272 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



diplomacy, which ill accorded with the demands of the wharf orators 

 and labour agitators who had taken the matter in hand. Probably 

 they had been stirred into action by the Government example of 

 illegality, for during May there were many cases of brutal assaults 

 on resident Chinamen. One of their mining camps was destroyed 

 by fire, and in Brisbane a crowd of 200 roughs invaded the Chinese 

 quarter, wrecked nearly every store and dwelling-place, and severely 

 maltreated the inhabitants before the police could gather force to 

 protect them. The restrictive law which Sir Henry Parkes suc- 

 ceeded in carrying contained all the old clauses relating to poll tax, 

 limitation of passengers by one ship, and all the penalties. The 

 new clauses provided a defined area within the cities of Sydney and 

 Newcastle, or such other places as the Governor might appoint, 

 where, after the passing of the Act, all Chinamen admitted under 

 the poll-tax conditions could alone be permitted to reside. They 

 were prohibited from travelling in the interior without a special 

 passport, and they were forbidden to engage in mining operations. 

 After having taken the matter out of the hands of the British 

 Cabinet, upon the plea of urgency, and having made it appear to 

 China that the British Minister for Foreign Affairs was unable to 

 enforce observance of his own treaties, Sir Henry Parkes sought to 

 bring the other Colonies into line, with a view to eventualities. A 

 conference was held on 12th June, Mr. Gillies and Mr. Deakin 

 representing Victoria. It passed resolutions that the restriction of 

 Chinese immigration could best be secured by Imperial diplomatic 

 action. When the British Minister pointed out that the high- 

 handed action already taken in Sydney was a barrier to successful 

 negotiation, the explanation offered was that it had been necessary 

 to act precipitately to protect the colonist " from an invasion which 

 is dreaded because of its results, not only upon the labour market, 

 but upon the social and moral condition of the people ". At this 

 time it should be noted there were only 35,000 Chinese in the whole 

 of Australia, of whom 8,500 were in Victoria, and about 12,000 in 

 the sparsely inhabited district of the Northern Territory and Queens- 

 land. Surely this was a small measure of leaven to sap the morals 

 of 3,250,000 of presumably intelligent people. The conference con- 

 cluded its deliberations by assuring the British Government that 



