Mr. Were had more greatness thrust upon him than any other individual in the colony. On the 5th October, 1840, he was sworn in as a Territorial Magistrate, and claims to be the first specially appointed J.P. for Port Phillip, and the Senior Magistrate of Victoria. Mr. Were was also President of the first Bible Society, and the first importer of whisky; Director of the Union Bank; Director of the Melbourne Bridge Company; President of the first Chamber of Commerce; the first Agent of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company; a member of the Society of Antiquaries of Copenhagen; the first Member for Brighton in our Legislative Assembly; and Consul for Heaven only knows how many distant realms, scattered over the globe from Norway to Peru, from Denmark to Brazil; indeed it would fill a catalogue to enumerate all his large and small dignities. In 1873 he was created by Christian the Ninth of Denmark, a Chevalier of the Third Class of the Order of Dannebrog (Standard of Denmark), which confers the rank and title of a Knight-Commander. In 1874, King Oscar, of Sweden and Norway, bestowed upon him a Knighthood of the Order of Wasa; and in 1883 he obtained a Knight-Companionship of St. Michael and St. George through the gracious favour of Queen Victoria. It would be a sight worth looking at to behold Chevalier Were, A.B.C., &c., &c., "doing the Block," bedizened with the insignia of the various distinguished offices filled by him, the stars and ribands decorating a not unimposing figure, moving in a halo of pride and pomp.
As a sequel to notice I append two documents which will speak for themselves. The first is a brief sketch of "The Twelve Apostles" found amongst the papers of one of them, and courteously forwarded to me. It is in "the Saint's" own manuscript, and from an Apostolic standpoint, may be accepted as an authorized version of an incident often talked and joked over in the days of "Auld Lang Syne", though now rarely mentioned and comparatively unknown. It is written in a style to induce a belief that the author intended it for publication at some time or other. Here it is:—
"About this time an Association of mercantile men was formed, for the protection of the estate of W. F. A. Rucker, one of the earliest traders from Tasmania, who represented various interests there. Rucker had nominally possessed himself of houses and lands in and near to Melbourne. His bankers (the Union Bank of Australia) had, however, called upon him either to reduce his account or to realize upon his property. The cloud of pressure had begun to rise over the infant colony, indicating heavier pressure, and Rucker, it is supposed, at the suggestion of William Highett, the manager of the Bank, sought for guarantees to the Bank. It came about that he made a deed of assignment for the benefit of his creditors (of which the Bank and Highett were the principal) of all his property, the deed setting out that the assignees should be jointly and severally liable for ten thousand each. This was done, the property was scheduled to the following as assignees or trustees,
* * * * * * * * *
and the deeds deposited with the Union Bank. There was another outstanding liability of Rucker, about £2300, to the Bank of Australasia. The manager, D. C. M'Arthur, objected to be a party to the general assignment but he also held some deeds. It was arranged that Mr. J. B. Were, one of the Twelve, should give his bills to the Bank for the amount, and his security would be the deeds held by the Bank of Australasia. When this liabilty of Mr. Were's became due the property was not realizable. Mr. Were had a summons to pay the Bank of Australasia, and had to stump up something under £2500 for which he was handed bills of several of his brother Apostles to cover the amount, and the deeds representing these were handed to the Union Bank to represent a portion of the security made to the Twelve."
The bills fell due, were dishonoured, and the property representing them being unrealizable, a sort of panic set in among the settlers, coin was scarce and credit nearly defunct. The Apostles being the principal mercantile men, one after the other getting into difficulties. The Insolvent Court was sought for protection by most, and at the head of the schedules was the ten thousand pounds liability to the Union Bank. Some made assignments, others married making ante-nuptial settlements; but early or late the whole Twelve succumbed to the pressure, and the record is now matter of
