interests urgently demand that the emigration of certain classes should, as heretofore, be amplyprovided for from the public revenues; and I a m glad to have found myself in a position to make further considerable remittances to the H o m e authorities to this end, from the balance in the Treasury to the credit of the territorial revenue. " The various Addresses which I have received from the Council on subjects of general interest will meet with the consideration from m e which they are entitled to." His Excellency concluded by proroguing the Council to the ioth February, and forthwith withdrew, when the Chamber was rapidly emptied, and left " like some banquet hall deserted." A n d so there was an end to thefirstSession of thefirstLegislature of the infant colony of Victoria. THE THIRTY PIONEERS.
Though just half-a-dozen of them had figured prominently in the antecedent political agitation, they constituted a tolerably faithful reflex of public opinion. T h e regular "old stagers" were Ebden, Fawkner, Johnston, Palmer, Stawell, and Westgarth. O'Shanassy was then only coming to the front, and Smith and Russell were only known as prominent members of the City Council. The Session had not more than opened when some of the team began to show to advantage. O n the Government side the Colonial Secretary (Lonsdale) would have been completely overpowered by the Opposition but for the Attorney-General (Stawell), seconded by the suave and gentlemanly Solicitor-General (Redmond Barry.) Stawell worked with the will of an Atlas. The sonorous affectation of the pompous Auditor-General (Ebden), and the innocuous lispings of Pohlman, wrought but little effect against the dashing and self-trained ability of O'Shanassy ; the plodding persistency of the veteran Westgarth ; the biting sarcasm and pungent points of Johnston ; and the impetuous personalities of Fawkner. T h e nominee Members mostly sided with the Government, for which they could not be blamed ; and the squatting Representatives often followed suit. Miller (even then by c o m m o n accord known as the Money-maker) quickly established himself as an adept infinance,and promised in the early future to become a formidable opponent, though the reputation thus early shadowed forth for him never realized the success anticipated. It may be interesting to briefly note the fate and future of the historical group. Thefirstto die off was Dunlop, and in this present year of grace (1888), only the following (so far as I a m aware) remain in the land of the living, viz.:—Johnston, Murphy, Splatt, Stawell, and Westgarth. Barry was, in 1852, elevated to the Supreme Court Bench, whither Stawell, after a memorable and tempestuous legislatorial career, followed as Chief Justice in 1857. For nine-and-twenty years he exercised the functions of this high and honourable position to the satisfaction of the Bar and the public, and abdicated under the pressure of advancing years in September, 1886, the recipient of a much larger amount of salary-income than was ever netted by any Government official in Victoria, and entitled to draw two distinct pensions conjointly realizing an unprecedentedly liberal annuity. Haines succeeded to the office of Colonial Secretary in 1854, and was subsequently twice Premier, and once Treasurer. Ebden jumped from the Auditor-Generalship to the Treasury, an office which he twice filled. Miller, Johnston, and Smith, were also Cabinet Ministers. Pohlman left the Equity Office for the County Court Judgeship, and twice acted as locum tenens in the Supreme Judiciary, whilst O'Shanassy was three times Chief Secretary. Murphy resigned the Chairmanship of Committees to accept the control of the Department of Roads and Bridges, and was succeeded by Snodgrass. O n the inauguration of our present duplex Parliamentary system, Palmer ascended to the Upper House or Council, of which he was elected thefirstPresident, in November, 1856, whilst Murphy obtained the Speakership of the Assembly. Barry, Murphy, Palmer, Stawell and O'Shanassy respectively received the honour of Knighthood. Westgarth, whose services to the colony extended over a lengthened period, obtained neither official honour or emolument; a fact accounted for by his having left Victoria, and permanently settled in England. Such were some of the veritable Patres Conscripti, who constituted the pons et origo, the spring-head, from which burst forth the stream of legislation which now rolls its waves through the colony.
