n the capacity of private secretary to
several Governors. I wonder, if he happens to read these lines, whether
he will agree with me that perhaps during his long term of office he
enjoyed the quiet days he spent in Adelaide with Sir Thomas Fowell
Buxton, who was then Governor, as much as any of his time in other
colonies. Captain Wallington, now Sir Edward, must forgive me if I remind
him of the soubriquet by which his personal friends knew him--"Better
not." All his friends rejoice in the fact that he is now filling a very
high position of trust and enjoying the best of health.

I have been following, if you have noticed, the sequence of appointments
which it devolved upon the Government to make in initiating the
Commonwealth. I will continue this plan as regards the senior positions
under the Commander-in-Chief. At the time of General Hutton's arrival the
commands in the several States were held by the following officers:

New South Wales: Major-General French (late) Royal Artillery.

Victoria: Sir Charles Holled Smith's term of office as Commandant
had expired shortly before the inauguration of Federation, and the
post was held by my old friend General Downes, who, on his
retirement finally from the South Australian Command, had settled
in Melbourne, and had been requested by the Victorian Government to
take on the duties of Commandant temporarily.

Queensland: Major-General Finn, seconded from the 21st Hussars.

South Australia: I was still Commandant.

Western Australia: Colonel Francis.

Tasmania: Colonel Legge, (late) Royal Artillery.

Pending the expiration of the terms of service of Generals French and
Finn in New South Wales and Queensland the first important vacancy to be
filled was that of Commandant of Victoria, held temporarily by General
Downes. This was offered to me and I accepted it. When the appointment
was announced Kingston was the first to send for me to congratulate me. I
felt, indeed, short of words to thank him for what he had done for me. I
owed so much of my success to him. He was kind enough to say "that he
could honestly assure me that if my work had not been satisfactory I
would not have had his support and that of his colleagues and Parliament;
that he was sorry I was leaving South Australia, and he would prophesy
still higher promotion for me in the future."

These words, coupled with the fact that I was once more to follow my old
friend General Downes's foo