The diggers saw that they could no longer oppose this force, without maintaining a body of their own men in arms; and for this purpose a select number was chosen, who, having been regularly organised into companies, formed a camp on the Eureka lead. Some of the lying officials of the government have represented this camp to have been strongly fortified--the lie being propagated to secure them greater credit, for their bravery in capturing it! The statement was altogether untrue. The Eureka stockade was nothing more than an inclosure formed with slabs of timber--such as were used to wall in the shafts sunk on wet leads--and could no more be called a fortification, than the hurdles used by farmers for penning up a flock of sheep. The importance attached to the movement, on the part of the government officials, was ludicrous in the extreme. Martial law was proclaimed in Ballarat; and several hundred pounds were expended in filling bags of sand, and fortifying the Treasury at Melbourne--about one hundred miles from the scene of the _emeute_! The idea of the diggers marching to Melbourne, and molesting the Government property there, was simply ridiculous. The authorities must have held an opinion of the men they governed, not very complimentary to the liege subjects of Her Majesty. Because the miners objected to being hunted and worried for a piece of paper--proving that they had paid eighteen pounds per annum of tax, more than any other class of the population--the Government officials seemed to think that a causeless rebellion had broken out, which threatened to overthrow the whole British Empire; and which nothing but low scheming and barbarous action could quell. Thousands of ounces of gold were lying on deposit in the Escort Office at Ballarat; yet had the mutineers taken the place, I am confident this treasure would have been protected, and restored to its rightful owners. But there was no intention on the part of the diggers, either to touch Ballarat, or its gold. They only maintained an armed body at the Eureka Stockade, because they could in no other way resist the raids of the troopers who were sent out licence-hunting. They were as innocent of all intention to overthrow the Government; "loot" the Escort Office at Ballarat; or march upon Melbourne, as babes unborn. Their only object was to have English law properly administered to them; or rather, to resist the violation of it by the minions who had been appointed to its execution. This the Government might have learnt--and probably did learn--from the policemen disguised as diggers, who took part in the proceedings at the Eureka Stockade, for these communicated all they learnt, and no doubt a good deal more, to the officials in the Government camp. Volume Three, Chapter XI. A GENIUS IN THE DIGGINGS.