Some of the officials, however, were fairly up
to their mark, notably our Attorney-General Stawell (now Sir William,
the ex-Chief Justice), who, both then and since, has ever held the first
position in ability. At an interval came Auditor-General Ebden, and one
or two others, official or unofficial. My worthy friend Cassell,
Collector of Customs (or Commissioner thereof, as I think he was then
called), was brimful of information for us all, but not much of a
speaker.
The other side of the House, that of the two-thirds elected, was, in my
memory, raw throughout. O'Shanassy's strong brogue, and ungainly
delivery and manner, had not yet been overbalanced by the solidity of
his arguments. Johnson, our third metropolitan, had early descended, or
else condescended, to pungent snapping at the heels of the nominees, as
though these sacred persons had been ordinary mortals like the ruck of
membership on his own side of the table. By far our most vivacious
member was William Rutledge, of Port Fairy, who, with an earnestness of
manner, contrasting with a merry twinkle of the eye, and with a ready
but utterly negligent tongue, gave us many a laugh. He was highly
indignant on one occasion, as I remember, on hearing that a bet had been
taken that, on a particular Committee day, he would rise and speak more
than thirty different times; and he was still more angry when his
informant went on to tell him that the bet had been won.
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