as meant for a leader on Tuesday morning, and went to
read it to my brother at breakfast time, and posted it forthwith. I
knew The Argus had been dissatisfied with the recent elections, and
fancied that the editor would hail with joy the new idea; but I
received the reply that The Argus was committed to the representation
of majorities; and, though the idea was ingenious, he did not even
offer to print it as a letter. About two years later Mr. Lavington
Glyde, M.P., brought forward in the Assembly Mr. Fawcett's abstract of
Hare's great scheme, and I seized the opportunity of writing a series
of letters to The Register, signed by my initials. Mr. Glyde, seeing
the House did not like his suggestions, dropped the matter, but I did
not. I was no longer correspondent to The Argus--the telegraph stopped
that altogether. My wonderful maiden aunts made up to me and my mother
the 50 pounds a year that I had received as correspondent, and did as
much for their brother, Alexander Brodie, of Morphett Vale, from 1,000
pounds they had sent to invest in South Australia. It was as easy to
get 10 per cent. then as to get 4 per cent. now; indeed I think the
money earned 12 per cent. at first. My brother John was accountant to
the South Australian Railways, then not a very great department--I
think the line stretched as far as Kapunda to the north from Port
Adelaide. He was as much captivated by Mr. Hare's idea as I was, and he
said that if I would write a pamphlet he would pay for the printing of
1,000 copies, to be sent to all the members of Parliament and other
leading people in city and country. I called my pamphlet "A Plea for
Pure Democracy," and when writing it I felt the democratic strength of
the position as I had not felt it in reading Hare's own book. It cost
my brother 15 pounds, but he never grudged it.

While the pamphlet was in the press, I heard of the dangerous illness
of my friend Lucy Anne Duval (nee Beare), one of the original
passengers in the Duke of York, the first ship which arrived here. I
went to consult Mr. Taylor and Mr. Stirling at their office. I saw only
Mr. Stirling. I said, "I should like to go and nurse her," and he said.
"If you will go, I'll pay your expenses;" and I went and stayed with
her for three weeks, till she died, and left five children, three of
them quite young. There were Duvals in England in good circumstances,
and I wrote pleading for the three little ones, though every one said
it was qui