48 A HISTORY OF THE COLONY OF VICTORIA 



amongst the crowd, setting forth an entirely new constitution for 

 Victoria, the seven clauses of which contained some of the most 

 preposterous ideas of Government that ever emanated from men 

 who could read and write. And yet they were put forward in all 

 seriousness by men, several of whom were afterwards considered 

 worthy of election to legislative and even ministerial positions. 

 Amongst other startling suggestions was the immediate abolition 

 of the Custom House and all its imposts. Provision for the main- 

 tenance of Government was to be levied upon property, and all 

 absentees were to be taxed to the extent of 75 per cent, on their 

 ascertained income. The headlands commanding the harbours of 

 Melbourne and Geelong were to be immediately fortified, and one 

 of the public foundries was to be devoted to the construction of 

 floating batteries for the bay, and the casting of long-range cannon 1 

 Powder mills were to be established, and a mint started at once. 

 The Government was to be prohibited from borrowing money at 

 interest, but to forthwith commence the issue of one-pound notes ! 

 All men in the army or police were to be disbanded at once, and 

 compensated by a month's pay, and a grant of 100 acres of land on 

 their undertaking to cultivate it. And all the land of the colony, 

 not already sold, was to be cut up into farms of 250 acres each, 

 at a nominal rent, with right of purchase at a trifling outlay. 

 Henceforth there were to be none but citizen soldiers, and 

 every male between sixteen and sixty was to attend drill once 

 a week, and they were to elect their own officers. Finally, the 

 meeting was to appoint a " Provisional Directory " of twelve to 

 carry out these principles. 



Such is a brief outline of the radical constitution which had 

 the honour of appearing in full in the State Papers of the British 

 Parliament, but which attained no higher distinction. Surely the 

 apotheosis of free speech was reached here in the advocating of 

 such proposals from a public platform. The proud boast of the 

 laureate, that under British rule "a man may speak the thing 

 he will," was fully justified. But talk is cheap. Action is another 

 matter. Had it gone beyond talk the Government was not alto- 

 gether unprepared. Though the main military force of the colony 

 was at Ballaarat, the cheering crowd was not aware that 300 police- 



