THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT GOVERNMENT 173 



oould justify ; and as the bulk of the bank's business assumed the 

 form of helping such speculative buyers, it did not take long to lock 

 up the whole of its resources in inconvertible securities. Early in 

 1840 it was decided at a meeting of the shareholders to increase 

 the bank's capital and to open an office in London. But the new 

 capital was not readily forthcoming, the principal shareholders 

 having their hands pretty full with their liabilities on land specu- 

 lations. It was therefore arranged to send Mr. Gardiner, the 

 manager, to London to place the additional shares on the world's 

 money market, and thus obtain the required relief. He was not 

 successful in his mission, for he neither opened a London office 

 nor secured the assistance of the British capitalist, and he never 

 returned to the colony. 



And thus the struggling township grew, drawing to itself as fast 

 as possible those organisations that are supposed to regulate our 

 religious, social, legal and financial requirements. Though it was 

 literally on the edge of a wilderness, where unknown dangers were 

 supposed to lurk in the shape of savages whose prowess was over- 

 rated, the pioneers held it as an article of saving faith that great 

 progress was in store for it. They were proud to show it at its best 

 to Lady Franklin, the wife of the popular Governor of Van Diemen's 

 Land, who passed through on her way to Sydney overland, and 

 sojourned for a couple of days in Fawkner's hostelry to prepare 

 herself for the laborious journey. The town was given over to 

 the most exuberant festivity, and expressed its feelings by a "gen- 

 eral illumination," Fawkner's hotel, from its somewhat elevated 

 position, its radiating effulgence and its promise of pyrotechnic 

 marvels, being the rallying-point of the crowd. The proprietor 

 having bought up all the fireworks in the place, probably at any 

 time a very limited stock, was easily first in his display, and when 

 the last rocket had fizzled out the weird shadows of the dead gum- 

 trees, and the ungainly outlines of the rude habitations that dotted 

 the allotments on Collins Street, were brought into strong relief by 

 the fires of the assembled natives, who had organised a corroboree 

 on an extensive scale in honour of the distinguished visitor, who 

 would probably have preferred a night's sound sleep. 



While Melbourne was thus taking on permanent shape, the 



