s to anger, and in less than a minute
every pane of glass was broken; the police were roughly jostled and cut
by showers of stones; and the doors were broken open. The crowd burst
tumultuously into the hotel, and the rooms were soon swarming with men
drinking the liquors and searching for Bentley, who, however, had
already escaped on a swift horse to the camp. As the noise and disorder
increased, a man placed a handful of paper and rags against the wooden
walls of the bowling alley, deliberately struck a match, and set fire to
the place. The diggers now deserted the hotel and retired to a safe
distance, in order to watch the conflagration. Meanwhile a company of
soldiers had set out from the camp for the scene of the riot, and on
their approach the crowd quietly dispersed; but by this time the hotel
was reduced to a heap of smouldering ruins.

#8. Conviction of Rioters.#--For this outrage three men were apprehended
and taken to Melbourne, where they were tried and sentenced to
imprisonment. But Bentley was also re-arrested and tried, and as his
friend Dewes could on this occasion be of no assistance to him, he was
sentenced to three years of hard labour on the roads. Dewes was
dismissed from the magistracy, and Sir Charles Hotham did everything in
his power to conciliate the diggers. They were not to be thus satisfied,
however, and held a stormy meeting at Ballarat, in which they appointed
a deputation, consisting of Kennedy, Humffray, and Black, to demand from
the Governor the release of the three men condemned for burning
Bentley's Hotel. Hotham received them kindly, but declined to accept
their message, because, he said, the word "demand" was not a suitable
term to use in addressing the representative of Her Majesty. As the
diggers were haughty, and refused to alter the phrase, the Governor
intimated that, under these circumstances, no reply could be given. The
delegates having returned to Ballarat, a great meeting was held, and
Kennedy, Humffray, Black, Lalor, and Vern made inflammatory speeches, in
which they persuaded the diggers to pass a resolution, declaring they
would all burn their licences and pay no more fees.

#9. Insurrection at Ballarat.#--Skirmishes between the soldiers and
diggers now became frequent; and, on the 30th of November, when the last
"digger hunt" took place, the police and soldiers were roughly beaten
off. The diggers, among their tents, set up a flagstaff, and hoisted a
banner of blue