represents his own type, his own class, or his own party. Homage
to him can seldom, if ever, be unanimous; it is ever on the brink
of degenerating into party-spirit and sectarianism. A Sovereign
represents the strong and the weak, the great and the insignificant,
the man with one talent and the man with seven, the traditions of the
past and the ideas of the present. A Sovereign is the only possible
representative of the _whole_ nation. I may be wrong, but I think that
the Australians, consciously or unconsciously, found this to be true.
LONDON: PRINTED BY
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FOOTNOTES
[1] Carlyle’s _Frederick the Great_.
[2] This excludes 7 members returned without a contest, and makes a
total of 56 Ministerialists and 21 Opposition members, the 78th being
(I presume) the Speaker and reckoned neutral. The figures are from the
Melbourne _Argus_, February 1868.
[3] See _Prophets and Kings_, p. 11. By the Rev. F. D. Maurice.
[4] See a remarkable pamphlet called _The Mercantile Commander, his
Difficulties and Grievances_. Philip and Son, 32 Fleet Street.
[5] _Our Daily Food._ By James Caird.
[6] As an instance of this it may be mentioned that cheese, which in
March 1868 was selling at fourteenpence a pound, was in December of the
same year selling at fivepence halfpenny.
[7] _Colonial Policy of Lord J. Russell_, vol. ii. p. 4.
[8] I regret to say that accounts lately received (February 1869)
represent the depressed state of the colony as worse than ever, the
prospects of the coming harvest, owing to continued drought, being in
some districts very bad. It is with still greater regret that I learn
that there is a popular outcry for constructing a railway across the
island from Hobart Town to Launceston, which it is supposed will be
a panacea for all depression and stagnation of trade. That the short
railway now in course of construction from Launceston to the western
districts will bring advantages adequate to the outlay, even though it
may not pay a profit in itself, there is every reason to hope, for it
will open communication with a magnificent new agricultural district.
But the country between Hobart Town and Launceston is in general not
specially fertile; it has for many years past been traversed by an
exceptionally excellent road, over which one daily coach each way is
for the greater part of the year more than sufficient for the passenger
traffic. There is no prospect of any considerable interchange of
commodities between the two towns, as each is sufficiently supplied
with food from its own district, and each has a harbour for the
introduction of imports and shipping of exports. The distance is about
120 miles, with much difference of level and consequent engineering
difficulties. The loans and taxation necessary for its construction
will be a grievous additional burden on the colony, which it is very
ill able to bear. These considerations are so obvious to every one that
the popularity of the scheme must be attributed in a great measure to
sheer recklessness on the part of many of those who advocate it—and
indeed it is said that this has been in some quarters admitted. The
money borrowed in England will doubtless improve trade for a year or
two till it is all spent, and what follows is to be left to the chapter
of accidents. Great and praiseworthy efforts have been made by the
present administration to pare down the expenditure of the colony to a
level with the revenue—which it was considered impossible to increase
by additional taxation—and it is to be hoped they will not embark
without due consideration on so dangerous a scheme, and imperil the
credit of the colony which they have done so much to sustain.
[9] January 1867.
[10] _Sydney Morning Herald_, October 9, 1867.
[11] _Sydney Morning Herald_, August 28, 1867, copied from the
_Wagga Wagga Express_ of August 24. ‘Blue Cap’ has since been
taken, and his gang broken up. Thunderbolt (November 1868) still
continues his career.
[12] October 1, 1867.
[13] From _Hobart Town Mercury_, January 21, 1868, copied from the
_Sydney Morning Herald_.
[14] See Mr. Wentworth’s speech at the dinner to Sir John Young,
reported in the _Times_ in June 1868.
[15] See _Argus_ of July 26, 1855.
[16] See Lord Grey’s _Colonial Policy of the Administration of Lord
J. Russell_, vol. ii. p. 18. The average annual number of convicts
sent to Van Diemen’s Land, from 1840 to 1845, was no less than 3,527
annually (see p. 5).
[17] Sismondi, _Ital. Rep._ vol. ii. ch. xi. p. 212.
————————————— End of Book —————————————
Transcriber’s Note (continued)
Punctuation errors have been corrected. Inconsistencies in spelling,
grammar, capitalisation, and hyphenation are as they appear in the
original publication except where noted below:
Page 6 – “preventible” changed to “preventable” (from preventable
causes:)
Page 19 – “market-gardeners” changed to “market gardeners” (as market
gardeners)
Page 30 – “is is” changed to “it is” (it is hard to)
Page 78 – “ascendency” changed to “ascendancy” (maintaining an
ascendancy)
Page 89 – “road-side” changed to “roadside” (by the roadside)
Page 155 – “mouth” changed to “month” (once a month)
Page 205 – “politican” changed to “politician” (or politician)