Thus, they acquired women to look after their homes, while otherwise they
would have been living in a pitiable state, with no ties. What that
nation did, we have done." Such was the word of the island chief, and no
appeal, in justification, to history, could ever have been made in
stranger circumstances.
'Was it not,' Sir George felt, 'extraordinary to hear the case of the
Romans and the Sabine women, pleaded in defence of a tiny outlawed
community, situate on the wild Australian coast, where another empire,
more magnificent even than that of Rome, was just planting itself? The
thing almost swept one's mind from the question itself--a difficult one
to answer as submitted.' Then, in this odd affair, the untutored far
south was springing to the support of Sir George's views as to cause and
effect. Imitators of ancient Rome, on an island of Spencer's Gulf,
Australia, many centuries later! The theory of the universe, expressed as
'cause and effect,' had been borne in upon Sir George from the moment he
turned thinker. It was a favourite text between him and Babbage, into
whose ear he poured his reasonings.
'Subjects occurred to me,' he said, 'which I believed had not been given
sufficient prominence, and this was one of them. I fancy Babbage wrote
about it.
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