THE SQUATTERS' TRIBUNE 145 



that I here stand." The expression was a figure of 

 speech. He was born at Norfolk Island, and that 

 island, it is true, was then a dependency of New South 

 Wales, but it was only by a forced construction that he 

 could call himself a native of New South Wales. A 

 native of Gibraltar or of Malta might properly describe 

 himself as an Englishman ; he certainly could not speak 

 of England as his natal soil. Like most men of his 

 commanding stamp, however, WentM^orth was taken 

 at his own valuation, and in those years, while they 

 were still friends, Robert Lowe spoke of him as " the 

 great son of the soil." It was morally, if not physically, 

 true. 



He was not the first member of his family who played 

 a part in the history of New South Wales. On a memor- 

 able occasion he declared that " the best blood " in his 

 veins flowed to him from his father. D'Arcy Went- 

 worth came out to Australia in the same ship of the 

 Second Fleet in which the still more famous John 

 Mc Arthur at first sailed. Had it contained no others 

 of note, that fleet would have been well freighted. 

 Having some medical education, D'Arcy was early 

 sent to Norfolk Island as a Government surgeon, and 

 there his record was not quite unblemished. In later 

 days he was publicly reprimanded by Lieutenant- 

 Governor Johnston for disobedience to orders, and 

 soon after he was suspended from his office as Assistant- 

 Surgeon by Governor Bligh. He must have grown 

 wealthy, but not, we may feel sure, as a medical prac- 

 titioner. Under Governor Macquarie D'Arcy Went- 

 worth and two others undertook to erect a hospital 

 in Sydney, provided they were allowed to purchase 

 and retail annually 15,000 gallons of spirits for a 

 period of four years ; for the Colony was still in the 

 bad days of the infamous traffic in spirits, which a 

 succession of Governors had endeavoured to sup- 

 press. According to Dr. Lang, who is not an impartial 

 authority on the subject, the arrangement was a 

 highly gainful one to the contractors ; the building 



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