Gathered In by Catherine Helen Spence — Read

The good ship 'Kent' was a regular trader and a favourite passenger ship. Bets rising from a new hat to a £5 note were made as to her making the passage in seventy-five days on each outward voyage, and Kenneth was surprised to find what an Australian atmosphere pervaded the vessel. There were some new people like Kenneth going out for the first time, but they were completely overpowered by the superior position and the superior knowledge of returning colonists. The bulk of these were from Melbourne, but there were two or three Tasmanian people and two Adelaide families. It would appear by the prevailing talk that Melbourne was the "hub" of the Australian universe, and, although Kenneth had been told that the gold was the largest interest, both as an article of export and as employing most labour, it was the wool and the pastoral interests that enormously preponderated in the talk at the cuddy table. He could have had no better introduction to lead him to appreciate his uncle's peculiar walk in life than this voyage in the 'Kent'. Many of the passengers had taken the Suez route home, but preferred the long stretch of sailing for their return, and the extraordinary differences of opinion and of power of observation between people who had led the same lives and seen the same things and places interested the young Scotchman, whose travels had been hitherto very limited. It was pretty clear to him that if people did not take anything with them in the shape of ideas or information, they brought wonderfully little away from the sight of the most interesting places and the hearing of the most eloquent speeches. Some few, who had greatly enjoyed the excitement and the change of foreign travel, went back reluctantly as to a place of dullness and quasi-banishment; but most of the returning passengers seemed glad to have a prospect of taking up their work again, and mixing with their compeers on a platform where they occupied a place more or less conspicuous. A gold- broker and a manager of a Quartz--crushing Company represented the diggings interest, at least the capitalist side of it. Among the second-class passengers there were some small storekeepers and even artisans who had gone home for a holiday, but the bulk of such passengers were on their first outward voyage. The captain and officials were as familiar with Melbourne streets and Melbourne politics and general affairs as with those of their native land, and Kenneth thought he imbibed the atmosphere around him very fairly. He saw the tone of his uncle's letters reproduced in various gradations, and with more or less pronouncement on all sides. England owed much more to her colonies, especially to her Australian Colonies, and most especially to the premier colony of Victoria, than she acknowledged, or than she was at all aware of.

Among such a number of Victorians, Kenneth hoped to hear some particulars about his Uncle George, but there were none who knew him personally. By name, George Oswald was well known as a successful squatter of the old type, shrewd, hardworking, and prompt to seize opportunities as they offered, and habitually close-fisted, though liberal in spots. He had been originally an overseer--had managed for the Brothers Dirom till they got disgusted with the colony at the outbreak of the gold--diggings, and were anxious to go home. Their overseer had bought them out, and it had turned out a splendid bargain for the purchaser. Tingalpa was so near the large mining township of Castlehurst that the market for stock had been of incalculable value, even better than for Mr. William Gray's station at Wilta, who was another squatting magnate even wealthier, and, by what Kenneth could gather, of much higher social rank than his uncle. But George Oswald was spoken of with respect, his wool fetched splendid prices in the London market, and he was extending his operations, as yet undisturbed to any extent by the free selectors, whom the squattocracy are wont to stigmatize as the curse of the country--depriving men of means of their runs, and doing no good for themselves or the colony by their acquisitions. The liberal land laws were looked on by these sufferers, either in esse or in posse, with most extreme disgust, and in their eyes Victorian politics generally appeared framed for the destruction of capital and the ruin of capitalists.