Samuel Lazarus
1853-55
Australian Manuscripts Collection
Samuel Lazarus' diary contains one of the few eyewitness accounts of the Eureka uprising at Ballarat, Victoria in December 1854.
Measuring 12cm x 18.5cm, the diary is a vellum-bound octavo stock notebook containing 168 handwritten pages. Lazarus' entries span 16 months, from 24 September 1853 to 21 January 1855. They recount many of the key events associated with the uprising, from the burning of the Eureka Hotel to the bloody aftermath of the storming of the stockade.
Lazarus was an articulate, intelligent and lively diarist, who had strong opinions and a wry turn of phrase. His diary not only provides an important insight into a pivotal moment in Victorian history, but also vividly depicts the life of an enterprising young man during the colony's gold rushes.
The diary was virtually unknown until it came to the attention of a librarian at Cann River in 1982. He pursuaded the family to send it to the Library to be photocopied. The original diary was sold to a private collector in 1996. The Library acquired it in 2006.
Explore the online version of the diary > | 
