Burke Manuscript

Burke Manuscript: Page 263

Transcript

who was the original head bottle washer, but wasn’t it the man with the big eyebrows, once the postmaster (at the time Smutty Thompson was chief clerk) and who is now luxuriating on a well earned pension. When the P.O. was a 12 x 10 shanty next to Wellington Bishop’s store where now stands Townshend’s grog shop and the Victoria Hotel and old going going gone H.E. kept a shop just by. And why shouldn’t a man have a good pension when he has been provided for by a generous public for the best part of his life, fed, clothed, his children taken care of, if he have any, no risks, no competition to contend with, why should he not have a good retiring pay for the rest of his life? Ask Mr Hamilton, the champion Tite Barnacle, and well provided for pensioner? That gives him plenty of time to devote to politics and other trifles. Yet very likely he is surprised others can’t pay their way as he does. But one is wandering.

Well, to come back to our Merinos. We will say Dr Buck was made Immigration man, and that he had [here two names inserted and both crossed through, and a marginal insertion]J.E. Marsh, for assistant, and others that one won’t mention. Well, they had most onerous duties to go through. Mr [Marsh] had had experience. For example, before he reached this blessed haven of rest, he had had some little duties to perform in Wellington, and in the course of his social duties, were he disposed, he could tell us all about the old vagaries of Teddy Wakefield, then in the pride of wealth and influence, and also of his harem. For people in Colonial life go through

Pavitt sixties