THE ERA OF EXTRAVAGANCE 275 



was the Earl of Hopetoun, the youngest of Victoria's Governors, 

 for he was only twenty-nine when he landed in Melbourne on the 

 28th of November, 1889. It is no exaggeration to say that he en- 

 deared himself to the people from the outset by his unaffected 

 simplicity, his hearty support of all social public movements, his 

 generosity, and his manly love of the hunting field and all healthy 

 outdoor sports. The liberality with which he entertained trenched 

 largely upon his private fortune, and he maintained the dignity of 

 the Queen's representative in a style that had not hitherto been 

 possible to the holders of the office. He visited every part of the 

 colony, and made himself acquainted with its resources and its de- 

 velopment. He was known amongst the struggling settlers in the 

 dry Mallee borders as well as to the freehold pasturalists of the 

 fertile West, and wherever he went his unstudied geniality and 

 kindly interest left an impression of the most favourable character. 

 He touched Victorian shores just on the eve of great trials in store 

 for the community, and though nothing occurred to involve him in 

 any difficulty with the Colonial Office, he was a pained spectator of 

 many troublous events, political, social and commercial. 



The year 1890 was an unhappy one for the Gillies Ministry. 

 It had one success, when in April it floated in London a loan of 

 4,000,000 at 3 -J per cent, on very favourable terms. It realised an 

 average of 101 10s., and applications were received for more than 

 13,000,000. This high estimate of Australian credit by the British 

 investor rather tended to accentuate the existing extravagance, and 

 was responsible for the reckless proposals of railway extension which 

 eventually wrecked the Ministry, and materially impaired that credit. 

 On the 2nd of May Parliament was opened by Lord Hopetoun, and 

 within a fortnight two motions of want of confidence were launched 

 against the Ministry, both of which were defeated. The dramatic 

 surprise of the session was the introduction by Mr. Gillies on 17th 

 June of a Eailway Bill for the construction of forty-three country 

 and ten suburban lines, of a total length of 713 miles, roughly 

 estimated to cost about 8,000,000. This was in addition to fifty- 

 four country and seven suburban lines already approved by the 

 Minister of Eailways, and estimated to cost about 6,000,000 more. 

 And beyond all these there were 2,950 miles of new lines proposed 



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