CHAPTER XXIII.
SOME MUNICIPAL REMINISCENCES.
SYNOPSIS:— The Early Mayors. —Henry Condell, the "Father" of Civic Institutions. —His Early Life. —His Advent to Port Phillip. —"Condell's Entire." —His Legislative Defeat. —His Departure from the Colony. —Henry Moor. —Kerr's Animosity. —Moor's Waning Popularity. —Appointed Ecclesiastical Chancellor. —Elected to the Legislative Council. —Bitter Libels on His Character. —His Departure from the Colony. —Member of British House of Commons. —Dr. J. F. Palmer. —He Abandons His Profession. —Starts a Gingerbeer Factory. —Becomes Wine and Spirit Merchant. —His Accomplishments. —Non-success of His Mayoralty. —His Election to the First Victorian Legislature. —He Becomes its Speaker. —President of the Upper House. —His Knighthood, Retirement and Death. —Andrew Russell. —Results of Neglected Education. —His Advent to Port Phillip. —Becomes Wine and Spirit Merchant. —His Departure from the Colony and Death. —William M. Bell. —His Impartiality Questioned. —His Retirement from the Council. —Commercial Reverses and Death. —Augustus Frederick Adolphus Greeves. —An Early "Boniface." —His Literary and Personal Attainments. —His Success in the Mayoralty. —His Return to Victorian Parliament. —His Connection with Oddfellowship. —His Death. —William Nicholson. —His Arrival in the Colony. —His Connection with Separation. —His Premiership of Victoria. —His Death in 1870. —John Thomas Smith. —The " Whittington " of Melbourne. —His Early Ventures. —Becomes Hotelkeeper. —Was First White Schoolmaster in Melbourne. —"Father" of the Corporation. —Seven Times Mayor. —His Asinine Importation. —His Death in 1878. —Early Aldermen. —H. W. Mortimer, Ultimas Romanorum. —His Connection with the "Patriot" Newspaper. —John Orr. —His Departure from the Colony and Death. —John Stephen. —Advocate in the Police Court. —John Hodgson. —Likened to the Proverbial Cat. —His Mayoralty. —Gubernatorial Entertainment. —Member of the Legislature. —His Death in 1860. —J. S. Johnston. —His Arrival in Melbourne. —Becomes Publican. —His Aversion to Superintendent Latrobe. —His Post-prandial Convivialism. —Member ofthe Legislative Assembly. —Holds Ministerial Office. —Co-Proprietor of the "Argus." —Francis Reilly. —First Councillor for Fitzroy. —The "Silent Member" Par Excellence. —His Aversion to Bell. —Toppers and Speechifying. —John Cosgrave. —He Becomes City Treasurer. —The Early Councillors. —Richard Heales. —His Spirituous Abstemiousness and Gastronomical Excesses. —His Employment in a Coach Factory. —His Alliance with the Temperance Cause. —His Active Political Life. —Becomes Minister of the Crown. —His Benevolence and Death. —D. S. Campbell. —Member of the Legislative Assembly. —George Annand. —His "Miscellaneous" Shop Described. —"Old George's" Signal when the Steam is Up. —His Business Integrity. —David Young. —His Death in Fitzroy. —Thomas M'Combie. —Sense and Silliness Combined. —Sometime Editor of the "Gazette." —His Lucid Intervals. —Author of "The History of Victoria. "—His Aspirations to the Mayoralty. —John O'Shanassy. —Johnny Fawkner. —à la Jack-in-the-Box. —Corporation Officials. —John Charles King, First Town Clerk. —His Delegation to London by the Anti-Transportation League. —He Enters Political Life. —Is Elected to Parliament. —Holds a Portfolio. —His Position on the "Argus" Newspaper, and Death. —William Kerr. —Succeeds to the Town Clerkship. —His Civility and Submissiveness. —"Chaos had Come Again." —His Retirement. —His Appointment as Stationmaster. —His Death in 1859. —E. G. Fitzgibbon's Appointment as Town Clerk. —His Conspicuous Loyalty and Ability. —Mr. Beith, First Civic Treasurer. —Messrs.J. Richardson, Chas. Farewell, and John Cosgrave, his Successors. —W. W. Howe, First Town Surveyor. —Charles Laing and James Blackburn, his Successors. —Francis John Sidney Stephen, First City Solicitor. —The Rate Collectors. —Ballingall and O'Farrell. —Barrett, Frencham and Edgar, Town Auctioneers.
I HAD a special knowledge of the ways of many of the ancient "Corporators." I was much amongst them, in and out of the Council Chamber, and thus various odds and ends became known to me which will find no unfitting place in these sketches. Like most other aggregations of humanity they were of a heterogeneous kind, and an average reflex of the age in which they lived, in some respects equal and in others inferior, to succeeding Civic generations. During the period of which I am treating (1842-51) the Council had ten Mayoral elections, eight individuals were raised to the Civic Thrones, and two (Messrs. Condell and Moor) were re-exalted. Taking these in succession, no eight Mayors consecutively following could, as a whole, be compared with them. And now for a cursory glance at
