296 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



bourne to try and block the election, was also nominated, made no 

 sign of dissent and was actually returned. 



But the elections brought no solution of the old difficulty, and 

 before a year had passed over four out of the five had resigned, 

 Curr being succeeded, curiously enough, by Foster, who had again 

 changed his mind. 



Meanwhile the year 1849 was gliding to its close without any 

 definitive news on the question that occupied all minds. Eeports 

 had reached Melbourne that Her Majesty had graciously promised 

 to confer her own name on the new colony, and that certain steps 

 had been taken to give legislative effect to the change. But 

 towards the close of the year there came news that the " Bill for 

 the Better Government of the Australian Colonies " was not 

 making satisfactory progress, and that so much controversy had 

 arisen from some of its proposals that another, or possibly two 

 sessions might be needed before finality was reached. Indigna- 

 tion was once more aroused, and two large meetings were held in 

 Melbourne in November and December. 



At the first meeting resolutions of an almost defiant character 

 were passed practically threatening the mother-country with the 

 loss of those feelings of attachment and loyalty to the Throne 

 which should be the distinguishing feature of every British colony. 

 At the second meeting a petition was adopted urging that the de- 

 batable questions in the Bill now before Parliament might be 

 discussed at leisure, if only a simple Act of Separation of the dis- 

 trict from the colony of New South Wales was in the meantime 

 promptly passed. 



As a matter of fact, the irritation expressed at the delay, if 

 excusable from want of knowledge, was unreasonable on the 

 ground of its suspicions. There was nothing to justify the popular 

 belief that the underhand influence of Sydney opponents was re- 

 sponsible for obstruction. The authorities there, under the order 

 of the Secretary of State, were doing what they could to expedite 

 an event recognised to be inevitable. The delay was really caused 

 by members of the British Parliament evincing an interest in the 

 subject, and a desire to give the new colony a start with something 

 better than the semi-representation of the Act of 1842. 



