 In 1891 he became Challis professor of history at the University of Sydney and held this chair for the remainder of his life.Before coming to Australia his chief study had been in English and European history, but he soon developed an interest in the early days of Australia and did valuable research on this period.During the Boer War he incurred some unpopularity by advocating peace measures, but he was not a pacifist if he thought a cause a just one—only his age prevented him from enlisting during the First World War.