It was mainly at my good friend Kerr’s urgent instance that I entered public life, which was in 1850, for the representation of Melbourne at Sydney.  Doubtless he had his own aims quite as much as my interests in view, as he wanted the supposed good card, a Melbourne merchant, Scotch and Presbyterian like himself into the bargain, to play against the anti-Orange and Irish-cum-O’Shanassy party.  I fear that his expected henchman was too cosmopolitan at times.  But Kerr rendered me a more direct service at the subsequent election for Melbourne in Victoria’s first Parliament, by bringing me in at the head of the poll, which happened in this way:—­At the first count the poll stood thus:  O’Shanassy, Westgarth, Johnston, Nicholson, the latter being out, much to his own and his friends’ astonishment, as there were only three seats.  Kerr, who was resolved O’Shanassy should not be declared first if he could help it, called for a scrutiny prior to declaration.  He had knowledge of a goodly scale of false voting on the Irish side, where, in fact, there was a legion of busy Kerrs to my one, many of them having voted double, or, as with Sheridan’s proposed yearly Parliaments, “oftener if need be.”  One had voted nine times in succession at different polling places.  I fear Kerr was wrong, and that scrutiny should have been applied for after declaration.  But Kerr was the most dogged of mortals when he had a mind and an object, was then in the zenith of his influence, and, best of all for his side, he was king of the position as town clerk.  So he secured his purpose, and O’Shanassy and I changed positions.

I have a better service than this, and of much more general interest, with which to conclude my present sketch.  A year later, the second year of the gold, during which it was estimated that fifteen millions of gold had been washed out of the drifts, chiefly of Ballarat and Bendigo, the colony was already flooded, and no wonder, by the convict element from Tasmania.  To intensify this evil beyond all bearing, that colony’s Government, in view of relief from accumulating prisoners, had lately enacted a “conditional pardon” system, the condition being that the criminal was at liberty for all the world except to return Home, and forthwith, Her Majesty’s pass in hand, he crossed to golden Victoria.  A cry of despair arose there, for almost immediately the towns, goldfields, highways, and everywhere else where havoc was to be made, were the almost daily scenes of the most atrocious outrage.  One forenoon word reached town that five ruffians, taking position on the St. Kilda-road, had stuck up and robbed some twenty of the merchants and traders on their way to Melbourne, including my friend John G. Foxton.  The Anti-Transportation League, then some years in existence, held a great meeting, at which a large committee was appointed, and was enjoined to find an effective mode of dealing with this novel form of evil.  I think that it was at my suggestion that each of the committee was to write out his thoughts and bring the paper with him, so as to have a basis for arriving at a prompt conclusion.  Kerr was made convener, and he was not long in convening us.