The Governor appeared in good humour, ar.d, in the course of an able speech, in replying to the toast of the evening, " T h e health of His Excellency, Sir George Gipps," said :— " I rejoice to find myself at length among you. M y visit has been long contemplated, and I doubt not you have considered it has been too long delayed; but so entire has been the occupation of m y time and attention with the cares of the general Government, that I could not carry m y intention into effect at an earlier period. While there were no other modes of communication between Sydney and Melbourne than by means of sailing vessels, it was absolutely impossible for m e to leave the seat of Government for such an indefinite period as a visit to Port Phillip must have involved. But though I had not seen Melbourne, I was perfectly acquainted with what was passing here ; I knew the amount of money in your Treasury ; I knew the amount your land realised per acre, the value of your town allotments, and the value of your suburban; I knew the extent of your flocks and herds; and, in short, I knew what was passing in your province nearly as minutely as perhaps any gentleman present. But there was one circumstance I did not know, for which I was totally unprepared, and which has given m e much more gratification than all your gay balls and dinners—good things in their way, certainly—and that was the extent to which cultivation has been carried, the general cultivated appearance of your country, and the extent of land actually under the plough which I have met with during m y rides in the neighbourhood of your cityO n another, and a somewhat more formal occasion than the present, I expressed m y admiration of the beauty of your district, its commercial situation, and the active industry of its inhabitants ; but I was not then aware of the great quantity of food,fitfor the sustenance of so many, growing in the vicinity of Melbourne. I knew that large speculations had taken place in land ; I knew that in many instances two and three hundred per cent, had been realised beyond the Government sales, and I have no doubt there are also many gentlemen here present who have acquired large fortunes in this manner. But these are not the individuals w h o have conferred a blessing on the community, w h o have benefited the best interests of your province. They have been good speculators, lucky fellows; but it is he whofirstputs the spade in the soil—whofirst,on the spot where the kangaroo had hitherto fed, raises food for the use of m a n — w h o is the real benefactor of his country. Agriculture is the foundation of a nation's wealth, and every blade of corn grown within its boundaries adds to its prosperity." O n e incident occurred which was long remembered for Mr. Latrobe. In responding to the compliment paid him, by drinking towards his health, the Superintendent, bowing to the Governor, said — " I shall have m u c h pleasure, Your Excellency, in playing ' second fiddle ' to any tune you choose to play." H e thus came to be nicknamed " T h e Second Fiddle," and full many a time and oft was it cast in his teeth. O n the 29th His Excellency returned to Sydney in the " Sea Horse," amidst the acclamations and good wishes of the community. There can be no doubt his visit was productive of much good, and during the remainder of his stay in N e w South Wales, the wants and wishes of the new colony received a m u c h larger share of attention from him than had previously been the case. Sir George Gipps was, like his predecessor, a Peninsular officer, and was wounded at Badajoz. Commissioned in the Royal Corps of Engineers, he was a Lieutenant-Colonel in 1841. After administering the Government of N e w South Wales from 1837 to 1846, he returned to England, and died at Canterbury, 28th February, 1847, a ged 57. H e was proud and peremptory, and through an infirmity of temper, often got himself into scrapes which another m a n would have easily avoided.
Sir Charles Fitzroy
was the third son of Lord Charles Fitzroy, brother of the first Duke of Grafton, and he married Mary, fourth daughter of the fourth D u k e of Richmond. O n e of his brothers was a Governor of N e w Zealand, and another an Aide-de-camp to the D u k e of Wellington at Waterloo. Sir Charles had been Governor at Prince Edward Island, and Chief Commissioner at Antigua. A s Governor-General of N e w South Wales, he arrived in Sydney on the 2nd August, 1846, and, in the following year, his wife was thrown out of her carriage through the bolting ofthe horses at Parramatta, and died from the injuries received. In 1849, it was officially intimated to be His Excellency's intention to visit that distant and neglected region of his Government known as Port Phillip, or Australia Felix; and all grades of society
