and seek some other land which, though he cannot find as flourishing, he may render as wretched as this, or whether he will dissolve the Council, and thus give the constituencies a chance of riveting their own fetters, I do not know; but in the meantime your eye will be upon me, and if the latter event happens, as I rather think it will, you will, I trust, see no reason to give me a reception less cordial than that with which you have honoured me to-day.

There is but one further point in this trenchant speech from the hustings calling for explanation. When Mr. Lowe so strongly denounced the disgraceful thimble-rig' in reference to the finances of the colony, he had in his mind the reservation of the sum of 81,600l. a year which, by the Imperial Act of Parliament conferring a quasi-free Constitution on New South Wales, was withdrawn from the control of the Legislative Council. This reservation was comprised under three schedules, A, B, and C, by which the salaries of the Governor and judges, the cost of gaols and judicial establishments, were fixed, as well as the endowment to the three State Churches of 30,000l. a year. I should say, four established Churches, or sects, for the Wesleyan Methodists had by this time contrived to get access to the public purse. The following was the Civil List removed from the control of the Council by special Imperial Act

Schedules A, B, C' hardly sounds like a theme for the Muses; but Robert Lowe contributed nothing to the Atlas that more tickled the fancy of the early pioneer colonists. It went straight, as Bacon says, 'to their business and bosoms.' As these playful rhymes are thoroughly intelligible to any reader who takes an interest in early colonial affairs, they are here reproduced in full.

Schedules A, B, C

Fair Sisterhood with sweet, alluring faces,
Third of the Muses-total of the Graces:
SCHEDULES-beloved alike of Gods and Men;
Though Patriots cavil at you now and then,
As if your forms were hideous to behold,
And only loved, like ancient dames-for gold.
Who would not wish, secure from Fate's alarms,
To slumber sheltered in your circling arms?
Blest by your love, and basking in your smile,
No other Schedule shall he ever file.
Nor shall Insolvency, relentless dame,
Daughter of Tick and Misery, shriek his name.
Learning hath charms, but what is like to thee,
Thou most delightful form of A B C !
Children of Stanley, hail in glory trine,
Where transport and security entwine;
For not alone the claiming coin is sweet,
But knowing nothing can that claim defeat.
A drought may come-the land may retrograde—
The cattle die in thousands-still they're paid.
Wool may fall cent. per cent., a losing trade,
And 'whelm the land in ruin-still they're paid.
Embarrassed Banks refuse to give their aid
To sinking settlers-still the Schedule's paid.
The Governor and smugglers make a raid
Against the Customs' revenue-still they're paid.
The broken compact has the land betrayed,
But what of that ?-the Schedules must be paid.
And when Australia low in dust is laid,
This be her epitaph-it's all been paid!
If, 'mid a triad so divine, the Muse
Might just presume a favourite to choose,
I'd rather not be put in Schedule A-
In that the Council has too much to say:
And though it's safe beyond their greedy clutch,
It makes one nervous when they talk so much.

C has advantages, I'll not deny

It's all so snug, so quiet, and so sly;

And it would suit my fancy to a T

If Stanley's honour were but pledged to C.
The poet's burning wish were just to clear
Five hundred pounds in each and every year;
But if with castle-building e'er I meddle,
I'll wish myself within the second Schedule;

For it alone has got a copious margin,
And a good salary will bear enlarging.
Where'er I turn, whatever berth I see,

I'll stick to Riddell's' berth in Schedule B.
Others with labour more or less are troubled,

He'd still do nothing, if his work were doubled.

Robert Lowe was now once more a member of the Legislative Council. But there could be no longer any question of the complete independence of his position; he had, in fact, secured his unopposed election, mainly by his avowed and uncompromising hostility to the interference of Downing Street in the domestic affairs of the colony, through its eminently active and efficient servant, Sir George Gipps.

The session did not open till July 29, 1845, when we read in the official records that Mr. Robert Lowe was introduced to the Speaker by Mr. Windeyer, member for Durham, and Mr. Benjamin Boyd and Dr. Nicholson, members for Port Phillip; whereupon he took the oaths and his seat as member for St. Vincent and Auckland.

We may well suppose that Mrs. Lowe did not allow her English friends to remain in a state of ignorance with regard to these stirring events.

I am sure (she writes) you will be glad to hear that Robert has become a very prominent public character, and is said to be by far the best speaker in the Legislative Council. This is rather a stormy position in the present state of politics here; party spirit is running tremendously high, and Robert is the leader on the popular side. The whole weight of the Government is opposed to him and his party; there is nothing the Government would not do to put Robert down. From his power of speaking and his general knowledge, and also knowledge of constitutional law, they find him a dangerous opponent. Their hatred is great in proportion to their dread. The Government newspapers abuse him beyond measure, and you would suppose from them that he was the most fearful

The Colonial Treasurer, of whom in the Atlas, in a satirical 'Defence of the Treasury Bench,' Mr. Lowe cruelly said: 'If he may not have all the reputation of the others, it is owing to his having so little to do, rather than to his not doing that little well. He is said, indeed, to sign his name with consummate skill and with considerable velocity.

character. They go so far that, instead of being angry, I cannot help laughing. I have almost entirely given up going out, except to a few houses. I fear Sir Maurice O'Connell is to be recalled; his family will be a great loss to this place. The affairs of this country would soon be in a flourishing state would Lord Stanley and Sir George permit; the price of wool has risen immensely, and people might now do really well; but as long as this question of the Crown lands hangs over the country no confidence is felt, and people fear to invest.

Notwithstanding this state of things, Mr. Lowe prospered and made judicious investments in city property in Sydney, which were almost immediately profitable. He, in fact, from the very first, saw that the financial depression must pass away, and that no amount, even of the most scientific political bungling, on the part of the Secretary of State, or the Governor and his local executive, could permanently retard the prosperity of New South Wales.

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CHAPTER XVIII

AT NELSON BAY

At Nelson Bay-Mrs. Lowe's description of Nelson Bay-Sir Thomas Mitchell-W. S. Macleay-Sir Alfred Stephen--Letter to Rev. R. MichellSuccess in Court and Council-Wentworth's Dinner-Lowe's Imperialist Speech-Alexander Macleay's Pension-Wentworth's offer for the Speakership-Lowe's views on Dignity and Dining

Ir was at this time that Robert Lowe purchased a small estate at Nelson Bay, adjoining the far-famed Coogee, on the shores of the South Pacific.

In a letter to her mother Mrs. Lowe writes:

Robert is quite well and making for himself much fame and a little money, which is a good thing and certainly more substantial. I still hope fame may in the end be turned into gold. The colony is progressing, and if wool continues steady in price, is likely to improve much. Our friend, Sir Thomas Mitchell, is on the point of setting off on an expedition of discovery to Port Essington; he thinks he shall make discoveries of importance to this country, and will then write a new book. He says he will call one of the mountains after me.

I have been most unfortunate lately: a few days ago my horse threw me. I had a knapsack into which I put flowers, curiosities, &c.; it fell from my saddle, startled the horse, and I fell also, with my face to the ground, and cut my lip open and bruised my cheekbone badly. I sent for a surgeon, who sewed up my lip, put leeches on my temple, and I am now pretty well again and have very little pain left.

We have bought a little estate of forty-two acres, four miles from Sydney, on the sea; it is lovely beyond conception. We have given only 4201. for it; it is fenced-and the foundation of the house laid and roads cut-the value of the improvements about 2001.