THE SQUATTER IN POLITICS 313 



till 1873 he was member and president of the Second 

 Chamber. Such a record was worthily crowned by 

 knighthood and enhaloed by the posthumous distinc- 

 tion of his son as a Scottish and English professor and 

 classical scholar. Out of the strong proceedeth sweet- 

 ness, as the old Hebrew riddle hath it. 



We interrupt the beadroll of distinguished names to 

 mention a significant fact. In 1844 (September 17th), 

 so sympathetic was the Legislative Council with the 

 interests of the pastorahsts that it passed votes of 

 thanks for his services to Charles Buller (Carlyle's old 

 pupil and then a rising member of Parliament) and to 

 Francis Scott (son of that advocate of the pastorahsts, 

 Lord Polwarth) "for his masterly exposition of the 

 cause of the Austrahan squatters." Next year it was 

 decided to appoint Scott its Parhamentary Agent. 



It will show the extent to which the unreformed 

 Legislative Council was permeated by pastoralist 

 influences to state that the three nominated unofficial 

 members were pastorahsts — Alexander Berry, John 

 Blaxland, and Richard Jones. Even when the Council 

 had been made partially elective, sixteen out of the 

 twenty-four elected members were connected with 

 pastoral pursuits.* It is true that two of these are 

 described by Sir George Gipps as barristers ; but Went- 

 worth had for some years ceased to practise, he owned 

 three stations, and he pubhcly said : " I am a squatter," 

 though he never resided on his stations. And William 

 Forster, who was afterwards Premier of the Colony, 

 though described as a barrister, was also a squatter. 



Many country gentlemen, we are told, were returned 

 to the Legislative Council in 1843. Two years later 

 Henry Dangar, an extensive pastoralist, was elected, 

 and, in company with Went worth and James Mc Arthur, 

 he supported Earl Grey in his attempts to resume 

 transportation. In 1848 he was re-elected, and for 

 years after. In 1854 he was placed in the Legislative 

 Council of the new Constitution. Sir Charles Cowper 

 * See the names in the Mitchell MSS., vol. 42. 



