But, in defence, I took Bulwer Lytton's
view, that genius being mainly labour, and labour mainly time, the want
of the last might be merely preventing the first. And so it has turned
out long ago; so that if Sir Charles, who, I am glad to say, is still to
the fore, were to pay another visit, and try conclusions with Mr.
Service, and possibly a hundred others besides, he might reach a
different verdict.
We were all, confessedly, terribly raw in all matters of Parliamentary
form. One day, while we were more than usually puzzled in that respect,
Town Clerk Kerr, who happened to be present, was continually sending to
myself and others written slips, suggesting the proper or common-sense
course. I could not help thinking that, if he had been but a trifle less
of a party man, there was no one in the colony who would have made a
better Speaker, with his sufficiently portly person and commanding
presence, his imperturbable gravity, and his well-filled head in
everything required from that quarter for the position. But this was an
utter non possimus with the nominees and squatting members, most of
whom, with Ebden at their head, would almost rather have endured a
presentable Vandemonian expiree in the chair than the ultra-democratic
Town Clerk and caustic ex-editor of the anti-squatter and
anti-government "Argus".
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