290 ADELAIDE AND VICINITY sir H. Avers bv the Adelaide Chamber of Commerce for the valuable service they had rendered the Province. In January. 1877, Sydney was the scene of another conference, the object being the- consideration of the duplication of the cable, the improvement of telegraph communication between pAirope and Australia, and the reduction of the message tariff. With the Hon. H. Ward, M.L.C., Sir Henry attended, and this was the last occasion on which the distinguished politician filled an ambassadorial office. Sir Henry Ayers bore the reputation of being one of the best administrators South Australia has had. and it was stated of him that "it is doubtful whether any South Australian Cabinet has ever had a better organiser." It is satisfactory to be able to record that during his long career he had the pleasure of living down a personal antagonism which was at times most dramatically displayed towards him by his opponents. The years intervening between 1863 and 1874, when he was in the midst of his greatest political activity, formed a period of progress and prosperity in .South Australia. The public debt of the Province at the end of 1877 was under five millions, the era referred to being one of comparatively small borrowings from the London market. Sir Henry was a warm supporter of the then Surveyor-General's (Goyder) pastoral valuations during the session of 1S64. In 1873 he vigorously opposed the Stamps and Succession Duties Bill introduced by the Boucaut Ministry, as well as the proposal to borrow ^^3, 000,000 in connection with the furthering of the famous " broad and comprehensive policy " of that administration. To enumerate the different public Acts for which .Sir Henry was directly responsible would go towards filling a book in itself His good works live after him, and this notice cannot have a better conclusion than the following summary of .Sir Henry's character, which appeared in the Adelaide Register on the occasion of his demise :-" Sir Henry was peculiarly fitted to represent the people in the .Senate hall and in the Cabinet office. As an administrator he took his full share of responsibility, and showed his ready grasp of detail. His culture and diplomatic training .served him admirably in the discharge of the work appertaining to the occupancy of the highest positions in the State. No one presided over the deliberations of the Legislative Council with a higher conception of the requirements of the office. His rule was characterised by ability, gravity, impartiality, and courtesy. W^ithout reflecting on his predecessors, it is safe to say he gave an added dignity to the office which any successor will find it difficult to maintain. His demeanor at the most trying times was always worthy of the traditions of the high position. He was in every way an able exponent of the Constitution, with whose history, and alike with its details, he was in the fullest sense familiar. After his retirement from Parliament, Sir Henry gradually withdrew from public affairs ; and an admirable lecture delivered by him before the Australian Natives' Association has left on lasting record his testimony and his opinions concerning the achievements of the pioneer .settlers of the Colony. Of him, as of a celebrated Speaker of the House of Commons, it might be truly said, 'his face and figure filled the eye, and his voice charmed and impressed the ear.' Sir Henry's uprightness in all things, his sturdy independence, his varied gifts, his tastes, his dignified, courtly bearing, and his personal associations, all combined to invest him with a distinction exceeded by few, if any, of our colonists, past or present, who.se names are written large on the pages of colonial history."
