The Port Phillip people were alarmed at the good fortune of their neighbours. A gold committee offered a reward for the discovery of a gold field here. It was known that the precious material had been seen. The Clunes diggings were announced on July 8th, 1851. They were on Deep Creek, a tributary of the Loddon, 100 miles to the west of Melbourne. The Buninyong followed in August 9th, being 25 miles nearer our capital. But the great revelation was made at Ballarat, on September 8th, which was 75 miles from Melbourne and 54 from Geelong. On September 17th, the press declared that “Geelong is mad, stark staring gold mad.” The following “symptoms of insanity created some amusement at the time:—” 1. Rising early and proceeding to the creek, pulling the stones about, and washing the sand and gravel, then placing it in a box resembling a cradle, imagining the stones and sand to be a _child of earth with golden hair_; rocking the child to sleep; then taking the mud and gravel out, and putting it into an _expecting dish_, mixing it with water and shaking it, all the while looking at the slush with the fondest solicitude for its safety; ultimately throwing it away with disgust, and assuming the appearance of intense disappointment. 2. Repeating the above strange proceeding day by day. 3. Troubled sleep at night, with frightful dreams of being pelted by Midas with lumps of gold, upwards of 106 lbs weight, and being unable to pick them up, or of smaller nuggets sticking anywhere, but in your breeches pocket.“ The wonderful Mount Alexander diggings were visited in September 10th. Bendigo followed soon after, but remained for a time in obscurity. The Jim Crow range diggings near the Loddon have recently attracted attention. The following licenses were taken out at Ballarat; in September 532, October 2261, November 885. At Mount Alexander there were in October 221, in November 4678. The number of late on the ground has ranged from 30,000 to 50,000. What will be the number on the return of the Colonial emigration in Spring, and on the advent of the English gold diggers? It is not easy to calculate the produce of the mines. In August last we exported 18 ounces, and for July it rose to 180,000 ounces. The escort is no criterion, as many men convey their gold to town themselves. The amount raised in 24 years from the only paying English gold mine in South America was worth £1,300,000. Only a few years ago the total value of the world’s gold was estimated at nine millions a year. Now Russia produces four millions and California above a dozen millions annually.