THE
CHRONLCLES
OF EARLY
MELBOURNE.
903
Post-Office, a Court-House, or some other public purpose, but the Wesleyan Methodist denomination ultimately obtained it from the Government. W h e n the value of the land had enormously increased' the Wesleyans deemed it advisable to sell out there, and invest the proceeds elsewhere. A "ring" of knowing ones was formed, and the premises were purchased for ^40,000, in the hope of making a handsome thing of it; but the " swim " did not turn out so prosperously as expected. T h e opposite or north-eastern corner half-acre was purchased for ,£61 by M r . G. W . Umpleby, and here was opened the first druggist's shop by Dr. Barry Cotter. It was succeeded by an hotel somewhat misnamed the Angel Lnn, attached to which was Melbourne's first billiard room. Crossing the street to the south-east corner, bought by M r . A. Willis for ,£42, w e c o m e on a place wherein it would appear the m o n e y changers were destined to abide. It was here the first agency of the Derwent Bank was started under the management of M r . W . F. A. Rucker in 1838. It was afterwards taken over by the Union Bank started at the north-west corner of Queen and Little Flinders Streets, where thefirstregular banking house was put up. W h e n the Union required more central premises, it returned to the old place, where an edifice was erected which for years was deemed one of the architectural ornaments of Melbourne. THE " NELSON " GOLD ROBBERY. Reverting to the old Union Bank there is an incident connected with its career, which, until now, m a y be numbered amongst the " lost secrets of history." It was a plain two-storey brick structure, with little in its build to liken it to the fortresses in which bank deposits are n o w stored. Immediately after its vacation by the bill-discounters it was let for a public-house, and for years was known as the Woolpack Lnn. In 1852 an audacious robbery was perpetrated on board the gold ship " Nelson " in Hobson's Bay, and it was in this tavern the outrage was concocted and elaborated. O n e night in April of that year a gang of seven or eight desperadoes took boat at Sandridge, and quietly boarded the " Nelson," ready to sail with a quantity of gold for. England the next day. The very audacity of . the raid ensured its success, for the possibility of such a robbery was unthought of. Half-a-dozen persons were afterwards convicted of the offence, and served long sentences of hard labour on board the hulks of Williamstown and Pentridge. A gentleman of the legal profession, than w h o m no one in the colony had better opportunity of knowing, assured m e that it: after years the ringleader had effected his escape from Victoria, and was never brought to book, and that two of the convicts were absolutely innocent of the offence. I had it also on reliable police authority that the gang w h o rifled the " Nelson" intended to have operated on the "Madagascar," which was anchored near the "Nelson," with 120,000 ozs. of gold, and was ready for sea • that the night was very dark and the robbers boarded the wrong ship, when finding out their mistake they resolved to m a k e the best of it, and tackle what came next to hand, so thenbooty amounted only 14,000 ozs. This gold was stowed away in fourteen small strongly-made wooden boxes, of 1000 ozs. each. T h e robbers had some difficulty in secreting the spoil, and I myself recollect going to Sandridge the Sunday after the robbery, and seeing a crowd of persons in the bush between Emerald Hill and the beach. Approaching I found a party of police in possession of several of the empty boxes, which had been found under a large g u m tree. Being known to the Chief-Constable (Bloomfield), I was presented with one of the boxes, and I kept it as a sort of relic for several years. T h e Attorney, w h o incurred great trouble and expense in the defence of the prisoners, was said to have received another box (but a full one) in reimbursement of all he had done or undergone; and, if so, he certainly came off best of anyone mixed up with the affair.*
- T h e following communication was subsequently received from M r Albert Read, Solicitor :-It is a pleasure to read ' Gnrryowen's ' papers
eenerallv correct and always amusing, but in his statements regarding the robbery of the ship Nelson he has been misled. 1 he ship Madagascar wTs not anchored °^r he5 Nelson/'with 120,000 oZs. of gold on board, and ready for sea on the night of the " Nelson" robbery. The " Madagascar as not ancnored near m e ^ ^ ^ ^ . ^ ^ ^cQn After leaving the Bay this ship was never heard of. ith r o b b e r s w e r e an - este d. re-Ard ToThe "number of the " Neison" robbers, and the statement that the boat used came from Sandridge, he is incorrect. Having defended most of the men 10 charged with the some of,w.h.o.m' „were • c^aru m e luunuei oi robbery, i..e , „ „ found f„„nA guilty,! „,,;ifv 1 presume nresnme I1 aamm the theAttorney Attornev referred referred to to by hv Garryowen', Oarrvowen . wwhhoo mcurred incurred great mpal L . V.V j °— • .u A~f,„~ nf -the nrisoners and and was was said said to to have nave received received another anotner box uox (but tout aa full lull one) one)in 111 re-imbursement re-imnursement of 01all au he ne had nao done done or or e pris ^rgone' W J ? £ ^ £ % K>ffZbe.'— ? 5 ^ mixed up in the affair.' I beg to tell - Garryowen' if he, as he stated, received a box, although an "empiy one", 'it,/.„ forT I„.,.., neverKorl had nn*one nf ofthe the inve.s. boxes, or had ever seen any o ' ."he'had . ,' the , ,best . of ci. anv ot the gold. eold.
