386 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



vanced claims to be regarded as the founder of the university in 

 virtue of his performance of an official act as a member of the 

 Executive. Now that all the prime movers have passed away, it 

 is impossible to say definitely if any one individual is entitled to 

 make such a claim. Apart from the fact that the initial impulse 

 was given by the earlier movement in Sydney, the evidence points 

 to Mr. Latrobe as the first to publicly move in the matter, though 

 doubtless his action was the outcome of conferences with Barry, 

 Stawell and Childers. In any case, when once the legislative enact- 

 ments were completed, it was Eedmond Barry who threw himself 

 heart and soul into the furtherance of the object. It is some 

 indication of the preliminary part he took in the foundation that 

 Mr. Latrobe appointed him the first Chancellor, an office which he 

 held continuously for twenty-six years, with credit and dignity to 

 himself and with undoubted benefit to the university. 



Largely due also to the active influence of Redmond Barry was 

 the simultaneous foundation of the Melbourne Public Library, for 

 which the Council voted 10,000 towards the erection of a building 

 and 3,000 for a commencement in the purchase of books. It took 

 some eighteen months to get all the preliminaries of starting such 

 important institutions completed, and in the interim Mr. Latrobe 

 left the colony. His successor, Sir Charles Hotham, had the 

 honour of laying the foundation stones of both buildings on the 

 same day, the 3rd of July, 1854, and they have both grown with 

 the progress of the colony into a position which justifies the pro- 

 phetic and laudatory speeches that marked the ceremony, and the 

 generous expenditure which has ever continued to be voted for their 

 support. 



Two episodes which belong to the annals of these years, though 

 not connected with the financial and commercial troubles, may be 

 here conveniently referred to : The departure of the Lieutenant- 

 Governor on the 5th of May, 1854, after fifteen years of arduous 

 and somewhat thankless service, and the arrival some six weeks 

 later of his successor, of whom great things were confidently pre- 

 dicted. The striking era of change through which the colony was 

 passing was accentuated in the eyes of the old pioneer settlers by 

 the departure of the Governor under whom they had grown up, 



