The Eureka Stockade: The Consequence of Some Pirates Wanting on Quarter-deck a Rebellion

The only accurate, published eye-witness account of the event, The Eureka Stockade was written by Carboni Raffaello, one of the 13 "diggers" brought to trial for sedition and high treason after the rebellion. The Eureka Stockade, more commonly known as the Eureka Rebellion, was a 1854 rebellion of gold miners of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia against the British colonial authority. The actual Battle of Eureka Stockade was fought between the miners and the Colonial Forces of Australia and resulted in the deaths of 22 miners. The gold miners were objecting to the expensive requirements of Miner's Licenses and license taxes and the decisions made without representation from the local government. After the rebellion, the people of Australia supported the miners, especially those who had been captured and placed on trial as leaders of the conflict. While these captured "diggers" were tried and convicted, their fighting led to the Electoral Act of 1856 two years later, which instituted political democracy in Australia.