Personal Recollections of Early Melbourne and VictoriaWestgarth, William
History
Personal Recollections of Early Melbourne and Victoria
Westgarth, William
Victoria -- Description and travel
But, alas for the cause of human perfection! The Doctor, being on a
mission Home, and by no means for the first time, for the promotion of
the emigration of Scotch Presbyterians to Australia (his great and not
unworthy hobby), and being short of funds after raising in one direction
all he could upon his bill of lading, horrible dictu! pledged elsewhere
for the balance of his account a spare copy of the set, left with him in
trust and confidence. Now was the day of vengeance for his foes, and
they duly essayed to take it. But the imperturbable Doctor was not
troubled with too thin a skin, especially in a matter which was totally
devoid of personal pecuniary advantage. The overdraft was, as he
expected, readily made up by the public. Nor did he sustain any great
moral damage, even with his foes, as his indifference about money was
too well known--first his own money, and after that other people's.
Kerr was in a like plight, but a great deal more helplessly. If he
escaped as to character with the many who knew him, yet of necessity he
lost his good post. He was succeeded by Mr. Fitzgibbon, who, more fitly,
I doubt not, than Kerr, has held this important office ever since, a
period of no less than thirty-two years. This serious loss of means and
position completed a breakdown that had probably begun before, so that
Kerr was no longer able for first-class work. We may envy this
opportunity to his old opponent, O'Shanassy, who, in power at the time,
generously found him a small appointment--a station upon one of the
railways--which gave him, at least, a comfortable, and, in a social way,
by no means ungenial home for the short remainder of his life.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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