Parliament. He died in the May of that year. On three several occasions he was Chief-Secretary and Premier, and in 1874 was Knighted in recognition of his many and distinguished public services. Whenever the history of Victoria shall be written, merit will not have its meed if the name of John O'Shanassy be not inscribed top-most on the roll-call of the now nearly extinct band of patriots who, in times of peril and difficulty, served their country with an ability, devotion and loyalty that may be equalled, but not excelled.
William Westgarth.— There could be no more indefatigable yet unobtrusive man than William Westgarth, who, though an indifferent speaker, always thought out his subject, as to be perfect master of it. He was a voluminous contributor to the newspapers and the recognized statist of the old times. Though never pushing himself forward he was always in the van, and his services were such that on the 15th January 1847, on the eve of a visit to the old country, he was entertained at a numerously-attended public breakfast in the Prince of Wales Hotel, but at his urgent request the projectors unwillingly acquiesced in making it a private demonstration. In England he rendered valuable services to the colony, in return for which he was successively elected to the Legislatures of New South Wales and Victoria. For many years he has devoted himself to commercial pursuits in London, and is second to none as an authority on Colonial Finance.
William H. Hull.— Refined and gentlemanly, chivalrous and uncompromising, Mr. Hull was a vast acquisition to any movement he joined. With an impulsiveness which when thwarted inclined to a slight eccentricity, he would sometimes give an amusing turn to a matter of sombre seriousness; but whether on the Police Bench or public platform, no one could reasonably question the sincerity of his motives or the straightforwardness with which he enunciated his views. He would not accept a seat in the City Council, though for several years he served the colony well and conscientiously in the Upper branch of the Victorian Parliament.
In addition to those already enumerated, there was a large and useful phalanx whose names figure in the early records as participants in the various efforts undertaken for the redress of grievances, or the promotion of the welfare of the community; but the space at my disposal precludes more than the noting of those who should at least be mentioned in a sketch of this kind, viz., Captain G. W. Cole, Drs. P. M'Arthur and F. M'Crae, Thomas Wills, J. B. and George Were, Lyon Campbell, Wm. Verner, A. F. and A. T. Mollison, A. M'Killop, Joseph and John Hawdon, G. S. Brodie, C. J. Griffiths, A. R. Cruikshank, A. H. Hart, John Bear, senior, J. A. Marsden, Michael Cashmore, and Colin Campbell.
Barristers-at-Law.
Prior to the establishment of a branch of the Supreme Court in Melbourne there was no such Institution as a Port Phillip Bar; and according to Kerr's Directory for 1841, at the close of 1840 there were only three Barristers in the Province, who are thus specified—James Croke, Esq., Crown Prosecutor and Legal Adviser to His Honor the Superintendent; Edward Jones Brewster, Esq., A.B., Chairman of Quarter Sessions and Commissioner of the Court of Requests; and Redmond Barry, Esq., A.B. In April, 1841, Judge Willis had his judicial machinery in motion, and the following Barristerial admissions are recorded during the year, viz.:— 12th April—Messrs. James Croke, Redmond Barry, R. W. Pohlman, E. J. Brewster and Archibald Cunninghame; 15th October James E. Murray. On 15th March, 1842, William Houston was admitted; Edward Eyre Williams, 22nd March; and Charles J. Baker, 15th April. In 1843 there was a further accession in the persons of Messrs. William Stawell and Samuel Raymond, and in 1844 Mr. Sidney Stephen. There was no new blood for several years, and two of those, named Houston and Baker, did not go into practice. The number was further reduced by the subsequent retirement of Brewster, Murray, Raymond and Cunninghame; and in 1847 there were only Croke, Barry, Pohlman, Williams, Stawell and Stephen.
