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Appendix A CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNTS of Attacks
upon Chinese Miners on the Buckland River and at Lambing Flat.
A.1 Buckland River (Victoria)
'The presence of so many hundreds of Chinese on the Buckland
has long been a source of great annoyance to the European
population, and the recent unprecedented increase to the number of
celestials have been gradually creating a feverish and dangerous
state of excitement among our own countrymen. On all sides the
European miners find themselves cramped by the ubiqUity of the
long-tailed Asiatics, who do not confine their operations to merely
fossicking and cradling, but are sinking after the most improved
European fashion. As five-sixths of the barbarians are not merely
without their protective tickets, but have not even purchased the
miner's right, the Europeans feel perhaps more aggrieved than they
would do if they met on equal terms. This feeling of hostility has
increased until it has broken out into acts of open violence. A
fortnight since one or two Chinamen were assaulted by a party of
Europeans and deprived of their caudal appendages. This was but
the prelude of a more deliberate attack. On Thursday last, about ten
in the evening, a party of ten or a dozen men suddenly rushed a
small outlying picket of twenty or thirty Chinamen, who had just
commenced sinking on a new piece of tolerably good ground. The
slight huts of the Celestials were demolished in a trice, causing the
owners to fly like so many sheep, pelted in their hasty retreat by a
shower of stones. We regret to hear of such acts of violence, and
we are sorry to add that four of the Chinamen were more or less
seriously injured. Having routed their enemy, the rowdy mob in
possession of the field celebrated their victory by making a bonfire
of the windlasses. buckets, tools, &c., which remained as trophies.
Since then the Chinamen have been too frighted to return to the plot
of ground in question, which is now being worked by Europeans'
(Ovens and Murray Advertiser, quoted in Age, Melbourne, 20 May,
1857, and by Cannon, 1982, VoI2:351)
'The diggers, chiefly Americans, assembled about one hundred
strong. Having divided themselves into two parties, one took the
right and the other the left-hand branch of the river, having made up
their minds to clear the Buckland of the Chinese popUlation, which
must have numbered at least two thousand. They accordingly
commenced with 'Out you go, John'. John was obliged to go, and to
prevent their returning, they burnt their tents, stores &c., and drove
them before them like sheep, occasionally giving them a touch from
behind with a waddy (not very gentle), like a drover in Smithfield
Market. The River Buckland runs between two high ranges,