Vol. IIL-rNo. 57.] 
Saturday, January 28, 1854. 
[Price C d. 
s. 
: 
THE DIGGER’S WEDDING. 
A MONG the various claves whose position has been 
altered by the late golden revolution, there is none 
perhaps more affected than the sailor. Latterly he had 
fallen from his high estate ; prize money, hags of guineas 
and rolls of notes wore t among ithe* legends of tho past. 
Jack’s proverbial profusion was .exchanged for u scant 
pittance of wages, and a dole of refuse provisions; and even 
the prospect of promotion was cut off from him. In war 
time a good seamun might distinguish himself, and from 
mute become master of ;i merchantman or privateer, and 
many is the skipper now afloat who has made his way from 
before tho mast. The march of improvement, however; in 
process of time reached Juck, and bore away with it his last 
hope in a toilsome career. By a new statute, future mates 
and musters ure to go to school, and pass an examination ; 
but a measure which is likely to produce better officers 
deprives the common seamun of one inducement to adopt bis 
hazardous calling. The only ulleviution that was left to him 
wus tho American navy and merchant service, with the 
temptation of higher wages, but there again the way of 
promotion was blocked up, as American citizens are natu- 
rally preferred for the charge of ships, independently of tho 
requirements of the navigation laws. If, too, the English 
sailor had an opening in the American service, by recent 
alterations foreigners were let in to compete with him at 
home. Speculation was at an end, whaling was almost 
abandoned by the Euglish merchants, and the “ lay ” in a 
whaling voyage wus no temptation to the reckless adven- 
turer. 
Thus the sailor had fallen into a miserable plight; nor was 
he sure of employment in his precarious pursuit, to which 
ho was enthralled by his inaptitude for any employment 
ashore. In the depth of his degradation the wonderful 
treasures, of California were disclosed to the astonished 
world. Men, ever dreaming of short and royal rouds to 
sudden wealth, were awakened by the announcement that 
their wildest dreams would be realised, and overy unsettled 
adventurer was eager to rush to the diggings. The vessels 
that carried the emigrants, and were laden with the ventures 
of the merchant for the “ Dorado” of the Pacific, likewise 
carried, the seaman, and no contract, could it have been 
enforced in a community without authority and without in- 
stitutions, would have restrained him from the regions of 
wealth, within his ready reach. The vessels were deserted, 
the harbour of San Francisco blocked with untouanted 
ships, unable to return home, and the diggings were crowded 
with hundreds of seamen. Mon of war could rendor no 
assistance to tho remonstrant skippers, as a man of war 
could with le»s compunction encounter yellow juck or 
the cholera than enter the harbour of San Francisco, to 
encounter the like abandonment by its crew. The diggings 
withdrew men from the service, wages rose nt home, and 
the seaman, for tho first time since impressment had been 
abolishod, found himself at a premium. Admirals and 
merchants competed lor him, ministers were inspired by a 
philanthropic regard for his interests, the American secretary 
emancipated him from the cat, tho English secretary offered 
him medals aud good service pensions, Parliament protected 
him from the uutocracy of tho skipper at sea, and princes 
laid the foundation stones of sailors’ homes. From tho time 
of the mutiny at the Nore never had seamen been the 
object of such kindly sympathy. 
So matters have gone on, and sailors are hardly to be got 
at any price in England or America; but Australia certainly 
gave the finishing touch to Jack's happy fortunes. Afloa 1 
and usliore, new brandies of enterprise wore opened to him* 
with the picaroon temptations of privateering, and withou 1 
the drawbacks of contributing a spare arm or leg in th 0 
venture, or losing tho number of one’s mess. At whatever 
wages Jack entered for the voyago to San Francisco, Sydney, 
or Melbourne, it was a splendid speculation to run at the 
port of arrival, and to enforce unheard of terms for the homo 
trip, so that tho disheartened merchants at length exported 
coolies from Bombay to Melbourne to work their ships home. 
At the diggings Jack found a convivial career. Ho was no 
longer, as nt homo in England, a helpless being. No 
employer asked him for a certificate of character or pro- 
ficiency, nothing but poverty could interfere with his habits 
of sell-indulgence, nml there was no one to express disgust 
at his rough bearing or his unkempt hair. On deserting 
from his ship at Sydney, Jack and his*»#$»*inate> made their 
way up to the diggings on foot, on a scanty allowance of 
biscuit, with the luxurious relish of a mouthful of tobacco. 
The very discomforts of the diggings and tho rude and 
wearisome labour which disgust other adventurers, are niter 
the nature of Jack. There are not many of the diggings 
where he would he worse off than in tho forecastle, and In- 
is accustomed to endure continuous privations and dis- 
comforts for a deferred benefit. Pitching himself aud parry 
perhaps in a deserted hole, lie would work away for mouths 
steadily and ploddingly, never disheartened by ill success 
profiting by small gains, and by bis perseverance coming in 
for some of those strokes of fortune which other adventurers 
of less endurance had missed. The ruling passion with 
Jack is still to make a voyage or a trip, winding up with a 
jollificatiou and the dissipation of his earnings, so that in 
duo lime back ho comes to Syduey, deluding himself with 
