past ten^o'clock on Saturday night, a fire waa discovered , on the premises of Messrs Dove and Oswald, ship chandlers, in Flinders-street west, w Inch raged with great violence for some hours. The fire evidently broke out in the stable behind the 'premises, where ,a valuable horse ,was burnt literally to' a cinder ; it .then communicated to <t 'large iron roofed shed, in which was a large amount of property, 'doing considerable

destruction thereto. About four o'clock in the morning the fire was got ' under. The Imperial Corporation, Victoria Eme-rald Hill, and Volunteer Fire Brigade No.

H ' t - ' ' J/ ' / %i

1 engines were in attendance, anil the men I belonging to each used.every'endeavour to 1 stop the progress of the flames, in^whichl they BO far succeeded, we believe, as. to confine the mischief principally, if not en-tirely to Íhé''píemise8 where.thu (ire com-menced. His worship lite Mayor was, we were informed, very early on the spot, where,he remained until the fire was ex-tinguished, a hy no means inactive'Rppctator. Mr. II. Langlands, Mr. Mackechnie (of the firm of Mackechnie, Wilox &]Co., Mincing-lane), and another gentlemen, also rendered active assistance. Too much

praise cannot b'* given to the captain of ti Williamstown lighter, who brought his cre.v to the spot, and joined heartily ¡willi them in doing good service on the occa-sion. Tlie premises were insured ; bul we have not heard to what amount ; neither has it yet transpired to what caine the origin oí the fire is to be attributed. The damage done will amount to several thou-sand pounds.

On Wednesday night, a meeting at John Knox's Church was held, to consider the recent decision of ths Free Church Synod to accept State nid for her ministers. The Hev. Win. Miller took the chair, und opened the meeting with praise and prayer. The congregation was very well toprasented, nnd the feeling manifested through-out the proceedings was very decidedly ad-verse to the decision of the Synod. An occasional reference from some of the older colonists to the enrly struggles of the Free Church excited general and warm sympathy. Various resolutions against accepting nid from Government were passed unanimously, and a petition to the Synod on the subject was cordially adopted.

Two men, Boulton an'd Marriott, have been committed to take their trial for being concerned in the Ballarat Bank robbery. The other prisoner (Thomas Quinn) had turned Queen's evidence.

The members of the Gold-fields Com mission of Inquiry took their d?pnrture for Ballarat on Saturday morning. They travel in a government carriage, with another carriage or van for their luggage.

The steeple chase between the winner of the Spring Steeple Chase and ths conqueror, of the Van Diemen's Land Crack, carne off as follows over the Melbourne steeple-chase course, for £100, weights 12 stone. Mr. Purcell's Tall Boy, 1 (Crabb) ; Mr. Miller's Pop-goes-the-Weazle, 2 (Seymour). Tall Boy took the lead, Fop close up at the stand. The leap was taken by Tall Boy clearing, about thirty-feet. Pop jumped well, took the lead, waited on by Tall Boy. Coming out of Mr. Gray's paddock, Crabb was nearly shaken from the saddle, his

horse striking heavily. This gave Pop a lead of neaily a distance. Crabb recovered his horse and made tremendous play. At the last fence fiom home, was a length be-hind Seymour, and 'by judicious handling landed Tall Boy a winner by n length. Certainly the finest race we have seen. The sports of the day concluded by a hack-race of two sovereigns each, one and a half miles. - Keating's Soldier, 1 ; Mr. Ste-phens I-waut-It, 2 j Mr. Savery's Baw-ley, 3.

There has been no steam-power traffic on the Ilobson's Bay Railway for the last fortnight, in consequence of another break down of the colonial engine. The manager has since been working with horse power.und and conveying goods ouly. The two engines which have recently arrived from England are being fitted up at Sandridge.andthet rains nie expected to run again on Saturday. Each locimotive is of two hundred horse power, and therefore with this addition of force it is fair to presume that this line, which in some respects has.s since its opening, been so unfortunate, will recover its cha-

racter.

A monster meeting had been held at Castlemaine, Capt. Trewartha in the chair, advocating passive resistance to the license tax. The following resolutions were unani-mously adopted :

That as the Legislature have taken no satisfac-tory steps to redress the grievances of the residents on the gold fields, this meeting protests against the injury done them, and resolves to take out no more licenses for gold digging, and to quietly abide the consequences; and as it is neccssary that the diggers should know their friends, every miner agrees to wear as a pledge of good faith, and in support of the cause, a piece of red ribbon on his hat, not to be removed until the license tax is

abolished.

That as all men are born free and equal, this meeting claims their right to a voice in the fram-ing and passing of laws which they are called upon to obey; and look upon nomineeism as a compro- mise of their just rights, and will not accept as a gift that which is their inherent right, and will have nothing short of their full and fair share in the representation of the country.

That as the public lands belong by right to the people, and were given by the Creator for the use of man, and cannot, with justice, be alienated from him, this meeting declares that the govern-ment cannot any longer, with propriety, withhold them from the people; that the present pernicious land system should, with delay, be abrogated, and the standing orders in Council revoked.

That this meeting resolves to unite with the people on the various gold-fields, and of the towns of Melbourne and Geelong, in every just effort to secure their rights.

That this meeting indignantly protests against the violent and illegal resort to arms on the part of the Government against the people of Ballarat, and the hostile attitude assumed hy them townrds the naturally peaceably disposed and industrious inhabitants of the gold fields, by placing them illegally under martial law, and deliberately records its unalterably fixed determination, in the event of tho Goverment refusing to imme-diately withdraw the military from all the dig-gings, to use every just means within its power to obtain their sacred and inalienable rights.

That in the opinion of this meeting the late disturbances at Ballarat have been entirely occa-sioned by the exasperating and imprudont con-duct of the authorities; that the men who are at present in custody should immediately be libe-rated, and that the Government should alone be held responsible for the consequence.

That for the purpose of carrying out the fore-going resolutions, and as soon 'as the necessary steps shall have been taken for organising and uniting all the gold-fields with the cities and towns, a great national conference be held in Melbourne, to secure the full and free rights of oar adopted country -- Australia.

That a committee be elected for the purpose of corresponding with the other gold fields, and of carrying out the objects of the Gold-Fields Reform League.

That this meeting from their very souls sympa- thise with the true men of the people who are unjustly imprisoned for taking part in the late out-break and also desire to publicly express their esteem for the memory of the brave men who have fallen in battle, and that to shew their respect every digger and their friends do wear to-morrow (Sunday) a band of black crape on his hat, and in their public and prívate devotions remember the widows and orphans of the dead

warriors.

, The resolutions were all received with ¡ii great deal of cheering, except the last, on the rendjnjr><if which, every lint was,, lifted from the- head with an exprésalo*« of deep* reverence. ' v

It was expliii-.ed that the ruleofaction to be adopted was this:-If the police'went round to seaich for licenses, no resistance would be. offered, ' as they were simply executive1 officers, but on an arrest taking place it should be reported to the committee hythe nearest observer; they would im-mediately call a monster meeting, and the whole of the people would deliver them-selves into custody. The men of Bendigo it was said meant to abide by the conse-quences of Mint resolution. If the people of Forest Creek thought it was right, they would adopt it, so that there should he united action on all the gold fields of the polony.