I I I " •••• and numerous Chinese." I A search for the individual in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, c1848-1901 I I Un Johnston I I I . I I .- ~ I , I- . \:: I- I- I- ..... ~. - >._-- -'- I --, ~,--~ \--(\' \~,; Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts 2002 (Honours). School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Department of Prehistorical I and Historical Archaeology. University of Sydney_ - I I~ I I. I " •••• and numerous Chinese." I A search for the individual in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, c1848-1901 I I Un Johnston I I I I I I I I I I Thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts 2002 I (Honours), School of Philosophical and Historical Inquiry, Department of Prehistorical and Historical Archaeology, University of Sydney. I I I I I I I Preface I In 1858 Harold McLean, Gold Commissioner for the Western Districts, received a letter I from the Colonial Secretary advising him to proceed with hiring an interpreter because "numerous bodies of Chinese" had arrived on the Western Goldfields. Variations on this I phrase, such as 'another shipload', 'large numbers of Chinese', 'large bodies of I Chinese', 'numerous Chinese' were frequently used to refer to the arrival of Chinese immigrants in the Australian colonies, while knowledge of or reference to individuals in I administrative correspondence or newspapers was rare. It is the purpose of this study to discover the long-term results of this immigration into the country and the nature of I interaction between Chinese and Europeans on an individual level, through the I examination of documentary and material evidence for an urban and a former gold mining area in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Consideration of factors I such as place of origin, methods of economic success have been examined to produce a different history of the Chinese and Europeans in Australia than is usually presented in I historical studies: one where there was some degree of co-operation within the I nineteenth century national climate of extreme racism and discrimination. I I I I 1 I I I I I Abbreviations and terminology BA Bathurst Advocate BDM NSW Register of Births Deaths and Marriages I BFP Bathurst Free Press and Mining Journal CRM Cultural Resource Management GC Gold Commissioner MN Mudgee Newspaper and Mining Register I MT Mudgee Times ML Mitchell Library MLSPF Mitchell Library Small Pictures File. I NLA National Library of Australia -NSWHO ' New South Wales Heritage Office NSWSRO New South Wales State Records Office NSWLCV&P New South Wales Legislative Council Votes and Proceedings I SMH Sydney Morning Herald I The modern name for the port of Amoy is Xiamen, however the nineteenth century name I is used in this thesis as this was the period of the trade in indentured labour. The Chinese province of Canton is known as Guangdong under the Pin Yin romanisation system, introduced by Communist China in 1958. This term is used throughout while the old name for the city of Guangzhou, Canton, will be retained for I clarity. For other names, such as Fujien province, the modern spelling is used. Although names of some of the Chinese people were spelt in various ways, for example, I Kee, Key or Keigh, one spelling has been adopted in the interests of consistency and clarity. Keigh, Tai Byng and Teong will be used. 'Overseas Chinese' hua qiao, meaning temporarily located people or sojourners, refers I to Chinese people living away from China, but still retaining their links to the home country. Being unfilial in the Confucian sense to leave ones country or family permanently, they were regarded as having left meaning to return, no matter how long I the absence. I I I I I 2 I I I I I I I Acknowledgements I wish to acknowledge and thank the following people and institutions for their I help, support and feedback during the course of this thesis. My supervisor, Sarah Colley, who has read and commented on hundreds of I pages of drafts when time was of the essence. My sister Kate for proofing those pages with lawyerly tenacity. I Jeanetie, Pauline, Barry, and all the people at the Mudgee and District Historical Society who made me welcome and whose knowledge of and generosity with their collection provided invaluable assistance. And John Broadley for the I professionally tabulated version of the Chinese tenants in Cudgegong Shire. Mike Dunstan, current owner of John Keigh's market garden for his inside I information and willingness to let me tramp all over the property. The people Windeyer, Jim and Loma Rawe and Linda Curgenven who were I generous with their time, local knowledge and hospitality. And finally, thank you to my family, especially Tony, Kate and Jacqui, for their I assistance, care, encouragement and endurance. I This study has been assisted by the Carlyle Greenwell Research Fund. I I I I I 3 I I I I List of Figures I Figure 1. Map showing the geographical location of Mudgee and Windeyer in NSW. 19 I Figure 2. Map showing the Mudgee and Windeyer areas. 20 Figure 3. Plan of Mudgee and environs 22 I Figure 4. Location of gold mining areas at Windeyer. 24 Figure 5. Map showing south eastern provinces of China 27 I Figure 6. Counties of origin in Guangdong Province 29 I Figure 7. Table of Chinese population figures for New South Wales 1827-1901 30 Figure 8 Characteristcs of Chinese settlements. 38 I Figure 9 Categories of documentary sources and the nature of possible information 45 Figure 10 Evaluation ofthe documentary evidence used in the study. 51 I Figure 11. Shepherd's hut in NSW in the nineteenth century 55 Figure 12 Chinese temple at Tambar06ra near Hill End about 1880 59 I once contained Chong's store and gaming rooms. Figure 13Chinese population figures for Mudgee and Cedgegong 1861-1891 67 I Figure 14. Location of MacDonald Creek and the site of Samuel Teong's first lease 69 I Figure 15 "Our Boys Football Club" Mudgee 1912 71 Figure 16. Plumbob similar to that used by the Chinese at Deep Crossing 78 I Figure 17 Plan of the stone-packed water race at Deep Crossing 87 Figures18 & 19. Stone-packed water race at Deep crossing. Vertical section adjoining 88 I natural rock c3m high; side edging of channel, each stone c20cms. Figure 20. Plan of the Chinese camp and structures at Clarke's Creek. 90 I Figure 21. Collapsed stone chimney of store at Clarke'S Creek. 91 Figure 22 Rammed earth wall of the current house at Clarke's Creek built on the 92 remains off the Chinese temple. Figure 23 Section of the 1980 Department of Lands Map showing the location of the 94 I Amoy cemetery and the General Chinese Cemetery I Figure 24. Drawings of Chinese ovens found in different parts of Australia 95 Figure 25 Remains of the Chinese oven on Clarke's Creek 96 I 4 I I I I Figure 26. Large earthware storage jars in use for holding fertilizer for gardens, 99 I southern China Figure 27. Fragments of Chinese stoneware pots used to hold organic matter for 100 fertilising the vegetable garden. I Figure 28. Examples of celadon tea and wine cups similar to the fragments found on 101 overseas Chinese sites. Actual size. I Figure 29. The Chinese cemetery at Clarke's Creek as it looks today. 106 Figure 30. Remaining headstones from Clarke's Creek cemetery, now held at 106 I the Windeyer caravan park Figure 31. Chinese hut at Richmond NSW built of slabs and bark, 1890 110 I Cover Drawing. Chinamans Gully 1853, Eugene von Guerard. (ML SPF 318) I I I I I I I I I I I 5 I I I Table of Contents I Chapter 1 Nature and Scope of Study 8 I 1.1 Introduction 8 1.2 Purpose of study 9 1.3 Research design 10 I 1.4 Analytical framework 13 1.4.1. Annales history and culture contact 13 1.4.2 Use of documentary data 17 1.5 Location and period of study 18 I 1.5.1 Introduction 18 1.5.2 The Mudgee area 20 1.5.3 The Windeyer area 23 I 1.6 Contents of study 25 I Chapter 2 Historical Background to the Study 27 2.1 The Chinese in New South Wales 27 I 2.2 Conclusion 31 Chapter 3 Previous Research .and Approaches to History 33 I and Archaeology of the Overseas Chinese 3.1 Introduction 33 I 3.2 Assimilation and 'aCCUlturation' 35 3.3 The Chinese in rural Australia 35 I Chapter 4 Selecting the Documentary Evidence 42 4.1 Introduction 42 I 4.2 Selection of documents 44 4.2.1 Introduction 44 4.2.2 Method 46 I 4.3 Methods of analysis 47 I Chapter 5 Analysis of Documentary Evidence 49 . 5.1 Introduction 49 5.2 Types of documentary evidence examined 49 I 5.3 World views 51 5.4 Indentured labourers in Windeyer and Mudgee 53 5.5 The Chinese population in Windeyer 57 I 5.5.1 Indentured labourers 57 5.5.2 Population figures 58 5.5.3 Accuracy of population figures 58 I 5.5.4 Conclusion 59 5.6 Gold field restrictions 60 I I 6 I I 5.7 The Chinese at Clarke's Creek mining camp 60 5.7.1 Oral evidence 60 I 5.7.2 Buildings in the camp 61 5.7.3 The Chinese cemetery 63 5.7.4 Repatriation of Chinese remains 64 I 5.8 The Chinese in the Mudgee area 65 5.9 Chinese lifestyle 72 5.9.1 Market gardening 72 I 5.9.2 Recreation 73 5.9.3 Chinese dress 74 5.9.4 Marriage 74 5.9.5 Health and poverty 76 I 5.10 Chinese mining techniques 77 5.11 Conflict or cohesion 78 I 5.12 Conclusion 82 I Chapter 6 The archaeological evidence 84 6.1 Introduction 84 6.2 Methodology 85 I 6.3 Description of the archaeological evidence 86 6.3.1 The water race at Deep Crossing 86 6.3.2 The Chinese mining camp at Clarke's Creek 89 I 6.3.3 Material evidence at Mudgee 96 6.3.4 Artifacts 98 I 6.4 Conclusion 102 Chapter 7 Integration of the evidence 107 I 7.1 Introduction