MR. CHAS. BRIGHT’S LECTURE.

Globe, Volume V, Issue 566, 11 April 1876, Page 2

MR. CHAS. BRIGHT’S LECTURE.

Mr Charles Bright delivered the first of a short peries of lectures last evening in the Oddfellows’ Hall. The title of the lecture was “ Victorian Reminiscences.” Owing to the inclemency of the weather, there was but a small attendance. Mr Bright possesses a well modulated and pleasing voice, and a ready fund of wit, enlivening the details of his lecture here and there with touches of humour, which made bis recounting of the early history of the colony of Victoria highly interesting and amusing to his audience.

His Worship the Mayor said that they had been invited that evening to listen to a lecture on Reminiscences of Victoria, and he had very great pleasure in presiding on the occasion. He would now introduce Mr Chast Bright. [Applause.] Mr Bright, who was warmly received, said that he regretted that the wi ather had prevented a large attendance that evening. They all knew how much a small attendance damped the spirits of a lecturer, but if they

would end savour to forget they were a scanty audience, he would endeavour to do so too, and try to amuse and interest them. [Cheers.J In the thickly populated countries of Europe, and the tight little island to which they all cast a look of filial affection, there was scarcely a nook or corner around which some tradition or some legend did not cast a halo of romance. In these new countries, however, where thelands bad been only just reclaimed from savagery, there was no such traditions, and in the land of Australia, to which he specially directed attention that evening, the policy of past English statesmen had only cast a lurid light, as a sort of refuge for the bad characters of the old country to be sent to. The colony of Victoria, however, had escaped the taint of convictism, and its early history would, he trusted, furnish materials for a pleasant hour or so of chat, which was what his lecture was intended to do. In 1808 the colony of Victoria was founded by the dashing young navigator Flinders, accompanied by Collins, and from their names they got Collins and Flinders streets. After a voyage of seme six months the party arrived and effected a landing near Nepean. At this period Mr Casey had not arrived, nor had Mr George Coppin cast his eyes over the land, so the prospect was anything but inviting. The settlement, however, had to be given up, and a move was made to the southern part of Van Dieman’s Land. Mr Bright here quoted from Lieut. Stuckey’s narrative of the sojourn of the expedition, a gentleman who was given to day dreaming, and who amused himself with forecasling the future of the colony. “What,’’ said Mr Bright, “would have been Lieut. Stuckey’s astonishment had he been able to look forward to the conclusion of the career of one of the urchins who scampered over the rocks of Point Nepean, and see a public funeral accorded to John Pascoa Fawkner, as the founder of the colony of Victoria.” Briefly glancing at the history of Buckly, the wild white man, Mr Bright went on to say that there was no doubt that Mr Henty’s settlement at Western Port preceded the settle merit of Melbourne, and quoted a most amusing award in a dispute in which John Batman and Fawkner were the principal parties, given in 1836. The early history of Fawkner was next touched upon, and a newpaper published by him in 1838 quoted from. This was in M. 6 S., and Mr Bright road from it several advertisements, which from their quaintness of stylo, and peculiarity as viewed by the light of the civib'zition of the present day created much amusement. In the news columns there was a leugthy account of a meeting of the Melbourne Bace Club, thus showing that though in the very earliest history of the settlement the British settlers possessed all the love of sport of their forefathers. Mr Bright then briefly touched upon the history of journalism in Victoria, giving an account of the rise and progress of the Melbourne Argus to its present pinnacle, and the ris and fall of its early contemporaries. The pertinacity and perseverance of Mr Edward Wilson, the proprietor of the Argus, in his uphill task was commented upon, and also his devotion to the cause of acclimatisation, in the pursuit of which he shared with Mr J, T. Smith the honor of having introduced the first donkeys into Victoria, causing Mr Aspinall to remark of him that he was that newspaper man who had imported a peculiar assortment of donkeys and editors. The successful opposition of the Argus to transportation to Victoria, and the efforts made by it in this direction was next spoken of, and also the separation movement from the colony of New South Wales. Journalism in those days and these were contrasted in a few pithy sentences, and some of th ejeu d'esjirits current at the time on the separation question quoted. Passing onward, Mr Bright carried his hearers with him to that stirring and eventful era in the history of the colony—the discovery of gold. The many-sided phases of life in old Melbourne, in Canvas Town and at the diggings, were successively touched upon and pourtrayed with much fidelity, and the humorous points brought out in a very amusing manner. Mr Bright’s personal adventures at Ballarat in the height of the digging fever, full of vivid word pictures of the events taking place there, were interspersed with numerous incidents quaintly told. The Eureka stockade affair was next referred to, and to themisgovernment of those in power at the time the lecturer attributed the outbreak. One of those who had lost an arm at the Eureka stockade affair, Mr P. Lalor, became a member of the Victorian Parliament, and might have been seen sittingbehind the very Attorney General who wanted Mm dead or alive. The difficulties of the Melbourne journals, deserted by their reporting staffs, who went en masse to the diggings, was next touched upon, and the lecturer’s early connection with the Parliamentary staff of the Argus, and Mr Aspinall’s accession thereto humourously described. The great scare given to Melbourne by the Great Britain, during the Russian War, firing guns in coming up the Bay, was next described. The lecturer then proceeded to pay a high tribute to the talents and wit of Mr B. C. Aspinall, tracing his career as a barrister and giving an account of the celebrated trial of one of the Ballarat rioters for high treason, in which Mr Aspinall was junior counsel, and in which his wit and ingenuity saved the prisoner. Mr Aspinall’s career as a politician, and the course taken by him in the political events of the day, were briefly described, aud also the constitution of the first constitutional Parliament in Victoria, with a few humorous sketches of the most prominent men who were members ■of that House. Passing rapidly over the •events of the Burke and Wills expedition to the interior of Australia, tne lecturer referred briefly to the intellectual powers of the public men of Victoria compared with those other ■countries. A well deserved tribute of praise -was next paid by the lecturer to the high -talents of the late Judge Wilson Gray. After living a summary of events following upon the Assembly of the first constitutional parliament, the lecturer next touched upon the dead-lock occurring between the Houses, ai d the policy pursued by Sir James M’Lulloch. The visit of the Duke of Edinburgh to Victoria, and the generous conduct of the Duke towards Mr Aspinall lasting to the end of his life, and his noble conduct in purchasing a life-governorship at a cost of £SOO to enable him to nominate the son of his Australian friend, Mr Aspinall, to a cadetship, was next referred to, The lecturer then went on to speak of the present aspect of mining affairs in Victoria, giving some amusing accounts of the career of some of the numberless mining companies floated in the colony. In conclusion Mr Bright drew a vivid picture of the changes which had taken place •in the metropolis qI Victoria since the good

old days of '62, its rapid extension into the suburbs, the substantiality of its buildings, both public and private, and the admirable public institutions A humorous picture of Melbourne society of the present day followed, aud Mr Bright concluded a very admirable lecture, interspersed throughout with a rich fund of anecdote, told with great humor, by off ring a few words of advice to the young ladies of Melbourne to dress more simply, and to make up their minds as to whether they should dress as men or women. But it was not the dawdlers on the Block to whom the colony had to look for her prosperity. There was, he was proud to say, a class of rising thinkers and workers there, and, recollecting the stock from which they sprung, he had confidence that they would yet see a race arise who would be prou 1 to acknowledge that they were natives of a Greater Britain under the mild radiance of the Southern Cross.

Mr Bright on resuming his scat was loudly cheered.

Mr Bright moved a vote of thanks ti his Worship the Mayor for his kindness in ure siding that evening. Mr W. Wilson seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. His Worship, in acknowledging the compliment, said he felt sure that all present, as well as himself, had enjoyed a thoroughly intellectual treat. He only hoped that Mr Bright would consent to re-deliver his lecture on another occasion. (Cheers.)

Mr Bright said that as the Opera Company did not appear until Thursday, he would be happy to re-deliver bis lecture. (Cheers )