Transcription Page 1

Bunninyoung
Septr. 22. 1851.

Sir,
1 I have the honor to report for the
information of His Excellency the
Lieutenant Governor that I ar-
rived with Mr. Commissioner Doveton
and Mr. Armstrong at the Ballarat
Diggings on the 20th inst.

2 We proceeded to two different
places, the first about three miles
from Waruneep, where we found
about 150 men at work, and
three miles lower down the river
”Leigh” near Mr. Yuille’s Station
between three and four hundred
men were digging, and at another
place two miles up the Buninyoung
Gully I was told 250 men
were at work. This place we
have not yet visited but intend
doing so tomorrow.-
On.

The Honorable,
The Colonial
Secretary
Melbourne

[Annotation: top]

51/417
23 Septr. 1851
The Commandant of Native Police to the
Colonial Secretary reporting arrival at
the Ballarat Diggins.

[Annotation: top left corner]

Ballarat?

[Annotations: left]

[stamp] Land Victoria

Ackd
23 Sepr

Transcription Page 2

3 On the 21st. I accompanied the
Commissioner and Mr Armstrong
to the Ballerat Diggings and
informed the men of the object
of our visit. They at first
appeared very much dissatisfied
at being required to pay a
License. In a few minutes a
Public Meeting was called
by persons called here “Stump
Orators”, two of these men are I
understand connected with the
Geelong Press, They attempted
to pass resolutions and tried
in their speeches to induce the
people to resist the payment
of Licenses: this I recommended
Mr. Doveton not to pay the
slightest attention to:.After the
meeting dispersed several men
came to pay for their Licenses
and on leaving the tent after
having obtained them, were struck
and pelted by the mob, and
had it not been for the presence
of the very few troopers we had
with us, would have been severely
injured-

4 After the people cooled a little
the respectable men came up to
the