THE EEA OF EXTKAVAGANCE 271 



annually declining for a quarter of a century. Sir Henry Parkes 

 initiated the movement in Sydney, and in June he invited Messrs. 

 Gillies and Deakin to discuss with him there some plan of uniform 

 restricted legislation. During the month of April there arrived in 

 Sydney three or four steamers from China, with over 300 passengers. 

 They were liable to poll tax and other deterrents, but the working 

 men of Sydney took alarm at this unusual number, and believed 

 that it was only an advance contingent of a big invasion of the 

 labour market. On the 4th of May a mass meeting of over 5,000 

 men, headed by the Mayor, invaded Parliament House, and with 

 considerable turmoil insisted that the Chinese should not be allowed 

 to land under any conditions. Sir Henry Parkes was fain to 

 promise compliance with this demand, and a Bill was hurried through 

 Parliament to validate the illegality of their anticipatory exclusion. 

 In his autobiography Sir Henry devotes over twenty pages to vindi- 

 cating his action in this matter, his contention being that he was 

 not, as commonly supposed, acting under mob intimidation, but 

 from the noblest dictates of a patriotic conscience, and a stern 

 determination to preserve the purity of society in New South Wales. 

 The Chinese Ambassador in London had sought the intervention 

 of the Marquis of Salisbury, in his position as Minister of Foreign 

 Affairs, and that statesman had called for information from Sydney, 

 with a view to diplomatic action which should stop any further 

 Chinese emigration to Australia. But the people in Australia de- 

 clined to wait while they could act on their own initiative, and 

 with characteristic ignorance they scoffed at the idea of negotiating 

 with a heathen Emperor. Sir Henry Parkes was greatly annoyed 

 that the Chinese Ambassador should imagine that by calling the 

 attention of Lord Salisbury to what the Australians were doing, 

 he foolishly implied that he regarded them as " school children 

 who can be called to account by the Prime Minister of England ". 

 Impertinent as such an inference was felt to be in Sydney, there 

 were other factors of annoyance. It was decided that if Lord 

 Salisbury had the interest of the Colonies really at heart, he would 

 promptly drop everything else in hand, and proceed to let the 

 Emperor of China know what Australia demanded. Instead of 

 this he proposed to proceed in the old-world fashion of tedious 



