the foresight in 1850 to endeavour to pass an Australian Constitution Act through the British Parliament, empowering a voluntary union of any two or more colonies in a General Assembly, which should have power to legislate upon certain specified subjects, notably Customs taxation. But his proposal received so little support that it was withdrawn. Various steps were taken by the colonies themselves to draw closer together and pave the way for federation. One of the most practical of these was the holding of occasional conferences between leading members of the various Governments in order to discuss matters of common interest, and arrive at some uniform proposals to be submitted to the different Legislatures. Five or six such conferences were held; but, though the object was good, and they were carried out in perfect good faith, they accomplished little. It was found that very few of the arrangements ever got the force of law. Changes of Government were so frequent that there could be no continuous policy upon any subject; as the incoming Government was generally averse to the proposals of its predecessors. It was felt that something more was needed: and in 1883, spurred on by the claims of the French in the New Hebrides, which were then attracting a great deal of attention, a scheme for the creation of a Federal Council for Australasia was adopted at a conference in which all the colonies were represented; and the Imperial Parliament passed a measure permitting the formation of the Council.
The prime mover in this scheme was Mr James Service, the Premier of Victoria, a man of broad and statesmanlike views; to whose efforts it is mainly due that the New Hebrides are not now a French possession. Mr Service strenuously advocated the formation of the Federal Council, on the ground that it would lead the way to the establishment of a closer union, as its powers could be added to from
