"When rather from our acts we them derive
Than our fore-goers."
--All's Well that Ends Well.
The salient defect, for more or less interval at first, in all
commencing colonial societies, is the disproportion of the female
element; and thus, in the sparseness of homes and families, we have that
hardness of social feature, which illustrates how much better is the one
sex with the "helpmeet" provided in the other. Early Port Phillip was no
exception to this rule. Ladies and children were comparatively rare
objects. From Tasmania and elsewhere there were a good many "choice
spirits" in more than one meaning of the words. There was a marvellous
consumption of brandy, among such unusual proportions of strong,
venturous, rowdy adults; of tea and sugar, and butcher's meat also;
giving altogether a statistical category worse than useless for accurate
purposes. Manners were rough, to use a mild term. The town was bad, and
the bush was worse. When a pious missionary of those early times, prior
to adventuring into the interior, inquired of a squatter if the Sabbath
were observed in the bush, "Oh, yes," was the prompt reply, "a clean
shirt and a shave."
In such times a large family of ladies might have trodden the soil
somewhat as goddesses come down to the desolate habitations of men. Four
such families of the earliest times, in particular, rise to my
recollection. They were those of Mr. Grylls and Mr. Clow, both
clergymen, the one of the Anglican, the other of the Presbyterian
communion; of Mrs. Williamson, a widow lady from near Edinburgh; and of
Mr. James Smith, Magistrate and Savings Bank manager, whose bustling
form, ever hurrying through our streets, was perhaps the best known of
the place, and who, along with his friend and co-magistrate, Mr.
Simpson, was as the coping stone of local respectability. That all of
these fair young maidens, most of them remarkably attractive and
pleasing, as I have reason to remember, were duly married, need hardly,
under all the circumstances, be told, besides being attested to-day by
whole generations of consequences.
Another feature of those early times, a lively and bright feature in
many respects, was the considerable number of young men, the younger
sons of good families--and, for that matter, the elder sometimes along
with the younger--who flocked out, in unusual proportion, I might say,
and who infused into the somewhat rough social scene the charm of high
culture and manners. Wild they doubtless were in instances not a few;
but even that may not be without its side of charm, at least amongst the
younger votaries. Some few eventually returned "Home," mostly those who
had been shipwrecked in the troubled sea of early-time speculation. But
most of them have remained to take their various and full part in
colonial society, not a few taking the very highest positions. Thus we
had the Stawells and Barrys, the Leslie Fosters, Sladens, Rusdens, of
town and neighbourhood, and the Campbells, McKnights, Irvines, of
surrounding squatterdom. Most of these are long since the fathers of
families, native Australians, including sons who not unfrequently
finished their education in the mother country--a dutiful deference
which Australia may surely not yet quarrel with. This habit is still
strong, even to the third generation in Victoria, amongst her well-to-do
colonists. The youths may not expect better training than from a Hearn
or a McCoy, an Irving or a Pearson, on the colonial floor; but such
diversion from rule will, in its occasional way, the better help to keep
the great scattering family united to their venerable mother--to keep
together the elder and the younger Britain.
Oxford and Cambridge in particular have, indeed, been quite run upon
from Victoria, and those two venerable mothers of English university
life can already command in and of that colony quite a small legion of
their alumni--the Clarkes and "Loddon" Campbells, the Finlays and
"Colac" Robertsons, the Websters and Westbys and Wilsons, who are now
the young or the still vigorous life of their colony. If some few of
these have remained permanently at Home, or if they pleasantly alternate
their domicile by such facile means as the marvels of modern
inter-communication afford them, yet all of them help, in more or less
degree, to strengthen that tie between the mother and her adventurous
colonial offspring which we must hope is never to be broken.
I have the less need to expand further this inspiring section of my
subject, seeing that I have been anticipated to some extent by a brother
author, who, under the pseudonym of "Rolf Boldrewood," has presented to
us, in lively and fitting style, a most charming picture of early
colonial life, its pleasant hospitalities, plus the Attic salt of no
small proportion of the bounteous tables. The disguise of name is not
difficult to penetrate. The author's father, residing in his pretty
place at Heidelberg, whose genial sun-browned face I pleasantly recall,
was well known to me, as well, indeed, as to every other early colonist.
His son's book has been my pleasant companion as I write up daily my
"Recollections" in the little cabin of the good s.s. "Coptic", more
especially as we both traversed much the same ground, and during the
same interesting early time, in Western Victoria.
"GOVERNMENT HOUSE."
"Old fashions please me best; I am not so nice
To change true rules for odd inventions."
--Taming of the Shrew.
But perfection is never to be expected in human nature, and accordingly
some decided drawbacks were, reasonably I think, chargeable to this
"good society" which, as I have just said, had beneficially helped the
dawning colony. There was a tendency to separate from, and rather hold
in undue depreciation, the trading and toiling masses who mainly made
the country. This tendency was fostered in the pre-representative days,
when there were no political institutions to bring the mass of plain but
prosperous society to the front. Of course, when these times came, the
game was soon up. But, while the preceding era lasted, a somewhat
invidious "aristocracy" gathered around the authorities, the mutual
instincts, born of the situation, inclining them to each other. This
united party got the name of "Government House." It included most of the
highly educated, to whom it was a tempting status, and most of the
squatting Crown tenants, whether highly educated or otherwise; and it
was cordially open to "presentable" colonists in general, who, holding
its views--of course a sine qua non--were willing to enter it. The views
were decidedly "pronounced," and took practically the form of a decided
preference for the status quo, or, at least, modified by the slightest
possible of political concession to those noisy, restless masses, who,
with the local press generally on their side, ceaselessly kicked at all
authority. The political timidity and indecision of Mr. La Trobe, worthy
man as he otherwise was, gave practically life and soul to this
anti-popular party, which laboured, more secretly perhaps than openly,
to avert or modify, for the time being at least, the political
concession expected from the Imperial Parliament. Mr. La Trobe's view
evidently was, that if the colonials kicked so strongly when under
bonds, how much more furiously must they kick when the bonds were
removed. But, as reasonable persons might have predicted, and as was
promptly experienced, the colonists kicked because they were bound, and
when unbound they did not kick at all.
The same political feature, and even in more resolute form, had then
developed also at Sydney, where Mr. Wentworth led the "upper ten," for
the protection of authority against levelling radicalism. He and his
party, out-Heroding Herod, and being more governmental than the
Government, seriously contemplated a limitation of the franchise to a 50
pounds rental, and the institution of a Colonial Peerage, as a permanent
slap in the face to the ugly Democracy. Had he carried his views, or
even some considerable approach to them, his influence with the party,
and his bull-dog courage, would soon have put his colony into an uproar,
and possibly even into civil war. But, thanks for once to his political
extremes, the question was happily settled rather by being laughed out
of court than by time-wasting argument.
"Government House," however, did secure, in both colonies, a certain
measure of triumph. Authority in esse having the whip hand of authority
in posse, the one-third of nominees as against two-thirds elective were,
by a disproportionately large representation purposely given to the
squatting districts, converted into a permanent majority of Crown
nominees and Crown tenants. This was clearly an evasion of the intention
of the Imperial Parliament, which was that, by giving a decided majority
to the popular side, the colonies might be graduated into complete
constitutionalism.
But, after all, this evasion lasted only for a very few years. These
early wranglings are now all but forgotten. But they are so only because
the narrow views which gave them birth have been entirely defeated, and
are all but exploded. In the progress of the colonies since, "the
merits" have occupied the front, and the useful has taken the precedence
of the ornamental. The latter is not to be despised when in company with
the former; nor has it been, for not a few who were once on the
anti-popular side have entered public life, and even secured the highest
prizes. This necessitated a descent from cloudland to the solid ground
of colonial society. The alternative was extinction, and wisely, in most
cases, the latter was not preferred.
Another feature of this Sydney ultra party--a curious feature, indeed,
to look back upon to-day--was its undisguised antipathy to the
anti-transportation feeling then gathering force throughout
South-Eastern Australia, and even in Tasmania. The movement was highly
unfashionable, say even deeply vulgar, in the leading circle surrounding
Government House. For those who had the infirmity of such puritanical
leanings there was an approach to the antipathy, plus contempt, of the
southern slaver of the States for his northern abolitionist countryman.
When my friend, Mr. (afterwards Sir) S.A. Donaldson introduced me, for
my temporary stay, at the Australian Club, then the high quarters of the
party, he passed me a friendly hint to steer clear, at least when on the
floor of that "house," of that delicate subject.
This feeling was further and rather amusingly illustrated on one
occasion during the "Separation Session," at which I was the member for
Melbourne, and present at the time. Mr. Henry Moor, the well-known
solicitor, and one of the five district members, in replying to the
charge urged against us of the unfilial indifference or ingratitude of
Port Phillip in thus seeking separation, instanced for the contrary the
recent event of the arrival from Melbourne of a deputation from the
Anti-Transportation League, in order to help Sydney in promoting its
good cause. The instant his drift was detected, the Speaker, Dr. (Sir
Charles) Nicholson, apprehensive, doubtless, of some undesirable scene
on that too sensational subject, rose to call peremptorily the
honourable member to order, and to the non-transgression of his proper
subject. But all this injuriously exclusive faction had entirely
disappeared from that open and genial society of Sydney which welcomed
Mr. Froude three years ago, and which he describes so pleasantly.