In 1858 Charles Harpur was drawn into an argument with Frank Fowler, the editor of the
Month : A Literary and Critical Journal. J. Normington-Rawling in
Charles Harpur, An Australian (Angus & Robertson, 1962): 226 writes that 'Harpur had allowed himself to be inveigled into the position of defending as poetry the writings of Henry Parkes. In doing so he chose to see the issue as one between colonists [Harpur] and immigrants [Fowler]...' Harpur wrote a
Note with an accompanying poem published in the
Empire (9 March 1858) which was commented on by Fowler in the pages of the
Month. Harpur continued the argument with this
Note in the 28 May 1858 issue of the
Empire published with a version of his poem
A Rhyme.
